THERE was once a mighty city, as is well known, called Babylon, the glory of the Chaldean kingdom, and the praise of the whole earth (Jer. 51:4141How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations! (Jeremiah 51:41)). But her sins rose up to heaven, and judgment from God went forth against her. The very night that her king and his lords, and their ladies, were feasting together, and degrading the holy vessels of the despoiled temple of God at Jerusalem to the level of their own carnal festivities, destruction overwhelmed them. The mysterious handwriting on the wall, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,” pronounced the doom. Babylon fell, Belshazzar the king was slain, and Darius the Mede took the kingdom (Dan. 5.).
In the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Babylon is used figuratively by the Spirit of God to describe a vast system that has long existed and is rapidly developing upon the earth at the present moment, against which the solemn and eternal judgment of God has long gone forth, for He who foreknoweth all things has described the system before it is formed by man’s self-will, and plainly warns men of the fearful consequences of their sin. It is prefigured in two aspects, as a woman, and as a city, and her name is “Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” We have not space here, neither would it meet the object before us, to enter into all the details of God’s description of her, and its teaching, but it must suffice us to bring before the reader a few points as to her chief moral characteristics, and to endeavor to gather a few practical lessons for precious souls.
Babylon depicts a vast system built up by man upon the earth, through the exercise of his own will, in rebellion against God, and disobedience to His Word, under the influence and deceitful misleading of Satan. It comprises a vast mixture of natural and religious elements combined, ostensibly for the glory of God, but actually for the glory of man himself. History repeats itself, man practically saying, as at Babel, “Let us build us a city, &c.; Let us make us a name,” &c. But, alas, how little does man remember the solemn words of the Lord, “That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:1515And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15)).
Protestants apply this Scripture to Romanists, and the latter doubtless have their version of its meaning, but suffice it for us to say here that it has a voice (oh that, men would listen to it) for every one who reads these lines. All Christendom would do well to take heed to the solemn contents of the chapter where it is described. Dear reader, will you?
It is an evil system of things, religious in its character, supported by worldly power, outwardly adorned with imperial raiment, and costly jewelry, holding out to be her votaries a golden cup of intoxicating wickedness, herself drunken with the blood of the true people of God, shed through her persecuting spirit in enmity against God and the truth (Rev. 17:3, 43So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: (Revelation 17:3‑4)). Professing to be the dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit of God, she becomes in her last phase the habitation of demons, the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird (Rev. 18:22And 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. (Revelation 18:2)). Nations and kings have been caught in her toils, and have bowed down at her shrines; the merchants of the earth have amassed untold riches through the abundance of her delicacies. The religious, elements of Christendom are one of the most fruitful sources of the world’s wealth.
The professing Christian, proud of his religious successes (but really infidel in heart), and boasting of the progress of the times, and the spread of Christianity (so-called), deludes himself and his fellow, saying, “I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing,” knowing not that he is “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:1717Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)). Those who have eyes to see can at once trace how exact the description of the Spirit of God is when He says, “How much she hath glorified herself and, lived deliciously!” and, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Rev. 18:77How 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. (Revelation 18:7)).
Beloved reader; are yew, involved in theme wholesale delusions of the devil? Are you one of the many tarried along ivy the fearful tide of nominal religion, flaunting itself more or less as everything that pleases the religions eye, and that charms the religious senses of the natural man? Are you a votary of fine altars and shrines, candles, and incense, flowers and millinery, stained glass and dim religious light, vestments and banners, processions, gestures, &c. &a, in forgetfulness of the blessed Alan upon the throne of God? Are you, whilst professing to worship God, following mere human customs and arrangements, without one thought as to whether all these things are suited to Him? Have you forgotten those solemn words of warning, “My people love to have it so; and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer. 5:3131The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof? (Jeremiah 5:31).) Ah! what indeed!
Hear God’s solemn warning concerning Babylon: “Her sins have reached unto heaven; and God hath remembered her iniquities, &c.... 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” (Rev. 13:5, 85And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13:5)
8And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8)). And if you should already be one of His people, His word too is plain to you, “Come out of her, my people; that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
In. Rev. 18:21,21And 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. (Revelation 18:21) we have the manner of her fall: “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and east it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shill that great city Babylon he thrown down and shall he 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.” Yes, there is a moment coming when with violence Babylon shall be utterly overthrown. Her music, her arts and manufactures, her trade, her artificial light, all shall cease. Even the joy of natural relationship shall be known in her no more. God will avenge Himself upon her for her sorceries by which all nations are deceived, and for the blood of His martyred loved ones which lieth at her door. He is strong that executeth His word. Who shall His arm withstand?
Dear reader, again we appeal to you: Are you still exposed to the vengeance of God, or have you found a safe refuge in Christ, the Son of His love? His judgment will come, but His grace still flows. Oh! flee from the coming wrath while you may. Christ is waiting to receive poor sinners such as you. Do you know your need of Him? Will you, own you, go on another day letting the devil delude you with his gilded baits, intoxicating you with worldly or religious pleasures, or any of the various forms of vanity with which he ensnares souls? Listen to the note of warning now. Flee to the Saviour at once. Come to Jesus. ‘Tis not yet too late. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” How then will you escape? But the avenging Judge is the Saviour now.
Next notice the lamentation of those who drank of her intoxicating cup. First, we have the kings of the earth. They bewail and lament as they see the smoke of her burning, saying, “Alas, alas! that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”
Secondly, the merchants of the earth join in the same cry, “Alas, alas! that great city that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! for in one hour so great riches is come to naught.”
