The City of Babylon.

[Marilyn C]

The City of Babylon has a very prominent place in end-time predictions. I thought I would give an overview of its history & what is happening there today. (I do see that some of this has been posted before but it fits in here with our discussion of Assyria & what is happening in that part of the world today.)

 

 

Ancient Babylon was one of the earliest centres of civilization next to the Euphrates & Tigris rivers. At the pinnacle of Nebuchadnezzar`s dominion in the 6th century B.C., it was the world`s biggest & most sophisticated City. it had a population of approximately one million inhabitants, & enjoyed power & prosperity for fifteen centuries. Its `hanging gardens,` were classed as one of the wonders of the ancient world. The City itself, was the admiration of all mankind. it was abandoned, however, in the 4th century B.C., & rapidly disappeared, but was never actually destroyed precisely as specifically predicted by the prophets. Babylon, therefore, must literally be rebuilt.

 

 

Anthony Walker, an authoritative correspondent for the Melbourne `Age,` took a day off at the end of the Gulf War to inspect the ruins of Babylon. He reported -

 

`To my amazement a city is emerging from the swamp into which it had sunk for more than 2,000 years of decay & neglect. Walls have been rebuilt along the Processional Way leading to the Ishtar Gate. A replica of this famed Ishtar gate has been completed in blue-grey glazed bricks with relief carvings. The bitumen surface on the street itself, which remarkably dates from the time of Nebuchadnezzar, has been uncovered. The great Ziggurat, with its seven steps has been reconstructed, together with the crenelated fortifications along the Processional Route.

 

Millions of bricks have been used to reconstruct its most famous features, including Nebuchadnezzar`s Throne room, his massive Southern Palace, Temples & a 4,000 seat Amphitheatre. There is still writing on the walls of procession Way.`

 

 

 

President Hussein had provided an `open cheque,` for the task & even brought men from the battle-front for the project. Alongside the road from Baghdad scores of brickmaking factories were working. All the bricks used bore the inscription `Restored in the Era of Saddam Hussein.` The area will be artificially irrigated for the replanting of the Hanging gardens.

 

Today the US & the UN have made it a priority to complete the rebuilding of this ancient city. You can view the development on videos on YouTube. Also interesting to note that the ISIS are closing in on the city of Baghdad which is not far north of the city of Babylon.

[Salty]

Yes Sadam tried to rebuild the geographical city of Babylon. But he's dead now. The U.N. along with its other deceived can rebuild all they want, but that doesn't mean it will be the epi-center of the false worship that is to take place on earth in the last days, for God Himself has reserved the city of Jerusalem for that, as that is where the coming Antichrist will set himself up as king, in a temple in Jerusalem, proclaiming himself as God, over all things that are called God, and over all things that are worshiped, just as Apostle Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and like Rev.17 points to.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Salty

[Marilyn C]

Hi inchrist,

 

Now these are the scriptures & comments that you posted, (in the ISIS thread). I have put them here so that others can follow what we are studying.

 

Isaiah 13: 1 - 22  The Burden against Babylon  &   Jeremiah 51: 1 - 64  (note `Medes,` in both references in relation to fall of Babylon.)

 

Isaiah 19: 24 & 25  Future blessing for Assyria.

 

 

I find these scriptures very interesting & will put together my thoughts soon.

[Marilyn C]

Hi Salty,

 

You were quick off the mark. Yes you are right in that Jerusalem will be the centre of the world, but before that, Babylon is written in God`s word as to be the Capital of the Global Government before God judges it. This is what inchrist & I are looking at in Isaiah & Jeremiah. It is good to look at all the details of what God says & not just jump to the final picture.

 

Hope you can enjoy the journey with us through the details of God`s word.

[Spock]

Also, Many New Testament writers referred to Rome as Babylon.

