Farewell to Romance

Words are funny things. Those who translate them can be just as funny, and prone to funny behaviors. For instance, if I was looking for a certain word, and I wanted my reader to have no doubt that the actions this word covered were not ones I considered to be proper, and I wanted them also to know that I believed I was speaking with God’s authority on the matter, then “evil” might be the word for me. Otherwise, I might settle for “bad”, or “not edifying.”

Each of these three, though they imply the same thing, build a different image in our minds. If our parents told us regularly, that our misbehavior wasn’t edifying, then they would also need to explain why. Bad, on the other hand, can be left as a standalone, with no explanation necessary, except for us stubborn children who like to know why a thing is bad, and where the line is for good.

Evil assures us that God doesn’t want us to do a thing, taking our parents out of the loop of explanation. They don’t have to know why it’s evil, and there is no obligation for them to explain why, it just is, and that’s that.

Evil is the more severe translation, between the three. Not only does it imply wrongdoing, it promises God’s wrath as a punishment.

The thing is, maybe it wasn’t exactly what the initial writers of the text intended? Perhaps we have simply misunderstood, or even worse, perhaps we were intentionally lied to, in order for some authority to coerce compliance from us?

When I was raising my daughter, I never said, “because I said so.” I believed that was a cop out. If I wanted her to do something, I did my best to make her understand why it was important. That wasn’t always easy, or time-efficient. Explanations invite arguments, especially from two-year olds who want to wear their princess dress, not the clothes that were picked out for them.

We are children of God, but we are trying to be Sons of Man. For adults, the word “bad” has a different, more flexible meaning. We know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and good and evil are matters of perspective.

With that in mind, it might upset you that some ancient translator chose the harsher word, to gain the argument-free compliance of our ancestors, but keep in mind where your anger is coming from.

One: Our pride is injured, because we don’t like it when people hide things from us.

Two: Our gluttony wants us to collect everything, even all the knowledge in the world, and our bells are rung when someone intentionally interferes with our collection efforts.

We are rung, and so we ring out.

18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

This angel brings an image of what we can be, once we gain control of our vanities. He has great authority, and so can we, to exercise over ourselves. When we learn to do that, when the reins are firmly in our hands, then the light inside us will spill out into the world.

2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

Sin is shame. Demons are the angelic voices that remind us of our shortcomings. Impure spirits are attitudes that we do not refine. The Bible lists unclean birds as, eagles, vultures, buzzards, kites, ravens, owls, hawks, storks, herons, pelicans, hoopoes, and bats. Most of the birds on this list eat carrion. Some were associated with pagan worship in neighboring areas around Israel.

For our purposes, we should remember that the Nations (The Seraphim) help us to fly. That doesn’t mean that theirs is the only way to fly. We can rise by standing on the corpses of others, meaning we can be like carrion birds, just waiting for others to mess up, so that we can move in and eat them up.

In a spiritual sense, the Synagogue of Satan flies because they imitate the actions of true believers. When our Babylon falls, and we have control of our own reins, then we cease to fly by latching onto another’s coat tails, and become true winged beings.

Likewise, unclean animals are typically ones that eat detestable things. For instance, shellfish are the oceans vacuum cleaners. They live on the bottom, and eat up the remnants that sink down to them.

Lobster was once only fit to feed to inmates in prisons, or poor people who couldn’t afford steak, until some money-minded entrepreneur turned it into a scam on people with more dollars than sense. He took a trash “fish” and turned it into a treasured delicacy.

As Sons of Man, we are encouraged to refrain from treating other people like suckers. The Sodomites and Ninevites loved playing their tricks on strangers. We are trying to see the whole world as our neighborhood. The use of the word ‘haunt’ tells us that these ways, these former behaviors, are dead to us, now that our Babylon has fallen. This means that we no longer see any life, or purpose in them.

3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

I’m sure that somewhere, someone has performed a study on the effects of alcohol on birds in flight. I don’t have to read that study to know that they would be impaired. Likewise, our vanities can get in the way of our interactions with others, and with ourself, which is what the Nations represent. If you think tripping over your wings is bad, try flying under the influence. Every airline has restrictions on alcohol consumption by flight crews, for good reason.

Recall that the word ‘adultery’ refers to fantasy, more so than the actual act. Alcohol is known to induce hallucinations. When fantasy becomes reality, it can be quite maddening. Committing adultery with someone, means we entertain their fantasies, and mingle them with our own.

