The City of Babylon’s Final Destruction

Transcript

GRM 834
1/26/2003
The City of Babylon’s Final Destruction
Revelation 18
Gil Rugh

I want to talk with you about Babylon tonight and maybe you could turn in your Bibles to Revelation 18. The city of Babylon plays a major role in the Bible. There’s only one other city mentioned more times in the Bible than the city of Babylon, that’s the city of Jerusalem. The city of Babylon is mentioned 260 times, I didn’t count those myself, but I checked those who did count. Mentioned no less than 260 times in the Bible. It has a prominent role and a prominent place. One person wrote regarding ancient Babylon: “Babylon was founded by Nimrod, the great-grandson of Noah,” Genesis 10 verses 8-10. Surviving a series of conflicts, it became one of the most magnificent and luxurious cities in the known world. Superbly constructed, it spread over an area of 15 square miles. The Euphrates River flowed diagonally across the city. The famous historian Herodotus said the city was surrounded by a wall 350 feet high and 87 feet thick, wide enough for 6 chariots to drive abreast. Around the top of the wall were 250 watchtowers, placed in strategic locations. Outside the huge wall was a large ditch or moat which surrounded the city. It was kept filled with water from the Euphrates River. So going all the way back to Genesis 10 and into Genesis 11 as we looked in a previous study, you see the significance of Babylon as the beginning of satan’s counterfeit system, if you will, counterfeit kingdom, his desire being to rule and reign, to be himself God, and to have his own ruler on the throne of this world.

We looked into Revelation 17 and noted the issue of Babylon. Revelation 17 and 18 go together. I think what we have is a physical city, Babylon, and you have various aspects of that city. The religious dimension of the city, the political dimension of the city, commercial dimension of the city, and with the collapse of that city you have the collapse, really, of the god of this world (small g), his empire. At the conclusion of chapter 18 you move into chapter 19, and you have the Second Coming to earth with the fall of Babylon and its destruction in chapter 18 we are ready for the return of Christ. I think the scriptures indicate, the Old Testament does as well as the New Testament, that the city of Babylon will probably be rebuilt on the Euphrates River. A number of reasons for that, we don’t have time to go into them all, but we will look at a few Old Testament passages.

Leave something in Revelation 18 and let’s go back to the end of your Old Testament, the very end of the Old Testament, the book of Zechariah, next to the last book of the Old Testament, great prophetic book. In Zechariah chapter 5 verse 5, “Then the angel who was speaking with me went and said to me lift up now your eyes and see what this is going forth. And I said what is it, and he said this is the ephah going forth.” A bushel measure and here you have a large container, and it will have a lead cover as we’ll see in a moment. The ephah going forth. He said, “this is their appearance in all the land and behold a lead cover was lifted up and this is a woman sitting inside the ephah.” You have a woman, really, contained in this large bushel kind of measure and a lead cover. “Then he said this is wickedness.” What this woman represents is clear. “He threw her down into the middle of the ephah, cast the lead weight on its opening. Then I lifted up my eyes and looked and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings. They had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. And I said to the angel who was speaking to me, where are they taking the ephah? Then he said to me, to build a temple for her in the land of Shinar.” Shinar is another name for the land of Babylon. “And when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.” In light of this prophecy and other prophecies we’ll go to in a moment, we are anticipating the very events we see in Revelation chapter 17-18, where wickedness itself will reside in Babylon. This will be the focal point of the wickedness corrupting the world. That Babylonian system will now be anchored, if you will, centered once again in the city of Babylon. It began there in Genesis 10-11, and it will end there in Revelation 17-18.

Isaiah the prophet wrote regarding Babylon and put the final destruction of Babylon at a future time in the day of the Lord. Turn over to Isaiah, back in about the middle of your Old Testament, the book of Isaiah chapter 13, Isaiah 13 verse 1, “The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amos saw. Lift up a standard on the bare hill” and so on, so he’s talking about Babylon. Verse 6, “wail for the day of the Lord is near.” Verse 9, “Behold the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation. He will exterminate its sinners from it.” Note, if you’ll remember our review of some of the judgments of the tribulation in the seals, the trumpets and the bowls in Revelation. Verse 10, “For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light, the sun will be dark when it rises, the moon will not shed its light. Then I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their iniquity. I will put also an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold.” Remember those judgments of the tribulation where under two of them alone one-half of the world’s population will die. You add to that all the other judgments and here’s a prophecy of that, human beings are going to become more scarce than pure gold. You see the ultimate destruction of Babylon is placed in the context of that final destruction God is going to bring in the day of the Lord, in that coming day of tribulation.

In chapter 14, as he continues, verse 1, “When the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel and settle them in their own land.” You see this is all in the context the destruction of the wicked and the restoration of the nation Israel. You’re still in the context of the destruction of Babylon because he talks about restoring the people, verse 2. “The peoples will take them along, bring them to their place, the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord. It will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon and say.” So again, in this whole context of Babylon and its ultimate destruction in the context of God pouring out His wrath on the earth, the heavens themselves will be impacted, when human beings will be scarcer than pure gold, when Israel will finally be restored. That’s the context of what we’re talking about when we talk about Babylon’s destruction. In this passage down in verse 12, “how have you fallen from heaven oh star of the morning, son of the dawn,” which many believe refers to Lucifer and his sin and he is the one, remember, behind the Babylonian system. Ultimately the Babylonian world system is the satanic system. It is the god of this world, as he is called in the New Testament (small g again), who is attempting to usurp the place given to God alone. And he will come to his ultimate destruction in this context as well. This is a sure thing, down in verse 24, “The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, surely just as I have intended so it has happened, just as I have planned so it will stand.” There is no stopping God’s work and God’s plan in the world.

Back to Revelation chapter 18. You’ll note chapter 18 begins after these things. It indicates that there is sequence still being followed. It is true through the book of Revelation. What takes place in chapter 18 takes place after the things of chapter 17, and what took place there was the destruction of the religious dimension of Babylon. Verse 16, “the ten horns which you saw, the beast will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, burn her with fire.” Events that take place in the context of the middle of the tribulation and remember than in chapter 13 of Revelation the antichrist sets himself up and all must worship him, all must declare him as their God, receive his mark in their forehead and on their hand. So, you have the culmination. Remember when Daniel saw the earthly empires depicted in the image of the man, he interpreted it for Nebuchadnezzar as he saw it, but the image of the man, the head of gold was Babylon. You have here a center, and now we’re ready for the final destruction of satan’s worldly empire.

Verse 2, “and he cried out with a loud voice.” Here this is another angel that comes from heaven crying out, “fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” This message was declared back in chapter 14 verse 8, “and another angel, a second one, followed saying, fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She who has made all nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” The city is a corrupting city. All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. We talk about the religious dimension of Babylon, but we understand the whole satanic system of this world, this world system, under satanic influence and leadership is in opposition to God. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon” is taken from Isaiah chapter 21 verse 9. You don’t need to turn back there now, but there Isaiah used that language fallen, fallen is Babylon as he anticipated this day.

The city becomes a desolation, it becomes the habitation of demons, of every unclean spirit, every unclean and hateful bird. In other words, the destruction of this city is going to be complete and human beings are going to be absent. It’s complete desolation. The only beings here are birds and evil spirits and so on. The city will have suffered complete and total destruction. The book of Isaiah again writes repeatedly about this. Why don’t you jump back to Isaiah 34. I meant to tell you to leave a marker, but Isaiah is easy to find. Prophecy also found in chapter 13 on this, chapter 13 verses 21-22, but we want to go to chapter 34 and verse 11, “but pelican and hedgehog shall possess it,” picturing the destruction here. “Owl and raven shall dwell in it. “He shall stretch over it the line of desolation, the plumb line of emptiness. Its nobles—there is no one there.” King, princes, they’re all gone. Swords will come up in its fortified towers and desert creatures, verse 14, and so on. You see the anticipated destruction of Babylon and the totality of that destruction that is being prophesied and which will take place.

Just after Isaiah, Jeremiah chapter 51. Isaiah and Jeremiah have the most to say regarding these particular events with Babylon. Chapter 51 of Jeremiah and you can see that is a long chapter. He is talking about God’s judgment on Babylon. Verse 7, “Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord intoxicating all the earth, the nations have drunk of her wine for the nations are going mad.” Remember we saw that in chapter 17, we’ll see it again in chapter 18. You see that picture of Babylon’s corrupting influence. Down in verse 37 of chapter 51, “Babylon will become a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and hissing without inhabitants,” so that picture. You might leave a marker in Jeremiah, we’ll probably come back here again.

Come back to Revelation 18. All the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, committed acts of immorality. We just read of that in Jeremiah. The corruption of the world through this Babylon and the Babylonian system and it centers in a city here and verse 18 of chapter 17 identified it as a city. We’re going to see a destruction of the city, but it’s not just a physical place but it is all associated with that. This is the center, now, of the satanic empire, Babylonianism, if you will. We’re not exempt from that because we don’t live in the city of Babylon, but again one day that satanic system and all that it is, all that represents, and all that it does will center in the city of Babylon. But the work of satan and that system pervades the world. That’s why all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. It’s the corrupting work of the devil and the sinfulness of man in harmony with the work of the devil.

