Is This Not Great Babylon?
Is This Not Great Babylon?
By Jack Kinsella
Daniel Chapter Four is actually a letter from Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and addressed to ”all people, nations, and languages that dwell upon the earth.”
That, presumably, includes you and I. It begins:
“Nebuchadnezzar the king, unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.”
The King then explains the purpose of his letter:
“I thought it good to shew the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me.”
There are lots of ways to understand this verse, and there are as many interpretations as there are applications for it. The king’s letter is certainly a testimony to the Glory of God;
“How great are His signs! and how mighty are His wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.”
What is remarkable about this passage is that it is direct testimony from a Gentile King. Powerful testimony, indeed!
Specifically, the king’s letter tells the story of a dream that he had. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great tree,
“whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation.” (Daniel 4:21)
“It is thou, O king,” Nebuchadnezzar testified that Daniel told him, “that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.”
Daniel continued with his interpretation:
“And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him.” (Daniel 4:22-23)
Nebuchadnezzar’s story is addressed, if you’ll recall, to the “people, nations and languages, that DWELL IN ALL THE EARTH.”
In His Revelation to the Apostle John, Jesus used identical language to describe the generation that will dwell on the earth during the Tribulation Period.
In His letter to the Philadelphia Church Age, He promised;
“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)
Later, when John was describing the execution of the Two Witnesses, he wrote,
“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.” (Revelation 11:10)
John’s perspective shifts, starting in Revelation 4:1, from that of earth to the perspective of heaven. Viewed from this heavenly perspective, they “that dwell upon the earth” are unmistakably identified as the Gentile unbelievers under judgment during the Tribulation.
“And ALL that DWELL UPON THE EARTH shall worship him, (the antichrist) whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8)
The king’s story clearly has something to say to the generation that will dwell on the earth at that time.
As the king related the story, when he walked about the palace grounds, he was overcome with pride, blurting out;
“Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:29)
As the words were still in his mouth,
“there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.” (Daniel 4:31)
Nebuchadnezzar went mad and his kingdom was stripped from him for seven years.
The thing is, Nebuchadnezzar knew better, but his arrogance and pride overcame him. As he himself testified, he thought it ‘good’ to share with those ‘who dwell upon the earth’ the ‘signs and wonders’ wrought upon him by the ‘high God’.
He made a point of acknowledging the most high God early on in his narrative, so there could be no mistake about it.
Assessment
A generation ago, few would have argued that America was a Christian nation.
Children read the Bible in school, began each school day with the Lord’s Prayer, stores closed on Sundays, families went to church, and social morals demanded that Rob and Laura Petrie sleep in twin beds, while it was left up to the audience to assume that Ward and June Cleaver even had a bed. (Or a toilet).
America not only acknowledged God, they openly thanked Him for His blessings, even setting aside, by national proclamation, an official Day of Thanksgiving. (Much as Nebuchadnezzar began his story by giving the credit for his kingdom’s greatness to God.)
Like Nebuchadnezzar, America has come to believe its greatness was something we deserved, something we somehow earned, and most assuredly, something the Left would universally agree was built for their glory.
It’s most important ideological export, by which America hopes to save the world, is American style democracy, not America’s foundational Christian ethic.
For the last couple of briefings, I’ve been focusing on the creeping madness gripping America’s leadership, particularly on how the Left’s obsession for power is even overriding its natural instinct for self-preservation.
With enemies on all sides, the Left continues to hammer away at the government, without regard to what effect it has on America’s war effort or the morale of its forces. And without regard for what the long term consequences might be.
It is hard to miss the metaphor; “To thee it is spoken: Thy kingdom is departed from thee.”
Originally Published: March 12, 2007.