Fallen is Babylon the Great! - Podcast
There's A Man Going 'Round Taking Names • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewThe fall of Babylon, Rome!
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Hello and welcome to this episode of Pastor’s Corner. I’m Thomas Hogan Senior Pastor of Amazing Grace Church of The Nazarene in Walla Walla Washington.
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We are in a series of Revelation entitled There’s A Man Going ‘Round Taking Names.
In this episode we find ourselves in chapter 18. This video is a follow up to the sermon videos the Woman and The Scarlet Beast from Revelation chapter 17.
1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory.
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
We need to consider and talk about Babylon and what that represents, who it represents.
we should recognize by now that Babylon is Rome. This was commonly used in the church. Event Peter used it
13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.
John is trying to give us a view of Rome from God’s perspective.
Babylon became for Jews and early Christians the most graphic image, or metaphor for a city filled with arrogance, sin, injustice, oppression of GOd’s people, and idolatry. Brethren we too live in Babylon.
It should be no surprise that in the first century when Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD Jews understood the experience as Babylon all over again.
Scot McKnight Revelation for the rest of us (pg.45),”Labelling Rome and Babylon was also resistance language. It named the problem, Rome, and it gave that problem a label - systemic sinfulness and injustice, and idolatry and opposition to God”
This also makes Babylon a timeless metaphor. So many Christians and readers of Revelation look for a single specific future city or country.
Seeing Babylon as a metaphor applies it to any nation or city in history filled with immorality, idolatry, and the blood shed of God’s people.
The United States is a nation that fits within the bounds of that metaphor.
We are following in the steps Rome.
Our current division, letting go of objective truth, objective moral values, etc. is weakening the foundations of our country, thus we will eventually fit in Revelation 18:2-3
2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
Scot McKnight in Revelation for the rest of us (pg. 48), “There is noting in the description of Babylon in Revelation 17-18 to make one think he is referring to some future empire. Babylon for John was very present and very now.”
You see we meet the dragon and Babylon in spiritual, moral, cultural, political, economic, and educational degradation that bring death, block freedoms, that are designed to bring allegiance to the dragon.
Babylon was the biggest problem for the seven churches, and it is the biggest problem we face in our churches today.
The simmering problem in Babylon, in Rome was paganism and rampant immorality,
Leaving Rome open to demons and unclean spirits of all sorts.
Listen to the words of Deuteronomy 32:35-37
35 ‘Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.’
36 “For the Lord will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants; When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free.
37 “And He will say, ‘Where are their gods, The rock in which they sought refuge?
We are seeing God’s work.
N.T. Wright (pg. 159), “It is God’s own work, turning wickedness back on itself, allowing arrogance to reach a giddy height form which it can only crash helpless to the earth.”
John is describing the fall of Rome with sadness and realism.
Bruce Metzger made this point(pg. 86), “Despite all her sins and crimes, there are many who mourn for her.”
God finds no join in the punishment of a nation. I call to mind Ezekiel 18:30-32
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.
31 “Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel?
32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”
Thus verse is appeal for the people of God to come out.
4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues;
It reminds me of Paul’s word, his own appeal to Corinth 2 Corinthians 6:16-18
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.
Have we found ourselves giving in to the pressures of our own society?
We should head this call as well.
Chapter 18 announces the demise of Rome’s military might. There was a time when the marching of a roman legion shook the earth and terrified the hearts of enemies and nations.
Gordon Fee (pg. 242), “John is no longer interested in Rome’s military might, rather he is here denouncing her economic policies, through which the leading families in Rome in particular had become fabulously wealthy during the years in which John was writing.”
So let’s take all this and outline the chapter (READ):
The Chapter begins with a lament for fallen Babylon- Verses 1-3
Followed by a plea and warning for God’s people to flee - Verses 4-8
Then a series of three laments:
Lament expressed by who had most to gain by unholy alliance with Rome - Verses 9-10
Lament of the merchants - Verses 11-17a
Lament of shipmasters - Verses 17b-19
All of these had given into the sexual immorality with Rome.
Then we get the surprising call Revelation 18:20
20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.”
Rejoice for God has given His pronouncement of Judgment against Rome.
Then at the end the finality of judgments expressed by way of symbolic action
21 And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer.
22 “And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;
23 and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.
24 “And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Brethren are we listening?
Our nation needs to wake up our we face the same judgments of God against Rome!
I think it applies because the metaphor of Babylon applies to the United States Republic, we are Babylon!
We are almost done four chapters to go!
Have a great day and thank you for joining me in the Pastor’s Corner.