Fallen, Fallen is Babylon the Great

Revelation14:8 And another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

The second angel announced “Babylon is fallen.”  So what is “Babylon”?  What does fallen mean?  Is it the kingdom of Babylon?  When this message was proclaimed, John, the author of the book of Revelation, was imprisoned on the island of Patmos.  The kingdom of Babylon was destroyed long before then.  Nothing was left.  Does it make sense to announce the fall of Babylon, a kingdom that doesn’t exist any more? 

This message was addressed to the church of the end of time.  Revelation14:1-5 talks about the redeemed people of heaven.  Revelation14:6-13 talks about the final warning to the church.  Revelation14:14-20 talks about the great separation between godly people and the wicked.  The whole 14^th chapter deals with the announcement of the imminent arrival of the end of time and heaven.  So  Babylon described in Revelation 14:8 is not the kingdom of Babylon, which was destroyed in the past, but another end of time organization which has similar characteristics.  We can call it the end of time Babylon.

The Andrews University Press published a commentary on the book of Revelation in 2002.  It explains that the verb “fallen” in Revelation 14:8 takes a perfect prophetic and future tense.  The Babylon is not yet fallen, but it will certainly fall in the near future, and here the text describes the future event of the word “fallen” as if it has already happened and underscores the prophetic certainty of the destruction. 

So now, what is the end of time Babylon described in verse 8?  Let us refer to its characteristics from four verses of the Bible. 

Let’s look at the second part of the verse 8. 

14:8 because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

The end-time Babylon is seducing people into immorality.  It is separating them from God.  And it is making them drink God’s wine of wrath.  Babylon tempts us to sin.  It destroys and brings many people to final death.  Let’s open Isaiah21:9. 

Isaiah21:9 And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen! "Then he answered and said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground."

The end-time Babylon is a place where images of her gods are worshipped.  They carve images according to their desires, and worship them as their gods to pursue their idea of salvation.  This is a religious apostate organization.  It opposes God by worshipping images.  But what kind of organization is it?  It doesn’t identify exactly what it is, but we should bear in mind the danger of Babylon which utilizes powers of organizations.  It is interesting to know that Babylon is seen as a female prostitute in Revelation17 and that a female is symbolically identified with the church.  So we can infer that Babylon is the symbol of the apostate Christian church.  Prophet Isaiah warns the collapse of this end-time Babylon. 

Jeremiah51:6 Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; He shall recompense her.

51:7 Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged.

51:8 Babylon has suddenly fallen and been destroyed. Wail for her! Take balm for her pain; Perhaps she may be healed.

The end-time Babylon is something like a golden cup which attracts many people.  They are drawn to come here to expect something great.  Babylon then uses the cup to entice nations to drink the wine of false teachings and allows them go mad.  They will not know what they are doing.  Babylon has such a power to drive them mad.  Let’s open Revelation18:1-3. 

Rev.18:1 After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

18:2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!

18:3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury."

18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.

18:5 "For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Chapter 18 is God’s last appeal to the people of Earth. When the end is imminent, the end of time Babylon’s sins will reach out towards heaven.  It becomes the dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.  No human being will be able to live there any longer.  But for some reason many people are attracted go to that place to receive God’s wrath.  Babylon will work together with the kings of the Earth.  It extends to the political powers as well as religious ones.  God says, “Get out of the Babylon.”  He warns us a final time “Get out of that place lest you share in her sins and lest you receive of her disasters.”    

Thus, we can see that Babylon is a place we should not approach.  It seduces us to our destruction.  It represents the apostate Christian church.  And because it has power to attract people like a golden cup, they will be drawn to it.  It makes them go so mad that they do not know what they are doing.  In the end it utilizes political powers.  Therefore, the Lord warns us by saying, “Come out of Babylon.” 

The Lord has done so many good things for our salvation, and He will continue to do so until the end of time.  But there is the only one thing that He cannot do for salvation.  That is to intervene into our freedom of choice.  He will not control our minds to force ourselves to choose a right thing. Our salvation depends upon our choice.  No one but ourselves can determine our path to salvation.

Lot’s wife left the city of Sodom.  Look at Genesis19:16.  The angels took hold of Lot’s hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, and brought them out to set them outside the city.  And the angels warned them by saying, “Escape for your life to the mountains. Do not look behind you.”  But Lot could not accept the warning.  He said, “I cannot go to that mountain. Let me flee to the nearest city.”  The angels gave him permission.  So Lot and his family went to the city.  But on their way his wife looked back, behind her.  She became a pillar of salt. 

It is our choice which determines our salvation.  Even if an angel takes hold of our hands and brings us out of Babylon, we will end back in Babylon as long as our minds are still there.  What God can do is to prepare the way of salvation, and what we need to do is to accept it. 

I think many of you remember what the three young Jewish men declared before the king of Babylon.  They were called to be before the king because they did not worship the golden image.  They said as follows.

Daniel3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.

3:17 "If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.

3:18 "But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."

These young men chose to obey the true God.  They didn’t obey because they wanted to be saved.  They wanted to obey even if their lives were in peril.  No matter what result might be, they would not obey the false god.  This was their choice of faith.  

Our brothers and sisters, what kind of homes do you live in?  Are they very durable?  If your home was very fragile and was going collapse in a few days, would you leave?  Or would you stay for a while until you sold it to someone?  Once you knew that your house was soon going to fall apart into pieces, you’d probably leave rather quickly.

Let us think over Revelation 18:4 again. “Come out of her (Babylon), my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”  This is God’s final warning.  Why does He give us this warning?  It’s because there are still many God-fearing people in Babylon who are waivering just before the end of probation.  They haven’t decided to follow Jesus yet.  They haven’t opened their eyes to see the realities of their current situation. 

Let us listen to the voice of the Lord.  Let us believe that He is our refuge and strength, and follow His way.  

46:1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

46:2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

46:3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.

46:4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

46:5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

46:6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

46:7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.

46:8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.

46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.

46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

46:11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah