Crash of Earthly Kingdoms on July 27, 2025

The Crash of Earthly Kingdoms

Revelation 14:14-20, and 18:2-4, 16-18

July 27, 2025 (My Eyes Have Seen-hymn) BRING JENGA

The words in that opening hymn we just sang come from our Scripture today.

The tune was used by people from the north who wanted slavery to end. The song was called, “John Brown’s Body.” Julia Ward Howe heard that song when she visited a Union Army Camp shortly after the Civil War started.

Julia Ward Howe decided to put new words to that tune. She wrote the words we just sang. After visiting the Union army camps she wrote verse two: “I have seen him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps,” and verse four: “let us die to make men free.”

We see our scripture today in the first verse of the hymn: “He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He has loosed his fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword.”

In our Scripture there’s a grain harvest and a grape harvest.

God brings in the harvest of grain. The grain is cut down with a sword or sickle. Then it’s separated between the wheat and the chaff. The wheat represents God’s people and the chaff symbolizes those against God.

God is also assisting with the grape harvest. The grapes have to be trampled to bring out the juice. Just like in Holy Communion the juice symbolizes blood. The blood comes from those who are opposed to God.

These two analogies symbolize God’s judgment on an evil world. One day God’s justice will come and evil will be eliminated. In our Scripture we’ll also discover this is God’s judgment on those who are presently rich and powerful – the mighty. The mighty will be taken down. Their kingdoms will crash. All of this world’s kingdoms will come to an end.

When Lori and I had our school in Kentucky, one of the favorite games the girls liked to play during free time was Jenga.

Have you ever played Jenga?

You take out blocks and place them on the top. You see how high you can go. The goal is to not be the one who causes the tower to collapse.

I’ve seen it get a few feet high. But eventually somebody places a block on top that causes everything to come crashing down. Usually it scares us and we jump!

The same happens in our world as well. Eventually, the towers that the mighty have built come crashing down.

As I read the Bible, I see how God often works to bring down the mighty and their towers.

One of the earliest stories is about the Tower of Babel. The mighty built this tower they hoped would reach up to the heavens. But God confused them and caused them to stop building.

Later, there’s the story of Jericho. The Jewish people marched around the city of Jericho and blew trumpets. The walls of the powerful city of Jericho came tumbling down.

Later, when the kings of Israel and Judah strayed from God’s way and used their power and wealth to take advantage of the poor and weak, God brought judgment in the form of enemy invaders like the Babylonians.

In the New Testament, Jesus told a story about God’s judgment bringing down the rich and mighty.

Let me read Luke 12: 16-21

One more example of this in Scripture was God’s judgment on Egypt and the Pharaoh during the time of Moses. God brought the rich and mighty Egyptians to their knees through the use of plagues.

The Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Jewish people leave. So God sent plagues. Pharaoh’s power came crashing down because of the ten plagues of sores and frogs and darkness and hailstones and seas of blood.  

Notice in our Scripture today John uses the symbolism of those ten plagues when he describes God’s judgment and how the mighty and their towers will come tumbling down. Remember that Babylon is a symbol to describe the mighty and rich empire of Rome.

Let’s listen to what three people might say if they were in John’s Revelation land. Imagine they’re experiencing these events John describes. I’m going to use to the word Rome in place of John’s word: Babylon. I believe this was John’s original intent as he wrote it.  

Imagine this conversation taking place in a cave outside of Rome. These three have taken shelter here. The city of Rome is mostly destroyed. In the cave we can see a small fire burning in their midst.

The young man starts speaking first.

 “I’m still in shock. I just don’t know why people didn’t listen. I’ve been warning them Sunday after Sunday that this was going to happen.

You see, I preach God’s message to a small Christian gathering every Sunday morning. Over the past year, it’s become clear how God feels about our country Rome: it’s culture, commerce and government. He hates it. God hates Rome.

God hates the way so many of our people hoard the wealth while most of the world struggles. God hates how we’ve treated people who are different than us. God hates the way we’ve discouraged people from worshipping God. God hates how our government leaders have been using their power, both in our land and in other countries. God hates how we take advantage of our economic and military superiority.

I’ve been telling people that Rome is like a prostitute. It offers its services for a price. It’s all about money.

