The Fall of Babylon - Revelation 18

18:1-3 - Chapter 18 is very much an abstract piece of work, akin to Isaiah with rich imagery, but for me, I found it to be kind of hard to follow. An angel comes and “he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils.” The angel continues that “she” has influenced kings and leaders and societies all over the world through “fornication… (and) the abundance of her delicacies.” The IM notes that the descriptions of the great wealth of Babylon “highlights the lust for wealth and lavish possessions that define Babylon. These riches will be destroyed, and those who have placed their hearts upon them will lament.” It’s interesting, I was reading an article earlier today about politicians and their desire to gain power and wealth through appeasement of corporations instead of doing what’s best for the people, and that really made a lot of sense. This fits in with this sentiment here, the “do whatever it takes” to gain the favor of the world.” The IM also quotes President Harold B. Lee as teaching, “today we are backing in the lap of luxury, the like of which we’ve never seen before in the history of the world. It would seems that probably this is the most severe test of any test that we’ve ever had in the history of the Church.” It’s been noted that one of the circumstances in which people can grow spiritually, is when times are tough, but the really trick is to figure out how to remain righteous when we have good times. It can be done, obviously, Lehi is a good example that comes to mind, but power, wealth, comfort, position, influence changes people so much of the time. It is truly rare to find people who can balance the high positions and everything that comes with it and remain righteous, but ultimately that’s the goal. God blesses those who keep the commandments, so this implies that the more righteous you are the more wealth you’d have, but that’s not always the case. Money does not increase proportionately to righteousness, again that would thwart agency because then people would be righteous so they could get rich, not because they have a testimony. 18:4-7 - A second angel calls out, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” We have seen time and again the Lord calling his people to physically leave a society that is wicked. As far as what this means during the times in which John is seeing this, meaning in our times, it could mean a physical separation but it could also just mean a spiritual separation. A good example of a spiritual separation might be when the Hebrews painted their door posts with lamb’s blood and the destroying angel passed over their households. The Hebrews were physically still in Egypt among the Egyptians, but their actions distinguished them from the Egyptians. But there is a quote from President Russell M. Nelson who said something like “There is a time coming when those who obey the word of the Lord will be separated from those who do not.” I’m not exactly sure what that means as far as our day, but it sounds fairly ominous. The portrayal of wickedness of the world in the scriptures and general conference talks can be feel alienating and overwhelming when it comes to feeling like we are able to maintain righteousness in this increasingly wicked world. But there is a really good quote in the IM from Elder Richard G. Scott who says, “Despite pockets of evil, the world overall is majestically beautiful, filled with many good and sincere people. God has provided a way to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures evil against spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive, righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father in Heave: His plan of happiness.” I appreciate the encouraging sentiment here. 18:8-11 - All the destruction and plagues and misery that is going to befall Babylon will “come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine.” I don’t know if this means literally one day or figuratively just a short period of time, but what struck me most about the one day timeline is just how transient anything we think we have is. I was watching a show a while back that was about rich people chartering super yachts for luxurious vacations and what struck me the most was when a storm cancelled the outing and forced the boat to stay on the dock. The people who were chartering this boat had more of the wealth and power and positions than most people in the world, they were truly among some of the richest people there are, and a simple storm, a small bit of weather pattern ended everything that they had planned. They couldn’t buy good weather, they couldn’t threaten the rain with violence if it didn’t behave. The greatest and most important stuff the world has to offer couldn’t even alter the course of a single rain storm in a small area of the world. Truly the world offers no great power or reward compared to what God promises those who do what he says. As Babylon self-destructs, “the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her… And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.” And it’s not like evil will be destroyed and suddenly everyone will see the light of the gospel and run toward it, it’s another wrinkle in human psychology to miss the things that we enjoyed even if they were slowly destroying us. I have this sometimes, even though I don’t like the crazy lifestyle that I used to, there are some times when I think, “oh yeah, partying was fun,” or “dating was fun,” or “drinking was fun.” And it makes sense because we do things because they fulfill some need that we have. For instance, alcohol provided an escape for me, a way of getting out of my own head and away from the bullcrap in my life. It wasn’t healthy but it served that need, so it seems to me that to get away from self-destructive behaviors and be sustainably obedient to Jesus, it’s helpful to identify the needs that were fulfilled by the “less than righteous” behavior and find ways to substitute healthy behavior instead. This isn’t the only answer obviously because simple obedience is best, but in order for our obedience to be sustainable, we have to address our needs and find righteous ways to satisfy them. For instance, in the alcohol example, instead of escaping with drinking, I could find maybe an exercise program that helps me relieve stress and/or decrease stressful factors in my life to the extent that I am able. Maybe take up yoga or meditation or prayer or scripture study, or maybe a combination of all these. Maybe instead of “dating” I could turn my attention to my relationship with God or serving others to feel that connection or legitimately talking to others or again maybe a healthy exercise outlet. Lots of possibilities, lots of good, positive, healthy ways to sustain obedience, but again, just because you lose the ability to do the things you enjoy in life or you have to give up your “less than righteous” lifestyle, doesn’t mean an automatic repentance and turning to God. 18:12-24 - There are a few verses that list the goods that the merchants sell such as spices and cloth and animals, but John includes the sale of “slaves, and souls of men.” The IM comments, “this refers primarily to the abominable practice of human trafficking but can also be seen as a reference to the spiritually enslaving consequences of materialism and other evils. It may also describe corrupt religious practitioners who present themselves as ministering to people’s souls while seeking above all to profit financially; in this sense, they traffic in the ‘souls of men.’ Moroni recorded that in the last days ‘there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.’ In contrast, the gospel of Jesus Christ offers spiritual nourishment ‘without money and without price.’” The merchants who sell goods and people will see the fall of “Babylon,” or the devil’s empire and “shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing.” Interesting that these merchants who made money hand over fist doing business with the devil run away so as to escape the same punishment when the time comes. No honor among thieves, etc. And those merchants will be genuinely shocked that everything they have, love, and value has been absolutely destroyed in such a short amount of time. The angel notes, “the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee.” It’s a commentary on how we invest our time and energy in this life. If we maintain a short-sighted view of our existence, it makes sense that we do what we can to ensure our time here is the most comfortable. But keeping an eternal perspective allows us to remember that even though the veil prevents us from seeing our past or future states, the gospel assures us that this life is not the only part of our existence. So really, if we were spiritually alive for eons of time before we were born and we will remain spiritually alive for eternity afterward, then wouldn’t the best investment of our time, energy, and resources be building the strongest foundation for ourselves spiritually that will benefit us and others in this life and the next? Babylon is destroyed so quickly and completely that the implication really is that it is all pointless. Why devote your life to the pursuit of something that not only doesn’t last, but that can be destroyed so fast and so thoroughly, like it doesn’t even try to withstand any opposition. After Babylon was destroyed “in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Even though it is possible to be righteous and rich/well-connected, it is very difficult. Maybe this is why the “blessings” of righteousness aren’t usually just gobs of cash, but instead opportunities to work, or sufficient for our needs, spiritual insights, family, friends, and chances to serve. It’s a more well-rounded education that way instead of just battling human nature. Not saying that the monetarily wealthy thing can’t happen, there are many examples of it occurring, the Romney’s are an example that comes to mind. Even though wealth, power, and influence can come as blessings for righteousness, what the blood of the prophets and saints says to me is that the lifestyle of Babylon is incompatible with righteousness. Either the people of Babylon killed them explicitly or the city just ate them alive. So it’s not just the money that is the issue, but also the lust for more, the desire for the next “thrill,” the unwillingness to focus on spiritual matters or the well-being of others. I think that there’s a reason why throughout human history only one society has ever achieved true equality and in conjunction with that, true sainthood, the city of Enoch. It is just too contrary to human nature for people to overcome, too tempting for people to take more for themselves regardless of the needs of others. It’s like watching Lord of the Rings where that one guy is supposed to throw the ring into the fire and instead he keeps it for himself and ensures misery for the rest of humanity for the rest of time.