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.