Isaiah 13-14 The Fall of Babylon the Great

All Isaiah Messages

Sermon Notes
Scripture
Spanish Translation

The Fall of Babylon the Great
Isaiah 13-14
April 5-6, 2025

The book of Isaiah is a call to revival. Israel had fallen away from God and were drawn to the gods of the world that appealed to the flesh. God knew this would weaken them spiritually and nationally and that it would end disastrously for them. Out of His great love, He sent His prophets to warn them of impending disaster and to call them back to revival.

What’s fascinating is that Isaiah alternates between grave warnings of disaster that come from pursuing worldly things, and visions of glory that God has in store for those who stay faithful and those who draw near to God. He even gives visions of glory for Israel in the latter days. Which is to say that God is not finished with Israel. He will never be finished with Israel.

These chapters we are studying in Isaiah are amazing. In chapter 11, Isaiah gives one of those amazing visions of the glory of God and His heart for Israel in the latter days.

At the end of the age, Jesus will return as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will step foot on the Mount of Olives and enter Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate, also known as the Golden Gate, the Gate of Mercy, the Gate of Eternal Life, and the Beautiful Gate.

There, in Jerusalem, He will set up His throne over which He will rule the nations of the world for 1000 years – the millennial reign of Christ. In those days, even the earth itself will change…

Isaiah 11:6, 8-10, The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little boy will lead them… The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand in the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. It will come about in that day that the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the people; and His resting place will be glorious.

What beautiful and wonderful glory. “No eye has seen, and no ear has heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, that which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

But the glory of the latter days must be contrasted with the warnings that are also contained in this book. Here, in chapters 13 and 14, Isaiah describes the downfall of Babylon the Great.

In the days of Isaiah, the world was changing. Great empires were arising. First, there was Assyria, a terrible and cruel nation which God broke in Israel on His holy mountain. Next, came Babylon who destroyed Jerusalem, taking many Israelis captive and holding them in exile in Babylon for 70 years.

In the verses we’re studying today, Isaiah prophesies that Babylon the Great will fall. What’s fascinating is that there is both a near and a far fulfillment of this prophecy.

In the years following the prophecy of this book, Babylon of ancient times, Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, and the glory of the Chaldean pride, will fall by the moving of the hand of God. But you see in these verses that there is also a greater fulfillment in the latter days.

In the book of Revelation, there is a vision of the latter days, and he writes that there will be a city – Babylon the Great. It’s a symbolic name. But the vision describes that Babylon the Great, Babylon, the pride of the world, will fall.

What could this mean and what impact might this have on world events leading into the last days? Is it an actual city? Which city might it be today? What does it represent? How will it be destroyed? Does God destroy it? You might be surprised by the answers.

There are two cities most often mentioned in the Bible. Jerusalem is mentioned most often – 811 times. The other city most often mentioned in the Bible is Babylon. It is referred to 294 times. These two cities stand opposite each other in biblical significance.

Jerusalem is the place of God’s own possession. He placed His name on that city. Babylon the Great is called the Mother of Harlots. It represents all that’s wrong and all that’s ungodly in this world.

Many books have been written, and many theories have been put forth as to what Babylon might represent.

I. Prophecy Connects to History

First, Babylon is a mystery, in other words, in the latter days it is spoken of in Revelation, but it’s symbolic.
Ancient Babylon and Babylon of the latter days have much in common.

Revelation 17:3-5, He carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and of the Abominations of the Earth.”

Consider the history of this famous city…

A. Ancient Babylon was an occultic center

Ancient Babylon was the largest city in the known world at that time. It was the center of power of the Babylonian Empire. The “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” were considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
It was also that city which oppressed and destroyed Israel and took them captive 70 years.
Ancient Babylon was the center of occultic religion. The mark of the beast in the latter days is directly connected to the occultic religion of ancient Babylon. Prophecy connects to history.
The infamous number 666 is based on what was called “the magic square” of ancient Babylon.
The mark of the beast is the name of the beast or the number of his name, which is 666.

