SOUND THE ALARM (Part 3)
The Destruction of End-Time Babylon
Writing this chapter is not a pleasant task.
When I first began to seriously consider the Biblical prophecies of Babylon over forty years ago, I became overwhelmed with a sense of foreboding and sorrow.
I felt the same dismay when I visited the historic sites of Sodom and Gomorrah on the shores of the Dead Sea in Israel in 2005. As my three friends and I collected a bucket of sulfur pellets all of us were overwhelmed as we began to visualize what had actually happened there. We were standing on the site of a terrible and devastating judgment of God and it was a bit overwhelming.
The prospect that such a terrible scene of death and destruction will be repeated again on an even larger scale is almost too much to bear. Some-times we have to pick up the ash and rub it between our fingers to get the full impact of a story we have all grown accustomed to and the prophecies of things to come.
A BRIEF PREVIEW OF THE DESTRUCTION OF END-TIME BABYLON:
According to the Prophetic Scriptures, the youngest, most wealthy, and mighty nation on earth will be suddenly attacked from the north and will be left in smoke and smoldering ashes in just one hour. What appears to be a full-scale nuclear war between two end-time nations will annihilate approximately 1/3 of the earth’s population (probably the entire northern hemisphere) and cause the earth to begin the pains of nuclear winter and fallout. The Old Testament prophets even described the earth reeling through space like a drunkard as the earth is apparently jolted off its orbit.
Jesus spoke of such calamity when He described the horrors of the Tribulation – “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)
God presented the details that are before us for a reason, and we must not ignore that which He has made so clear. I will list the Scriptures that speak of the future destruction of the “daughter of Babylon” . . . beginning with Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51:
Jeremiah chapter 50:
1. THE LORD SPOKE AGAINST BABYLON: The destruction of end-time Babylon will come at the direct command of God. “The Word that the LORD spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet . . .” (Jeremiah 50:1)
It is interesting in this verse that God pronounced judgment upon Babylon AND the land of the Chaldeans. This may be an indication that His judgment will not only fall upon Babylon whom we have identified as a mighty end-time world power, the youngest of nations and center of commerce, but His judgment may also be directed against the “land of the Chaldeans,” the historic area of ancient Babylon which is in Iraq. The prophets often wrote with local and distant implications just as they prophesied of contemporary and future events.
2. SOUND THE ALARM: The message of Babylon’s doom is to be published to the nations – “Declare among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish and conceal not; say Babylon is taken . . .” (Jeremiah 50:2) There must be an urgency to warn the nation(s) of coming judgment. I, for one, am so prone to keep words of doom and gloom to myself, but the Lord of Light would have all of us warn others of impending darkness and the hope of the Gospel.
We do not have to be hateful in warning our modern-world of coming judgment by presenting the message of God’s righteousness and coming wrath. In fact, if the message of the prophets does not break our hearts there is something terribly wrong with us. This was the heart of the psalmist when he declared – “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6)
This entire message has been a heavy burden upon my heart for many years, and I present it with tears for those who are not ready.
3. ATTACK FROM THE NORTH: The attack against end-time Babylon will come from the north. “For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell in it; they shall remove themselves, they shall depart, both man and beast.” (Jeremiah 50:3)
Verse 9 of this chapter re-asserts the same declaration – “For lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country . . .”
It is interesting that “Gog of the land of Magog” (the king of Russia) has been described by the Prophet Ezekiel as coming “from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many peoples with thee.” (Ezekiel 38:15)
4. WHOLLY DESOLATE! The attack from the north will devastate the land of Babylon. “For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate.” (Jeremiah 50:3) The destruction is so thorough that any surviving men and animals will flee in utter panic. Most of us cannot even imagine such a dreadful day of calamity!
Verses 12 and 13 add to this descriptive fury – “ . . . the hindermost (youngest) of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate . . .”
What a horrific and graphic picture of total destruction – “wholly desolate!” Ground Zero at the devastated site of the Twin Towers was just that – “wholly desolate.”
5. MISSILES RIGHT ON TARGET: The taking of Babylon sounds like a pre-empted missile attack as we learn from Jeremiah 50:9 – “ . . . from the north country . . . they shall set themselves in array; from there she shall be taken; their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.” Arrows (like missiles) are “launched” from one place to another. This is the picture the prophet was apparently painting for us.
