“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation 18:1-3).
These verses depict an amazing spectacle. Consider the magnitude of power that would be necessary to allow this angelic being to illuminate the earth. This is especially noteworthy in relation to an earlier passage from Revelation chapter thirteen: “…the throne of the beast, and his kingdom was plunged into darkness” (Revelation 13:10). So much like a spotlight that illuminates criminal activity that occurs under the cover of darkness, God’s angelic agent will illuminate this world for all to see.
Next. we’re told “…all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries” (NIV). So this encompasses more than just a single town, region, or country. Instead, this passage tells us that every nation will adopt the same godless economic philosophy. Verse three then goes on to describe the impact of that global phenomenon: “Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich” (NLT).
These verses hold a surprising degree of relevance for modern-day audiences. For instance, if God has blessed us with the opportunity to purchase various luxury items, we should approach those purchases thoughtfully and prayerfully to ensure we are using those resources in a way that honors Him. In addition to our text from Revelation eighteen, the New Testament book of James offers a brutally frank assessment that draws our attention to an attitude we should avoid…
“And now, you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire.
You have piled up riches in these last days. You have not paid any wages to those who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty. Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent people, and they do not resist you” (James 5:1-6 GNT).
We’ll consider this challenging subject at greater length next.
Image Attribution: Photo by comfreak from Freerange Stock