From Here to Eternity.
After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great prostitute who was corrupting the earth with her sexual immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” Revelation 19:1-2. NASB
I love the way this chapter begins: “After these things.” The Three Angels Messages have been proclaimed to all the world; the 7 last plagues have been poured out. Humanity has shown their continued stubbornness and opposition to the creator. Babylon has been destroyed. All heaven now breaks forth in praise. Hallelujah!
At last, we have pressed out of the jungle of sin and now Revelation opens to us the consummation; The song of triumph and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Oh, how we will rejoice on that day!
Hollywood loves a good revenge story, like for example the Count of Monte Cristo. In that story, the Count suffers injustice at the hands of an evil antagonist, but in the end, he gets even and comes out on top. Many people must like stories like that, as the movie industry keeps producing them. Revenge stories conclude when the hero rides off into the sunset, having brought justice into an unjust world.
It is human nature to want to see the tables turned on those who have taken advantage of others.
Well, that is exactly what the Book of Revelation is all about. Babylon has unjustly judged the people of God (Rev 18:4-8), and at the end of the book, she receives the same kind of punishment that she meted out on them. In Revelation, the heros don’t ride off into the sunset, They ride off to the New Jerusalem with Jesus, where justice and peace will reign for all eternity.
But gaining the upper hand on Babylon is not a pretty picture in the Apocalypse. It requires great earthquakes and giant hailstones. There are battles and flaming fire. There is a great metaphorical/symbolic sword that comes out of the mouth of the One who died for humanity. He now returns as an avenger against those who refused to repent but instead have tormented others.
God wants us to know just how bad it has been since Satan took over this world. He also wants us to know that He is not going to allow things to go on like this forever. There is an end in sight. Yes, the Book of Revelation is all about turning the tables and evening the score. Soon evil will be banished from the universe. Soon the prayers for justice will be answered. What a relief!
The destruction of end-time Babylon is bad news for those who collaborated with this apostate religious system. For God’s people, however, it is good news as Revelation 19:1–7 describes. Babylon was responsible for inducing the secular political powers to persecute and harm them (Rev. 18:24). The destruction of this great adversary means deliverance and salvation for God’s faithful people.
With the destruction of Babylon, the prayer of God’s people in the scene of the fifth seal is ultimately answered. Their cry, “How long, O Lord?” (Rev. 6:10) represents the cry of God’s oppressed and suffering people from Abel to the time when God will finally vindicate them (Ps. 79:5; Hab. 1:2; Dan. 12:6, 7).
The book of Revelation assures God’s people that evil, oppression, and suffering will come to an end. It is now time for Christ to usher in His everlasting kingdom. The remaining chapters of Revelation will describe not just the destruction of end-time Babylon but also the destruction of Satan and all evil. We get glimpses, too, of the establishment of God’s everlasting kingdom.