21 Feb 2014
Revelation 18:1-2
Revelation 18:1: “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.”
Some cults claim that there are 7 archangels. The Bible only mentions one: Michael. Michael is said to be “the” archangel, as if there is only one. It never speaks of the existence of multiple archangels.
This angel, however, doesn’t appear to be Michael. In fact, this angel isn’t given a name at all. The Bible says that he has great power and that his glory lit the Earth, but it doesn’t give us his name or rank. The reason it doesn’t tell us anything about him is probably because what really matters is not the angel’s identity, but the angel’s message:
Revelation 18:2: “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”
Here we see that Babylon has finally been judged. Babylon – the great city that persecuted the saints and that caused so much harm over so many years – has at last been destroyed. For reasons I’ve explained elsewhere I believe that this is talking about actual city of Babylon itself. In our time Babylon has been rebuilt; it once more stands in the land of Iraq. Today it is just a tourist attraction, but one day it will rule over the world (just as it did in the past). However, its reign will not last forever; God will judge the city, and it will be destroyed.
One of the interesting things about this verse is that its ruins will become “the habitation of devils”. In other words, the ruins are going to be haunted! Evil spirits will live there.