Revelation 13:16-17, And he causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on the right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Revelation indicates that 666 is the number of a man and that whoever has understanding should calculate the number of the beast.
Many scholars that to mean that to count the number of the beast they use a method called gematria. In Greek it has the same root as the word geometry.
Gematria is the process of taking names or words and finding the numeric value of those words by adding up the value of each letter. We use such number/letter methods even today.
The next Super Bowl will be Super Bowl 60 written in Latin numerical values as LX. That’s an example of
The Hebrew and Greek languages also used letters to represent numbers. We could do the same in English if we made the letter A=1, B=2, etc. Using that method, my name equals 966.
But prophecy connects to history. The number 666 is directly connected to the ancient city of Babylon in Isaiah 13-14.
The ancient Babylonian occultic religion was a blend of religion, astrology and mathematics. Each of their gods were represented by a number from 1 to 36. Ancient astrology divided the starry heavens into 36 constellations, a god representing each of the constellations.
The pagan priests of Babylon wore an amulet called the ‘Magic Square,’ which was based on a 6×6 sided square with numbers ranging from 1 to 36, six numbers in each line so that each line and each column adds up to 111. The total numerical value of the entire square was equal to 666, the number which represented the sun-god, who was the god who created all other gods, which also represents the Antichrist.
God saw to it that the city received its due return for what they did to Israel.

Jeremiah 25:12, “Then it will be when seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation and the land of the Chaldeans for their iniquity,” declares the LORD, “and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”

Babylon was overtaken when it was attacked by the Medes and Persians. They diverted the Euphrates River, and the armies of the Medes and Persians entered under the water defenses while the city was in a drunken celebration and quickly overthrew the king.
After Babylon fell, the Persian king, Cyrus, released the Jews from captivity.
Alexander the Great tried to rebuild ancient city but died there in Babylon suddenly and his kingdom was divided amongst his four generals.

B. Prophetically, Babylon is a symbol

First, it’s a symbol for the city the Antichrist will use as headquarters for his position of world power in the latter days.

Note: Some have suggested that Babylon is New York City since it is the headquarters for the United Nations. Some also have suggested that the events of September 11, 2001 fulfill a verse in Revelation which describes the smoke rising as it is destroyed in one hour. This is doubtful.

Babylon is also a symbol of spiritual idolatry. God uses marriage fidelity as a picture of spiritual faithfulness. Therefore, Babylon is a symbol of false religion. In ancient days, Babylon was the center of the occult. In the last days, a false prophet will arise and cause many to worship the beast. Religion will be part of the Antichrist’s empire.
It’s also a symbol of the party manifesto. The Lord considers anything in our lives which takes the place that He should have in our lives as an idol or as spiritual unfaithfulness. There is certainly a mentality in the world which basically says, “eat drink, and be merry!!” “Party on” or “Party hearty!”
Symbol – economic idolatry. Ancient Babylon was the center of the world’s wealth. In the latter days, the kingdoms of the earth will be made rich by Babylon the whore. The system of materialism will also be destroyed by the wrath of God in the Tribulation.
The lesson immediately for us is that we should hold the things of the world loosely.

Luke 16:14-15, Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.The word “imitate” in the Greek is “mimic.”

II. Don’t Waste Your Life in Babylon

There is a practical application from these verses that we should seriously consider.
God gave you your life as a gift, don’t waste your life in Babylon. Don’t come to the end and look back and say that you wasted your life.
Back in the 60’s when someone was high on drugs, they would later say, “I was wasted, man!” Truer words could not be found.
That’s why God gave Isaiah to call the world back to revival.

A. God is against all that Babylon represents

If God is against it, then we must be careful not to be for it.
Verse 13:19 – And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…
We know that God is against it because heaven rejoices at the downfall of Babylon.

Revelation 19:1-4, After these things I heard something like the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because his judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond servants on her.” And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”

The power behind the immoralities of Babylon is the Serpent of Old, Satan himself. Notice the similarity in this description in Isaiah…
Verses 14:12-14 – “How you have fallen from heaven, O Star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will make myself like the Most High.’”
There comes a time to choose sides… Agree with God rather than be aligned with Satan.

