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06 - The City of Babylon

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The City of Babylon.

164. In the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation, we read of a sudden and terrific catastrophe falling upon a city which is called "Babylon the Great," and "that great city Babylon." Now, with the seventeenth chapter in our minds, we might be disposed to think that we were about to hear something more concerning the Babylonian Ecclesiastical system. There is, however, no mention of a Mystery; and, as we read on, we are impressed with the conviction, that the seer is describing a literal and material city of Babylon. But, although we are aware that there was once a city so named, on the banks of the Euphrates, which might with Justice have been called Babylon the Great, yet we know that it was destroyed centuries ago, and remains to this day in a state of utter ruin. And there is no other city that answers to the prophet’s words.

165. Can, then, his description be in any sense applied to the Mystical Babylon of the previous chapter? To this question we can return a decided No. For we read, that the Ten Kings hate the Mystical Babylon, and cruelly destroy her (Revelation 17:16); whereas these same Kings of the Earth bewail and lament over the destruction of the great city (Revelation 18:9). Moreover, the destruction of the Mystical Babylon is effected by the hands of the Ten Kings; while that of the city is a direct judgment of God (Revelation 18:8). It is, then, clear, that the Woman and City cannot be the same.

166. Who and what the Woman is, we have already, to some extent, discovered; let us, then, try to elucidate the difficulties respecting the City. Now, were we to read the whole chapter, noting its literal sense, we could not but suppose that John was speaking of a literal and very great city named Babylon. And, inasmuch as we know that the Babylon which once sat as a Queen among the Cities of the earth is destroyed to the ground, are we not almost led to the conclusion, that its revival, rebuilding, and re-establishment as "the Lady of Kingdoms," are here foretold? Is there, then, any other indication of this, either in Biblical teachings, or in the probable outcome, in the near future, of present political tendencies? Or, on the other hand, is it not a fact, that the prophecies of the destruction of Babylon have been already and completely fulfilled; and, if this be the case, how can they possibly be fulfilled a second time? We will endeavour to answer the last of these questions first.

167. To do this, we must carefully study the awful predictions in the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah, where the prophet begins by announcing, that what he is about to utter is the burden of Babylon. He then proceeds to give the following particulars of the circumstances and extent of her destruction. We are told:- That the whole land is to be destroyed (Isaiah 13:5). That the land is to be laid desolate, and the sinners destroyed out of it (Isaiah 13:9).

(This has never yet been accomplished. The country round the ancient site of Babylon is exceptionally fine agricultural land.) That the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine (Isaiah 13:10). That God will shake the heavens, and make the earth remove out of her place (Isaiah 13:13).

(These terrible events must be still in the future; for no record exists of their fulfilment in the past. Moreover, they are elsewhere mentioned among the signs of the Lord’s coming, and appear, from Isaiah 14:1-3, to be connected with the final deliverance of Israel.) That Babylon is to be destroyed in a manner similar to the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13:19).

(These latter cities were destroyed by fire and brimstone from heaven; so will Babylon be utterly burned in one hour (Revelation 18:8-10). But nothing like this has ever yet happened to her.) That Babylon shall never again be inhabited, or dwelt in, from generation to generation; that not even the Arab shall pitch his tent there, nor shepherds cause their flocks to lie down upon its site (Isaiah 13:20).

(This has by no means been fulfilled; for Arabs and shepherds still frequent the site, and villages are built upon it.)

168. Some of these predictions are very strongly emphasized in Jeremiah 51:1-64. In that chapter the prophet declares- That Babylon’s destruction is to be sudden (Jeremiah 51:8). That the city shall for ever be desolate, and that no one shall take from her a stone for a corner or for a foundation (Jeremiah 51:26).

(This has most certainly not been the case with ancient Babylon; since several cities are known to have been built out of materials brought from her ruins.) That the land of Babylon shall be made a desolation, without an inhabitant (Jeremiah 51:29). That Babylon shall become heaps, without an inhabitant (Jeremiah 51:37). That the city shall sink, and shall not rise again (Jeremiah 51:63-64).

There are, also, other prophecies on the same subject; but those which we have cited will be sufficient for our purpose.

