Babylonian mentality: With whom do you bank?

We find the figurative and/ or conceptual usage of “Babylon” mostly in the book of Revelation, particularly in the second part of the book, which deals with the final events of earth’s history. The term is used six times. Where does the writer of the book take the term Babylon from?

The book of Revelation, though written in Greek, is permeated with the language of the Old Testament. It speaks of the great deeds of God in the past.¹ God was faithful to His people in the past, so it is sure that He will be faithful in the future as well. John, the author of Revelation as a book, intends to encourage the endangered and persecuted people of God. In his wish to encourage early Christians, the writer points them to the events, places, and concepts of the Old Testament.

Old Testament Babylon

One of the defining moments in the Old Testament history was the Babylonian exile. The children of Israel were enslaved, and the Exile was one of the toughest experiences for the people of God (Jer. 50:33). Yet God stands up in their defense: “A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror” (v. 38).² Idolatry was Babylon’s main offense: creating its own religion and seeking salvation without the Creator God. This offense was also true of Old Testament Babylon’s predecessor in the early pages of the Bible, Babel, which had an alliance of people with one goal—building “a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens” (Gen. 11:4) and thus challenging God Himself.

New Testament Babylon

When the apostle John, in Revelation, uses the term Babylon, he recalls that background. He mentions it for the first time in Revelation 14 but develops the concept in Revelation 17. There we have a picture of a great prostitute who sits on many waters (Rev. 17:1). These waters represent “peoples, multitudes, nations and lan­guages” (v. 15) that support the end-time Babylon. Further, that great prostitute is described as “sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphe­mous names and had seven heads and ten horns” (v. 3). These seven heads represent seven kingdoms through which God’s people were oppressed and persecuted throughout history.³ The great prostitute is a religious power working in tandem with secular powers and nations of the world that support her. John visually describes her demise as being burned up with fire (v. 16), as was the decree concerning prostitutes in the Old Testament times (Lev. 21:9).

Future fall of Babylon

Revelation 18 presents another picture of Babylon’s fall—a picture of the destruction of the city. In addition, we are confronted with the reasons for her fall. Observing the sins of Babylon may help us identify areas through which she will be active: “With a mighty voice the angel shouted: ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. 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’ ” (vv. 2, 3).

This text gives three reasons for the fall of Babylon:

1. All the nations have drunk Babylonian adulterous wine.
2. The kings of the earth have commit­ted adultery with Babylon.
3. Merchants of the earth grew rich through the luxuries of Babylon.

What could the drunkenness of the nations represent? The Old Testament Babylon led astray the world of its time with wine: “ ‘Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad’ ” (Jer. 51:7). The wine that leads astray could be false teachings, philosophies, ideologies, or religions. In the background, the political and religious activity of Babylon exists. So, Babylon is accused because it has led astray the inhabitants of the earth instead of pointing them towards the only true Ruler, the Creator God.

What about the second point­ adultery? In the Old Testament, a faithful wife represents God’s people, while an adulterous wife symbolizes religious unfaithfulness. Going to other gods is presented as an act of adultery: “At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth” (Isa. 23:17). Babylon was also adulterous and had created its own way of salvation without the Creator God. Kings of the earth, as political figures, are adulterous. We are dealing here with the religious dimension, while the political dimension of the kings should not be neglected.

Finally, the third point of condemna­tion of the end-time Babylon raises the aspect of finances. We might possibly forget about God and rely on our own wisdom when it comes to finances, but this easily leads to pride, as in the case of Tyre: “ ‘ “By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud” ’ ” (Ezek. 28:4, 5). Babylon has created a system that uses others for personal gain. In that financial system are many “merchants” who are getting “ ‘rich from her excessive luxuries’ ” (Rev. 18:3). The sin of Babylon is getting rich on account of the poor and powerless. With this third point, the financial aspect comes into focus.

End-time Babylon

In this threefold condemnation of Babylon we have political, religious, and financial aspects. The financial level is the one with which all of us are confronted on a daily basis. Since we cannot escape financial dealings in today’s world, we all may be easy targets. Interestingly, Revelation 18 emphasizes finances. Babylon uses all these aspects to attract, gain, and lead astray the nations of the earth. The deception will be great. Thus, we can say that the end-time Babylon will be a global alliance with the support of political, religious, and financial powers of today’s world. They will join together to achieve material gain and profit. In their dealings, they will break the commandments of God, be immoral, and work against God Himself.

