Will Babylon Rise Again?

Any day now, many Biblically informed people expect to see a headline about a revival of old Babylon to accompany the constant deluge of Iraq stories. Hearts were beating rather quickly during the prime Saddam years, when the dictator was giving out that he was in some way the new (or was it the old?) Nebuchadnezzar, and that his Babylon would rise to world prominence again. He was well on the way to developing his Babylon-centered theme park when several inconvenient truths dawned on his land. Shock and awe and George Bush, to name a few.

So what's the big deal with Babylon, anyway? It's just a historic wonder, not to be considered a part of anything remotely modern, and definitely not future, right? Not so fast, not so fast. There are two ways to look at the Bible's Babylon doctrine. And maybe both of them are involved in this horrendous war.

Babylon was a real city. A real empire. Bible students recall how this great power was used by God to come against His own people, Israel. But Babylon overstepped its bounds and allowed pride to enter the mix. God vowed that Babylon would have to go. And go it did, right? Again, slow down. It ain't necessarily so.

God had promised an immediate destruction. But the city hung on for many centuries after the Medo-Persians took over the Empire. The conquering armies of many nations that followed used Babylon as one of their headquarters. In Jesus' time the city still existed and was dwelt in by many Jews.

God cannot lie. Or exaggerate. The city lost power but not existence. Through Saddam's ingenuity it is still with us. And Revelation 17-18 foretells the immediate fall of Babylon as still in our future! Will the old city rise again?

But you say, we all know that Mystery Babylon is none other than the Roman System. In our day, yes. Back up through the Middle Ages, still yes. And Imperial Rome, and Greece, and Medo-Persia, and Assyria, they all wore the robes of Babylon at one time. There were seven heads to the beast, you will recall.

What if, in the final flow of world history, Islam and Europe unite and form a power that has two capitals, two Babylons? It is clear that a Babylon on seven hills (Revelation 17) can only be Rome, but the unfulfilled prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah call us to have an open mind. The mystery is great. Let's not say we understand it until all the questions are answered.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond.