Jeremiah 50, 51

Please note, this entry was originally scheduled for August 12.

These two chapters in Jeremiah foretell the future destruction of Babylon, which we see in scripture completely fulfilled in Revelation chapters 17-18, and which is also prophesied in two chapters in Isaiah 13-14.

Babylon is first mentioned in Genesis 10:10, which was founded on the plain of Shinar in the days of Nimrod.  With the exception of Jerusalem, there is no other city mentioned more often in the Bible than Babylon, and it is clearly presented throughout as the earthly Capitol of satan’s kingdom.

Throughout world history, the city of Babylon has been conquered and overthrown many times, however it has never been destroyed in the ways that both Jeremiah and Isaiah described, which is compared to the apocalyptic annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah, where no one will ever live again.  The ruins of Babylon still exist about 50 miles south of Bagdad, in Iraq, and it has the residence of small desert tribes even today.

Whether the destruction of Babylon in Revelation 17-18 is literally speaking of the city in Iraq, or more specifically focused on the spiritual kingdom of satan is a matter of theological debate, however all of these prophecies combined make it clear that God is going to permanently judge it’s ruler, and it will never rise again.