169. The past history of Babylon the Great, in very brief outline, is as follows:- The city was founded by Nimrod, and, in its earliest period, was the metropolis of a powerful kingdom. Khammurabi - the Amraphel of Genesis 14:1 - ruled over the whole of Mesopotamia, from the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates to the Mediterranean. His wonderful code of laws, recently deciphered, is now the admiration of scholars. In its second period, Babylon was made a Queen of Nations, or a World power, by Nebuchadnezzar. A little later, the city was captured by the Medes and Persians under Cyrus, by which event a number of prophecies were fulfilled - notably Isaiah 45:1-3. But Cyrus did not destroy it: he took possession of it in B.C. 541, but it remained for many years the second, if not the first city in his mighty Empire. More than two hundred years later, the great Grecian conqueror Alexander visited it; and so attracted was he by it that he proposed to make it the seat of his government and once more the capital of the world. In the year A.D. 64, Peter wrote his first Epistle (1 Peter 5:13) from the famous city, whither he had gone to carry the Gospel to the many Jews who dwelt there. And, in the year A.D. 500, the celebrated Babylonian Talmud was issued there, a proof that the place was still a seat of learning. Even at the present day, there is a town called Hillah on a part of the ancient site, with a population of about ten thousand. It thus appears, that not a single one of the prophecies mentioned above can be said to have been fulfilled.

170. May we not, then, infer, that Isaiah and Jeremiah saw in vision a state of things respecting Babylon which has not even yet emerged from the mist of the future? And have we, in their prophecies, no indications of the time when their words will be verified? Most certainly we have; for, from Isaiah 13:6, we find, that the time for howling over the destruction of Babylon, and other terrible events, is when the Day of the Lord is at hand. What is meant by the Day of the Lord, we have endeavoured to explain in paragraphs 92 and 130 (see also Diagram D). The events which we have there connected with it will be found in accord with Isaiah 13:4. The ninth verse, again, in alluding to the same period, calls it "the Day of the Lord"; while, in the tenth, we read of the stars withdrawing their light, and of the darkening of the sun and moon. This last verse reminds us of our Lord’s similar prediction in Matthew 24:29, where we know that He is speaking of "that Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord." The shaking of Isaiah 13:13, is obviously the same as that which is mentioned in Joel 3:16, and in Haggai 2:6-7, Haggai 2:21-22. Since, then, we know that the latter predictions refer to the end of the age, we have here another strong proof, that the final judgments have not yet been inflicted on the city of Babylon, and that we may expect them to be poured out in the great Seventieth Seven (see paragraph 123 et seq.).

171. Yet another corroboration may be obtained, by observing the similarity of the state of things which we found to be depicted in the thirteenth chapter of Isaiah with that which is described in the Revelation as existing in the last Seven of Years, and about the time when the Babylon of the eighteenth chapter is destroyed.

172. It is also worthy of notice, that, in the prophecies of Isaiah, the judgments upon Babylon follow immediately after a prediction of the blessings that will be vouchsafed to Israel at the restoration. A similar connection may be obtained in Jeremiah 1:1-19. and Jeremiah 2:1-37, and it seems to indicate, that the time of Babylon’s overthrow will be that of Israel’s restoration.

173. That there are predictions respecting Babylon which have been already fulfilled, is, of course, manifest. But the most important of them, and all those which speak of the utter desolation of the land, and of the sudden destruction of the City, are evidently still in the future. And this fact fortifies us in the belief, that the great city of Babylon must yet be rebuilt upon her old site.

174. Finally, there is, in the fifth chapter of Zechariah, a curious indication of the means by which Babylon will be restored, and once more become the Mistress of the Kingdoms. But, since that subject is dealt with under the special head of "Commerce," we shall merely refer the reader to paragraph 301-4.

175. So much, then, for the testimony of the prophets as recorded in Scripture. And an intelligent glance at the political aspect of the world will reveal not a few signs, that their predictions are on the eve of fulfilment. For a grand revival of the East is in progress, and the districts near to the site of Babylon are being changed by it. What is taking place in Palestine has been already noticed. Tens of thousands of Jews and others are uniting to make the Land once more capable of supporting a large population. The long-neglected soil is being cultivated: villas, houses, and stores, are being erected: a water-scheme for Jerusalem is completed. Since the opening of the railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem, other lines have been made, some are being constructed, and more are projected. It is said, also, that God has graciously given a more copious fall than usual of fertilizing rains during the last few years. We must not, however, suppose that this has anything to do with His promise to restore the regular early and latter rains, which have been so long withheld (Jeremiah 3:3; Jeremiah 5:24); for that promise was conditional, and will not be realized until the conditions are fulfilled (Deuteronomy 11:13-14): and the Jews will not be able to fulfil them, until they shall have looked upon Him Whom they pierced, and have mourned for Him as one mourneth for his only son. Then they will be able to love the Lord their God, and to serve Him with all their heart and with all their soul. And so, He will give them the first rain and the latter rain in their due season, that they may gather in their corn, and their wine, and their oil (Hosea 6:3; Joel 2:23).

