The Judgment of Babylon the Great. Chap. 18.
IN the last chapter we saw the instrumentality: employed by God in the judgment of Babylon the Great, but here God alone appears al having taken vengeance upon this terrible abomination.
It is not the sin of adultery which is charged upon Babylon, but fornication. Israel was ad dressed by the prophet Jeremiah as married to Jehovah (chapter 3:16); and Ezekiel says, “Thou hast not been an harlot, in that thou scornest hire; but as a wife that committeth adultery which taketh strangers instead of her husband” (chapters 16:31, 32). But the Church is only espoused, having the marriage in anticipation; therefore the sin of those professing to be betrothed to the Son of God, who depart in heart and ways from Him for the hire of the seducer, is fornication, or harlotry. To confess Christ with the lip, while the affections and desires of the soul are going out after other objects, such as the pride, lust, and gain of this world, is the special sin here marked out. Happy those whose affections are so set upon Jesus, as to be able to say in truth, “He is all my salvation, and all my desire.”
“My heart is fix’d, eternal God,
Fix’d on thee;
And my eternal choice is made:
Christ for me! Christ for me!”
Our chapter opens by John telling us that he saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightener with his glory. It was another angel, not the same angel that shewed him the woman and the beast, and expounded the mysteries in the previous chapter. This latter angel makes a terrible announcement: “He cried mightily with a loud 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.” (verse 2.) Such will be Babylon: utterly devilish and unclean, given up to Satan and his hosts, because nations kings, and merchants, through her fleshly lusts have gratified their desires in trafficking with her. Nations drank her intoxicating wine; the kings of the earth found her willing embrace; and merchants heaped up riches through her aid. “For all nations have drunk of the wine of thy wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (verse 3.) How easy it is for a man to call himself a Christian, and yet in heart and soul to be of the world! How ready is man to acknowledge God with his lips, while his heart is far from Him! But God must have realities. He will have His beloved Son honored. He is the God of judgment, and by Him actions are weighed. He searcheth the heart and trieth the reins of the children of men, and from Him no secrets are hid. How little, perhaps, do any of us think what is going on all around, through the harlot’s intoxicating cup. The process may be a very gradual one in some eases; but the golden cup attracts the eye; the sparkling jewels and costly attire are strikingly alluring to the senses; and at last the bewitching cup is sipped. Its inebriating effects soon follow, and madly urge the soul to drink again the hellish mixture, which falsely promises both worlds, by utterly confusing law and gospel, Church and world, Christ and Belial. It is indeed, a deadly poison, filling the mind with vainglorious thoughts and self-inflated intentions while it hardens the heart against Christ, and sears the conscience as to the grace and truth of God. Hence deliberate overtures are made to the world for the sake of earthly gain, and her moth-eaten and corrupting treasures are most cordially embraced. “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.” (Psalms 73:12.) How different are the effects of drinking the cup of blessing of the precious blood of Christ! The more we drink of that cup, the more are we filled with the love of God, strengthened with might in the inner man, comforted and enlarged; we realize, too, the hollow and dissatisfying character of this guilty world, and our affections and longings of soul are drawn toward Christ, and God, and glory! While we drink of the cup of blessing, and contemplate the sorrows of the Son of God upon the tree, our very bowels are so moved toward our living, loving Jesus, that we cannot help exclaiming, ―
“See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose so bright a crown?
“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were an offering far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my heart, my life, my all.”
The testimony of this angel is followed by another voice out of heaven to God’s people: for, as we have before seen. God will have a people in the earth at that time, whom He will sustain, and bring through the fiery trial, the “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21.) The voice says: “Come out of her, my people, that ye partake not in her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (verse 4.) And if true then, for saints having an earthly calling and hope, how far deeper the obligation of those who are one with a rejected Christ, holy brethren, and partakers of the heavenly calling. Here seems to be the peculiarly solemn bearing of these chapters on us. The book, we know, is prefaced with the promise of blessing to those who read it, or hear, and keep those things which are written therein. Nothing can be plainer than the path marked out for the members of the body of Christ, of separation from all the rapidly growing principles of Babylon the great. It is high time to move onward, in obedience to our Lord Jesus. It is pleasant and interesting to consider the various details of the prophetic truths which God has so mercifully revealed; but if they do not lead us to action, may we not fear lest the light that is in us be darkness? May the Lord help us. It is very solemn to stand in the bright light of the sure word of prophecy. There is such a thing as having fellowship in others’ sins, and we are warned concerning it by this voice from heaven. We dare not be neutral. Neither can we act as mere individuals, for we are members of one body―the body of Christ. We either do or de not have fellowship with sins. The sin of this harlot is very black; it is heaping up, already piled very high, and will quickly reach unto heaven, and then God’s judgment must come. Are we in any wise partakers of her sins? Have we folly come out of her? God says. “Come out.” Have we heard and obeyed this word of the Lord? Let us not forget that Jesus said “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him....If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings.” (John 14:21-24.) Let us, beloved, ponder the path of our feet. Let us search and see to what our hearts are attached. Is it really Christ we are serving? Are we giving Him His rightful place as our Lord, and acting worthy of His wondrous friendship? Are we minding earthly things? or are things above occupying our affections and desires? The iniquities of Babylon, so grievous in God’s sight, are ripening for special judgment. Very soon it will be said, “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.” (vv. 5, 6.)
