“Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.” Revelation 14:8
Unlike the first angel, the second angel does not preach the good news of the gospel, but pronounces the bad news of the judgment. This implies that the message of the first angel was rejected.
The pronouncement of verse 8 is by another angel, apparently also flying in mid-heaven, saying the great city of Babylon has fallen. The repetition of the phrase “is fallen” is for emphasis. Prophetically, “Babylon” sometimes refers to a literal city, sometimes to a religious system, sometimes to a political system, all stemming from the evil character of historic Babylon. The announcement here is prophetic as the actual fall of Babylon probably comes later if the reference is to the physical city. The destruction of the city of Babylon itself, whether a reference to Rome, as is commonly held, or to a rebuilt city of Babylon on the ancient site of historic Babylon, does not take place until the end of the great tribulation. Inasmuch as the context here seems to deal primarily with the end of the great tribulation and the beginning of the millennial kingdom, the reference seems to be to the literal city.
King Nebuchadnezzar says that his kingdom is great. “As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.” (Daniel 4:30) Nebuchadnezzar felt that he was a god and that he built the city. In its oppression of the Jewish nation, Babylon is a type of the world power which persecutes the Church of God. Babylon breaks up. Jerusalem is the city that emerges out of the ruins. Thus the second angel is a coworker with the first. One is God’s messenger to draw men out of the world. The second is one who proclaims the certain downfall of the great world agency which has set up its false attractions and lured men by its harlotry to forsake the Lord.