📖 Ufunuo — Somo la Kina — Sehemu ya 10: Anguko la Babeli📖 Revelation Intensive — Unit 10: The Fall of Babylon

Maandiko: Ufunuo wa Yohana 17-18Text: Revelation 17-18

Kahaba Mkuu Juu ya MnyamaThe Great Harlot on the Beast

Mmoja wa wale malaika saba waliokuwa na vile vitasa sasa anamwonyesha Yohana hukumu ya "yule kahaba mkuu aketiye juu ya maji mengi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:1), ambaye wafalme wa nchi wamezini naye. Yohana anamwona mwanamke ameketi juu ya mnyama mwekundu sana, aliyejaa majina ya makufuru, mwenye vichwa saba na pembe kumi. Amevaa nguo za rangi ya zambarau na nyekundu, amepambwa kwa dhahabu, vito vya thamani na lulu, naye ameshika "kikombe cha dhahabu mkononi mwake, kimejaa machukizo, na uchafu wa uasherati wake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:4). Katika kipaji cha uso wake limeandikwa jina, "SIRI, BABELI MKUU, MAMA WA MAKAHABA NA WA MACHUKIZO YA NCHI" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:5). Naye amelewa — si kwa divai, bali "kwa damu ya watakatifu, na kwa damu ya mashahidi wa Yesu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:6). Babeli ni ulimwengu katika nguvu zake za kushawishi: tajiri, wenye kuvutia, wenye ibada ya sanamu, na uliotiwa doa kwa damu ya watu wa Mungu. Anatoa kikombe cha dhahabu, lakini kimejaa uchafu, na uzuri wake unaficha ukatili wake. Pamoja na fahari yake yote yeye ni bandia, kinyume cha giza cha bibi-arusi wa Mwana-Kondoo atakayetokea katika sura za mwisho, na malaika amekuja hasa ili kufunua hukumu yake.One of the seven angels who held the bowls now shows John the judgment of "the great harlot who sits on many waters" (Revelation 17:1), with whom the kings of the earth have committed immorality. John sees a woman seated on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns. She is dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, and she holds "a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication" (Revelation 17:4). On her forehead is written a name, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5). And she is drunk — not with wine, but "with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6). Babylon is the world in its seductive power: rich, alluring, idolatrous, and stained with the blood of God's people. She offers a golden cup, but it is full of filth, and her beauty hides her cruelty. For all her splendor she is a counterfeit, the dark opposite of the bride of the Lamb who will appear in the closing chapters, and the angel has come precisely to reveal her judgment.

Siri Inafafanuliwa: Mnyama na WafalmeThe Mystery Explained: The Beast and the Kings

Malaika anaifafanua siri hiyo. Mnyama ambaye mwanamke amemketia "alikuwako, naye hayuko, naye yu tayari kupanda kutoka kuzimu, na kwenda zake kwenye uharibifu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:8), mwigo mtupu wa Mungu wa milele, unaoelekea uharibifu tu. Vichwa saba ni milima saba ambayo mwanamke ameiketia, tena ni wafalme saba; pembe kumi ni wafalme kumi wanaopokea mamlaka pamoja na yule mnyama "kwa muda wa saa moja" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:12). Wafalme hawa wanampa mnyama nguvu zao na "watafanya vita na Mwana-Kondoo, na Mwana-Kondoo atawashinda, kwa sababu Yeye ni Bwana wa mabwana, na Mfalme wa wafalme" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:14). Babeli awe ni nani au nini, jambo hili ni hakika. Utambulisho wa Babeli umeeleweka kwa njia zaidi ya moja — wengine wanamwona kuwa Rumi ya siku za Yohana, iliyoketi juu ya vilima vyake saba na kutawala juu ya wafalme wa nchi, wengine kuwa mfumo mkubwa wa ulimwengu wa biashara isiyomcha Mungu na dini ya uongo utakaokuja baadaye, na wengine kuwa mji wa ulimwengu unaompinga Mungu katika kila kizazi — na kozi hii inawasilisha tafsiri hizi kwa haki. Wote wanakubaliana kwamba yeye anawakilisha ulimwengu uliojipanga dhidi ya Mungu, na kwamba Mwana-Kondoo atashinda. Msomaji anakusudiwa kuangalia zaidi ya sura ing'aayo ya kahaba hadi kwenye uhakika thabiti kwamba utukufu wake ni wa muda mfupi na anguko lake ni hakika.The angel explains the mystery. The beast on which the woman sits "was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition" (Revelation 17:8), a hollow imitation of the eternal God, headed only for destruction. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, and they are also seven kings; the ten horns are ten kings who receive authority with the beast "for one hour" (Revelation 17:12). These kings give their power to the beast and "make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14). Whatever Babylon may be, this is certain. Who Babylon is has been understood in more than one way — some take her as the Rome of John's day, seated on its seven hills and reigning over the kings of the earth, some as a great world-system of godless commerce and false religion still to come, and some as the world-city opposed to God in every age — and the course presents these readings fairly. What all agree on is that she stands for the world arrayed against God, and that the Lamb will overcome. The reader is meant to look past the dazzling figure of the harlot to the steady certainty that her glory is brief and her downfall is sure.