Illus – We know that the devil is called “the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10). We must be careful not to find ourselves doing the same ourselves – in our marriages, in our families, in the church.

Are you a critical person? Are you critical of your spouse? But God says we should edify and build up one another in Christ. Be in agreement with God.

Joshua 24:15, “Choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

B. Don’t be part of the party

If Babylon is a symbol for the world’s party, we must decide that the world is not where we belong.

Revelation 18:3-4-5, “All the nations have drunk of the wine and the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality” … I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues, for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.”

“The nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality.” Passion is a powerful word.

App – Passion is a transforming power. We will become what we are passionate about. This is a quote from A.W. Tozer who wrote that “we are becoming what we love, because love is a transforming power. Therefore, what we love is prophetic of our future.”

Illus – Woodstock was a great example of loving wrong things. Max Yasgur’s farm in 1969 became the expression of a new counterculture. “Flower power” was born as 500,000 hippies gathered at Woodstock to “be free” and listen to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin and many others.

As Jimi Hendrix once said, “Music is my religion. All I’m going to do, is go on and do what I feel.”

Within 14 months both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were dead.

What we love becomes prophetic of our future.

“Come out of her, My people,” says the Lord…that you may not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.”

Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth said the same truth.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16, What partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;

Notice what Christ said to the church at Ephesus…

Revelation 2:3-4, 7, “and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love… He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”

C. “Turn your heart toward home”

The question is, ‘where is home?’
God has taken us from the darkness and given us a relationship with the creator of heaven and earth.
In the latter days there will be a great battle in the valley of Armageddon where the nations will come together to attack Israel in one final battle.
In the book of the prophet Joel, this is called the valley of Jehoshaphat, or the Valley of Decision.

Illus – Joshua brought Israel together just before his death for one final challenge. It was there he declared powerfully, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

You must decide the well from which you will drink. Either the wine of the passion of the immoralities of Babylon or the Living Water God offers through Jesus.

John 7:37-38, Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, ‘out of his innermost being will flow rivers of Living Water.’”

To quote from Joel who prophesied of many of the events of the last days…. It’s not too late…

Joel 2:12-13, “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate,”

Isaiah 13-14 NASB

13 ¹The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

²Lift up a standard on the bare hill,
Raise your voice to them,
Wave the hand that they may enter the doors of the nobles.
³I have commanded My consecrated ones,
I have even called My mighty warriors,
My proudly exulting ones,
To execute My anger.
⁴A sound of tumult on the mountains,
Like that of many people!
A sound of the uproar of kingdoms,
Of nations gathered together!
The Lord of hosts is mustering the army for battle.
⁵They are coming from a far country,
From the farthest horizons,
The Lord and His instruments of indignation,
To destroy the whole land.

⁶Wail, for the day of the Lord is near!
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
⁷Therefore all hands will fall limp,
And every man’s heart will melt.
⁸They will be terrified,
Pains and anguish will take hold of them;
They will writhe like a woman in labor,
They will look at one another in astonishment,
Their faces aflame.
⁹Behold, the day of the Lord is coming,
Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
¹⁰For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises
And the moon will not shed its light.
¹¹Thus I will punish the world for its evil
And the wicked for their iniquity;
I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud
And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless.
¹²I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold
And mankind than the gold of Ophir.
¹³Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
And the earth will be shaken from its place
At the fury of the Lord of hosts
In the day of His burning anger.
¹⁴And it will be that like a hunted gazelle,
Or like sheep with none to gather them,
They will each turn to his own people,
And each one flee to his own land.
¹⁵Anyone who is found will be thrust through,
And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
¹⁶Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces
Before their eyes;
Their houses will be plundered
And their wives ravished.

