Dave's Diary

Revelation 17:1 – 19:4 and Psalm 61

At the end of Revelation 16, John’s three-part vision of the Age of the End and the images of the seven seals, trumpets and bowls comes to an end. In the rest of the Revelation he sees a series of three visions that show the final coming of God’s Kingdom from three different angles. They are each like a magnifying glass placed over a map to zoom in on a small section and show it from closer up.

In today’s reading, the magnifying glass hovers over the “Fall of Babylon” (mentioned previously in 14:8 and 16:9). Through Old Testament images taken from Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, as well as symbolic references to the Roman Empire, the vision portrays the way Satan (that ancient dragon) inspires and empowers the nations of the world to stand in opposition to the One True God. By their economic wealth, military power and wanton immorality, they set themselves up as their own ultimate authority. They oppose God’s authority and, as one manifestation of that, they persecute God’s faithful ones. In John’s time, the Roman Empire and its great capital, the City of Rome, symbolized all such human rebellion against the authority of God Himself – mirroring the rebellion of Babylon in a previous generation.

In his vision, John sees how this evil rebellion against God has a way of bringing about its own destruction. God’s hand is at work behind the scenes, and every human Empire that has ever existed has ultimately been destroyed in its prideful pursuit of wealth, power and pleasure. It is a typical pattern for great empires to reach the zenith of apparent invincibility, hedonism, immorality and materialism shortly before a great implosion or an invasion by the next great power. John sees this pattern playing out before his spiritual eyes.

The lesson is clear: Ultimately every act of human rebellion against the Lord God Almighty is futile and doomed to fail. No matter how wealthy and powerful great empires may seem, they are powerless before the God of Heaven. No matter how they may bully and persecute God’s people, the day of their judgment and destruction will ultimately come, but the people of God will live forever and will reign with Him!

By the first part of Revelation 19 John sees and hears the celebration in heaven when, on the Great Day of the Lord, God brings this rebellion to its final end and executes His judgment:

After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

‘Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
²     for true and just are his judgments.
He has condemned the great prostitute
    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’

³ And again they shouted:

‘Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.’

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

‘Amen, Hallelujah!’

Life application: Examine your life for any sign of the Lord being dethroned by a pursuit of pleasure, power or wealth. If you see such signs, repent and turn back to the worship of the One True God!