Babel Rises Again
Babylon is both a historical kingdom and a symbol of the recurring rise of the World Empire. In the first chapter of Daniel, Babylon is called the “Land of Shinar,” a link to the Tower of Babel in Genesis and the founding of the imperial city in Mesopotamia. That same incident is alluded to in the third chapter when King Nebuchadnezzar gathered all the nations of the Earth to pay homage to the great and “high” golden image that he built.
The Neo-Babylonian Empire was not a new
political entity. It had an ancient pedigree, and in the New Testament, “Babylon”
becomes a cipher for the latest incarnation of the World Empire, an
entity that periodically appears on the Earth.
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| [Skyscraper - Photo by James Lewis on Unsplash] |
In Genesis, God thwarted the completion of the high tower in the “Land of Shinar.” This caused the diversity and spread of languages and tribes across the Earth. That story provides the reader of Daniel with the true origins of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
- (Daniel 1:1-2) – “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and laid siege against it; and the Lord gave into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah and a part of the vessels of the house of God, and he brought them into the LAND OF SHINAR into the house of his gods, and the vessels brought he into the treasure-house of his gods.”
The opening paragraph of Daniel builds
on the story of the Tower of Babel, the time when the “whole earth was of
one language and one speech.” The name ‘Shinar’ is the Hebrew
equivalent of ‘Sumer,’ the first known civilization located in
Mesopotamia.
The people of Shinar begin
to build a city with a high tower “in the plain” that would “reach
the heavens and thus make us a name, lest we be scattered across the whole
earth.” The description reflects the Sumerian culture where individual cities
featured temples built on tiered mounds that formed the highest point in the
city. Each was dedicated to the city’s chief deity, and each functioned as the
city’s civil, economic, and religious center.
Originally, Yahweh commanded Adam to “multiply,
replenish, and subdue the earth.” That same command was reiterated to Noah
after the flood. But humanity chose instead to move to Mesopotamia to build a
new civilization and make a name for itself. Consistently in the Bible, Babylon
is characterized by arrogance and self-worship - (Genesis 1:28, 9:1, Isaiah 14:13-14, 63:12-14, Jeremiah
32:20).
If humanity united under one language, the
wickedness of mankind would know no bounds. By confounding their language, God
caused the nations to spread throughout the Earth, and He stopped the first
attempt at establishing a centralized global State. Thus, the idolatrous
ambitions of Babylon were delayed for a time. However, under
King Nebuchadnezzar, Shinar began to rise once more.
In this way, the king of the latest version
of “Babel” attempted to reverse God’s ancient judgment, wittingly or not.
Having conquered Judah, Nebuchadnezzar set out to gather different ethnic
groups and nations to his rebuilt city to be educated in the “language of Babylon,”
and to honor his idolatrous “great golden image.”
PARALLELS
Like the story in Genesis, Nebuchadnezzar
gathered captives to Babylon, the great city that he built. Under his direction, the
different tribes and peoples under his dominion began to learn the “language of the Chaldeans.” What
the inhabitants of ancient Babel began to do, Nebuchadnezzar attempted to complete.
Nebuchadnezzar also “set up” a great golden image of
exceptional “height” in
the “plain of Dura,” then
decreed that “all peoples, races, and
tongues” must render homage to it. He gathered representatives
from every province and nation “to the dedication of the image” -
(Daniel 3:1-8).
Thus, the whole Earth was summoned to one place to be united under Babylonian rule, and to pay homage to Nebuchadnezzar’s “high” image.
The verbal parallels are deliberate.
Just as the earlier inhabitants united to build a city and high tower to honor
and glorify their “name,” so the current king of Babylon presumed
to gather all humanity under his sovereignty.
END-TIME BABYLON
In the Book of Revelation,
“Babylon” becomes a cosmic entity that wages war against the “Lamb”
and his people. This final incarnation of “Babylon” is the World City
set in contrast to the coming “City of New Jerusalem.” She is the “Great
Whore” that is full of “abominations” and every “unclean thing.”
Her hands are stained with the “blood of the prophets and saints that have been slain on the
earth.” She is
characterized by her cruelty, arrogance, and self-worship – (Revelation 17:1-6,
18:24).
Her influence and
mischief will impact the entire Earth, not just Mesopotamia or the Near East. The
key to her power is the control of global commerce, and economic sanction is her
weapon of choice – (Revelation 18:1-24).
This entity spans History. She rides the “Beast
from the Sea” that has “seven heads and ten horns,” the monster that
has “Ascended from the Sea” repeatedly over the centuries. The “seven
heads” represent seven kingdoms or empires. Five of them had fallen by the
time John received his vision. One existed in his day, and the seventh and final
incarnation was yet to come. “Babylon” has been an ever-present reality throughout
the existing age – (Revelation 17:7-12).
Likewise, today we see “Babel” rising
again, another Empire ascending from the “Sea” or “Abyss.” Already
she is imposing economic control over nations, spreading her corruption across
the Earth, and suppressing groups and individuals that refuse to pay the “Beast”
and its “great image” the homage both she and it demand of one and all.
