“You make choices, and you live with them.” Phil “Groundhog Day”

We have always had the freedom of choice, but no one has ever had the freedom to choose the results or consequences of those choices. Life, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, does not work like Groundhog Day. We do not have the ability (or the opportunity) to go back in time and make a different choice, no matter how much we wish it were possible.

Salvation isn’t simply an “Admit One” ticket to Heaven that you can lose or give back, it is a free-will choice with eternal consequences. “Consequence” means a result or effect of an action or condition. This word usually has a negative connotation. But in general, it simply means what results from a particular choice or action.

How many choices in your life do you regret and wish you could go back and change. Or, are there choices that you are happy with? Maybe a choice that protected you from disaster? Good or bad, these are all irrevocable choices and the results of these choices cannot be undone.

Adam and Eve were faced with a choice—to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or to obey God and not eat of it. They made an irrevocable choice, and of their own free will they chose to eat of the fruit.

They had been warned of the consequences — that they would surely die. Several things occurred because of their choice. They died immediately spiritually and began dying physically. To the woman God said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

To the man God said, “cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Additionally, the entire creation became corrupted and is waiting to be regenerated, as Paul indicates in Romans 8:9-22 “For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”

There was nothing Adam and Eve could do to reverse the consequences of their free-will choice. They could not go back in time and make a different choice, and they could not change the consequences of their choice.

A similar situation occurs when you are presented with the Salvation Gospel. You can make a choice to receive the free gift of Salvation, or you can choose to reject it. You can reject it over and over again, but at some point, you will reject it for the last time and will reap the consequences of that choice, and you will not be able to go back in time and make a different choice.

However, you can instead, of your own free will, make the choice to receive the free gift of Salvation, but just like Adam and Eve’s choice, it cannot be undone, because there are certain things that occur when you accept the free gift of Salvation. These results are all accomplished by God. We cannot do any of this ourselves and we also cannot undo anything that God does. As Paul says in Romans 11:29 — “The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.”

The following things occur the moment we believe and put our trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ:

We are Born Again [John 3:1-9;]: We are born again by the Spirit. We are “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” [1 Peter 1:3,23] Incorruptible means “unperishable.” When we are born again we cannot perish, because we are born of incorruptible/unperishable seed.

Being born cannot be reversed, you can’t go back in time and prevent yourself from being born. Just as there is nothing you can do can change the fact that you were born from your biological parents, there is nothing you can do to change the fact that you were born again spiritually and have become a child of God [John 1:12-13].

We are a New Creation [2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15]: When we are born again, we are a new creation. A new creation cannot become “uncreated.” A new creation is something that never before existed, so you cannot become uncreated. For that to occur, you would have to go back in time and change it. There isn’t anything in the entire creation of God that can become uncreated.

We are “In Christ” [1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:1; Rom. 16:7; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:17] : We are baptized [placed] into and become part of the body of Christ which is the Church, and we who have accepted the free gift of Salvation are described by Paul as being “in Christ.”

The Holy Spirit Indwells Us [John 14:16-18; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14; ]: The Holy Spirit indwells us permanently. God promised that the Holy Spirit will never leave us. When we got saved, did we put the Holy Spirit in us? No, God did that. To become “unsaved,” the Holy Spirit would need to leave us. We cannot remove the Holy Spirit any more than we could put Him there in the first place.

We are Sealed by the Holy Spirit [Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 4:30]: We are Sealed by the Holy Spirit UNTIL the redemption of our physical body. The fact of being sealed cannot end before the redemption, it can only be fulfilled by the redemption. “Until” doesn’t leave a gap where something else can occur in-between the two events. You cannot become unsealed. God sealed us through His Holy Spirit and we cannot reverse what God does.

We now Posses Eternal Life [John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:47]: We have passed from death unto life. We possess Eternal Life now. You cannot lose Eternal Life, because if you did, it wasn’t Eternal Life, it was only life for a period of time. Eternal Life is a gift of God. And the gifts and calling of God are IRREVOCABLE! [Romans 11:29]. If we didn’t receive Eternal Life until after we have physically died. Then there would be a possibility, because it would be a future gift, but Jesus makes it very clear that we have already passed from death unto life.

We have been Redeemed [Acts 20:27-28, Galatians 4:4-5, Ephesians 7:7, Hebrews 9:12]
Jesus purchased us with his blood. We cannot change that. We permanently belong to Him. As Hebrews 9:12 states, “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

We have been “Declared Righteous”—A Judicial Position [Romans 5:9]: We are Justified — “Declared Righteous.” This is NOT affected by the sins or any actions of our past, or the sins or any actions that we will do in the future. Nor is it affected by the good things we do. It is a judicial position. We have been declared Righteous by God, we cannot change this. It is not based on what we did, or what we do or don’t do, it is ONLY based on what Jesus did. He paid the price of Salvation and gives it freely to all who believe/receive Him.

Being saved is not just being given a “Get out of Hell free card” or a free ticket to Heaven that says “Admit One” that you can loose or give back. There are unchangeable consequences/results of your free will choice to believe and trust in Jesus’ finished work of paying for all the sins of the world which is irrevocable and you cannot go back in time to reverse it. You cannot lose or even give back the free gift of Salvation.

