Babylon
Babylon
Writter: Enangelos D. Kepenes (May 30, 2022, 21:26)
Biblical definitions
“The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son” [I Pet. 5:13].
Babylon, where the apostle Peter wrote from “to those who were elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” by Silvanus, the faithful brother, was the Babylon of Egypt, today's Cairo. Today, there is a Patriarchal Monastery there. [For historical data look at the book of Peter Sheehan “Babylon of Egypt.”]
[In “A Guide to the Ancient Coptic Churches of Cairo”, O.H.E. KHS-Burmester records significant historical information about the fortress area. According to him, Ptolemy (121-151 A.D.), in his book “Geography” (4, 5, 24), mentions a town named Babylon which existed from Pharaonic times on part of a site of what is now included in Cairo.] http://www.copticcairo.com/oldcairo/babylon/babylon.html
According to Josephus Babylon of Egypt was build by the king of Persian Cambyses (Joseph. Antiq. 2:315 or xv 1). Its old name was Letopolis near Memfis and many Jews were live there.
The Jews have always taken refuge in Egypt (Gen. 12:10, 46:5-7, 1Kings 11,40, Jer. 26:11, Mat. 2:14). Also in the time of Jesus Egypt was inhabited by Jews “And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt …” (Acts 2:10)
Jewish temples
Besides the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, there was also a temple in Samaria, on Mount Gerizim, which was built by the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel and, according to Josephus, was destroyed by the high priest and king of the Jews John Hyrcanus in 128 BC, who inaugurated in Israel the institution of dual power, the political one and the religious one. Also, archaeologists assert a Jewish temple on the island of Elephantine of Egypt that served the needs of the Jewish community there. With the support of Ptolemy VI, another temple was built by the high priest Onias in Leontopolis, Egypt, where he resorted after having been persecuted by the family of the Maccabees; a temple that was the spiritual center of the Jews of Egypt. The participation of the Jews of Alexandria in the rebellion of the Jews of Palestine against the sovereignty of Rome also led to the destruction of the temple in Leontopolis.
Apostle Peter was sent to preach to the Jews. Jesus said to him “feed my lambs” and Paul wrote: “On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles)” (Gal. 2:7-8)
Babylon: The great city of Revelation
In Revelation, the great city is spiritually called as Sodom and Egypt, and that's Jerusalem "where their Lord was crucified" (11:8).
“And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.” [Rev. 11:8]
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” [Mat. 23:37]
Also it's pretty clear that Revelation chapters 14, 16, 17, and 18 are using Babylon metaphorically to describe Jerusalem.
Biblical testimonies
The origin of the Jews
The Jews were of Chaldean origin. Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans. Babylon was the Chaldean Empire. With the Chaldean king Nebuchadnezzar reached its climax. The last king of Babylon, Balthazar, was also Chaldean (Gen. 15:7, Ez. 5:12, Dan. 5:30, Jer. 40:9).
That's why Jerusalem is spiritually called Egypt
Ezekiel (23:1-4) attests the following:
“Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother. They played the whore in Egypt; they played the whore in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled. Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah IS SAMARIA, and Oholibah IS JERUSALEM.”
That's why Jerusalem is spiritually called Sodom
“For their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of poison; their clusters are bitter.” [Deut. 32:32]
The spirit of God calls the rulers of Jews, rulers of Sodom, and the Jewish people, people of Gomorrah.
“Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodoma; attend to the law of God, thou people of Gomorrha. Of what [value] to me is the abundance of your sacrifices? saith the Lord: I am full of whole-burnt-offerings of rams; and I delight not in the fat of lambs, and the blood of bulls and goats”. [Is. 1:10-11 LXX]
That's why Jerusalem is spiritually called Babylon
Ezekiel (23:4-17) attests the following:
"Oholah was the name of the elder and Oholibah the name of her sister. They became mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names, Oholah is Samaria, [house of Israel, ten tribes] and Oholibah is Jerusalem [house of Juda, two tribes]. Oholah played the whore while she was mine, and she lusted after her lovers the Assyrians, warriors […] Her sister Oholibah saw this, and she became more corrupt than her sister in her lust and in her whoring, which was worse than that of her sister. She lusted after the Assyrians, governors and commanders, warriors clothed in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. And I saw that she was defiled; they both took the same way. But she carried her whoring further. She saw men portrayed on the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion, wearing belts on their waists, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them having the appearance of officers, a likeness of Babylonians whose native land was Chaldea. When she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea [her motherland]. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoring lust …”
The Alas of the Lord were for the Jerusalem
“They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.” And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth […] The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!” [Rev. 18:10-16]
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.” (James 5:1-5)
Come out of her my people
As in times of war the involved countries withdraw their embassies on either side, so the Lord Jesus withdrew his ambassadors from Jerusalem “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” [II Cor. 5:20]
“After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great […] Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, [the children of promise – the ambassadors] lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” [Rev. 18:1-5]
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.” [Luk. 21:20-23]
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