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The Bible is full of predicted “ends”! Some bring the deepest sadness; others, great happiness. The very first one came as a warning when the world was perfect, without sin or any sadness. Adam and Eve were told that eating of the Tree of Knowledge would lead to death (Genesis 2:17), an “end” they had never experienced. Adam sinned, and the record says he “lived … and he died” (Genesis 5:5). That first couple was given a promise that they could be restored to their original favor. There would be a Savior, and He would bring an end to sin and death. When Jesus arrived He announced, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10b). When He comes again He will bring that gift.

The very last prophecy of the Bible is: “Surely I come quickly. Amen” (Revelation 22:20). That will be the end of all adverse experiences from sin. He is the only hope of eternal life, which will be endless! Another “end” is forecast beyond the time of that parousia: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death [a final end].... And I saw a new heaven and a new earth [a beautiful beginning]: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away [the end]” (Revelation 20:14, 21:1a,b).

That terminus is the end of the line for sin and sinners. It is the point in time when the universe experiences closure to all wrong and rebellion.

Biblical cessations are usually the wrap-up of something allied to Satan. This takes on two forms: (1) God brings an end to a sinful event, experience or rebellion; (2) God terminates some freedom as punishment for a sinful act. As powerful as the devil is, God is always in control. He has the last word. At the “finish line”
Satan loses.

Satan’s Agents are Shattered

One of his dramatic failures comes during the seventh Vial, or Plague. This is where our story begins, right where there is a major end!

“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell” (Revelation 16:19a).

Babylon is Satan’s ally in the last conflagration. The antichrist, referred to by many symbols, is its earthly leader.

“and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” (vs 19b)

God has great patience, but the time comes when He will act. The cue is when it says, “God remembered.” Divine justice is often intimately linked with the expression of divine remembrance.[1] The total destruction of Babylon is described in that Plague. Its end is complete.

Babylon was introduced to students of John’s apocalypse in the second “flying in the midst of heaven” angel (Revelation 14:8). There it is identified as (1) “that great city” and (2) as “fallen.” “Fallen” (epesen) is written in “prophecy perfect” language. That means it is presented as though it already happened but is still in the future as an event.

John’s prophecy is a second application. “And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground” (Isaiah 21:9) – that was the first.

Literal Babylon fell to the Persian king, Cyrus, in 539 B.C. Belshazzar’s apostasy against God and that city’s military fall became a prophetic metaphor for the moral fall of apostate Christianity at the end of time. As God’s people then came out of literal Babylon and journeyed to Canaan, so the cry goes up at the end to “come out of Babylon,” ”be not partakers of her sins.” Prepare for the journey to the heavenly Canaan.

Babylon’s fall, in this apocalyptic urgent warning to the world, informs us that its doom is imminent. It gives everyone a final chance to heed that ominous cry: “Flee the precincts of that influence. Judgment against Babylon is coming.” Just as the Babylonian king was judged because of his defiance of God, so will the latter-day Babylon be punished for the same reason. This judgment predicted in the third angel’s message of Revelation 14 is the same as when the “cup of the wine of God’s wrath had come” (16:19c). That will be the beginning of its end.

“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the
nations fell” (vs 19a)

That great city represents not only Rome, but in the next chapter we will see that it is associated with all of apostate Christianity.[2]

As Satan takes unprecedented measures to deceive the world at the end, one of his insidious advances conveys solidarity with three powers (some call it a “false trinity”). “Babylon” characterizes the apostate unity of those powers.

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13).

These three figures are all mentioned in Revelation 13, though the beast from the land of 13:11-17 is here designated the false prophet. John will be told that Babylon is the “habitation of demons and prison of every unclean spirit” (Revelation 18:2). “Unclean” suggests that they have a deceptive nature.[3]

The papacy (sea beast), apostate Protestantism and spiritualism are all at variance with God’s will. At the end they deceive the world.