¹⁷Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,
Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.
¹⁸And their bows will mow down the young men,
They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb,
Nor will their eye pity children.
¹⁹And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride,
Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
²⁰It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation;
Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there,
Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.
²¹But desert creatures will lie down there,
And their houses will be full of owls;
Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.
²²Hyenas will howl in their fortified towers
And jackals in their luxurious palaces.
Her fateful time also will soon come
And her days will not be prolonged.

14 ¹When the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. ²The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.

³And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, ⁴that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,

“How the oppressor has ceased,
And how fury has ceased!
⁵“The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
⁶Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
⁷“The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They break forth into shouts of joy.
⁸“Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
⁹“Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;
It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
¹⁰“They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.
¹¹‘Your pomp and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
¹²“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
¹³“But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
¹⁴‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
¹⁵“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
¹⁶“Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will ponder over you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
¹⁷Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’
¹⁸“All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own tomb.
¹⁹“But you have been cast out of your tomb
Like a rejected branch,
Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the pit
Like a trampled corpse.
²⁰“You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have slain your people.
May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.
²¹“Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter
Because of the iniquity of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth
And fill the face of the world with cities.”

²²“I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon name and survivors, offspring and posterity,” declares the Lord. ²³“I will also make it a possession for the hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.

²⁴The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, ²⁵to break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. ²⁶This is the plan devised against the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out against all the nations. ²⁷For the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”

²⁸In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle came:

²⁹“Do not rejoice, O Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a flying serpent.
³⁰“Those who are most helpless will eat,
And the needy will lie down in security;
I will destroy your root with famine,
And it will kill off your survivors.
³¹“Wail, O gate; cry, O city;
Melt away, O Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the north,
And there is no straggler in his ranks.
³²“How then will one answer the messengers of the nation?
That the Lord has founded Zion,
And the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”

La caída de Babilonia la Grande
Isaías 13-14
5 y 6 de abril de 2025

El libro de Isaías es un llamado al avivamiento. Israel se había apartado de Dios y se sentía atraído por los dioses del mundo que apelaban a la carne. Dios sabía que esto los debilitaría espiritual y nacionalmente y que terminaría desastrosamente para ellos. Por su gran amor, envió a sus profetas para advertirles del desastre inminente y para llamarlos de nuevo al avivamiento.

Lo fascinante es que Isaías alterna entre las graves advertencias de desastre que provienen de la búsqueda de cosas mundanas, y las visiones de gloria que Dios tiene reservadas para los que permanecen fieles y los que se acercan a Dios. Incluso, Dios dio visiones de gloria para Israel en los últimos días. Lo que quiere decir que Dios no ha terminado con Israel. Él nunca terminará con Israel.

Estos capítulos que estamos estudiando en Isaías son asombrosos. En el capítulo 11, Isaías da una de esas visiones asombrosas de la gloria de Dios y Su corazón por Israel en los últimos días.

Al final de los tiempos, Jesús regresará como Rey de reyes y Señor de señores. Pisará el Monte de los Olivos y entrará en Jerusalén por la Puerta Oriental, también conocida como la Puerta Dorada, la Puerta de la Misericordia, la Puerta de la Vida Eterna y la Puerta Hermosa.

Allí, en Jerusalén, Él establecerá Su trono sobre el cual gobernará las naciones del mundo durante 1000 años: el reinado milenario de Cristo. En esos días, hasta la tierra misma cambiará…

Isaías 11:6 – Nueva Biblia de las Américas

6 El lobo morará con el cordero, Y el leopardo se echará con el cabrito. El becerro, el leoncillo y el animal doméstico andarán juntos, y un niño los conducirá.

8 El niño de pecho jugará junto a la cueva de la cobra,

y el niño destetado extenderá su mano sobre la guarida de la víbora. 9 No dañarán ni destruirán en todo Mi santo monte, porque la tierra estará llena del conocimiento del Señor como las aguas cubren el mar.

10 Acontecerá en aquel día que las naciones acudirán a la raíz de Isaí, que estará puesta como señal para los pueblos, y será gloriosa Su morada.

