Sunday School Notes: Revelation 18:4-8

⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Get away from her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins, so that you will not receive the plagues. ⁵ For her sins are stacked up as far as heaven, and God has remembered her unrighteous acts. ⁶ Render to her as also she rendered, even duplicate [them] according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mixed duplicate for her. ⁷ As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, to the same degree give her torment and sorrow. For in her heart she says, ‘I sit [as] a queen and I am not a widow. I shall never see sorrow.’ ⁸ Because of this, in one day her plagues will come, death and sorrow and famine, and she will be consumed by fire. For the Lord God who has judged her is mighty.”

John hears another voice from heaven, but we are not told whether this is the voice of God, Jesus, one of the creatures, or an angel. We’ve seen all of these before now in Revelation. The reference to “my people” in verse 4 suggests this is either God the Father or Jesus. However, verse 5 seems to be speaking about God, and verse 6 looks to be addressed to God. Perhaps the easiest way to explain this is to see this voice as originating from the heavenly throne, and perhaps an angel or some other supernatural creature is speaking both on behalf of the Lord, and addressing the Lord on behalf of all creation.

The voice issues a warning: “Come out from her [i.e., the harlot, Babylon] lest you be caught up in her sins.” The Greek verb here speaks of being a willing an active collaborator in the deeds taking place. This is very much like the warning God issued to Israel, “My people,” in Jeremiah 51:45 when He commands them to depart from the midst of (physical) Babylon because His judgment is about to fall. Insofar as Israel had become entangled with Babylonian society, there could be a spiritual aspect to this summons too. The more integrated and accustomed to the ways of a culture one becomes, the harder it is to see the problems and leave. This spiritual aspect is the main emphasis in Revelation 18 since “Babylon” here is symbolic of the godless society or ruling culture.

Along a similar vein, Paul warns the Corinthian church against forming close relationships with the world in 2 Corinthians 6:17. He even quotes Jeremiah, this time 52:11, to make his case. When he asks, “what fellowship has light with darkness, or Christ with Belial, or a believer with an unbeliever, or the temple of God with idols?” those same questions could be fired at any believer tempted to assimilate too much to the surrounding culture.

But why would the Lord have to warn His people to cut themselves off from Babylon? These are the heaven-dwellers, those with the name of the Lord on their foreheads; they wouldn’t want to be involved with Babylon, would they? Ultimately, no. The Lord’s sheep will hear and heed the Shepherd’s voice and come out. But this warning exists to remind us of how easy it is to become sucked into the world and drawn away from the Lord. The temptations of Babylon are not always so overt. Sometimes they can be extremely subtle, even appearing to be good and righteous. We need to be vigilant, never letting our guard down, just as Jesus warned in Matthew 24:24, concerning false prophets and christs doing wondrous things that could, if possible, lead away his elect.

On the positive side, this warning demonstrates the love of God for His people. He doesn’t leave them to their own devices, but is always ready with his shepherd’s crook to pull wayward sheep away from the precipice. In chapters 2 and 3, He promised heavenly rewards to those who overcome. But we don’t overcome by our own efforts. It’s solely by the grace of God that we are able to overcome. Without God’s strength and grace, sin and the power of the enemy would be too much for us to handle.

The angel says that the sins of the harlot have piled up as high as heaven, another echo of Jeremiah 51, this time 51:9. This is in contrast to the prayers of the saints that rise up before God (8:4). If we consider that the Tower of Babel was intended to reach heaven but fell far short, this is quite a startling depiction of the quantity of Babylon’s sin. Once again, we’re being reminded of how deserving Babylon is of the judgments raining down upon her. In 16:19, we are told God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. God did indeed remember Babylon’s unrighteousness, and this is how His wrath is manifest upon her. This is the unfolding of 16:19.

Verse 6 appeals to the Lord to render to the harlot as she rendered to others. This sounds very much like the lex talionis, or “law of retaliation”: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We’ve seen this law referenced already in 16:6: They have shed the blood of the saints, therefore the Lord gives them blood to drink. “It is what they deserve.” The law of retaliation is at the heart of Old Testament justice, and hence the sense of justice we all have from God (Exodus 21:22-25; Leviticus 24:17-22; Deuteronomy 19:15-21). Those that commit a crime should receive punishment commensurate to the crime committed.

