When the Apostle John described Babylon in Revelation 18, his readers understood it to be the Rome of their day. Some of Rome’s rulers had been engaging in horrifying persecution of Christians. Therefore, early believers eagerly awaited the Roman Empire’s fiery destruction and the return of Jesus to establish his Eternal Kingdom.
However, after three centuries of continuing persecution, which had limited the number of Christian converts, surprising developments took place. In 313 CE, the Roman Emperor Constantine had a vision of Jesus which eventually led him to legalize Christianity and promote religious tolerance. After persecution was lifted, Christian conversions surged. In 380 CE, Theodosius I, the last emperor of an undivided Roman Empire, took the last steps to make Christianity the Empire’s official religion.
Thus the Roman, now Christian, Empire — the former, leading candidate for Babylon — became the ruling religious and political force for hundreds of years in both Rome (Western Christianity) and Constantinople (Orthodox Christianity).
As the influence of Christianity has waxed and waned in countries once held by those Christian empires, Christians have used worldly means to impact their cultures from time to time, thus assuming the task of continuously repairing Babylon.
I too have sporadic inclinations toward mending Babylon. In the late 1960s, political tensions in the US ran high around involvement in the Vietnam War. Along with many other young people, I took a stand against US participation. I regarded my anti war position as the moral high ground, disdaining those who supported that war. One of my cousins, a “God and Country” man, enlisted and served in combat. Sadly, he became a POW and suffered PTSD. That condition created a situation where he became estranged from his wife and children.
The US eventually withdrew from that war in shame. Was I vindicated? Did my cousin deserve to lose his family? In my opinion, neither those who fought nor those who resisted won much of anything. Our Babylon remained largely unremedied. The wisdom of Solomon rings true.
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”What advantage does man have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth remains forever. Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 NASB 1995
Although capitulating to evil is not an option, Christian therapies for Babylon can be motivated by attempts to win worldly admiration for a particular brand of Christianity or simply to alleviate personal criticism and discomfort. How can we prioritize bringing glory to Jesus through furthering his kingdom while we deemphasize attempts to fix Babylon, so we might enjoy a more comfortable, perhaps more principled environment?
One approach is to inform ourselves about persecuted fellow believers, who live in areas of the world with diminished or minimal Christian influence, in order to intensify regular prayer and support for them (as well as for their persecutors).
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Hebrews 13:3 NIV
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:43-45 NIV
…. “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20 NIV
by Kathleen Petersen
