Revelation 18:9-20 – Somebody Is You

Sometimes the most gruesome images in films are the ones that you don’t see, but are only hinted at. One a recent crime TV show, the investigators were warned that the victim had been savagely murdered. We saw the look of horror in the eyes, and we heard them deliberated over what kind of a monstrous person would be able to do such a thing. But we, the viewers, never saw the body itself. Notwithstanding the popularity of graphically violent movies like the Saw series, the scariest nightmare is the one that you never really see. In its time, “Alien” was the freakiest special effects/science fiction/horror movie. But you never really got a good look at the alien monster that was terrifying everyone. Horror and destruction are like a beautiful woman: it’s better when there’s something left to the imagination.

So in case you think you missed something, you really didn’t. Up until verse 8, we’ve been told that Babylon the Great, the sinful presence of power and corruption and greed in the world, would be destroyed. And now, suddenly, in verse 9, we encounter people who are mourning because of its collapse. They weep because Babylon’s luxuries are burning, but we’re never told exactly how that conflagration started. I suspect that we’re not told for several reasons. First, as I explained, the undescribed tragedy is the one that grips us the most. Second, we don’t really need to know the details because we know the source of Babylon’s destruction is God. If the specifics really mattered, they’d be listed in the Bible. I’m convinced that if we really need to know something, the Bible will make it clear. What is clear here is that the sparkle and dazzle of Babylon that has enticed people for eons will collapse into nothing more than an object of pity. Exactly how it happens isn’t nearly as important as the fact that it does. God loves to surprise us with the unexpected, and I expect that this will be one more example of that. Third, what matters most to us is not how Babylon will be destroyed, but that the fact that it will be, and what the result of that destruction will be. Remember: Revelation is written for believers caught in the grips of oppressive and demonic powers at work in the world. Its primary message is one of hope: God will destroy these powers and establish his glorious and eternal realm of joy and peace. Secondarily, Revelation’s message is one of warning for those who are caught up in or seduced by Babylon’s power. If you’ve bet on Babylon’s horse, you’re going to lose your shirt, and then some. Even as we hope for and expect the full revelation of the kingdom of God, we must beware the temptation to participate in and trust in what Babylon has to offer. The temptation isn’t merely to enjoy what Babylon promises: political power, financial luxury, prestige, power, glory, pleasure, and the like. We are also tempted to share in the very attitude that makes Babylon what it is: the belief that we can build secure and satisfying lives for ourselves without God’s grace and mercy. Babylon is built on pride. When we live like Babylon, we act as though we don’t need God. We think that we can manage things in our lives by ourselves. This is an insidious attitude that we can very easily fall into, both because of our own inherent sinful nature and also because it’s the atmosphere we live in. It’s so pervasive that we church-going Christians can’t afford to sit back in judgment of “those people” who don’t go to church or read their Bibles or pray. Sure, there are many people caught up in secular lifestyles for whom reliance upon God is as foreign as hunting mastodons with spears. But far too many of us who warm pews every week and begin or end our days with prayer and devotion also share the attitude of Babylon. Once Sunday morning is finished or we’re done with our prayer time, we go back to “life as usual.” And in this case, “usual” means “living like everyone else.” We make our plans and work to accomplish our dreams or achieve our goals. But we do so with the sense that we can do it ourselves, without God’s gracious presence blessing our every act. We do so without considering how our thoughts and words and deeds can bring glory to our Lord.

In this passage, three groups of people lament the collapse of Babylon. First, the kings and rulers mourn because Babylon has lost her power (verses 9-10). Second, the merchants grieve because Babylon has lost her riches and luxurious splendor (verses 11-17a). Third, the sailors are sorrowful because Babylon has lost its worldwide reach (verses 17b-19). These are three features of Babylon that we’ve seen in Chapter 17: seemingly irresistible power, incredible luxury, and influence over all the nations. Whatever God did to bring Babylon down, he did so in a way that fractured all three of these significant features of prideful and demonically-inspired living.

We need to notice something crucial about the triple woe over Babylon. Each woe is declared by the people who are closely related to it: kings and power, merchants and merchandise, sailors and worldwide outreach. It could be as simple as the fact that each of these groups mourns that particular aspect of Babylon’s demise that affects their lives most directly. And that makes sense. Last year, as the economy took a nose dive, people who live on investment income were most concerned about what happened to the stock market. Families caught in ballooning mortgages were most aware of the housing crisis. Those who work in threatened industries worried about job losses. It makes perfect sense: in the face of widespread catastrophe we are most aware of how the disaster affects our own lives.

