Babylon's Judgement

Babylon’s Judgement
Revelation 18.9-24

We smelt it before we saw it: a sour, bitter stench which seemed to cling to the nostrils. We looked at one another and ran outside. There, about a mile away, but with a gentle wind carrying it in our direction, was a cloud of thick, grey-black smoke, rising above the trees, hanging in mid-air. As we listened, we could even hear the noise of crackling.

Soon a crowd gathered. It was the old mill at the bottom of the road. Still half-full of bales of wool, it had caught light. Soon, on that bright Friday morning, it was beyond rescue. Never again would anyone make anything there. For days afterwards, despite the fire brigade’s energetic hosing, there were still smouldering remains, still the sour smell in the air...