¡Qué hermosa y maravillosa gloria! “Ojo no vio, ni oído oyó, ni entró en el corazón de hombre, lo que Dios ha preparado para los que le aman.”

Pero la gloria de los últimos días debe contrastarse con las advertencias que también están contenidas en este libro. Aquí, en los capítulos 13 y 14, Isaías describe la caída de Babilonia la Grande.

En los días de Isaías, el mundo estaba cambiando. Estaban surgiendo grandes imperios. Primero, estaba Asiria, una nación terrible y cruel que Dios rompió en Israel en su santo monte. Luego vino Babilonia, que destruyó Jerusalén, tomando cautivos a muchos israelíes y manteniéndolos en el exilio en Babilonia durante 70 años.

En los versículos que estamos estudiando hoy, Isaías profetiza que Babilonia la Grande caerá. Lo fascinante es que hay un cumplimiento cercano y lejano de esta profecía.

En los años que siguen a la profecía de este libro, la Babilonia de la antigüedad, Babilonia, la hermosura de los reinos y la gloria de la soberbia caldea, caerán por el mover de la mano de Dios. Pero ustedes ven en estos versículos que también hay un mayor cumplimiento en los últimos días.

En el libro de Apocalipsis, hay una visión de los últimos días, y él escribe que habrá una ciudad: Babilonia la Grande. Es un nombre simbólico. Pero la visión describe que Babilonia la Grande, Babilonia, el orgullo del mundo, caerá.

¿Qué podría significar esto y qué impacto podría tener en los acontecimientos mundiales que conducen a los últimos días? ¿Es una ciudad real? ¿Qué ciudad podría ser hoy? ¿Qué representa? ¿Cómo se destruirá? ¿Lo destruye Dios? Es posible que se sorprenda con las respuestas.

Hay dos ciudades que se mencionan con mayor frecuencia en la Biblia. Jerusalén es la ciudad que más se menciona: 811 veces. La otra ciudad que se menciona con más frecuencia en la Biblia es Babilonia. Se hace referencia a él 294 veces. Estas dos ciudades están opuestas una a la otra en significado bíblico.

Jerusalén es el lugar de la posesión de Dios. Él puso Su nombre en esa ciudad. Babilonia la Grande es llamada la Madre de las Rameras. Representa todo lo que está mal y todo lo que es impío en este mundo.

Se han escrito muchos libros y se han propuesto muchas teorías sobre lo que Babilonia podría representar.

La profecía se conecta con la historia

Primero, Babilonia es un misterio, en otras palabras, en los últimos días se habla de ella en Apocalipsis, pero es simbólica.

La antigua Babilonia y la Babilonia de los últimos días tienen mucho en común.

Apocalipsis 17:3-5, Él me llevó en el Espíritu al desierto; y vi a una mujer sentada sobre una bestia escarlata, llena de nombres blasfemos, que tenía siete cabezas y diez cuernos. La mujer estaba vestida de púrpura y escarlata, y adornada de oro, piedras preciosas y perlas, y tenía en su mano una copa de oro llena de abominaciones y de las cosas inmundas de su fornicación, y en su frente estaba escrito un nombre, un misterio: “Babilonia la Grande, la madre de las rameras y de las abominaciones de la tierra”.

Considere la historia de esta famosa ciudad…

La antigua Babilonia era un centro ocultista

La antigua Babilonia era la ciudad más grande del mundo conocido en ese momento. Era el centro de poder del Imperio Babilónico. Los “Jardines Colgantes de Babilonia” fueron considerados una de las Siete Maravillas del Mundo.

También fue esa ciudad la que oprimió y destruyó a Israel y los llevó cautivos durante 70 años.

La antigua Babilonia era el centro de la religión ocultista. La marca de la bestia en los últimos días está directamente relacionada con la religión ocultista de la antigua Babilonia. La profecía se conecta con la historia.

El infame número 666 se basa en lo que se llamaba “el cuadrado mágico” de la antigua Babilonia.
La marca de la bestia es el nombre de la bestia o el número de su nombre, que es 666.