But there’s more going on here than just that. The kings, merchants, and sailors were not simple pawns in the hands of Babylon. They were full participants in what Babylon had done to the world. They were complicit in Babylon’s arrogant denial of God’s authority. When we live by Babylon’s rules, we contribute to Babylon’s crimes. So when Babylon collapses and we suffer as a result, we should not merely mourn what we have lost. We should also confess and repent from what we have done to participate in the systemic rebellion against God’s will. It’s easy for us to complain that “somebody” is making a mess of the world. At times, we’ll even attach the name of a specific person to the “somebody” that is to blame for how the world fails to operate as God wishes it to.

The news for us is that “somebody” is each of us. Every time we fall for the temptation all around us and deep within us to live life by our own abilities and wits, in order to accomplish our own goals and dreams, we are part of Babylon. And it is our own demise that this passage describes. We may try to excuse ourselves by saying “I’m only one person. I don’t really make that much of a difference.” Perhaps. But if enough of us think that way, and if enough of us support larger systems that operate this way, then we make a terrible difference. I remember my sixth grade social studies teacher who explained it this way. “If you live out in the wilderness all by yourself and you pee in the river, it doesn’t really matter. But there’s a whole city of you peeing in that same river, it’s going to turn yellow.” It’s the reverse of the well-known story of the little boy throwing stranded starfishes back into the ocean. He couldn’t save them all, but he could save some. We, individually, may not make that much of a difference in the larger scope of things. But we make some sort of a difference. And if enough of us do it, or join together to do it, then we can help to challenge the power of Babylon. Here are just a few examples:
• Businesses that are open on Sundays violate the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath. But we Christians go out to eat and shop after church.
• We are concerned about environmental degradation, but we continue to enjoy living in a throw-away society.
• We complain about our government officials but we don’t vote and we don’t take the time to express our concerns to them.
• We see problems in our community but sit in our homes and wish that “somebody” would do something about it.
Until we recognize that we are “somebody,” Babylon will continue to get stronger and stronger. We ally ourselves with the forces that challenge God’s authority. We’re just like the kings and merchants and rulers who lament Babylon’s loss of power, luxury, and influence without recognizing that they took part in it.

The passage ends with good news and with hope. Sure, it takes great commitment and sacrifice to resist Babylon. You’ll be like a fish swimming upstream, as everyone else wonders why you’re so “weird.” Sometimes they’ll do more than just wonder: they’ll make your life miserable. Maybe they do it because you’re interfering with their self-focused agendas. Or maybe they don’t like the uncomfortable reminder you present to them that life could be different. There have been times when the people under Babylon’s spell have attacked and killed those striving to be faithful to God. Our passage ends with words of rejoicing which replace the cries of woe. Babylon’s downfall means vindication for God’s people. When the Lord’s power is fully revealed, those who resisted the temptation to live for self and Babylon will enjoy the glories that God has prepared for us all.

Will this happen at the end of time? But it also happens right now. Each day, God will give us glimmers of the rejoicing that will come as we continue to resist Babylon.

Revelation 18:1-8 – Don’t Drink the Kool Aid

Babylon has already been introduced to us in lurid detail in Chapter 17, presented as the prostitute on the beast. She is Rome in particular, at least in John’s time. But more generally, Babylon is the world systems that oppress and persecute people while pursuing their own goals and agendas instead of participating in the creation-wide praise of God that we first learned about in Chapter 4. The time has now come for us to see the doom of Babylon.

The fall of Babylon begins with the pronouncement of an angel with “great authority” and brilliant splendor. The angel’s authority means that his message is worth listening to, because it comes from the One with true authority (the antithesis of Babylon’s “power”). His brilliance is a reflection of the radiance of the One he worships and serves. This is a reminder of the “mighty” angel of Chapter 10, who also bears the characteristics of the God he works for. When the world tries to convince us of what is powerful and desirable and impressive, we need this testimony about authority instead of power, purpose instead of desire, glory instead of flash-and-dazzle. There is so much deception in the world that we are in desperate need of the truth in the midst of the lies. As they say, if someone tells a lie long enough, everyone assumes that it’s true (think of the “death panels” in the current health care debate, for example).