Isaiah 17 describes the destiny of Damascus being taken away from being a city.  Has this prophecy been fulfilled?  Watch this presentation by Dolores McCrory.

To watch the presentation click here:  The Demise of Damascus

The Magog Invasion of Ezekiel 38-39 is discussed a lot and is well known, but have you ever noticed that the countries involved do not include any of the countries that border Israel? Considering the threats from the bordering countries, you would think they would be involved.  Could something happen before the Magog Invasion which takes them out of the equation?

The answer is that the Psalm 83 War involves all of the bordering countries and results in Israel’s borders being greatly expanded.

The recent events in Israel with Hamas has increased interest in how this may be the beginnings of the Psalm 83 war.  Dolores McCrory created the following presentation in 2013, but much of it is relevant to what is happening right now. To watch the presentation, click on the link below.

The Psalm 83 War

A number of Bible prophecy teachers believe that the eastern gate on the Temple Mount in Israel is sealed shut as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Ezekiel 44:1-3. However, there are two main reasons why this is impossible. Taken in context, this passage refers to the eastern gate of the Millennial Temple complex, which is one square mile — it would not fit on the comparatively tiny Temple Mount. Secondly, the eastern gate will be sealed after the glory of the Lord enters through it, not before.

Ezekiel chapters 40-48 describe the future Millennial Temple. In Ezekiel 43:1-4, Ezekiel watched the glory of the Lord enter through the eastern gate of the Millennial Temple — at this point the gate is open.

“1 Then he led me to the gate, the gate facing east; and behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the way of the east. And His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone from His glory. And it was like the appearance of the vision which I saw, like the vision which I saw when He came to destroy the city. And the visions were like the vision which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the Lord entered the house by way of the gate facing east. And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner courtyard; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.” [Emphasis Mine] [NASB]

Then later, in Ezekiel 44:1-3, Ezekiel is brought back to the eastern gate, and it is shut. At this point God tells him:

“This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut.” [Emphasis Mine] [NASB]

This is referring to the previously mentioned eastern gate, which was open when the glory of the Lord entered by it. It was closed after the glory of the Lord had entered through it. Again, this is a future prophecy that cannot occur until the Millennial Temple is built. Therefore the eastern gate spoken of by Ezekiel doesn’t even exist yet.

From this we can determine that the sealing shut of the eastern gate on the Temple Mount is not a fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

According to the Society of Evangelical Arminians, the view that “Salvation cannot be lost by accident, but it can be forfeited by deliberate choice and walked away from,”¹ is the view of many Arminians.

John 10:28 is used to make the point.  However, focus is only given to the last part of verse 28 and the beginning of verse 29: “…neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand…. [KJV]

They point out that, yes, no one can “snatch” them out of the Father’s hand or the Son’s hand, but the truly saved person could still choose to walk out of God’s hands by themselves, rejecting God and His Salvation.

However, this is taking it out of context. If you back up even slightly you will see that choosing to reject your Salvation isn’t even a possibility.  Starting with the beginning of verse 27:  “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand…”

Even the English word “never” does not allow for any exceptions.  It can never happen, His sheep will never perish. More importantly, what does the Greek say?  It is interesting to see that the English word “never” is used to translate more than one Greek word.  It is actually translated from five Greek words:

οὐ μή εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,

Literally “not, not in the age.”  In English we might say something like “not in a million years!”  That doesn’t mean it might happen at some point, it means it will never happen.

A Greek sentence can be negated by one of two words, οὐ or μή, depending upon the grammatical structure.  However, unlike English, where two negatives cancel each other out making a positive, a double negative in Greek strengthens the negation exponentially.  So οὐ μή doesn’t just mean “not” it means “absolutely not, and the phrase “εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα” means “forever,” so, altogether it means “absolutely not forever.”

The Greek word translated “Perish” is “ἀπόλλυμι” and it means to be destroyed or die.  So, His sheep will absolutely not ever be destroyed/die.  This is strong enough in and of itself, but as Buist M. Fanning writes in William Mounce’s Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, it is further strengthened by the fact that…

“…it is the use of the two negatives οὐ μή with a subjunctive verb to indicate a strong negation about the future. The speaker uses the subjunctive verb to suggest a future possibility, but in the same phrase he emphatically denies (by means of the double negative) that such could ever happen. This linguistic combination occurs about eighty-five times in the New Testament, often in significant promises or reassurances about the future…

“…It would have been enough to have οὐ with a future indicative verb here, but Jesus is more emphatic. The subjunctive combination strongly denies even the possibility that any of Jesus’s sheep would perish: “they will certainly not perish,” “they will by no means perish,” is the sense of Jesus’s assertion. This is reinforced by the addition of the phrase εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, “forever.” ² [emphasis mine]

Jesus’ statement in John 10:28 is unambiguous and cannot be misunderstood or misconstrued.  The conclusion is clear: it is impossible for the genuine saved believer to ever lose or even give back his or her Salvation. 

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¹ Jackson, Kevin, Can Salvation be Lost? Society of Evangelical Arminians, 11-17-2008. Web.
http://evangelicalarminians.org/can-salvation-be-lost/
² Fanning, Buist M. qtd. in “Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar” 4th Ed, p 352. Print.

