Revelation 18 and the GAE: A Word of Hope

It can be easy to despair over the future. John's Apocalypse brings us a word of hope, pulling back the curtain to show us the grand spiritual war going on behind the veil.

We in the west carry around within us and our culture a number of very powerful myths. We have a positive vision of the values of enlightenment liberalism, of human freedom, the rule of law, democracy, human rights, natural rights, the power of science and technology, market capitalism, free speech, religious freedom, even the right to bear arms and more. For many of us, we understand this as growing up from within a Christian society, that these ideas have a Christian origin, and thus find their true meaning as understood through the lens of Christian teaching and practice. Where this finds its boldest expression is in America. After all, many of the colonists saw the new world as a place where they could practice their faith in peace. America was supposed to be the light on the hill, a beacon to the rest of the world. It is the home of the Manifest Destiny. As America spread, so too was the Christian faith. God was with the American project. The Declaration, the Constitution, the Civil War, the two World Wars, the Cold War can all be interpreted through this lens. Good vs. evil, in which, however imperfectly, good continued to triumph through America again and again and again. America is God’s country, his people, carrying forward his mission.

Yet, when open our eyes and look around, the myths and the reality no longer seem to weave together. You can’t even really squint hard to see it still. It has been a while in coming, but when one looks at the current state of things and the reality of the globalist nature of our political class, their interests and their loyalties, it is hard to see much of a Manifest Destiny anymore. That is not really correct. There is a sense of mission, but it is no longer Christian. And it is an open question as to whether or not it is still American in its primary aims and goals.

What changed and when is a question of open debate today on the right. Is the current state of things a corruption of the founding principles? Is the state of things the unintended consequences of founding ideas once their inner logic is worked out to their ultimate conclusions? Were the enlightenment liberal ideas espoused in the founding truly compatible with Christian teaching, or were they actually hostile to it? These questions and more do need to be hashed out. But what is unmistakable is that in the recent past we crossed some line.

I am old enough to remember when people talked openly of the “American Dream” as if this were still a real thing. You could work hard, follow your dreams and “make it.” Then came NAFTA. The opening of our markets to Japan. Reading product labels, seeing the words “Made in China,” knowing that something was changing. Steel mills closing. Textile mills closing. Factories closing, but only after you have trained your replacements. I have seen in my lifetime, a staggering growth in income and wealth disparity. It is a new political reality when you are in your 40’s and realize that all those Marxist union bosses who complained about NAFTA and the impact it would have on manufacturing and jobs were all, in hindsight, correct. You look and there is a political class whose lives are lived “up there” in a different world from those of us who live “down here.” The wealth and excess of those who live “up there” seems somehow otherworldly. It is easy to despair.

This morning I was reading in my devotions the last seven chapters of the Apocalypse of John. This vision of John’s was a word of encouragement for a persecuted church, a church assaulted by a large “global” empire, ruled by men of otherworldly power and wealth. The vision pulls back the curtain to show us the supernatural realities behind the scenes. The message is one that we hear a lot on the right: “We are going to win.” The last days are upon us. In some sense, they have always been upon us. Ever since those fateful events in the Garden of Eden, we have lived under the judgement of God. History, being typological, will foreshadow the “big one,” the true end of days, with events that fit the mold of prophesy. When the “big one” comes, you will know. Until then, these typological foreshadows give both warning and hope. Here is what I read:

Lament Over Fallen Babylon

18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
    She has become a dwelling for demons
and a haunt for every impure spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
    a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
3 For all the nations have drunk
    the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,
    and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’
    so that you will not share in her sins,
    so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
5 for her sins are piled up to heaven,
    and God has remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given;
    pay her back double for what she has done.
    Pour her a double portion from her own cup.
7 Give her as much torment and grief
    as the glory and luxury she gave herself.
In her heart she boasts,
    ‘I sit enthroned as queen.
I am not a widow;
    I will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
    death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire,
    for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    you mighty city of Babylon!
In one hour your doom has come!’

11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.

14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet,
    and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out:

“‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,
    where all who had ships on the sea
    became rich through her wealth!
In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens!
    Rejoice, you people of God!
    Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
    with the judgment she imposed on you.”

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said:

“With such violence
    the great city of Babylon will be thrown down,
    never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters,
    will never be heard in you again.
No worker of any trade
    will ever be found in you again.
The sound of a millstone
    will never be heard in you again.
23 The light of a lamp
    will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
    will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s important people.
    By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people,
    of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

Yes, America, at least its ruling class, is no longer the light on the hill. It is no longer carrying forward the manifest destiny. The leadership class is part of global power block that lives for the accumulation of its own power and wealth. They are building a tower to the heavens. They are Babel. They are Babylon. It is time to recognize that our leadership class is the whore of Babylon. Participation in what it is, is the same as prostituting one’s self to the whore. The idea that we can seize the whore and make it our own is laughable. It is time to separate ourselves and draw hope from its demise, just as the prophet revealed. Our leadership class, for all its luxury and wealth must be seen as living under the judgement of God. For those of us who live “down here” this is a message of hope.