Exploring the Mystery of Babylon: Delving into Biblical Prophecies and Decoding the Prophetic Call to 'Flee from Her'
Introduction
We read in Jeremiah: “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her” (Jeremiah 51:6, NKJV).[i]
There are varying theological opinions about this verse. Some believe that ancient Babylonia (/ˌbæbɪˈloʊniə/) will be reconstructed in the end times, while others consider the United States to be the revived modern-day Babylon. So, let us explore the scriptures and discover the mystery of Babylon.[ii] The answer will surprise you.
The Babylonian archeological site is in modern-day Iraq. Excavated at the end of the nineteenth century by German Architect Robert Koldeway, it is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Quite a bit of construction occurred at the site during Saddam Hussein’s reign, including an opulent palace built on a hill overlooking the excavated city.
The city of Hillah functions as the capital of the Babylonian province today. It is in central Iraq on a branch of the Euphrates River about 100 km south of Baghdad, near the ancient cities of Borsippa and Kish. Jeremiah prophesied that “Babylon shall become a heap, A dwelling place for jackals, An astonishment and a hissing, Without an inhabitant” (Jeremiah 51:37). With an estimated population of over two million people today, Babylon is far from desolate, affirming this judgment is for a time to come.
The History
The first Babylonian dynasty (1894-1595 BC) extended from the Persian Gulf (modern-day southern Iraq and Kuwait) northwestward into modern-day Syria, the Mesopotamia region (Figure 1). This fertile valley along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers has a rich Biblical history that can be traced back to the Tower of Babel and the birthplace of the Patriarch Abraham. Some scholars even believe it was the location of the Garden of Eden.[iii]
Figure 1 - The Ancient Near East and Mesopotamia in the Time of the Patriarchs ca. 2040-1550 (Holman Bible Atlas)
The first Babylonian dynasty began to decline around 1749 BC. It later transitioned to the Kassite Dynasty (1595-1155 BC) and the Second Isin Dynasty (1155-1026 BC). It then fell into a period of chaos (1026-911 BC). During this time, nomadic Semitic groups migrated into Babylon from Assyria’s Levant (/ləˈvænt/) region. The earliest waves consisted of the Suteans and Arameans, followed by the Kaldu a century later (940–860 BC). The Kaldu became known as the Chaldeans or the Chaldees.
By this time, the population of Babylonia had grown to a diverse mix of people that included native Babylonians, along with Persians, Chaldeans, Arabs, Medes, Elamites, Arameans, Suteans, Canaanites, Scythians, Cimmerians, and Sagartians. This diversity of Babylon’s population is an important detail, as we affirm that Bible references to Babylon are not congruent to one homogeneous ethnos.
The Chaldeans settled in the far southeast part of the Babylonian kingdom (southern modern- Iraq) and took control of the kingdom for twenty-three years. King Nabonassar (Nabû-nāṣir) then overthrew the Chaldeans in 748 BC and successfully reestablished Babylonia under native rule for a season.
Figure 2 - The Assyrian Empires in the 7th and 6th centuries BC Superimposed on the Modern-Day Middle East (Rose Publishing)
The Babylonian kingdom fell to the Assyrians (Figure 2) for more than a century (911-619 BC) until another king, Nabopolassar (Nabû-apla-uṣur), seized control with the aid of Medes (Persians). Nabopolassar destroyed the Assyrian Empire, capturing much of their land, and successfully reestablished the Babylonian Empire as the center of the civilized world one thousand years after the first dynasty.
This short-lived period was called the Neo-Babylonian or Second Babylonian Empire and the Chaldean Dynasty. The last of the Mesopotamian empires to be ruled by native kings was conquered less than a century later, in 539 BC, by the Persian Achaemenid Empire.
Nabopolassar was succeeded by his son, King Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE). In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho (Nəkō) at the Battle of Carchemish and immediately invaded Judah. He laid siege to Jerusalem in 589 BC and destroyed the city and the Temple two years later.
Judgments Against Israel and Babylon
We are historically in the period of Jeremiah the prophet (656-570 BC)—whose words we read at our opening. The Lord sent another prophet, Isaiah, about one hundred years earlier (740-686 BC) to warn Israel of her impending judgments that would arise from Babylon if she did not repent. Isaiah declared:
“Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left, says the Lord” (Isaiah 39:6).
We read about this prophecy being fulfilled more than one hundred years later in Second Chronicles. It is written:
“And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon” (2 Chronicles 36:18).
In response to the harsh treatment of the Jewish people and for the desecration and destruction of God’s Holy Temple, the Lord declared these judgments against Babylon:
“Because you were glad, because you rejoiced, You destroyers of My heritage [Israel], because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain, and you bellow like bulls, Your mother shall be deeply ashamed; She who bore you shall be ashamed. Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness, A dry land and a desert. Because of the wrath of the Lord She shall not be inhabited, But she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified and hiss at all her plagues. Put yourselves in array against Babylon all around, All you who bend the bow; Shoot at her, spare no arrows, For she has sinned against the Lord” (Jeremiah 50:11-14).
“The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon Declares in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, The vengeance of His temple. Call together the archers against Babylon. All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around; Let none of them escape. Repay her according to her work; According to all she has done, do to her; For she has been proud against the Lord, Against the Holy One of Israel” (Jeremiah 50:28-29).
We see a pattern of judgment and redemption in Isaiah and Jeremiah of God’s dealing with the Jewish people. We know that Israel acted idolatrously and rebelliously against God. In response, the Lord sent His prophets to warn of His impending judgments. Israel refused to repent. Thus, the Lord brought forth His discipline, beginning with drought and other tribulations and culminating in Israel’s invasion by a foreign kingdom. The Lord, in response, promised to destroy that nation that came against His Heritage—Israel—“the apple of His eye.”
This pattern has existed throughout Israel’s history, and we can expect the Lord to deal with the Jewish people in much the same way in the future. Yeshua warned his disciples, saying, “You [Israel] are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13). To be trampled underfoot of which men? We will find out.
The Assyrian Empire and Chaldean Dynasty
Isaiah lived in the time of the Chaldeans’ brief rule over Babylon. Still, his prophecies were for a time of the future—the Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Dynasty period. During this Second Babylonian Empire, the Babylonians would invade Israel and destroy God’s Temple. Isaiah also prophesied that Babylon, the “golden city,” would fall and cease to exist, and indeed it has, but not entirely, and unquestionably not as prophesied to Sodom and Gomorrah.[iv] We read, “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah” (Isaiah 13:19).
Figure 3 - Return of the Judean Exiles from Babylonian Captivity During the Times of Nehemiah and Zerubbabel (Rose Publishing)
After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, by decree of the Persian king Darius, a remnant of the Jewish people peacefully returned to the land of Israel from 520-515 BC (Figure 3). And unlike the Exodus from Egypt, Israel was not redeemed from Babylon through any Divine destruction of the kingdom.[v]
There is another irony in the history of Israel’s judgment. While the Chaldeans were a dominant force within the Babylonian empire, they were historically from Assyria, the same people who destroyed the northern tribes of Israel. God’s judgments against Israel came in waves over many years, and we see the continuation of this judgment from Assyria as it is written: “Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones” (Jeremiah 50:17).
While the Babylonian kingdom had become a mixed multitude of people—a melting pot of nations—it was the Chaldeans whom Isaiah and Jeremiah specifically called out. As we read, “A sword is against the Chaldeans, says the Lord, Against the inhabitants of Babylon, And against her princes and her wise men” (Jeremiah 50:35). But why is there a focus on judging the Chaldeans? One possibility is that the Chaldeans were descendants of the Neo-Assyrian kingdom that destroyed Israel’s northern tribes. Another option is that the Chaldeans were associated with many false gods that hated the God of Israel and continually sought to destroy His people.
The name Assyria means “the country of the city of the god Aššur (Ashur).” Ashur was an East Semitic god and the head of the Assyrian pantheon that stretched across Mesopotamia. Its god was later regarded as the Assyrian equivalent of Enlil, the god of wind, air, earth, and storms and the ruler of the cosmos. Named after its ruling principality, the city of Ashur was the spiritual center of the Neo-Assyrian empire.
There were many other gods in Mesopotamia, but the point is that each city and region had its god or gods. These gods held ruling authority over that city or region and continued to be at war with the God of Israel. Hence, Paul wrote, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Since ruling principalities are connected to cities and territories, are God’s judgments in Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied against a select people group descendent from ancient Babylonia? Or are they against their ruling principality, which has territorial authority over the population that inhabits ancient Babylon? We will find out.
Mystery Babylon
As we just learned, ancient Babylon was a succession of various empires and dynasties spanning over a thousand years. Its boundaries changed with each new conquest, and a mixed group of people inhabited its lands from a dozen nationalities spread across Mesopotamia. For these reasons, God is unlikely to be speaking to one ethnos in Isaiah and Jeremiah. Instead, He identifies a diverse group of people under the dominion of a ruling principality (god or gods) from ancient Babylon.[vi]
This principality has various emanations and even incarnations that we will soon discover. I will collectively refer to it as the “spirit of Babylon.” This spirit has ruling authority over the Mesopotamian region of Assyria and Babylonia. It has dominion over their predominant population group, namely the Assyrians, and their subgroup, the Chaldeans, who descended from Israel’s greatest enemy, the Assyrians.
The Lord correlates this ruling spiritual principality to the natural inhabitants under its dominion, calling it “the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride.”[vii] However, this spirit and the people who worship it will one day also have a global dominion, specifically, a financial system that will control the whole earth. This system will manifest as “the mark” or the “name of the beast.” We read:
“He [the Anti-Christ] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).
The Lord views all who attach themselves to this beast and his global economic system, the great harlot, committing spiritual fornication and adultery with them. The worship of these false gods is idolatry, as we read:
“If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11).
“Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters [nations], with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication… And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:1-2 & 5).
I find it interesting that the beast is a male personification, while the spirit of Babylon is called the “great harlot” and the “mother” of harlots. However, there is a correlation between male and female emanations. If we examine this evil Babylonian principality, we discover it has masculine and feminine emanations. The male persona of Babylon is called Bel (/ˈbeɪl/; from Akkadian bēlu). His name is derived from an East Semitic form cognate of the Northwest Semitic Ba’al and means Lord or Master. The feminine emanation of Bel is Belit and means Lady or Mistress.
I believe that the manifestation of Ba’al will be the Anti-Christ, while the emanation of Belit will be the “great harlot” who sits over many nations. We see the male and female associations of the Babylonian principality in Jeremiah, where it reads:
“Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it— Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel [male personification] is shamed. Merodach [Marduk—the patron god of Babylon] is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces” (Jeremiah 50:2).
During Biblical times, Israel was heavily involved with idolatry, principally the worship of Ba’al, Asherah, and Molek (Moloch). Asherah poles and trees were erected throughout Israel at sacred Canaanite sites to honor the Ugaritic (northern Syrian) mother goddess Asherah. Scholars believe that Asherah was the consort of Ba’al and Moloch, possibly an epithet for Ba’al. Marduk (Mərōdaḵ), the patron god of Babylon, also has a female consort, the mother goddess Sarpanit. So, one can see how all these gods are interrelated, each with male-female personifications.
Israel’s enemies, historically, either came against them with a strong arm to destroy them, which I equate to the masculine emanation of Bel, or tried to seduce them to idolatry, which is comparable to a feminine emanation of Belit and Asherah. As the church, we face these same enemies and temptations.
