By Pastor Hal Mayer
Dear friends,
We are living near the end of the anti-typical Babylonian reign. Rome is working very hard to keep herself relevant and credible. Our study today is going to look at the fall of ancient Babylon and see what we can learn from the type about the antitype. We have seen many parallels in the ancient history of God’s people but now we’re going to look at the parallels that apply to the very end of human history. Many people don’t foresee what is going to happen, but Bible students who understand the truth and the prophecies can see it plainly. The God who has overruled in every nation since the beginning of time is still active today, and He will overrule the enormous system of lies and religious abuse for the good of His cause. Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we pray that as we study today Your Holy Spirit will speak to us of the nearness of the fall of Babylon and Your return. Babylon still has to rise up even more to where she can persecute the righteous in every country and even put them to death. That has to happen before Babylon falls. But as we study today, we’re going to see that Babylon’s fall is a certainty, nevertheless. We want to see the parallels which will tell us what to expect in our day. So please help us to understand by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, amen.
To really proclaim the second angels’ message of Revelation 14 and the fall of Babylon with conviction we must understand how ancient Babylon fell, and the reasons for its fall. These in turn will tell us about modern spiritual Babylon and how it will fall. There are many types and parallels between the two Babylons. So, turn with me in your Bibles to Daniel 5:1-4.
“Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand. Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein. Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.”
Nebuchadnezzar had finally honored the God of heaven and sought to instill in the future generations the respect for the God of Israel. His son Nabonidus put his son Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson, as co-regent with him on the throne in Babylon to rule there while he went to rule in western Arabia. Belshazzar was not interested in his grandfather’s change of heart toward God. Apparently, Daniel’s counsel was neglected and not called into service during Belshazzar’s reign until the emergency of the last night of his life. This was an obvious rejection of the council of God. A number of years lapsed between the death of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar’s feast. During that time there are no sacred records describing the decline of the Kingdom of Babylon and its gradual slide into debauchery. By the time of Belshazzar’s feast Babylon had slipped into the lowest moral standing, and the judgments of God were about to fall on it. Listen to this statement from Prophets and Kings, page 522.
“Nebuchadnezzar, “the terrible of the nations” (Ezekiel 28:7), had died, and Babylon, “the praise of the whole earth” (Jeremiah 51:41), had passed under the unwise rule of his successors, and gradual but sure dissolution was resulting.”
Babylon was a great city and was considered the “lady of kingdoms.” She also had children. And her destruction came in one day by surprise. Please look at Isaiah 47: 5, 7-9.
“Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.”
“And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children: But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.”
Likewise, at the end of time the same is true, for modern spiritual Babylon is also a great city. And her destruction will come in one day in magnificent perfection. Listen to these familiar verses, Revelation 18:7-10.
“How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”
Spiritual Babylon will fall as a woman in travail. Jeremiah 50:43 says that.
“The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.”
And Isaiah 13:8 says something similar.
“And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.”
These verses have a double application both to ancient Babylon and to modern spiritual Babylon, as most Old Testament predictions against Babylon. It is obvious because the New Testament uses the same language in many cases to describe the fall of modern Babylon. Compare those Old Testament statements with what 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says about modern spiritual Babylon, and all who think like her.
“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
In light of the fact that Cyrus was already at the gates of Babylon and besieging the city, Belshazzar should have called for a fast, but instead he called for a feast. Instead of weeping and mourning and pleading for God to protect the city, Belshazzar arrogantly lifted his voice and defied God by drinking out of the gold and silver vessels that had been taken from the temple at Jerusalem. Belshazzar had hardened his heart to heavenly influences in spite of the fact that he knew of Nebuchadnezzar’s conversion and subsequent decree. No doubt, he was old enough when those events happened that he could have learned the valuable lessons that sprung from them and taken them to heart. He was not ignorant of Daniel and his companions and their closeness to the king. He may have even met them as a child. Listen to what Prophets and Kings, page 523 says.
“In his pride and arrogancy, with a reckless feeling of security Belshazzar ‘made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.’ All the attractions that wealth and power could command, added splendor to the scene. Beautiful women with their enchantments were among the guests in attendance at the royal banquet. Men of genius and education were there. Princes and statesmen drank wine like water and reveled under its maddening influence.”
