Babylon Introduced


Revelation 14:6-13
6Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” 8Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” 9And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” 12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” 

John’s visions of the end continue with the revealing the story of the unholy trinity, the red dragon, the beast of the sea (political), and the beast of the earth (religious). Now the fallout of evils actions is exposed through the messages of three more angels. In the beginning of the chapter 14 we see what happened to the believers as they are found with the Church in the presence of the Lamb. Now these three messenger angels announce what will happen to those who chose to follow the unholy trinity rather than God. The first inklings of eternal damnation are exposed.

Here is where the term or name “Babylon” begins to take on significant meaning. Babylon is where God’s people were taken into captivity in 538bc. Babylon represent all that is evil and set against God’s people and the name will be used over and over again in Revelation from this point forward to name those forces that set themselves up against God, eventually even earning the name “Whore of Babylon”. 

This is a tough passage for us because we don’t like to hear about God’s wrath being poured out instead of His love and grace. But His wrath is just as real as His grace. His perfect righteousness gives Him the right to demand holiness and purity from us. But we cannot produce. Those who stand with the Lamb have His righteousness to call upon and those who would reject Him have to lean upon themselves and here is where the wrath of God will pour out because that is what they have earned. It’s harsh. It’s deserved.

Even in the midst of this terrible news, there is Gospel. Those who “die in the Lord” are blessed because they get to rest from their labors in the presence of God. Why would anyone ever want anything else?

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