The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 401

Ven. Q--24.--The/al! of thf ClDf"Nlpt ia hlf2'lalffl lifo. "And the. kings et the earth, ~ ha~e committed f@rnkatioo antl lived de+iciouel.y uh her," ett. All along through ~ remallks on the Apocalyptic visions, of this book 1 have not lilllly discarded any a.ntemflt u a l i ~ mte!pretation, but have affirmed that, 88aru.le,.suoh: interpretations 41{, dTill'llns or visions,, can sel'dom~ if ever,, from, the nature of the case; be correct; and. ttw& e1peeiaHy set wilih, tke visions and dreams recorded in this \look. The object& ~,; the voieelf heard,, t~ acts perfarmed, a,;e so incongruowi. wuili the course of nature and .the coneunent experience oil mankin~ that the attempt at a literal expo&itioD. wwld seem to, be, th11 heiglit of abaurditJ. Anyhow,, th.oul(h it has been tried a the.\18and times,, amt is• tttill being tried, all the reeults. ar,e uttsly unsa.tisfaetory to the lW.}tlle>jildiced e.nd. uD.l!Ophisticated intellect, &Dd oonseienoe. of mankind. Common sense rep~~ all sucb uite&pretations. Using,, however, euoh visions and dre&mB u the great redeeming Teacher of mankind used the blooming lily, the frnitfuL vine_ tbll toiling fishermen, the flowing river, the booming sea, and the beaming heavens-viz. to suggest and illustrate the·eternal realities of the supen;ensuolll!( realm-is to use them not only legitimately, 'but usefully· in the highest degree; Still proceeding on this principle, we may perh11ps get out of the strangg scenes· here· recorded some things that may quicken our intellect,, encourage our coDScieoee, and inspire our hope The subject here is-Ths /a'lf of tlis corropt i» human. life. The, corrupt thing is here 11ymbolized by Babylon. "Babylon. i& fallen." If Babylon here. be, understood to mean the old city of whoaer infamoua histoxy we have all .read_ the language used is histori- cally true, for it, had, fallen to ruins five hundred years before this, and had become "the habitation of devils, and every foul thing." If, as some say, it meaus pe.gan . Rome, it is not true, for that is as strong and numerically influential-if not more eo -now asJt ever ha:s been. Take. &bylono as: ,etanding· for wrong. ~ywhexe. through- r.mt. sooicty, and the expression, is not true •. Moral Babylon in the aggregate still live, and works on this planet. Albeit, regarding it as an ev-ent perpetually occurring, h w, t.rue,enough. Wrong, including ~l that is morally evil in. huma.n thought, feeling. and ~tion, i11- constantly falling,. It has been falling from: Adam to,Christ, and from Christ, to this boun. Such stupen.dous eveat■, were occurring; in connection with it in lhe. days of John, that he might. well havo dreamt. the.\. ,h41, heard IIOme angel say, .-..nx,x.1-U.] 'l'llE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. WS