Thirdly, the shipmasters, sailors, traders, &c., cast dust on their heads, crying, weeping, and wailing, and say, “Alas, alas! that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”
In one hour her judgment comes; in one hour the rich are impoverished; in one hour man’s religious boast and glory come to naught; in one hour utter vanity is written upon the whole thing. This is the end thereof. What will your end be? Do you vainly reply, “Ah I but though the system itself is judged, men will escape, or how could they bewail her fall?” What does the Scripture show? That man himself is the acting instrument in her fearful downfall (the ecclesiastical corruption being destroyed by the civil power), to be judged himself next, directly at the hand of the Lord (Rev. 17:15-1715And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:15‑17); 2 Thess. 1:7-97And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; (2 Thessalonians 1:7‑9)).
Note, too, the description given by the Spirit of God of Babylon’s merchandise: “Gold, and silver, and precious stones, and 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, and cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves (or bodies), and souls of men” (Rev. 18:12, 1312The 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, 13And cinnamon, and odors, 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. (Revelation 18:12‑13)). We get in this list things most valuable in the eyes of men. Gold stands first. “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:2424And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! (Luke 18:24).) Why? Because it is such a snare. Mark gold first, and souls last. This is how God sees it. He knoweth the heart, and He knows the order of precedence in man’s estimate. Ah! reader, you need not travel far to prove the truth of it. It is a long list. Jewelry, dress, furniture, perfumery, food, equipage, bodies and souls of men; Babylon’s general store; luxuries and necessaries, used by some, indulged in by others, but with no fear of God before their eyes (Rom. 3:1818There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3:18)). How, terrible is the fall of man! So degraded and perverted that he actually traffics religiously in the bodies and souls of men. Shall not God judge for these things? He will.
Remark, too, another striking point about this vast and wicked system. In describing her adornment in chap. 17:4, purple and scarlet color (imperial raiment) are mentioned, but there is a total absence of fine. linen. Now we are told that the fine linen represents the righteousness of the saints―that is, the practical righteousness wrought in the saints, God’s people, by the power of the Spirit of God. This is utterly lacking in Babylon. Those who wear true fine linen are objects of her hate. But when the Spirit of God describes her traffic, fine linen is brought in. She knows how to turn it to account, to get advantage and wealth to herself through the faithfulness of the children of God. How many at that day will be found guilty of this! And the merchants too, bewailing her fall, cry, “Alas, alas! that great city that was clothed in fine linen.” Looking at it morally, we see how they are deceived by Satan, and are color blind. They see not as God sees. They esteem that as fine linen which is but worldly abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:1515And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15)).
Beloved reader, this is a dark and solemn picture, but it is no fancy sketch, no overdrawn invention, but the sure and reliable word of God. The colors are exact, the shadows not one whit darker thin the reality. To speak broadly, it is God’s view of Christendom. His thoughts are not as ours. Now how are you looking at it all? Probably you have been brought up to a certain religious order of things, and you do not know anything you would like better, and (as men say) you have done the best you can. But have you ever faced the Word of God? Have you ever come to Scripture to hear what God has to say to you, and to get His thoughts instead of your own? Nothing will stand but the Word. Thoughts, ideas, opinions, theology, religion, are all valueless, unless they answer to “Thus saith the Lord.” God has spoken. He has spoken in creation, and He has also spoken in His Word. “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa. 61:22To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (Isaiah 61:2)).
And what saith the Word? That God is about to judge Christendom and the world at large; about to judge you unless you repent. Have you repented? God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:3030And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: (Acts 17:30)). Have you obeyed? Dare you disobey? It is at your peril, your eternal peril. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. But “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). Have you believed on Him? How blessedly simple the Gospel is! You stand in imminent peril of perishing in hell forever, but such is the wondrous love of God, that He gave His only begotten Son. Think of that. Gave Him for sinners; gave Him for all. He died for all. Put in your claim. Whosoever believeth on Him gets the blessing. Some are troubled, saying, I am not sure whether it means me. Means you? of course it does. What does “whosoever” mean? Everybody except you, eh? You would have hard work to prove that. There is no difficulty in proving that you are inside that word; the difficulty would be to prove that you were outside it. In fact, you could not, for it means everybody everywhere, and anybody anywhere.
Well, now, if whosoever means you―and surely you see by this that it does, do you not? ―what is the next word? Believeth. Whosoever believeth. Not feeleth, worketh, trieth, hopeth, striveth, but believeth. Do you believe? Believe what? Believe in Him; in Christ, God’s only begotten Son. Christ who died, Christ who was buried, Christ who rose again, Christ who is ascended, Christ who is seated in glory, Christ who is coming again. Believeth in Christ, in Him; not in yourself, mind. You are good for nothing. All are alike as to that; all are bad, and only fit to perish in hell, where we should all have been long ago, if we had received what we deserved. But whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. How blessedly simple? Will you be as simple about it? Will you take God at His Word and have everlasting life? There it is, all the blessing in a few words, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Now, then; dear friend, ere we dose, what say you? Now is God’s time, is it your time? What say you (if we may so speak reverently) to closing the bargain this moment? Here are the terms once more; note them carefully―
On your part, “Whosoever believeth in him.”
On God’s part, “should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
You could not have better, then what say you? Dost thou believe? Yes? Is the reply, ‘I do’? Very well, God says, and He cannot lie, you should not perish, but have everlasting life. Have it now, and have it forever. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)). In the Son now, and with Him when He comes. (1 John 5:1111And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11); 2 Tim. 2:1010Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)).
And that is the next thing, Christ is coming. Every believer will be caught up to meet Him before the judgment of Babylon. What are you to be doing till then? Following Christ. He says to every believer on His name, “Follow thou me.”
“O worldling, give ear, while the saints are near!
Soon must the tie be riven;
And men, side by side, God’s hand shall divide,
As far as hell’s depths from heaven.
The children of day are summoned away,
Left are the children of night;
Sealed is their doom, for there’s no more room,
Filled are the mansions of light.”
E. H. C.