2 Thessalonians 3:17-18

The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Romans 16:24

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 16:21 & 23

The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand…The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Galatians 6:18 

Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Ephesians 6:24

Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen

Philippians 4:23

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Colossians 4:18

The salutation by the hand of me Paul.  Remember my bonds.  Grace be with you. Amen

1 Thessalonians 5:28

The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen

1 Timothy 6:21

Grace be with thee. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:22

Grace be with you, Amen.

Titus 3:15

Grace be with you all. Amen.

Philemon 1:25

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Hebrews 13:25

Grace be with you all. Amen.

Out of the city of David?

A verse that is often quoted by critics which they believe refutes the idea that Solomon’s temple was built in the city of David is 2 Chronicles 5:2 (Also 1 Kings 8:1):

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion.

The inference they make from this verse, (taken out of context by the way), is that it had to be taken out of the city of David in order to be brought into the newly built Solomon’s Temple in another location. However, I don’t think they fully realize the implications of this interpretation, because the Bible makes it very clear that the city of David and Jerusalem are two names for the same geographical location. [See: The Biblical Case for the Location of the Temple, Part 1] So, if it was taken out of the city of David, it was taken out of Jerusalem making the Temple to have been built OUTSIDE of Jerusalem which contradicts a multitude of Scriptures throughout the Bible which say that the temple was in Jerusalem.

How did the ark get in the city of David?

In 1 Samuel 4, the Elders of Israel had the ark brought from Shiloh to where they had set up camp to go against the Philistines in battle.  Since God had not instructed them to do that, the Philistines massacred the Israelite army and the Philistines captured the ark.

The Philistines put the Ark in the house of Dagon, the fish god, and some unpleasant events followed during the seven months they were in possession of it, so when they had enough, the Philistines put it on a cart and sent it off on its own.  It went to Beth-shemesh which then sent messengers to the inhabitant of Kirjath-jearim to tell them to come and get the ark. [1 Samuel 5 and 6]

The men of Kirjath-jearim then came and got the ark and brought it to the house of Abinadab and sanctified his son Eleazar to keep the ark.  It stayed there for twenty years, during which the house of Abinadab was greatly blessed.  [1 Samuel 7:2]

Hearing how well the house of Abinadab had done with the ark located there, David tried to move the Ark to the city of David, but he didn’t do it properly and Uzziah was killed when he touched the ark.  So David was afraid to bring it to the city.  It remained with the family of Obed-edom for three more months.  [2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13]

After awhile David decided to try again, only this time he did it correctly.  He first prepared a place for the Ark and pitched a tent for it.  He gathered all Israel together to Jerusalem to bring up the Ark  unto the place that he had prepared for it.  He did it right this time and had the Levites bring it to the city of David.  [1 Chronicles 15 ]

They brought the Ark and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt-sacrifices and peace-offerings before God. [1 Chronicles 16:1.]

David assigned Asaph and his brethren to minister by the ark (1 Chronicles 16:37) and Zadok the priest and his brethren stayed at the Tabernacle of the Congregation (which Moses had made in the wilderness) in the high place that was at Gibeon which was approximately 6 miles away. (1 Chronicles 16:39)

Both accounts in 2 Samuel 6:12 and 1 Chronicles 15:29; 16:1 state that the Ark was brought into the city of David and set in its place in the tent that David had prepared for it.

This makes it very clear that the ark indeed was kept in the city of David.  2 Chronicles 1:4 summarizes the entire event but states that David pitched a tent for it AT JERUSALEM:

But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it AT JERUSALEM.

Years later, when Solomon was king, he went to Gibeon to sacrifice there and gave a thousand burnt-offerings on the altar.  That night, while still at Gibeon, he had the famous dream where God told Solomon to ask him for anything, and Solomon asked for wisdom to rule the people of Israel.  When Solomon woke up “he came to JERUSALEM, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.” (1 Kings 3:15)

The above verses show that the city of David and Jerusalem were one in the same and that the Ark was located there.  [in Jerusalem / the city of David]

So, why did they have to take the ark out of the city of David / Jerusalem?

The answer is found by reading the verses that follow in 2 Chronicles 5:1-7 [also 1 Kings 8:1-6.]

Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of he tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion. [2 Chronicles 5:2]

First, all of the men of Israel and the elders of Israel assembled for the feast which was in the seventh month called Ethanim, now known as Tishri. [verses 3 & 4]  and once assembled the Levites picked up the Ark and took it out of the city of David / Jerusalem in the correct manner and walked approximately 6 miles to the high place at Gibeon where the Tabernacle of the Congregation that was made in the wilderness was located, and they gathered up the Tabernacle and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle [verse 5] and the whole processesion went to a location [not specified*] where there was room for the whole group including all of the sheep and oxen they sacrificed which could not be told nor numbered for the multitude. [verse 6]  They could not gather inside of the city of David / Jerusalem because it was only a 12-acre piece of land which would have houses and other buildings needed for a city.

Then, after all of the sacrifices were concluded, “the priest brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house into the most holy place, even under the wings of cherubim.” [verse 7]

Solomon’s Temple was built in the city of David / Jerusalem, over the threshing floor that David purchased from Ornan the Jebusite, which makes it impossible for it to have ever been on the “so-called” Temple Mount, because it would have been outside of the geographical location called Jerusalem.