Some see Matthew 5:38-42 as a critique, or even an annulment of the lex talionis, as if Jesus’s standard was not repayment but grace. We should first observe that the law was a judicial standard; the examples Jesus gives (turn the other cheek and offer your shirt as well as your coat) are more inter-personal. Second, Jesus did not suggest there was a problem with the lex talionis. His concern was more with how people applied it, especially in their dealings with one another. In fact, Jesus urges his followers to go beyond the law and act with grace toward one another. Again, I don’t believe he was saying the law is wrong and the law courts should start letting criminals off the hook. Rather the law is God’s standard and ought to be applied. But we shouldn’t used it as an excuse to act vindictively toward those that wrong us.

However, the ESV–along with every other major translation–seems to contradict the lex talionis: “Repay her double…” Not only that, it appears contrary to previous statements about paying the harlot back as she had dealt out. We might feel as though Babylon deserves twice the suffering she inflicted, but is that right? Does this not go against God’s justice? Theologian and Old Testament scholar Meredith Kline provides what I consider to be a compelling response to this in an article he wrote called “Double Trouble.” Kline offers an alternative translation that is plausible, and while not embraced by many translations, has the support of a number of scholars. In short, Kline argues that while the Greek word here translated double (diplous, and the verb form diploō) often means “double,” it can also mean “duplicate,” “copy,” or “in kind.” The Hebrew equivalent in Old Testament passages, kephel (verb form kāphal) can also have the same alternative meaning. As is always the case with translation, the best rendering is determined by context, and Kline cites a number of passages where the context seems to best suit the translation “in kind” or “like” as opposed to “double.” These include:

• Isaiah 40:2: The three statements seem “unbalanced” because the first two refer to single things (time of service ended, iniquity pardoned), where the third refers to “double” (received double for her sins). This can be resolved if instead of “double” we translate the Hebrew as “in kind.”
• Jeremiah 16:18: A different Hebrew word is used, but it is translated into Greek for the LXX (Greek Old Testament) by diplous. Rather than the Lord “doubly” repaying those who have committed iniquity, He pays them back in kind, or equitably.
• Matthew 23:15: Jesus pronounces woe to the Scribes and Pharasees who travel to make converts, and when they do they make him “double” the child of hell that they are–at least according to most translations. Is it not enough for them to be made as much a child of hell? That’s the translation Kline proposes here. He believes this better fits the idea of the disciple following in the exact footsteps of his master, even to the pits of hell.
• 1 Timothy 5:17: Elders who rule well are worthy of “double” honor, again according to most translations. We may feel that way about those who lead our churches. However, in verse 18 Paul quotes Jesus, telling Timothy that the laborer deserves his wages–not double his wages. It would, therefore, be more consistent to say that good elders are worthy of honor in kind, or equivalent honor–pay commensurate with services rendered.

If Kline is correct (and I’m inclined to agree with him), we should understand this petition in Revelation 18:6 to be saying “render to Babylon according as she rendered, equivalently according to her deeds. In the cup in which she mixed [i.e., the blood of the saints], mix equivalently for her.”

Verse 7 lends further support to this translation: As much as the harlot gave herself glory and lived sensuously, or luxuriously, she she will receive a like measure–not a double measure–of torment and sorrow. This underscores the harlot’s idolatry, or self-worship. That notion of self-importance, that I know best who or what to worship, putting our ideas of worship above God’s, is at the heart of idolatry. Babylon puts herself at the center of all things, and demands that all people treat her with an honor she does not deserve. As much as she indulged herself, the Lord will indulge her with torment and sorrow. He will remind her of her place in the universe compared to Himself, as He did with Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4).

The harlot calls herself a queen who sits on the throne–another example of her bloated self-importance. Ironically, we know she has actually been riding the beast and going wherever it takes her. So much for autonomy and power! In the sense that she looks on those who follow her as her children, those who depend upon her and need her, she thinks she will never be a widow. The Lord will tear down her pride and conceit by, indeed, taking all her “children” from her.

The plagues that the Lord will pour out upon her (don’t miss the tie with the Egyptian Exodus plagues, and a possible connection here with the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls) will come upon her in a day. Isaiah 47:7-9, 14 speaks in similar terms of physical Babylon, prophesying her downfall, an event which foreshadowed what we see here in Revelation. Indeed, contrary to what she thinks, Babylon will see sorrow, death, and famine. All the pleasures she enjoys will be stripped away, and she will be consumed with fire, which we saw happen in 17:16. I don’t take the “one day” time period as literal. The voice is saying that Babylon’s judgment will come upon her suddenly and quickly–like a thief in the night!

The Lord God who judges is mighty. God is the One who orchestrates Babylon’s downfall. This is His judgment against her.

We’ll continue starting with 18:9 next time…