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Revelation 17–18
Destruction of the whore, Babylon
H.A. Buster Dobbs
4. Another judgment scene (18:1-24).
a. A glorious angel announces the fall of Babylon (18:1-2).
b. She falls because she corrupted the earth (18:3).
c. The redeemed are called out of her--her sins and
iniquities are heaped high (18:4-5).
d. She is rendered evil for evil (18:6).
e. Her arrogance will not prevent her sudden destruction
(18:7-8).
f. The kings of the earth shall mourn over her destruction
(18:9-10).
g. The merchants of earth shall weep and mourn (18:11-16).
h. Sailors laments her downfall (18:17-19).
i. Saints, apostles, and prophets, from their heavenly
vantage point, rejoice over the destruction (18:20).
j. Her destruction is total, like a great millstone sunk in the
depths of the sea (18:21-23).
k. In her was found the blood of prophets and saints
(18:24).
| Babylon |
New Jerusalem |
| Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. |
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband |
| 3: For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. |
10: And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
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7: How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
8: Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. |
11: Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; |
12: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
13: And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
14: And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.
15: The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,
16: And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
17: For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, |
12: And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
13: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14: And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15: And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
16: And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
17: And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18: And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
19: And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20: The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21: And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. |
21: And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22: And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23: And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24: And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
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22: And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
23: And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24: And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25: And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26: And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27: And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
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Babylon
The Bible also reflects a negative view of Babylon. Already in
the primeval history, the tower of Babel ( Genesis
11.1–9) uses the
traditional ziggurat present in each city of Sumer as a metaphor for the
excesses of human ambition that led to, and accounted for, the confusion of
tongues and dispersion of peoples. The Psalmists emphasized the negative
aspects of exile (Psalm 137),
and the fall of the "arrogant" city (Jeremiah
50.31) and "its
sinners" (Isaiah 13.9)
was predicted confidently, even gleefully, by the prophets. In the New
Testament, Babylon became the epitome of wickedness (Revelation
17.5) and a symbolic name
for Rome (Revelation 17–18;
cf. 1 Peter 5.13).
William W. Hallo
Revelation 18
is a dirge, a song about the fall of the city Babylon, Babylon the Great.
Reading the scripture carefully, one understands Babylon has been morally
condemned from the beginning: oppression and godless rebellion bring on its
nemesis. This chapter is about God's judgment:
...where
godlessness is conjoined with the unconscionable exploitation of the
underprivileged and the persecution of the righteous, nothing but timely and
whole-hearted repentance can avert the death sentence. Where, however, the
sins of civilization reach their utmost limit and there is no further room for
repentance, the judgment falls with the decisiveness of the large millstone...
(F.F. Bruce, The International Bible Commentary)
One must recall
Isaiah 26: 9: But when your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the
world learn righteousness.
One of the reasons
both the Old and New Testaments are needed is that
interpretatively, all too often readers of the Old Testament emphasize
God's judgment and righteousness just as New Testament readers often
focus too exclusively upon God's mercy. The Lord, your God, however, is one!
(Deuteronomy 6.4). Anyone who has read Deuteronomy carefully knows "the
Lord your God is a merciful God; for he will not fail you or destroy you of
forget the covenant with your fathers" (4.31). Even as the law is set
before Israel, it learns "what great nation is there that has statues and
ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?"
(4.9). Israel is reminded that it has been chosen out of love, that its God is
faithful and keeps covenant and steadfast love "with those who love him and
keep his commandments...and requites to their face those who hate him, by
destroying them; he will not be slack with him who hates him, he will requite
him to his face" (7.9-10).