The kings of the earth are those things that rule over us, such as our vanities. If they are grounded in fantasy, instead of reality, it’s the same as flying while intoxicated. The merchants of the earth represent the benefits that we think we will get from our delusional fantasies. The grass might be greener, but we can’t see the snakes in it, with blurry vision.

As far as judgment goes, we are under constant scrutiny from above. God is always watching us, and our progress. But this verse isn’t about Him judging Babylon, it’s about us judging her. Remember that we are blind, and that even our most righteous acts are but dirty rags before the Lord. Because of this, we must be careful with our pronouncements. We might not like being ridden by Babylon, but she did get us to where we are, so she deserves a little credit.

It’s easy to hate, when we don’t fully understand. The truth is, God gave us Babylon, and He helped us throw her off. She was only doing her job. The Bible tells us that one day we will judge angels. When that day comes, will we curse them for the messages they brought? Will we kill the messenger, or will we simply thank them for their efforts? The choice is ours.

When Satan walked through Heaven and tempted God, our mighty Lord took that messenger for a walk. They walked to where the Devil wanted to go, and then they went a mile further. Job was tested, but he wasn’t the only one who learned a lesson. His friends, who blamed him for the calamities that befell him, learned one too. God does as God pleases.

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

This is the moment that we are truly reborn. This is why it is said that we are born in sin. It’s because we didn’t know any better, but now we do. We are ashamed, but we don’t have to be. We were in a dark world, unaware that the true world was just outside the womb.

A child cannot stay in its mother’s womb forever. If they tried, both mother and child would die, and then what would be the point? Neither can we return to the womb, once we have left it.

Once we are aware of Babylon’s influence on us, if we try and continue as we are, we would be inviting the seven plagues that we have already discussed, only they would be worse, because we would know that they were being inflicted on us unnecessarily, because of our own stubbornness.

Babylon falls, but she does not go away. Ask any former addict, and they will confirm that their addiction is still with them, lying at their feet, ready to be picked back up again. It gets easier over time, but the urge is always with us.

5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

Babylon is the ladder that we climbed up on. Without her, we would know nothing of heaven, because there is no peace without the contrast of war. This verse tells us that God remembers her crimes, but did she really commit any, or was she falsely accused? In the end, who is truly accountable, and what harm was actually done?

6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup.

Financial Adviser Dave Ramsey is famous for saying that in order to change, we need to become sick and tired of being sick and tired. This verse in Revelation is saying the same thing, in different words. When Babylon calls us to drink, we must remind her, and ourselves, of all the glasses we shared with her in the past, and all the problems our drunkenness caused in our lives. Ask any former addict and they will tell you, that is the only way to fight the craving. Walk a mile with your addiction, then walk it a mile further.

We can travel great distances in our minds. When Babylon invites you to share in one of her fantasies, give her back double, by walking the extra mile with her. Use your imagination to sink into that fantasy, then escort her back to reality. Not back to the same place, but to a place where you aren’t tempted to walk with her. Forward is always the direction we want to go.

7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow; I will never mourn.’

Pride is the biggest killer of Christians. It takes it’s toll on all of us, regardless of what crutch we lean on. It tells us that one more drink won’t hurt anything. It says our rent is already overdue, so what does it matter if we spend our money on a nice meal, instead. It tells us that no one could ever love us, so why should we try to love anyone else?

Pride lies to us. The only way to overcome it is with humility. Humility is not just about accepting our own faults. It’s about seeing the truth. Yes, we’re not who we want to be. Sure, life sucks and then we die. But it doesn’t always suck, and maybe the problem is in who we think we should be? Maybe it’s our vision of ourself that’s skewed?

This life, our life, was a gift from God. We are exactly what He wants us to be, at every moment, even when the person we are is the person we hate the most. He gives in abundance. If love was all we needed, then love would be all that we had, but it’s not. He gave us fear, and doubt, and jealousy, and countless other gifts. It’s hard to appreciate them now, but one day we will. Time heals all wounds, and chicks dig scars.

Remember that Babylon is riding a red beast. That beast is us, passionate but ashamed. To put her in her proper place, we have to knock her off her high horse. We do that by telling her the truth. The world that she promises is just a fantasy. This is our life. It is the only one we have. We let her sucker us in, but no more. Sometimes we can’t see that the game is rigged, until we play it.

