A book could be written on this subject (and probably many have been), so this article will try to maintain focus on just a few of the Biblical concepts concerning “Babylon”.

First of all, the word itself it so historical in nature that the best it conjures up in the minds of men is some mythical place or time whose relevance could just as well be denigrated to the level of a Sunday School lesson. But nothing could be further from the truth.

It may come as a surprise to many that we have been (and are) living in a Babylonian system which has been influencing the world through politics, financial institutions and religions ever since its inception.

Christians especially need to wake up to the realization that “Babylon” is NOT some archaic ideology relegated to history. It’s the very “system” under which the entire world is functioning. But it will come to its own demise in the near future!

Part 1: The Beginning

The word “Babylon” literally means “Gate of God” (which this article will address later on). Its origin stems all the way back in biblical history to the Tower of Babel.

After the great flood receded and Noah’s offspring began to multiply, the scriptures speak of a time that “the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.” (Genesis 11:1)

“And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4)

“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” (Genesis 11:5-6)

“So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.” (Genesis 11:18-19)

“By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.” (Genesis 10:5)

And thus was the beginning of the nations of the world with their various forms of language, culture, society and governmental systems … each with their own particular influence and earthly power.

Part 2: King Nebuchadnezzar

Now, jump ahead about 1500 years and the scriptures detail the plight of a prophet named Daniel (along with those of his people).

The Book of Daniel outlines a time when the Babylonian Empire was at its height under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. His empire was noted for its advances in trade, science, mathematics, engineering and technology. The capitol city itself, Babylon, was well known for its splendor, beauty and wealth. Its “Hanging Gardens” were so magnificent that, to this day, they are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Within this picture of “wonder” is the captivity of the Israelites who were taken there after the destruction of Jerusalem. The Book of Daniel incorporates many aspects of this “captivity”, but this section will only examine one of those.

It is a well-known portion of scripture that has found its place in many Sunday School lessons, but unfortunately has seemed to have lost its vital application in these modern-day times.

“And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.” (Daniel 2:1-2)

But of all those that the king summoned, not one could interpret the dream. The king then became angry and decreed that all of the wise men in Babylon were to be destroyed, including Daniel (who was not present among those who were first summoned).

“Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would shew the king the interpretation.” (Daniel 2:16)

After this, Daniel went to his family and friends and requested that “they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:18)

“Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.” (Daniel 2:19)

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his … He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.” (Daniel 2:20,22)

Pay particularly close attention to what Daniel exclaimed further in the following verse, because it has extreme significance to modern day events:

“And he (God) changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding” (Daniel 2:21)

And then Daniel was brought before King Nebuchadnezzar and said:

“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.” (Daniel 2:31)

“This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” (Daniel 2:32-33)

“Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands (Christ), which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.” (Daniel 2:34)

Just take the time to pause and think about what you just read. Contained within those few short verses is the complete prophetic knowledge of what will happen to the kingdoms and governments of this world from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign until the coming of Christ when He will destroy the kingdoms of this Earth and set up His own Kingdom which will “fill the whole Earth” (Daniel 2:35).

Daniel then proceeded to interpret the dream:

“Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.” (Daniel 2:37-38)

“And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.” (Daniel 2:39)

“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.” (Daniel 2:40)

“And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.” (Daniel 2:41)

“And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” (Daniel 2:42)

“And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” (Daniel 2:43)

 “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44)

The interpretation begins with King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign as being the “head”. Then follows a second and third kingdom which students of eschatology have mostly agreed was the Medo-Persian Empire (the chest of silver with its two arms) and the Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great (stomach and thighs of bronze).

The “fourth kingdom” (legs of iron) is a little more complicated in that it initially takes the form of the Roman Empire, but which eventually “extends” down through history to the “ten toes”.

Please note the subtle implication that all of these kingdoms which will come and go are expressed within the concept of the Babylonian Empire, of which King Nebuchadnezzar was “head”.

In other words, he was the beginning of this worldwide system … and the “ten toes” will be the culmination of it!

Part 3: The Modern-Day Powers

Over the centuries, there have been many forms of governmental, social, religious and economic systems which have grown out of the spread of the Roman Empire throughout the Earth: Dynasties, Monarchies, Dictatorships, Autocracies, Democracies, etc. There are currently socio-economic systems such as Capitalism, Imperialism, Socialism, Fascism and Communism. Religious systems have probably been the most diverse of all … so many, in fact, that they can’t be numbered … Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islamic groups probably being among the most prolific in terms of world populations.

All of these entities (whether political, financial or religious) have a certain degree of power in and of themselves. But being “scattered” throughout the Earth, their power is limited in nature … just as was the people’s power limited after the destruction of the Tower of Babel. And so it has remained throughout history.

But there’s coming a short season of time when the world’s power will no longer be scattered, but will be unified and centralized under the power of the “ten toes” … who, in turn, grant their power unto the “Beast”.

And the Beast System will be so all-powerful, so all-consuming and so pervasive that the inhabitants of the Earth will be in awe of it. And “they will worship the beast, saying, “Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4)

If you want to get an idea of what this system will look like and what it’s components will be made up of, you need only to look at the systems of power that are moving in that direction today.

The nations of the world are already giving up their individual sovereignties in favor of what can best be described as a coming “technocracy”. This technocracy (through its mega-data collection and electronic surveillance systems) will govern all of the banking, travel, food, international trade, medical care, communications, social media and news outlets.

This technocracy will even have the capability of bringing the world back to a “unified” existence … which will have in its heart to “rebuild” their symbolic Tower of Babel. Through its electronic “marvels”, even differing languages will not be a problem as the language of one person will be instantly translated in cyber space to the ear of another person with a different language though they may be living on the other side of the planet.

In other words, technocracy will be able to bypass God’s initial step of “confounding” the languages of the world, thus enabling a re-unified humanity to “build … a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4).

Their ultimate goal was (and is now) to fulfill the devil’s lie to Adam and Eve that they would become “as gods”. That’s why the root meaning of Babel is the “Gate of God”! Their motivations (under the influence of Satan) were to have their human endeavors to reach unto the very throne room of God.

“For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” (Isaiah 14:13)

The “ten toes” think that they will achieve immortality, not through the blood of Christ, but through their ascending into the “cloud” of technocratic transcendence because of their subservience to the Beast! And the preparations for that rebuilding of a “tower of ascendency” are happening even as you are reading this!

TO BE CONTINUED…