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*As to the unspecified location of the sacrifices, I think it is natural to assume that since the Temple was completed, they would sacrifice on the altar provided in the Temple.  The people would all be gathered in the Kidron Valley, but since the Bible doesn’t specify, we can only make educated guesses.

Bob Cornuke refutes with evidence the criticism presented in a video of David Regan and Randall Price where they claim that:

1. The drawings shown in the book are not “to scale”
2. The size of the temple is wrong
3. The size of the Roman Fort is wrong
4. There IS water on the Temple Mount
5. You can’t see the city of David from the Mt. of Olives

And more…

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Read first:  Is the Destruction of Babylon a Literal Event?

There are two main views regarding the fulfillment of the prophecies regarding the City of Babylon. View one—which you will find in most Bible helps—is that it occurred when Babylon fell to Cyrus the Persian in 539 BC.  This misconception has likely occurred because the details of the various passages describing the destruction of Babylon are either ignored, spiritualized, allegorized or the passages are not being studied in context and compared with each other.  View two is that it is still a future event and will occur near the end of the Tribulation

Revelation is a unique book that can be hard to understand when studied in isolation from the rest of Scriptures.  “The Book of Revelation has no direct quotations from the Old Testament, but it has about 550 references back to the Old Testament.  The majority of the things found in the first twenty chapters of the Book of Revelation are found elsewhere in the Old Testament.  Only the last two chapters deal with things totally new.” (Fruchtenbaum 10)

So the Old Testament is basically the code book, the key to unlocking the meaning of the book of Revelation.  To determine whether or not the first view that the destruction of Babylon occurred when Cyrus took the City of Babylon is the correct view, we will compare the historical details with those in Scripture.

Has the destruction of Babylon been fulfilled in History?

Cyrus Conquers Babylon

The attack by Cyrus and his armies against the City of Babylon was not a surprise attack, they knew of his relentless acts of aggression on nation after nation.  The Babylonians had taken the precaution of storing enough provisions to last many years.  When Cyrus approached Babylon, the Babylonian armies were in the field (outside of the city) waiting his approach and they ambushed him.  But the Babylonians were defeated and forced to retreat. (Herodotus 1:190)

As the siege raged on, Cyrus was beginning to give up hope.  Then, a plan was suggested (or, he thought of it himself) to station part of his forces at the point where the Euphrates flowed into the city.  Another group were stationed at the opposite end where the river flows out. (191)

Herodotus describes what happened next.

When he came to the lake, Cyrus also did the same things which the queen of the Babylonians had done as regards the river and the lake; that is to say, he conducted the river by a channel into the lake, which was at that time a swamp, and so made the former course of the river passable by the sinking of the stream.  

When this had been done in such a manner, the Persians who had been posted for this very purpose entered by the bed of the river Euphrates into Babylon, the stream having sunk so far that it reached about to the middle of a man’s thigh. The Persians came upon them unexpectedly; and owing to the size of the city (so it is said by those who dwell there) after those about the extremities of the city had suffered capture, those Babylonians who dwelt in the middle did not know that they had been captured; but as they chanced to be holding a festival, they went on dancing and rejoicing during this time until they learnt the truth only too well.  Babylon then had thus been taken for the first time.

Notice how Herodutus assumes the festival that they were holding was simply by chance.  The Bible describes the occasion of this festival in Daniel 5:1-2:

Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.  Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchanezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.  They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.

While they were celebrating, they suddenly saw a disembodied hand writing on the wall of the palace over by a lightstand.

It said “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin.”  Daniel was summoned to interpret it.  “Mene” meant: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. “Tekel” meant: Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting, and “Peres” meant:  Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians. (Upharsin and Peres are from the same root word.).

None of this was coincidence.  Cyrus taking Babylon was God’s judgment on Babylon. So Cyrus conquered Babylon without a battle, there was no destruction and no one was killed within the city.

This is verified by the cylinder or steel of Cyrus which is displayed in the British Museum in London.    

The following is a translation of a section describing the invasion of Cyrus and his armies into Babylon, but ascribing his success to the god Marduk.

Marduk, the great lord, guardian of his people, looked with gladness upon his (Cyrus’) good deeds and upright heart.  He ordered him to go to his city Babylon.  He set him on the road to Babylon and like a companion and a friend, he went at his side. His vast army, whose number, like water of the river, cannot be known, marched at his side fully armed.

He made him enter his city Babylon WITHOUT fighting or battle; he saved Babylon from hardship.  He delivered Nabonidus, (Belshazzar’s Father) the king who did not revere him, into his hands.  All the people of Babylon, all the land of Sumer and Akkad, princes and governors bowed to him and kissed his feet. They rejoiced at his kingship and their faces shone.

So, did this fulfill the prophecy regarding the destruction of Babylon?  The most important details we need to compare to are those related to the actual physical destruction of Babylon.  So, let’s compare them.  Were the walls thrown down? (Jer. 50:15). Was the broadest wall of Babylon completely leveled? (Jer. 51:44, 58).  Was its high gate set on fire? (Jer. 51:58); Were the bars of the gates broken? (Jer. 51:30).  Did the pillars fall down?  (Jer. 50:15).  Were the buildings set on fire? (Jer. 51:30). Did Cyrus set fire to the city? (Jer. 50:32).  Were the marshes burned with fire? (Jer. 51:32).

