Babylon Fall In Bible And History Essays - Christian Eschatology

Babylon Fall In Bible And History Comparing the fall of the Historical Babylon and the Babylon of Revelation To understand the symbolism between the two Babylon's of the bible, one must first understand the fall of each and how the two compare. There is a lot to be said about the events that took place during fall of the Historical Babylon how these events are related to the fall of the Babylon of Revelation. To begin with I will describe the fall of the Historical Babylon and then relate this to two mainstreams of thought regarding the fall of the Babylon of Revelation. These two ideas are the futuristic and the historical views of Babylon's fall. The reason for these two separate views is because there is certainly no book in the Bible that has given more difficulty to interpreters than the book of Revelation. Many things about it continue to puzzle the serious Bible student, and many points remain obscure.(ref.# 4, p.220) Ancient Babylon Babylon was an enormous city and thought by its inhabitants to be impregnable. Some estimates put the area of the city at as much as 200 square miles, with many fields and orchards within the city walls (ref.# 2, p320). The river Euphrates flowed through the city, entering in under the city walls. The walls of Babylon are believed to have been around 80 feet thick, with some area being over 120 feet thick (ref.# 7, p.68). 100 gates of bronze gave entry to the city. In 604 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar led an invasion of Jerusalem, taking many Jews captive and beginning the captivity and seven times punishment that had previously been prophesied. At this time Babylon was the greatest empire on earth, but a new force was emerging. The Medes and Persians were becoming a mighty empire. In the time of Belshazzar, grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, war was raging between the two empires. The Babylonians, which were not caring about the enemy who were even then at the gates of the city, engaged in a huge, drunken party. During this feast the golden vessels, taken from the temple at Jerusalem and reserved for pure service to God, were abused at the command of the king. The judgment of God was revealed by the "writing on the wall". That night the city was invaded, and the Medes and Persians under Darius and Cyrus were victorious (ref.#1 p.431) During the night of the drunken feast, the river and its tributaries that ran under the city walls were blocked and the water diverted into canals and ponds dug by the Medes and Persians for that purpose. The result was that the army of the Medes and Persians could literally walk in under the wall. The army entered Babylon at one end and rapidly moved through the city, meeting little resistance from the defenders, who were caught completely off-guard. The city of Babylon was utterly destroyed (ref.#7). Babylon had a warning of their judgment for over 100 years, a warning given by God Himself. The warning was scorned and ignored by a Godless people. This foolish rejection of the Word of God led to total destruction. The promise of the return of Christ, signaling the end of the world, as we know it, has been scorned by mankind, just as the prophecy of the fall of the Babylonian Empire. This is why the book of Revelation relates the fall of Babylon with the modern day world. Men and women today would rather indulge in a drunken party than seek the Lord. The need to have a spirit-filled-soul, and to remain "in the Spirit" - grows more urgent every day. Jesus said, "Watch, for you know not when your Lord may come!" Babylon of Revelation This Babylon is of course a symbolic figure representing the evil on earth that distracts God's children from their commitment to Him. Babylon is called the "great harlot" in Revelation. This indicates a Babylon that allures, tempts, seduces, and draws people away from God. The literal Babylon of Biblical times reminded one of the pleasure-mad, arrogant, anti-God cultures that put pleasure ahead of all else. Babylon of old was described as of the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," (1 John 2:16). In Revelation 18 John writes, "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues." Here John is talking about Babylon (see