Albert Barnes Commentary Revelation 18:20

"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her." — Revelation 18:20 (ASV)

Rejoice over her. Over her ruin. There is a strong contrast between this language and what precedes. Kings, merchants, and seamen, who had been supported and sustained by her in the indulgence of corrupt passions, or who had been enriched by trade with her, would have reason to mourn. But not so those who had been persecuted by her. Not so the church of the redeemed. Not so heaven itself.

The great oppressor of the church, and the corrupter of the world, was now destroyed. The grand hindrance to the spread of the gospel was now removed, and all the holy in heaven and on earth would have reason to rejoice. This is not the language of vengeance, but it is the language of exultation and rejoicing because the cause of truth could now spread without hindrance through the earth.

You heaven. The inhabitants of heaven. Compare Isaiah 1:2.

The meaning here is, that the dwellers in heaven—the holy angels and the redeemed—had reason to rejoice over the downfall of the great enemy of the church.

And you holy apostles. Professor Stuart renders this, "You saints, and apostles, and prophets." In the common Greek text it is, as in our version, "holy apostles and prophets." In the text of Griesbach, Hahn, and Tittman, the word kai (and) is interposed between the words "holy" and "apostle." This is, undoubtedly, the true reading. The meaning then is, that the saints in heaven are called on to rejoice over the fall of the mystical Babylon.

Apostles. The twelve who were chosen by the Savior to be his witnesses on earth. (See 1 Corinthians 9:1).

The word is commonly limited to the twelve, but in a larger sense it is applied to other distinguished teachers and preachers of the gospel. .

There is no impropriety, however, in supposing that the apostles are referred to here as such, since they would have reason to rejoice that the great obstacle to the reign of the Redeemer was now taken away, and that that cause in which they had suffered and died was now to be triumphant.

And prophets. Prophets of the Old Testament, and distinguished teachers of the New. .

All these would have reason to rejoice in the prospect of the final triumph of the true religion.

For God hath avenged you on her. Has taken vengeance on her for her treatment of you. That is, as she had persecuted the church as such, they all could be regarded as interested in it, and affected by it. All the redeemed, therefore, in earth and in heaven, are interested in whatever tends to retard or to promote the cause of truth. All have reason to mourn when the enemies of the truth triumph; to rejoice when they fall.