September 14: THE FOUNDATION FOR APOSTASY
And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8
Babylon! That symbolic name given to the end-time system of politics and religion intertwined is best understood in reviewing the characteristics of the ancient original.
The rebellious spirit prevailing in the antediluvian world had been a source of acute pain and grief to the Creator (Genesis 6:6). But after the flood, a manifestation of that same spirit of rebellion resurfaced and continued. Though God had promised that He would never again destroy the earth by water (9:11), those who distrusted Him united to build their own method of salvation. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (11:4)
Rather than identify with the true God, they chose to make a name for [them]selves on the plain of Shinar. Their leader was Nimrod (10:10), whose name means tyrant or rebel. The city’s tower was a monument to their own works. The city’s name was Bab-el or Bab-ilu, meaning “gateway to gods”. But after God confused the languages so that they would spread out, Babel came to represent what seemed like confusion and babbling, the senseless talk of babies.
Elsewhere in the Bible, this city is called Babylon. Many historians believe that Nimrod was the first human who desired to be honored as a god. The Tower of Babel was a monument to the prideful work of humans. The desire to be admired drove this group to build a tower pointing to their own engineering, their own skill, their own wisdom. It was designed by those who had forsaken God and was the foundation laid by Satan for apostasy.
During its golden age, Babylon was ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar. In a dream given to him by God, he saw a statue of a man made of different metals, with a head of gold. The dream’s meaning was interpreted by the faithful prophet of God, Daniel: “You are this head of gold, but after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours” (Daniel 2:38-39). God was warning Nebuchadnezzar that his pompous empire, for all its opulence and splendor, would be short-lived. Soon after, the king responded by erecting an enormous image of himself, entirely of gold; signifying to the world that his kingdom would last forever. He mandated a state religion: “Whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into…a burning, fiery furnace” (3:6). In the spirit of rebellious self-exaltation by coercion, the king sought to replace God by receiving worship meant for God. The city’s name, which meant gateway to gods, signified that Satan’s worldly kingdom is a mouthpiece for false deities. Babylon was a religiopolitical world power and a spiritual descendant of the Tower of Babel. Today, its false doctrines cause much spiritual confusion, yet it seeks to unify the world against God.
If you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. James 3:14-16