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Studies in the Book of Revelation - Part 9
Revelation 16-18
By Paul M. Sadler
"And the seventh angel poured out his vial [bowl] into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath" (Rev. 16:17-19).
Chronologically, the design of the bowl judgments is to bring the Great Tribulation to a close. As the seventh bowl is poured out on this Christ-rejecting world, John hears a great voice in heaven, saying, "It is done!" Like the grand finale at a fireworks display, the closing events of the Great Tribulation will happen in rapid succession. The day of God's vengeance will end with the Battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ.
In the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation the term "great" is used eleven times. We read of a great heat, a great river, a great earthquake, a great hail, etc. The final judgments are so terrible and so sweeping that if those days were not shortened all flesh would be destroyed from the face of the earth.
Under the sixth bowl the great river Euphrates is dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east (Rev. 16:12). This is significant because Israel's enemies, for the most part, came from the east, which meant they had to cross the Euphrates River. In this case, God does Israel's enemies a favor by drying up the river so they can array their forces against the chosen nation. Apparently, the Anti-Christ receives intelligence as to where Israel's secret hiding place is located. With the Euphrates dried up, one of the major obstacles to moving a large army eastward is removed. What the forces of the Anti-Christ deem to be their good fortune in reality is a "highway of death" to Armageddon (Rev. 16:14-16).
God is now prepared to bring a full end to the wickedness of mankind in the Tribulation. As the forces of evil march eastward, the seventh angel pours out the seventh bowl upon the earth, which results in a catastrophic earthquake. This is not your average quake that is merely destructive in one part of the world; this earthquake will be global. God will shake the foundation of the earth like a reed that sways violently in a mighty wind. John reports that this quake will be "such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great."
The result of this cataclysmic event is devastating. The apostle relates, "The great city was divided into three parts" (Rev. 16:19). Both Jerusalem and Babylon are called a "great city" in the Book of Revelation. Since the apostle is about to tell us what is going to happen to Babylon later in the passage, we can safely conclude that John's first reference to "the great city" is Jerusalem (Rev. 11:8; 16:19 cf. 21:10). With the city of Jerusalem divided into three parts, the secret hiding place of Israel (Rev. 12) will probably be exposed. This could well be by divine design as God draws His enemies to the "valley of decision" for one final battle, called the battle of Armageddon (Joel 3:9-16 cf. Rev. 14:14-20; 16:16). According to the Scriptures, this battle will be fought in the valley of Megiddo just outside of the Holy City. It is here that it's said the blood will run to the horse's bridle, as Christ tramples Israel's enemies under His feet.
"And the cities of the nations fell." The global nature of this judgment is seen here as the cities of the nations crumble. Those great structures that men have designed to touch the sky will one day be brought to rubble. Imagine for a moment in your mind's eye a global 9/11. This demonstrates that God will have the final word in the affairs of men. "And great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." One of the last cities standing is Babylon. God will personally deal with the seat of the Anti-Christ kingdom as He did with the cities of the plain—more on this in a moment!
"And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found." As we saw in an earlier lesson this earthquake is of such a great magnitude that the islands vanish into the sea and the mountains disappear like the morning mist when the sun rises. But do men in that day repent of their evil deeds? The answer is found in the next passage:
"And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great" (Rev. 16:21). When God pronounced the seventh judgment upon the Egyptians in the days of Moses, the hail smote men and beasts and completely wiped out the crops in the field. But not one hail stone fell on the Israelites in the land of Goshen.
Since the future judgments of the day of the Lord closely follow the plagues of Egypt, God will undoubtedly place a protective hedge around His people when He rains hail out of heaven. Each of these stones are said to weigh a talent. While there is disagreement as to the exact weight of a talent, it appears to be the weight of what an able man could lift and carry (II Kings 5:23). So then, a talent was probably between seventy-five and one hundred pounds. Anyone hit with one of these hail stones will be buried in their tracks. But rather than plead to God for mercy, the ungodly will blaspheme the God of heaven because the plague is so great.
BABYLON
"And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel" (Gen. 10:8-10).
Under the dispensation of human government God reinstated the commandment: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [Heb. fill] the earth" (Gen. 9:1). Therefore, it was God's will for mankind to scatter upon the face of the earth. Whatever form of human government they established was to reflect the known will of God and glorify Him in all ways.
But Nimrod led a rebellion against God and gathered the people to the land of Shinar, which is located in the Tigris-Euphrates River Valley. In defiance to the will of God they built a city and a tower "whose top may reach unto heaven" (Gen. 11:4). Essentially their actions said there is strength in unity apart from God. Their vision was to establish a seat of authority from which would arise a capital city, a one-world government, and a one-world religion.
The name of the city would eventually be known around the world, as a place through which all trade and commerce would pass. The tower or ziggurat on the other hand was a temple. Its top rose toward heaven to give them a better vantage point to study and worship the sun, moon, and stars. Paul says of this period that they "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature [thing created] more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom. 1:25). The fact that God created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day rather than the first day demonstrates that He is supreme; therefore, He alone is to be worshipped.
