Sermon preached by Pastor Vincent Bourrel on 10th October 2021
Chapters 17-18 focus on one aspect of the seven bowls: the judgment of Babylon. By the time John writes Revelation, Babylon is in ruins, a city greatly reduced in size and without any influence. In the Old Testament, Babylon symbolized everything that was pagan, powerful, arrogant, self-sufficient, and vile. But it was judged by God in 539 B.C. under the Medo-Persian emperor Cyrus. Babylon was the capital of the empire (Nebuchadnezzar was its illustrious founder), it was an extremely powerful city, magnificent, rich but also debauched, idolatrous, occult…).
So when the angel makes John see Babylon the great harlot, he is not referring to the historical city of Babylon but to what it represents, to the spirit of Babylon that remains throughout the centuries. Babylon embodies the world system that has rejected God and is intoxicated with power, luxury and debauchery…
In John’s time this system was embodied by the Roman Empire and its capital Rome, (17:9 the city of seven hills). This is the system that persecutes them, these emperors are worshipped as gods. John cannot name it, as he is already in exile because of the Roman power. That’s why he says v.9 « It is here that we need an understanding enlightened by wisdom ». We still need this understanding to understand what form Babylon is taking today.
(la suite…)