Babylon, Then And Now

What comes to mind when you think of ancient Babylon? I think of the fertile agricultural region of Mesopotamia and the area which would come to be called a "cradle of civilization." I also think of one of the ancient wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens. 'The king spoke, saying,"is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"-Daniel 4:30. Tales of ancient Babylon also brings to mind biblical accounts of the Jewish nations captivity. When the Babylonian Empire was at its' height it had conquered nearly all of the Middle East, including the lands inhabited by the Israelites.

While some take issue with the biblical accounts of this time period, in my studies of the topic, I have found that quite often evidence has come to light which show how right and true the story of the Babylonian captivity was told in the Bible. The story begins with a people struggling to follow God Almighty. The Israelites wavered between living in the fashion God Himself had taught them and the cultural and social forces that conflicted with that practice.

In the books of first and second Kings and first and second Chronicles we further see the descendants of those lead to the Promised Land first by Moses and then by Joshua in civil division and living in animosity with one another. As that story unfolded God sent divine assistance in the form of prophets to mercifully re-direct His people. We are told the story of Kings such as Hezakiah who prayed for the nation of Judah (2 Kings 19:15-19). Yet, these efforts did not convince the people to change their ways of living, nor their relationship with God.

God, like any good parent, let them know what the consequences of their actions would be, yet, they persisted and chose the wrong path. In this case, this lead to what would come to be known as the Babylonian Captivity. Dragged from the land that the Jews were given by God and had battled to possess, they were now back where they had started in Egypt, slaves. The captivity in Babylon lasted 70 years. Through the prophet Daniel, God revealed many things to us including the number of years that the captivity of the Israelites would last.

It is from the revelations given to Daniel that we learn more of Babylon, Then And Now. Daniel was born into the upper echelons of the Jewish society of his time. However, all that was interrupted during the first incursions by the Babylonians into the Holy Land. It was then that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded and began what would be the first of three invasions leading to death, destruction and slavery for the Hebrew nation.

Daniel was probably about sixteen at the time that these events took place. His societal position made him a target for kidnapping. It was a common practice, in those times, to kidnap people of higher rank in order to extort money and ensure cooperation by invading armies. So, it was, that he was one of a small group that were taken hostage. (Daniel 1:1-4)

For most of us, it is hard to imagine what it would be like to be ripped from the bosom of your home and family by force and then taken to a strange land. Nothing was familiar to him, not the people, the clothing and even the language. The history of the world is full of such stories and even now it continues to happen. We know some terrible things happened to Daniel. Physical, and psychological abuse and even sexual atrocities may have been committed. The cruel sexual abuse of people in history may have included Daniel himself. "And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon"-2 Kings 20:18. We know that Babylon, Then And Now is replete with stories such as this. Think of the Yazidis and Christians who were abused by the ISIS forces in what was the territory of the former Babylonian Empire.

For those who have been so cruelly used, there is hope of healing after the abuse. Daniel's relationship with God was a key factor in surviving and even thriving. Indeed, there is nothing that this world can do to you that God can not bring you through. The Book of Daniel, Chapter 3 details how his captors tried to burn him to death but God brought him out unscathed. Daniel was used by God in a mighty way.

His gifts and favor with God emerged even in the harsh environment of the Babylonian captivity. He excelled when forced to learn the language and literature of his captives. He kept to God's commandments, and statutes even as he was persecuted for it. Has persecution ever happened to you in your family or at work just because you wanted to follow God? God blessed Daniel with revelations about the course of human history. These revelations were and still are shocking!

He was able to have the comfort of knowing that his people the Jews would be restored to their homeland seventy years into the future. God gave him a glimpse of the empires that were and would rule the region:  Babylon, Persia/Media, Greece and then Rome (Daniel 8:20-22 & Daniel 11). Daniel described in his writings, through the symbols that God had given to him, the eventual collapse of these regimes. But that's not all.

Daniel imparted to us a timeline for the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Daniel 9:24). Forever, highlighting in yellow, the plan that God had to send His Son and when! The Book of Daniel is also prerequisite reading to understand the final book in the 66 book collection that is the Bible. Of all places, I recently got to explain this to a couple that I knew when in a library parking lot near my home.

I was running into the library to return some books that my husband had borrowed, when I ran into Michael*and his wife Jill*. Michael is a well-known political figure in Westchester County, NY. He and his family have been involved in local politics for a long time. He is also well-known by some as a shameless flirt. It seems that the charm and power of his position had enticed more than a few woman throughout the years. However, today I found a different Michael. He had gotten quite a bit older since I saw him last, and he had purposely called me over to ask a question about the Bible.

Apparently, Michael, not a church-goer, had picked up the Bible and rather than read the whole thing he just skipped ahead to the end. I have been known to do that while pressed for a deadline during my school years. Anyway, he was deeply disturbed by the images and ideas that he found in the book of Revelation. His first comments to me on the subject were an attack.  Having done his share of drugs as a young man he told me that he was sure this Apostle John, who wrote the book, must have been high on something.

I asked him had he "read the Book of Daniel?" "No", was his reply. I told him that "in order to understand  the book of Revelation, it is essential to have read the book of Daniel." Further, that "the images and ideas in the Book of Revelation run as threads throughout the whole Bible." I explained that "highly sensitive information has and always will be cloaked in secrecy. Symbols, codes and secret names have been used in every culture and nation on earth, especially during times of war. What bigger war is there than the battle between God and Satan, good and evil. So, is it any surprise that the Books of Daniel and Revelation, which heavily deal with such matters would be written that way?"

Daniel, was able to behold one of the greatest wonders of his time, the city of Babylon. The splendor of the Babylonian Empire extended to science, technology, and architecture to name but a few of its' accolades. Babylon, or present day Iraq, again came to prominence under the former dictator Sadam Hussein, who often referenced the glory of that former empire in referring to his own achievements.

Daniel was truly a visionary because he saw, with God's help, much more than those who live in the moment do. He saw beneath the surface of his situation and beyond the grandeur of ancient Babylon. God gave Daniel a picture of Babylon, Then and Now because it represents and points to the ultimate battle of good and evil that has and will continue to be waged for the souls of humanity. Many of the things and types of things that occurred in Babylon need to be understood so that we may be able to understand the prophetic events that are unfolding now and in the future. God did not want us to be ignorant of these events and told us to be watchful.


* the names and a fact is changed to protect identity.