Today’s Scripture Reading (May 6, 2018): Revelation 17
Babylon. One of the most famous cities of the
ancient world. The city has captured the imaginations and the hearts of many.
It is the proposed site for the ancient “Tower of Babel.” It is the famed home
of Nebuchadnezzar II who brought Babylon into world-wide fame. It was the
object of desire for the Macedonian conqueror “Alexander the Great” who wanted
to make the city his capital. More recently, Saddam Hussein, who considered
himself a “son of Nebuchadnezzar II” was infatuated with the ruins of the city,
and had great plans for its rebuilding.
It continues to own our imaginations and
those of many writers, both religious and secular. Babylon was and maybe is, although all that is left of
the city today is ruins, an important city. But unlike other important cities,
it seems that Babylon died with a whimper. Somehow, the city simply disappears
from the pages of history. For centuries, the city almost took on a mythical
character. World travelers wanted to find the city, but couldn’t, often
mistaking the cities of Baghdad or Fallujah as the site of ancient Babylon.
There has always been something of a mystery about Babylon.
John sees a woman and on her forehead, he
says, is written a mystery: Babylon the
Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abomination of the earth. It should be noted that in John’s time prostitutes would
often wear headbands that would reveal their name. Apparently, this is true of
this woman as well. But there is a mystery
in the name. John would have recognized the name of Babylon, both from history
and from the fact that the city still stood during his day. But more than that,
even in John’s day the city had lost its luster. Babylon was a dream that had
lost its substance. And in that, it was much like a prostitute.
Modern scholars often believe that the real
Babylon that John was talking about was Rome. Once again, it was a city of
power that was somehow empty inside. The days of Julius Caesar and Augustus had
passed and given way to the Caligula’s and Nero’s. Rome was still in power, but
somehow it was also empty and void. Like Babylon, Rome possessed a dream but
had long ago lost its substance. It was false, and could only continue to be false.
Since John’s Revelation, biblical readers
have found many other Babylons. From the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church to
Hollywood, we have identified a number of
Babylons within reach of our experiences, but what they have all shared is this sense of emptiness and falseness. There
is no power there, even though they still can
attract our imagination. And these Babylons all could
become religions in the minds of humans that stand opposed to any movement of
God.
They are all empty and doomed to fail.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Revelation 18
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