Jeremiah 51

Read Jeremiah 51

The Lord had a message for the great superpower of the Ancient Near East in the days of Jeremiah: “I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon.” God had used Babylon against His people, yet He assured His chosen ones that “Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God.” The day would come when Babylon would be suddenly broken, since she herself was “full of guilt.”

The Almighty spoke of a future time when the call would go out to His flock, “Flee from the midst of Babylon; let everyone save his life!” The story of the old kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar would have a spiritual significance long beyond her relatively brief days of glory. The command to escape would be repeated in a far distant era for all who would need to disassociate themselves from a much bigger “Babylon” (Revelation 14:8).

The ungodly centers of worldly power would have many names among various lands in far-off days, but “Babylon” would one day fail in all her globalist pretensions. Only God would be able to establish the eternal kingdom. All of the proudest rulers would quickly come and go without achieving their grandest schemes.

In the case of the ancient city of Babylon, her ambitions would end through the Lord's use of the Medes and the Persians. The One who “made the earth by His power” would show His supremacy by the destruction of a regime that was very impressive to everyone during her few great years. Babylon had trusted in her idols, but they would all be shown to be “a work of delusion.”

Despite all the impressive statues and temples of the pagans of old, they all would fail the only test of any lasting significance: “No stone shall be taken from you for a corner and no stone for a foundation.” The God of the Jews would Himself lay a cornerstone in Zion (Isaiah 28:16 and 1 Peter 2:6). He would be the living image of the invisible God in a world plagued by vanity and death.

Babylon of old and every great nation on this earth can lose everything they thought was theirs in just a few short years. The Lord can speedily make the proudest “mighty voice” completely silent. Soon the land that expected to set the standard for eternal dominion would have instead a “perpetual sleep.” Only the Kingdom of God will stand, and only Jesus, the great King of the Kingdom, will reign forever.

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Father God, who can survive when You bring judgment? Who will stand when You punish the earth? What a Babylon we live in. The world is against You and Your people. You have stirred up the spirit of one land to bring down another. Those who trust in their treasures will fall when foreign enemies come by Your Hand. You bring forth the rain and the snow. You control the wind and the waves. You formed all things. You use armies for Your purposes. Idols are formed by men. These false gods are nothing and they can form nothing. You are God. If You are against the world, against men, against idols, You can bring about a complete destruction of a whole nation, breaking them in pieces. Your purposes shall stand. Did we really imagine that any empire would be able to remain by her own power? You will repay the people groups of the world for the way they have expressed their hatred against Your church. With a Word You create, and with a Word You will destroy. If we are able to even live through such an ordeal, it is only by Your mercy. Why are we so amazed by the trials that we face when we live amongst a world that will surely face judgment? Did not the prophets suffer the violence of men? Why are our expectations so different from their earthly destiny, when You will surely judge the world? Lord, there is no safety in any place where we live. There is no land here below where we will have peace and prosperity. It is not by the wisdom or power of empires that the new heavens and the new earth will be established. When You say the word, every Babylon shall sink and rise no more. Our safety is in You. Our citizenship is in heaven. Our home is in the body of Christ. We are eternally grateful for Your many mercies.