The Causes Which Led Up to the Fall of Babylon
By George I. Butler
“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. . . . And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Rev. 17:15, 18, A. R. V. In a previous article attention was called to the woman sitting upon many waters, whose name was “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” Rev. 17:5. In verse 15 we have an inspired definition of the word “waters” as used in these texts,—“peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues,”—the great sea of humanity, surging and moving in great waves or commotions, in political tempests and tumults. High in authority and influence, sits this woman, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and religious apostasy. Such has been the great Roman Church, rightly named indeed. For twelve long, dark, and weary centuries she ruled superior to all others, apparently supreme. The great men of the earth, kings, and all rulers, were in her communion; but the church was supreme. In both the Old and New Testaments a woman is used as a symbol of the church. “The daughter of Zion,” “the spouse” of Christ, was representative of the pure and blessed church of Christ. A harlot represents that church-and-state union seen so conspicuously in the past eighteen centuries, an attempted mingling of Christ and the world, really as impossible as the mixture of oil and water. How few realize what the great controversy is which has been in progress ever since the fall of man! As the Bible truly represents it, evil and good, sin and righteousness, Satan and Christ, have been in controversy throughout all the centuries. God made man, and pronounced him very good. Satan deceived the holy pair. He lied, of course; for as Christ declared, he was the father of lies. This was the first apostasy on earth. Since then evil has generally been predominant. Two lines of people continued till the flood,—the “sons of God,” or descendants of Seth, and Cain’s posterity. The latter gradually succeeded in corrupting the former, till the earth was filled with iniquity. Only one family remained as representatives of God; at last the Lord cleansed the world in the deluge. By this act it would have seemed hopeful that righteousness should predominate. But not so. In a few generations, evil became again predominant, and the great mass were practising idolatry, worshiping beasts, serpents, the sun and stars. God had representatives, however, all the way along. Abraham was removed from his heathen ancestors, and devoted himself to the true God, to his service and worship. God accepted him. He was a remarkable character, and he commanded his household after him; so his descendants became a chosen seed to represent righteousness in the world till God’s own Son came personally to earth to rescue all who would receive him. From time to time, God brought in important crises, through which to make manifest his power. He sent his people into Egypt, and after many years brought them out with an outstretched arm and plentitude of power, thus leaving upon their minds and hearts, and upon those of others who were interested, a deep impression that God is the Almighty One. A noble code of laws was given, and in their own land and their glorious city all their environments were made favorable. What was their response?—Apostasy, idolatry, and many forms of evil. The Lord in mercy spared them as his representative people till Christ should come. Great reformations, from time to time were brought about, as in the days of Elijah and Elisha; but after a little, the people returned into sin and rebellion. All the other inhabitants of the world were idolaters. The Son of God appeared in humble circumstances. None of the pomp of this world was connected with his coming. Born in a stable, and cradled in a manger, the Light of life came to earth. He said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” yet “never man spake like this man.” He went about doing good. Miracles of love and compassion followed him everywhere. None were so poor or despised or sick or afflicted but he ministered unto their necessities. Yea, the dead heard his voice, and, responding to his call, lived again. We should suppose that all would have received him as the long-promised Messiah, but the religious leaders hated him, and put him to death. The Jews as a nation forfeited their high position and blessings as God’s special people. His glorious gospel was proclaimed all over the world, and thousands received it. The darkness of heathenism was illuminated, the idol temples were forsaken, and in all countries believers in the humble Nazarene greatly increased. Satan was now forced to adopt other tactics. As pagans were nominally converted, they brought with them some of their old ideas, and these began to be woven into the Christian fabric. The Christian religion itself became corrupted. The heathen Sunday was exalted as a so-called Christian institution. The immortal-soul doctrine was imported from Egypt, Greece, and Rome, and incorporated into the church creed. Various heathen practises, holidays, and customs utterly contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures, were introduced, accepted, and followed by the masses of Christendom. These were imbibed so gradually that they were almost unconsciously received. At last the Emperor Constantine saw that this kind of Christianity was becoming popular, and so he himself favored it, though he really remained in heart an unconverted man, a great tyrant in practise. Now the church, with the favor of the state behind it, became Babylon,—confusion, mixture, heathenism mixed into a vast system, and forced upon the people. In some instances armies were marched up by the so-called converted ruler, and baptized by the thousands into nominal Christianity. One can easily see what kind of religion would result from such conditions. The sure result was Babylon the great, the mother of all abominations. Persecutions enforced upon alleged heretics caused the death of from fifty to one hundred millions of these heretics; so she is called “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” No wonder that the prophet says, “And when I saw her, I wondered with a great wonder.” It was not strange that he should wonder when he beheld professed Christians murdering other Christians. It was a new manifestation of satanic power, and demonstrated the complete fall of the mother of churches, and her final apostasy. The great Reformation, under Luther and others, came at last, and multitudes left the communion of the Roman Church. In many things there was a10great reform. The traditions of that church lost their hold upon millions. Many accepted the great truth that the Bible alone is the foundation of faith. The Reformers were not all united in their faith and practise. Some reformed but very little in their religious views. The Church of England, as a church-and-state body, held to many forms and ceremonies of the mother church. The Lutheran state church never got as far away from her as some others did. The Presbyterians, led by Calvin, held fast to some of her doctrines; but as they clung to the Bible in many things, God blessed them while they continued in the pathway of reform. But some of the Protestant churches have been persecuting bodies, putting to death men who did not agree with them. Calvin caused the death of Servetus, in Geneva. The Church of England put to death many noble men and women whose belief was not in harmony with her views. John Bunyan lay twelve years in Bedford jail because of his faith. The persecuting spirit has been more or less manifest with many of them. On the whole, it can be safely said that the great Reformation was a reform only in part. That movement has not resulted in bringing honest people to the unity of the faith. There is one great feature in which these Protestant bodies have been sadly deficient,—the acceptance of the prophecies concerning the coming of Christ the second time. They have turned against that doctrine. There has been, indeed, a great change for the worse among them. Able, talented Christian men who were great students of prophecy have arisen from time to time. Martin Luther was one, and John Wesley was another. Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop Thomas Newton, and others loved the prophecies greatly, and taught them. A century or less ago a great movement arose whose exponents proclaimed throughout the Christian world that Christ’s second advent was approaching, thus causing the hearts of multitudes of Christian people to thrill with joy. It must be evident to all candid, thinking people that the doctrine of Christ’s soon coming will be a test question in the last day; for it is impossible that that great event should be unheralded by a world-wide message of warning. More will be said on this important subject.