Nowadays, in the Middle East, we almost exclusively see the moon god Sîn (/ˈsiːn/) usurping these other ancient Babylonian deities. King Nabonidus of the late Neo-Babylonian Empire favored the moon god over the Babylonian deity, Marduk, meaning “calf of the sun.” We see a carryover of this now monotheistic moon god in the crescent shapes that adorn Islamic artifacts and mosques worldwide.
Many Muslim nations surrounding Israel are seemingly under the dominion, and indeed, the influence of this ancient Babylonian spirit as they continually seek to plunder and destroy God’s people. Thankfully, we have seen God’s peaceful hand at work with some of them. But ultimately, it is Israel that will become the instrument and weapon of the Lord’s judgment against every nation that is at war with Him, as we read:
“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman [Israel] clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars” (Revelation 12:1).
“Behold, I will make you [Israel] into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff” (Isaiah 41:15).
So, has this kingdom of Babylon become like Sodom and Gomorrah as prophesied in Isaiah and Jeremiah? Not yet, but that day is coming soon, as it is written:
“Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt, And they will be afraid” (Isaiah 13:6-7).
“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will caper there. The hyenas will howl in their citadels, And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged” (Isaiah 13:19-22).
“And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight,” says the Lord… And the land will tremble and sorrow; For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant: (Jeremiah 51:24 & 29).
God’s Judgements—Past or Future?
God’s word is clear. Yet, in a little while, Babylon’s time of judgment will come. When He finally destroys Mystery Babylon, the land over which this principality has dominion will never be inhabited or settled again. Never. So why is there confusion about the timing of God’s judgment against Babylon? It likely stems from this verse in Jeremiah, where it reads:
“Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,’ says the Lord; ‘and I will make it a perpetual desolation.” (Jeremiah 25:12).
Ancient Babylon did indeed fall to the Persian king Cyrus in 539 BCE. Their fall occurred one year before the end of the Jewish exile and two years before constructing the second Temple in 537 BC. If we incorrectly assume the Bible is a history book, then yes, God would have made Babylon a perpetual desolation immediately after Israel’s seventy years of exile in 538 BC. However, the Bible is not a history book nor written to give us a timeline that we can easily correlate with future events. The Bible declares God’s prophetic word—past, present, and future. Part of this has been fulfilled; some will be fulfilled as we write. But the entirety is yet to be fulfilled from now until the return of Christ.
We read in Daniel: “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy” (Daniel 9:24). Israel’s transgressions are not finished, nor has God made an end to her sins. He has not made complete reconciliation for her iniquity nor brought about His everlasting righteousness. When He does, when Yeshua returns to establish His Kingdom, God will seal up vision and prophecy and anoint the Most Holy priest of Israel—Yeshua.
Until that time, Israel and the nations remain under God’s judgment, and part of His dealing with Israel’s transgression is her ongoing idolatrous relationship with the spirit of Babylon. So, let us return to our opening verse in Jeremiah and read more of the chapter:
“For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her” (Jeremiah 51:5-6).
God is speaking to Israel, warning her to “flee from the midst of Babylon.” While the Lord will never forsake Israel and Judah, neither will His judgments against them relent until Christ returns to make final atonement for His land and people.[viii] As we just read in Daniel, “seventy” weeks have been declared for the Jewish people. Biblical scholars have confirmed that sixty-nine weeks have been fulfilled with the First Advent, but one week, one seven-year period is yet to come before the return of Christ.[ix]
We also know this period is called “the tribulation,” and the last half is called “the great tribulation” and the “time of Jacob’s trouble.”[x] Yeshua warned Israel, saying, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:15-16). This verse is troubling because Yeshua tells the Jewish people that they will once again be fleeing from Jerusalem. I thought the Lord was returning the Jewish people to their land. So, why is there another exile coming? Let us find out.
