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Daniel 5, The Fall of Babylon

Daniel 5, The Fall of Babylon
The Revelation Connection

I am not going to get into an in-depth discussion of who or what end-time Babylon is. Right now I just want you to note some of the parallels between the events mentioned here in Revelation 16 and those we have just studied in Daniel 5. The historical events associated with the fall of historic Babylon is the typological basis for the understanding of Revelations�?end-time Babylon. If you fail to understand what happened in history you will fail to understand the Babylon prophecies in Revelation.

The Medo-Persian armies came from the east. They marched into the city of Babylon along the dry river bed of the Euphrates. Just so, at the end of time there will once again be a drying up of the Euphrates, preparing the way for the kings of the east. In the case of ancient Babylon, the coming of the kings of the east resulted in the deliverance of God’s people. From the east came the armies of the Medes and the Persians. And they attacked and they conquered until in all the Middle East, Babylon alone held out against them.

Cyrus, commander of the Medo-Persian armies laid siege to Babylon. The Babylonians, gathered within their seemingly impregnable walls, scoffed at Cyrus and derided his seemingly useless effort to conquer them. According to all human wisdom, never could that city be taken with the means of warfare then known.

Cyrus knew that there was no way he could ever enter that city unless he could find an entrance where the Euphrates river passed under the cities massive walls. Cyrus therefore decided to divert the river and use its channel as his means of entry into the city. This is a very interesting typology as in Revelation waters are stated to symbolize peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Accordingly he divided his army into three divisions. One division he stationed a few miles upstream with orders to divert the river into a new channel. The other two divisions were stationed on either side of the city where the river passed under its walls, with orders to enter the channel as soon as the river became shallow enough to ford, then to make their way under the walls and into the city, and on to the palace -- where, on that very night Belshazzar was holding a drunken feast in praise of his gods.

But there was one major flaw in Cyrus�?plan, and if it were not for the direct intervention of God, Cyrus�?plan would have failed. You see, on each side of the river, for the entire length of the city, were walls just as high and thick as the outer walls surrounding Babylon. Now, in these river walls were huge, massive bronze gates which when opened allowed access to the river, but when closed and guarded barred all possibility of entrance from the river. If those gates had been shut, Cyrus�?army might have marched into the city along the river bed, and marched out again for all the good that it would have done them. And here is where a rather remarkable prophecy from Isaiah comes into play. (Remember as you read this Isaiah prophecy, that the coming of these kings of the east resulted in the deliverance of God’s people, allowing them at last to leave Babylon and return to their own land.) (Note also God’s reference to the wise men of Babylon in verse 25.)

Isaiah 44:23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel. 24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; 25 Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; 26 Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, 'You shall be inhabited,' To the cities of Judah, 'You shall be built,' And I will raise up her waste places; 27 Who says to the deep, 'Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers'; 28 Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built," And to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid."'
Isaiah 45:1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut: 2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron. 3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel. 4 For Jacob My servant's sake, And Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me.

Impressive considering that Cyrus would not even be born until some hundred fifty years after this prophecy was spoken.  And some very interesting typology critical to a right understanding of the fall of Revelations' end-time Babylon - but more than I can go into right now.

Cyrus recognized the hand of God in bringing him to power. And one of the first things Cyrus did after the defeat of Babylon was to issue a decree allowing all exiles and their descendants to return to their homelands if they desired to do so. And this was not for the Jews only, but also all the other peoples whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away into captivity. All were given their freedom. Cyrus further offered to return all their captured gods that Nebuchdnezzar had carried away. In the case of the Jews, who of course had no images of god, this meant the return of the sacred temple utensils and even a promise to rebuild the Jerusalem temple at state expense. And so the coming of the kings of the east resulted in the deliverance of God’s people. Cyrus�?decree concerning the Jews is recorded in Ezra.

Revelation 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Babylon’s great sin is fornication and adultery. Adultery is an illicit relationship. Obviously in this case it is not physical adultery, but spiritual adultery. Spiritual adultery is an illicit relationship that combines the worship of God with various elements of paganism, as typified in Daniel 5 by the use of the temple vessels in the worship and praise of the Babylonian gods. It is a mingling of the true with the false, of righteousness with unrighteousness, with light with darkness. In Daniel 5 we saw ancient Babylon in the person of its king defiantly mixing elements of the worship of God with the worship of pagan deities. Revelation's end-time Babylon’s fornication, or adultery, likewise is an illicit relationship that mixes elements of the worship of the true God with the worship of pagan deities. And the influence of this end-time Babylon is global in extent. Revelation equates this fornication with drunkenness, which again ties in nicely with the typology established by the historical fall of Babylon.

Revelation 17: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

And just as ancient Babylon fell when it openly defied God, so spiritual Babylon will also fall for much the same reasons. Babylon the Great is a worldwide spiritual apostasy from truth. Her adultery is worldwide, and nearly all people will be deceived by her.

Interestingly, as we read in Revelation 18:5, God states that just as he did in ancient Babylon, He also has a people that He calls His own in modern spiritual Babylon. Just as God had a few faithful people in ancient Babylon, so too, today some of God’s faithful people are in modern end-time Babylon. But God is now calling His people to come out of this end-time Babylon before His final wrath is poured out on her. Spiritual apostasy may surround us on every side, corrupting everything we see and hear. How important then that we remain loyal to God’s Word. That is our only safety from the snares of the final great apostasy. God clearly warns us so that we will not be deceived by the apostasy of the end times. In love, God warns those trapped by modern spiritual Babylon to get out as soon as possible, before the final wrath of God is poured out on Babylon.

The fall of Babylon is of great importance to our understanding of the overall message of Daniel and Revelation. The historic fall of Babylon form the typological basis for understanding the end-time Babylon spoken of in Revelation.

Here are just a few of the more notable parallels between the two Babylons.

Ancient Babylon “You who dwell by many waters�?(Jeremiah 51:13_
End-time Babylon “Seated upon many waters�?(Revelation 17:1)

Ancient Babylon “A golden cup in the Lord’s hand�?(Jeremiah 51:7)
End-time Babylon “a golden cup�?(Revelation 17:4)

Ancient Babylon “Babylon is fallen�?(Jeremiah 51:8)
End-time Babylon “Fallen, Fallen is Babylon�?(Revelation 14:8)

Ancient Babylon “I shall be a mistress forever. . . I shall not sit as a widow�?(Isaiah 47: 7,8)
End-time Babylon “A queen I sit, I am no widow�?(Revelation 18:7)

Ancient Babylon “Go ye out of the midst of her, my people�?(Jeremiah 51: 45)
End-time Babylon “Come out of her, my people�?(Revelation 18:4)

Ancient Babylon At her fall “the heaven and the earth . . . Shall sing for joy�?(Jeremiah 51:48)
end-time Babylon At her fall, heaven, saints, apostles, prophets rejoice (Revelation 18:20)

Ancient Babylon As a stone, “shall Babylon sink, and rise no more�?(Jeremiah 51:64)
End-time Babylon “like a great millstone [thrown] . . .into the sea, . . .so shall Babylon . . .be thrown down�?(Revelation 18:21)

Of course God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, . . . .

God worked hard to win Nebuchadnezzar. He worked hard to save all the Babylonians.