Come Out of Her My People
Regardless of how much Revelation 18 is directly linked to 9/11, we can be sure of one theme that is very clear in Scripture–and this applies to everyone. The Lord says to, “Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” This is something that we can all apply to ourselves and own nations. In fact, this is something that every Christian should already be doing, regardless of whether the events of September 11 had occurred or not. God is calling His people OUT of Babylon! Why? So that we will not receive of her plagues!
How Do We “Come Out of Her?”
First, we need to repent for our indulgence in what Babylon represents in this portion of Scripture; of which a major theme is greed and self-indulgence. We need to repent for thinking more about what we can buy for ourselves than how we can bless others. We need to ask God to forgive us for often forgetting to thank Him for the multitude of things that He has already given to us.
As Americans, most of us live like royalty in one of the wealthiest nations in the history of the world; and yet, we want more. We are driven to improve our standard of life, obsessed with what we still lack. Our national credit card debt alone testifies against us.
Gods hates the spirit of greed – the “Spirit of Babylon.” In addition to inevitably exploiting others, it also lulls us into complacency. The greedy person’s goals in life become petty and foolish–we waste our precious time on earth accumulating things that we can only enjoy for a few years, making a comfortable cocoon around our existence in which we can forget the pain and poverty of others–and then we too, are gone.
Instead of living in a high spiritual plane we become weakened with the cares and love of the world. This brings spiritual blindness, weakness, dullness. The hunger in our hearts that God is longing to fill with Himself, becomes numbed with the placebos of clothing, cars, knickknacks, vacations, food, homes, interior decorations, beauty products, entertainment centers, and toys of every variety.
None of these things are wrong in and of themselves. God desires us to be blessed, not just with things that we need, but also with things that we want. Yet, when more of our passion is poured into them than God, when these things bring us more joy than God, when we spend more time, money and thought on these things than God, something is wrong. It is called idolatry. And idolatry is always a sure path to ruin and destruction.
How Do We Get Free of the “Spirit of Babylon?”
We must begin by repenting of our sins. Repent, means more than being sorry for one’s actions. It means to turn around and go the other way. We need to counteract the spirit of greed and self-absorption with the opposite qualities. In other words, we need to thoughtfully, specifically, and aggressively begin to do the opposite of what we were once doing.
The United States is generally a very generous nation–and we should be. In many ways, we have been given more than any other nation, and “to whom much is given, much is required.” We should not be overly proud of our generosity, as indeed, it is our duty from Heaven’s perspective. What I am suggesting, is that instead of resting on the fact that we have been generous in the past, let us be even more generous than before. Most of us give out of our excess, and not much out of true sacrifice. Now is the time to cultivate a strong dose of generosity in our hearts to kill the subtle greed that has flourished inside of us. We can begin to overcome internal sin by outwardly changing our ways. This is what it means to repent.
Here are some specific suggestions:
- Look in your closet and around your house and honestly assess what you really need at this time. Ask the Lord to help you. Do you really need several new sweaters this fall or a new entertainment center or a trip to another state? If you decide that you can live without that purchase, take the amount of money that you would have spent on yourself and give it away to someone who really needs it.
- Give a hundred dollars, or a thousand dollars – whatever you can afford – to a single mother you know who is struggling to make ends meet.
- Slip a check into the hand of someone you know at church who needs a little extra cash at this time.
- If you have a good job, consider regularly giving part of your income to someone you know who has recently lost their job.
- Give more money to works of the gospel that are always in need of assistance–whether it is a food bank downtown, a missionary overseas, a ministry that has blessed you, or your local church.
- Send some money to help with the relief effort for the Afghan refugees, or those who are starving in Africa and other parts of the world.
- If you don’t have much money, there are other things that you can give. Ask God to show you how to sacrifice and give of your time and resources to be a blessing to others. Believe me, He will give you lots of ideas if you ask Him! If you are poor, it is important to remember that even in your state of poverty, there is always something that you can give, even in the financial realm. If it is just $5.00, give that. Rich or poor, if you are a child of God, then you are able to be a blessing to others, and it is crucial that you see yourself in this way. We are called to be conduits of blessing to those around us.
- Most of all, call out to God for forgiveness of whatever sin of greed and complacency that He may reveal to you in your own heart. We all need Holy Spirit-empowered grace to honestly assess our own hearts, and change our ways. If you recognize the spirit of greed in your life, begin to deliberately counteract it with giving. Greed cannot survive for long once we begin to discover the great joy in sharing and blessing others.
John Wesley had a very simple approach to money. His instructions were: “Earn as much as you can. Give as much as you can. Save as much as you can.”
No where on his list were the instructions to “buy as much as you can.” He instructed his followers to be content with plain clothing and food and a simple lifestyle so that their resources could be placed into things of eternal value. In this way, they could be a blessing to the world around them in a very real and practical way.
Obviously, there is more to discuss in this portion of Scripture than just greed–and there are still many angles that could be considered even on this topic alone. We hope to address these in other articles. However, I pray that the Holy Spirit speaks something to each person reading this article in regard to the giving and dreaming and scheming that lies in the realm of the pocketbook. We can talk all day long about what we believe, but it is only actions that truly reveal what god we worship. Hearing the word of God profits us nothing, if we do not obey the Word.
When the multitudes went to John the Baptist to repent and be baptized by him in the wilderness, he gave them specific instructions on how to repent. All of his instructions had to do with overcoming greed and covetousness:
‘What should we do then?’ the crowd asked. John answered, ‘The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.’ Tax collectors also came to be baptized. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’ Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’ He replied, ‘Don’t exhort money and don’t accuse people falsely–be content with your pay’. Luke 3:10-14 (NIV)
John the Baptist is a prophetic picture of the generation that will prepare the way for the return of the Lord. We can be sure that one of the great battles at the end of the age will be concerning greed, covetousness, materialism and a lack of care for the needs of those who live in dire poverty. If we want to help prepare the way for the return of the Lord, we must repent of every trace of these things in our lives, so that we can then help others repent, just as John the Baptist did at the first advent of the Messiah.
Babylon is Fallen
In conclusion, we must all be aware that the Spirit of Babylon is something that every Overcoming Christian will have to battle. There is no way around it and even those in less prosperous nations will have to face it. Greed finds a home in the heart of the poor just as much as in the heart of the rich. The condition of our heart is what needs to change. When He has changed the condition of our heart regarding money, He will be able to trust us with much more, as He knows that we will use it wisely for the kingdom of God.
Though there may be other repercussions from this Scripture, as related to the global events that are happening, we do not need to become frightened. Babylon is doomed to come down and be replaced with the Kingdom of God. God’s triumph is inevitable, and His plan, which He purposed from the beginning of the ages, will prevail. This is the good news. If we obey the Holy Spirit now, we have nothing to be afraid of. And His directions are simple–to love the Lord with all of our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Babylon is falling, but praise God, we can come out of her–and help others to do the same.
There is no better moment to be changed and filled with the Holy Spirit than right now. There is no better day than today to flee a system that is coming down anyway.
So, as the Holy spirit says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ Hebrews 3:7-11 (NIV)
If nothing else from Revelation 18 is to be applied to the Terrorist attacks, we know this: That we, as a nation, need to repent for our greed and our pride. We knew this before the attack. We all knew it, deep in our hearts.
What does the Bible mean when it says, “Come Out Of Her My People?”