“Flee from the Midst of Babylon”
I believe the words of Yeshua in Matthew compare with the prophecy of Jeremiah, where we read: “Flee from the midst of Babylon.” If these scriptures describe the same prophetic event, we can make a further correlation. Yeshua is talking about the abomination of the Anti-Christ desecrating the holy Temple in Jerusalem, and Jeremiah is declaring the Lord’s judgment against Babylon. Yeshua describes “the beast” we read about in Revelation and Jeremiah, revealing the spirit of Babylon.[xi] Effectively, the beast and the spirit of Babylon are the same. One is spiritual, and the other is the manifestation of the spiritual.
And it will be this spirit, and the incarnation of this spirit in the person of the Anti-Christ, as in the days of old, that will seek to destroy God’s people and desecrate His Holy Temple in Jerusalem. As it is written, “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints” (Revelation 13:9-10).
And it will be this spirit and the Anti-Christ, the false Messiah of Israel, that will set up his kingdom in Israel.[xii] Therefore, the spirit of Babylon in the last days will rule from Jerusalem. He will attempt to make the Temple Mount his earthly dominion, and he will exalt himself above every god and the God of gods, as we read:
“Then the king [the Anti-Christ] shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all” (Daniel 11:36-37).
Yeshua quoted the words of Daniel when He said, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place [whoever reads, let him understand]” (Matthew 24:15). Understand what? That it is time to run for your life.
While Jerusalem is not ancient Babylon, in the end times, she will have become like her for a short season—the mother of harlots. However, Jerusalem will not become a permanent desolation. While the Lord may severely judge her during the tribulation, she will be renewed and inhabited forever by the Lord of lords and King of kings when Yeshua returns. Then, the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city, will come down to the earth like a bride adorned for her husband. The heavenly kingdom will invade this physical realm, and the two shall become one.[xiii] As Yeshua taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
It seems inconceivable that God would appear to be restoring His Kingdom in returning the Jewish people to the land He promised to Abraham, only to uproot them yet again when the Anti-Christ rules over Jerusalem. Yet this is what we read in scripture:
“Because you [Israel] have all become dross, therefore behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yes, I will gather you and blow on you with the fire of My wrath, and you shall be melted in its midst. As silver is melted in the midst of a furnace, so shall you be melted in its midst; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have poured out My fury on you” (Ezekiel 22:19-22).
And when Christ returns, He will destroy the beast and the abomination of this principality, Babylon. And He will obliterate any vestige of it, as it is written in both the Old and New Testaments:
“And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city [Jerusalem] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16:18-19).
“And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah.” (Zechariah 14:4-5).
Again, we hear a declaration for Israel to flee from God’s wrath coming against the spirit of Babylon and those attached to her. As it is written, “Go forth from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! With a voice of singing, declare, proclaim this, utter it to the end of the earth; Say, ‘The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob!’” (Isaiah 48:20).
Jerusalem and Egypt
The Lord also compares Jerusalem in the last days to Egypt, as it is written, “And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8). Egypt is another Biblical reference to spiritual principalities, the gods of this age who enslave the sons of men. As we read, “Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together” (Jeremiah 31:3). Like the Exodus from Egypt, Israel will again be gathered by the Lord from the nations where He drove us, as it is written:
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, but, As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them. And they shall dwell in their own land” (Jeremiah 23:7-8).
But there is one crucial distinction. While the Lord promised to deliver Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, regarding Babylon, He says, “flee from her midst.” This contrast implies that Israel can lay with the Harlot, Babylon, or flee from her just as Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife.[xiv]
The Slain of Israel and the Nations
In the last days, Jerusalem will be the place where God will judge and ultimately destroy all the gods of this world. And he will destroy the men and women who worship them, as it is written:
“Therefore behold, the days are coming That I will bring judgment on the carved images of Babylon; Her whole land shall be ashamed, and all her slain shall fall in her midst. Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them Shall sing joyously over Babylon; For the plunderers shall come to her from the north,” says the Lord. As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, So at Babylon the slain of all the earth shall fall” (Jeremiah 51:47-49).