I think you will agree that none of these details were fulfilled when Cyrus conquered the city.  Cyrus declared himself as the king of Babylon, and Babylon became the capital of the 9^th Satrapy, which was the area of Babylonia in the South, and Athura in the North. 

“I am Cyrus, King of the globe, great king, mighty king, King of Babylon….When I well disposed, entered Babylon, I had established the seat of government in the royal palace of the ruler, amidst jubilation and rejoicing. Marduk the great god, induced the magnanimous inhabitants of Babylon to love me, and I sought daily to worship him when my numerous soldiers in great numbers peacefully entered Babylon and moved about undisturbed in the midst of Babylon, I did not allow anyone to terrorize the people of the lands of Sumer and Akad.”

So, if the destruction of Babylon did not occur when Cyrus conquered it, what about Alexander the Great?  As you will see, he ALSO conquered Babylon without a Battle!  In fact, they welcomed Alexander with open arms and gifts!

Alexander the Great Conquers Babylon

Quintus Curtius Rufus who wrote from 41-54 AD described what happened next.  “Moving on to Babylon, Alexander was met by Mazaeus, who had taken refuge in the city after the battle.  He came as a suppliant with his grown-up children to surrender himself and the city.” (Rufus 5 1:17)

Mazaeus was “an eminent man and a good soldier who had also won distinction in the recent battle.”  Alexander was pleased about this because his “example was likely to induce the others to surrender.” And he knew that taking the City of Babylon by force would have been a “long, arduous task.” So, Alexander gave him and his children a curteous welcome.

Not to be outdone by Mazaeus in paying his respects to Alexander, Bagophanes had carpeted the whole road with flowers and garlands and set up at intervals on both sides silver altars heaped not just with frankincense, but with all manner of perfumes.

Following him were his gifts—herds of cattle and horses, and lions, too, and leopards, carried along in cages. Next came the Magi chanting a song in their native fashion, and behind them were the Chaldeans, then the Babylonians, represented not only by priests but also by musicians equipped with their national instrument…At the rear came the Babylonian cavalry, their equipment and that of the horses suggesting extravagance rather than majesty.

The next day, Alexander entered the palace and inspect Darius’ (III) furniture and treasure.  Babylon at this time became at least a secondary capital for the Medo-Persain Empire. 

Rufus then describes how Alexander inspected the wall which was “constructed of small baked bricks and is cemented together with bitumen.  The wall is thirty-two feet wide and it is said that two chariots meeting on it can safely pass each other.” (Rufus 5 1:25). So, obviously, the wall was still in place and had not been destroyed.

Years later, at the end of his career, Alexander began “by dredging operations…the construction of a harbor at Babylon.” (Arrian 7:19)  It was large enough for 1,000 warships and it was equipped with yards.  A yard is “a cylindrical spar, tapering to each end, slung across a ship’s mast for a sail to hang from.”  The fact is, Alexander had ideas of settling the seaboard of the Persian Gulf and the off-shore islands, for he fancied it might become as prosperous a country as Phoenecia.

While the new warships were under construction and the work of dredging the harbor proceeded, Alexander sailed from Babylon down the Euphrates to the river known as Pallacopas, about 100 miles down-stream from the city.”  So, he had not just planned a harbor, but had actually begun work on it. 

After Alexander’s death, his successors fought over the City of Babylon to the point that the residents fled.  By the time the Parthian Empire rule in 141 BC, Babylon had been deserted and forgotten.  The city steadily fell into ruin and never returned to its former greatness.  In the Muslim conquest in 650 AD, whatever remained of Babylon was swept away and was eventually buried underneath the sand. (Ancient Babylon)

It is evident that the City of Babylon was never destroyed in the manner described in Scripture.  Therefore, in order for it to be destroyed in the manner described, it must first be rebuilt!

There are additional details regarding the destruction of Babylon that necessitate a future destruction of Babylon.  The first of which is that it occurs during the Day of the Lord which the so-called seven year tribulation period)

In every passage of the Scriptures that the term ‘the Day of Jehovah’ or the ‘the Day of the Lord’ is found, it is always and without exception a reference to the Tribulation period.  While the phrase “that day” is used both negatively and positively and therefore many times it does apply to the Millennium, the phrase Day of Jehovah or Day of the Lord is always used negatively and never included the Millennial Kingdom. (Fruchtenbaum 173)

The prophecy in Isaiah 13:1 begins with “A message that Amoz’s son Isaiah received about Babylon.”  God then calls his sanctified ones and his mighty ones to prepare for battle.  They come from a far country (the land of the North) to destroy the whole land.

“Wail out loud, because the Day of the Lord is near.  It will come like destruction from the Almighty!”  And verse 9 “Watch out! The Day of the Lord is coming—cruel, with wrath and fierce anger—to turn the entire inhabited earth into a evolution and to annihilate sinners from it.”

