30 June | EVERYONE
“‘And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!’ Then he answered and said, ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.’” Isaiah 21: 9
The powerful and dazzling Babylon rested like a giant creature on the banks of the Euphrates River. A warrior of overwhelming strength and in battle no nation could resist their military power. Bathed in wealth and glory, adorned with magnificent buildings and beautiful gardens, it had become the unstoppable tsunami of those times.
In the days of Isaiah, after defeating Assyria and Egypt, Babylon rose as the empire that would dominate the earth, and it threateningly approached Judah to destroy Jerusalem and take the young Hebrews captive. However, God showed the prophet a dramatic vision of horsemen announcing the incredible news of the fall of Babylon. This became a reality when the Medo-Persian army, under the command of Cyrus, conquered that powerful empire.
In addition to presenting Babylon as an enemy of God's people, the Bible uses it as a symbol of human rebellion that challenged divine authority with the tower of Babel. Later, strikingly, we see that the fall of Babylon is announced again. An angel flies through heaven 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).
This is no longer historical Babylon. That ancient and powerful city is today reduced to ruins and is located eighty kilometers south of Baghdad. Revelation refers to the fall of a Babylon that symbolizes a rebellious religious power, which is not subject to the authority of the Word of God and has intoxicated humanity with its teachings foreign to the Bible. Divine prophecy does not fail. If historical Babylon fell, spiritual Babylon will also fall.
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Any human product, from an empire to a mobile phone, has what in marketing is called its “life cycle.” Even if it rises extremely high, eventually it will fall. Something also typical of human pride. It is better to avoid it. At first you may gloat over your successes; but in the end, the harder the fall will be.