02.53. LECTURE No. 53 -- Rev_17:18; Rev_18:1-8
LECTURE No. 53 -- Revelation 17:18; Revelation 18:1-8 A Great City to Reign Over the Earth - The City of Christ and the City of Antichrist Compared - Will the Ancient City of Babylon Be Rebuilt? - Arguments in Favor of the Rebuilding Idea - The Prophecy of Zechariah in Zechariah 5:11 - A World-wide Business Monopoly Will Seed and Call for Such a City - There Is at Present Renewed Interest in This Ancient Section of the World - If the City of Babylon Is Rebuilt, It Will Be a Wealthy, But at the Same Time a Wicked City - In Due Time Babylon Will Utterly Fall - Babylon Also Means World-wide Political and Religious Confusion - The Announcement of the Mighty Angel - Who the Angel Was - Marks of Identification - A World-Wide Monopoly of the Necessaries of Life Is What We Have Reason to Expect - Something Great Merchants Forget - The Prophetic Invitation for God’s People to come Out, and Separate Themselves from Any Connection with Babylon - The Church Saints Not in Question Here - Babylon to Be Punished with Judgment
IN our last lesson based upon Revelation 17:15-18, we saw that the time is coming when the ten kings, which shall arise and give their power and strength to the beast, or Antichrist, will hate and destroy all false systems of religion upon the earth in their efforts to compel men to worship the Antichrist. The Great and Powerful City
We are now ready to advance in our study by reading what is written in Revelation 17:18, where it says, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
We read Revelation 17:18 in our last lesson, but for want of time we were unable to enlarge upon it and there are some things here well worth our attention, before we pass on to the next chapter.
Certainly, this was a strange prophetic announcement, in which the unchaste woman of this chapter is said to symbolize also “That great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
Two Important Cities Compared In the Bible, two cities are mentioned; i. e., the New Jerusalem, which is to be the future habitation of the redeemed; and the City of Babylon, which is called to our attention in our lesson text.
Just as all true light and true righteousness will head up in the New Jerusalem, even so, all that is evil and filled with spiritual darkness and unbelief will head up and find its consummation in the great City of Babylon, which, as we know, stands for political, religious and commercial confusion. Will Babylon Be Rebuilt?
Before these things can come to pass, however, it will be necessary for the ancient City of Babylon to be rebuilt. This is a point of controversy among Bible students because the ancient City of Babylon has fallen, and has gone into decay, as suggested in Isaiah 13:17-22, where it says,
“Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrows Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.”
There is no question but what there has been an historic fulfillment of many of these things in some degree, at least, but, there is reason to believe that they have not been fulfilled in such a degree as to fully meet the prophetic requirement concerning the City of Babylon. The Prophetic Side of the Question In reasoning upon this point Seiss, in his book, “Lectures on the Apocalypse” says,
“When did Babylon ever fall with so complete a fall, or meet with such an utter obliteration from the earth, ‘as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah?’ Sodom and Gomorrah were completely blotted out. But this has never been the case with Babylon. Such was not its fate when the Medes and Persians seized it from the hands of the infamous Belshazzar, for they made it one of their royal cities. In the time of Alexander it still stood, and was the chosen capital of the Graeco-Macedonian Empire, the second city of Alexander’s dominions, where he himself lived and died. It continued to be a populous place under the Syrian kings, who succeeded Alexander in the rule over it. In the time of the apostles it was still a populous place, for both Peter and Bartholomew preached the Gospel there, and there Peter wrote his first Epistle. As late as A. D. 250, there was a Christian church there and an influential bishopric for many years thereafter. Five hundred years after Christ there were Jewish academies there, who issued the celebrated Babylonian Talmud. Here, then, was a lengthening out of the existence of Babylon as a populated city for more than a thousand years subsequent to the taking of it by Cyrus. And even to this present hour there is a city in the middle of the area occupied by Babylon containing 10,000 people, and which pays to its governor a revenue of more than $17,000 a year.
“Shepherds do make their folds there, as testified by all modern travelers, and the Arabians do pitch their tents there. It is not an utter desolation without inhabitant, and never has been since Nimrod laid its first foundations. The sentence upon Babylon is therefore not yet fulfilled, and cannot be unless that city comes up again into something of its former consequence.