Apocalipsis 13:16-17, Y hace que a todos, al pequeño y al grande, al rico y al pobre, a los libres y a los esclavos, se les ponga una marca en la mano derecha o en la frente, y dispone que nadie podrá comprar ni vender, sino el que tenga la marca, ya sea el nombre de la bestia o el número de su nombre.

Apocalipsis indica que 666 es el número de un hombre y que quien tenga entendimiento debe calcular el número de la bestia.
Muchos eruditos quieren decir que para contar el número de la bestia utilizan un método llamado gematría. En griego tiene la misma raíz que la palabra geometría.

La gematría es el proceso de tomar nombres o palabras y encontrar el valor numérico de esas palabras sumando el valor de cada letra. Utilizamos estos métodos de números/letras incluso hoy en día.

El próximo Super Bowl será el Super Bowl 60 escrito en valores numéricos latinos como LX. Ese es un ejemplo de gematría.

Los idiomas hebreo y griego también usaban letras para representar números. Podríamos hacer lo mismo en inglés si hiciéramos la letra A=1, B=2, etc. Usando este método, mi nombre es igual a 966.

Pero la profecía se conecta con la historia. El número 666 está directamente conectado con la antigua ciudad de Babilonia en Isaías 13-14.

La antigua religión ocultista babilónica era una mezcla de religión, astrología y matemáticas. Cada uno de sus dioses estaba representado por un número del 1 al 36. La astrología antigua dividía los cielos estrellados en 36 constelaciones, un dios representaba cada una de las constelaciones.

Los sacerdotes paganos de Babilonia llevaban un amuleto llamado el “Cuadrado Mágico”, que se basaba en un cuadrado de 6×6 lados con números que iban del 1 al 36, seis números en cada línea para que cada línea y cada columna sumaran 111. El valor numérico total de todo el cuadrado era igual a 666, el número que representaba al dios sol, que era el dios que creó a todos los demás dioses, que también representa al Anticristo.
Dios se encargó de que la ciudad recibiera su debida retribución por lo que le habían hecho a Israel.

Jeremías 25:12, “Entonces cuando se cumplan setenta años, castigaré al rey de Babilonia, a aquella nación y a la tierra de los caldeos, por su iniquidad”, dice Jehová, “y la convertiré en una desolación eterna”.

Babilonia fue alcanzada cuando fue atacada por los medos y los persas. Desviaron el río Éufrates, y los ejércitos de los medos y los persas entraron bajo las defensas del agua mientras la ciudad estaba en una fiesta de borrachera y rápidamente derrocaron al rey.
Después de la caída de Babilonia, el rey persa, Ciro, liberó a los judíos del cautiverio.
Alejandro Magno trató de reconstruir la antigua ciudad, pero murió allí en Babilonia repentinamente y su reino se dividió entre sus cuatro generales.

Proféticamente, Babilonia es un símbolo

Primero, es un símbolo de la ciudad que el Anticristo usará como cuartel general para su posición de poder mundial en los últimos días.

Nota: Algunos han sugerido que Babilonia es la ciudad de Nueva York, ya que es la sede de las Naciones Unidas. Algunos también han sugerido que los eventos del 11 de septiembre de 2001 cumplen con un versículo de Apocalipsis que describe el humo que se eleva a medida que se destruye en una hora. Esto es dudoso.

Babilonia es también un símbolo de idolatría espiritual. Dios usa la fidelidad matrimonial como una imagen de fidelidad espiritual. Por lo tanto, Babilonia es un símbolo de la religión falsa. En la antigüedad, Babilonia era el centro del ocultismo. En los últimos días, un falso profeta se levantará y hará que muchos adoren a la bestia. La religión será parte del imperio del Anticristo.
También es un símbolo del manifiesto de las fiesta. Ciertamente hay una mentalidad en el mundo que básicamente dice: “¡¡Come, bebe y sé feliz!!” “¡Que empiece la fiesta” o “¡Que vaya la fiesta!”