When someone turns from God and becomes hostile to Him, he looks for ways to spit in His face, so to speak. Belshazzar blasphemously ordered the gold and silver vessels which his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem to be brought so that his court could drink from them and make fun of the God of Israel. The fact that they were drinking from them was, in essence, an arrogant statement of the superiority of their “gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood and of stone. Their hearts were lifted up in pride and the consequent selfish indulgence led them to defiantly forget God and exult pagan worship.
Does that sound like the end time Babylon? Today Babylon is just as arrogant, just as blasphemous, and just as defiant of God and His law as the ancient Babylonians. In the loud cry recorded in Revelation 18, great detail about the condition of Babylon in her fallen state and a full account of the reasons for her fall is given. Emphasis will be placed upon the fall of Babylon in its moral sense by God’s true people. It’s gradual deterioration and decay, which is happening now, will be followed by her utter destruction. Let us read Revelation 18:4-8.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”
Both Babylons also have a golden cup. Jeremiah 51:7 says, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.”
Revelation 17:2, 4 says, “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication… And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication…”
Many waters refer to many people in Bible prophecy. Though ancient Babylon straddled the Euphrates river, modern Babylon straddles the world and its peoples. In other words, she has power over all of them. The Bible tells us that Rome is given power to make war with the saints and have power over people. Turn with me to Revelation 13:7.
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”
So, you can see the obvious link in the prophecies of the Old Testament with the prophecy of the new regarding both Babylons. Also, both Babylons had sins that reached unto heaven and defied God. Compare Jeremiah 51:9 with Revelation 18:5.
Jeremiah 51:9, “We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies”
Revelation 18:5, “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”
Ancient Babylon certainly had sins that reached up to heaven. And God certainly remembered her iniquities. Revelation tells us that modern Babylon lived deliciously and glorified herself. This is what ancient Babylon was doing. So, there is a strong type here. Notice too that modern spiritual Babylon is drinking from a cup that she has filled with her wine of false doctrine just like ancient Babylon defiled the vessels from the Jewish temple by filling them with her own wine and drinking from it. Here is a quote from Great Controversy, page 603.
“This scripture points forward to a time when the announcement of the fall of Babylon, as made by the second angel of Revelation 14 (verse 8), is to be repeated, with the additional mention of the corruptions which have been entering the various organizations that constitute Babylon, since that message was first given, in the summer of 1844. A terrible condition of the religious world is here described.”
God had three messages for his people in ancient Babylon. They were to come out of her to avoid her destruction. They are in Jeremiah 50 and 51.
Jeremiah 50:8, “Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.”
Jeremiah 51:6, “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.”
And in Jeremiah 51:45 the Lord expressly uses the term “My people.”
“My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.”
And in Revelation 14:6-11 God gives three parallel messages related to coming out of Babylon. And the call to come out of her is given again in Revelation 18:4. This time it’s not another angel but a voice from heaven. The angels represent human instrumentalities used by God to proclaim the message. But a voice from heaven is an authority that speaks to the inner sanctum of the heart where people who are yearning for righteousness and for peace are listening.
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”
There is another type. The wicked king of ancient Babylon was unaware that the nation and his rulership were about to be overthrown unexpectedly. Look at Isaiah 47:10, 11.
“For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.”
But the holy Watcher was observing and seeing everything. And the holy Watcher sees everything today just as back then. He sees the crime and immorality that prevails in Rome and her daughters. He sees the false doctrine and teachings that arise from her apostasy to justify it. He sees the enmity to God’s truth and to His law that exists in her and her daughters. And all is recorded for judgment day when Babylon shall fall, and great will be the fall of it.
Belshazzar was completely oblivious to the danger that was looming over the great city of Babylon. He thought he had peace and safety and that he could live it up. After all, wasn’t Babylon fully protected on all sides? Weren’t there abundant provisions for a very long siege? Even the soldiers that protected the city felt so secure that they let down their vigilance and allowed the gates along the river to be open that night. Listen to this from Prophets and Kings, page 523.
“But within the seemingly impregnable fortress, with its massive walls and its gates of brass, protected by the river Euphrates, and stocked with provision in abundance, the voluptuous monarch felt safe and passed his time in mirth and revelry.”
