Home > Resources > Sermons > Revelation
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” That same kind of language is found in the Old Testament prophets from which John borrows. “Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation” (Isa. 13:19-20a). “But evil will come on you which you will not know how to charm away; and disaster will fall on you for which you cannot atone; and destruction about which you do not know will come on you suddenly” (Isa. 47:11). “Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken; Wail over her!” (Jer. 51:8). “And as soon as you finish reading this scroll [Jeremiah to Seriah], you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates, and say, ‘Just so shall Babylon sink down and not rise again because of the calamity that I am going to bring upon her; and they will become exhausted’” (Jer. 51:63-64).
It is obvious that Isaiah and Jeremiah spoke of ancient Babylon, the empire that ruled widely and despotically over many nations until God brought her down. But by the time that John wrote the Revelation, Babylon had been in dust and rubble for 500 years. Yet he declares the fall of Babylon. Peter referred to Babylon at the end of his first epistle, using it symbolically to refer to Rome (5:14). Just as Babylon had captured God’s people and deported them, even so Peter alludes to Rome as the new Babylon that held captive the people of God living as “aliens and strangers” until the final redemption (2:11-12). Just as Babylon fell by God’s judgment, even so would Rome in God’s timing [cf. Edmund Clowney, BST: The Message of 1 Peter, 223-224].
But the looming question is whether or not John had in mind Rome and only Rome when he symbolically invoked the name Babylon? Did he have Rome in mind? Absolutely, Rome during John’s era personified ancient Babylon in all of its grandeur and despotism. No doubt, John’s grasp of the spirit of Babylon came by his observations of Rome as the center of anti-Christian sentiment. Yet John writes of something more than Rome since his prophetic word spoke not only of the fall of Babylon but also the return of Christ, final judgment, and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom—all in connection with the fall of Babylon (cf. Rev. 11:15-19; 12:10-12; 13:11-14:20; chaps. 15-21).
Babylon, in John’s thought, expresses the spirit of the world in opposition against God, His Christ, kingdom, and the church. It is the permeation of sinful thought and practice wrapped up in the cultures of the world, particularly in economic greed, spiritual idolatry, societal abuse, and political manipulation. Rome certainly gave an identifiable picture of what the spirit of the world in antagonism against the gospel looked like! Rome viewed itself as “ordained by the gods” [Warren Carter, The Roman Empire and the New Testament: an Essential Guide, 2]. Ruled by a definite hierarchy, with the emperor at the top, Rome controlled the empire through the strength of its military might, the wealth of the elite that bowed to the emperor, and the servitude of the masses. The picture of a harlot clothed in purple and scarlet, decked out in gold and precious stones, and holding a golden cup in her hand looked like the Rome of John’s day. But it also personifies the same spirit of oppression, greed, idolatry, and anti-Christian mentality that has existed for the past 2000 years in one culture after another. If one wanted to get along in the Roman Empire, then he followed the sentiments of Rome. To live or think differently implied a threat to the Roman way which typically met with heavy-handed oppression. Christians did not acknowledge Caesar as lord or believe that Rome existed by the ordination of the gods or believe that Rome was right in the way it treated its citizens and non-citizens or practice the idolatrous ways of the empire. That left believers feeling the weight of opposition—not only in the 1st century but throughout the centuries.
However, the great danger that believers in the 1st century faced was not persecution and death by the hand of Rome—that happened but it could not sever them from their eternal rest in Christ. Rather, the greatest danger was falling into the same worldly spirit that pervaded Rome. When the church failed to live distinctly as the people of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ, set apart to God as salt and light in the world, then the church would no longer be the church but only another of the great harlot’s consorts. The church must see the danger of the world and live distinctly from it. Babylon—the world—will be judged; the church must not “participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” Though we live in the world and have gospel ministry to it, we must come out of it lest we participate in the world. How is that done? Let’s consider this under the heading of four questions.
The past two studies have focused on explaining the spirit of Babylon. Once again, John recalls some of the characteristics of Babylon that we’ve already noted and expands on them. First, Babylon is not a place but a spirit or concept or power or mentality or worldview that stands diametrically opposed to Jesus Christ and the gospel. The identification of Babylon with immorality and sensuality (v. 3), sins (vv. 4-5), haughtiness and arrogance (v. 7), tormenting and persecuting believers (vv. 7, 24), and worldly wealth (vv. 11-19) reveals a character that is totally debased. No wonder she is called, “the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” (17:5).
Second, Babylon is not localized in Rome but is global. “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” This global picture of nations, kings, and merchants is repeated (vv. 9, 11, 23), bringing emphasis to the global nature of the spirit of Babylon. “All the nations” have partaken of her immorality—indicating all the nations in all of the ages.
Third, Babylon seduces political and ruling powers to live out her godless ways. That’s what is meant by “the kings of the earth” being swept up by her. John shows us that ultimately, the spirit that prevails through the political process has no interest in godly, humble, holy people but rather in power, position, and wealth.