The angel declares that “Babylon the Great” has fallen. It’s a bit of irony for the angel to call Babylon “great.” That’s what the people of the world think and believe. The powers and systems that surround us – political, economic, military, technological, cultural – are so all-encompassing that we may believe that they can’t be resisted. “You can’t fight city hall,” and city hall is a brutal force that we may as well join since we can’t beat. The angel’s words come as a bracing wake-up call. “You think ‘Babylon’ is great? That it’s irresistible and unshakeable? Well, it’s not! It has collapsed like a cardboard shack in the rain.” The angel points out two features about Babylon. First, it is demonic. It is the home of demons and evil spirits (since birds flew in the air, the ancients sometimes considered them to be quasi-spiritual beings. The dove represented the Holy Spirit, and “unclean” birds were the demonic). We rarely recognize this truth. It takes the word of God’s messenger to make it apparent to us. Second, the nations and the kings and the economic leaders have fallen for the lie. The angel describes their acceptance of Babylon’s appeal with adultery, drunkenness, and luxury. Sexuality, intoxication, and acquisitiveness are urges that can be followed addictively to excess. They bought into the lie of how wonderful Babylon is, and how wonderful everything it has to offer is. Like any other addiction, the deeper they go into it, the stronger hold it takes over them until they can’t escape, even if they wanted to. But of course, when you’re addicted, you don’t want to. You lose total control, even of yourself. And the irony is that you started drinking from Babylon’s cup thinking that it would give you power. The expression “Don’t drink the Kool Aid” comes from the tragic end of Jim Jones’ cult in Guyana, when he had everyone drink poisoned Kool Aid as the authorities began to close in. Babylon’s cup is a bit more potent, with “maddening wine” that not only kills your body but destroys your soul. The angel declares the guilt of Rome to indicate that it deserves the punishment that is coming upon it.

After the angel is done speaking, another voice from heaven sounds out. We don’t know exactly who or what is speaking now (another angel? the altar? the temple? the throne? one of the living creatures? God Himself?), but there can be no doubt that the message comes from God. There are two elements to this proclamation.

First, “Come out!” God summons his people to abandon the worldly pursuits that surround them. This is a literal command, as the elect are to flee from the city that God is going to destroy. But on another level, it’s a command for all of us to take to heart as well. We are in the world, but not of the world. There’s something very different about us Christians, and we should beware of the tendency to conform to what’s around us. We start to look and act like the people around us. Does this mean we should all become like the Amish, or live like the Compound Christians? Maybe not. Our purpose is not to isolate ourselves from the world, since we are to carry light into it. Nor should we focus on external features. For us to come out of Babylon, we need to disavow the values and goals of a fallen world. One of the most powerful values of the world we live in, which is emphasized in verses 3 and 7, is luxury. People of our world want to get “stuff” to make life easier and more comfortable, or to increase our status. It was true in John’s time, but it’s no less insidious today. Consider the orgy that Christmas has become, as everyone struggles to come up with gift ideas for people who already have more than they know what do to with. Things that were luxuries just a few years ago are now considered necessities. Do we “need” them to survive? No. But we think that we do. And this touches every part of our world. Even the Amish, who give every appearance to have turned their back on the world, fall victim to this. Anyone who has ever lived in a community where there are Amish can tell you that they are not the quaint, naïve, simplistic folk that they are commonly portrayed to be. It sells souvenirs, but it’s not true. There’s just as much greed and pride among the Amish as there is among the “English.” And I’ve learned that it’s present in less affluent societies as well. The first time I went to Ghana, I was amazed at how happy everyone was, despite (or maybe because) they didn’t have many material possessions or financial resources. As I’ve gotten more familiar with the nation, I’ve discovered that there is just as much greed and bickering there as we have in the US. It looks different, because their circumstances are different. But the call of Babylon is all around us. Everyone is addicted to her drink.

How many of the world’s values do we take on? Do we focus our values upon the political persuasions of whatever party we adhere to? Do we devote ourselves to the financial goals that “everyone else” has? Do we identify ourselves with earthly categories or groups? Do we accept the world’s definition of what’s acceptable, and of what’s desirable? That’s what the heavenly voice calls us to abandon, like Lot fleeing from Sodom.

And that’s the second part of the heavenly proclamation. Destruction is coming. Verse 6 echoes :the words of comfort from Isaiah 40:1-2, but with a very different effect. Both passages proclaim that God will repay people double for their sins. It’s very similar to the message of the law given to Moses that crimes must be repaid double. As Exodus 22:4 puts it, “If the stolen animal is found alive in his possession – whether ox or donkey or sheep – he must pay back double.” Whereas Isaiah presents the message as a source of comfort (“Your hardship is over. You’re done paying for your sin”), Revelation is a warning (“You’re going to get back double for the trouble you’ve caused”). It’s easy for us to think that there’s no reckoning of this sort. After all, if God loves us, and if Christ died to free us from our sin, why should we have to pay for our sins at all, let alone “double”? But that’s not the gospel message at all, even though people still make the mistake that Paul tried to correct for the Romans (Romans 6:1) and the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:12-17). When we are saved, we are not merely rescued from the dire consequences of our sins. We become different people, with our lives focused in a new direction. It’s not enough to accept Christ’s gift, while still guzzling Babylon’s poison.

