Babylon and the Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel, by Pieter il Vecchio Bruegel, 1563,
16th Century, oil on wood panel

The Book of Revelation is full of references to Babylon as the symbol of all that is evil in the last days.  It is part of the name on the crown of the harlot who sits upon the scarlet beast.  When I have read those references in the past, I have thought of the Babylon of the Book of Daniel and of Nebuchadnezzar and of the 70 year exile of the Jews.  But recently, I have come to look more deeply for the meaning of Babylon and all it represents.

To get the full impact, we have to go back to the Book of Genesis, right after the Great Flood and to Nimrod, the King, a descendant of Ham.  I am going to quote from a website called The Tower of Babel because I like the way they explain it and I like the fact that I can show you the name Babel in the original Hebrew:

The Tower of Babel (Hebrew: מגדל בבל‎ Migdal Bavel Arabic: برج بابل‎ Burj Babil) according to chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis, was an enormous tower built at the city of Babel, the Hebrew name for Babylon (AkkadianBabilu). According to the biblical account, a united humanity, speaking a single language and migrating from the east, took part in the building after the Great Flood.

Babel was also called the "beginning" of Nimrod's kingdom. The people decided their city should have a tower so immense that it would have "its top in the heavens"(וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם). However, the Tower of Babel was not built for the worship and praise of God, but was dedicated to the glory of man, with a motive of making a 'name' for the builders: "Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'" (Genesis 11:4). God, seeing what the people were doing, came down and confounded their languages and scattered the people throughout the earth. [1]

Herein lies the significance: "[Babylon has] the reputation of being the first [place] where men combined against God with the deliberate goal of frustrating and wresting control from him  It was where a false theological system fought against the true. . . . Babylon incarnates arrogance, pride, and insatiable corruption in opposition to God and His kingdom." [2]  No wonder the Saints rejoice when Babylon falls.

[1] http://thetowerofbabel.net
[2] Richard Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, pp. 189-190

Text copyright Gebara Educaton March 2013 except direct quotes where noted above

Picture for www.yahooimages.com