Here, in Babylon, the slain of Israel and all the slain of the earth shall fall. And where will Israel and the nations fall? At the final battle that will culminate in Jerusalem, as it is written:
“I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land” (Joel 3:2).
“For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:2).
“And they [Israel] will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).
These verses confirm that in the end times, a large portion of Israel and the nations will worship the spirit of Babylon and become like her. They will be seduced by the allure of her wealth and earthly treasures. And for Israel’s idolatry, she will be attacked by the spirit of Babylon and the Gentile nations that have drunk from the wine cup of God’s wrath.[xv]
Afterward, the nations that came against God’s people will be destroyed; as it is written, “Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Revelation 19:15). This pattern is the same throughout Israel’s history, affirming the words of Yeshua when He said that “Israel would be trampled under the foot of men.” Which men? The Anti-Christ and the Gentile nations who worship him.
Babylon Today
After two thousand years of exile to the nations, one would expect Israel to have abandoned its idolatry. But in Jerusalem today, we see a statue entitled the “Columbus Panel.” It features symbols from Christopher Columbus’s journey on the Santa Maria, but it also portrays the Aztec serpent god Quetzalcoatl.[xvi]
Quetzalcoatl is one of the most important gods in ancient Mesoamerica. He is called the “serpent of precious feathers,” In a metaphorical sense, he is considered the “wisest of men.” Quetzalcoatl is related to the gods of the wind and is believed to have played an integral role in the creation. He is the patron god of priests and merchants (a correlation with Bel and Babylon) and is considered the god of learning, science, agriculture, crafts, and the arts. He is believed to have invented the calendar and is identified with Venus and the rising morning star. John Taylor, the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1808-1887), believed that Quetzalcoatl was Jesus Christ. Pure idolatry! On the back of the statue in Jerusalem is this inscription (taken in part) from Ezekiel:
“When your wares went out by sea, You satisfied many people; You enriched the kings of the earth With your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you; Their kings will be greatly afraid, And their countenance will be troubled. The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you; You will become a horror, and be no more forever” (Ezekiel 27:33-36).
Comparably, we read in Revelation:
“The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come” (Revelation 18:9-10).
As we discussed earlier, while these verses speak of a great city, Babylon, they are, in fact, not a reference exclusively to any earthly dwelling. In a spiritual sense, they are a city and kingdom that belongs to Satan, and the manifestation of this great city will be, for a short season, the earthly city of Jerusalem. It will manifest in the person of the Anti-Christ and the men and women who worship him. As we read, “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!” (Revelation 18:2).
In his lamentation for Tyre, Ezekiel describes a company of nations and kingdoms who attach themselves to a system of global commerce, essentially the spirit of Babylon. This mixed multitude includes over thirty countries, some of whom we recognize today: Arabia, Cyprus, Damascus, Egypt, Judah, Libya, Persia, and Syria.[xvii]
Like the Egyptians at the time of the Exodus, God will judge every demon and man of the earth who worship these powers and principalities at the final Battle of Armageddon (in Hebrew, it means the battle at Mount Megiddo). This battle culminates in Jerusalem. In the book of Revelation, the term “great city” is used interchangeably to refer both to Jerusalem and Babylon as it is written:
“And their dead bodies [the two witnesses who are prophets] will lie in the street of the great city [Jerusalem] which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8).
“And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon… And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath” (Revelation 16:16 & 18-19).
“I will tell you the mystery of the woman [Mystery Babylon] and of the beast [the Anti-Christ] that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns… And the woman whom you saw is that great city [Jerusalem] which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:7 & 18).
“The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:23-24).
These are all Biblical references to Jerusalem and those who killed God’s prophets. Where it says, “her lamp will not shine,” we read: “And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there” (1 Kings 11:36). And where it says, “the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in her, “we read: “Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate” (Jeremiah 7:34).