The sudden attack from the north will be so effective that none of the “arrows” will miss their mark. There will be no deterring this massive air-strike as it descends suddenly from the north. God often uses one ungodly nation to bring judgment upon another. For example, the ruthless and wicked kingdom of ancient Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, was used to bring chastening upon the sinful people of Jerusalem. The vile and cruel Assyrians were also used to disperse the ten tribes of northern Israel, just as God had warned.
6. SHOCKING BEYOND BELIEF: The destruction of Babylon will shock the nations - “ . . . everyone that goeth by Babylon shall be appalled, and hiss at all her plagues . . .” (Jeremiah 50:13) We are often shocked at televised images of death and destruction from natural disasters, but nothing will match the aftermath of these coming days of utter ruin! The entire world will be stunned at the sudden devastation and aftermath of continuing death and suffering.
7. THE SOUND OF BATTLE: The SOUND of battle – “A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.” (Jeremiah 50:22) How incredible that the prophets were given this kind of insight thousands of years before weapons of mass destruction were even invented!
8. THE EARTH IS MOVED: Whatever this “sound of battle” is, it must be very great with awesome power, because we read in Jeremiah 50:46 – “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.”
The weapons that the LORD calls against Babylon (and Magog) will be so great that the earth will apparently and literally be moved out of orbit. Can you imagine such destructive power? Isaiah 13:13 adds to this terrible image of world-wide terror – “I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of its place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger.” Isaiah also declared – “The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is thoroughly dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed . . . “ (Isaiah 24:19-20)
9. MANY CITIES DESTROYED: According to the prophet, many cities will be destroyed during this time of international calamity. “And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.” (Jeremiah 50:32 – Who can deny that this sounds like the devastating power of nuclear warfare? Add to this the words of Jeremiah 51:43 – “Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land in which no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass by it.”
10. JUST LIKE SODOM AND GOMORRAH: Babylon will be left in ashes just like Sodom and Gomorrah as the prophet proclaimed - “As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities, saith the LORD, so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell in her.” (Jeremiah 50:40) God declared that the destruction of end-time Babylon will be total and complete . . . just like Sodom and Gomorrah!
11. PANIC: The knowledge that such an attack is forthcoming causes the leader of Babylon to panic as we read in Jeremiah 50:43 - “The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands become feeble; anguish took hold of him, and pains as of a woman in travail.” Can you imagine the stress upon a leader who is aware of classified documentation of a forthcoming attack?
Jeremiah chapter 51:
12. DESTROYING WIND: Little more needs to be said. We already get the picture of total devastation, but God continues with the terrible description of Babylon’s day of judgment and utter destruction – “Thus saith the LORD: Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against those who dwell in the midst of those who rise up against me, a destroying wind.” (Jeremiah 51:1)
We are all aware that one of the most destructive forces of a nuclear weapon is the incredible “destroying wind.” Who can deny that this ancient description would appear to be modern-day weapons of warfare?
13. SUDDEN DEVASTATION: The destruction of Babylon will come SUDDENLY, and there will be no time for protective measures. When the holocaust begins there will be no time to run and no place to hide. “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed.” (Jeremiah 51:8)
The New Testament book of Revelation reveals the same overwhelming truth - “. . . For in one hour is thy judgment come . . . For in one hour so great riches are come to nothing . . . for in one hour is she made desolate.” (Revelation 18:10, 17, 19)
Before the advent of our weapons of mass destruction, such a claim of total destruction in one hour seemed totally impossible. In today’s world we know that such devastation can happen in a moment’s time.
14. NO SURVIVORS: “And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for jackals, an horror, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.” (Jeremiah 51:37 See also vs. 29)
It should be noted that ancient Babylon was NOT destroyed. It was taken without a shot when the Persian army drained the Euphrates River and walked in under the walls of Babylon. The wicked King Belshazzar was assassinated, and the Babylonian Empire became the empire of the Medes and Persians! The total destruction of Babylon as prophesied is a FUTURE EVENT!