Fourth, tied to the political influence is Babylon’s peculiar influence over the global economy. The lengthy explanation of the particular products that will no longer be sold when God judges the world is not to single out only these things but to show a spirit of worldly greed, sensuality, and ostentation (vv. 11-13). Most of the people in John’s day could only look on the merchandise he describes with the exception of wine, olive oil, and flour. The elite’s appetite for more and more was well-served by the great harlot’s lure. At best, the masses subsisted with meager fare for food, clothing, and shelter. At worst, they went through horrible times of hunger and deprivation, all at the behest of Rome. The way that people are degraded through the centuries by the greedy, idolatrous spirit of materialism is pictured by “slaves and human lives” following the list of “horses and chariots.” Whether in an age of slavery or an age when workers are exploited and abused for the greed of a few, John calls evidence of the great harlot.
Quite simply, because there is a just God in heaven, Babylon will be judged. John shows this to us in the first place by identifying the volume of Babylon’s sins. “For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” “The sky-high compost pillar of her sins has not escaped God’s notice,” writes Dennis Johnson [Triumph of the Lamb, 255]. The word pictures sins stuck together in a gigantic pile, just like compost, that reaches “as high as heaven.” How often have we heard people complain about individuals, regimes, terrorist groups, and nations seemingly getting away with atrocities? “Why doesn’t God do something about them?” people indignantly say, quite often with the voice of skepticism. John lets us know that the exploitation, immorality, perversion, destruction, immorality, terrorism, murder, and persecution that has been carried out by so many is not forgotten in heaven. “God has remembered her iniquities.” For God to remember is tantamount to saying that God will act justly.
Second, after explaining the desolation of Babylon, John writes the reason for God’s judgment, “For your merchants were the great men of the earth.” What he aims for is to show that economic inequity, injustice, abuse, exploitation, and greed will not be overlooked in judgment. Most of those living in John’s day were the “have-not’s.” Only about 2-3 percent in the Roman Empire was deemed aristocrats and thus enjoyed the spoils of Rome [Carter, 3]. Everyone worked for the aristocrats who in turn, sought to curry the emperor’s favor. It was a vicious cycle of dog-eat-dog in order for a few to lap up more power, prestige, and wealth. But that’s not the humble, servant-hearted, people-loving, and generous spirit wrought by the gospel! God will judge the former while owning the latter as savoring His character.
Third, Babylon deceived the nations through her idolatrous ways, “because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery,” thus incurring God’s judgment. Sorcery invokes the idea of deception through magical arts, though in this case, sorcery is symbolic for all of the deceptive ways of Babylon. It seems to particularly stress the deceptiveness of immorality and greed. The prophet Nahum uses similar language in his word of judgment against Nineveh: “All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the charming one, the mistress of sorceries, who sells nations by her harlotries and families by her sorceries, “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts” [Nahum 3:4-5a]. Such deception was not limited to ancient Nineveh or Babylon. We see the sorcery of the world duping multitudes into thinking that life consists of satisfying one’s lusts not in pleasing God.
Fourth, Babylon is judged because over and over she has killed the righteous. “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” John looks back on the multitudes innocently killed by the pervasive spirit of the world. He identifies the primary victims as prophets and saints, believers throughout the ages. But he also is inclusive of the violence done to others out of this same spirit of greed, immorality, and uncontrolled desires. In other words, no one escapes the judgment of God who has killed His people or killed the innocent made in the image of God. Whether or not the judicial system applies appropriate justice, God will.
As the angels pour out the seven bowls of the wrath of God, we get some glimpse of divine judgment (chap. 16). John expands on it with vividly descriptive language. First, Babylon is judged by the Lord God because He “has remembered her iniquities.” We look back in the history of the nations and often find that God used other nations, even those evil and unbelieving, to accomplish His purposes of judgment. But the reason behind the judgment is the just action of God. So, the prophet Nahum can outline the destruction of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh that took place by the hand of Babylon in 612 B.C. being the action of God. “The Lord has issued a command concerning you: ‘Your name will no longer be perpetuated. I will cut off idol and image from the house of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible’” (Nahum 1:14). The Lord also raised up Cyrus, the Persian king, to judge Babylon, even calling Cyrus “His anointed” (Isa. 45:1), though Cyrus did not know God (Isa. 45:4). So, how the judgment takes place is secondary; the fact that God initiates it and brings it about is primary.
Second, when we think of the grandeur and global scale of Babylon, pulling off judgment against her collectively seems unlikely and impossible. And for any of us or even any empire, it would be. But John explains that God’s judgment on Babylon will be sudden, totally devastating “for the Lord God who judges her is strong.” As one writer expressed it, “This mighty city of Babylon (vv. 10, 18) “is no match for the might of God”” [Simon Kistemaker quoting J.P.M. Sweet, NTC: Revelation, 492]. The strength of God’s omnipotence is threaded throughout the book, particularly shown by God orchestrating the events of judgment throughout history and culminating in final judgment. Babylon has swaggered through the years but will be brought down suddenly by the Lord God’s mighty strength to execute judgment.