One of the Exodus plagues was frogs (Exodus 8:1-15) – one of the Egyptian gods. God instructed

Israel

that frogs were unclean (Leviticus 11:9-12, 41-47). Symbolically, they capture their prey with their tongues. Their croaking is meaningless; they are slimy, thus hard to catch.

The spirits “like frogs” are hard to pin down – being camouflaged by deceit and falsehood.

“Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive the world. The foundation of his work was laid by the assurance given to Eve in Eden: ‘Ye shall not surely die.’ ‘In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’ Genesis 3:4, 5. Little by little he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the development of spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the last remnant of time. Says the prophet: ‘I saw three unclean spirits like frogs; … they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.’ Revelation 16:13, 14. Except those who are kept by the power of God, through faith in His word, the whole world will be swept into the ranks of this delusion. The people are fast being lulled to a fatal security, to be awakened only by the outpouring of the wrath of God.”[4]

These demonic agencies will work signs – many through spiritualism, which ties directly to the wonder working of the false prophet and Satan (Revelation 13:13-14).

Three powers – Satan, beast, false prophet – make up Babylon. Yet from Revelation 13 the sea beast is the
visible, functioning “head” of those three because, there, the earth beast or false prophet causes all on earth to worship that beast (13:12). And the dragon gives it power (Revelation 13:4) over “all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Revelation 13:7). In the next chapter, because the harlot is called “Babylon,” it speaks for and personifies Satan, the beast and the false prophet.

Stunning! No wonder God reaches a point where He “remembers” those apostate, blasphemous powers and destroys them.

When it says that the cities of the nations fell, a difficult state of the world begins as Babylon weakens. Revelation 18:8-18 describes some of their amazing reactions.

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:14).

Those agencies for evil go out to the world by their words and representatives, called “spirits of devils.” Out of Christ’s mouth (Revelation 1:16, 19:15) went a sharp sword, representing truth (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12). Out of the mouths of the false trinity comes deception.[5] In the New Testament false religious leaders lead people astray (Mark 13:22, II Thessalonians 2:9-10, II Peter 2:1-2). The influence and power of this work reaches to the “kings of the earth.” “The ‘kings of the whole world’ are often identified with the ten kings in Revelation 17:12-14 and 16-17.”[6] World leaders will rally to Rome, the leader of Babylon.

Then those “spirits” rally the world to battle God’s people. This is depicted in numerous prophecies.

“And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.... And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.... These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 11:7, 12:17, 17:14; cf. Joel 3:2, Zechariah 14:2).

God directs the last act over Babylon and its agencies when that great city is divided into three parts. The cities of the nations go down with her. That great Babylon crossed a line and God began the fierceness of his wrath. “For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act” (Isaiah 28:21).

It will be time for God to respond. If God were not to punish evil and rebellion, the great divine theme of a moral universe would have to be discarded. God’s wrath is described in numerous ways in inspiration (Jeremiah 25:15, 26-29, 33; Isaiah 34:2-4; Joel 3:9, 11-13). It comes at the time of the seventh Vial, which is associated with the sixth Seal (Revelation 6:12-17) and His second coming. So – Babylon comes to its end. The work of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet ceases, and the Vial vision ends.

It is in this setting that chapters 17–19 begin. They represent an “interlude” in the flow of apocalyptic truth being given to John. Those chapters fill in amazing details of messages already given, like this fall of Babylon. The “details” are “must haves” to grasp the meaning of key visions.

We’re in for a surprise. It seems as though the work of the Vial angels is now done. But it isn’t. John is going to get a personal visit from one of them. Let’s listen in!

References:

[1] Aune, David E.; World Biblical Commentary; Revelation 17–22, vol. 52c (World Books Publisher; Dallas, Texas – 1997), p. 902.

[2] Mounce, Robert H.; The Book of Revelation (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan – 1977), p. 303.

[3] Beale, G. K.; The New International Greek Testament Commentary; The Book of Revelation (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan – 1999), p. 831.

[4] White, Ellen G.; The Great Controversy, pp. 561-562.

[5] Osborne, Grant R.; Revelation (Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, MI), p. 591.

[6] Aune, op. cit., pp. 894-895.