Babylon the Great Is Fallen

BABYLON THE GREAT IS FALLEN

In Revelation chapters 17 and 18 we read about the great whore named Babylon

who sits on many waters and is the mother of all harlots. The imagery in which the

apostle John uses to describe Babylon has very significant meaning, in particular

for the church as she approaches the end of the age. It is of paramount importance

to understand who this Babylon is and how she affects the life of every believer.

Throughout the ages there have been many attempts to identify Babylon. Most

have agreed that she is the Roman Catholic Church (in particular the Vatican),

even to the point of identifying the Pope as the anti-Christ himself. Others have

suggested that Babylon is not a religious structure but more likely political,

pointing to the EEC (the common European market), or to the United States (in

particular New York with Wall Street). Further more, others have gone as far as to

suggest that Babylon is geographical, pointing to modern day Iraq from where that

former great civilisation originated, and suggesting that one day that civilisation

will rise again to become a modern superpower.

While it is true that one may find levels of Babylon in all these things, however,

none of these things in themselves can fully make up Babylon. In other words,

Babylon may, and does exist in these things, but no one can point to any one of

these things and say, "This is Babylon". The reality is, that all these (ie. the

European Union, United States with its "big business", the Vatican, and other

political and religious institutions) are made up of people, and it is IN THE

HEARTS of people you will find Babylon. These entities have been allowed by God

to visibly show us Babylon and point to something of the nature of fallen man.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can

know it? (Jer 17:9).

The origins of Babylon, as far as mankind is concerned, dates right back to the

garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were given a choice as to whether they would

follow the Lord through a life of obedience and faith, or try to become as God

through their own striving. From the beginning, God's intention was that man

would manifest the image of God and grow into full maturity through obedience

to the will of the Lord. As we know, Adam and Eve chose to disobey and eat from

the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that time on, man has an inherent

nature which attempts to attain to the image of God in his own strength.

The so-called "non-religious" use natural strength to become "gods" of this world.

They build lives for themselves without the reality of the Creator. In their own

delusions they believe that they themselves are "creators". They are in charge of

their own destinies. They set up moral and ethical standards of life which cannot

be violated because of "personal rights", while at the same time enforcing those

rights on the wider community and insisting that everyone "submit" to those

standards. They even go so far as to take it upon themselves to not only decide

when to give life, but when and how to take it also. THEY HAVE BECOME

"GODS" WHILE AT THE SAME TIME COMPLETELY DISREGARDING THE ONE

AND ONLY TRUE GOD!

Likewise, many "religious/spiritual ones" combine spiritual laws to natural ones

but with one difference - they become "gods" not only of this world, but also the

next. They actually "de-throne" God by living independently of the one true

Creator. Their decisions of what is right and wrong is quite often based on what

benefits them and not on the "absolutes" of God. On the surface there is an

appearance of piety, but underneath quite often lies the hidden enemy of pride

expressing itself through man's unsanctified intellect and emotions. This is the

"Babylon nature" in man.

It is this same nature resident in fallen man that makes man self-centred. Man will

tend to live His life and make his decisions based on how it will benefit him. Even

what appears to be the most sacrificial and compassionate acts can have traces of

selfishness in them. Even the church exhibit the characteristics of this nature -

from those with carnal lusts, to those who zealously attempt to build God's

kingdom with their own strength. This is Babylon in the church. We all have done

it. But praise be to God, He understands and is not willing to condemn us, but

rather encourage us to see our hearts in order that we may turn to Him who is the

author and finisher of our faith (see Hebrews 12:2).

Babylon finds her expression through