8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall

Regret comes on us quickly. It may have taken us years to become an addict, and we might have to fight it for the rest of our lives, but we’ll do that one day at a time. That’s what it takes, daily vigilance. First comes a spiritual death. We can no longer be the person that we were. To keep from becoming like that dead person, our old self, we have to mourn them every day, so that we are reminded of how they died.

Finally, we have to starve our addiction. Feed a cold, starve a fever. That’s what our mommas always told us. This fever is the result of our intense scrutiny. It is the light we shine on Babylon, so that she can’t pull any tricks on us. We have to walk our old path, in our minds, again and again, so that we know where not to step going forward.

Death, mourning and famine are the three woes that keep Babylon from climbing on our backs, again. It’s our turn to ride her, for awhile.

9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.

Waking up from a particularly pleasant dream is definitely cause for sadness. Becoming an addict is easy. Being an addict can be quite comfortable, so long as we don’t think about the affect it’s having on our lives. That’s something addicts are good at. Living with addiction, when we are no longer participating in it, is one of the hardest things we can do. Holding the reins and wearing the crown is little consolation, when we have to fight a screaming toddler over and over again, day in and day out.

The things that once ruled over us, throw tantrums inside us, that we lovingly refer to as our inner child acting out. We don’t like letting go. Once we’ve collected something, even if it’s a bad thing, our gluttony clings to it. Prying that thing from its fingers, can be quite painful.

If you have children, you know that making them cry, because you took away their toy, hurts you as much, or more than it does them. They’ll forget, as soon as their eye settles on a new apple. But the memory of the pain we inflicted, stays with us forever.

We must never forget that Babylon is a toddler in a princess dress, who only looks cute until we make her change out of it. Every parent on the planet has danced the terrible two-step with their kids. (In America, when a child hits two years old, we call it the terrible twos. This is when the real tantrums begin.)

10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’

Weaning ourselves from the thing that addicted us, is akin to wandering through an endless supermarket, carrying a child with long arms and deep lungs. It wants, and it wants, and sometimes we just want to give in, so it will shut up.

The biggest stumbling block for most addicts is fear, believe it or not. It’s the fear of change. It’s not knowing what our life will be like, without this thing that we love so much, and that we are now separating ourself from. It’s also the terror that comes with knowing that in one moment we could destroy all of our hard work, and fall back into Babylon’s arms. If we do that, we know that we might not have the strength to untangle ourselves, a second time.

Fighting addiction is a moment by moment struggle. The worst moments are the ones when we have nothing to distract us from our craving, when all we can do is think back to how great life was before we quit. In those days, Babylon was a great city. In one hour she has to fall. In this case, an hour represents a moment. We might beat her this moment, but what about the next, or the next after that? This is the train that is constantly running through the minds of former addicts.

11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. 14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’

The fall of Babylon changes us. We can no longer behave the way we once did, because the things that used to catch our eye no longer do. Our revelation journey helps us to see the real value of things. The sad fact is, waking from a dream is never painless. When we no longer want what Babylon has to offer, we can find ourselves in a place where there is nothing to fill the void that her fantasies left. We might wonder what there is to live for, when all the fruits of life have become rotten. This is why Jesus warned us to build for ourselves treasures in heaven.

When we die, it is said that we do not take anything with us. I would argue that we take the things that are most important, which are the memories of the things we saw and did while we were alive. Our memories are the only things that leave this world with us. So, if I held a gold bar, and loved it, that memory will accompany me into the afterlife. But in a place where the streets are paved with gold, what value will that memory have?

I will tell you now that golden streets do not represent the physical ore. Instead, if we think about it, it is an easy riddle to decipher. Gold needs to be refined, in fire. It is the most valuable metal, in our minds, because of the spell it casts over us. It’s pretty. It does not tarnish or degrade, so it’s eternally pretty. That’s its only real value. Among metals, it’s not very useful compared to iron, or even copper. It is only valuable as a luxury item. We buy it only when we have an excess of cash. It’s heavy, and soft, and not much good for anything but jewelry and the electrical connections in car airbags.

Jesus urged us to buy from him, gold refined in fire. In that context, it represents valuable lessons that we have to learn the hard way. Such is the fruit of revelation. It is not always low-hanging. We have to work for it, and sometimes the work doesn’t seem worth it. In those instances, the only value in the fruits of our labors are in the bad taste they leave in our mouths.