Every Kingdom Divided
Immediately before Christ returns, He will bring division to Satan’s kingdom, as Yeshua declared, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). This division will destroy the great harlot, as we read, “And the ten horns [ten kings aligned with the kingdom of the Anti-Christ] which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire” (Revelation 17:16). This verse in Revelation aligns with Jeremiah’s words as spoken:
“Move from the midst of Babylon, go out of the land of the Chaldeans; And be like the rams before the flocks. For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country, and they shall array themselves against her; From there she shall be captured. Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior; None shall return in vain. And Chaldea shall become plunder; All who plunder her shall be satisfied, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 50:8-10).[xviii]
Satan’s kingdom will fall. Then Yeshua will return on the Day of the Lord to bring God’s final judgment against the spirit of Babylon. On that day, He will destroy all the gods of this fallen world and the multitude of people who worship them. And there will also be a final harvest of the wicked from the earth, as Yeshua said, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). This verse also aligns with the words of Jeremiah, as we read, “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come’” (Jeremiah 51:33).
But the Lord will have mercy on Israel and save a remnant of His people. As Yeshua declared, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30).
Come Out of Her
Like Jeremiah, the Apostle John wrote these words of warning to the church and Israel:
“Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow. Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:4-8).
God delivered Israel from the slavery of the Egyptians, not to be enslaved again. Yet, they became enslaved to the Assyrians and then the Babylonians. And Christ has delivered the church from our bondage of sin and death, not to be held again as slaves to the sinful desires of the flesh.[xix] The Lord is warning us, His people, to “come out of Babylon” and separate ourselves from the world’s materialism. It is a choice that we must make. Will we be satiated by the lusts of material possessions, where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal?[xx] Or will we seek first the Kingdom of Heaven?[xxi]
While I believe the church will be raptured before the tribulation, those who are left behind, specifically the Jewish people who continue to reject their Messiah, will endure the wrath of the Anti-Christ and the spirit of Babylon—those who control the financial wealth in this fallen world.
Search our hearts, oh God. How many have succumbed to this world’s material lusts and temptations? How many churches and ministries have built glorious temples and accumulated vast storehouses of earthly possessions? Is this our calling as sons and daughters of God? Certainly not. Yeshua said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20). Therefore, will we find comfort in this world? Or will we sojourn with Yeshua and His family here on earth as ambassadors of Christ, going into the nations and declaring the good news of Christ and His Kingdom? Yes, this is our calling, and I pray we come out of Babylon and run into the arms of Christ and His eternal Kingdom.
[i] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[ii] The Future of Babylon. World Monuments Fund.
[iii] Babylonia (/ˌbæbɪˈloʊniə/) was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Syria). The Garden of Eden derives from the Akkadian edinnu, from a Sumerian word edin meaning "plain" or "steppe," closely related to an Aramaic root word meaning "fruitful, well-watered.” Wikipedia.
[iv] Isaiah 14:4. Jeremiah 51:7-10.
[v] Exodus 7:3.
[vi] Isaiah 21:9.
[vii] Isaiah 13:19.
[viii] Deuteronomy 32:43.
[ix] Daniel 9:25.
[x] Jeremiah 30:7.
[xi] Revelation 13:1-10.
[xii] Daniel 11:20-24.
[xiii] Revelation 21:2.
[xiv] Genesis 39.
[xv] Revelation 14:8-10, 16:19.
[xvi] Sidman, David. Jerusalem: Massive ‘Idol’ with Serpent Deity on Public Display Near Temple Mount Causes Controversy. Israel365, Biblical News.
[xvii] Ezekiel 27.
[xviii] Jeremiah 51:1-4.
[xix] Romans 13:14. Galatians 5:17. Ephesians 2:3. 1 Peter 4:2. 2 Peter 2:18.
[xx] Matthew 6:19-20.
[xxi] Matthew 6:33.