The World
We are told to come out of the world (Rev 18:4), but the world doesn’t easily come out of us! We can be like Lot’s wife and look back. Our flesh is constantly pulling us back to the world, but we know we have to leave the world, while still living in the world, but the natural man has a desire to return to Sodom. A good indication that we’re coming out of the world while still having to live in the world is that we’ve got some God-haters. Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:19). If we hate the world’s system, the world will hate us. It’s just that simple. We are either for Christ or against Him, and the world is against Him for sure.
Come Out, Israel
Just like God called Israel out of Egypt, He has called us out of the world (John 6:44). Egypt represents being under the bondage of sin, and just as we could not escape the world without God’s help, they could not escape their Egyptian task masters without God’s strong arm. They needed help and God was the One Who provided it as He rescued them from Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s army. God brought them from slavery to freedom. We too were called out of slavery as we were slaves to sin, being under the bondage of sin (Rom 6:15). We were brought to repent of our sins; to leave them and forsake them and turn to God, but like Israel, we needed God’s help. Thankfully, salvation is fully a work of God (Acts 4:12; Eph 2:8-9), meaning He enables us to come out of this world and to repent of our sins (Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim 2:24-26). Of course we’ll never be sinless this side of heaven, but we should be sinning less over time. That’s a sign that we’re coming out of this world instead of going into it. When the Israelites began to grumble in the Wilderness, they began to think about Egypt again…lusting after the old ways and the old things, perhaps even the old customs. They wanted to go back into the world.
Come Out of Her
After the fall of Babylon, the second and final time (Rev 18:2), the Apostle John records “another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (Rev 18:4). God is warning them, and I believe He is warning us, to come out of this world. Satan is the god of this world and its detestable system (2 Cor 4:4). The voice from heaven reminds them that they risk sharing in the sins of the world if they do not come out of Babylon, which is symbolic of the world and all the false religions. The voice from heaven warns, otherwise “you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Rev 18:5).
The New Temple
In ancient times, God came down from heaven and dwelt in the Temple and His people came to minister to Him. Today, God comes down from heaven and lives within the people and He ministers to them. We are the temple of God…the temple where the Holy Spirit lives, so imagine if we continually desecrated the temple, but that’s what we can do by destroying the temple of God (our bodies). Our temple can be destroyed by drugs, alcohol, untreated depression, overindulgence, and any number of things, but this must grieve the Holy Spirit Who has to endure such sin. The Apostle Paul said that “we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Cor 6:16). Since God is dwelling in us we must “go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you” (2 Cor 6:17). If that happens, God says, “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor 6:17-18).
Conclusion
A rich man who had been blessed by God kept accumulating wealth until he thought, I “have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry” (Luke 12:19), but tragically, “God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated” (Luke 12:20)? He had come to possess wealth, not realizing that his wealth had come to possess him. Do we really want any part of this world or the things of the world? Why would we want to go back like the proverbial dog and “return to his vomit” (Prov 26:11; 2 Pet 2:22)? I don’t believe we do if we had enough sense to realize it. Jesus asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul” (Matt 16:26)? We need help coming out of the world and help getting the world out of us, but God can do all things through Christ (Phil 4:13), and that includes coming out of her you people of His.
In chapter 17 the beast and his allies in politico-commercial Babylon destroy religious Babylon, or apostate Christendom. Today there are a multitude of worldwide organizations already devoted to the concept of antichrist and are also already speaking of the overthrow of the present religious systems including Judaism, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism. But by contrast in this chapter it is God who overthrows commercial Babylon.
The Announcement of Judgment
(18:1-3)
The announcement is made by another angel. Please note four things about this angel. First, he is “another” angel. “Another” is allos meaning another of the same kind as those angels that preceded him. This is not the Lord nor is there any reason to see this as the Lord since angels do have great power and often display great glory. Second, that “he comes down from heaven” points to the fact this judgment comes from God. Third, he has “great authority.” “Authority” is exousia which means “liberty, or authority” and then “power to act.” As an angel and messenger of God, he comes possessing supernatural authority and power to execute judgment on behalf of God. Fourth, “the earth was illumined with his glory.” Literally the Greek says “and the earth was made bright from or out of the source of his glory.” Grammatically it may also mean “by his glory.” The word “illumined” is the Greek fwtizw, a causative verb meaning to “illuminate or make bright.”
IMPLICATIONS
(1) God is absolute light, perfect holiness or righteousness and justice. In Him there can be no darkness (1 John 1:5).
(2) The angel’s glory and splendor is a derived glory. He comes expressing God’s glory and holy wrath against sin.
(3) The earth is now under Satan and the beast which is the epitome of evil and darkness.
(4) The coming of the angel from heaven illumined with glory symbolizes what God is doing. In His holiness, God is making the world fit to live in by removing the prime source of evil and darkness, commercial Babylon.
In verse 2 the fall of Babylon is repeated. He says “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” This is done primarily for emphasis, but as mentioned before, it may also represent the fall of Babylon religiously (chapter 17) and then commercially (chapter 18).
In the second part of verse 2 we are told that Babylon is demonic to the core. This is stressed in three statements: (1) “The dwelling place of demons” (the Greek stresses this as a permanent place). (2) “A prison of every unclean spirit” (cf. Eph. 2:2; 1 John 4:6where demons are called spirits), (3) “and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” This third description is probably an allusion to Matthew 13:31-32 where birds may refer to demonic leaders operating in the apostate church.
APPLICATION
In verse 2 we get a clear picture of the demonic source, power, and control of this system as it rises up in the last days. The worldwide movement and conspiracy of the last days will involve a multitude of organizations, the super rich in many countries, but it will not be the product of mere human ingenuity, but of satanic agency.
In verse 3 a specific charge is made against Babylon concerning her spiritual prostitution and intoxicating activity. But note that verse 3 is connected with verse 2 by the word “for” which shows the connection between the demonic activity (the cause) and the charges of verse 3 (the results).
First, we are told all the nations are involved. This is worldwide. Every nation has turned away from God for the almighty dollar and the luxuries it can buy—peace and affluence at any price.
“Have drunk” is a perfect tense which focuses our attention on the abiding results of Babylon’s evil influence, specifically, her spiritual, moral, political and national stupor. The world is already drunk and getting more so every day on materialism and the commercial mania of the times. The Tribulation will be absolutely unbelievable.
“Of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” is a reference to the world ideologies of Babylon, which will prostitute the divine institutions God has establish for man’s protection like: volition, freedom, marriage and the family, and nationalism. Some of these intoxicant agents are humanism, the unisex idea promoted so strongly even today by the ERA movement (strongly represented by the National Organization for Women), the New Age movement, internationalism, commercialism, multinational corporations, demon worship, gross immorality, and idolatry (cf. Rev. 9:20-21; 13:5-6, 16-17).
The last half of the verse speaks of both the kings of the earth and the merchants. “Merchants” is the Greek emporos, “trader, merchant.” Emporia means “commerce, business, trade.” An emporos is a person engaged in commerce. Behind this sell out by the kings are the super rich merchants, the billionaires, and great corporations working for world control. Money is king. It controls kings, people, and nations.
We are told “the merchants … have become rich by the wealth of her (commercial Babylon’s) sensuality.” “Wealth” is the Greek dunamis, a noun which means “power, strength, ability.” Here it refers to the power and strength of her sensuality that controls the world of mankind.
