When the end of the world comes to Babylon it is unlikely that mills of the sort John imagined would be running. It is a time which the world has yet to come to. Of course there are many agrarian villages in the world, but Babylon will be a city beyond that. So the angel is speaking words and concepts, painting images to John that will give the gist of how things will be.
Lights at night – Gone
Terry Brooks has come to fame as an author through a book series that centers in the fictional world of Shannara. When I hear of lights in a city and the comfort they give I usually think of scenes from Shannara or other places of imagination crafted by people like Tolkien, Sanderson or maybe Robert Jordan.I love how the Sword of Shannara starts. A young fellow named Flick is returning to his home from some travels to nearby villages. When he is getting close he is seemingly accosted by a mysterious, tall man. It was Allanon, of course, if you have any recollection of these stories, and as this opening scene unfolds he rescues Flick from some terrible flying, dark beasts who were hunting him and likely would have caught him. Allanon keeps him safely in the forest and then when it is safe tells Flick to head to the Inn at the village were he lives.
Here is a bit from the return to the inn:
“Several minutes later, the trees and brush began to thin out and the flickering of yellow light was visible through the darkness. As they drew closer, the vague forms of buildings began to take shape as square and rectangular bulks in the gloom. The path widened into a smoother dirt road that led straight into the hamlet, and Flick smiled gratefully at the lights that shone in friendly greeting through the windows of the silent buildings. No one moved on the road ahead; if it had not been for the lights, one might well have wondered if anyone at all lived in the Vale.”
That is from the middle of Chapter 1 and oh how I love that book.
Maybe you are more familiar with modern times and can remember the radio adds for Motel 6? Do you recall the phrase he always concludes with? “I’m Tom Bodett for Motel6 and we’ll leave the light on for you.”
Lights lead us home. They give warmth and belonging and a place to be after the sun sets. All that will be over after Babylon is violently destroyed.
Weddings / Celebrations – Gone
City sounds are one thing, but voices are another. God has placed a special emphasis on humans unfolding to us his perspective all the way back to when he made us. A man and a woman are to marry. God gave us this pattern and it has stood throughout all time as a proper, healthy, helpful institution.
Marriages are accompanied by great pomp and circumstance. The event is heard in its music and it is heard in the voices of the bridegroom and bride.
Babyl-gone
Each of these are examples the angel told John will be destroyed with Babylon’s demise. After its violent disappearance the good things which God gave people will be taken from her.
“Every good and perfect gift if from above,” said James,1 “coming down from the father of the heavenly lights.”
At some point the experience of God’s good gifts to people will be limited to those who trusted God’s way of things. It is a form of adultery to take God’s good gifts and use them for your own pleasure, in your own way. When God decides enough is enough those who have chosen their own way will get that, but their own way does not come with its own blessings.
Want more references?
- “A Diamond is Forever” – Look at this Washington Post article for an interesting background.
- “11 verses about millstones” – This is in the returned list by searching with Google for these two words: Bible, millstone.
- “It’s what you do” – Geico has made a lot of commercials over this idea.
- “We’ll leave the light on for ya'” – Motel 6 has some iconic radio commercials
- Tom Bodett’s wikipedia page
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