176. Again; what is called "the Eastern Question," which may be said to have commenced with the Crusades, and has been cropping up now and then ever since their era, has assumed an acute form in our own time, and has now resolved itself into a sort of diplomatic scramble among the European Powers, likely at any time to result in war for the possession of vantage-ground in the reviving countries of the East.

177. As regards the immediate neighbourhood of Babylon itself, the projected railway, through Asia Minor and Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf, will carry Western commerce and civilization into those ancient countries; and, as many politicians, who possess neither knowledge of, nor interest in, prophecy, have said, will bring about the resuscitation of the famous cities of old upon the Euphrates and the Tigris. The railway is, apparently, to be constructed under German auspices; but the English have been lately employed in strengthening their hold upon the Persian Gulf, and especially upon Kuwait, which is, presumably, the most convenient port for the terminus of the railway. Russia, too, has been for some time intriguing in Persia; and it is possible that the interests of other nations may before long be found to affect the same countries.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that two enterprising Jews from Bagdad have purchased the site, or, possibly, a part of the site, of ancient Babylon, through a conviction that the city will soon be restored, and their newly acquired property become enormously valuable as building ground.

178. Indeed, the splendid situation and central position of ancient Babylon suggested the advantage of its restoration to one of the world’s greatest men about a century ago. For Mr. Pember, in his "Great Prophecies," states, that he is acquainted with an eminent engineer who was employed by a firm of Parisian bankers to construct a railway in Spain, and who obtained permission from the French Government to examine the charts and maps of that country which were prepared for the use of Napoleon I. and his generals. And, while he was searching for what he wanted, he took down a great roll, which, when opened, proved to be a complete set of plans for the organization of the Euphrates Valley, and the rebuilding and establishment of Babylon as a great port and capital city.

179. It is now many years since the English Government sent Col. Chesney to survey the Euphrates Valley, with the view of finding a new route to India. And, since that time, there has been much talk of a railway through Mesopotamia to India. The project, now more feasible on account of our ascendancy in Egypt, has been recently discussed with great earnestness, and would, doubtless, be carried out at once but for diplomatic obstacles. Should these be removed, as they probably will be, and the railway actually constructed, it would, of course, tend mightily to the opening up and improvement of the countries through which it would run, and would certainly lead to some alteration in the condition of Hillah, the town which now stands on a part of the site of Babylon.

180. All the causes that have been enumerated, when considered together, point to a strong probability that Babylon is likely once more to rise out of her ruins to life and splendour; and, when the great event takes place, we may be sure that the resuscitated city will soon be found to answer to the description in Revelation 18:1-24.

181. We may, also, be sure, that when the final catastrophe befalls this Queen of Cities, it will happen in the manner described in the same prophecy. In one day, nay in one hour, with the awful suddenness of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, as the millstone cast by the mighty angel sank into the sea; so shall this scat of rebellion, and of worldly commerce, wealth, power, and luxury, be utterly destroyed, and never again inhabited.

182. In connection with this study, the reader will find it profitable to refer to the under mentioned passages, comparing the older with the later prophecies.

183. Finally, the wonderful words of the prophecy of Revelation 18:1-24. cannot possibly be referred to the capture of Babylon by Cyrus; for that event had already become history some 600 years before John was banished to Patmos.

Seeing, then, that Isaiah and Jeremiah prophesied of the same city as John, and that a comparison of the words of the three prophets reveals the fact, that the main points of their predictions are common to all of them, it would appear that they must have prophesied of the same event. Hence from the date of the Revelation, A.D. 96, and from the fact, that nothing in any way answering to chap. 18. has happened since that time, it follows that the event predicted must still he lying in the future.

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