Verse 4 of Revelation 18, “and I heard another voice from heaven saying come out of her my people that you may not participate in her sins, that you may not receive her plagues.” A call for the people of God to separate themselves from this city, the coming judgment. If you still have Jeremiah 51, Jeremiah 51 verse 6, “flee from the midst of Babylon and each of you save his life. Do not be destroyed in her punishment for this is the Lord’s time of vengeance.” He’s going to render recompense to her. That’s why we say there are no direct quotes from the Old Testament in the book of Revelation, but there are over 400 references of these things we’re talking about where they directly tie back to these specific passages. You can see Jeremiah wrote of them 500 years before Christ, now John in anticipation says these things will find their culmination and realization in the events we’re talking about here, just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. We know these events haven’t occurred yet because Christ hasn’t descended in glory from heaven and taken possession of the earth. There’s no question this is yet a future event and John writes about it.

Called to come out, reminds you of Lot in Genesis 19 where the angels came and what? Got Him to leave the city. Why? You don’t partake in the destruction. And God calls His people to separate as well. It may be in this context that we are going to see the national turning of Israel, where all Israel will be saved, Revelation 11:26. The call here where for the people of God and all the events, we are on the brink of the return of the Lord. It may be in this context that there’ll be a turning to God from Israel.

The sins have piled up as high as heaven in verse 5. In Jeremiah chapter 51 verse 9, “We apply healing to Babylon, but she would not heal. Forsake her. Let each of us go to his own country, for her judgment has reached to heaven, it towers to the very skies.” May be a connection to the tower of Babel, a picture that personified the sins, but what really is being piled up is their sin. The picture is it’s time for judgment and their sins have come before God.

Verse 6, “pay her back even as she is paid, give her back double according to her deeds. Mix twice as much for her.” Again Jeremiah 50-51, if you read those chapters, you’ll see many illusions here that we won’t keep going back to. Verse 7, indulgent life. She’s glorified herself, lived sensuously. “I set as a queen, I am not a widow, I will never see mourning.” That self-confidence which comes with riches and wealth. Even as we enjoy ourselves as a country there is a certain self-confidence, arrogance, a self-exaltation. With that you come to think of yourself better, more worthy, more deserving, and on it goes. Happens to everyone in the world who has possessions and here it’s part of the Babylonian system and it characterizes this city. “For this reason, in one day her plagues will come. She will be burned up with fire.” God has appointed a day for the destruction of this city and all that it stands for ultimately. “For the Lord God who judges her is strong.”

You know one of the deceptions of success in sin is you think you’ll never have to give an account. I’m working on one of the Psalms I want to do with you on a Sunday night, and that’s the emphasis in the Psalm. One of the things that drives the unbeliever is they don’t think they’ll ever have to give an account to God, bottom line and that’s true here at the very end with Babylon. “But the Lord who judges her is strong.”

He goes on here now, a lament for Babylon. Not everybody is unhappy, or not everyone is happy over the destruction of Babylon. Kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality, now their response. What you have is to see how the world, remember under the plagues that God pours out there is no repentance, they would not repent of their immorality and all their wicked deeds, they blasphemed the God of heaven. Well with the destruction of Babylon you don’t have the people of the world saying I’m glad that wicked and vile city, that center of corruption is finally gone. The kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality, lived sensuously with her will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance saying of the fear of her torment, woe, woe, the great city Babylon, the strong city. For in one hour your judgment has come. The merchants of the earth weep and mourn because no one buys their cargoes anymore and all the prosperity that was associated with them. Now it’s gone. They stand at a distance in awe. At the very end this city will actually be destroyed, there’ll be a burning. You know we just get a minor glimpse of when we saw destruction come to a major city of ours. What? Everybody watched it. How many times have you seen the news reels again and again and again of those smoking buildings? How many pictures have appeared in news magazines? You know it’s just like something you just can’t believe. Well imagine if the whole city was a smoking ruin like that. That’s what Babylon is going to be. All its prosperity and all that it represented, and they’re going to stand at a distance and watch the smoke billowing and it’s going to be an overwhelming sight. There’s going to be weeping and mourning. Isn’t that something? Men would not weep and mourn for their sin, not repent, not cast themselves on the mercy of God, but oh they weep and mourn at the loss of their prosperity. They weep and mourn over the loss of their good life. Isn’t it sad? People will take their own lives in despair of losing their riches. But they are so proud. They’d rather take their own life than they would bow before the living God. So here they stand in awe, the city that has provided such prosperity.

We’d have that if it happened in our own country. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying Babylon is in the United States. I think Babylon will be built where Babylon is. But you know much of the sorrow, if something happened in this country it would be the loss of the good life, the loss of our prosperity. The difficulty comes when people are more concerned about their bank accounts and what they’re going to do for the future, and retiring than they are about their sin. And so, it will be. That’s part of this world system, that’s part of the characteristic of the people of this world. This is where they have invested their lives. That’s why the book of Revelation refers to them as those who are of the earth. Our citizenship is in heaven. It doesn’t mean we do not enjoy the good things God has permitted us and given us, but they are not our life. But for these people this is everything.

You see the prosperity of the city set out. Down in verse 15, “the merchants of these things who became rich with her will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment weeping and mourning and say, woe, woe the great city. She who is clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls.” You see you pick up the picture also from chapter 17, the whole picture here is one of ruin and destruction and all that city was and is and now it’s gone. The city and all that it provided, all that it was is brought to ruin in one hour, verse 17. Again, “For in one hour” as you had in verse 10, “the one hour.” You know man thinks himself so strong, so powerful, built this mighty city, makes himself a great person. Destroyed in no time, brought to nothing, brought to ruin. Remember Nebuchadnezzar striding around Babylon, is this not great Babylon, mighty Babylon which I have built with the might of my hand and my power. At that instant he is struck mad, lives like a wild animal eating grass for seven years. Now you pick up a Bible encyclopedia or a book on Babylon and you know what you look at? Basically ruins. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the hanging gardens of Babylon. We’re not even sure what they looked like as they try to reconstruct what they would have been. Gone. So, when they reconstruct the city in great splendor, it will be gone in an hour and there’ll be weeping and mourning. How awful would you see people weeping and mourning over the loss of possessions than over their sin. Characteristics of the people of the world.

Verse 18, “and they were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning saying, what city is like the great city? They threw dust on their heads. They’re crying out, weeping and mourning, woe, woe the great city which all the great ships at sea became rich by wealth. In one hour, she’s been made waste.” Notice they can’t get over it. Again, with what we had just a sampling of in our own country we see that. They interviewed people, they were crying in the street, they were mourning, it’s gone on. They want to build memorials, they still are. It’s changed us. That’s only two buildings in one city. Imagine what it’s going to be like as they see the whole city destroyed here. They’re mourning, they’re weeping.

Look at the contrast, verse 20, “rejoice over her oh heaven, you saints, apostles, prophets. God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” What is the cause of great sorrow for the people of the world is a cause of great joy for the people of God. See the contrast, total complete difference in thinking. Those who belong to the living God see it right and fit and rejoice, judgment has come. God has brought judgment on this sinful world and deservedly so. Praise God, we know what it is. Sometimes you look and you see wickedness and vileness and you say, Lord when are you going to do something? This is the time the Lord does what needs to be done.

Verse 21, “A strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea saying, thus will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, will not be found any longer. The sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer. No craftsmen, the light of the lamp will not shine, the voice of the bridegroom and the bride will not be heard, and your merchants,” it’s all gone. “In her was found the blood of prophets, of saints, of all who have slain the earth.” Goes back to Jeremiah chapter 25, God refers to using Babylon even in judging His people. Now He turns around and brings judgment on them.

Verses 21-23 you’ll note it says “they’ll be found no longer. The sound of harpists, musicians, flute players will not be heard in you any longer. The sound of the mill will not be heard in you any longer.” Six times in verses 21-23 there is a double negative, two different words for no are used in the Greek text here. That’s a way of saying absolutely not, never again, no more. That’s the picture here. There’s a finality in the judgment that is poured out and it is fitting because she has been guilty of the destruction of the prophets, of the saints, of the people of God.

Turn back to Jeremiah 51 one more time, Jeremiah 51. Look at verse 24, “but I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all their evil they have done in Zion before your eyes declares the Lord.” Promise of prophecy of the coming judgment. “I am against you, oh destroying mountain, who destroys the whole earth. I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you down from the crags. I will make you a burnt-out mountain.” You see the complete desolation that is prophesied. Down to verse 35, “may the violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon. The inhabitant of Zion will say may my blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, Jerusalem will say,” and so on. It’s a time of vengeance for the sins that have been done, they have been piling up, if you will, and they have reached heaven. Verse 49, “indeed Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel. Also, for Babylon the slain of all the earth has fallen. It’s a time of coming judgment and the saints have been praying for this.