The last thing to notice is that destruction bears the mark of the offense. Punishment comes in the form of the sin. Babylon oppressed others, and so she will become oppressed herself. She sought glory, so she will come to grief. She amassed wealth, so she will sit in poverty. She desired luxury, so she will endure torture. The poison that kills comes in the same cup that seems to be so wonderful.

Revelation 17:7-18 – Never Trust a Cheater

Earlier this year, Arlen Specter surprised the Washington watchers by switching his party identification from Republican to Democrat. As someone who respects politicians who don’t follow the party line (my favorite political animals are rhinos and blue dogs), I thought Sen. Specter’s change of party affiliation was a nice development. But I am definitely in the minority. A recent poll of Pennsylvania voters shows that both Republicans and Democrats think less of him because of this switch. It’s understandable that Republicans consider Sen. Specter to be persona non grata, especially because his switch gave the Democrats a potentially filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. But wouldn’t you expect the Democrats to be happy? Not necessarily. Even if you benefit from someone’s switch allegiance, you’re still likely to think poorly of them and to lose respect for them. If they betrayed someone else’s trust, there’s a chance that they’ll betray yours. If the TV cop shows are to be believed, police benefit from confidential informants (or “snitches”). But they have no respect for them, because they see them as people who will sell out their friends if the price is right. Americans consider Benedict Arnold to be the scoundrel of the American Revolution, but I doubt the British thought much better of him. I don’t mean to imply that Arlen Specter is a Benedict Arnold, although I suspect there are many who would do so. My point is this: if you’re the kind of person who would let people down who thought they could trust you, then nobody’s going to trust you. Even the people you help.

In the book of Revelation, we’re seeing a lot of evil. Or, to word it more accurately, we’re finding a lot of descriptions of the evil that fills our world. And we learn that evil and suffering aren’t just happening because of chance, or even merely because of misguided human choices. There are spiritual influences at work in our world that are behind the nasty stuff that we endure. Most prominently, we read about people worshiping and giving their allegiance to the “beast,” or the Satanic competitor with God for control of the world. People and nations abandon God and good and cooperate with the demonic and destructive. However, we would be sorely mistaken if we assumed that everyone in the camp of evil was happy and content with each other, or that they play well together as one big happy team. The division of the world between the godly and the profane is not simply a difference between two competing camps that are roughly similar, like we may view conflicts like the Axis and Allied forces in World War I. They fought for different purposes, but ran things pretty similarly. There is an inherent difference between good and evil that extends beyond the fact that they are working for different purposes. They operate in different ways. And the people on either side relate with each other differently.

First, let’s think about how the people of God relate (or should relate!) with each other. There are an overwhelming number of passages that describe the unity that we share with each other, and the ways that are to support and encourage each other. For just a few examples, consider Psalm 133:1, Ephesians 4:3-6, Romans 12:10, 15-16, Romans 15:5-6, John 13:34-35, 17:23, Acts 2:44-46, 4:32-35, I Corinthians 1:10, and Hebrews 10:24-25. These are just a few examples! Even the name of our church , “Old Union,” testifies to the unity and mutual support that we are to share as God’s people. In a sense, we’re like the Marines, who never leave a man behind. We work together and support each other for God’s glory. It’s not just a good idea; it’s an inherent feature of what it means to be on the side of blessing.

At times, we may be tempted to think that the same thing is true among the forces of evil. We may assume that the followers of Satan are just as united as the people of God are, and that the only difference is that they are united behind a different leader. But nothing could be farther from the truth. If you are brought together by a spirit of rebellion, then rebellion is always going to be part of your nature. Here’s another way to understand it. The motivation for sin is often selfishness or pride. We want more for ourselves than we deserve, because we think that we are better than we are. So we take from God and others what belong to them, and assume (or kid ourselves into believing) that we deserve it. Or, maybe we don’t think that we deserve it, but our appetites and desires overwhelm our better judgment and we just go for it anyway. (Did Bernie Madoff think he deserved all those billions of dollars? Or did he just take it because he wanted it?). No matter how you look at it, evil is self-centered. It’s about getting what you want for you. There’s no sense of unity or shared purpose, unless you think that you will benefit better individually by banding together with others. But even then, you have to be careful. As the saying goes, there’s no honor among thieves. For a good example of this, remember the bank heist at the beginning of last year’s Batman move, “The Dark Knight.” A team of robbers work together to knock off a bank, but each of them kills their colleague after he has fulfilled his purpose, so that the Joker could leave with all the money for himself.