That fatal security is like modern Babylon who says in Revelation 18:7, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
The Bible even describes the fall of modern spiritual Babylon as happening in one day. Sudden destruction will overtake her because she thinks of herself as secure and safe, as if nothing can unsettle her peace. Similar to ancient Babylon whose end came in one night, the punishment of spiritual Babylon will come all at once. In a blinding flash, Rome and her daughters will see her end as in a moment. She has worked more than 500 years to rebuild her power, but it all comes to a lightning end. She does not expect to fall. Nor do the institutions that help constitute Babylon expect to fall. It will be a total and complete surprise just like ancient Babylon.
When her plagues come, they will come with death, morning and famine. Belshazzar saw death come upon him and his court that night of his celebration of his false gods. And no doubt the nations looking on mourned for them because Babylon was benefiting them greatly. They were trading with her, making money and living it up too. After all, the conditions in Babylon would change dramatically. In modern Babylon, Rome will exalt herself, and the law of God will be put down. Also, the sanctuary message and its details of salvation will be ridiculed and mocked. Just as the vessels of silver and gold from the temple were abused, so will the principles of the sanctuary message be likewise abused.
Let’s look at another parallel. Babylon had abundant provisions to last a long time with a siege of the city. It added to the feeling of security and the safety of the city that possessed the inhabitants of Babylon and especially the king Belshazzar. Both Babylon’s had an abundance of treasure. Notice what it says in Jeremiah 51:13.
“O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.”
The Bible tells us in Revelation 18:12-14 of the provisions Rome and her daughters have. Let’s read it.
“The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”
Here is another type. Apparently, the list of dignitaries and important people was significant. While we don’t have the names on that list, it is obvious that it was an event for the elites of Babylonian society. They all entered into the obscene party that the king ordained. Revelation 18:3 even describes what goes on in Rome today in sexual terms.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.”
This description of Rome reads like the debauched party in ancient Babylon which, no doubt included a sex orgy. Listen to this from Prophets and Kings, page 523.
“With reason dethroned through shameless intoxication, and with lower impulses and passions now in the ascendancy, the king himself took the lead in the riotous orgy.”
The Bible uses terms to describe it that indicate the symbolic, but public sexual activity at the end of time. For instance, in the verse that we just read it uses the word “fornication.” (Revelation 18:3) In Revelation 17 the Bible uses the term “harlot.” And in Revelation 18:6 the Bible uses the term “whore.” There could be no mistaking of the intent of these words. The kings of the earth and the nations of the earth have been involved in a profligate, illicit spiritual relationship with Rome which the Bible calls fornication and harlotry, where they accept her wine, or false teachings, and uses them to oppress and persecute God’s faithful people.
These are the elites of the earth because they are the ones that are the rulers of nations, and also the multinational businessmen, those who control economies. I am reminded of Jeffrey Epstein and his network of the world’s elites that he used to abuse many under-aged women and adults on his Island and his various mainland homes. It was a debauchery akin to what we see in scripture about Babylon.
Rome will triumph when she gains her objective, and when a universal Sunday law is enacted. She will rule the world in the end-time antitype of ancient Babylon. Spiritual Babylon ascends to the heights of power. The nations who will have come to the party will be drunk with her wine (of false doctrine), as the ancient Babylonians were drunk with physical wine at Belshazzar’s party. She will then think she is the ruler of the world. And she will celebrate. We don’t know what the celebration will look like or even if it will be public, but it certainly could be. She will rejoice that the world has accepted her version of reality and her lies will convince them that they should persecute and kill the faithful little flock who keep the Sabbath of God and the rest of the Ten Commandments.
Let’s go back to the drying up of the river Euphrates for a few minutes. This is actually a very prominent issue that we don’t hear very much about. When you think about how Babylon was overthrown it was the drying up of the river Euphrates that allowed Cyrus’s combined armies of the Medes and Persians to access to the city. Revelation 14:8 is referring to this when it says, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen.” How did she fall? The river Euphrates was dried up. So, John makes reference to this drying up of the river Euphrates in Revelation 14. He also makes another reference in Revelation 18.
Revelation 16:12 tells us that it’s going to happen again to modern Babylon. Let’s read it.