Turn over to Revelation chapter 6, Revelation chapter 6 verse 9. Remember under the fifth seal judgment following the four horsemen of the apocalypse, then the fifth seal. “Underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God, because of the testimony which they had maintained. They cried out with a loud voice saying how long oh Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth. And it was given to each of them a white robe and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants, their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been should be completed.” Note that. Even the death of His saints and how they should die and when they should die, and there is an appointed number. There ought to be a certain number of martyrs God has appointed for the tribulation period. But you’ll note the prayer, Lord how long until you avenge us?

Look in chapter 16, talking about the righteousness of God in judgment and these judgments. Verse 6, “for they poured out the blood of saints and prophets and you have given them blood to drink. They deserve it.” Chapter 17 verse 6, “I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” Chapter 18 verse 20, “rejoice saints, apostles, prophets. God has pronounced judgment on your behalf.”

We come to chapter 19, the celebration in heaven because now we have the return of Christ. With the destruction of the city of Babylon now we’re prepared for the meeting of the armies of the world at Armageddon and the return of Christ for the final destruction of His enemies. Verse 2, they are shouting “hallelujah, salvation, glory and power belong to our God because His judgments are true and righteous. For He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His bondservants on her. Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” and verse 6 concludes, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” Verse 11, heaven will open. At the destruction of the city of Babylon there is the destruction of this world system.

We sometimes get frustrated as believers that we want to get vengeance, we want to get our rights and all of that. We understand it’s all going to be taken care of. That’s why God says vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord. That’s why it is unfitting for us as evangelical Christians to sometimes appear in political forums and it’s almost with a vengeance; we’re going to take control and we’re not going to set back and allow this. We do have rights and prerogatives as citizens of this country. We need to be careful of our attitude. We understand there is not going to be justice, we are not looking for it, quite frankly, in this world. We have placed our hands, our lives, ourselves in the hands of the one who will judge all things. He is the one who will vindicate His people. He is the one who will bring righteous judgment on those who have been His enemies and thus the enemies of His people. We need to be careful that we as God’s people don’t get caught up in this satanic system. The Babylonian system that pervades the world will ultimately reside in the focal point of the physical city of Babylon, and all the vileness that characterizes this world system will have its focal point in that capital city of that day; and satan has tried to what? Create a city that would replace what? The coming Jerusalem as the capital of the world. He tried it back in Genesis 11 at the beginning, he tries it again at the end. In between those there is what? The ongoing activity of the devil. He has built and is building and continues to promote his values, his world. In II Corinthians we are exhorted as God’s people to come out from among them and be separate, even as God would call to His people out of that physical city in Revelation 18. He says come out from among them.

Even though we are living in a different period we are still the people of God and we need to still be careful that we do not become absorbed in this world and this system and the things of this world and the things that are important in this world are not the things that draw us in. Remember God warned His people Israel when they went into the Promised Land that they had to be careful of their prosperity because when they got prosperous and they had all the good things, then they might forget Him. Prosperity always brings that danger. I’ve shared with you before one of my meetings in another country. Was meeting with a man who had been in prison for many years, over 20 years, and was now free. He was talking to us, and we asked him, were you afraid to go back to prison? He says no, what are they going to do? They’ve taken everything I have; it doesn’t matter. He was free. Oh, I serve the Lord, I represent Him, if they put me in prison, I represent Him there. If they let me free, I represent Him free. You and I need to have that mentality. We are not part of this system. God has blessed us, He has given us many good things to enjoy, but don’t fall in love with them. We are not to love this world nor the things in the world because all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life. We are a people whose citizenship is in heaven; we are eagerly awaiting the return of our Lord from heaven to take us to our inheritance which He has graciously stored up for us in the presence of His Father in glory.

What a contrast in destiny, is it not? For the people of this world, what a hopeless future, what a miserable existence, nothing to look forward to. You and I, glory to glory, the Lord coming in glory, the Lord returning in glory, living in a glorious city, dwelling in the presence of a glorious Lord. What a future! You’d think we’d want to tell everybody about it. What is on our mind, what do we want to talk about, what does the world need to hear? By God’s grace may we be a faithful people in these days.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for every provision. Thank you, Lord, that you will mete out judgment on this world and this world system. Thank you, Lord, that we are not part of this world. You have redeemed us out of this world for yourself. Thank you, Lord, that we have a glorious destiny. Lord, open our mouths to speak boldly and clearly, and love to tell those who have no hope, that are lost and on their way to destruction that there is a glorious Lord and a wonderful savior. They can know the joy of sins forgiven and have the hope of the glory of heaven itself. May they see that in the way we live and hear it from our lips. May we be faithful until Christ comes in whose name we pray. Amen.