You ask, ‘How can any businessman in the world avoid dealing with Rome?’ It’s a good question. All I know is that she’s trouble – Rome is nothing but trouble. From God’s perspective.

It became clear to me that God’s hatred was going to be expressed in action. I knew God was going to do something. So I’ve been telling people every Sunday to get out.

I’ve been saying: Leave Rome. Refrain from any contact with the Roman government or the Roman market or the Roman culture. Get out. Get away.

I’ve been repeating the words I first heard from John, the author of Revelation: “My people, you must escape. Don’t take part in her sins and share her punishment.”

Unfortunately, no one listened. Everyone kept on doing what they’ve always been doing. Now it’s too late.”

He pokes at the fire. It stirs up the embers to brighten the walls of the cave.

An older lady, nicely dressed, responds, “I don’t understand. I just don’t understand. I think your god’s gone mad! He’s out of control! You Christian preachers talk about your god as one of love and mercy. I think your god’s a god of terror and wrath.

I heard what your god did to the Egyptians a millennium ago with those ten plagues. But this is even worse. 

First, God sends sores. I remember waking up one day covered from head to foot with this rash. My whole body itches. It’s like having poison ivy over my whole body.

Then God sends the blood. All our water turns as red as blood. Our drinking water is red. Our lakes are red. The fish are immediately killed off. The stench of dead fish settles over the whole city. You can hardly stand to go outside and breathe the air.

Finally, there is a war like no other war we’ve seen. There is lightning and thunder followed by mass destruction. The earth shakes over and over as if there are multiple massive earthquakes. Mountains are collapsing and islands are being covered up.

There are few survivors. Those of us who are still alive are cursing your god who caused all this.

Life was good before your god came to take it all away. We had it all – plenty of income from our investments, plenty of time to enjoy life, and plenty of things to make life comfortable. We lived in the best country in the world. We had a bustling economy and a strong military.

But it’s all gone now. Our country is in ruins. Our land is scorched. Our people have been slaughtered. I don’t understand what your god is doing.”

She glares into the eyes of the preacher.

A third person around that fire speaks up. It’s a middle-aged man with darker skin.

“I’m sorry, ma’m. But I can’t disagree with you more. I’m a slave captured by the Romans in North Africa ten years ago. About five years ago I discovered the good news of Jesus Christ.

You ask what God is doing. God is finally bringing justice to the world. I have waited so long for this day. Rome is finally suffering consequences. The Romans are finally getting their just desserts.

Rome has always acted with a swagger. As if they were better than the rest of the world. As if they could never be defeated…But now look at them.

For years the Romans have lived comfortably on the hill. All the while the rest of the world has been struggling down here in the valley. In the process, the Romans have taken advantage of us all. We’ve seen them take and take and take. They have taken our natural resources. They have taken our freedom. They have taken our lives.

 So often I’ve been tempted to run away and throw off this yoke of slavery. So often I’ve been tempted to join those involved in one of the revolts against Roman rule. So often I’ve been tempted to fight back against these hated Romans. But I’ve resisted.

I resisted doing those things because my Christian friend told me that is not Jesus’ way. My friend said that I needed to wait for God to come and bring judgment to the Romans. She said, “God will eventually punish Rome for her sin.”

So I waited and waited.

Now, the tables are turned. Rome is being destroyed. God has heard our prayers. It’s time to celebrate!

You ask, what’s God doing? I say, God’s bringing justice, finally!”

That last man has it right. God’s judgment will someday come to our world. The rich and mighty and their towers will someday come crashing down. But this will mean good news for the poor and marginalized.

That leaves us three important questions:

The first question is: Who are the rich and the mighty who are building towers right now?

This message is bad news for them. Their towers will topple. Just as the Roman towers toppled two millennia ago.

The second question is this: Who are the poor and marginalized in our country and in our world today?

This message is good news for them. Love and justice will someday prevail. 

          Finally, there is the question: Whose side are we on? Whose side are you on?         

As we listen to our special music let’s ponder our answers to those three questions: Who are the rich and mighty who are building towers these days? Who are the poor and marginalized in our country and world today? Whose side are we on? Whose side are you on?