Third, God must judge Babylon with justice. This is noted by God remembering “her iniquities,” so that the judgment is not a divine temper tantrum but God’s righteous response to the collective sins of the world. “Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her,” or more literally, “mix an equivalent for her to drink” [Dennis Johnson’s translation, 225]. The reference is to “equivalent retribution, not double punishment” [Johnson’s assessment of Meredith Kline’s study on this Greek term; fn. 21, p. 256]. So the voice from heaven (v. 4) calls for duplicating Babylon’s deeds with divine judgment. Not only is this called for due to Babylon’s actions but also due to her arrogance. “To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree giver her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning’.” Ancient Babylon made the same boast (Isa. 47:7). In the same way that the Lord promised Israel that He would “exact full vengeance” for them due to ancient Babylon’s evil treatment of them, now the heavenly voice calls for God to do the same for global Babylon (Jer. 51:36).
Notice how John describes this just judgment. It desolates so that Babylon “has become the place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.” This follows similar language of Jeremiah 51:37: “Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and hissing, and without inhabitants.” It takes place suddenly, “for this reason in one day her plagues will come…for in one hour your judgment has come” (8, 10). It is described as “plagues…pestilence…mourning…famine…torment” so that “in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste” (vv. 8, 10, 17). The “smoke of her burning” is so massive that it is viewed by “the kings of the earth” and “every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea” (vv. 9, 17). John describes this judgment as total economic loss so that “no one buys their cargoes any more” (v. 11). The incomparable destruction evokes the plaintiff cry, “Who is like the great city?” [Johnson points out that “who” more appropriately follows the parallelism of 13:4, “who is like the beast,” 258]. The point of the question is to ask who has ever encountered such devastation and destruction? The total loss of Babylon is found by the symbolism of the strong angel throwing the great millstone in the sea so that it rapidly sinks into oblivion: “So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.” “Violence” is literally, “with a rushing,” like a stone whizzing through the air to a violent crash [Rogers & Rogers, Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament, 645]. All evidences of life are gone: “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer.” The kind of things normal to life—music, building, construction work, agricultural work, lights in the darkness, weddings—will all be gone—totally gone!
Since Babylon’s sin has risen as a giant, immeasurable compost before heaven demanding divine judgment, and since God is just and certain in His judgments, and since judgment will ultimately bring about total destruction of everything opposed to God, how are we to live as Christians? How are we to respond? Two exhortations are found in this chapter applying very precisely to us.
First, come out of Babylon. “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” The verse echoes Jeremiah 51:45, “Come forth from her midst, My people, and each of you save yourselves from the fierce anger of the Lord.” In that context, Jeremiah warned that God would bring judgment on ancient Babylon, so the people of God were not to be surprised by the suddenness of the judgment nor were they to be absorbed into the ways of Babylon and thus suffer God’s fierce anger. What was John aiming for in this exhortation? The temptation for early believers was to just go along with the Roman way of doing things, whether questionable behavior, idolatry, bowing to greed, giving-in to sensuality, and embracing the immoral practices of Rome. That was the surest way to avoid oppression and persecution. But it was also the surest way to deny Christ, trample on the gospel of grace, and bring reproach to God’s people. So, believers were called to come out of Babylon, or in that case, come out of Rome. That didn’t mean to leave the empire; rather it implied not being swallowed up in her ways, not adopting her worldview, and standing faithfully as followers of the Lamb of God.
Are we to do any less in this modern day Babylon? “Come out of her, my people,” and in doing so, we do not participate in the sins of the present Babylon and receive of her plagues. Be willing to suffer loss, to face persecution, if need be, but live like a Christian. Walk in the grace of God. Live out the gospel day after day.
Second, rejoice that God is judging and will judge the global Babylon: “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” The judgment against Babylon is not only due to her sins against God but her sins against God’s people. Rejoice in the righteousness of our God that will not put up with the deception and sorceries and oppressiveness of the world. Andrew of Caesarea, in the early sixth century, explained what the heavenly voice had in mind. “They rejoice for the coming of these chastisements, not because they rejoice in hardships but because they ardently desire a cessation to sin” [William C. Weinrich, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Revelation, XII, 294]. Rejoice because the day of sinning will be finished!
Apart from Jesus Christ bearing God’s judgment for us at the cross, then we have nothing to restrain God’s just vengeance from swallowing us with the rest of the world. Without the grace of God, then we are drunk with the great harlot’s wine as well as the rest of the world. The crucified Lamb of God stands between us and God’s wrath, having absorbed the full measure for all whom He has redeemed. We remember that death in the Table before us as by faith we partake of Christ through the bread and the cup.
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be explicitly approved by South Woods Baptist Church.
Please include the following statement on any distributed copy:
Copyright South Woods Baptist Church. Website: www.southwoodsbc.org. Used by permission as granted on web site. Questions, comments, and suggestions about our site can be sent here.
Copyright 2009, South Woods Baptist Church, All Rights Reserved