But the more profound paradox
of a God believed to be merciful and forgiving on the one hand and ultimately
just on the other remains unresolved. The Bible is of course not an abstract
theological treatise, and so it is not surprising that there is no detailed
exposition of the problem. But it is one to which biblical writers frequently
return, in narratives (Jonah; Luke
15), dialogue (Job; cf. Ecclesiastes; Romans
9), and especially in prayers (Psalm
130.3–4; Daniel 9.7–9;
cf. Habakkuk 3.2), where
the hope of the worshipper is that God’s mercy will prevail over his justice
(see Hosea 11.8–9; James
2.13). This hope is based on the realization of the essential
unworthiness of those chosen by God; the election of Israel, and the salvation
of the Christian, were motivated by gratuitous divine love (Deuteronomy
7.7–8; Psalm 103.6–18;
Titus 3.5). Oxford
Companion to the Bible Michael D. Coogan
That the paradox of a
"merciful and just God" remains unresolved is not true only if one
does not begin building an understanding of God in the Old Testament with
Genesis and end it with Revelation. That the paradox exists at all
is the result of a fallen and limited finite nature incapable of seeing beyond
paradox. If I am not mistaken, God has resolved the paradox. In Revelation,
the reader is told "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the
throne and to the Lamb" (7.10). When the martyrs call for vindication, they
are told to rest a little longer (6.10, 11). Again and again in Revelation,
the final end or consummation is delayed. Why? The answer I propose
will not be acceptable for those who read Revelation and usurp
God's control over history by proposing the end will be at this time or
that and will be preceded by this event or that. John gives us his vision
of the end veiled only by time itself. Only the sacrificial Lamb seated on
the throne is worthy to break the seals containing the fixed purposes of
God. But through that worthiness, John sees a time in which "saints
from every tribe and language and people and nation... [will be made] a kingdom
and priests serving our God" (5.9). We live, thus, in the interlude of
God's mercy and outreach to universal humankind; no one is excluded, for the
door to the eternal stands open ((4.1), and the invitation is non-exclusive:
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let everyone who hears say,
'Come.' And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take
the water of life as a gift" (22.17). John was instructed not to seal up
the words of the prophecy: "'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of
this book, for the time is near. Let the evil doer still do evil, and the
filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be
holy'" (22.10-11). Life provides the chronology for moral
choice. The call throughout Revelation has been for endurance--of
the seven churches of Asia (early Christianity) but also for those living into
the moment of judgment: "Fear God and give him glory for the hour of his
judgment has come..." (14.7). Even with the fall of Babylon, the call
remains: "Here is a call for endurance of the saints, those who keep the
commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus" (14.12). As
Habakkuk knew, and as John saw, "there is still a vision for the appointed
time; it speaks of the end and does not lie... the Lord is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him!" (2.3, 20).
Just as the saints retreat from
their early cry for vindication into fervent prayer for those left to endure, so
should the non-purely vindictive retreat from glorying in an end temporally
experienced as darkness and not light. "It is too easy and agreeable
for human beings to apply the denunciations of Scriptures to others and claim
the blessings for oneself" (F.F. Bruce). The only delight taken should not
be in the discomfiture of the enemy but rejoicing only in the judgments of God.
That judgment begins with one's own household.
Remarkable in Revelation 18
is the description of Babylon, suggesting Babylon symbolically represents
a place where sin has reached its utmost limit, leaving no room for repentance.
[Babylon has become]...a
dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul
bird, a haunt of every foul and hateful beast (2)
...nations have drunk of the
wine of wrath of her fornication, and the kings of earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the
power of her luxury...(3)
...her sins are heaped as high
as heaven... (5)
...she has glorified herself
and lived luxuriously..(7)
...her plague will come in a
single day---pestilence and mourning and famine--and she will be burned with
fire...(8)
That Babylon is a city of
material wealth and luxury illustrates the much too common coexistence of
material well being and social injustice; perhaps for exactly this reason, the
gospel of the New Testament has its source in a Galilean peasant.
No extensive knowledge of Rome is needed to realize that slaves under the empire
fared better than did the poor of rural areas. Nor is it surprising that a
radical egalitarian is a Galilean carpenter walking among simple
fishermen, women, beggars, lepers, the blind and crippled. Jesus certainly knew
what was required: justice, kindness, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6.8).
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