El Señor considera cualquier cosa en nuestras vidas que ocupe el lugar que Él debería tener en nuestras vidas como un ídolo o como una infidelidad espiritual.

Símbolo: idolatría económica. La antigua Babilonia era el centro de la riqueza mundial. En los últimos días, los reinos de la tierra serán enriquecidos por Babilonia, la ramera. El sistema del materialismo también será destruido por la ira de Dios en la Tribulación.
La lección inmediata para nosotros es que debemos sostener las cosas del mundo de manera laxa.

Lucas 16:14-15, Y los fariseos, que eran amadores del dinero, escuchaban todas estas cosas y se burlaban de él. Y les dijo: “Vosotros sois los que os justificáis a vosotros mismos delante de los hombres, pero Dios conoce vuestros corazones; porque lo que es muy estimado entre los hombres es abominable a los ojos de Dios.

No desperdicies tu vida en Babilonia

Hay una aplicación práctica de estos versículos que debemos considerar seriamente.

Dios te dio tu vida como un regalo, no desperdicies tu vida en Babilonia. No llegues al final y mires hacia atrás y digas que desperdiciaste tu vida.

En los años 60, cuando alguien estaba drogado, más tarde decían: “¡Estaba borracho, hombre!” No se pudieron encontrar palabras más verdaderas.

Es por eso que Dios le dio a Isaías para llamar al mundo de regreso al avivamiento.

Dios está en contra de todo lo que Babilonia representa

Si Dios está en contra, entonces debemos tener cuidado de no estar a favor.
Versículo 13:19 – Y Babilonia, la hermosura de los reinos, la gloria de la soberbia de los caldeos, será como cuando Dios derrocó a Sodoma y Gomorra…
Sabemos que Dios está en contra porque el cielo se regocija en la caída de Babilonia.

Apocalipsis 19:1-4, Después de estas cosas, oí algo como la gran voz de una gran multitud en el cielo, que decía: “¡Aleluya! La salvación, la gloria y el poder pertenecen a nuestro Dios; porque sus juicios son verdaderos y justos; porque ha juzgado a la gran ramera que corrompía la tierra con su inmoralidad, y ha vengado de ella la sangre de sus siervos”. Y por segunda vez dijeron: “¡Aleluya! Su humo se eleva por los siglos de los siglos”. Y los 24 ancianos y los cuatro seres vivientes se postraron y adoraron a Dios que está sentado en el trono, diciendo: Amén. ¡Aleluya!”

El poder detrás de las inmoralidades de Babilonia es la Serpiente de la Antigüedad, Satanás mismo. Nótese la similitud en esta descripción en Isaías…
Versículos 14:12-14 – “¡Cómo has caído del cielo, oh Estrella de la mañana, hijo de la aurora! ¡Vosotros que habéis debilitado a las naciones! Dijiste en tu corazón: “Subiré al cielo; Levantaré mi trono sobre las estrellas de Dios, y me sentaré en el monte de la asamblea en los confines del norte. Me haré semejante al Altísimo'”.
Llega el momento de elegir bando… Estar de acuerdo con Dios en lugar de estar alineado con Satanás.

Sabemos que el diablo es llamado “el acusador de los hermanos” (Ap 12:10). Debemos tener cuidado de no encontrarnos haciendo lo mismo nosotros mismos, en nuestros matrimonios, en nuestras familias, en la iglesia.

¿Eres una persona crítica? ¿Criticas a tu cónyuge? Pero Dios dice que debemos edificarnos y edificarnos unos a otros en Cristo. Esté de acuerdo con Dios.

Josué 24:15, “Escoged hoy a quién serviréis… Pero en cuanto a mí y a mi casa, serviremos al Señor”.

No seas parte de la fiesta

Si Babilonia es un símbolo para la fiesta del mundo, debemos decidir que el mundo no es el lugar al que pertenecemos.

