What Is Babylon?

Babylon is presented in the Bible both as a historical empire and as a potent symbol of human pride, confusion, and organized rebellion against God. The city's origins are traced back to the Tower of Babel in the plains of Shinar. Genesis 11:9 explains the name: 'Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth.' From its very beginning, Babylon represented man's attempt to build a kingdom apart from God, seeking to 'make us a name' through self-exaltation. This spirit of defiance characterized the later Babylonian Empire, which became the instrument of God's judgment against Judah, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem as seen in 2 Kings 25. In the prophetic and apocalyptic literature, Babylon takes on a larger, symbolic meaning as the archetypal 'world system' that opposes the Kingdom of God. In the book of Revelation, she is described as 'MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH' (Revelation 17:5). This 'Babylon' represents the seductive power of worldly wealth, idolatry, and the persecution of the saints throughout history. It is the antithesis of the New Jerusalem. While earthly empires like Babylon rise and fall, the Bible assures believers that the system of worldliness it represents will ultimately be judged and destroyed by God. The call to the people of God in every age is to 'come out of her,' refusing to participate in her sins, and instead looking for the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.