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.”
This figure is a reference to the fall of ancient Babylon; when Cyrus, at the time one of the kings of the east, diverted the waters of the Euphrates. So, this drying up of the river Euphrates, would seem to indicate the removal of some impediment in the way of the executioners of divine judgment upon spiritual Babylon.
The apostle John uses the imagery of the fall of ancient Babylon to illustrate the fate of modern spiritual Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah predicts the drying up of the river Euphrates, and the destruction and desolation of ancient Babylon. Let us read about the desolation in Jeremiah 50:38, 39 and Jeremiah 51:36, 37.
“A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.”
“Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry. And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.”
Ancient Babylon sat on the Euphrates. Revelation 17:15 tells us that the waters of Babylon are people. Let’s read it.
“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
So again, we see strong parallels between ancient Babylon and modern Babylon. Since ancient Babylon ruled the whole world, modern Babylon must also rule the whole world. So, this verse refers to the people of the whole Babylonian world at the end of time. The waters of the Euphrates definitely symbolize the people of spiritual Babylon who in the final conflict, will arise as a flooding, persecuting river to destroy the people of God. But God will act to prevent His people from being destroyed, for we are told that the judgments falling upon the people of Babylon prevent them from carrying out their intentions to destroy the people of God. Those judgments are the drying up of the river Euphrates.
Cyrus, who is God’s shepherd and also His anointed represents Christ who is the true heavenly shepherd and the anointed one. Let’s read it from Isaiah 44:28, and 45:1.
“That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut…”
Cyrus diverted the waters of the Euphrates so that they no longer flowed through Babylon and served as a defense for Babylon but became a menace to her. The bloodless hand certainly loosed the loins of Belshazzar. The Bible says, “the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees knocked together.” That left gates along the river opened up to Cyrus. The Medes and the Persians used the dried-up riverbed as a way of entrance into the very heart of Babylon. So, in the antitype the waters of persecution will no longer serve modern spiritual Babylon, but they will become a menace to her. Turn with me to Revelation 18:6, 7.
“Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
The “multitudes” who have hitherto done the bidding of Babylon, will hate her, turn on her, burn her with fire and destroy the whore. Let’s read that from Revelation 17:16.
“And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”
Notice the 10 horns. As you know, these are rulers, or leaders of the earth, will use multitudes of people to do this work. They will be very angry with each other and with turn on the whore. At the present, God’s spirit keeps in check the unruly passions of unregenerate men, but when the seven plagues are poured out, Christ work of mediation will be completed, and there will be no restraint upon the forces of evil. Turn to Zechariah 12:13.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.”
And in Ezekiel 38:21 it says that, “Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.”
So the wicked will turn on each other at the time when they no longer see any advantage to their working together. That’s what they do. The old saying, there is no loyalty between thieves, applies here as well.
Let’s return to ancient Babylon and consider more of its antitypical experience. There are many more parallels in the type that we see in the antitype. It is interesting to note that the bold defiance of Belshazzar and the Babylonians defying the God of heaven parallels the bold defiance of the pope, the papacy and her daughters at the end times. Belshazzar, who rules over all his lords, represents the pope who will rule over the nations and the rulers of the earth. The beautiful women at the feast of Belshazzar represent the many churches that are ecumenical with Rome. They too commit fornication or adultery with her for Revelation 17:5 describes them as harlots. That would be harlotry from Christ, for they were once His churches, married to Him, but have wandered off to commit fornication with Rome.
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Rome is already involved in undermining the family. She supports alternative marriages like LGBTQ as well as other crimes against the law of God. Some years ago, Rome during Pope Benedict’s reign was exposed for having gay sex parties among the curia. No wonder the Bible describes her as being responsible for the abominations of the earth. She leads the way.
As Belshazzar’s party progressed, and the rioting was at a peak, suddenly the party was hushed, and a stunned terror fell upon them all, especially Belshazzar. The unseen Watcher, who attends every gathering, whether for good purposes or for evil, decided to interrupt the party. A bloodless hand began to burn letters on the wall as the astonished and trembling king looked on. His lords suddenly ceased their revelry, and all stared at the hand that was slowly tracing the words. From Prophets and Kings, page 524 we read the following.