Verse 10 describes the final cataclysmic events “The stars of heaven and the constellations shall not give their light.  The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” Obviously, the Day of the Lord has not occurred yet, so the destruction of Babylon must occur in the future.  Next, Israel is in the land and forgiven.  Currently, Israel is in the land, but in unbelief, however, this will change near the end of the tribulation.

Jeremiah 50:15 states;

Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land…But I will bring back Israel to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel an Bashan; His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead. In those days, and in that time, sayeth the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I preserve.

And thus as Romans states in 11:26 “And so all Israel shall be saved.”  The sins of the remnant will be pardoned.  This only occurs during the last three days of the tribulation (Hosea 5:15, 6:1-2)

Jesus cannot come back until Israel confesses her national sin of rejection of the Messiah and pleads for him to return (Fruchtenbaum 331).

Next is the use of smart weapons, which did not exist in the past, and currently are not 100% accurate.  At some point, though, certain weapons will be 100% accurate or at least will be with God’s assistance.

Regarding the weapons of the multitudes of nations which will come from the land of the North.    Jeremiah 50:9 states that “Their arrows will be like a skilled warrior; they won’t miss their targets.”  And as Chuck Missler has pointed out, it is the arrow itself that has the intelligence.  This is something that can’t be said of a traditional arrow.  The Hebrew word “chets” is simply an arrow and in the Greek Septuagint, it is “bolis,” a missile, arrow or javelin.  Think about it, how would you describe a weapon that doesn’t even exist yet? No one uses actual bows and arrows in modern warfare.  But the concept of an arrow is still used.  It could legitimately be ascribed as a projectile, and a bow is something that launches the projectile.

One of the most definitive statements that indicate that the destruction of Babylon is still a future event is Jeremiah 51:26 that makes it clear that the building materials will never be reused. “And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate forever, saith the Lord.”

However, the original building materials HAVE been reused.  In 1983, Saddam Hussein started rebuilding the City of Babylon on top of the old ruins.  He built on the old bricks with new bricks of his own which he inscribed with:  “This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnzzar, to glorify Iraq.” You can see in this photo where the original bricks are and where the new bricks were built directly on top of them.

The only conclusion can be that in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled, the City of Babylon must be rebuilt and become a major trade center (Rev. 19)  in order to be destroyed in the manner described in Scripture.

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Isaiah 13-14, Jeremiah 50-51 and Revelation 18 are the main passages in Scripture which contain the prophecies regarding the total destruction of Babylon.  They give many details which will help us to identify the fulfillment and to determine whether this destruction has occurred in the past, or if it is yet to occur in the future.

I think you will see as we study these details, that the destruction of Babylon is not figurative, not symbolic and not allegorical. “Figurative language refers to any words that are used with a meaning other than their common, literal sense” (McQuilken 190).

Common examples of figures of speech often used in Scripture are —Simile, Metaphor, Metonymy, Synecdoche, etc.  There may be figures of speech in the prophecies regarding the destruction of Babylon, but the entire prophecy isn’t figurative, and the figures of speech still represent something actual.

“Symbols are one thing taken to represent something else, often a material object representing the intangible” (McQuilken 198). Many times, what each symbol represents is explicitly explained in the Scripture passages.  Examples of prophecies that are explicitly symbolic are many of the visions in Zechariah such as Zechariah 5 and many of the visions in Revelation such as Revelation 17.

“Allegorical” means that it has hidden spiritual meaning that transcends the literal sense of the text.  This makes the meaning subject to the person reading it who can make it mean anything he or she chooses.

To understand the Isaiah, Jeremiah and Revelation passages, it’s important to read all of them in context and keep the following in mind. Isaiah chapters 13-14 constitute one prophecy (until 14:23-32).  Be sure to ignore the chapter breaks, because chapter breaks are man-made and not part of the original manuscripts. The entire prophecy is one unit which was given at one time.  Also, within chapter 14, there is a “song” that Israel sings which is one unit within the overall prophecy (14:5-21) and should be considered as a whole.

The final verses 23-32, are a new prophecy regarding Philistia and may or may not be related to the Babylon prophecy.

Jeremiah 50-51 also constitutes one prophecy (until 51:59-64).  Again, ignore the man-man chapter break.  In chapter 51, verses 59-64 are a description of how Jeremiah wrote the prophecy of Babylon on one scroll, and it also describes what was to be done with the scroll. This further indicates that it was one prophecy given at one time.

Unlike the other passages, Revelation 17 & 18 are divided up correctly.  They are two separate prophecies indicated by Revelation 18:1.  “And after these things, I saw another angel come down from heaven…”

The focus in Chapter 17 is on the woman who is riding the beast which is thought to represent the overall religious system of Babylon.  The rest of the chapter is regarding the beast she is riding on, which isn’t Babylon. Revelation 17 is explicitly symbolic and the interpretation of the symbols are given in the chapter itself, so we will not be reviewing the information in that chapter. Chapter 18 is regarding the literal destruction of the city of Babylon

The three prophets of this event are Isaiah, who according to Isaiah 1:1 was a prophet of Israel during the time of King Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah; Jeremiah, who was a prophet from the days of King Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah according to Jeremiah 1:1-3; and, John the Apostle, who wrote the book of Revelation, lived from 6 to 100 AD, and wrote Revelation while on the island of Patmos, during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian in Revelatin 1:9.

