Revelation 17-18

In Revelation 18:18 there is a familiar chant lift up by the people of the earth; “Who is like the great city?” A question that speaks of the wealth and influence of the city of Babylon. Interestingly it is the same proclamation question that was made in Revelation 13:4 about the beast. Yet we need to consider the words of the people that follow the question. In chapter 13 the question was followed by a supporting question of the beast’s invincibility. In chapter 18 the question is followed by the anguished cries of grief. The city has been conquered. Her destruction was swift and completed. The rest of chapter 18 speaks of the emptiness of Babylon; a terrible contrast to the luxury that had populated her before. My question is this; does the challenging question “Who is like . . .” tie the two different characters into the same story? Does the description of the destruction of the city anticipate the same consequences for the beast? The hope of the world is not found in anything that this world promises, portrays, or has delivered in the past. The only hope for the world isn’t even mentioned in this passage. But his name is written all over the letter from John to the churches.

 

Stuart