And this is exactly what we find in our Bible passage. We met the prostitute and the beast in the first six verses of the chapter, when I explained that they represented the seductive allure of power. I touched on the fact that the pride of power was most evident in John’s day in the Roman Empire. Now, we can explore the relationship between the prostitute and the beast that she rides upon a little closer. First, John provides some very thinly veiled references to Rome in his description of the prostitute (verse 9 alludes to the city on seven hills, verse 10 to the Roman emperors, and verse 15 to Rome’s domination of the nations). Fair enough. But the beast upon whom the prostitute rides is an uneasy mount. The beast is, of course, a version of the beasts that we met in Chapter 13. Verse 8’s reminder of the beast coming out of the Abyss brings the events of Chapter 9 back to mind. It is Satan’s power at work in human affairs. The woman, Rome, has attained her position by allying herself with the beast, Satan. But it is a shaky alliance, because neither the woman nor the beast have any sense of loyalty to each other. They’re both in it for themselves, and the only reason they’re working with the other one is to advance their own goals. Once the partner has outlived his or her usefulness, they turn on each other like the robbers in the Batman movie. That’s why verse 12 says that the kings of Rome (the horns) will only reign for an hour. Their time for usefulness will pass quickly.

The beast, the prostitute, and the peoples who ally themselves with them will be defeated by the Lamb, Jesus Christ. We’ll see that victory in Chapters 18 and 19. But the downfall of the beast and the prostitute is practically inevitable, because of their character and because of their reasons for being together in the first place. As Psalm 7 and other passages of Scripture point out, evil leads to its own downfall. Much of what we consider to be God’s judgment or punishment is simply God allowing evil to proceed to its own natural consequences. You dig a pit, and you’re going to fall into it. You lead a destructive lifestyle, and you’re going to destroy yourself. It’s a concept that the cliché, “give him enough rope to hang himself with,” is based upon.

So, in order to win his victory over evil, Christ first allows the forces of evil to proceed to their own logical consequences. The beast turns against the prostitute. The kings and the peoples turn against each other as they seek to advance themselves on the backs of each other. The legions of Satan end up looking like the army of Midian after Gideon’s soldiers sounded their horns (Judges 7:19-25). The easiest way to defeat an enemy is to let them destroy themselves.

The unity that we share is not simply a good way to protect each other from danger, like musk oxen forming a protective circle for their calves when the wolves come howling, or like pioneers circling the wagons to fend of Indian attacks. It’s part of our very nature as the people of God. We don’t abandon the weak or turn against each other for our own advantage. The reason we don’t do these things, what sets us apart from those under Satan’s influence, is because we have renounced our own ambitions. We happily place our lives under the care of the Lamb, the true King of the kings, because we know that he will never turn on us, forget us, abandon us, or reject us.

Revelation 17:1-6 – Power Is Seductive

This passage is nothing new. Or, to word it better, it’s a closer look at what’s already been introduced in 14:8 and 16:19. Babylon, the great city, is destroyed. We need to remember that this is not the literal city of Babylon. Even though that city was still in existence at the time that John had his vision, it had nowhere near the political, economic, and military importance that it had in centuries past. But Babylon had become a symbol for the hubris and oppression that comes from overreaching human power. It was a power, and represented other powers, that dominated and oppressed. In particular, “Babylons” persecute believers. But they also put a price on everyone and everything, and destroy lives in the process. In John’s day, “Babylon” was the Roman Empire. I Peter 5:13, for example, uses the name “Babylon” to refer to Rome.

John’s description of Babylon relies upon other themes, from the Old Testament, that describe evil political power that attacks the people of God. We’ve already seen multiple references to Moses and the plagues of Egypt, particularly in Chapter 16. Here, we also see some of the images of Jezebel, King Ahab’s foreign queen who promoted paganism and repressed worship of the Lord in Israel.

John is taken to the desert, normally a place of security, where he sees the woman on a beast. Don’t confuse this woman in the desert for the one of 12:6, 14, who represents the people God! She has world-wide influence (sitting on the many waters, and intoxicating the kings and inhabitants of the earth). The two strongest images about this woman are drunkenness and prostitution or adultery. Of the two, the second is the strongest of all.