[Spock]

Hi Salty,

 

You were quick off the mark. Yes you are right in that Jerusalem will be the centre of the world, but before that, Babylon is written in God`s word as to be the Capital of the Global Government before God judges it. This is what inchrist & I are looking at in Isaiah & Jeremiah. It is good to look at all the details of what God says & not just jump to the final picture.

 

Hope you can enjoy the journey with us through the details of God`s word.

Fwiw, I do not see the literal city of Babylon in the New Testament prophecies, in particular the book of Revelation. And I think even you would agree, the Babylon mentioned in rev 17 and 18 has nothing to do with the literal city of Babylon.

However, I do,agree, it seems to me in the first testament, Babylon has to be in utter ruin, which it has not been. So, I guess more to come there. I'm not sure how this all plays out, but for now, I do not see Babylon, the city, as being any big player in the end.

I'd like to hear your thoughts on this.

Love you,

Spock

[Marilyn C]

Hi Spock,

 

Nice to see you in this conversation. Now I have looked up the scriptures concerning Babylon in the New Testament  & I do not see `many New Testament writers referred to Rome as Babylon,` as you said. Could you enlighten me?

 

As we study this topic I hope you will gain further information.

 

Blessings, brother, Marilyn.

[Spock]

Babylon in the Apocalypse, is the symbolical name by which Rome is denoted. (Revelation 14:8; 17:18) The power of Rome was regarded by the later Jews as was that of Babylon by their forefathers. Comp. (Jeremiah 51:7) with Reve 14:8 The occurrence of this name in (1 Peter 5:13) has given rise to a variety of conjectures, many giving it the same meaning as in the Apocalypse; others refer it to Babylon in Asia, and others still to Babylon in Egypt. The most natural supposition of all is that by Babylon is intended the old Babylon of Assyria, which was largely inhabited by Jews at the time in question.

[Salty]

Hi Salty,

 

You were quick off the mark. Yes you are right in that Jerusalem will be the centre of the world, but before that, Babylon is written in God`s word as to be the Capital of the Global Government before God judges it. This is what inchrist & I are looking at in Isaiah & Jeremiah. It is good to look at all the details of what God says & not just jump to the final picture.

 

Hope you can enjoy the journey with us through the details of God`s word.

 

No offense, but doesn't look like I'm going join here into that idea of the centre being somewhere else other than Jerusalem, simply because our Lord Jesus gave His Revelation as a key to understanding it's about Jerusalem, which all the Books of the prophets are going to agree. But to try and use the OT prophets as the primary reference to define where, while making Christ's key in Revelation a secondary or lesser reference, is to run the ship aground.

 

I'm pretty sure I'm already aware of the kind of ideas from the OT prophets you'd have to try and use to suggest it being the geographical city of Babylon. You could simply say because that's the city the prophets in 'their day' were given by God to speak against. And without a consideration of our Lord's Book of Revelation as the 'key' for the end time Babylon, you can infer geographical Babylon all day long, but it will not fit the prophetic parameters Christ gave for the end in His Revelation, nor in His Olivet Discourse, which are about Jerusalem for the end.

 

Furthermore, when, or if... you ever got to the Book of Daniel with this, especially the latter five chapters, you'd have to come up with a whopper story to try and get those prophecies to point away from Jerusalem for the end of this world.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Salty

[Marilyn C]

Hi Salty,

 

How about you give inchrist & myself an opportunity to present what we are discussing first & then point out what you see is not in line with scripture. At the moment we are just discussing Assyria (due to the ISIS on the other thread) & where that is in God`s word. Then Babylon is mentioned so we are looking at that Historical city & what is happening there today. Later of course we will get to what I posted `the Capital city of the world.

 

Give us time to read & discuss the details, as I`ve said & not just try & `kill,` this discussion with `emotive words - `you`d have to come up with a whopper story to try & get those prophecies to point away from Jerusalem...` & `without a consideration of our Lord`s book of Revelation as the `key,` for the end time Babylon.` These statements are just quite rude Salty, & not in the manner of good discussing. You really need to see what we are discussing & respectfully add or point out from scripture your comments.