We will see that the destruction of Babylon is a description of an actual, literal event. 1) It is the actual city of Babylon in the land of Chaldea; 2) there are actual nations & troops attacking from the literal North; 3) actual weapons being used to kill actual human beings by the invading troops; and, 4) there is actual physical destruction. Other details include 5) the suddenness of the destruction; 6) the actual results of the destruction; 7) and the purpose for the destruction.

1. The Destruction of the Actual City of Babylon in the Land of Chaldea.

The first point that is made abundantly clear is that it is referring to literal Babylon as indicated by the use of the variations of the phrase “Babylon, in the Land of Chaldea.”  If I were to tell you that I’m from Spokane in the land of Washington, you would know that I’m talking about the literal city of Spokane in the State of Washington.  These passages are speaking of the literal city of Babylon in the land of Chaldea

The Jewish Encyclopedia states, “The land of the Chaldeans (Jer. xxiv. 5 et al.) is also a frequently occurring phrase.  The Chaldean country, in the strict sense, lay in southern Babylonia, on the lower Euphrates and Tigris…” as shown here in the map of the Babylonian Empire.
“…But the name was extended by the Biblical writers to include the whole of Babylonia, after the Chaldean Nebuchadnezzar had established the new Babylonian empire and brought his people to world-wide fame.”

The phrase or variations of the phrase Babylon in the the land of the Chaldeans appears eight times altogether in the Jeremiah and Isaiah passages.  It appears in the first verse of Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding Babylon where it says, “This is the message that the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah about Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans.” (Jeremiah 50:1)

Here are the rest of the verses that use that phrase:

• Babylon, that jewel of kingdoms, the splendor and pride of the Chaldeans (Isaiah 13:19)
• Move away from Babylon, and go out of the land of Chaldeans (Jeremiah 50:8)
• The Chaldeans will become plunder (Jeremiah 50:10)
• Heavenly armies will be in the land of Chaldeans (Jeremiah 50:25)
• The slain will fall in the land of Chaldea, pierced through in the streets. (Jeremiah 51:4)
• Before your eyes, I’ll repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea (Jeremiah 51:24)
• The sound of a cry is coming from Babylon, great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 51:54).

It is clear that this is speaking of a literal place being destroyed.  There is no indication that it is meant to be taken figuratively.

Jeremiah 50:21 points out two specific places included in this destruction, they are Merathaim, which is in Southern Mesopotamia, and Pekod, which is a region in Southern Mesopotamia (Jer. 50:21).  Both are in the same area as original Chaldea.  All of these indicate that the destruction will come upon the literal Babylon in the land of Chaldea.

2.  Actual Nations & Troops Attacking from the North

Next, we have actual nations and troops attacking from the North.  Jeremiah 51:38 tells us that the Medes, including their  governors, the prefects (a chief officer or government official who is responsible for a particular area in a country) and every land under their dominion will come against Babylon (Jeremiah 51:38).

Three Kingdoms under their dominion are specifically named—the Kingdom of Ararat (Armenia/Urartu), Kingdom of Mini (Iran, Part of Syria), Kingdom of Ashkenaz (Scythians/Russians) (Jer. 51:27). They were kingdoms that had been conquered and made vassel states by the Medes (known as the Kurds today) in the early 6th century (Notes 60). And Isaiah 13:17 makes it clear that they are not motivated by financial gain (Silver and Gold)

The troops attacking are mentioned in a number of places in the Jeremiah prophecy.  They are called Troops (Jer. 50:14), Warriors (Jer. 50:30; Jer. 51:30, 56) and Soldiers (Jer. 51:14-15; Jer. 50:30, 32). These Nations are Attacking from or out of the North (Isa. 14:31. Jer. 50:3, 9, 41, 51:4) and from afar (Jer. 50:26).

3. Actual Weapons Being Used to Kill Actual Human Beings.

The weapons which are specifically mentioned are:

• Bow (Jer. 51:3-4; 50:14, 42; Isa. 13:18)
• Arrows (Jer. 50:9, 14, 51:11)
• Spears (Jer. 50:41-42)
• Swords (Jer. 50:21)
• Fire and Smoke (Rv. 18:8-9, 18; Jer. 51:32, 58; Isa. 14:31)

Both Isaiah and Jeremiah indicate that actual human beings will be killed—bows dash the young men to pieces, no pity is shown to the unborn, and they will not spare the children (Isaiah 13:18) or the young men. The slain will fall in the land of Chaldea, pierced through in her streets (Jer. 51:3-4) and her warriors will fall in her streets. Her soldiers will be silenced in that day (Jer. 51:30)

4. Actual Physical Destruction

There is also actual physical destruction:

• Walls thrown down (Jer. 50:15)
• Broad wall of Babylon will be completely leveled (Jer. 51:44, 58)
• Its high gate set on fire (Jer. 51:58)
• The bars of the gates broken (Jer. 51:30)
• Pillars have fallen (Jer. 50:15)
• Buildings have fallen (Jer. 50:15)
• Set fire to the city (Jer. 50:32
• Marshes burned with fire (Jer. 51:32)

5. Suddenness of the Destruction

Another detail given is the suddenness of the destruction.  Revelation 18:8, 9, 17, and 19 all indicate a sudden destruction and in Revelation 18:8, a voice speaking from heaven states that Babylon’s destruction will come in a single day.