In God’s house, how will we know how to walk, unless we already put a foot wrong during our training? Our victories and our mistakes here on earth, are the treasures we will cherish in heaven.

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

Recall that the sea represents salty philosophies, and the ships that sail on it are the vehicles we construct from those philosophies – i.e. the rules or codes we develop to better help us navigate our lives. Salty philosophies only come from experience. They are not truths, only perceptions about how different systems in the world work. They bring us value, but at a price, because those ships are captained by our vanities.

Throwing dust on the head symbolizes applying truth to these philosophies, since dirt represents hard facts, and the head is the seat of logic. Also note that throwing the dirt suggests it is coming from above you, you are not rolling around in it. This has the same significance as rain falling from the sky, as opposed to water bubbling up from the ground.

20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”

Heaven is inside each one of us. That is the reason for the word heaven being pluralized in this verse. Each of our heavens is unique to us. It is our perfect vision of how the world should be. We don’t all see it the same way. We can have more than one heaven in our mind, as well.

The final Heaven, where we go when we die, is God’s perfect place. Those people who have died and returned to tell about it, can only describe it in terms of their own lives, and their own ideas about perfection. There are no words in mortal languages that can adequately describe it. Heaven, like God Himself, can’t be fit into a box. All of our attempts at describing Him miss the mark. They are akin to a snapshot on a bad hair day, through a clouded lens. They do not do Him proper justice.

We are the people of God, the offspring of Adam. We are destined to be the Bride. When feminists say the future is female, they don’t know how right they are.

An apostle is a delegate or missionary. It means one who is sent. In this context, it refers to those who come into the world and usher in a new, significant reform. They are the instruments of change. Prophets are those who see the future, and warn us of its treasures and pitfalls. Prophets and apostles are called out specifically, in this verse, because they are the ones who see us for what we are, and what we could be, and who try to steer us in the right direction. In the case of Apostles, they may reach a new place, then call to us to follow in their footsteps.

Babylon pushes us to play to our weaknesses, instead of our strengths. She offers us more than what we have, without telling us how good we have it. When she falls, she takes our desire with her. I think Pink Floyd said it best, when they sang, “Nothing is very much fun, any more.” Just like the character in their movie The Wall, we have become comfortably numb. The thing is, our lives are not yet over. When Babylon falls, she leaves an empty sky, and nothing to look up to. The verses that follow describe that desolation.

The Finality of Babylon’s Doom

21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

Millstones are used for crushing things, like corn and wheat. The flour that is produced is used to make bread, but man does not live on bread alone. Regardless, it’s not a millstone that is thrown into the sea, only a boulder the size of one.

The largest millstones measure about seven feet in diameter. Stone represents the hardest of truths – those that are impeachable, and blatantly obvious. Throwing a boulder the size of a millstone, into the sea, would not raise the water level even a fraction of an inch. It would ripple the water, but only for a few meters in every direction. Such violence, spread across the vastness of the sea, is truly no violence, at all. Yet, we read this and our minds think that Babylon will go out with a bang, instead of a whimper.

The sea floor is littered with stones we have never seen. Dropping in one more will only remove it from our sight, and eventually our mind. This is how Babylon dies – quietly, over time. She sinks into fantasy, where she belongs. Her death has been the cause of many a mid-life crisis. We wake up and realize the life we thought we wanted, isn’t as great as we thought it would be. We stand on the shore, where the water meets the land, and wish for something more. We just don’t know what. To find it, we have to get in a boat and go see for ourselves.

22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. 24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”

Creation requires fantasy, first. We must dream it, to build it. Babylon’s death will not bring an end to fantasy. Like our Father, we are creative by nature. Her doom simply represents a change in the focus of our mind’s eye. Our vanities are no longer controlling us, we are controlling them, or we can, if we try.

Recall that the Nations represent our interactions with ourself, and others. They help us decide which role we should play, whether it be spiritual leader or follower, supervisor or supervised, or team mate or solo operative. Babylon’s fall helps us realize just how much our vanities influenced the roles we took on, and how we might have screwed up our choices. Now that she is out of our sight, meaning we are no longer focusing on feeding our addiction, we are free to make better decisions.

Blood moves things around our bodies. Prophets see the future. The blood of a prophet represents the prophet’s motivations. God’s holy people represent what we could be, if we tried harder. In a way, they are our regrets for not living up to a higher standard. We killed them and the idea of them, when we took the easy road and gave in to our vanities.