Chapter 41—Desolation of the Earth
“Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered
her iniquities.... In the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much
torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen,
and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues
come in one day, death, and mourning, 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, ... saying,
Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is
thy judgment come.”
Revelation 18:5-10
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“The merchants of the earth,” that have “waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies,” “shall stand afar off for the fear of her
torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas that great city,
that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with
gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches
is come to nought.”
Revelation 18:11, 3, 15-17
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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.
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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 conflict 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. 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 with terror upon the destruction
of the idols which they preferred before their Maker. They have sold
their souls for earthly riches and enjoyments, and have not sought to
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