According to Theyer’s Lexicon, “Heymera” in this case is being used “of the civil day, or the space of twenty four hours.”  So the voices literally say that Babylon will be destroyed within one day’s time.

All of the other verses are quoting the kings of the Earth who say that her destruction will come in a single hour.  According to Thayer’s Lexicon the Greek word “Hora” is being used to indicate a very short time.

One way or the other, this is not contradictory since something that happens in one hour also by definition happens within a single day, but it seems that the voice from Heaven is declaring it will occur in an actual day whereas the kings of the earth are just indicating that it occurs in a relatively short period of time.  In addition, Jeremiah 51:8 states, suddenly Babylon fell and was shattered…”

6.  Results of the Destruction

The results of the destruction is described as being like Sodom and Gomorrah: (Jer. 50:40; Isa 13:19) in that it will never again be inhabited by human beings (er. 50:13; 51:29, 43), and it will become a home for unclean birds and certain other unclean beasts.  It is important to understand that this comparison with Sodom and Gomorrah does not include the method by which Sodom and Gomorrah was destroyed.

Isaiah 13:19-22 lists a number of creatures that will inhabit Babylon. “But desert beasts will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there, owls will dwell, and goat-demons will dance there.  Hyenas will howl in its stronghold, and jackals will make their dens in its citadels.”

One interesting creature is the goat demon, with is translated “satyrs” in the King James version and is defined in the Genesius Hebrew Chaldea Lexicon as “Sa iyr” wood demons, satyrs, resembling he-goats, inhabiting deserts” (Genesius)

Surprisingly, there will be some type of demonic entities.  In Rev. 18:2 it states.  “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!  She has become a home for demons.  She is a prison for every unclean spirit, a prison for very unclean bird, and a prison for very unclean and hated beast.”

Moving on to other details, Jeremiah 51:26 indicates that building materials will never be reused. “They won’t get a cornerstone or a foundation stone from you, because you will be a wasteland forever, declares the Lord.”

Other results of the destruction include that God will eliminate from Babylon her name and survivors, her offspring and descendants. (Isa. 14:22). The Chaldeans will come to plunder…she will become the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert (Jer. 50:10-12)

Babylon will come a heap of ruins, a refuge for jackals, and a desolate place and an object of scorn (Jer. 51:36-38).

7. Purpose for the Destruction

The purpose for the destruction is that it is given as repayment for all the evil that Babylon did in Zion (Jer. 51:24); vengeance for His temple (Jer. 51:11); because she has behaved arrogantly against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel (Jer. 51:29-30); and because of the slain of Israel (Jer. 51:49)

The Scroll & the Stone

Jeremiah 51:60 states that Jeremiah wrote on a single scroll all the disasters that would come upon Babylon, all these things that were written about Babylon.  Jeremiah told Seraiah, “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, Lord, you have declared about this place that you would destroy it so that there wouldn’t be an inhabitant in it, neither human nor animal, because it will be a wasteland forever.”

This declaration that “no animal will inhabit it,” seems to be a contradiction to the earlier description of possible animals inhabiting Babylon after the destruction.  In the English language, the word “animal” would be understood to include the entire animal kingdom.  This also corresponds to an earlier statement in the Jeremiah prophecy in Jer. 50:3, when it states that no one will live in it—both people and animals will wander off.

The Hebrew word translated “animals” in both of these passage is the same Hebrew word which is “Behemah” and can be translated—Beast, animal, cattle—as distinguished in the OT from birds, fish, an reptiles.”  This term refers to four-footed animals, especially cattle.

The Septuagint translates the Hebrew word with the Greek word “Ktenos” which has a very similar definition. “A beast; sp. of a beast of burden, used for four legged animals as opposed to fishes and birds—and the Genesius Hebrew Chaldea Lexion states that it refers to large land quadrapeds.

The Hebrew word “behemoth” is most likely only referring to large land quadrupeds, there is no contradiction to the idea of hyenas, jackals and other creatures still inhabiting Babylon.

Revelation 18:32 states that it will be a prison for every unclean an hated beast, but the Greek word translated “beast” isn’t the same Greek word that was used to translate “Behemah” in the Jeremiah passage.  It is a different kind of beast. Therion is a beast, or a wild animal and it is the same word that is used to describe the Beast of Revelation.

Jeremiah continues in 51:61  “When you finish reading this scroll, tie a rock around it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates.  Then say, “Babylon will sink like this and won’t rise from the disaster that I’m bringing on her.  Her people will be exhausted.

Revelation 18:16-17 gives a similar symbolic gesture, “Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, the great city Babylon will be thrown down violently—and will never be found again.

Summary

The prophecies regarding the destruction of Babylon given in Isaiah 13-14, Jeremiah 50-51 and Revelation 18 give the following details:

The abundance of details makes it clear that this is describing an actual, literal event and it is not symbolic, allegorical or figurative. Anyone should be able to use these details to look for future fulfillment and also to look back in history to see if they have ever been fulfilled in the past.

[Watch the video presentation]

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