We are here dealing with an alliance in which many political, religious, and financial powers of the end time join together so that each one of them might achieve some personal gain. When was the world more global and connected than today? Despite all the differences, when has it functioned more as a unit than today? When have events on one end of the earth influenced the events in other parts more than today? In today’s world we have all that is needed for the end-time Babylon to become a reality. Observing the attitude of the political, religious, and financial powers of today, could it be that the Babylonian alliance is a reality already?

Financial aspect of the end-time Babylon

The financial aspect of the end-time alliance is the most prominent aspect in Revelation 18. Kings, merchants, sea captains, and sailors all cry because of Babylon’s downfall: “‘ “Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!” Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, “Was there ever a city like this great city?” ’ ” (vv. 16–18).

The financial profit that they have made through their alliance with Babylon is no more. The most interesting detail is that it will all hap­pen in a single day. There were times when global events needed decades to develop, but today we are witnessing the fragility of the global economy. In the last couple of years, we have witnessed the disappearance of large financial institutions like Lehman Brothers, and their downfall happened literally in one day. The fall of the World Trade Center towers resulted in a dif­ferent political climate within a single day. Today we are painfully aware that economic breakdown in one part of the world influences the rest of the world. That is why the Bible warns us, so that we will not find ourselves together with those who have invested in the wrong bank when it happens.

When the predicted major eco­nomic collapse occurs, the kings of the earth, politicians, and merchants “ ‘will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!” ’ ” (v. 19). They are cry­ing because of the downfall of Babylon, as well as over their own destiny. They are sorry for Babylon, because there is no longer the system that made their immoral gain possible by oppressing the weak and powerless. This will hap­pen suddenly, so whoever was planning to straddle the fence will be taken by surprise by the sudden events. Only those who accept the call to exit that Babylonian system today and practice God’s way are secure.

Call: “come out of her”

God’s people of the Old Testament received a call to exit Babylon (Ezra 1:1–4), but only a small number of people came out. The majority had begun to enjoy it there; they accepted the Babylonian mentality and decided to stay there, and history has devoured them.

Revelation 18:4 sends a call to the end-time people of God to exit Babylon: “ ‘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.’ ” We are called not to accept the Babylonian mentality that takes advantage of the weak and powerless or to run for unfair gain and profit but to base our dealings on the principles of God’s kingdom. In the end-time crisis, our minds can be in the mentality of Babylon or in the mentality of God. Do we want to invest in the Babylonian bank, or in God’s bank?

Call of Jesus

With reference to economic exploita­tion and mismanagement implied in the concept of Babylon, we should turn to Jesus. On earth Jesus spread the values of His kingdom. He would never join people who were using others for personal gain, who were unjust or immoral. When He was asked concerning financial gains and alliances, He said: “ ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ ” (Matt. 6:19–21).

Can we survive without any trea­sures on this earth? We need balance in our activities. We must earn our living and take proper care of our families and ourselves. But when we start living only for earthly material, temporary things, we can easily lose sight of God. In such circumstances, we easily start break­ing some of God’s commandments. It becomes easy to enter the mind-set of Babylon and join the Babylonian system that brings personal gain and profit by stepping on the weak. God calls us clearly: “Come out of her!” He calls us to invest in His bank. Jesus was very radical in His statements, “ ‘Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ ” (Luke 12:33, 34).

Babylon offers her own way of life and salvation through human achieve­ments. Ever since the tower of Babel, people were tempted to rely on their own achievements and turn away from the Creator God who is the Source of all power. The Babylonian system creates an outlook in which people are arrogant, self-sufficient, immoral, and godless. The Bible clearly predicts a downfall of that system. Whatever people might build in their own power does not have a future without God.

Call to God’s city

The opposite of the city of Babylon in the book of Revelation is God’s city­ the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21; 22).⁴ This is the city that God prepares for His faith­ful, and they will get it for free. While the political, religious, and financial powers of today’s world invest their efforts in building their city and system, leading astray the inhabitants of the earth, God is preparing something qualitatively much better, and He offers it entirely for free. “ ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ ” (John 10:10).

God invites us to invest in His bank and into life with Him. The downfall of the Babylonian system is a fact, and only a matter of time. The book of Revelation warns those who live in the Babylonian setup that the downfall will be sudden. In today’s world in which political, religious, and financial authorities are afraid for the future, there are important questions: Who do you bank with? How do you invest your time? Where is your mind?

When the end comes, the writer of the book of Revelation does not want us to join the cry of the kings, merchants, and sailors but wants us to join in the song of the redeemed: “ ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the ages. Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed’ ” (Rev. 15:3, 4).