Anyone from the first century would have recognized all sorts of images related to Rome that are attached to this woman and the beast upon which she sits. The blasphemous names are the emperor’s claims of divinity. The seven heads are either (or both) the seven hills of Rome or the emperors. The ten horns would be the local officials who did the Romans’ bidding. Even the name on the woman’s forehead is a connection with Rome; Roman prostitutes wrote their names on their foreheads (perhaps a creative form of advertising).

But we miss the point if we recognize the woman on the beast simply as an imaginative way to represent the Roman Empire. Rome was simply an example in John’s time of the prostitute’s influence in the world all the time. It was there for the original Babylon, and for every generation from John’s day to ours. And it will still be there until the end of history, when God will destroy it forever. This passage, however, doesn’t describe the punishment and destruction of the “Whore of Babylon,” as she’s often called. First, we need to understand that it is, and how it affects our lives.

The woman is power. And power can be a dangerous thing. Lord Acton put it famously: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Presbyterians recognize the danger of power, and so our form of government is set up in a way that ensures that no single person ever has very much power. And those who do have authority and power only have it for a limited period of time. Lord Acton and the Presbyterians recognize the danger of this woman. Power is seductive and addictive. It lures you in, and once you’re in its grips, its all but impossible to break out.

Describing the seductive nature of power as a prostitute is consistent with a theme that is prevalent in the Old Testament. Prostitution was a common theme to condemn pagan religions, for two reasons. First, many of these religions were fertility cults that focused upon the birth of many healthy babies and upon successful harvests. As part of their rituals, some of these religions would have shrine prostitutes, with whom worshipers would, well, relate as a symbolic action of fertility. Others would promote “group activity” to celebrate fertility. It wasn’t much of a leap for the prophets to identify pagan religions with sexual promiscuity. But there was a second, perhaps more profound, reason why idol worship was described as illicit sex: whether it was prostitution or adultery. God had call his people to be faithful to him, and to him alone. The relationship between God and his people is compared to that of a husband and wife. Hosea lived out this metaphor in a powerful and probably heartbreaking way. It continues in the New Testament; Paul’s description of the marriage ideal in Ephesians 5 is directly related to the church’s relationship with Christ. And as we go on in Revelation, we’ll see the church portrayed as a bride. Any time a believer steps out on God and puts their hope and trust in someone or something else, or allows someone or something else to become the most important thing in their lives, it’s like committing adultery. And if we go from one thing to another, seeking fulfillment in all the wrong places, we’re like a prostitute with many partners.

The main issue of the prostitute of Babylon in Revelation 17 isn’t sexual sin, although that can certainly be a feature of the problem. The prostitute symbolizes power. The close association of the prostitute with the Roman Empire, the most powerful force in John’s time, makes this clear. All the powerful people of the earth want her: they want power and influence

And it fits everyday life well. It’s practically second nature for people to want influence, control, and power. We want to be in charge. That doesn’t mean that we all want to be up front, telling everyone what to do and having them follow our orders. Some of us would rather have a quieter, more background power. But we still want people to do it our way. In our church, for example, who has more power: the fund-raising committee that promotes an activity and asks for everyone’s help, or the people who sit back quietly and grumbles to other people that they don’t like the activities or think that we’re having too many of them? They are both quests for control and influence. We want people to do things our way. And we get the credit and praise for it, we’re not going to complain about it!

We all seek power in certain ways. Some of them are obvious and direct, and others are more subtle and quiet. Here’s just a few examples:
• force: military might, or the bully on the playground
• money: everything has a price, and with money you can get what you want and avoid what you don’t.
• knowledge: education opens doors for you, and equips you to use people, ideas, and materials to advance your goals
• personal charm: if you can win people over with a smile and a well-placed word, you can get them to do what you want, and maybe not even realize it. Taken to the extreme, this can even include seductive “charm” that’s similar to the woman of this passage. Many women know how to turn on their charm and turn men into babbling fools who will do whatever she wants.
• relationships: people who have influential friends and relatives can call upon them to help their plans succeed. And if you don’t have any of them, but if you have a lot of “regular” people that will be there for you, you’ve got the ability to make things happen.
These are just a few examples, but you probably get the point.

