Revelation 18:9: And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

The kings of the earth are corrupt leaders in modern nations¹ that commit spiritual fornication² with the Great Whore of false religion.³ Together, these kings and the Great Whore lived deliciously (extravagantly)⁴ with one mind.⁵ They unitedly worship the acquisition of power and material wealth in the modern world.⁶ Their illicit affair and spiritual fornication brings forth Modern Babylon as their illegitimate offspring.⁷ Modern Babylon includes every worldly institution of the latter days,⁸ characterized by every form of evil, wickedness,⁹ and unholiness.¹⁰

Modern Babylon will burn suddenly in one day during the seventh Vial Plague of the Third Woe,¹¹ and the kings of the earth shall then see the smoke of her burning.¹² They will be the first of three groups¹³ to bewail her, and lament for her.¹⁴ The kings will mourn because they will lose the power given them by the Great Whore¹⁵ when they observe their telestial constituents burn as stubble.¹⁶ The voice of an angel predicts this burning in Revelation 14:10-11.¹⁷

The kings of the earth¹⁸ will have only a short time to bewail and lament the loss of their constituents because these modern leaders will also be burned¹⁹ like stubble²⁰ by the brightness of Christ's Second Coming.²¹ These lamenting kings may be among the remnant of telestial people that will be slain last of all throughout the world in Revelation 19:21.²²

Revelation 18:10: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

When the kings of the earth see the smoke of Babylon's burning, they will try to distance themselves from the disaster²³ by standing afar off for the fear of her torment.²⁴ This is not the moral equivalent of righteous people coming out of Babylon.²⁵ The fearful kings will avoid death just long enough to see Babylon's fall, but they will share her fate.²⁶

The kings will bewail and lament for Babylon,²⁷ saying: Alas, alas, with double shock and remorse.²⁸ This expression describes the double surprise of the kings who can't believe that such a severe judgment could befall the great city Babylon, that mighty city,²⁹ and that it could happen in the short space of just one hour.³⁰