BABYLON
One of the great cities of the ancient world was Babylon. It apparently developed in the area where the Tower of Babel was founded, according to the Bible, by Nimrod, the great grandson of Noah. Babylon, over the years, developed into a great city, and at one time was believed to be the largest in the world. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World and it was the capitol of the empire ruled over by King Nebuchadnezzar. It was he who, while surveying his domain, proclaimed:
Is not this great Babylon,
that I have build for a royal dwelling
by my mighty power and for the honour of my majesty?
(Daniel 4:30)
And it was to this same king that a voice from heaven spoke these words soon after his proclamation:
…to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!
And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.
They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you,
until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men,
and gives it to whomever He chooses.
(Daniel 4:31-32)
The king’s arrogance and self importance caused his downfall and the city itself also declined in importance until it essentially ceased, as a city, to exist. This should be a warning for us in this day, because ignoring God in our affairs can still lead to unwanted results.
In the Book of Revelation, Babylon is again mentioned as a symbol of self reliance and arrogance, and as such is really a paradigm of any major metropolis or nation. In such a context, the Bible states:
…Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons,
a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
Therefore her plagues will come in one day —death and mourning and famine…
(Revelation 18:2,8)
So what are the reasons given for this situation? There are apparently five.*
Iniquity.
In the time of Daniel, Babylon was a major metropolis and had become a network of demonic activity, including astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers, whose activities and philosophies were reaching out across nations and effectively possessing the minds of many. It had become
…a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit…
(Revelation 18:2)
Influence.
At the city’s zenith, Babylon exerted considerable secular attractiveness to surrounding nations and peoples. As a result, people of wealth, influence, and power were all attracted to this city as well as the crime bosses and drug promoters. As the Bible says:
…all the nations have drunk of the wine of her fornication,
the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her,
and the merchants of the earth have become rich
through the abundance of her luxury.
(Revelation 18:3)
Infidelity.
As with the intended old tower of Babel, the sins of this city have piled one on top of the other and:
…her sins have reached to heaven, and God has rememberers her iniquities.
(Revelation 18:5)
Insolence.
In spite of all that goes on in this city, it continues to think of itself as a glorious place and tends to promote all that is going on within its’ borders. Babylon tends to continue to promote its’ lifestyle and activity.
In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously…
for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow’
(Revelation 18:7)
Inhumanity.
As a great city, involved with all sorts of commerce and trade, it was apparent that some of this activity involved the sale and trade of humans into forms of slavery and prostitution. And anyone who objected to such activity would just be shoved aside or silenced.
…merchandise of gold and silver…and bodies and souls of men.
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints,
and of all who were slain on the earth.
(Revelation: 12,13,24)
In this city, everything may seem to be going well for those who inhabit this area, but as with Sodom and Gomorrah, change may come quickly. Man never learns from history that it is not wise to neglect God and His ordinances. For as it continues:
…in one hour she is made desolate…
Her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine…
for strong is the Lord God who judges her.
(Revelation 18:19,8)
How much like Babylon are our cities and nations becoming today and what is the likelihood of similar happenings in our day as those that befell Babylon in the Scriptures? After all our world is changing and not, for the most part, for the better. Is there still time for humanity to change or not?
It does give one something to think about.
*As noted in The Book of Signs pgs 48-51 by Dr. David Jeremiah
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