Scripture Reading: Jer. 50; Jer. 51
In this message I would like to give a brief further word concerning Babylon.
After writing concerning Israel, God's chosen people, Jeremiah wrote six chapters concerning the nations involved with Israel. His writing concerning these nations begins with Egypt and ends with Babylon. As we have seen, Egypt typifies the world of making a living and of enjoyment. Now we need to see that Babylon is not only the end but also the beginning of human government.
The great human image in Daniel 2 represents the totality of human government on earth, which began at Babel and ends with the Roman Empire. The head of that human image is Babylon, and the feet and the toes are the Roman Empire. But in God's eyes the entire image is Babylon.
According to the historical understanding, the four parts of the great image represent four empires — Babylon, Medo-Persia, Macedonia-Greece, and Rome — but in the sight of God all these empires are Babylon. Since the head of the image is Babylon, the entire image from the head to the toes must be Babylon. Thus, in the eyes of God, the entire human government of the human race on earth is Babylon.
In Revelation the restored Roman Empire is called Babylon the Great (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2). Babylon the Great has two aspects — a political aspect (Rev. 18) and a religious aspect (Rev. 17).
The political aspect of Babylon the Great includes many material things and many things related to the international trade and commerce upon the earth (Rev. 18:9-19). This indicates that communism will not be long lasting. At the end time, the political situation of the world will not be communistic, for international trade, not merely national commerce, will be thriving.
Babylon the Great also has a religious aspect. The religious Babylon, the Roman church, was established when the papal system was built up, and it gradually spread into political circles, until eventually the Roman church was wrapped up with and became one with the Roman Empire. Thus, in Revelation the Roman Empire is likened to a beast, and the Roman church is likened to a woman riding on a beast (13:1; 17:3). This indicates that the two — the Roman Empire and the Roman church — are one.
Both politically and religiously, today's world situation is altogether Roman. This means that the world situation is under the influence of Roman politics and Roman religion. Most of the present governments were adopted based on Roman law and Roman administration. In other words, modern government is built upon Roman principles of law and government. Furthermore, the Roman church is prominent in many nations, and the pope has a high political standing. Hence, today, both politically and religiously, the entire earth has been Romanized. In a very real sense, the whole world is Roman.
Satan initiated the Roman government not only two thousand years ago but also with Nimrod at Babel (Gen. 10:8-10). At Babel, Satan caused the human race to rebel against God, to worship idols, and to exalt man's self (Gen. 11:1-9). There man built a high tower, a monument, to make a name for himself.
Since the whole world has become Roman, under the influence of Roman government and Roman religion, it may seem that God has been defeated. However, the book of Revelation shows us that our God surely has not been defeated.
At the end of this age, the Roman Empire will be restored and strengthened to produce its last Caesar, Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (Rev. 17:9-11; 2 Thes. 2:3-4, 8), who will be very powerful. It is he who will destroy the Roman church at the beginning of the great tribulation. Concerning this, Revelation 17:16 says, "The ten horns which you saw and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and burn her utterly with fire." That the ten horns and the beast will hate the harlot and make her desolate means that Antichrist and the ten kings of the restored Roman Empire will persecute the Roman church. They will make the Roman church "desolate and naked," meaning that they will destroy her, rob her of her riches, and expose her; they will "eat her flesh," meaning that they will kill her members; and they will "burn her utterly with fire," meaning that they will annihilate her altogether.
Then, at the end of the tribulation, Christ will come down from the heavens, with the overcomers as His army, to fight against Antichrist directly and defeat him and cast him alive into the lake of fire (Rev. 19). That will be the last fighting of man against God, a fighting that began at Babel and that will increase and intensify until the war at Armageddon. With Christ's defeat of Antichrist, the entire Roman Empire will be destroyed and all the Roman things will be removed, cleared away, from the earth. There will be no more Roman church or Roman Empire; that is, there will be no more Babylon. Then what will be prominent on earth will not be Babylon but the New Jerusalem.
In the Bible there are two prominent cities — Babylon and Jerusalem. We see these two cities in Jeremiah and in Revelation. In the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, Babylon came to destroy Jerusalem and to make her a ruin, a desolation. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, there are Babylon the Great and the New Jerusalem. Eventually, Babylon the Great will be destroyed, removed from the earth, and cast into the lake of fire, and the New Jerusalem will be brought in to be the prominent center of God's eternal kingdom in the new heaven and new earth.