“Sensuality” is the Greek strhnos, a word meaning “arrogant or unrestrained luxury.” Here is an important lesson. Commercial Babylon, with its worship of money and power, will promote and push unrestrained luxury, sensuality, and pleasure designed to develop an all-consuming power over the masses via their uncontrolled lust patterns. Babylon will promote the philosophy that happiness, significance, security, and fulfillment are attained by the abundance of the things people possess, in travel and luxury, in comfort and pleasure, etc. Frankly, this sounds exactly like America and much of the world today.
In The Aquarian Conspiracy the author says in essence, “folks we are getting ready to take over, but don’t worry, you’ll love it.” The logo on the cover is 666. In other words the beast is going to provide peace, affluence, prosperity, luxury, etc., so everyone is going to love it.
Note the following concerning the commercialism of the world:
(1) It is man made though satanically inspired. Clearly, it is not of God because it has an independent and arrogant spirit that seeks its security and happiness apart from God. It is not because the details of life and its luxuries are wrong, but because they are allowed to usurp God’s place in the hearts of men (Rev. 18:7; 1 Tim. 6:5-11, 17-19; Luke 12:15).
(2) Israel’s kings were warned against multiplying horses, gold, and silver through commerce with Egypt because it resulted in independence and preoccupation with luxury rather than with the Lord (Deut. 17:16-17).
(3) Special judgment was pronounced on Tyre, and one of the reasons was that she was the great commercial center of the day and corrupted other nations through her commercialism as well as herself (Ezek. 26-28, especially 27). Trade with Tyre was the source of Solomon’s extravagance and preoccupation with the details of life (apes, peacocks, and stock piles of silver, gold and a six-stepped throne) (1 Kings 10:19f).
(4) Zechariah 14:21 closes his prophecy concerning the millennium and says “in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite.” This was a nickname for merchants. There will be business in the millennium which is legitimate but not the spirit of commercialism. International commerce tries to unify humanity through internationalism and promotes a spirit of self-confidence, independence, and rebellion against God as it existed in Babel in the time of Nimrod. Revelation 18:5, “for her sins have piled up as high as heaven” seems to be a clear reference to the tower and the spirit of Babylon. Like the early tower of Babel, Babylon’s commercial and political sins of independence and arrogance have reached up into heaven in man’s attempt to be like God. Babylon’s iniquities will have become full.
(5) The spirit of commercialism causes cities to become swollen with people which increases crime, violence, negative volition, and ironically, poverty.
(6) The spirit of commercialism begets universal covetousness, which is a form of idolatry, and is in contrast to the principle of 1 Timothy 6:5-19. Business, trade, making the almighty dollar, etc., becomes more important than God (Isa. 2:5-7; Hosea 12:1, 7, 8; James 4:13).
(7) The ultimate power and wickedness of commercialism is seen in the mark of the beast of Revelation 13 by which he attempts to control the world through manipulation and slavery.
(8) By its basic aims and nature, the spirit of commercialism blots out the divine institutions of volition or human freedom, marriage, family, country, and the love, adoration and dependence upon God through living in His Word as God’s servants and people.
A good illustration of this move against God’s divine institutions such as the family is a comment made by a radical feminist who wrote, “Childrearing to the extent to which it is necessary is the responsibility of all. Children are part of society but they should not be possessed by anyone … marriage and the family must be eliminated.”215
The Appeal for Separation
(18:4-8)
As John was undoubtedly thinking on the announcement of verses 1-3, another voice is heard from heaven calling believers to separation from Babylon both as a city and as a materialistic and godless system of commercialism.
THE APPEAL (4)
“Another” is allos which implies this is another angelic being acting as God’s messenger with God’s Word to believers. Ryrie points out:
In its primary interpretation this appeal will be addressed to those believers who will be living in the Tribulation days and who like believers in every age will be tempted to compromise. In its application it is a relevant call to believers in every day to avoid compromise with Satan’s world system in its every form — religious and commercial. See Genesis 19: 12-14; Numbers 16:23-26; Isaiah 48:20; II Cor. 6:14-17; I John 1:15-17).216
“Come out of her my people.” “Come out” is an aorist imperative of urgency. It means “do it now, do not delay.” Further, it speaks of a decisive act. This is not only a physical separation, but a mental separation from materialism as a way of life and as a source of security, significance, and happiness.
“So that” points to the purpose and reason for separation which is twofold:
(1) “So that you may not participate in her sins.” “Participate” is the verb, sunkoinwnew, “to fellowship with, partake, be connected with,” or even, “be a partner with.” The simple noun form, koinwnos, is used in Luke 5:10 of those who were fishing partners with Simon in his fishing business. Rather than becoming partners with the Babylonian world system, we are to be partners with the Lord Jesus in His enterprise on earth. Literally, the Greek says “the sins of her” pointing to particular or specific sins, the sins of commercialism, the things which caused universal covetousness, destruction of the divine institutions, increase in crime, violence, and the search for happiness in luxurious living.
(2) “And that you might not receive of her plagues.” “Plagues” has the article which points to some specific plagues, those of chapter 16 and the seventh bowl judgment. The warning is simply that those who fall in with the system will experience the results of misery and loss in their own lives. Walvoord writes:
Seiss explains the phrase “come out of her,” citing Jeremiah 50:4-9 where the children of Israel are urged to “remove out of the midst of Babylon” (Jer. 50:8), and the command “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul” (Jer. 51:6). (Joseph A. Seiss, The Apocalypse, p. 408). Alford compares the command to come out of Babylon to the warning to Lot to leave Sodom (Gen. 10:15:22) (Henry Alford, The Greek New Testament, IV, p. 715). The purpose of leaving Babylon is twofold: first, by separation from her they will not partake of her sin, and second, they will not have her plagues inflicted on them. The reference to plagues refers to the vials of chapter 16, especially the seventh vial which falls upon Babylon itself (16:17-21). This is further evidence that the event of chapter 18 is subsequent to the seventh vial and therefore in contrast to the destruction of the harlot in chapter 17.217
But of course, this has application for us today. We reap what we sow. When we sow to the flesh and pursue the world, we reap of the flesh. But when we sow to the Spirit, we reap of the Spirit, peace, joy, happiness and meaning in life.
THE BASIS OF THE APPEAL (5-8)
This appeal is substantiated upon three spiritual laws or principles:
(1) The Law of Remembrance (verse 5). God’s actions in history with Babylon teach us this system cannot escape—judgment must come. The principle is God does not ignore or forget sin. He permits the increment or build up of sin, but eventually judgment must come. The first Babel conspiracy attempted to build a tower into the heavens (Gen. 11:4); this last Babylon conspiracy piles up her sins to heaven in defiance of God and God remembers. Judgment is inevitable and so believers must flee.
(2) The Law of Retribution (verse 6). Because of the enormity of her sin and because of the holy character of God—judgment is doubled. The thing judged here is the system. The final judgment of unbelievers does not come until the great white throne of Revelation 20.
(3) The Law of Retaliation (verses 7-8). She has assumed the position of queen; she has glorified herself and so to the same degree that she has rebelled against God, He retaliates in holy and righteous indignation to dethrone her.
“I set” is a present tense of a continuous condition. Both she and her leaders think nothing can upset this mighty system.
“A queen” is one who is very powerful, self sufficient and in need of nothing, i.e., absolutely sovereign.
“And am not a widow and will (thus) see no mourning.” A widow is one who mourns because of a loss. She has illicit love affairs with all the kings so how can she become a widow? They are all madly in love with her, but not really. Why? Because she is only a harlot who sells herself. They love her not for herself but for what they can get out of her.