Kahaba AnajiangamizaThe Harlot's Self-Destruction

Malaika anamwambia Yohana kwamba yale maji anayoketi juu yake yule kahaba "ni jamii na makutano na mataifa na lugha" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:15); nguvu yake ya kushawishi inafika ulimwenguni kote. Kisha linakuja geuko la kushtua. Zile pembe kumi na yule mnyama "watamchukia yule kahaba, nao watamfanya kuwa ukiwa, na uchi, na kuzila nyama zake, na kumteketeza kwa moto" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:16). Nguvu zile zile zilizomtumikia Babeli zinamgeukia na kumrarua. Na hili si bahati mbaya, kwa maana "Mungu ametia mioyoni mwao kuyatimiza mapenzi yake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:17). Uovu hatimaye haujaungana; unajila wenyewe, na hata kujiangamiza kwake kunatumikia mapenzi makuu ya Mungu, anayetumia ghadhabu ya mnyama kutekeleza neno Lake mwenyewe. Sura inamalizika kwa kumtaja mwanamke waziwazi: yeye ni "ule mji mkubwa, wenye kumiliki juu ya wafalme wa nchi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 17:18). Mji wa ulimwengu unaoshawishi, pamoja na nguvu zake zote juu ya mataifa, umehukumiwa kuangamizwa na nguvu zile zile ulizozitumainia. Kile kilichoonekana kuwa hakishindiki kinaanguka kutoka ndani, na hata hasira ya mnyama inakuwa mtumishi wa makusudi ya Mungu.The angel tells John that the waters where the harlot sits "are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15); her seductive power reaches across the whole world. Then comes a startling turn. The ten horns and the beast "will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire" (Revelation 17:16). The very powers that served Babylon turn on her and tear her apart. And this is no accident, for "God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose" (Revelation 17:17). Evil is not finally united; it devours itself, and even its self-destruction serves the sovereign will of God, who uses the beast's fury to carry out His own word. The chapter ends by identifying the woman plainly: she is "that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:18). The seductive world-city, for all its power over the nations, is doomed by the very forces it trusted. What looked invincible collapses from within, and even the rage of the beast becomes a servant of the purposes of God.

