What Is Babylon the Great in the Bible?

　　Babylon the Great fell to the Persians. So why does this kingdom play a role in the end times?

　　Babylon the Great has been the bane of Israelites and Christians alike and the key subject of interest as we approach the end times. It first appeared at the Tower of Babel, fell to the Persians in the Book of Daniel, and rears its ugly head once more in Revelation.

　　Why does this worldly kingdom play such a big role, and why should we keep our eye on it as we approach the Last Days? Let’s dive in.

　　

Where Does the Bible Mention Babylon the Great?

The actual term “Babylon the Great” only appears in Revelation. We can observe several instances in the Old Testament that refer to the kingdom of Babylon, a global superpower in the 600s BC.

　　But in terms of Babylon the Great, we have to look at the end times for this phrase.

　　A kingdom will take over the world at the end of the world. All will be united under one currency, one religion, and one leader (the Antichrist). With this in mind, let’s dissect all the verses that speak of the second Babylon to come.

　　Revelation 16: Indicates that Babylon will “drink the fury” of God’s wrath. That God remembers their sins, and they will experience his judgment.

　　Revelation 17: Babylon is portrayed as a woman who sits atop a beast. The Bible refers to her as a prostitute. We have to think in the actual kingdom of Babylon itself; captives would go through something known as the Ishtar Gate into the city. Ishtar (also Asherah) was a fertility goddess who promoted promiscuity and sexual immorality. We know that in the last days, people will give in to desires like these.

　　Revelation 18: States that demons dwell amid this fallen city. That its inhabitants grow rich in luxurious living. The description reminds us a lot of Sodom and Gomorrah. People did what they felt was right in their own eyes. This may bring to mind many cities and kingdoms that could fit the bill of the new Babylon. We must remember that when the end times comes, it will be very clear to us who Antichrist is and where the new Babylon is.

　　But since we’ve uncovered what the “new” Babylon is, let’s discuss the “old” Babylon.

　　

What Is Babylon’s History as a Kingdom?

Although Babylon reached its peak right before the Medo-Persians conquered it (Daniel 5), it existed long before then. It was founded 4000 years ago near the Euphrates River.

　　Jewish and Biblical scholars can argue that its origins go back much further, to the time of the Tower of Babel.

　　For those unfamiliar with the story of the Tower of Babel, the people on earth were not too happy that God had sent a flood (Genesis 6). Under the leadership of a man named Nimrod, they built a ziggurat-like structure to compete with God. They wanted to build it as high as heaven.

　　At first glance, this doesn’t seem so heinous. However, while the structure could never touch heaven, it could do something else. Michael D. Coogan notes in A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament that the tower could survive another worldwide flood if God ever got angry at people’s sins again. The people wanted to prove to God that they could continue in sin—and avoid his judgment in the process. They also disobeyed the direct commandment to be fruitful throughout the earth and not congregate in one area.

　　God disrupts the building progress by introducing several languages to the group. They scatter and fill the earth.

　　We don’t hear much from Babylon again until we get to the time of the prophets. By this period, Israel had split into two kingdoms, and the kings had (for the most part) done evil in the sight of the Lord. Ever patient, God still had to dole justice. He allowed the Assyrians to take over the Northern Kingdom. As for the Southern kingdom, the Babylonians sacked their cities.

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　　By this point, in roughly 600 BC-590s BC, Babylon had grown into a global superpower. They had incredible military might and advanced technological innovations. They were essentially what you got if you combined a jock with a nerd.

　　Babylon seemed so great that in one of their king’s visions, Babylon is portrayed as gold (Daniel 2), whereas every nation after it is made up of a lesser-value metal.

　　With that said, Babylon got cocky. They took things too far when doling out God’s judgment on the Israelites. Therefore, God sought to bring about their end. After the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, his grandson took the throne. Instead of preparing for the Medo-Persians—who attempted to ransack his kingdom… he threw a party.

　　This doesn’t go well, of course.

　　Daniel, the prophet, tells him that Babylon will fall that night. And it does, at the hands of the Persians. Thus endeth the kingdom of Babylon. Well, the first one, anyway.

　　

What Does Babylon Symbolize in the Bible?

Babylon never represents anything good within the Bible. We never spot this civilization as a paragon for good living. When taken into captivity, the Israelites faced many temptations and persecution for their faith. In fact, Daniel’s three friends received a free trip to the fiery furnace when they refused to do some customs (Daniel 3).

　　So what does Babylon symbolize, exactly, in Scripture? Several things, but let’s focus on three main ones.

　　Immorality: Revelation talks, at length, about how everyone in Babylon (old and new) gives into every temptation known to man. If Israel was God’s domain in the Old Testament, Babylon was Satan’s. Similar to Sodom and Gomorrah, evil will abound in the new Babylon. People will be lovers of money, of themselves, doers of evil, and persecutors of those who do good (2 Timothy 3).

　　Persecution: We see a precursor of this in the Old Testament. When Israelites didn’t comply and adapt to the Babylonian culture, they received punishment (sometimes death). In the same way, the Antichrist in the new Babylon will seek to torment the people of God.

　　False Power: Satan wields a certain amount of power. Anyone serving him will feel like they have power over people and things. We have to understand that this is a pseudo-power that will not match that of God. Although Babylon may seem “great,” it will fall, just as it had before.

　　

What Do We Learn from Babylon the Great’s Mention in the Bible?

We can draw several applications from Babylon the Great, mentioned in Revelation.

　　First, we must understand the first Babylon to get a feel for the second. If we don’t know our history, we can miss it when it repeats itself. The Bible tells us to remain watchful and vigilant in the end times. To not “fall asleep,” as the disciples did in the Garden of Gethsemane.

　　Second, we need to build our faith foundation now. Persecution has a way of weeding out those who didn’t root themselves in Christ. Revelation promises us that the new Babylon will bring about many trials for the people of God. Stand firm, and keep the faith.

　　Finally, we need not be afraid of the last Babylon. It will seem as though all is lost and Satan has won during the tribulation. When this happens, we must remember that the Bible ends on a good note and that Babylon will fall again.