“For this reason,” i.e., because of her arrogance, her spirit of independence and false security, her judgment comes in one day (i.e., suddenly). This stresses the fallacy of all false security. Remember therefore, the following principles (cf. Luke 12:16-20; 1 Tim. 6:6-19):
(1) Riches or the details of life can never provide life eternal or the abundant life.
(2) Riches can be destroyed in a moment.
(3) Life can be snatched from us in a moment and we have either eternal separation as unbelievers, or loss of rewards as believers.
(4) Therefore, the appeal of God’s word is for us to acquire happiness and eternal life through faith in the truths of God as revealed in the Word (see Isa. 55:1-13 and note especially vss. 1-2).
The Anguish of the Kings
(18:9-10)
The kings here refer to a wider group of kings than the ten nation confederation of 17:12-16. This reaches out to all the other kings of the earth who are caught up in the web of the commercialism of the day. They all mourn because of the destruction of Babylon. Why? Because her commercialism means the control of the people and luxury in their courts, all of which is now lost.
The acts of immorality refers to their spiritual and political apostasy which rejects the divine standards of God and which accepts instead the materialism of commercial Babylon as well as its humanism.
“Will weep and lament over her.” By word order, this phrase is very emphatic in the Greek. Literally it says “and they shall weep and lament over her, the kings …” “Weep” and “lament” both mean “to cry aloud vocally.” The point is, when they see the object of their trust and the source of their happiness go up in smoke, they come unglued. The details of life just can’t give happiness!
“When they see the smoke of her burning.” The time of this burning is the bowl or vial judgment at the end of the Tribulation, very close to the return of Jesus Christ.
“Standing at a distance because of fear …” It appears they will hear of her destruction and either come to see or view the shouldering remains by TV or perhaps they will be assembled in this area for some international conference when this judgment occurs.
“Woe, Woe.” This word, even in our language, has a mournful sound, but this is especially true in Greek (ouai). Ouai is an onomatopoetic term, the “formation or use of words such as buzz or murmur that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.”218
The emphatic repetition of ouai portrays the hopeless wailing of a Christ rejecting world. Dr. Walvoord writes: “How sad is the hour of judgment when it is too late for mercy.”219 They stand afar in fear because they are afraid of being a part of it, but very shortly there will be no escape, for they will be gathered together with their armies in Palestine against the Lord who will slay them (19:13).
“The great city, Babylon, the strong city.” This, as we have seen, refers to the rebuilt city of Babylon on the Euphrates which literally fulfills Old Testament Scripture as well as this passage. The burning of the city is symbolical of the fall of the whole powerful commercial system. Rebuilt Babylon will be its control center. When the kings see its fall, they know it means the fall of the whole system and in this they are amazed because of its great strength, worldwide rule, and mighty accomplishments.
But there is only one who is Mighty and Great, and that is the Lord!!! This warns us to never put our trust in what man can build, for no matter how great, God can destroy it in less than an hour (vs. 10b, cf. vss. 8 and 17).
The Anguish of the
Merchants and Mariners of the Earth
(18:11-19)
The economic character and commercialism of Babylon with its materialistic emphasis on consumerism is clearly seen from this passage by the reference to “merchants who weep” and by the reference to the luxury items that are mentioned. Their grief is occasioned by the loss of their trade and from the luxury items that their trade provided, but not by their love for Babylon. The extreme luxury of their merchandise is itemized in verses 12-13. Nearly 30 items are listed and it is a story of luxury, indulgence, and extravagance.
(1) Jewelry items — precious stones and costly metals.
(2) Apparel — fine fabrics used in their clothing composed of linen and silk in luxurious colors of purple and scarlet. (In ancient times these were the colors and fabrics of the extremely wealthy.)
(3) Luxurious furnishings — furniture made of “citron” (quinos) a costly and fragrant scented wood comparable to cyprus or cedar and used only in expensive furniture. Other expensive materials were ivory, brass, iron, and marble.
(4) Perfumes and Spices — Cinnamon, spice, incense, perfume and frankincense. Again these were things which could only be afforded by the ultra-wealthy.
(5) Food stuffs — Wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep.
(6) Transportation items — horses, chariots (comparable to our planes, autos, boats, motorcycles, etc.).
(7) Slaves — “slaves and human lives,” literally the Greek has, “body and souls of men,” an idiom for a person who was owned body and soul.
Verse 14 gives us a striking spiritual description of these details of life: they are described as “the fruit of the desires or lusts of the soul.” The soul here may well refer to the sinful nature within the soul which always seeks to dominate the life. In other words, this heaping up of the details of life is from the sin nature which seeks its happiness apart from God.
Verse 14b emphasizes the fleeting and temporary nature of these details. “Will no longer find them” is somewhat emphatic by the word order used here. Literally the text reads, “no longer by any means, them (the details listed) will they find.”
Verses 15-19 calls our attention to the great unhappiness that comes when men put their trust in things or seek their happiness in the details of life.
As mentioned, the merchants mourn not because they love the city, but because their wealth which is derived from the city and its system is now lost. This is a commentary on the world today. When the people of this nation fail to live by faith and the principles of God’s Word, they will also fail to love their nation and the biblical principles upon which this nation was founded. When that happens, they will love America only for what they can get out of it; truly, this is a commentary on the America today. So we are seeing the decay of a nation.
The Lord warned against such coveting of wealth in Matthew 6:19-21 where the transitory wealth and glory of this world is set in contrast to the true riches of faith and blessings that men have in Christ (cf. 1 Tim. 6:11, 19)
The Acclaim of
Heaven Over the Fall of Babylon
(18:20-24)
In these verses we see a tremendous contrast and one that should strike a note of warning and alarm as we conduct our lives in a world that is already so dominated by the mental attitude of commercial Babylon. This mental attitude and control is going to increase, its enticements and pulls will get worse. We definitely need the perspective of these verses (20-24) along with obedience to verse 4.
The world weeps over the destruction of Babylon and the loss of its material luxuries. For the worldling, this is all he has; he thinks of life as consisting not only in the abundance of the details of life but also in possessing the luxuries of those details. By contrast, the believer must come out of the system, that is, he must not be controlled by Satan’s system, or by his own lust patterns. We can use the world, enjoy the blessings God gives, but God forbid that such things become our source of security and happiness. Further, the believer must rejoice over the prospect of the fall of commercial Babylon because of what this means to God and to all mankind in the coming kingdom with God’s rule on earth.
So the kings, the merchants, and the mariners wail over the passing of Babylon, but heaven and its people rejoice and find strength over the prospect of its fall.
Verses 20-24 divide up into four sections:
(1) The command to rejoice (vs. 20, the divine viewpoint).
(2) The portrayal of Babylon’s fall (vs. 21).
(3) The extent and nature of Babylon’s fall (vss. 22-23a).
(4) The reason or justification for Babylon’s fall (vss. 23b-24).
THE COMMAND TO REJOICE OVER BABYLON’S FALL (20)
“Rejoice” is a command. God’s people are to find joy in the prospects of Babylon’s overthrow and in the actual occurrence when it is brought to pass at the end of the Tribulation. The verb is eufrainw and means “to cheer, gladden,” but in the passive voice as it is here, it means “be happy, rejoice, make merry.” The passive voice means “allow yourself to receive happiness, joy, from the truth of God’s Word about Babylon and its destruction.” This is what God’s Word should do for the believer when it is known and believed.
