God Used Ancient Babylon

An ancient world of nations deserved to be punished for their many sins against Yahweh the Lord of hosts. God used Babylon, among others, for these purposes.

“It shall happen, that the nation and the kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, … that nation will I punish, says Yahweh, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.”
Jer 27:8 WEB

She was powerful. She was the hammer of the whole earth, Jer 50:23. And she was wicked.

Babylon is Confused

She does not know what is best. Perhaps no better example can be given of her depravity than some of the things from secular history. The Greek historian Herodotus tells us that in Babylon the potential brides were put up for bid at a public auction, with the most beautiful commanding the highest price, and the most homely being offered to poorer men with a dowry as a reward for marrying the girl, Book 1, 196.

Worse, Herodotus talks about what he calls the detestable Babylonian law/custom that required girls to commit fornication before they would be allowed to marry! All marriageable women had to go to what he calls the temple of Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of love). I assume he speaks of the Babylonian goddess Astarte, the Babylonian fertility goddess, whom he calls by the Greek equivalent. It seems some assumed that purity in a woman had distasteful results, so all had to stay in the court of “love” until someone agreed to have relations with them. The ugliest sometimes had to remain in the court three or four years. Then they would be “qualified” to be married. Book 1, 199, 1-5. Abominable confusion about what is right and wrong, what is good or bad.

Babylon’s immorality has further ruined the nations. It has driven everyone just a little bit crazy.

“Babylon has been a golden cup in Yahweh’s hand, who made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.”
Jer 51:7

A type no doubt, of we will see later of Mystery Babylon the Great. Further, Babylon has set herself again God Himself.

But Babylon has sinned against the Lord, Jer 50:24

“ … for she has sinned against Yahweh.” Jer 50:14 WEB

“We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: … for her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.”
Jer 51:9 WEB

Babylon is to be destroyed and desolate FOREVER

“Call together the archers against Babylon, … let none of it escape: … for she has been proud against Yahweh, against the Holy One of Israel.”
Jer 50:29 WEB.

“Because of the wrath of Yahweh she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: everyone who goes by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.”
Jer 50:13 WEB

Babylon will be a desolation forever, Jer 25:12.

Babylon has always been about confusion. Symbolic no doubt of Mystery Babylon the Great.

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901