Lent 24 post 9

 Revelation 18.1-3, 18.20-19.9

The war drags on

On D-Day, 6 June 1944, with the Allied invasion of Normandy, the decisive victory of the Second World War began. And by September that year, they had coined the term ‘VE Day', ‘Victory in Europe’ was assured and eagerly anticipated. But the war went on for eleven more months of bloody fighting, and VE Day did not actually arrive until 8 May 1945.

In the three years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and supremely at the cross, God in Christ won the decisive victory over all the forces of evil. But the end of the cosmic war lies ahead of us still assured and eagerly anticipated, even in the midst of the suffering and persecution and battles that God’s people endure in this interim period between the first Easter and the Lord’s return. 

Throughout this week, I hope you have spotted that we traced the story of God’s defeat of evil from Genesis to Revelation, from the serpent’s injection of evil into human life and history and God’s promise that the serpent itself would be crushed (Genesis 3), right through to the rejoicing of all creation in God’s victory (Revelation 19). What a story! What a plot! What a climactic ending (and new beginning too)!

‘Rejoice, you people of God!’ (Revelation 18.20)

Just as the Song of Moses and Miriam celebrated the downfall of the Pharaoh, so Revelation 19 answers the threefold call of 18.20 to rejoice over the downfall of Babylon. Now you’ll be aware, I’m sure, that in the Old Testament Babylon was an actual city, the centre of an empire that rose to power under Nebuchadnazzer and ruled the Middle East for about seventy years, in the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, roughly from 605 to 538 BC. But ‘Babylon’ then became a symbolic word, a code name for all the evil and tyrannical regimes, ancient and modern, that have blighted, exploited and destroyed countless human lives throughout history. And it is in that sense that Revelation condemns ‘Babylon’. Of course, John’s readers in his day would have had no difficulty recognising the Roman Empire in his portrayal. But the evils he describes in chapter 18 (read the whole chapter) could apply to many a regime that has perpetrated social, political and economic injustice and oppression, along with the vicious persecution of God’s people. 

‘Fallen is Babylon the Great!’

Indeed, Babylon by this stage of the book of Revelation has come to stand for the whole world of human and satanic rebellion ranged against God and God’s people, arrogant, boastful, voraciously greedy, devouring and destructive of human life and created resources. 

But not for ever! God will bring her down, and her destruction will be decisive, permanent, eternal (did you spot the repeated ‘never again’ of 18.21-24?). Maybe you find the language of these chapters too graphic and brutal. But remember that God’s final judgment is part of the biblical gospel. It is good news that God will not let evil have the last word. He promised to crush the serpent’s head. He triumphed over evil powers at the cross. And he will ultimately defeat and destroy Satan’s whole regime and all that goes with it. God is the Judge of all the earth who will do what is right (Genesis 18.25, Revelation 18.8, 20, 19.1). God will put all things right before he makes all things new (21.5).

Let the party begin!

And so the hallelujahs ring out in chapter 19, to usher in the greatest party of all time, the wedding feast of the Lamb (19.7-8). Christ will be united with his bride, and she herself will be utterly cleansed, pure and holy, gorgeously beautiful (21.2) and eternally safe.

That’s us, by the way. We’re all invited (19.9). Don’t you just love how God ends this vast epic narrative that we call our Bible in this way? The lover gets his girl. The bridegroom embraces his bride. All the rivals and villains are ousted. God makes his new home with his people (21.3). And (in a way that will be no fairy tale but gloriously true) ‘they all lived happily ever after’.