“O heaven” represents the broad address to the occupants in heaven—both angels and men. “You saints and apostles and prophets” narrows the address. “Saints,” literally “set apart ones,” refers to all believers who, as those set apart positionally and experientially, are to have such a response to Babylon’s fall. The “apostles and prophets” refer to those of the early church period, many of whom lost their lives to the Babylonian system.
But God’s commands are never without reason. So we read next “because God has pronounced judgment for you.” The idea is that God has judged your case against her and executed from her a just penalty. Babylon has been the cause of much misery and pain for the people of God, but they can rejoice because God has not forgotten His people nor Babylon’s evil.
THE PORTRAYAL OF BABYLON’S FALL (21)
In his vision, John sees a mighty angel throw a stone, one like a great millstone, into the sea. This picture is designed to portray the downfall of the great city and its system as:
(1) Sudden. It will be sudden as when a stone falls into the sea, suddenly, with a splash.
(2) Violent, Catastrophic. Such a great stone (like a meteor) would cause tidal waves which move across land destroying everything in their path. The destruction of Babylon leads to the destruction of the rest of its system.
(3) Complete, Total. Like a stone which is cast into the sea and sinks out of sight, so the destruction of Babylon will be so complete that it will be found no more, never to rise again (Jer. 51:61-64). This is the primary emphasis. Babylon will be found no more, not in any form. This is stressed seven times in chapter 18. Remember that seven is used over and over to stress the concept of completeness. Note this emphasis in the following verses: verse 14 (once), verse 21 (once), verse 22 (three times), and verse 23 (twice). Further, in each case the negative “no” or “not” in the Greek text is the very emphatic ou mh, a double negative that means “by no means.”
THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF BABYLON’S FALL (22-23A)
Verses 22 and 23a enlarge on the extent of the cessation of Babylon and her activity which characterizes her life and luxurious living.
(1) No more music and entertainers (vs. 22a). The commercial and business world often seeks escape in the jive and jazz, the rock and roll of its music world in the various places of night entertainment. Consider the hotels, motels, bars, lounges, and other establishments in every city where music is provided for the commercial world and its participants.
(2) No more craftsmen. The tools of the craftsmen who furnished the items of luxury will suddenly be as silent as a tomb. This means that the wheels of industry and the pens which write the orders for merchandise will come to a halt.
(3) No more grinding of grain. The millstones which grind the grain for flour will also stop. The food supply, which at that point is already in short supply, will now disappear altogether.
(4) The lights will go out. The lamp which lights the home and business will be put permanently out. Darkness, symbolizing the spiritual state of the world and the system of the beast, will now engulf everything. How awesome this experience will be—total blackness.
(5) The merry voices of bride and bridegroom and their wedding parties will cease. From this reference it appears that Babylon will become a virtual Riviera or Niagara Falls, famous for weddings and honeymooners, gambling, and gay times. But it will also be much like Reno, Nevada. Marriage will mean little more than a license for prostitution, a temporary contract. As Christ prophesied, men and women will be marrying and remarrying without any real concern for marriage as a divine institution of God. When marriage is entered into it will be a mere convenience if they bother to marry at all (Matt. 24:38). Life during the Tribulation will go on as usual in spite of its judgments, which shows just how callused man will become and how much he will be enslaved in the luxuries and pleasures of the world. But then, suddenly it is all over (2 Pet. 3:3-11).
THE REASON OR JUSTIFICATION FOR BABYLON’S FALL (23B-24)
Three reasons are now given for Babylon’s fall, and the reasons (especially the first) are both instructive and exhortative. They provide a commentary on the world today.
“For your (the commercial system of Babylon) merchants were the great men of the earth.” Wow! How this viewpoint has infiltrated the church of Jesus Christ (James 2:1-9). The expression “great men” is the Greek word megistanes (plural), which means “the chief, noble, the magnates of society.” These are the men who are looked up to, worshipped, honored, adored, and presented to everyone as the ultimate. They have power in society; they control the destinies of men, and live in the super luxury which everyone is supposed to want and that people think will give them happiness.
Note that it is because of this viewpoint that judgment comes. This viewpoint is a perversion and a prostitution of divine values and priorities (1 Cor. 1:26-29). People worship and long for wealth and luxury and thereby compromise principles and priorities to play the harlot with the merchants of Babylon, the corporation heads of the system of Babylon. Money and luxury is god, and people with money are the one’s who become the chief men of society. Character, righteousness, integrity mean nothing.
“Because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.” The word “sorcery” is singular and looks at a whole program of sorcery or deception, a world conspiracy by the merchants or super rich magnates in control of the commercial system of Babylon, the multinational corporation heads.
The Greek word for sorcery is farmakeia, “the use of medicine, drugs or potions as in casting spells,” and metaphorically, “to deceive and disorient.” The word was used of poisoning and witchcraft, or trafficking in the demonic. This states in effect that the Babylonian system will use whatever method it can to poison the minds of men and to deceive them—demonism, drugs, and various forms of propaganda will be the norm.
“And in her was found the blood of the prophets …” The third and final reason is the murder and martyrdom of the people of God over the centuries of time. “Blood” is plural which stresses the many deaths and the magnitude of Babylon’s crimes against the people of God.
In the first reason we have a perversion of values portraying the moral degeneracy of the world. In the second reason we have the cause—sorcery, the demonic. In the third reason we have what amounts to a further effect of poisoned minds—the murder of the saints.
Joyless, dark, and silent, Babylon stands out as a monument to the utmost vengeance of God. Wickedness had sat enthroned in the midst of thatprofessedly bearing the Name of Christ; but at last, when she had filled to the full her cup of iniquity, God rises in His fierce anger, His indignation burns, and Babylon falls to rise no more. Her destruction is irremediable. The chapter closes with a reiteration of the bloody character of the system.220
There is an obvious parallel in the rise and fall of Babylon in its varied forms in Scripture. As introduced in Genesis 11:1-9, Babylon, historically symbolized by the tower reaching to heaven, proposed to maintain the union of the world through a common worship and a common tongue. God defeated this purpose by confusing the language and scattering the people. Babylon, ecclesiastically symbolized by the woman in Revelation 17, proposes a common worship and a common religion through uniting in a world church. This is destroyed by the beast in Revelation 17:16 who thus fulfills the will of God (Rev. 17:17). Babylon, politically symbolized by the great city of Revelation 18, attempts to achieve its domination of the world by a world common market and a world government. These are destroyed by Christ at His second coming (Rev. 19:11-12). The triumph of God is therefore witnessed historically in the scattering of the people and the unfinished tower of Genesis 11 and prophetically in the destruction of the world church by the killing of the harlot of Revelation 17 and in the destruction of the city of Revelation 18. With the graphic description of the fall of Babylon contained in chapter 17 and 18, the way is cleared for the presentation of the major theme of the book of Revelation, the second coming of Christ and the establishment of His glorious kingdom.221
215 Sheila Cronan, Radical Feminism, pp. 375-376.
216 Charles C. Ryrie, Revelation, Moody Press, Chicago, 1968, p. 106.
217 John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, Chicago, 1966, p. 260.
218 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from InfoSoft International, Inc. All rights reserved.
220 Walter Scott, Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Fleming H. Revel, Westwood, NJ, p. 373.
The name “Nimrod” means “Let Us Revolt” or “Let Us Rebel.” And the city lived up to its founder’s name.
God commanded people to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28)
But the people of Babel had a different idea.
Genesis 11:4 – Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
They made up their minds to do exactly the opposite of what God had commanded. In their rebellion, they wanted to gather together under one united banner of mankind and make a statement that they would not submit to God. They would do things their own way. They were independent. Man was boss, not God.
