“Hey, did you get my message?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Wednesday, November 15, 2023
Revelation 18:21-24 Forward, p. 17) CEV p. 1310
In this day of emails and text messages it is oh so easy to ‘get one’s message’ out there, but equally easy to miss it or misunderstand it—or, far too often, have it accidentally relegated to the spam folder—or oblivion! And so, our opening question is quite relevant for today: ‘hey, did you get my message?’
And nowhere is this more appropriate than with today’s passage from the Book of Revelation, which dwells on the downfall of Babylon. But what in the world does Babylon stand for, both then and now? For John’s audience, it would have been a straightforward question. Babylon, being their conqueror and the place of their exile, was also the symbol of all that was evil and depraved and not of God. And most probably, in this letter at least, it was a symbol of Imperial Rome and all that it stood for. And so, it was telling this original audience that Rome was ‘in for’ its recompense, in for its eventual decline and destruction. Rome would get its comeuppance. So, as far as the message went, so far, so good. This audience would have ‘got the message’--and would have been greatly relieved.
But, what of audiences past that—past the destruction of Rome, either as a city or an empire—what are they to make of this passage? Are they to take it as no longer applicable, seeing as Rome is ‘dead and gone’ in terms of its power over us? Certainly, many liberal scholars take it this way.
Or, should we recast it in other terms—for instance, seeing it as speaking of the worldwide sweep, influence or power of the Church of Rome, the Roman Catholic Church? Many people over the years, especially those of a more Protestant leaning, have so applied it.
Or, swinging more into the present era, what about a revived European political entity, for instance the European Common Market or the present European Union? Many have surmised that Italy, or Rome, might rise to prominence within such a conglomeration, even pointing out the seeming coincidence that the number of nations belonging to it agrees with what a portion of Scripture predicts (Revelation 17:9 mentions the seven hills of
Rome, which they see as applying to nations). (But there’s a certain ‘fly in the ointment’ because that number has varied over the years.)
And then, there are those who ‘cast the net’ a bit further and see that ‘Babylon’ stands for the present world order, for its economic and political systems, which certainly can, and does, afflict the faithful in so many ways, and which certainly does not promote godliness or the rule of God in much of its behaviour.
So, what are we today to make of this image of Babylon and its downfall? While not expressly ruling out a political or economic entity, I would go even further than this last interpretation and say that it stands for all that is not of God, of all that opposes God and oppresses God’s people. An earlier part of this chapter, verses 1-20, spoke of its single-minded pursuit of riches and luxury, its focus on commerce and trade, its depravity, its injustice and its oppression of the faithful, which certainly, to my way of thinking, stands for much of our world today. And so, at very least, to me this says that God will one day sit in judgment over this, find it wanting, and punish it. God will reign victorious, and we, as His people, will be set free. What a wonderful and glorious prospect. And so, even if there is nothing else that we ‘get’ from this passage, this is well worth it. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Forward notes: “Your merchants were the magnates of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in you was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on earth”
verses 23b-24).
“Whistleblowers and other prophetic truth-tellers like Amos and Jeremiah make the established powers uneasy, and the institutional church is no exception.
“Dorothy Day, a twentieth-century social activist, famously exclaimed, ‘Don’t call me a saint! I don’t want to be dismissed that easily.’ Day was not opposed to saints—her writings and speeches often referred to the principles of justice lauded by saints such as Paul, Francis, and Teresa. But she worried the title of saint would undermine her life’s work of preaching and teaching the countercultural, radical message of the gospel. She believed all people have an obligation to fight for justice—not just those conferred sainthood by the wider church.
“Ironically, Day’s case for canonization was sent to Rome in March 2021. If her cause prevails, it is up to use to carry on her work of fighting for justice for all.”
Moving Forward: “Research the life and witness of Dorothy Day.”