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A Sudden Violent Destruction

Scripture reading for December 24: Revelation 18

“Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.” Revelation 18:21-24

As John was shown the judgment of the great city, Babylon, he saw a ‘mighty angel’ taking up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea. This vision mirrored the prophet Jeremiah’s prophetic pronouncement of Babylon’s final judgment given over 600 years before. (Jeremiah 51:62-64) Babylon was the name God chose for the wicked world system that enslaved men from all nations through sensuality, sorcery, and murderous violence. As a city, it appeared to be organized and civilized with normal activities taking place like marriage, musicians, commerce and night life. John was told that all these activities would come to a halt and destruction would be swift and final.

The millstone was originally used in grinding grain but was also used as an example by Jesus Christ when warning those causing young children to go astray. He said it would be better that a millstone be tied around his neck and be drowned in the sea than causing a little one to sin. Jeremiah the prophet sent a scroll of the prophesy of Babylon’s destruction dictated by God and commanded it to be read those in Babylon. After it was read, it was tied to a rock and thrown into the Euphrates river where it made a big splash and sank surely to the bottom. Babylon would be judged with swiftness and finality because in that wicked world system was found those guilty of murdering God’s people.

As you read of Babylon’s sure destruction prophesied by Jeremiah and now to John, how does that give new understanding to your world view? Have you heeded God’s call to ‘come out of her’? What hinders people from taking action to leave this system and join Christ’s kingdom?

Prayer: Father God, thank You for using illustrations that are easy to picture and understand concerning the fallen world system described as Babylon. Help me to stay free from the enticements to sin and compromise my faith. Use me to share the Gospel with those blinded to this wicked trap. Amen.

“Flee from Babylon!”

Scripture reading for August 15: Jeremiah 46-52

“Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives!  Do not be destroyed because of her sins.  It is time for the Lord’s vengeance;  He will pay her what she deserves.  Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk.  The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.  Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her.” Jeremiah 51:6-8a

God has promised to watch over His Word to perform it.  Jeremiah ended his book with the story of God’s dealing with Babylon because of her treatment of the people of God.  Babylon was to be destroyed suddenly and the people who would do it are named by Jeremiah seventy years before it happens.  The Medes and Persians would carry out God’s purposes and be His war club!  (Jeremiah 51:11, 20)  Jeremiah had earlier told the people that the captivity would last seventy years!  (Jeremiah 25:11-12)

Through Jeremiah God called to His people to flee from Babylon.  Although they would live there for seventy years, they must be ready to return to Jerusalem.  The end of Babylon would come suddenly.  Jeremiah foretold how Babylon would fall.  In Jeremiah 51:36-40, he stated that God would dry up the sea or springs.  The officials of Babylon would be aroused and drunk at a feast.  They would be shouting with drunken laughter and suddenly they would die!  This Word was known by Daniel and likely helped him interpret the handwriting on the wall the night that Babylon fell!  The Babylonian officials were drinking from the golden goblets from God’s House in Jerusalem when the handwriting of God appeared on the wall. (Daniel 5) Daniel was called to interpret and God’s judgment fell before morning!  (Daniel 5:30) It is said that the Medes damned up the river and came in under the wall, taking the city from within! 

This prophecy about the destruction of Babylon was to be read aloud to the captives in Babylon by Seraiah, an aid to King Zedekiah.  When he was finished, he was to tie a rock on it and throw it into the Euphrates River.  It would sink to the bottom as a symbol of how Babylon would sink at the appointed time!  (Jeremiah 51:59-64)  For a real rush of adrenaline, turn to Revelation 18 and read the whole chapter in light of Jeremiah’s prophecy. 

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. . . .Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her; death, mourning, and famine.  She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” ” Revelation 18:4-5,8

God’s plan for ‘Babylon’!

Scripture reading for July 19: Isaiah 13-16

Babylon was an ancient kingdom in the time of Isaiah.  It rose to world-dominating status a few decades after the ministry of the prophet.  As a city, Babylon rose to legendary status with it’s walls surrounding it and it’s hanging gardens an imitation of God’s garden.  It was located in the present-day country of Iraq and was near to where the Garden of Eden was originally located.  Babylon was characterized by pride, false religion, idolatry and man-centered achievement.  Isaiah brought God’s Word to those in Babylon.

