REVIVAL AND REMOVAL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

“As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, give her that much torment and grief, for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.’

For this reason her plagues will come in one day —death and grief and famine.  She will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”  (Revelation 18:7-8 HCSB)

The blood of kings flows in my veins. 

My mother wanted me to trace the Thurman ancestry, which I did, and put it together in a book as a present for my father and mother for Christmas.  How surprised I was to find where the roots of that tree would take me! 

Rhoda Allen was my great, great grandmother—my grandfather, Paul Thurman’s grandmother.  Her line runs back to England and to the first king I encountered in my bloodline, Henry III, King of England—my 20^th great grandfather.  Of course, those royal families intermarried and were intertwined, so further digging has unearthed these roots: King Louis VI of France, 24^th great grandfather; Erik the Victorious, 29^th great grandfather and King of Sweden; 30^th great grandfathers King Heinrich of Germany, and Prince Robert (Rollo the Viking), and more. 

I must also admit there are a number of rogues as well as royals—and sometimes those are one and the same!  Some of the tree roots are pretty rotten.  When I teased my wife concerning her privilege to be married to royalty, she did not take it well.  If I keep on she will crown me—with an iron skillet on the side of the head!

This is a curiosity—a conversation piece at family gatherings—but of no enduring significance.  There is another family connection, however, that is of utmost importance—I am connected by the Blood to the King of kings—Jesus Christ!  I am an heir to His kingdom and so are you if you have had a new birth into the family of God.  Whereas, the kingdoms of this world all crumble, swept away into the dustbin of time, the rulers dead and buried—now mere footnotes in history’s pages—the Kingdom of God is eternal, unshakeable and available to all who by faith will trust in the blood of Jesus.  King Jesus is the Only King—conqueror of death, hell and the grave!  He lives!

The clash and contrast between these two kingdoms is a prominent thread running through Revelation, as it is throughout the Word of God.  Like the Euphrates River that cut a channel in Eden (Gen.2:10-14), the cradle of civilization, where Babel would be built (Gen.11:1-9), the river flows until we find it in Revelation, and Babylon is rebuilt (Rev.16:12-16).  Even as ancient Babel was judged by God, so the restored Babylon will by utterly ruined in God’s wrath.

No wonder, the plea is made,

“Then I heard another voice from heaven:

Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.” (Rev.18:4)

The world system is going to be judged.  Those who align themselves with it and take the mark of the Beast for temporary gain will experience eternal loss.  Those who separate from it may suffer martyrdom but they will be ushered through gates of splendor into the City of God.

This meant something to the readers John was addressing in the first century.  Persecution had come to the church and was growing.  It was seated in Rome, and the empire sought to eradicate Christianity; the fires would only intensify.  We must never forget that in interpreting a text, we must consider the context.  We cannot make a proper application in our day without a correct interpretation of what it meant in the day it was written.

So, Revelation was a great encouragement to suffering saints.  Ultimately, the Kingdom of God prevails.  Rome seemed invincible in that era, but the Holy Spirit reminded those readers through John’s writing that the kingdoms of this world would perish.  Rome had risen, but would fall.  How precious that must have been to the old, battle-scarred soldier, John, as he was isolated on Patmos—an exile because of his faith in Christ.  Caesar would not get the last word. It was also an evangelistic appeal to seeking sinners that repentance means taking up the cross, but it is the way of the cross that leads to glory.

That world empire is not finally and fully destroyed by the way.  Babylon lurks in the shadows—an empire fragmented, but one that will someday, and I think soon, be restored.  It appears these world powers are consolidating even now—rapidly advancing to a global religious and economic system, such as John describes in Revelation 13-18.  Apart from its impending revival as a world empire, the spirit of the world system as a principle of demonic evil has been present throughout the centuries and permeates our contemporary climate.

Moses faced it and had to make a choice,

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the short-lived pleasure of sin.  For he considered the reproach because of the Messiah to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since his attention was on the reward.  By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees Him who is invisible.”  (Heb.11:24-27)

Four courageous young men had to make a choice in ancient Babylon and Persia.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego would not bow to imperial power, even if it meant being cast into a blazing furnace.  Daniel would not cease praying to God, even if it meant being thrown into a pit of ravenous lions.  You can read about it in Daniel 3 and 6.

It is the choice that John the Baptist, Stephen, Peter and Paul all made.  It has been the bloody trail that marks the path of the saints across the centuries.  Sometimes the pressure is subtle and sometimes the persecution is overt—but the call of God remains, “Come out!  Do not share in Babylon’s sins, lest you share her fate.”

It is an intoxicating liquor.  “For all the nations have drunk the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury.” (Rev.18:3)

John shared the spiritual principle before he wrote the literal prophecy.  Here is what we warned,

“Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.  For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.  And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

That is the choice before us now.

Following the rapture of the church, those who enter the time of tribulation will face the same choice.  It will not be an easy one—really, it never has been.

The Roman Empire will be restored in a future day.  It will be a United States of Europe, if you will.  The Antichrist will lead the global government and harness military and monetary power to dominate.  This is economic Babylon and its destruction is portrayed in Revelation Eighteen.  The False Prophet will lead the worldwide religion and use miracles and media to promote the worship of the Beast.  This is ecclesiastical Babylon and its destruction is pictured in Revelation Seventeen.  It is interesting to note that the Antichrist and his government ride religion for all its worth—and then when finished with it, turns on it and destroys it.  The Great Whore of Babel’s mystery religion is used to seduce the world, and when she no longer serves the Antichrist’s purposes, she is thrown away like the trash she always was.

There is a question that remains.  I have used Rome and Babylon interchangeably, for they are one and the same spiritually.  The Babylonian mystery religion eventually ran to Rome and flourished there—then integrated into Roman Catholicism with its pagan symbols and rituals that persist to this day and will end in the apostate church of the last days.  Rome and Babylon are one.  But, this is the question: Will the Antichrist and his revived Roman Empire actually rule from the city of Rome, or will Babylon be literally rebuilt?  Prophetic scholars still debate it.  I tend to lean more toward the actual city of Babylon being restored and becoming the capital of the Antichrist in the Middle East.

The Europeans are already there.  The location of ancient Babylon is in modern day Iraq.  The Allied forces of the West, predominately from the United States, are in Iraq now—and despite promises to pull out, the kinds of massive facilities that have been constructed and strategic significance of that area make it likely troops will remain.  They might draw down to only special forces units, but that could be beefed-up quickly.

I will not be dogmatic that Babylon will be rebuilt on that piece of real estate.  It may be only a symbolic name for Rome.  Time will tell.  My hope for you is that you are watching it from heaven.  That is the vantage point you want as these events unfold.  This world will be a veritable hell, a living nightmare, the epic disaster movie that isn’t just on a reel but is real.  You don’t want to be here.  “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.” (Rev.18:4)  You don’t have to be here.  If left behind, I doubt you will be able to perceive what is happening.  Why take the risk?  Even if, as some believe, you might know, why would you think you would follow Christ then when you will not now?  Some—I think those who have never heard—will follow Him, but it leads to a choice to die for Christ and reject the pleasures of sin for a season.

“Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, having the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth — to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7He spoke with a loud voice: ‘Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’

A second angel followed, saying: ‘It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, who made all nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.’

And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.  This demands the perseverance of the saints, who keep God’s commands and their faith in Jesus.’

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write: The dead who die in the Lord from now on are blessed.’

‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘let them rest from their labors, for their works follow them!’”  (Rev.14:6-13)

Today is the day of salvation.  The door stands open.  The Spirit pleads, “Come!”