Title: Fall of Babylon/Revelation 18:1-8
Contents
(Explanation of Revelation 45)
Fall of Babylon/Revelation 18:1-8
(Rev 18) is a lament about the destruction of Babylon the Great. An angel came down from heaven and had great authority and cried out with a loud voice that Babylon was destroyed. “He cried out with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, it is fallen, it has become a dwelling place for demons, a gathering place for every unclean spirit, and a gathering place for every unclean and detestable bird.” (2) Babylon, the last society of mankind, is God It is a proclamation that will be completely destroyed by the judgment of the seventh bowl. The final destruction of Babylon has already been shown in (Revelation 16:17-21). (Chapter 18) tells the story of the world being destroyed along with the harlot, and the story of those who are suffering from the disaster of that destruction. We would like to share grace while thinking about the meaning of God's word through the destruction of Babylon.
Babylon's name
Indeed, it is expressed in many words. Women, the great prostitute, the mother, the great city, the dwelling place of demons, and the strong city are the names of these. It refers to the power of Satan that is expressed in corruption and sexual immorality, strong and on a large scale. (Chapter 17) is expressed as a harlot, a word that shows that she is a depraved being in the spiritual, moral, and spiritual aspects. Babylon had the stability that it would not be shaken or destroyed, but due to internal corruption, it was bound to face internal collapse.
(Chapter 18) refers to Babylon, a political, economic, commerce, industrial and artistic center, and although powerful, it will eventually come to an end. In the original Bible, the word 'Babylon' is used 260 times, meaning 'congested'. It is mostly the realm of the Antichrist and is used in anti-church terms. That is, the message of today's text is that the anti-Christian and satanic rulership will be destroyed.
proclamation of doom
After seeing the revelation of (Chapter 17), John hears a loud voice from an angel with great authority saying that Babylon has fallen. “He cried out with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, it is fallen, it has become a dwelling place for demons, a gathering place for every unclean spirit, and a gathering place for every unclean and detestable bird; the nations have fallen because of the wine of the wrath of her fornication And the kings of the earth committed fornication with him, and the merchants of the earth were rich because of the power of their extravagance.” It can be said to refer to the entire planet we live in as a castle ruled by
Another angel is an angel who came down from heaven. “After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, and he had great authority, and the earth was lighted with his glory” (1) It says that it belongs to the throne of God. He also had great power. You can see that you have been legally sent by God. This angel is an angel with the authority of God. Therefore, it shines with the glory of God. His message was too loud. It's fair. full of power. The strong proclamation of the message to Babylon of sin means that its destruction is powerful.
The work of this other angel is clear. It heralds the fateful destruction of Babylon the Great. “Falled down, fallen is Babylon the Great,” declares complete destruction, complete destruction. The reason is sin.
cause of destruction
(Verse 3) The cause of Babylon's fall is explained below.
1. Satan's Center
“It has become a dwelling place for demons, a gathering place for all kinds of unclean spirits, and a gathering place for all kinds of unclean and detestable birds” (2) It is a gathering place for unclean spirits. It is the gathering place of evil spirits, as opposed to the Holy Spirit. The Babylonian culture is the culture that Satan is the subject of. Therefore, it is unacceptable in the world of the Lord. It is worth thinking about what kind of region or country we live in today.
2. Fornication
As for the cause of the fall of Babylon the Great, this angel says, “All nations have fallen because of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (3). The “wine of fornication” refers to the detestable false gospel that the prostitute fed the world. It is a society of fanatics who promoted spiritual adultery and idolatry. The imposition of idolatry was one of the ruling ideologies of the Babylonian Empire. eventually perish. The same is true of the emperor worship in the Japanese Empire.
3. The Fall of the Leader
“And the kings of the earth committed fornication with her” (3). The detestable false gospel has corrupted kings and nobles. Originally, idolatry was associated with fornication.
4. Luxury and illicit wealth
“It is said that even the merchants of the earth were rich because of the power of luxury” (3) Naturally, the corruption of political leaders destroys economic justice. God judges the merchants who move the economy at that time by collecting money in the wrong way and enjoying luxury and vanity. Today, we need to be wary of the golden almightyism that says that money is everything.
5. Glory to yourself
“How much he glorified himself and was extravagant, repay him with suffering and mourning.” (7) To glorify oneself means that God does not acknowledge authority and does not glorify God. You must know that selfishness, humanism, individualism, and rationalism grieve God and bring judgment upon Himself.
6. Pride
“She said in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow, I will never mourn.” (7) What is this? Pride reached the sky. Pride is the object of judgment. (Proverbs 16:18) “Pride precedes destruction, and a haughty heart precedes stumbling.”
All these are images that come from disregarding God and despising the truth-proclaiming church. In the last days, the world will commit fornication with a whore, and they will be drunk with the wine of fornication that the whore makes. This world has been corrupted by debauchery, sexual immorality, and luxury, and God's laws have completely disappeared through idolatry and worldly life. The judgment of the world will be brought down because of this.
Dear saints,
God could not stand alone against this sinful Babylon. “His sins reached up to heaven, and God remembered his unrighteous deeds” (5) God remembers not only the deeds of righteous believers, but also unrighteous deeds. He thought that it was no different from the days of Sodom and Gomorrah or the days of Noah. In the end, God must take revenge. “Give to him as he has given him, and give him double according to his deeds, and give him double in his mixed cup.” (6) In the end, what came to them was suffering and mourning, famine, death, and fire. “Therefore, in one day his plagues shall come: death, mourning, and famine; and he shall also be consumed with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judged him” (8).
God warns his people not to share in the sins of this world and to get out of their lives. “Come out of her, my people, and do not share in her sins, and do not receive her plagues.” Spiritual Babylon is the story of today as well as then. We must heed the Lord's warnings. Even if everyone is struggling with spiritual fornication and luxury, believers must keep their faith and not fall into sin. Hallelujah!