God has an army of “holy ones” who will carry out His wrath and judgment, (Isaiah 13:3)and in mercy warned the Babylonians that His judgment was coming.  God’s army would bring “the day of the Lord”, a day of wrath against sinners.  (Isaiah 13:6-9)  This judgment will put an end to pride and arrogance and the evil of the wicked.  It would be a day of trembling heavens and shaking on the earth!  (Isaiah 13:11-13)  This army of “holy ones” will be none other than the Medes in the immediate fulfilment!  (Isaiah 13:17)  Isaiah prophetically predicted what God would do over 150 years before it happened!  Daniel the prophet got to read the handwriting of God on the wall of Babylon the night it fell to the Medes!  (Daniel 5:25-28) The city would be like Sodom and Gomorrah, never to be inhabited again!  (Isaiah 13:19-20)

But God is a God of hope and vision. Isaiah saw a day when God would have compassion on Israel and settle them in their own land.  (Isaiah 14:1-2)  Others would join themselves to Israel and Israel would possess the nations that took them captive!  God’s foresight revealed brings faith to endure!

The rest of Isaiah 14 is a taunt against the “king of Babylon” to be spoken by God’s people in the day they were set free!  God, Himself, would break the power of this wicked king.  He would be brought down to the grave and maggots and worms would cover him.  This prophecy prefigures the final destruction of Babylon and Satan foretold in Revelation 18 and Revelation 20:1-3 and verse 10:

Behind all earthly power and humanistic pride lurks the evil influence of Satan!  God will judge Satan and those under him.  We must be born again to escape!  God has provided the way out in Jesus Christ!  Can you take up the taunt against the “king of Babylon” today!  God’s Word declares His ultimate defeat!

Rejoice you Saints!

Scripture reading for December 23rd:  Revelation 18

Key Scriptures for over-comers:  Revelation 18:19-21  “. . .and with weeping and mourning they will cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth!  In one hour she has been brought to ruin!  Rejoice over her, O heaven!  Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets!  God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone, and threw it into the sea, and said:  “With such violence the great city of Babylon will the thrown down, never to be found again.”  

The final judgment of God on the wicked of earth falls on the great city of Babylon, the symbol and center of all wickedness and false religion.  The Lamb, King of kings, destroys the city and wicked in one hour causing great mourning on the earth but a call to rejoice for those in heaven who were waiting for God’s justice!  A visual of this event was given John by a mighty angel throwing a boulder into the sea of humanity and pronouncing the end of rebellion!   It confirmed an earlier prophesy in Jeremiah 51:60-64.

Observations for over-comers:  Over-comers can rest assured that the Lamb will justly judge the earth and Satan, once and for all time!  “Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon.  . . .When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more. . .”  (Jeremiah 51:60, 63-64)

Flee from Babylon!

Scripture reading for August 17th: Jeremiah 46-52

“Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives!  Do not be destroyed because of her sins.  It is time for the Lord’s vengeance;  He will pay her what she deserves.  Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk.  The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.  Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her.” Jeremiah 51:6-8a

Jeremiah’s prophecies in the last chapters of his book are absolutely amazing and encouraging to every student of Scripture.  God has promised to watch over His word to perform it and we get in on some amazing performances; others are yet to be confirmed.  Jeremiah ends his book with the story of God’s dealing with Babylon because of her treatment of the people of God.  Babylon is to be destroyed suddenly and the people who will do it are named by Jeremiah 70 years before it happens.  The Medes and Persians would carry out God’s purposes and be his war club!  (Jeremiah 51:11, 20)  Jeremiah had earlier told the people that the captivity would last 70 years and that word came to pass!  (Jeremiah 25:11-12)

Through Jeremiah God calls to His people to flee from Babylon.  Although they will live there for 7o years, they must be ready to return to the promised land and to escape the punishment of God upon that land.  The end of Babylon would come quickly or suddenly.  Jeremiah tells how Babylon will fall.  In Jeremiah 51:36-40, he tells that God will dry up the sea or springs of Babylon.  The officials of Babylon will be aroused and drunk at a feast.  They will be shouting with drunken laughter and suddenly they will sleep forever!  This word was probably known by Daniel and helped him interpret the handwriting on the wall the night that Babylon fell!  The Babylonian officials were drinking from the golden goblets from God’s House in Jerusalem when the handwriting appeared on the wall. (Daniel 5) Daniel was called to interpret and God’s judgment fell before morning!  (Daniel 5:30) It is said that the Medes damned up the river and came in under the wall, taking the city from within!  What a fulfillment of God’s prophetic word!

This prophecy about the destruction of Babylon was to be read aloud to the captives in Babylon by Seraiah, an aid to King Zedekiah.  When he was finished, he was to tie a rock on it and throw it into the Euphrates River.  It was to sink to the bottom as a symbol of how Babylon would sink at the appointed time!  (Jeremiah 51:59-64)  For a real rush of adrenaline, turn to Revelation 18 and read the whole chapter in light of Jeremiah’s prophecy.  God’s word has multiple fulfillment and speaks to the time of the end as well as to the fall of Babylon in Daniel’s time.

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. . . .Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her; death, mourning, and famine.  She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” ” Revelation 18:4-5,8