Self is Babylon’s prevailing principle. How, unlike the meek and lowly Jesus, who pleased not Himself, but could always say, “Not my will, but thine be done.” “I do always those things which please Him.” The Church of God, too, is spoken of as subject unto Christ; and true discipleship consists in denying self, taking up the cross, and following Christ. Babylon is not like this; ―self-love, self-seeking, self-reliance, and self-exaltation, mark her till her time of utter abasing come. Then it will be said,” How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she said in her heart (how solemn!) 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.” (vv. 7, 8.) When God judges, He shows Himself to be the Searcher of the heart. He knows what is underneath many a burning lip, and is able to judge righteously. And in Babylon, where there was luxuriance and extravagance, He brings “famine;” Where the heart boastingly said, “I shall see no sorrow,” He brings “death;” and makes the one who in self-exaltation said, “I sit a queen, and am no widow,” to feel the bitterness of “mourning.”
The suddenness, violence, and final character of the judgment, are clearly pointed out. So sudden, that we are told “her plagues shall come in one day.” “In one hour is thy judgment come;” “in one hour so great riches is come to naught;” “in one hour is she made desolate.” Like the other judgments, when men are saying, “peace and safety,” then sudden destruction cometh; or, as in Belshazzar’s infidel feast, while the thousand lords and princes were merry with wine, praising the gods of gold and silver, and filled with the excitement of the royal revelry, “in the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote against the wall.” (Daniel 5:15.)
The violence of Babylon’s desolation and destruction is shown by a mighty angel, “who 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.” (verse 21.) Ah, when God’s wrath is kindled it is full of fury, and will be a fiery indignation which shall devour His adversaries.
As to the final character of the judgment, this is many times alluded to in this chapter. “No man buyeth their merchandize any more.” “The fruits that thy soul thirsted after are departed from thee, and all things dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.” Babylon “shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, 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.” (vv. 21, 23.) We are elsewhere told, that “her smoke rose up forever and ever.” (Chap. 19:3.)
Such is the fearful and everlasting doom that awaits this false religious system, this Christless Christianity of the present age. But let us now look at the persons who had fellowship with her iniquity, and therefore received her plagues.
1. The kings of the earth weep and wail when they see the smoke of her burning. Their misery is great, when they think of that great city, that mighty city, and the abundance of her luxuries.
2. The merchants of the earth weep and lament also, because all this money-getting traffic is suddenly come to an end. “The merchants ... which were made rich by her, stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, 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.” (verses 15-17.)
3. The shipmasters, and sailors, and traders by sea, weep too; “they cast dust upon their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness!” (verse 19.) Such are some of the distresses of those who are found associated with Babylon in that day. They seem, while on this earth, to be literally weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
But we must not pass over the long list of merchandise that characterizes this great city. There are twenty-eight things enumerated, and they are arranged in seven classes. The first is a list of ornaments, ―gold, and silver, and precious stones, and pearls. The second class is costly and showy attire, ― “fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet.” The third class is elegant and costly furniture, ― “all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.” The fourth class is perfumery, ― “cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense.” The fifth class is food, ― “wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep.” The sixth class, splendid equipages, ― “horses and chariots.” The seventh class, men’s bodies and souls, ― “slaves, and souls of men.” (verses 12, 13.) It is evident that this catalog presents what the lusts and pride of men in all nations most seek after. Gold stands at the head of the list, because that is of the most value man’s esteem, and the souls of men at the bottom of the list, because the soul is of the least importance in man’s account. Do we not see here some of the real acting’s of nominal Christianity? hence salvation is the last thing that is considered; but, with true believers, the soul stands highest in the scale of importance, and the present possession of eternal life is the starting point.
We have purple and scarlet in this list, but no blue, for blue is typical of that which is heavenly, and according to God. The blue canopy over us tells us that, and we read that “the heavens declare the glory of God.” There is nothing of that which is above in Babylon: it is earthly, carnal, and devilish, and its scarlet color, like the color of red earth, is in keeping with it.
But further. In the midst of all this misery on earth at the desolating judgment of this harlot, the heart is relieved by the mind of heaven being introduced, and its warrant of rejoicing over it all. (verse 20.) The true rendering of the verse is, “Rejoice over her heaven, and you saints, and apostles, and prophets; for God hath judged your judgment upon her.” This is an important point to notice. The order is the same as in Ephesians,—apostles and prophets, and not prophets and apostles. Had it been the latter, there might be some doubt as to whether Old Testament prophets or New Testament prophets were meant. We see also that they are associated with saints, which exactly corresponds with those who are Christ’s at His coming, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. The heavenly saints, therefore, are above, while Babylon’s judgment is going on in the earth; and they rejoice, while those who have been associated with the harlot instead of with the Son of God, are weeping and wailing. All this, as we know, takes place before the Lord comes out of heaven in flaming fire, to judge the world in righteousness. It is a blessed feature in the apocalyptic writings, that when the soul is saddened at contemplating the visions of God’s judicial vengeance, we are every now and then reminded that our place is above, on thrones with the Lamb. Even now, as risen and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ, we can sing,
“He comes; for oh! His yearning heart
No more can bear delay;
To scenes of full unmingled joy
To call His Bride away.
Thin earth, the scene of all His woe,
A homeless wild to thee,
Full soon upon His heavenly throne
Its rightful King shall see.
Thou, too, shalt reign. He will not wear
His crown of joy alone!
And earth His royal Bride shall see
Beside Him on the throne.
Then weep no more! ‘tis all thine own―
His crown, His joy divine;
And, greater far than all beside,
HE, HE HIMSELF is thine.”
With all Babylon’s greatness, revelry, and mirth, the awful conclusion of her description is, that “in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” (verse 24.) Does not this solemn history remind us of our Lord’s warning to those who profess to be His servants, and yet find companionship with the enemies of the Lord? “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His owning; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint bin, his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 245:48-51.)