15. TSUNAMI! This is an amazing prophecy and certainly could not be referring to a rebuilt city out in the sands of Iraq – “The sea is come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of its waves.” (Jeremiah 51:42)
Hollywood makes movies of this type of disaster . . . and the ancient Prophet Jeremiah spoke of this nearly 3,000 years ago! Can you imagine a huge tsunami wave coming in and wiping out a huge city like New York or some other ocean port?
Isaiah Chapter 13:
The entire thirteenth chapter of Isaiah is given as another solemn warning to end-time Babylon and is deserving of much more study than we can present here. It seems like the Lord repeats His warnings time and time again so that some of us will take His words seriously and warn others to escape by placing their faith in the God Who Saves. There are no excuses for those who choose to ignore such clear warnings. SOUND THE ALARM!
16. FROM THE END OF HEAVEN: “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land.” (Isaiah 13:5)
The sudden attack against Babylon will apparently come as an air-strike from a great distance, and the entire land will be totally destroyed.
17. THE DAY OF THE LORD: The timing of this destructive judgment is detailed in Isaiah 13:6 where we read – “Wail, for the DAY OF THE LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.”
The message is repeated for emphasis in verse 9 – “Behold, the DAY OF THE LORD cometh, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He shall destroy the sinners out of it.”
According to the New Testament, the “Day of the LORD” will come suddenly and unannounced. “For yourselves know perfectly that the DAY OF THE LORD so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3
Any woman who has ever given birth will tell you that the pains of birth come suddenly and without warning. In the middle of the night, often in the deepest of sleep, the pains begin, and there is no turning over and ignoring them. This is how God describes the “Day of the LORD.” Much more could be said about the “Day of the LORD” but one main observation is important in our brief study–The “Day of the LORD” is just the beginning of God’s direct intervention once again into the affairs of man and the people of Israel. The “Day of the Lord” marks the beginning of the Tribulation, and it will come suddenly and unannounced. That “day” will commence with a terrible night of suffering and destruction for those who are not prepared and are left behind.
There is cause for great hope in the midst of all of this. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 and 4 – “ . . . and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” A few shall escape this day of wrath. We will attempt to further develop this hopeful thought in the concluding article.
18. DARKNESS AND NUCLEAR WINTER: Isaiah seemed to be describing a nuclear missile exchange and the aftermath of nuclear warfare. “For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.” Isaiah 13:10
In the terrible aftermath of this nuclear nightmare, as multiple nuclear weapons are detonated, darkness and sub-zero nuclear winter will inflict additional suffering upon the survivors. After the initial destruction of heat and wind, other terrible and devastating effects of this kind of weapon continue to be felt for months and even years. This type of weapon and its terrible results are described again in Isaiah 47:14 – “Behold, they shall be like stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame; there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.”
I believe this passage is graphically describing the effects of nuclear winter. Suddenly, when the atmosphere is destroyed by fire and the air becomes too thick to breathe, winter darkness descends upon those that escaped the initial blast and fire. The survivors of such a nightmare may be the greatest victims.
19. THE UNFORTUNATE SURVIVORS: God is so explicit in His description of coming destruction that He gives us a picture of nuclear radiation and its misery. “Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt; And they shall be afraid. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; and they shall be in pain like a woman that travaileth. They shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.” Isaiah 13:7-8
Imagine the utter panic that will fall upon the world when an all-out nuclear exchange takes place. There are no words that can fully describe such chaos and misery.
20. PEOPLE AS RARE AS GOLD: Isaiah 13:12 tells us that man will become rare in the aftermath of the destruction of Babylon – “I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.”
When I was younger, I spent some time dredging for gold in the streams of Colorado and California. I can assure you that gold is extremely rare and difficult to find. Even little nuggets hide themselves under rocks and sand in a gold pan, and only the discerning miner can find them. After the destruction of these mega-nations, man will become as rare as gold. It is hard to imagine such total devastation.
CONCLUSION: God is not a sadistic tyrant anxiously awaiting the opportunity to cast misery upon mankind. He has expressed His love to all men by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty of sin for us by dying on the cross. His offer to mankind is forgiveness, eternal life and hope to all that will believe on Him and trust Him as Savior and Lord.
Warnings of coming destruction are written because God is a God of mercy. He desires that all men everywhere will repent and turn to Him for forgiveness and the promise of eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The only place of real peace and security in this desperate world is in the shelter of His wings.
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