THE DEMISE OF BABYLON

 

THE DEMISE OF BABYLON REVELATION 18.1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory. 18.2 He cried with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird! 18.3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.” 18.5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities. 18.6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. 18.7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.’ 18.8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong. -WEB Bible The Harlot Babylon is one of the monsters described in the book of Revelation, but she's not the same kind of monster as the others. Babylon is a construction of fallen humanity. She is described as a city, because many, many people have chosen to walk her streets. There are no boundaries for the whore of Babylon. She is devoted to the most indulgent excess and wealth. Pleasure, vanity, seduction, power, luxury, drunkenness, revenge, murder, cruelty, greed, corruption. She doesn't have a husband and she's proud of it: no one can tell her what to do. She answers to nobody. She is free of all controlling influences: Harlot Babylon will not submit to anyone. She violently resists anyone who criticizes her. In addition, Babylon leads others astray. Many have catered to her desires and pleasures, and they've become rich because of her excesses. Revelation 18:23 tells us, "Your merchants were the world's important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray." -NIV Babylon is so proud, callous and selfish that when she is destroyed, people rejoice at her demise. The only ones who mourn for Babylon are all her suppliers who got rich from her endless greed. Because Babylon is a symbol of every human who has scrabbled after the pleasures and power of this world, her demise is different from that of the other beasts of Revelation. The other beasts are powerful demonic spirits who are thrown into hell for punishment. But Babylon simply disintegrates as her wealth is destroyed. Like the witch in the Wizard of Oz book, there is nothing to bury: Babylon is simply gone and only the smoke of her burning remains. Furthermore, God promises that Babylon will never rise again. 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. IMAGE CREDIT: Babylon burning, generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens.

 

THE HARLOT BABYLON

 

THE HARLOT BABYLON REVELATION 17.1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 17.2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” 17.3 He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 17.4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 17.5 And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 17.6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. -WEB Bible When Eve picked the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, she made a selfish decision that was based on pride. She deliberately disobeyed God because she was deceived or enchanted by the evil serpent. She didn’t ask her mate Adam about it: she made this life-altering decision entirely on her own, and then she asked Adam to join her in eating the fruit. Now, fast-forward to the end of time, and we see the culmination of Eve’s one small sin. The harlot of Babylon is the ultimate example of all selfishness, vanity, pride and corruption. She gloats in her own self-sufficiency and brags that she submits to no man. She is vile in all her pleasures, and she delights in the destruction of God-fearing people.  She entices others to join in her sinful pleasures. Babylon is evil to the core, like the beasts and the dragon, but there is a difference. Like the Tower of Babel in ancient times, this Babylon is entirely a human construction. She may be influenced by demons, and empowered by them: but she is not a demonic beast like the others, so her demise is different from theirs. IMAGE CREDIT: Illustration of the Harlot of Babylon was generated by SeaArt.ai and edited by C.A. Stevens. The image of Eve was generated by Perchance AI. Part 2 of the Harlot of Babylon will continue tomorrow.

 

RIOTS IN BELFAST

 

RIOTS IN BELFAST By Frank Mceleny The Lord Jesus warned in Matthew 24:7, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." The word translated "nation" is the Greek word ethnos, from which we derive our word ethnicity. It speaks not merely of political states and national borders, but of peoples, tribes, and ethnic groups. The word translated "kingdom" is the Greek word basileia, meaning a kingdom, realm, dominion, or political power. Thus, the Lord foretold both “ethnos against ethnos” and “basileia against basileia” —people group against people group and kingdom against kingdom. The twentieth century witnessed the fulfillment of basileia against basileia on a scale never before seen. The great powers of the earth hurled themselves against one another in two world wars, leaving tens of millions dead and entire continents devastated. Yet in our own day, we see another aspect of the Lord's warning becoming increasingly visible: ethnos against ethnos. People group against people group. Through unprecedented movements of populations, mass migration, cultures that for centuries existed separately now find themselves living side by side. Peoples who otherwise would rarely have come into contact with one another are suddenly thrust together in vast numbers. The result is often tension, division, tribalism, and growing hostility. Ancient grievances are imported across borders. Cultural conflicts are transplanted from one continent to another. Communities become fragmented, and social cohesion weakens. This should not surprise the student of Scripture. The Lord did not merely warn of wars between governments. He warned of upheaval among peoples. Ethnos against ethnos. The tragedy is that men imagine they can solve spiritual problems by political means. Yet whenever Christ is removed from the center of a people, divisions inevitably multiply. Men retreat to tribe, race, language, culture, and identity because they have lost the greater identity found in God. As the age hastens toward its conclusion, we should expect increasing turmoil among both kingdoms and peoples. The words of Christ were not given to frighten His saints but to prepare them. When we see these things, we are reminded that the Lord knew the end from the beginning, and that the kingdoms of this world are passing away. Only the Kingdom of our God shall endure forever. Used with permission of Frank Mceleny on Facebook CLICK HERE

 

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS

 

TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free. REFRAIN: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. Through death into life everlasting He passed, and we follow Him there; O’er us sin no more hath dominion For more than conquerors we are! His Word shall not fail you, He promised; Believe Him and all will be well; Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell! Author Helen Howarth Lemmel (1922)