The Empire Struck Down, a devotional thought

These thoughts are still sort of half-baked, but the other day I was reading Revelation 18:1-19:6, with its dark, heart-rending lament for the fallen “city of Babylon,” and the whole thing has been lingering in my imagination ever since. 

As far as I can tell, in Revelation, the “City of Babylon” is both a cipher for the City of Rome, and also an archetype for any and all imperialistic city-building projects, from the original Babylon, up to and including those of the present day. “Babylon” was unimaginably rich (18:12), powerful (18:19), luxurious (18:14) and sensual (18:13). Babylon is the hedonism of Las Vegas and the intrigue of Washington D.C. and the wealth of Abu Dhabi rolled up into one, with a bit of Hollywood’s glamour and Berlin’s political weight thrown in, and laced with some old-school Emperor worship for good measure.

Of course, no one ever imagined, at the height of Rome’s power, that Rome would one day cease to be; citizens of Empires never imagine that the glory and wealth and power and luxury of the thing they’ve collectively built will ever fade. Which is why Revelation’s lament is so arresting and so haunting: “Fallen, Fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every unclean bird ... the music no longer plays in her streets, the merchants no longer buy and sell, in one hour all her wealth and glamour and luxury has been brought to ruin ...” 

As far as Revelation is concerned, there is a divinely-set shelf-life on every human Empire-building project, past present and future. One day the things that seem so sure and permanent today—Wall Street? Silcone Valley? The World Wide Interweb?—as unlikely as it may seem—one day all of these things will be what now Rome is: a nearly-forgotten relic of human greatness. 

And if that's true, then those who’ve really heard this lament in Revelation 18 for what it is, will sit loosely to the allure of Babylon, whenever and however Babylon shows up in our lives, refusing to be taken in by her offer of security and luxury apart from God.