Ancient Babylon is the model for the Woman of Revelation 17 and 18. Was ancient Babylon only a church? No! Ancient Babylon was both a city and nation that manufactured, conducted business, and made war. Did it have its brands of religion? Of course it did. However, Babylon was far more—it was a highly developed, complete, anti-God culture founded by Nimrod and developed to its ancient peak of power by Nebuchadnezzar. The end-time Mystery, Babylon the Great, will be the same complete package, only far greater in terms of its influence and power because these are now worldwide. It is Babylon the Great. Most of us reading this article live in the end-time epitome of Babylon. The name "Mystery" has an interesting aspect. Conservative, Protestant commentaries all make a point to say the Woman is the Catholic Church. If that is true, then everybody—even commentators who lived hundreds of years ago—already seems to know who she is. Where is the mystery? |
This is the legacy of Nimrod (which means "let us revolt"): a place he called Babilu, called by the Hebrews "Babel." It was a place of revolution. It was the administrative center of his revolution against God, and thus we can see why some interpreters translate that word "before" in Genesis 10:9 as "against." Even though "before" is literally correct, Nimrod was standing before the Lord as an enemy. God's scattering of the builders reveals Nimrod's, and therefore Babylon's, attitude toward God. From this point Babylon became a worldwide political, military, economic, and religious system bearing the same basic attitudes as its founder. It can be a nation or a system, but its core characteristic that is against the Lord. Babylon became the Bible's code word for what its New Testament writers call "the world." As they used the Greek term cosmos, it is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. Just as surely as Nimrod was opposed to God, Babylon is an organized worldwide system opposed to God. It is a culture that is anti-Christ, anti-God, and it is everywhere! This is what the context shows in Genesis 11. The people scattered from the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, taking much of the antagonistic-to-God culture with them, and each language group adapted it to some degree to their ethnic traditions. Undoubtedly, each group altered it somewhat, but secular evidence reveals a common strain connecting all civilizations worldwide to the Tigris-Euphrates region. It is the womb of man's civilization. It took centuries for the people to migrate to and to settle in their new lands, but occur it did. And so the pattern of worldly government after the Flood was established in Genesis 10 and Genesis 11. God even foreshadows in Genesis 6 that it would rise again: "There were giants [Nephilim] on the earth in those days, and also afterward." Nimrod was the greatest of those Nephilim. Even though this spread worldwide, not everybody migrated. Some people remained in Babylon, and through the centuries, they became the Babylonian nation. The Chaldeans dominated them. Babylon was the name of their capital city. Hammurabi was one of their great early kings, but later, Nebuchadnezzar became Babylon's greatest king. He was given the dream of a great image, and Daniel informed him that he, Nebuchadnezzar, represented the head of gold (Daniel 2:38). Each of the other portions of that image represented powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob live in. But because the head represented Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to its end, represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right down to today. |
God wants us to be fulfilled in life by following His way ("choose life," He says in Deuteronomy 30:19). He tells us what not to eat and warns us against gluttony and overdrinking. He tells us when and where to worship and who to fellowship with. His law even covers clothing, strongly urging modesty. Its principles reach into every aspect of life. Israel has been unfaithful to things similar to this and many more. God's way is alluringly confronted and challenged on every side by what the New Testament calls the "world" (Greek cosmos). Cosmos means an organized system, but one opposed to the way of God's commandment. Babylon, meaning "confusion"—confusion regarding a way of life—is the Bible's code name for that system. God charges us in Revelation 18:4 to come out of that confused system, and the only way we can do that is to quit practicing Babylon's ways of doing things in the worship of its gods. Israel, however, lives for the moment and for as much immediate gratification as possible. As a whole, she does not believe God and is afraid to pay the costs to break away and be peculiar or distinctive in a right way. She finds it easier to be like everyone else and be willingly accepted on the world's terms rather than her Husband's. |
Israel was defeated by Assyria even before Babylonian Empire arose to full strength, and it was taken captive to Assyria. But not long thereafter, they migrated, along with the Assyrians, settling eventually in central and northwest Europe. They began arriving and settling there long before Rome continued the Babylonish system. Another migration began when the Jews were defeated by Babylon and taken in captivity into Babylon.l |
This chapter reports on the behavior of the people placed in Israel after Israel's conquest and deportation by Assyria between 722-720 BC. These people, who became known as the Samaritans, feared the Lord but worshipped their own gods. They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. What is so interesting is that, by verse 35, it is clear God is no longer addressing Himself to the Samaritans, but to Israel:
In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. It is urgent that we understand what is involved here because it reveals the cause of God's anger that led to Israel's defeat and scattering. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. Our god is what we give our lives over to. Theoretically, the Israelites did not believe in idols, but in reality, they did. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. This is exactly what God warns us to flee, and the only way to come out of it is by developing and maturing in our relationship with God. |
Each of the other portions of this image represent powerful kingdoms that, in terms of time, would follow Babylon in dominating the Western world through the centuries: Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. They did not dominate the entire world—perhaps they could have—but there is no doubt they dominated the part of the world that the Bible is concerned with, the one that the Israelitish descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in. But because the head represents Babylon—and the head directs the entire body—the image in Daniel 2 also shows the continuation of the same general Babylonish system right to the end of the kingdom represented by the feet and the toes. In other words, that image shows that the pattern established under Nimrod continues right on down until today. John W. Ritenbaugh Related Topics: Babylon | Babylonish System | Beast and Babylon | Daniel's Vision | Greek Empire | Medo-Persia | Medo-Persian Empire | Nimrod | Nimrod as Despot | Rome |
Hosea exposes the problem between God and Israel. He describes Israel as a luxuriant grape vine sending runners in every direction, indicating a bountiful crop. It indeed produces great material prosperity, but it is consumed through self-indulgent gorging. This is God's way of showing that Israel abused its prosperity: It used its prosperity for the purposes of idolatry. Its prosperity played a part in corrupting the Israelites' hearts, which is why Hosea mentions the divided or disloyal heart in context with its bountiful fruit. A large part of this world's appeal is its offer of financial security. However, God shows there is a possible harmful, secondary effect: As people become financially secure, their attention is diverted from His purpose to vain and unimportant things. In other words, prosperity turns people's heads. There is no doubt that prosperity is good, but unless one is properly focused and disciplined, it can also be a demanding master because of its power to distract one into idolatry. Recall God's prophecy in Deuteronomy 32:15, predicting that when Israel prospered, then it would rebel. This connects with the curse of Laodiceanism because God shows in the Laodiceans what can happen spiritually as people increase materially. Because such people are drunk through riches' deceptive promise, their judgment is in danger of being radically altered. The Laodicean evaluates himself, saying, "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing" (Revelation 3:17). He is deceived into thinking that his material prosperity proves that God approves of his conduct and attitudes. His overall conduct may not be too bad, but his poor self-analysis persuades him that he has no urgent need to seek God any further. He then merely floats, going through the motions, even feeling good about himself as he neglects so great salvation (Hebrews 2:3). His opinion of his holiness as compared with God's judgment is so far off base, it causes Jesus Christ to regurgitate him from His body. Recall the mention in Hosea 10:1 of increasing and embellishing altars just before Israel fell to Assyria. One would think that, if altars increase during this period of prosperity, then religion is flourishing. Indeed, religion flourished, as Amos, Hosea's contemporary, clearly reports (see Amos 5:21-27). However, it was not the religion God gave through Moses, but idolatry that