We seek power because it promises all sorts of good things that come our way. The woman of this passage is draped in all the trappings of luxury: expensive fabric, gold and precious jewels, and intoxicating drink that just pulls you into it more and more. We want power because it offers us the things that, we think, make for a good and happy life. Ultimately, however, they are disappointing, cheap, gawdy, and ultimately enslaving, especially when compared to the heavenly vision we’ve already seen. Who would want to trade the majesty and glory of heaven for the Vegas showgirl gaudiness of this woman? Well, we would if we lose sight of what true beauty and blessing really looks like. The allure of power isn’t necessarily financial or material prosperity. You may want power in order for people to think more highly of you or to achieve your goals. Ultimately, however, power is its own promise. We want power not just for what it can give us, but because it, in itself, is seductive. It plays up to the inherent selfishness and pride that marks our fallen human nature.

It’s easy for us to get sucked into the quest for power in our lives. It is seductive and addictive. We can let our lives begin to revolve around the things that we think we have power over, or will give us more power. Sometimes, we will do it at any price. We become like the person who is caught up in an affair and is so hypnotized by it that he or she can’t see the damage that it is causing themselves and other people. This description and warning about the nature of power, and how seductive it can be, is a splash of cold water on the face to break its grip on us. The struggle of faith is to escape the temptations of power, to realize the doom of those who chase after it, and to dedicate ourselves to the One with true power and honor and glory.

Revelation 16:12-21 – The Battle Belongs to the Lord

If you play word association and say “Revelation,” I wouldn’t be surprised if many people respond “Armageddon.” It’s sort of like the mark of the beast; everyone knows that Armageddon is the epic battle between good and evil that devastates the world. There’s just one question: is that really what Armageddon is?

This passage describes the events that happen as the sixth and seventh bowls are poured out to wreak God’s wrath upon creation as he purges it of evil and sin. The sixth bowl is poured out on the Euphrates River, which dries up to prepare the way for the kings of the east. That one sentence should spark several Scriptural allusions in your mind. The drying up of the Euphrates River to make way for an invading army is similar to how the flow of the Jordan River was stopped so that Joshua and the Israelites could enter the Promised Land and fight the battle of Jericho. “Preparing the way” for a king sounds a lot like Isaiah 40, a passage frequently used to describe Christ’s coming into the world. And the “kings of the east” may make you think of the magi of the Christmas story. I don’t know if John wanted to remind us of these things, but if he did, he turns the positive images inside out. The river is dried up, not to make way for God’s army, but for an army led by evil spirits. The way is prepared not for the Messiah, but for Satan’s minions. The kings of the east don’t bear gifts but bring warfare. They lead the armies of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Scythia, and the other eastern empires and hordes that swept into the Holy Land. The army is led by the unholy trinity of the dragon, sea beast, and land beast that we met in Chapters 12 and 13. Evil spirits that look like frogs pop out of the dragon and beasts; they are reminders of yet another of the plagues of Egypt that these bowls echo. I understand these frog-spirits to be the epitome of the evil that the dragon and beasts carry. Verse 14 reminds us of the miracle-working abilities of evil that we saw in Chapter 13. Remember: just because someone performs a miracle doesn’t mean that they’re from God. The frog-spirits gather all the armies of the earth together to fight against God. The battle they’re itching for is a repeat on earth of the battle in heaven that we read about in Revelation 12:7-8. Satan lost that battle against Michael. Apparently he thought he could wind this one. Or, it may just be his desperate last-ditch effort.

Verse 15 is an interesting insertion. It’s the admonition that Jesus gave in Matthew 24:43, which Paul develops further in 1 Thessalonians 5:2. Jesus’ coming will be unexpected, just as the robber who breaks into your house doesn’t give an advance notice. We are admonished to be alert and ready for action. Keep your clothes on and don’t fall asleep. After the plagues of Egypt, the Israelites were told to be ready to move out on a moment’s notice: eat food prepared quickly, don’t sit down to eat, and be packed up and ready to leave. It’s also a reminder of how John failed Jesus, together with Peter and James, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane when the forces of evil were gathering to confront him. John fell asleep and didn’t stay awake.

The next verse is a simple but evocative statement: the evil spirits gathered the armies of the earth at Armageddon. We can probably assume that this is the same gathering of armies that we’ll meet again at the end of Chapter 19. This is the only place where the name “Armageddon” shows up in the entire Bible. But if we take the hint and read it in Hebrew, it makes perfect sense. “Armageddon” = “har Meggido” in Hebrew, which is “the hill or mountain of Meggido” in English. And Meggido is a strategically and historically significant place in Israel. To understand it, we first need a geography lesson, and then a history lesson. Here’s the geography: the land of Israel is a long strip between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and the Jordan River valley to the east. Running north and south in between is a big mountain ridge. However, there’s a gap in the mountains about a third of the way down. It’s large flat plain called the Valley of Jezreel. And Meggido is a town perched on a hilltop just at the edge of the plain. The Valley of Jezreel was strategically important, because it was the best way to get from the Mediterranean side of the mountains to the Jordan River side, and to the lands to the east beyond it. It was a heavily traveled trade route, and armies used it as well. A number of significant battles were fought in the Jezreel Valley, in the shadow of Meggido. But the most significant happened in the days of Josiah, king of Judah. And that’s our history lesson.