“Little did Belshazzar think that there was a heavenly Witness to his idolatrous revelry; that a divine Watcher, unrecognized, looked upon the scene of profanation, heard the sacrilegious mirth, beheld the idolatry. But soon the uninvited Guest made His presence felt. When the revelry was at its height a bloodless hand came forth and traced upon the walls of the palace characters that gleamed like fire—words which, though unknown to the vast throng, were a portent of doom to the now conscience-stricken king and his guests.
“Hushed was the boisterous mirth, while men and women, seized with nameless terror, watched the hand slowly tracing the mysterious characters. Before them passed, as in panoramic view, the deeds of their evil lives; they seemed to be arraigned before the judgment bar of the eternal God, whose power they had just defied. Where but a few moments before had been hilarity and blasphemous witticism, were pallid faces and cries of fear. When God makes men fear, they cannot hide the intensity of their terror.
“Belshazzar was the most terrified of them all. He it was who above all others had been responsible for the rebellion against God which that night had reached its height in the Babylonian realm. In the presence of the unseen Watcher, the representative of Him whose power had been challenged and whose name had been blasphemed, the king was paralyzed with fear. Conscience was awakened. “The joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.” Belshazzar had impiously lifted himself up against the God of heaven and had trusted in his own might, not supposing that any would dare say, “Why doest thou thus?” but now he realized that he must render an account of the stewardship entrusted him, and that for his wasted opportunities and his defiant attitude he could offer no excuse.”
Just imagine the horror of these 1000 lords and the others at the party. They look from one to another in questioning astonishment. “What does this mean?” The Bible gives us an interesting parallel in the anti-type. Notice the astonishment of the kings of the earth and the merchants of the earth when they realize that Rome and her daughters are finished, and her punishment comes on her like a flash. Look what it says in Revelation 18:9-11, 14-18.
“And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more…”
“And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”
Babylon will have a perpetual sleep and never awake from her destruction. Look what it says in Jeremiah 51:57.
“And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.”
Notice also that the captains and the mighty men of war as well as the princes’ were drunk with wine. And in Revelation 18:21-23 the Bible tells us that Babylon shall be no more.
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.”
Also notice that in both Babylons people were deceived through sorcery and enchantments. We just read that one of the reasons for modern spiritual Babylon’s fall was deception through sorcery.
Isaiah 47:9 says, “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.”
You can see that both Babylons deceive people on the basis of sorcery.
So, let’s straighten out some issues. Cyrus did not destroy Babylon. He just overthrew it. When he became the sole ruler of the empire, he moved his government to Shushan or Susa in Persia. Meanwhile, Darius the Mede and his son Darius Hystaspes ruled in Babylon. Its desolation came years later following a rebellion when Xerxes became ruler. He first plundered and then destroyed the temple of Bel and tore down the walls of the city from 300 ft (200 cubits) to 75 feet (50 cubits). There were attempts to rebuild the city, but God had declared it would be desolate. Let’s look at it from Jeremiah 50:39 and 51:37.
“Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
“And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.”
The Parthians destroyed the effort to rebuild the city of Babylon. And today there is scarcely enough ruins left to mark the spot of the ancient city of Babylon. So, will it be when modern spiritual Babylon is destroyed?
Revelation 18:19 tells us that, “And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.”
Jeremiah 50:34 tells us that Babylon is judged by a strong man. “Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.”
Revelation 18:8 also tells us of a strong man. “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.”
I don’t want to be part of Babylon when she is brought to her end, do you? We are to completely come out of Babylon now, so that we can be independent of her and dependent on God alone. That will take time. You can’t do that overnight. And your salvation depends on being separate from Babylon’s sins. So, this is very important to understand. There are many more parallels and types between ancient and modern Babylon which we haven’t even touched today. Next time we’ll examine the fall of Babylon in more depth and see the tremendous connections in scripture.
Let us pray. Father in heaven, we are impressed by the scripture’s completeness and the parallels and types that involve Babylon. We don’t want to be part of Babylon. We want to completely separate from her and all her enchantments and sorceries. Take away anything in our lives that holds us in Babylon or keeps us attached to her. Thank you for your abundant mercy and grace. and thank you for making our lives complete. Please give us victory over the enemy. In Jesus name, amen.