flourished! It was a corruption of that religion, for the Israelites syncretized that holy way with Baalism and other idolatries. In Hosea 10:2, God charges Israel with having a divided heart. Commentaries are at odds over what the Hebrew word translated dividedmeans. Most modern translations use "false," "deceitful," or "faithless," and none of these are wrong, including "divided." The Hebrew word suggests "smoothness" or "flattering," describing people who "talk the talk" but do not "walk the walk." Isaiah 29:13 clarifies what God means: "Therefore the LORD said: 'Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.'" Their reverence for Him was mere intellectual accommodation intended to appease Him. They used the name of God frequently, saying they trusted Him, but they filled the nation with stealing, lying, and murder. II Kings 17:33 illustrates their worship: "They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods - according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away." This describes to a T what Israel did then and their descendants are continuing to do today. Moffatt renders this, "They worshipped the Eternal, and they also served their own gods." This chapter reports on the behavior of the people placed in Israel after Israel's conquest and deportation by Assyria between 722-720 BC. These people, who became known as the Samaritans, feared the Lord but worshipped their own gods. They were afraid of God, but they did not really change their way of life. Thus, they developed a syncretic religious system, a blending of the truth of God and outright paganism. The Jews of Christ's day clearly recognized this putrid blend and despised the Samaritans for it. What is so interesting is that, by verse 36, God is no longer reporting on the Samaritans but is addressing Israel. In other words, God is saying that He was driven to defeat and scatter Israel because they were guilty of exactly the same sin as the Samaritans! They too had blended the worship of the true God with outright paganism, utterly corrupting the relationship He had established with them. It is urgent that we understand what is involved here because it reveals the cause of God's anger that led to Israel's defeat and scattering. We must understand that our god is not what we say we worship but what we serve. Our god is what we give our lives over to. Theoretically, the Israelites did not believe in idols, but in reality, they did. They believed in a Creator God, but they worshipped Him at the shrines they erected to the Baals. While they gave lip service to the Creator, they adopted most of the Canaanitish religion with its lewd immorality, and in actual practice, patterned their life after it. In daily life, they conformed to and reflected the Babylonish system just as Israel does today. This is exactly what God warns us to flee, and the only way to come out of it is by developing and maturing in our relationship with God. |
This statement of relationship is vital to Babylon's end-time identification. Only Israel of all nations has been coupled to God through a binding covenant likened to a marriage. A marriage covenant implies an intimacy limited only to those making the covenant. Israel alone of all nations has rightly earned the title "the Great Whore," as she alone came to know God through His revelation of Himself to her. In the biblical sense, a whore is a woman unfaithful to a covenant or to revealed standards. Israel alone had God's way of life so intimately revealed to her. No other nation in all the history of mankind entered into a covenant with Him, vowing that all He said she would do. Thus, she alone of all nations was unfaithful to that exclusive union. God provides many proofs of her unfaithfulness and records of how He dealt with it in the prophetic and historical books. The biblical facts, when combined with the external evidence of history, point to end-time Israel. Most reading this article live in Israel and are commanded to come out of end-time Babylon, thus the concern over the Great Harlot's identification. A number of times during the course of these articles, Babylon has been referred to as a "system." Babylon is a system, an anti-God way of doing things, but it is characterized most specifically in a particular nation. This nation, the focus of the Babylonian system and the one that most effectively influences other nations to follow it, is also identified as "Babylon." Thus, Babylon is both. Protestant commentaries, however, almost unanimously refer to Babylon as a system. Some evangelical Protestant organizations focus a considerable amount of attention to biblical prophecy, but most of them are weak in several areas of understanding. Perhaps the most glaringly important is the identity of modern Israel - almost all of them say Israel is limited to the Jews. Their interpretations of prophecy, then, are slanted toward that tiny, New-Jersey-sized, Middle Eastern nation of less than ten million people. They overlook almost entirely that, at the time of the scattering, the twelve tribes of Israel were two distinct nations, each having its own land, capital city, and government. The ten-tribed nation of Israel in the north, dominated by the Joseph tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, had its capital city in Samaria. It can be claimed that the name "Israel" belongs to these two Joseph tribes because Jacob ordained Ephraim and Manasseh to carry it (Genesis 48:16). To the south of Israel, the remaining two tribes, Judah and Benjamin - thereafter called the Jews - had their capital city in Jerusalem. II Kings 16-18 makes this two-nation fact clear. Both nations also had the priestly tribe, Levi, scattered among them, for the Levites were never given land to support themselves. When God's time to act came in the eighth century BC, He strengthened and sent the Assyrian nation to conquer the northern ten tribes. The Israelites were taken into captivity, became assimilated amongst their conquerors, and migrated with them as time went on. Israel never returned to be reunited with the Jews. History combined with biblical clues places them in northern and northwest Europe, and also in the colonies the Anglo-Saxon peoples established in other parts of the world. However, God dealt somewhat differently with the Jews. At the end of the seventh century BC, He raised up and sent the Babylonian nation to conquer and take the Jews into captivity. However, after 70 years, because of prophecies involving the coming Messiah to come out of Judah, a remnant of Jews returned to Judea, reestablishing themselves as a nation in Palestine. Two thousand six hundred years later, at the time of the end, we find Israelitish people scattered all over the world and a small number of Jews back in the ancestral homeland God originally gave to all the tribes of Israel. |
This prophecy concerns the economic, political, and military machinations that will occur as the end approaches, but these maneuvers end with the return of Christ. Many parallel prophecies are fulfilled during the same period, for instance, the appearance of the Two Witnesses and their work. Even God declares that what He is going to bring to pass will be astounding, partly because it runs counter to what most believe could happen. Nonetheless, God will have His Two Witnesses expounding upon these prophecies and warning all who are willing to listen that a new world order is being ushered in through the tumultuous, worldwide events of the end-time "Axial Period." It will not be the "New World Order" of human dreams, but Christ will return and continue to develop this new, God-devised revolution. The Babylonian image, which has governed and influenced the world since the sixth century BC, will be smashed on its feet, but the entire system will fragment into millions of pieces and be blown away into the dustbin of history, replaced by the Kingdom of God. |
Secular historians believe that what happened in the sixth century BC is marvelous almost beyond belief. Events of that magnitude do not happen that swifty in such a short period of time. We have seen evidence, however, in God's Word of what happened and why it happened that way. God Himself did it to bring about a radical change in the history of man. Since God did it, it was part of His purpose. In Habakkuk, He is speaking about a work He will do that is so amazing that "If I told you, Habakkuk, what I am going to do, you would not believe it." What is that amazing work? God is going to turn the world upside down again, only this time He will replace the nations with the Kingdom of God. |
In Ephesians 2:2, Paul writes of "the course of this world." The Greek word kosmos, translated into the English word "world," essentially means an "orderly system." To human eyes beholding all the activity throughout the earth, the world looks anything but orderly. It looks confusing, to say the least. However, that conclusion depends on one's perspective. What is going on to discerning eyes, the eyes of one to whom God has revealed Himself, is an orderly system of deception cloaked by restless activity among humans involved in constant wars, thousands of religions, evil conduct, corrupting entertainments, and other distracting, time-wasting business and social vanities. All of this restless activity is in reality nothing but a smokescreen hiding a sinister influence from discovery. Notice something to which we generally do not pay much attention. The word "world" appears as the object of the preposition "of." This prepositional phrase modifies "course," showing us that Paul is speaking of a specific "course" available to us to choose from among others. The Greek word translated "course," aion, is especially interesting. At first, it indicates "an age," "an indefinite period of time," and by extension, "perpetuity." However, Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words provides an interesting alternative, saying that it also means, "Time viewed in relation to what takes place during that period" (emphasis added). Aion, then, does not have to mean simply "time" in some form: Vine shows that it is correctly translated "place" in Hebrews 5:6. Other commentators go into greater detail, but we will quote only two highly respected ones that other commentators frequently cite as authorities. First, Richard C. Trench is a resource virtually every commentator eventually quotes on the definitions of biblical words. He defines aion as:
