The Visitation of Judgment Upon the City of Babylon
18:20-24
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 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. 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; 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. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
The Vengeance of Divine Judgment Vs. 20
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her."
This is revenge upon the wicked for what they have done
to heaven and all its inhabitants. Now the voice can urge prophets and apostles
to rejoice over the judgment finally realized.
From Gen. 11:9. So a name is given to the Mystery of Lawlessness as it operates in human society. From here, the evil thing is seen running on through all succeeding ages of the history of man, until it comes to final expression, and is destroyed. This story of Babel is that of man's attempt to realize a social order in defiance of a Divine purpose. The purpose of God was the full realization of the race, and that necessitated the replenishing of the whole earth by the scattering of men over all its face. Man took counsel against this scattering, and attempted to realize a State at Shinar, "lest we be scattered abroad." In order to the fulfilment of the larger purpose, God confused their language and drove the nations into separation. The purpose of the scattering was that of the larger gathering which should fulfil His purpose. He confused their schemes that His plan might be realized. This is not only an ancient story, it is the story of a perpetual process. Over and over again men have sought to establish themselves either in rebellion against, or without reference to, the Divine plans. The result has always been confusion. God has never permitted humanity to realize a social order from which He is excluded, nor will He do so to the end. Such an order would mean the limiting and ultimate destruction of humanity. Therefore He confuses all such attempts, and, compelling men to work out their own false conceptions to their logical issue, destroys them.
From Gen. 11:9. So a name is given to the Mystery of Lawlessness as it operates in human society. From here, the evil thing is seen running on through all succeeding ages of the history of man, until it comes to final expression, and is destroyed. This story of Babel is that of man's attempt to realize a social order in defiance of a Divine purpose. The purpose of God was the full realization of the race, and that necessitated the replenishing of the whole earth by the scattering of men over all its face. Man took counsel against this scattering, and attempted to realize a State at Shinar, "lest we be scattered abroad." In order to the fulfilment of the larger purpose, God confused their language and drove the nations into separation. The purpose of the scattering was that of the larger gathering which should fulfil His purpose. He confused their schemes that His plan might be realized. This is not only an ancient story, it is the story of a perpetual process. Over and over again men have sought to establish themselves either in rebellion against, or without reference to, the Divine plans. The result has always been confusion. God has never permitted humanity to realize a social order from which He is excluded, nor will He do so to the end. Such an order would mean the limiting and ultimate destruction of humanity. Therefore He confuses all such attempts, and, compelling men to work out their own false conceptions to their logical issue, destroys them.
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."
"into the sea" See Jeremiah 51:41-42,63-64. This final disappearance of Babylon, possibly brought about by an aftershock of the great earthquake, may well result from a sudden fracturing or slippage of the earth’s crust, causing the entire region to drop down below sea level. This event may occur some weeks or months after the great disaster (a nuclear explosion or perhaps even fire from heaven) that left the great city in ashes. This would give time for the ancient prophecies of Babylon’s great desolation to be literally fulfilled (e.g., Isaiah 13:20-22; Jeremiah 51:62; Revelation 18:2).
The Violence of Divine Judgment vs. 21-23
"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. 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; 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."
All entertainers and entertainment disappear forever. All laborers and enterprise disappear from the city. All homes and families and lovers disappear forever. All false religion and religious vice disappear forever.
"musicians" Revelation 18:12-13 gives insight into the former commerce of Babylon; now Revelation 18:22-23 gives a picture of her former daily life, filled with raucous and sensual music and opulent, immoral living.
"light of a candle" Ever since the plague of the fifth vial (Revelation 16:10), Babylon will have been in darkness. With the drying of the Euphrates (Revelation 16:12), the city’s power plants would soon fail, and the city would have to be lit by candlelight. The city’s riotous social life would come almost to a standstill.
"sorceries" See note on Revelation 9:21. The “sorceries” (Greek pharmakeia) indicate the widespread use of drugs as well as occult arts in this great New Age metropolis.
"slain" Not only was Babylon (both political and ecclesiastical Babylon) the “mother of harlots,” but also the mother of persecutions. See Revelation 17:4-6. False religion and corrupt government, while demanding tolerance for themselves, have always tried to destroy true creationism and the worship of the true God, in Jesus Christ.
- It is catastrophic: The stone falls. 21 cf. Dan. 2:34-35; 44-45; Jer. 51:53-54
- It is complete: "No more at all" is a refrain. 22-23
All entertainers and entertainment disappear forever. All laborers and enterprise disappear from the city. All homes and families and lovers disappear forever. All false religion and religious vice disappear forever.
"musicians" Revelation 18:12-13 gives insight into the former commerce of Babylon; now Revelation 18:22-23 gives a picture of her former daily life, filled with raucous and sensual music and opulent, immoral living.
"light of a candle" Ever since the plague of the fifth vial (Revelation 16:10), Babylon will have been in darkness. With the drying of the Euphrates (Revelation 16:12), the city’s power plants would soon fail, and the city would have to be lit by candlelight. The city’s riotous social life would come almost to a standstill.
"sorceries" See note on Revelation 9:21. The “sorceries” (Greek pharmakeia) indicate the widespread use of drugs as well as occult arts in this great New Age metropolis.
The Vindication of Divine Judgment vs. 24
"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
Within
is found the blood of the prophets, showing that this city and its inhabitants
rejected the message of God. Within this city is found the blood of the saints,
showing that this city hated good men and good things and refused to tolerate
their presence. This is enough to vindicate God in the utter destruction He
has brought upon the city."slain" Not only was Babylon (both political and ecclesiastical Babylon) the “mother of harlots,” but also the mother of persecutions. See Revelation 17:4-6. False religion and corrupt government, while demanding tolerance for themselves, have always tried to destroy true creationism and the worship of the true God, in Jesus Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment