The Second Angel’s Message by GEORGE I. BUTLER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Feb 4, 1909

The Second Angel’s Message

By GEORGE I. BUTLER

What Is Babylon?

GEORGE I. BUTLER

“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him, that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev. 14: 6-8.

In the recent past several articles have appeared in the REVIEW bearing on various points in connection with the first angel’s proclamation. We quote it again, as we are about to consider the second angel’s proclamation, to show the close connection between the two, and the result to those who rejected the great light of the first message. The reader should ever remember that these three messages, taken together, form a series; for the one following the second message begins with this statement: “And the third angel followed them.” This language absolutely demonstrates that the three form one series, and that, taken together, they form the great platform of truth upon which the people of God will stand who are prepared for Christ’s coming. The first is given as a grand announcement, showing the close of prophetic time, and the beginning of the judgment period; the second shows the consequences of the rejection of light, and the condition of the vast body of professed Christians before the second advent of our Lord and Saviour; while the third message presents a glorious reform which will serve to prepare a people for that grandest of all events.

This series, then, of three messages, composing the great last-day proclamation to the world of grand facts necessary for it to know in order to be ready for Christ’s coming, is emphatically “present truth” for the last days. The first announces the close of prophetic time, and the beginning of the great judgment period preceding the coming of Christ, when the final decisions fixing the eternal destiny of all mankind will have been rendered. The first message of the three will be continued in its proclamation till the close of probation. What could be of greater importance to the world than a knowledge of the fact that the last great judgment of mankind had already begun?

Babylon is mentioned in the book of Revelation five or six times in a figurative sense, as a worldly, proud, apostate form of politics and religion combined in one system. The name Babylon is very suggestive. It originated at that interesting period when Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord, was the head of a rebellious movement among the descendants of Noah. The Lord had designed that the descendants of Noah should spread abroad and repeople the earth. But they said, “Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” Gen. 11: 4. Here were seen the beginnings of human ambition to be great and powerful and independent of God. So they began their city and proceeded to erect their proposed tower, “to reach unto heaven,” with the evident design of providing against destruction from any future flood. This attempt was in reality a rebellion against God, and the Lord here confounded their language, so they could not understand one another in building. Hence, great confusion resulted, and their ambitious project was a failure. Here was the origin of the many languages and dialects spoken on our earth.

The whole scheme of the building of the city,—the object in view,—was contrary to God’s designs for them; hence this fearful judgment of confounding their language, which absolutely destroyed their rebellious schemes. Here also can be discerned the “confusion” in religious matters. The “gate of God” became a mixture of pretentious service of God, with really a terrible apostasy, paving the way to the whole train of heathen religions.

Then again in later years Babylon became the oppressor of God’s people. The Babylonian captivity resulted in mixing into the Jewish religion heathen conceptions and doctrines originated by Satan, the great apostate angel who brought sin into the universe. Thus commenced “the great controversy” between God and Satan, which has largely had its seat in our world. In his infinite wisdom God has permitted one exhibition of the result of sin and its awful train of evils in his universe, to show to all worlds the result of disobedience and rebellion against God, and also to show his wonderful love by the gift of his Son, man’s Saviour and glorious benefactor. Sin is abnormal and evil; one exhibition of its terrible consequences will be enough to all eternity. It will soon be destroyed forever by the second coming of Christ.

The terms Babylon and Egypt are used to represent the sources of the evils which corrupted the religion of holy origin. Egypt was the most conspicuous source of idolatry in our world. From it the Greeks and Romans derived much of their knowledge of idolatry. Their great philosophers went there to learn its mysteries. When Israel came from Egypt to Canaan, the whole mass of the people was permeated with the idolatrous ideas of the Egyptians. The first prominent act of rebellion against God—the making of a golden calf—showed the result of Egyptian teaching and example. During all the history of Israel, God warned them against Egypt and its teachings and abominations.

The seventy years of captivity in Babylon resulted in greatly corrupting the Jewish religion. Only a few comparatively, ever returned to Canaan. The ten tribes were absorbed in the mass of heathenism. As tribes, they largely disappeared. And those who did come back were affected more or less by the Babylonian doctrines.

In the book of Revelation, the term Babylon is frequently used. It can not refer to the literal city of that name, for that was then in ruins. It must be used in a metaphorical sense. It is a descriptive term, suggested by the original root-meaning of the word, “confusion,” mixture; an attempt to blend truth and error (things which can not mix, any more than can oil and water) into a religious system, claiming the right to control men’s consciences, and tyrannically forcing people to bow to its dicta.

The Babylon of the apocalypse is a family affair: “And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls, and spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication.

And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication, and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder.” Rev. 17: 1-6, A. R. V.

This scripture has an easy solution. In symbolic prophecy a woman is often used as a symbol of a church,—a pure woman as a symbol of a pure church, and a corrupt woman of a corrupt church. This corrupt woman is represented as riding upon the beast of seven heads and ten horns; that is, the Roman power ruled over by the papal church,—in short, papal Rome,—Rome ruled by the popes. For many ages this was the condition of things. The Roman Catholic Church is therefore the woman here described. Babylon the great, the mother of other corrupt churches, is most forcibly brought to view. The daughters are religious bodies which came forth from her communion, and carried with them more or less of her false doctrines. We reserve for another article many additional facts.

Bowling Green, Fla.