September 30 – Biblical Prophecies Concerning Babylon
There are more than 100 specific prophecies concerning Babylon. Three thousand years ago, ancient Babylon had magnificent hanging gardens with outer walls rising 200 feet tall and 187 feet thick, with regularly spaced towers 300 feet high defending the city! These walls enclosed an area of 196 square miles. By comparison, the Great Wall of China is much longer, but it is not nearly as tall or strong. The ancient historian Herodotus wrote that the fields around Babylon were so fertile he hesitated to write about them lest people think him insane. In Jeremiah 51:58, 62, God made a specific prediction concerning this massive fortress of the ancient world, “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken…It shall be desolate forever.”
Today, Babylon is a trackless wasteland containing huge mounds of rubble. Nothing grows there. Not even a blade of grass survives in this barren desert. Babylon lies in total ruin. The area can best be described as “totally desolate.” Over 2300 years ago, the mighty Alexander the Great decided he would rebuild Babylon. He determined that this would be a great spot for the capital of his mighty empire. He issued supplies to his soldiers to rebuild Babylon, but immediately after declaring his decision to rebuild Babylon, Alexander the Great was struck dead. A coincidence? God stated that Babylon would never be rebuilt, and what God declares, happens!
John 17:17b
Reference
Kennedy, D. James. 2005. Why I Believe. Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN. p.23-27.