Babeli UmeangukaBabylon Is Fallen

Sura ya kumi na nane inatangaza anguko kama jambo lililokwisha kutimia. Malaika mwingine anashuka akiwa na mamlaka makubwa, na nchi inatiwa nuru kwa utukufu wake, naye analia kwa sauti kuu, "Umeanguka, umeanguka Babeli ulio mkuu, umekuwa makao ya mashetani" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:2). Mataifa yote wamekunywa mvinyo wa uasherati wake; wafalme wameshiriki dhambi zake, na wafanya biashara wa nchi wametajirika kwa anasa zake. Kisha sauti nyingine kutoka mbinguni inaita, "Tokeni kwake, enyi watu wangu, msishiriki dhambi zake, wala msipokee mapigo yake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:4). Hili ndilo neno kuu la kimatendo la sura hii: watu wa Mungu hawapaswi kujisikia nyumbani katika Babeli, hawapaswi kushiriki dhambi zake wala kupenda anasa zake, bali wanapaswa kutoka na kujitenga. Kwa maana dhambi zake zimefika hata mbinguni, na Mungu amekumbuka maovu yake. Katika siku moja mapigo yake yatamjia — mauti na huzuni na njaa, naye atateketezwa kwa moto — kwa kuwa Bwana Mungu anayemhukumu ni mwenye nguvu. Kilio cha mara mbili, umeanguka, umeanguka, kinalia kama kengele ya mazishi juu ya mji huo, na wito wa kutoka kwake ni wa haraka, kwa maana wale wanaokawia katika dhambi zake watashiriki maangamizi yake ya ghafula.Chapter eighteen announces the fall as an accomplished fact. Another angel comes down with great authority, and the earth is lit with his glory, and he cries with a mighty voice, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons" (Revelation 18:2). All nations have drunk the wine of her immorality; the kings have shared her sins, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich through her luxury. Then another voice from heaven calls out, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). This is the great practical word of the chapter: God's people must not be at home in Babylon, must not share her sins or love her luxuries, but must come out and be separate. For her sins have piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. In a single day her plagues will come upon her — death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned with fire — for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. The doubled cry, fallen, is fallen, tolls like a funeral bell over the city, and the call to come out of her is urgent, for those who linger in her sins will share her sudden ruin.

Ulimwengu Unaomboleza Anguko LakeThe World Mourns Her Fall

Anguko la Babeli linaleta maombolezo makuu kutoka kwa wale waliompenda. Wafalme wa nchi walioshiriki anasa zake "watamlilia na kumwombolezea" wanapouona moshi wa kuungua kwake, wakisimama mbali kwa hofu na kulia, "Ole, ole, mji ule mkubwa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:9-10). Wafanya biashara wa nchi wanalia kwa sababu hakuna mtu anayenunua bidhaa zao tena, na kunafuata orodha ndefu ya anasa zilizojaa masoko yake — dhahabu, fedha, vito, nguo nzuri, manukato, divai, na hata "miili na roho za wanadamu" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:13). Manahodha na mabaharia waliotajirika kwa biashara yake wanasimama mbali na kulia wanapotazama moshi. Mara tatu maombolezo ni yale yale: katika saa moja utajiri wote ule umekuwa bure. Maombolezo ya wafalme, wafanya biashara na mabaharia yanafunua utupu wa ulimwengu uliojengwa juu ya anasa na ubinafsi; Babeli anapoanguka, wale waliompenda hawamlilii yeye bali mali waliyoipoteza. Hawatubu wanapoona maangamizi yake; wanahesabu hasara zao tu, kwa maana hazina yao iliwekwa duniani nayo imetoweka katika saa moja.The fall of Babylon brings a great lament from those who loved her. The kings of the earth who shared her luxury "will weep and lament for her" when they see the smoke of her burning, standing far off in fear and crying, "Alas, alas, that great city" (Revelation 18:9-10). The merchants of the earth weep because no one buys their cargo anymore, and there follows a long list of the luxuries that filled her markets — gold, silver, jewels, fine cloth, spices, wine, and even "bodies and souls of men" (Revelation 18:13). The shipmasters and sailors who grew rich by her trade stand far off and cry out as they watch the smoke. Three times the lament is the same: in one hour all that wealth has come to nothing. The mourning of kings, merchants, and sailors exposes the hollowness of a world built on luxury and self; when Babylon falls, those who loved her weep not for her but for the riches they have lost. They do not repent at the sight of her ruin; they count only their losses, for their treasure was laid up on the earth and is gone in a single hour.

