Key Verse:
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all” (Revelation 18:21).
Our text captures what God prescribed as the total destruction of Babylon, which shall be sudden and catastrophic. The sins of the city were that she deceived many nations and killed saints. God had a controversy against her and brought her beneath the surface where nobody could see her again. The city, which was once basking with socio-economic activities became a shadow of herself. John the Beloved, in this vision, saw a mighty angel throw a stone, like a great millstone, into the sea, aptly portraying the downfall of the great city and its system. The angel, as a confirmation of this declares, “Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all”. Entertaining sounds of harps, singers, flutes or trumpets ceased on her streets, while craftsmen, who furnished the items of luxury, were no more. Industrial activities was totally destroyed; the millstones, which grind the grain for flour, could not get grains, thus affecting food supply. Lamps, which lit the homes and businesses were permanently put out and darkness engulfed everywhere. The merry voices at wedding parties ceased. The destruction of Babylon is a note of warning to everybody, particularly as we conduct our lives in this world, with the prevailing mindset that money is everything. Even after the Bible had clearly warned that “the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows”, many remain adamantly wedded to committing heinous crimes because of money. What happened to Babylon is instructive to all: great destruction awaits those who have made mammon, (money) their god.
