Angel 2 – Babylon is fallen
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” (Revelation 14:8–ESV)
Babylon is a most ancient city and one the Holy Scriptures have not been silent about. It is the dark city of Satan and can rightly be spoken of as a place from which his plans have originated. In the Psalms we see that God shines forth from Zion. Conversely Satan’s mutations on truth have oozed and marched from Babylon. While the righteousness of God shines forth from Zion an anti-righteousness has been Satan’s brew.
Can you recall the seven deadly sins? They are pride, covetousness, anger, gluttony, envy, sloth, and lust.
The Dragon and his Beasts are but the last in Satan’s killing passions. Since the dawn of the era of man Satan has been saturating the minds of men. Just as one potato chip invites the next or one frosting leaden cookie urges another so wine inflames the passions. One after another the immoralities of Satan spewed forth throughout the world and that intoxication was deadly, eternally so.
Digression into vice is not where I want the message of this angel to slide, however. What did this angel say? How did he start his memorandum to man? With one word and that repeated: fallen. Satan’s themes were fallen themes, fallen from God’s intentions and they made men stagger. Men fell from their sins.
Soaked in sin Satan’s city sank
Well, Satan’s taint was not immune from destruction. His wine is but a house of cards and one he cannot long live in either. So what happened? He fell. The seat of his power fell. That was not a message he would spread, but God would. The angel goes forth to tell the world that the great city of sin was fallen.
Why does the angel come with this message but to save some who have not yet fallen. For some who had already made the decision to march lock-step with the Beasts this message would be a forecast. Their eternal weather will be dark and foreboding as they, like Babylon, will fall.
Others are on the brink of their final choice: self, Satan or the Savior. I think it is this bunch that the message of angel 2 is chiefly directed. God is still shining forth from Zion. Zion did not sink; it was not fallen. Being built on the best foundation it will stand forever.
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