PART II
THE IDENTITY OF BABYLON

AN IMPORTANT AND DIFFICULT PROBLEM

The Apocalypse begins and ends with the expressions, "things which must shortly come to pass", and "behold I come quickly". These are idioms which do pose some problems inasmuch as 2000 years have elapsed since the words were spoken, and still our Lord has not returned. These and similar statements (as "the Lord is at hand") move Bro. Whittaker to suggest that "it can only be that God Himself has brought about a wholesale deferment of the consummation of His purpose, so that what was originally to have happened in or soon after A.D. 70 is to be fulfilled in the 20th century" (page 264). Following a very detailed argument for this point of view, he concludes: "In the light of these findings, the conclusion seems to follow that the divine intention that Jesus should come again some time in the First Century suffered a drastic postponement because of the general rejection of the Gospel, especially by Israel" (page 269).

Against these conclusions must be set a number of statements in Scripture which indicate that a very long period of time would transpire before the culmination of all things. "That day" (the day of Christ's coming), writes the apostle Paul, "shall not come except there be a falling away first" (2 Thess. 2: 3, 8). Paul and the other apostles repeatedly make the point that there would be an extended period of time during which the Faith would be in danger of being lost, in short when an apostate condition would persist.

"After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock ...In latter times some shall depart from the faith ... The time will come when they shall not endure sound doctrine ... they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables." "The mystery of iniquity", Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "doth already work ... God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie." Peter likewise predicted that there would be false teachers who would bring in damnable heresies, "and many shall follow their pernicious ways." He also writes, "there shall come in the last days scoffers ... saying, where is the promise of his coming?"1

There are no indications in Scripture that God's time periods, with respect to His overall Purpose, are variable according to man's response to Him. In Old Testament prophecies and in the Revelation there are "set times" with relation to the fulfillment of His Purpose. Four times in the book of Daniel the phrase a time appointed occurs. In Psalm 102: 13 it is declared: "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come." The apostle Paul, in his speech on Mars hill, makes it clear that God's appointed time schedule for manifesting His glory in the earth does not vary significantly.

"God that made the world and all things therein ... hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17: 24-26).

The phrase, "things which must shortly come to pass," must be seen in the light of other Scriptural usage of the same expression. That which Daniel declared would occur "in the latter days" is described in the Apocalypse as coming to pass "shortly" (Gk. en tachei). The expression is literally "in haste" (quickly, suddenly), indicating that the events are to be fulfilled rapidly. As the events are unfolded they are spoken of as coming to pass quickly (Rev. 11: 14), and a form of the word occurs in Rev. 22: 20: "Behold I come quickly". The things foretold include the decay and fall of empires, conflicts among nations and the development of the apostasy. Centuries would be required for the fulfillment of these things before the millennial reign of Christ should begin. They did however begin to come to pass shortly after they were revealed to John, and they continue in their succession until all are fulfilled in the new heaven and the new earth. The Apocalypse itself indicates an extended period of time before the servants of God are saved out of their affliction.

"They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?' Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been" (Rev. 6: 10-11 RSV).

The term en tachei occurs in Acts 12: 7 (rise up quickly), Acts 22: 18 (get out quickly) and Acts 25: 4 (depart shortly). In these passages the meaning is clearly "within a short time". In Luke 18, however, the expression is used in a somewhat different sense. There is a long-range implication similar to that of the Apocalypse.

"And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry unto him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily (en tachei). Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18: 7-8 RSV).

The prophets offer some remarkable studies in the use of these terms, as in Hab. 2: 3 (RV):

"For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie (fail): though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry."

Henry Alford, in his commentary on the Revelation, gives an exposition of these expressions. He writes in part:

"What things must shortly come to pass (i.e. before long). This expression must not be urged to signify that the events of the apocalyptic prophecy were to be close at hand: for we have a key to its meaning in Luke 18: 8. ... Here long delay is evidently implied, though the term en tachei is used, as in Rev. 1: 1. ...So that we are driven to the very same sense of en tachei as that of Luke, viz. to God's speedy time, though He seem to delay ... It remains to observe that these words cannot with any fairness be used as furnishing a guide to the interpretation of the prophecy. They are far rather to be regarded as a prophetic formula, common to Him to whom a thousand years are as one day, and used in order to teach us how short our time, and the time of this world is."2

1 Acts 20: 29-30; 1 Tim. 4: 1-3; 2 Tim. 4: 3-4; 2 Thess. 2: 7-8, 11; 2 Peter 2: 1-2; 3: 3-4.

2 Alford, The Greek Testament, "Revelation", pp. 544-547.