“In the next place, there are Scripture prophecies which I am at a loss to understand except upon the theory that Babylon will be restored, and become a great commercial center, and be the last of this world’s great centers to go down under the terrific visitations of the day of the Lord.” The Prophecy of Zechariah To substantiate what Dr. Seiss has said concerning the City of Babylon and the possibilities of its being rebuilt, in Zechariah 5:5-11, there is a very interesting prophecy concerning an ephah, or measure, which is the generally accepted symbol of commerce. In Zechariah 5:9-11 of this chapter, the Prophet said,
“Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked and, behold, there came out two women and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar, (or Babylon): and it shall be established, and set thereupon her own base.”
Once these words are understood, they seem to indicate that the time is coming when a commercial center will be stablished in Babylon that will represent the worldwide commercial Babylon which has arisen in these last days. We have reason; therefore, to believe that renewed interest will be taken in the area where ancient Babylon was situated and where we expect the rebuilt City of Babylon to arise.
Renewed Interest in Iraq, or Ancient Babylon This is confirmed by Keith L. Brooks in his book, “Harvest of Iniquity” on pages 80 and 81, where he says,
“An article in The Advent Witness says: ‘Mesopotamia is now absorbing very wide and general interest. And no wonder, for Palestine and its neighboring countries will shortly become the center of operations both political and military. King Feisal tells us that he has, at heart the construction of a railway from Bagdad to Haifa that will bring his country within a few hours of the Mediterranean. King Feisal has great irrigation schemes in view which will make Mesopotamia ‘the granary of the world.’
“In 1924 King Feisal called what was known as ‘The Assembly of Babylon,’ summoning the people to a period of construction, which has since moved forward with great strides. Bear in mind that the land of Babylon, Nineveh and Bagdad entered the League of Nations in October, 1932, under the name of Iraq, as the 57th member of the League.
“This occurred on the Jewish Fast of Gedaliah. By this step the ancient land of Nebuchadnezzar acquired statehood and complete independence in fulfillment of previously ratified treaties between Iraq and Great Britain.
“Today the Mediterranean is linked with the Persian Gulf by air routes. There are also good automobile roads all the way. Great pipelines will carry oil from Iraq to the Mediterranean port of Haifa. Rich gold mines have just been discovered a little north of old Babylon.
“Is all this paving the way for a literal fulfillment of Revelation 18:1-24? To Become the Capitol City of the Antichrist
“We believe that the new Babylon will be the capital of the Antichrist, a latter-day Sodom. The city described in this chapter is a habitable place, not simply a figure. It is the center of a great commercialism.
“Could such a great city as is here described spring up within a comparatively short time? In these days of rapid transit and marvels of scientific construction, who need think that it could not? Consider the modern city of Tel Aviv which has sprung up in Palestine almost overnight. What can be done under Antichrist, a superman, when he sees the possibilities of old Babylon?” To say the least, my friends, this is interesting information concerning an important subject, which should be of timely interest to all of us because of events, which are taking place these days, in that portion of the earth.
Understanding these things, we can begin to realize what is meant in Revelation 17:18, where it says, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
We assume, therefore, upon the authority of God’s Word and from current events that the ancient City of Babylon, which represents total alienation from God, will be rebuilt in the last days of the present dispensation and become the final center of commercial Babylon.
Babylon Will Fall
Now let us read what is written in Revelation 18:1-8, where it says,
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, 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. 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 earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. 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.
“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.” A Local and World-Wide Application of This Truth
Certainly, my friends, these are wonderful words which describe the future downfall, not only of the city of Babylon but which indicate the overthrow and downfall of world-wide commercial Babylon.
We have already stated that the word “Babylon” comes from the word “Babel” which means confusion. Therefore, we often speak of political Babylon, ecclesiastical Babylon and commercial Babylon. In our study of the 17th chapter have already seen how the last form of Gentile world power will head up under the beast or Antichrist.
Revelation 17:1-18 also reveals that political Babylon headed up under Antichrist and the ten kings will hate and destroy ecclesiastical Babylon.
Our present lesson in Revelation 18:1-24 reveals the downfall of commercial Babylon. The Mighty Angel with Great Power In Revelation 18:1, the Apostle John said,
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”
There seems to be no way to determine just who this mighty angel was, but he is supposed by some to be none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The reason for this opinion is that it says of this angel that he had great power and that the earth was lightened with his glory.