Apocalipsis 18:3-4-5, “Todas las naciones han bebido del vino y de la pasión de su fornicación, y los reyes de la tierra han cometido con ella actos de fornicación, y los mercaderes de la tierra se han enriquecido con la riqueza de su sensualidad”… Oí otra voz del cielo que decía: “Salid de ella, pueblo mío, para que no participéis de sus pecados ni recibáis sus plagas, porque sus pecados se han acumulado hasta el cielo, y Dios se ha acordado de sus iniquidades”.

“Las naciones han bebido del vino, de la pasión de su inmoralidad.” Pasión es una palabra poderosa.

App – La pasión es un poder transformador. Nos convertiremos en lo que nos apasiona. Esta es una cita de A.W. Tozer, quien escribió que “nos estamos convirtiendo en lo que amamos, porque el amor es un poder transformador. Por lo tanto, lo que amamos es profético de nuestro futuro”.

Woodstock fue un gran ejemplo de amar las cosas equivocadas. La finca [granja] de Max Yasgur en 1969 se convirtió en la expresión de una nueva contracultura. “Flower Power” nació cuando 500,000 hippies se reunieron en Woodstock para “ser libres” y escuchar a Jimi Hendrix y Janis Joplin y muchos otros.

Como dijo una vez Jimi Hendrix: “La música es mi religión. Todo lo que voy a hacer es seguir adelante y hacer lo que siento”.

A los 14 meses, tanto Jimi Hendrix como Janis Joplin estaban muertos.

Lo que amamos se convierte en profecía de nuestro futuro.

“Salid de ella, pueblo mío”, dice el Señor… para que no participes de sus pecados y recibas de sus plagas”.

La carta de Pablo a la iglesia de Corinto decía la misma verdad.

2 Corintios 6:14-16, ¿Qué asociación tienen la justicia y la iniquidad, o qué comunión tiene la luz con las tinieblas? ¿O qué armonía tiene Cristo con Belial, o qué tiene en común un creyente con un incrédulo? ¿O qué acuerdo tiene el templo de Dios con los ídolos? Porque nosotros somos el templo del Dios vivo;

Fíjense en lo que Cristo le dijo a la iglesia en Éfeso…

Apocalipsis 2:3-4, 7, “y vosotros tenéis perseverancia, y habéis perseverado por causa de mi nombre, y no os habéis cansado. Pero tengo esto en tu contra, que has dejado a tu primer amor… El que tiene oído, oiga lo que el Espíritu dice a las iglesias. Al que venciere, le daré a comer del árbol de la vida que está en el Paraíso de Dios”.

“Vuelve tu corazón hacia el hogar”

La pregunta es: ‘¿dónde está el hogar?’
Dios nos ha sacado de las tinieblas y nos ha dado una relación con el creador del cielo y la tierra.
En los últimos días habrá una gran batalla en el valle de Armagedón, donde las naciones se unirán para atacar a Israel en una batalla final.
En el libro del profeta Joel, esto se llama el valle de Josafat, o el Valle de la Decisión.

Josué reunió a Israel justo antes de su muerte para un último desafío. Fue allí donde declaró poderosamente: “En cuanto a mí y a mi casa, serviremos al Señor”.

Debes decidir el pozo del que vas a beber. Ya sea el vino de la pasión, de las inmoralidades de Babilonia, o el Agua Viva que Dios ofrece a través de Jesús.

Juan 7:37-38, Jesús dijo: “Si alguno tiene sed, venga a mí y beba. El que cree en Mí, como dice la Escritura, ‘de lo más íntimo de su ser correrán ríos de Agua Viva'”.

Para citar a Joel, quien profetizó muchos de los acontecimientos de los últimos días… No es demasiado tarde…

Joel 2:12-13, “Todavía ahora”, declara el Señor, “volved a mí con todo vuestro corazón, y con ayuno, llanto y lamento; y rasga tu corazón y no tus vestiduras. Vuélvete ahora al Señor tu Dios, porque él es misericordioso y misericordioso”.

Webcast

DonateLike this sermon?

If you enjoyed the sermon and would like to financially support our teaching ministry, we thank you in advance for partnering with us in sending forth the word.

Donate

All Isaiah Messages