Under his rule Babylon grew to become the greatest city in Mesopotamia. On the wall were some 250 watchtowers, 100 feet higher than the wall itself. Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls beside the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the LORD had commanded them not to do like them. the land suffered various invasions including that of Assyria. All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city?. So he led Jehoiachin away into exile to Babylon; also the kings mother and the kings wives and his officials and the leading men of the land, he led away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. It is with this context that Daniel the prophet takes up the theme and relates Gods dealings with Babylon to His ultimate purpose of bringing all nations into subjection unto the Son of God. And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! The LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. Then the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile. Because she encompassed such evil, she will be the dwelling place for demons, unclean spirits and birds, and every unclean and detestable beast (Revelation 18:2). So Judah was led away into exile from its land. Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us. Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. There was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah did not show them. Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, Whom I have taken by the right hand, To subdue nations before him And to loose the loins of kings; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut: "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars. Seeking the Gospel in Malachi, the Last Book of the Old Testament. "You shall also say to this people, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. The Bible is first and foremost a religious text read by billions of Christians worldwide. What is the significance of the Medo-Persian Empire in biblical history. How Babylon has become an object of horror among the nations! The evil of Babylon in the Bible emanated from the objects of its worship and the actions of its rulers and subjects. Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated Thus says the LORD, "Arise, go up to Kedar And devastate the men of the east. Imagine what the Israelite captives felt as they marched down the streets of Babylon and through the Ishtar Gate. This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. And they went by way of the Arabah. Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes. The early history of Babylon is shrouded in mystery. "For thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies So I will give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away as exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword. The outside wall had a deep water moat some 30 feet wide. The captain of the guard also took away the firepans and the basins, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom." NIV. She also is a member of BRRC. And he *said to me, The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say. And they went by way of the Arabah. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Thats what Babylon wasa place where people traded worshiping God for self and idol worship. They will all respond and say to you,Even you have been made weak as we,You have become like us. Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abrams wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran, and settled there. The interpretation of Isaiah 13:20-22 is inevitably determined by the meaning assigned to Revelation 17, 18. "He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. The book of Daniel gives us insight into the nations which emerged. Despite its sinful ways, it developed one of the most advanced civilizations in the ancient world. Jeremiah is seen as the true prophet of God in contrast to the false prophets who had predicted victory over Babylon (cp. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.read more.And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. Learn Religions, Dec. 6, 2021, learnreligions.com/history-of-babylon-3867031. read more. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means "confused" (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of the confusion caused by godlessness. And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.. And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied., For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord. The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution. "Now, then, hear this, you sensual one, Who dwells securely, Who says in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one besides me I will not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.'. ', and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and. I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, declares the Lord of hosts. Babylon was the center of a powerful empire that continually sought to expand its power, which often led to imperial wars with other nations. And they went by way of the Arabah. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. Their armies had proceeded to conquer much of the territory around Babylon before the fateful night in 539 b.c. Such a rebuilding of the ancient city would make possible a literal fulfillment of the prophecy of complete and sudden destruction as predicted in Isaiah 13:19-22. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. His successors were insignificant by comparison. When he died in 556 B.C, after only four years of reign, he was succeeded by his son who was assassinated shortly after he came to the throne. The United States is not Babylon or the Great whore or Mystery Babylon. Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the kings garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. Does the Bible mention Alexander the Great? The Bible reveals that Babylon's wealth was its downfall (Isaiah 14:4). Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego. The mountain is the Lord, and He will set up a kingdom that will eclipse all others, and which will never end. Now. These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah. Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the kings name, and seal it with the kings signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the kings signet ring may not be revoked.. These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. The fall of Babylon came as the kingdom of Judah's prophesied 70 years of national captivity was ending (Jeremiah 25:11-12). It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land. You are wearied with your many counsels;Let now the astrologers,Those who prophesy by the stars,Those who predict by the new moons,Stand up and save you from what will come upon you. Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord. The number of men of the people of Israel: and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the. 'Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar figure prominently in the Old Testament, as it was Babylon that invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and carried off many Jews to Babylon as exiles. However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God. But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day:Loss of children and widowhood.They will come on you in full measureIn spite of your many sorceries,In spite of the great power of your spells. Why the Name Babylon? Of the sons of the priests: the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz, the sons of Barzillai, who took a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and he was called by their name. Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. At the shout, "Babylon has been seized!" The term, Babylon, has been foisted upon everything from the world's system, to Rome, to a literal city in Iraq which was being rebuilt by SaddamHussein, who considered himself a modern-day Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel, while enslaved in Babylon, refused its pleasures in order to remain faithful to God and serves as a role model for believers. Your mother will be greatly ashamed,She who gave you birth will be humiliated.Behold, she will be the least of the nations,A wilderness, a parched land and a desert. He knewof the coming Babylonian (Assyrian) captivity, hence his predilection to flee and to want for their destruction. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. Archaeologists estimate only two percent of ancient Babylon has been excavated. And the angel said to me, Why do you wonder? I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction, declares the Lord of hosts. read more. The major attention given to Babylon in Isaiahs prophecies confirm Babylons importance in prophecy relating to the nations. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. "Then afterwards," declares the LORD, "I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion."' Babylon, then, controls the government/s it represents. "You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. The accounts in Daniel (1) of his three companions ordeal in the fiery furnace heated seven times more than it normally was heated (Daniel 3:20) because they refused to worship the image of Nebuchadnezzar, and (2) King Darius throwing Daniel in the lions den (Daniel 6:16-18) because he refused to stop praying to the Lordshow us just a few examples of the heinous acts of punishment perpetrated by the Assyrian/Babylonian regimes. As for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had gone over to him and the rest of the people who remained, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard carried them into exile in Babylon. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning. A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like the great city? And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste! Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her. Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, So will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. read more. If I forget you, O Jerusalem,May my right hand forget her skill. 'I will pour out My indignation on you; I will blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and I will give you into the hand of brutal men, skilled in destruction. You felt secure in your wickedness and said. Stand fast now in your spellsAnd in your many sorceriesWith which you have labored from your youth;Perhaps you will be able to profit,Perhaps you may cause trembling. read more. It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there. And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, read more. You will not be united with them in burial,Because you have ruined your country,You have slain your people.May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever. Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison; and he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. All the articles of gold and silver numbered 5,400. Now it took place in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces. Now a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. The character Jack Conrad appears to be based on John Gilbert, a leading MGM star of the 1920s.Talkies revealed to many an apparent mismatch between his soft voice and his dashing on-screen persona, leading to dwindling roles, a drinking problem, and a death by heart attack in 1936, at the age of 38. He sent letters to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth. Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us. Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. And go forth from the land of the Chaldeans; Be also like male goats at the head of the flock. Salem Media Group. Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth . It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Babylon is called, mother of prostitutes and of earths abominations in Revelation 17:5. And. Jeremiah himself suffered affliction and imprisonment (37:15-38:13). In 1 Peter 5:13, the apostle cites Babylon to remind Christians in Rome to be as faithful as Daniel was. Babylon in the Bible is named six times in the book of Revelation, the hotbed of end-times discussions (along with the books of Daniel and Ezekiel). behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, declares the Lord, and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.