Revelation 15-18

“Woe, woe, the great city … adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!” (18:17). In Revelation, “Babylon” is a powerful, prosperous, and evil city. It represents human achievement, twisted by sin, which instead of glorifying God is used only to hoard wealth and to live for pleasure. “All things that were luxurious and splendid” (v14) filled the city, and yet, in John’s vision, God destroyed the city in an hour.

Human achievement, no matter how amazing, is totally worthless if we refuse to participate in God’s kingdom.