Josiah was the most devout and faithful king the nation had ever known, and is credited for doing amazing things to root out pagan practices and revive the worship of the Lord after generations of neglect. Under Josiah, the kingdom began to regain some of its lost glory and appeared to be on the way to becoming as powerful and prosperous as it had been during the Golden Age of David and Solomon. But Josiah made a tragic and devastating miscalculation of international relations. His kingdom stood in between three great empires: Egypt to the south, Assyria to the north, and Babylon to the east. Josiah learned that Egypt’s army was going to march through the Jezreel Valley to link up with the Assyrian army, so that together they could attack Babylon. The Egyptians didn’t have a beef with Josiah and the kingdom of Judah; they were just passing through. It’s the same thing that US troops are doing when they land in Tajikistan to get into Afghanistan. We’re not fighting the Tajiks; we just go through their land to get to our enemies. Now, the kingdom of Judah had suffered under the heel of the Assyrians for decades, so Josiah didn’t really think to kindly of them. He didn’t like the idea of Egypt helping the Assyrians take on the new upstart kingdom of Babylon. So he attacked the Egyptian army as they passed through the valley near Meggido. It was a devastating loss for Josiah and his army. In fact, Josiah was mortally wounded and died shortly after being taken off the battle field. His gambit did succeed in a way, however. His attack against the Egyptians slowed them down enough that they couldn’t join the Assyrians in the battle against the Babylonians, and the Assyrians lost. But the news wasn’t really all that good. Yes, the Assyrians used to be a powerful and cruel empire. But they were fading away. The Babylonians’ victory helped them to become the next great superpower. And soon, the Babylonians would be the ones laying siege to Jerusalem. Even worse, of course, was the death of Josiah. Judah lost its dynamic reformer-king at the time when it needed a strong king the most. The nation slid back into paganism, and eventually the Babylonians wiped it from the face of the map. The tragedy of Josiah’s battle is that it was unnecessary. He could have kept out of the way and let the big nasty foreign armies tackle each other and save his strength, and life, for another day. We get no indication that God wanted Josiah to fight the Egyptians. He fought and died for nothing.

That’s the sad story of the first battle of Armageddon. Now, in John’s vision, we see the armies of the nations gathering for a repeat performance. The first battle reversed the fortunes of a godly king. Now, Satan wants to take on God himself. It’s another battle of international super-heavyweights. So what happens? Well, it seems as though John’s vision leaves us hanging. The armies gather together, but there’s no description of a battle. Or at the very least, we have to wait until Chapter 19 to see it.

Or, is something else going on? The seventh bowl gets poured out, and the angel tells us that the work is done: it’s finished! The earth convulses like it never has before. There’s an unbelievable hailstorm, with the hail measured not by inches in diameter but by the hundreds of pounds of weight (by the way, a reminder of yet another of the plagues of Egypt). It is absolute, total destruction that removes even the mountains and the islands. Once more, however, the mountains and islands are symbols. Mountaintops were the sites of pagan worship in the Old Testament, and for John’s readers they may have represented the seven hills of Rome, the mighty empire of their time. The islands could remind us of Patmos, the prison island where John had been exiled.

Most important of all is the collapse of “the great city.” This isn’t Jerusalem, but Babylon. Yes, the same Babylon that the Assyrians and Egyptians were fighting. The same Babylon that came to represent the worst of human oppressive power. We’re going to learn more in the next chapter about the doom of Babylon.

And what does this have to do with us? Hopefully, we can learn a lesson from Josiah’s fate at the first battle of Meggido and not repeat it. He got involved in a fight that wasn’t his. Yes, we are to be God’s agents at work to fight evil and make the world a better place. But we need to exercise discretion and learn to pick our battles. Who knows how history would have been different, and the fate of Judah could have changed, Josiah didn’t die in battle and Babylon had been defeated? The armies gathering at Armageddon are destroyed, but not by some mighty Christian army that faces them across the battle line. They are destroyed by earthquake, lightning, and hail. They are destroyed by God’s wrath and power. We don’t need to get involved sometimes: just sit back and watch what God will do.