Furahini, Enyi MbinguRejoice, O Heaven

Kinyume na maombolezo ya ulimwengu, mbingu zinaitwa kufurahi: "Furahini juu yake, enyi mbingu, nanyi watakatifu, na mitume, na manabii; kwa kuwa Mungu amehukumu hukumu yenu juu yake" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:20). Kile ambacho nchi inakiomboleza, mbingu zinakisherehekea, kwa sababu anguko la Babeli ni kuthibitishwa kwa haki ya watu wa Mungu. Kisha malaika mwenye nguvu anainua jiwe kama jiwe kubwa la kusagia na kulitupa baharini, akisema, "Ndivyo utakavyotupwa kwa nguvu Babeli, mji ule mkuu, wala hautaonekana tena kabisa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:21). Kama vile jiwe la kusagia linavyozama na kutoweka, ndivyo Babeli atakavyozama na kamwe hatainuka. Sauti za uhai zinanyamaza ndani yake: hakuna tena muziki, hakuna fundi, hakuna sauti ya jiwe la kusagia, hakuna taa, hakuna sauti ya bwana-arusi na bibi-arusi. Kwa maana wafanya biashara wake walikuwa wakuu wa nchi, na "kwa uchawi wako mataifa yote walidanganywa" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:23). Na shtaka zito kuliko yote linatajwa mwisho: "ndani yake ikaonekana damu ya manabii, na ya watakatifu, na ya wote waliouawa juu ya nchi" (Ufunuo wa Yohana 18:24). Mji uliolewa kwa damu ya mashahidi unashushwa milele.Over against the world's mourning, heaven is called to rejoice: "Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her" (Revelation 18:20). What the earth mourns, heaven celebrates, because the fall of Babylon is the vindication of God's people. Then a mighty angel takes up a stone like a great millstone and throws it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore" (Revelation 18:21). As the millstone sinks and is gone, so Babylon will sink and never rise. The sounds of life fall silent in her: no more music, no craftsman, no mill, no lamp, no voice of bridegroom and bride. For her merchants were the great men of the earth, and "by your sorcery all the nations were deceived" (Revelation 18:23). And the deepest charge is named last: "in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth" (Revelation 18:24). The city drunk with the blood of the martyrs is brought down forever.

Miji Miwili na Haki ya MunguThe Two Cities and the Justice of God

Sura ya kumi na saba na kumi na nane zinamwekea msomaji maangamizi ya mji-kahaba mkuu, na zinaandaa tofauti ambayo sura za mwisho zitaikamilisha. Kinyume na Babeli yule kahaba anasimama Yerusalemu Mpya yule bibi-arusi; kinyume na mji uliolewa kwa damu ya watakatifu unasimama mji wa Mwana-Kondoo. Wito wa sura hizi ni wazi na wa kimatendo: tokeni kwake, enyi watu wangu. Waaminio hawapaswi kujisikia nyumbani katika ibada ya sanamu, uasherati na anasa za ulimwengu, wala kushiriki dhambi zake, bali waishi kama watu walio wa mji mwingine. Na faraja ni wazi vile vile. Mfumo wa ulimwengu unaoshawishi mataifa na kumwaga damu ya watakatifu utaanguka ghafula, kabisa, na milele, chini ya hukumu ya haki ya Mungu, anayewalipizia kisasi watu wake na kutimiza neno lake hata kupitia kujiangamiza kwa uovu. Babeli awe ni nini katika kizazi chochote, mwisho wake ni hakika, kwa maana Mwana-Kondoo ni Bwana wa mabwana na Mfalme wa wafalme, naye atashinda. Anguko la Babeli ni mazishi ya ulimwengu, lakini kwa waaminifu waliotoka kwake ni mapambazuko ya kuthibitishwa kwao.Chapters seventeen and eighteen set before the reader the doom of the great harlot-city, and they prepare for a contrast that the closing chapters will complete. Over against Babylon the harlot stands the New Jerusalem the bride; over against the city drunk with the blood of saints stands the city of the Lamb. The call of these chapters is clear and practical: come out of her, my people. Believers are not to be at home in the world's idolatry, immorality, and luxury, nor to share its sins, but to live as those who belong to another city. And the comfort is just as clear. The world-system that seduces the nations and sheds the blood of the saints will fall suddenly, completely, and forever, under the just judgment of God, who avenges His people and fulfills His word even through the self-destruction of evil. Whatever Babylon may be in any age, her end is certain, for the Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings, and He will overcome. The fall of Babylon is the world's funeral, but for the faithful who have come out of her it is the dawn of their vindication.

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