WHAT IS BABYLON?
Babylon was a city formed shortly after the flood. As men began to migrate from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelt there. It was on this land the city of Babylon was built. It was named Babylonia, then renamed Mesopotamia. The wild beasts multiplied in large number thus caused a lot of threat to the lives of the people. It was in the midst of this confusion that a man appeared by name Nimrod. He was a famous and mighty hunter who came against the wild beasts in order to protect the people.
The scripture in Genesis 10: 8-9 states:
And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
Nimrod later devised a better approach to protect the people Instead of chasing the beasts daily by organizing the people into cities and surrounded them with walls of protection. These cities were then organized into kingdoms thus establishing the Divide and Rule System which is adopted by the kingdoms of the world. Nimrod was not walking in obedience to God. He was executing his own plan to rule over the entire world.
The scripture revealed in Genesis 10:10:
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
The scripture did not reveal much about this man Nimrod apart from the destruction which would come upon the land of Nimrod at the entrance of Assyria (Micah 5:6). The name Nimrod is derived from marad and means’ he rebelled’. He was an ungodly ruler who stirred up the people in rebellion against God. He gradually changed his government into tyranny and the people joined up with him to build the tower of Babel. They spoke just one language under one ruler. God saw that their unity was a false and forced one not based on His instructions so He scattered them.
The scripture in Genesis 11:6 states:
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.
God divided and scattered them when He made them to speak in different languages.
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 the earth. Genesis 11:9
The word ‘Babel’ began to take up different names and understanding; notwithstanding, the scattered people still served and worshipped the same god at various locations. The origin of Baal worship came from Nimrod and his wife Semiramis. Every history book reveals to us that Semiramis was the mother of Nimrod and that he married his mother. This brought about the mother and child worship, a similar concept that initiated the Mary and Jesus worship. They created Zodiac and began to worship the moon, stars and the sun: thus Babylon became a great mystery within the surface of the earth. When God speaks about the MYSTERY BABYLON, He is referring to the ancient Babylon and her mysteries. Baal worship was derived from the concept of Ba/bel. The word Bel means War which shows that Babylon was built on the spirit of War. From this word ‘BEL’, words like rebellion, Jezebel were derived. Nimrod became the first antichrist and the embodiment of satan on earth.
The scripture in Jeremiah 51:6-8 states:
Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity: for this is the time of the LORD’S vengeance; he will render unto her recompense. Babylon had been a GOLDEN CUP in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore, the nations are mad. Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balms for her pains, if so be, she may be healed.
God warned His people to flee from the ancient Babylon as He does today with the modern Babylon (present day denominational churches) because He used the same words against both. God is revealing that although Babylon was destroyed naturally, her spirit still lives on.
TO BE CONTINUED. Louisadikibarasika Bassey Okokon