“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:” – Rev 18:1-11 (KJV)
The 7th trumpet indicated to us that the rule of the enemy on this world was over.” And the seventh angel sounded; and there followed great voices in heaven, and they said, The kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Rev 11:15. The beginning of His reign is marked with judgement and retribution – the 7 bowls or vials of wrath. The 7th bowl now turns the focus of His justice to the root causes that have held the planet in sway since the beginning of human history.
We have seen the dreadful and terrible imagery of pagan/false religion – symbolized as a richly clad harlot straddling the nations of the world, riding on the back of- and supported by, the political systems of this world.
In today’s age, the broad majority of people have traded paganism and idol worship for the worship of self, atheism and following the traditions of men. “I am God and am accountable to no one except myself” is the cry, and supreme selfishness and hedonism has replaced the worship of the One who is our Creator. “Fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: “: Col 3:5,6 (RV) Idolatry is not just worshipping a graven image!
Beyond religion however, there is another god who is worshipped by the world today. It is Mammon.
Commerce and the love/desire for money have been the driving factors for human endeavor, and in this day and age, the new empires of the world are the Fortune 100 corporations. They work across national and cultural boundaries, they subvert governments to their will through bribes and lobbying, while obeying the laws of the land on the surface – internally, they are working to change them to their advantage. Their CEO’s have more than any ancient king could desire – palaces, jets, food, clothing, and armies willing to do their bidding.
Their employees are the slaves of this new world order. Destined at birth to find a place/home in an enterprise, educated so that they are useful to factories/corporations, and put to work not only to earn their living, but to actually pay their hard-earned money back to the same corporations that are using them- only now these slaves are called “consumers”. Whole systems have risen up that feed on the consumer with ever more sophistication and finesse. From tuition payments, to mortgages, credit cards to health insurance. From food and clothing to drugs and medicine. The business of buying and selling is highly profitable to a whole ecosystem built around it!
In the Apocalypse, what is revealed is this triumvirate of political power, false religion and worldwide commerce. The Beast regulates commerce with his mark, has a prophet to propagate his false religion, and exercises political power! The Beast wants his system to rule, and cannot tolerate the rule of Babylon - her fall is actually a result of the 10 kings and the beast that burn her with fire!
“And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire. For God did put in their hearts to do his mind, and to come to one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished. “- Rev 17:16-17 While the beasts followers are ruining Babylon, the rest of the world (kings, merchants, sailors) is crying for her! What a picture this is! God is using a system that hates Him (the Beast/False Prophet) to wreak havoc upon a system that has been imprisoning and deceiving mankind through the ages, personified in the city of Babylon.
How will all this disappear? In the Millennium, God and His Christ will be King. A perfect government. Resurrected saints and angels do not need food, clothing. All of the things we strive for so hard – food, clothing, shelter, power, a desire to impress the opposite sex with possession etc. – will all just melt away in God’s provision. We are given a hint of this in Luke 20:34-36 .. “And Jesus said unto them, The sons of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they that are accounted worthy to attain to that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: for neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." This is just one institution that will disappear, along with others!
The systems of the world end with the rule of the Beast. The systems of the Beast end with the rule of the Lamb. The dominoes set up so painstakingly by man are toppling, revealing for all to see – the true powers behind these institutions, and the Supreme Power that is sovereign over everything! Hallelujah!
We as saints are called not to live for this world (which is passing away) but as citizens of the Eternal Jerusalem are to look for a city whose builder is God. We can live in the world-system of Babylon, but have the ability to not be touched by it. As doers of the Will of God, we are promised Eternal Life!