SEPTEMBER 14 = REVELATION 17
BABYLON THE GREEDY
To review: Paul said in Romans 2:4 that the kindness of God leads us to repentance. At least, that’s God’s intention. But in Revelation 16, we found that many on earth did not respond to the goodness of God. They had not repented when they were blessed. So it is no surprise when they curse the God of heaven because of their pains, while they refuse to repent of what they had done.
And now, in this chapter and the next, we find the fall of what John calls “Babylon the Great.” It is not clear exactly who Babylon is. But it is clear that the city was important to kings and all the inhabitants of the earth. It is also clear that Babylon is a place of many abominations. Let’s look into it.
Babylon is described as a prostitute. The kings of the earth commit adultery with her, and all who live on earth are drunk with the wine of her adulteries.
You might say that adultery is doing something forbidden. Or that it is giving something away that you should not give away, for the sake of money and other forms of power and opulence. The exchange is somehow worth it to Babylon, whatever she is giving away. And somehow the adultery is worth the money for virtually all kings on earth. What could be so tempting to all the kings that they would pay her so well to get what she is giving away?
You know, any peace treaty is a compromise. A king is willing to give away something valuable in order to gain something that means even more to him. We might give away freedoms, or we give away resources, or we give away autonomy in order to gain control, or gain money, or gain allies. Maybe the king is thinking of the citizen of his kingdom. Or maybe he is being selfish. But he is giving away something to join with Babylon.
Babylon was already fallen long before the time of John. But Rome was in its prime at the time of his writing. Since then, there have been many centers of power and influence. But notice the price of joining with Babylon, whatever she is: abominable things, being drunk with the blood of the saints. Babylon is universally accepted by the powers that be, but she is not godly.
Ironically, the beast hates Babylon. Satan is the one who brings her to ruin, eats her flesh and burns her with fire. Why would the enemy of God destroy one who is also against God?
“For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. “The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.””
Though all the kings of the earth, and Babylon, and the beast, and the devil himself are all opposed to God, they are still less powerful than God. God is the one who put it into their hearts—all the kings of the earth—to join together and give their power to the beast. Perhaps this was the battle of Armageddon. Perhaps it is organized persecution of the church. In any case, they all agree to follow the plan of the beast and go against the God of the universe, just as God led them to do.
Remember, it’s hammer time. And at the end of the end of the book, He wins. Amen.
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