In the days of Nimrod men departed from the ways of the Lord on a grand scale. Since the whole earth was of one language and of one speech, God came down and confounded their language causing a state of confusion. Unable to communicate with all the principal parties, they discontinued the building of the city, leaving it unfinished. Hence, the name of the city is called Babel or "confusion" because the Lord confused their language. We should add that Babel is short for Babylon! While this action of God forced men to scatter upon the face of the earth, it has been and always will be man's desire to unify under the banner of a one-world order. As we will see, the Babylon in the days of King Nebuchadnezzar was merely a forerunner of the Babylon to come, which will serve as the seat of the Anti-Christ kingdom.
BABYLON AND PROPHECY
"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation" (Isa. 13:19,20).
"And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD. Behold, I am against thee...I will stretch out mine hand upon thee...and will make thee a burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD" (Jer. 51:24-26).
As we know, many prophecies in the Old Testament have both a short-term and a long-term view. We believe that the destruction of Babylon falls into this category. There is little question that Isaiah and Jeremiah foretold the impending doom of this treasure City of Gold. But has every detail of these prophecies literally been fulfilled? Surely not!
Historically, we know that ancient Babylon existed many years after the fall of the empire. The city, with its beautiful hanging gardens, was absorbed into the Media-Persian Empire and gradually faded in glory. Yet Jeremiah spoke of her fall as being sudden. Although the details of this prophecy did not apply in time past, the Apostle John reveals in the Book of Revelation that future Babylon will be destroyed in one day (Jer. 51:8 cf. Rev. 18:8).
In addition, Isaiah compares her ruin to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. While calamity did, indeed, befall the Babylon of old, the one yet to come shall be destroyed by fire and brimstone much like the cities of the plain. In similar fashion, it quite literally will be wiped off the face of the earth and be found no more (Isa. 13:19; Jer. 51:26 cf. Rev. 18:8,9,18,21). Those who diligently search the Scriptures agree that this calls for a futuristic interpretation. The evidence unquestionably leads us to the conclusion that this is the correct rendering. We know, for example, there was a church located in Babylon in Peter's day (I Pet. 5:13). In our day, prior to Desert Storm, Iraq was a popular tourist destination. In addition to the vast array of artifacts, many made pilgrimages there to visit the image of Nebuchadnezzar.
Perhaps the most convincing argument that Babylon will be restored is cradled in the words of the prophet. Isaiah pinpoints the fulfillment of this prophecy as taking place in the day of the Lord when the heavens are darkened (Isa.13:1,6-11). This, of course, corroborates that the "golden city" will rise again from the ashes of history only to experience a more devastating fall the second time.
BABYLON THE GREAT
"Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great ***** that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So 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" (Rev. 17:1-3).
Future Babylon will be a city, a political entity, and a religious system. They are seamlessly woven together, so much so that the woman who is the religious system is called the "great city" (Rev. 17:18). In this den of iniquity, she camouflages the political aspirations of the Beast or Anti-Christ with false religion. Thus, she is said to sit upon the beast. Her intimate relationship with the kings of the earth will make her wealthy beyond compare. The merchants, and craftsmen, and musicians of the world will turn this city into one of the wonders of the modern world. It is destined to become a treasure City of Gold in the truest sense of the word (Rev. 18:15-18).
The name written on the forehead of the woman is: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. If you want to find the source of idolatry and false religion you need to look no further than Babel of old. When God scattered mankind to the four corners of the earth, men took their idolatrous ways with them into the nations they established. This is confirmed by the numerous ziggurats found throughout the world. They refused to retain God in their knowledge; consequently, they invented false religions to satisfy the inherent need to worship something or someone.
The hour is coming when the world will witness the revival of Babylon. The saints in that day will know her as Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots. This woman, who is the religious side of the Anti-Christ kingdom, makes the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her spiritual fornication. The golden cup she holds in her hand is filled with abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. Every idol and false religion and the evil behind them is in this golden chalice. She will unify all the religions of the world under one head. This is the one-world religion of the future day of the Lord.
Those who seek to expose the infidelity of this state-run religion will be executed. The woman is also said to be drunk, drunk with the blood of the saints (Rev. 17:6). Once the Anti-Christ declares himself to be God, he betrays the woman into the hands of the confederation of the ten kings. God will send them strong delusion to believe the lie, after which they agree to destroy her (Rev. 17:16-18). They will then align themselves with the Anti-Christ in their mutual pursuit to exterminate the Jews.
"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" (Rev. 18:1,2).
With the military machine of the Anti-Christ marching toward Armageddon, Babylon comes to God's remembrance. The cup of her sins is overflowing! Earlier in the Tribulation the martyrs under the altar in heaven cried with a loud voice saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" The answer is found here in the judgment of Babylon. John says, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her" (Rev. 18:20).
As Jeremiah predicted, the fall of Babylon will be sudden. According to John the city will be completely destroyed in one day, in one hour. Those who were made rich by her will mourn as God rains down fire and brimstone upon the treasure city. Their first love will perish before their very eyes. Like the cities of the plain, Babylon will be brought to ashes, never again to be inhabited. "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all" (Rev. 18:21).
We are reminded of Peter's admonition that reverberates through the centuries. As he pondered the judgments of God in the coming day of the Lord, Peter said to his hearers, "what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation [behavior] and godliness?" For those who enter the Tribulation this admonition will give them incentive to live for the Lord. It should produce in us a grateful heart that we've been delivered from these judgments according to the riches of His grace.
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