Aion, translated as "course" in Ephesians 2:2, is the vague, ever-present immaterial realm that we are surrounded by and live in. It is interesting that Trench ties his definition to air, in that, even as we unconsciously breathe air in and out to sustain life, the course of the world is every bit as necessary to carnal life and is affecting us invisibly and constantly. Second, Johann A. Bengel adds that aion is ". . . the subtle informing spirit of the Kosmos, or world of men who are living alienated and apart from God." This is what Germans termed zeitgeist, the spirit of the age—the "informing spirit"! The term "spirit" is used to indicate the invisible, immaterial influence whose characteristics are absorbed and then manifested in the attitudes and conduct of the general population of a given people. An American commentator, Kenneth Wuest, is very helpful at this juncture:
Course in Roget's International Thesaurus, under the heading "tendency," has such synonyms as "thoughts," "zeitgeist," "spirit," "disposition," "character," "nature," "makeup," "bent," "slant," "frame of mind," "attitude," "inclination," "mind-set," "drift," "perspective," and many more. It may be easier to understand "course of this world" by rephrasing it into statements such as, "according to the disposition of this world"; "according to the character of this world"; "according to the nature of this world"; "according to the makeup of this world"; "according to the mindset, drift, or perspective of this world." This is the spirit from which we must be converted. It is the unseen foundation and fountain of our pre-conversion conduct, and it is the same spirit still motivating us when we act carnally or in the flesh. Despite conversion, it remains within us, compressed like a spring that is ready to jump into action and influence our conduct. |
These verses are a basic guideline to the alluring heart of the Babylonish system. This system has its basis in human nature. It feeds right into our desire for frequent change and variety of experience as the answer to fulfillment in life, but the Bible clearly reveals God drawing His children into His oneness. Babylon promotes fulfillment in material things, excitement and gratification of the flesh, and variety of experience. These major fruits are easily seen in the world around us as confusion of purpose. People do not know where they are going. They are bouncing in every different direction. There is competition, hitting heads with one another. There is disunity and diversity everywhere. There is disharmony, fighting with one's neighbor. There is separation from each other and eventually from God and ultimately the separation of death. The result is that the world is not a happy place to live in. None of these factors that are part of the allurement of Babylon can give a lasting sense of peace, fulfillment, abundant living, and purpose in life because none of them is in constant harmony with the purpose of God. Each of these things, though they may not be sin of and by themselves, can only produce a temporary burst of well-being. Many, many times, God instructed Israel against this proclivity. They were to seek out only Him in His only habitation in Jerusalem. But Israel is disastrously curious and terribly smitten with the discontented, unsettled, impatient "grass is always greener" disease. |
These verses provide a basic guideline for avoiding entrapment by this alluring heart of the Babylonish system. Since this system has its basis in human nature, it feeds right into the desires for frequent change and variety of experience as the answers to fulfillment in life. The Bible, however, clearly reveals God drawing His children into His oneness, which is diametrically opposed to the world's system. It promotes fulfillment in material things, excitement, gratification of the flesh, and variety of religious experience. Its major fruits are easily seen in the world around us as confusion of purpose, competition, disharmony, disunity, separation from each other and God, and death. The result is that this world is not a happy place to live in. None of these factors can give a lasting sense of peace, fulfillment, and abundant living because none of them harmonizes with the purpose of God. They can only produce a temporary burst of emotional well-being or satisfaction. God instructed Israel often and in many ways against this proclivity. They were to seek only Him in His only habitation in Jerusalem. Israel, though, is disastrously curious and incautious and filled with discontented, unsettled, impatient, "grass is always greener" yearnings. |
Chapter 13 begins with a very colorful, almost overpowering, vision showing an overview of the political system that Satan works through. There is just enough given here to connect this with the Daniel 2 and 7. What arises in Revelation 13 actually has its beginnings long before Jesus Christ, all the way back to Nimrod, showing a definite time progression. This is the system that rears its head at the end time, but the vision is given so that we will understand that this is the system that Satan has always worked through. |
For many years, we have maintained that a great power, which the Bible calls "the Beast," will rise out of Europe as the last reincarnation of the Roman Empire (Revelation 13:1-10; 17:1-13). As described in Daniel 2:40-43, it has ten "toes," composed of iron and clay and divided on two "feet" - Eastern and Western Europe, we have interpreted - as the Roman Empire was similarly divided. This Beast power would dominate the world politically and militarily (Daniel 11:36-39), bringing on the "time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1). Present-day Europe, however, appears particularly unqualified for such a role, which opens up a few possibilities:
Other possibilities surely exist, and in this time of uncertainty, there is no way to determine whether any of these are real. Such is the character of prophecy. We are assured, however, that, "Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). |
Biblically, Babylon can be a city or a nation. Though it is sometimes figuratively portrayed as a woman, it is not a church. In prophecy, especially in the New Testament, it symbolizes the worldly system opposed to God. One must discern from the context in which "Babylon" appears which interpretation is intended, but experience shows that Babylon overwhelmingly signifies a nation. Even when it suggests a city, we have to remember that God often uses a city to represent the entire nation. |
These verses are actually the introduction to chapters 17 and 18, which feature the description of Babylon the Great. They also serve to introduce the term "great." "Great" has many applications, but in relation to Babylon, it implies power, wealth, authority, influence, and evil. This adjective should be kept in mind as part of virtually every aspect of its character. |
For her to be riding the Beast, there must be some relationship between the two. In fact, each, the Woman and the Beast, are part of the same general system, the Babylonish system. However, right up front - because one is depicted as a woman and the other as a beast - God is indicating two distinctly different sets of characteristics, personalities, or approaches within the system. As depicted in Revelation 13:2, the Beast consists of the strongest parts of a leopard, bear, and lion. Unarguably, these three animals are vicious, wild beasts, and each is a very powerful animal that a woman on her own would ordinarily be no match for. Obviously, a human woman would approach life and its events differently than an animal. Yet, the Woman is riding the seemingly super-powerful Beast. She, at this juncture in the prophecy, is the one in the position of strength and therefore is superior, greater, more powerful, and more influential than the Beast. |
These verses show the Woman, the harlot, sitting upon many waters, the Beast, and seven mountains (a mountain is a biblical symbol of a nation), and in verse 15 the waters of which the Beast consists are defined as peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. In such a context, sitting is the Bible's symbol of authority, having power over. It is as though she gives orders and is served. This description conveys two characteristics: First, the scope of her influence is wide-ranging, over many nations. Second, the Beast consists of peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. The Woman, however, is not described in that manner; she is depicted as one unit. Therefore, a distinct possibility is that God sees the Woman in this end-time prophecy as one powerful and influential people, as contrasted to the Beast, which consists of many diverse peoples who, at first, cannot combine and coordinate their strengths to counterbalance and perhaps overcome the more united Woman. |
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