Dear Student of the Word,
Our countdown until we finish Revelation continues as we look at chapter 18 this week. This chapter focuses on the concept of Babylon and its destruction as a harbinger of things to come for any world system that attempts to exalt itself against God. Here is what I wrote about Revelation 19:9&10, with the entire study of chapter 18 available to download below:
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9“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!'"
18:9&10 – Let’s do a quick review. Revelation was addressed to churches living under the rule of the Roman Empire. This Empire was increasingly hostile to Christians and had a history of persecution, oppression, and violence. I have stated repeatedly that Revelation was written first to comfort them in their distress and second to any others in history who would face the same dilemma.
At the time of Revelation, Babylon did not exist as a city. The name Babylon was used as a symbol of an idolatrous, polytheistic society. Babylon in its prime under Nebuchadnezzar in the sixth century B.C. was a magnificent city. The walls were so wide that a chariot with six horses across could ride on them! The Hanging Gardens, one of the ancient wonders of the world, have yet to be replicated, and it is not even known how they were constructed. Babylon was a tremendous city, yet it was one polluted with idols and false gods.
Babylon, with all its splendor, existed for only two generations. Quick was its rise and quick was its fall, as described by the declaration that it had collapsed in an hour. That is the message to the reader of Revelation. We are not to be fooled by the magnificence or power of any society, for it is only temporary. The kingdom of God is advancing and it will absorb or overcome all opponents as Daniel clearly saw in his vision of the nine-foot statue in Daniel 3.
Once again, we see an Old Testament concept or history lesson repeated in the book of Revelation to show that there is “nothing new under the sun.” What God did in the Old Testament, He continues to do in the New, thwarting His enemies and protecting His people. Revelation takes us back into the Old Testament much more often than it attempts to predict the future; many modern commentators do not pay attention to that tendency and thus try to make the book a treasure trove of futuristic predictions, which Revelation was never intended to be.
This discussion of the city of Babylon precludes the description of the heavenly Jerusalem in the last few chapters of Revelation. It seems that God builds cities and Satan, who can only imitate God, tries to do the same thing. Abraham was looking for God’s city, as described in Hebrews 11:8-10:
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the daily devotional entitled Your Life Matters: Daily Reflections from the Book of Psalms. Thank you and soon I will begin sending you my edited studies from James' epistle. After that, we will only have the book of Revelation to complete before the entire New Testament is on the site where this study is posted.
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