There are scriptural reasons which cause us to believe that the angel referred to here is Christ because we know that to Him, great power and authority have been given. This is confirmed in John 5:26-27, where it says
“For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
Another Mark of Identification
We know also that glory belongs unto Christ as it does not belong to any created angel. In Isaiah 6:1-3 Isaiah was given a vision of the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and it says that one cried, saying, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Therefore, if the angel referred to in this passage is the Lord Jesus Christ, He would certainly be in a position to cry out with a strong voice announcing the fall of commercial Babylon, for certainly He is one who could say such things with all authority! A Prophetic Announcement In the vision which John saw, this angel cried mightily with a strong voice saying, “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.”
This was certainly a wonderful prophetic announcement. To the believing children of God, this announcement brings joy and hope and they naturally look forward to the time when these great and mighty things will be accomplished. But to the godless and unbelieving, who are associated with commercial Babylon in any way, or to any extent so as to be guilty of the evils which she represents, it should strike fear to their hearts and serve as a warning for the future. A World-Wide System of Monopoly This is a day and age of monopoly and oppression in the business affairs of the world and no one thinks for a moment that the great business systems and corporations of the world today are conducting their business on a Christian basis. Of course, there are many exceptions, but the general rule is to the contrary. Things are heading up in the commercial world rapidly and when the Antichrist comes into power he will have a world system of commerce wherein no man will be able to buy or sell except he shall have the mark of the beast, which fact is confirmed in Revelation 13:16-17. When things finally reach such a condition as that, certainly it will be time for God to step in and do something about it.
Men are getting by in the commercial world these days with a lot of things, but it will not always be so, for the time is coming when commercial Babylon, with its world-wide monopoly on the necessaries of life and its unfair traffic in the good things which the world affords, will fall under the mighty judgments of God.
The reason God will destroy the world-wide commercial system of the Antichrist, which will no doubt be headed up in the rebuilt city of Babylon, is suggested in the third verse of our lesson text, where it says, “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 earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
What Many Merchants Forget
Businessmen of the world who traffic in the commodities which the world affords, forget that their stock in trade, be it lumber, or coal, gold or silver, or what not, were all created and placed here by the Lord God of heaven, and that in reality they belong to the Lord of the universe, and that they are but stewards who are supposed to handle these things and to distribute them for the good of mankind.
All too often men engage in business with selfish motives and by deceitful practices use their power and prestige in business to become rich without any thought of doing good to others. Of course, there are many exceptions to this rule, but when the Antichrist, and with him the merchants of the earth, form a world-wide monopoly of the necessaries of life and undertake to starve the people to death who will not receive their mark in their right hand or in their forehead, then it will be time for God to step in and put a stop to such evil practices. A Prophetic Invitation
Before God destroys the great commercial system of those days, however, I want you to notice that He will send out a special invitation to His people, lest they should share in the impending judgments which He is about to execute upon commercial Babylon. In Revelation 18:4, John said,
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
If the city of Babylon is to be rebuilt and become the future world center of commercial activities under the Antichrist, then these words would have more or less of a local application. But looking at the situation as a whole, they would also have a world-wide application, in which case the invitation, where God said, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,” would apply to God’s people anywhere throughout the world who will be associated in any way with the evil commercial system of the Antichrist. So we see that there is both a local and a general application of these words which can be made without doing any injustice to the text. The Church Is Not in View Here
We remind you of the fact that before these events come to pass it is expected that the true church, which is the body of Christ will have been completed and caught away from this world at the rapture to meet the Lord in the air as suggested in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
Therefore, when God said, “Come out of her, my people,” He was not speaking primarily to the Christians of our day, but He was speaking prophetically of those who will be upon earth during the tribulation period when these things will come to pass.
It is very likely also when God said,
“Come out of her, my people,” that He was speaking primarily to His chosen people Israel, who will then be upon the earth and who, more than likely, will engaged in commerce, much the same as they are today. We all know that the Jewish people are the great commercial leaders of our day, but if they become associated with the Antichrist in carrying on the evil practices of commercial Babylon, they will be in great danger of suffering the judgments of God.
Therefore, God in love and mercy has given this prophetic announcement saying, “Come out of her, my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
Double Pay for All Wickedness
Furthermore, the Lord said,
“Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. 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 sorrow. 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.”
~ end of lecture 53 ~