Basic HTML Version
Chapter 36—Desolation of the Earth
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourn-
ing, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong
is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who
have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall
bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of
her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying,
Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one
hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall
weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any
more.” [
Revelation 18:8-11
.] Such are the judgments that fall upon
Babylon in the day of the visitation of God’s wrath. She has filled
up the measure of her iniquity; her time has come; she is ripe for
destruction.
When the voice of God turns the captivity of his people, there
is a terrible awakening of those who have lost all in the great game
of life. While probation continued, they were blinded by Satan’s
deceptions, and they justified their course of sin. The rich prided
themselves upon their superiority to those who were less favored;
but they had obtained their riches by violation of the law of God.
[471]
They had neglected to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to deal
justly, and to love mercy. They had sought to exalt themselves, and
to obtain the homage of their fellow-creatures. Now they are stripped
of all that made them great, and are left destitute and defenseless.
They look upon the destruction of the idols which they preferred
before their Maker. They sold their souls for earthly riches and
enjoyments, and did not seek to become rich toward God. The result
is, their lives are a failure; their pleasures are now turned to gall,
their treasures to corruption. The gain of a lifetime is swept away in
a moment. The rich bemoan the destruction of their grand houses,
the scattering of their gold and silver. But their lamentations are
silenced by the fear that they themselves are to perish with their
idols.
316