The Babylonians were convinced they were ‘right.’ But God begged to differ.
‘Therefore hear this, you who are given to pleasure, that dwells carelessly, that says in your heart, I am, and none else is beside me.’
But the Babylonians were stubborn:
‘As the Babylonians, we know what we have done to the children of Israel. We know that we worked them hard; we know that we made them slaves; we know that we had them to worship idols; and we know that we called them helpless. We have a great king who is our god, King Nebuchadnezzar. He is the one who attacked the kingdom of Judah and put them into captivity. We will never be a people that are without our own nation. We will not be a widow. We will not lose our children for we are the great kingdom of Babylon.’
Babylon was caught up in the pursuit of power and pleasure. They believed in their own greatness and claimed to be the only power on earth. Hear their words: they were secure within themselves.
‘Israel, you can’t do anything to us or our king. We have taken from you before and we will do it again. We are Babylon.’
Babylon could think that about itself, but God would teach them a powerful lesson.
‘You’re looking at your pleasure and power, but it can quickly pass away. For you are looking to your own life and saying who is better than us. You will lose your life while you’re thinking that you have a life. You say you have life at the same time you are losing your life. Worldly pleasures lead to ruins. Now the judgment of God is on you, and you will lose your spouse and your children. It shall come to you in one moment in one day. This will truly happen to you. Your magic can’t help you; your powerful tricks can’t help you; and your god can’t help you. You do evil things, and you say that you are safe. Your wisdom and knowledge have fooled you. I am God and there is no one equal to Me, not even you.
‘Troubles will come to you, and you will not know how to stop them. Now it’s time for you to remember that I am God. What you did to My people, I will do it to you. You will be destroyed quickly and you will not see it coming, for disaster will fall on you. You do not touch My people.’
The word of God:
“You are tired of the advice you have received. So let those who study the sky, those who tell the future by looking at the stars and the new moons, let them save you from what is about to happen to you,” Isaiah 47:13.
The people of Babylon sought advice and help from astrologers, and fortune-tellers. They got their advice from gods [idols] of wood and gold, who couldn’t even deliver themselves.
‘Why rely on those who are powerless and can’t save you? If they can’t save themselves, why will you think that they can save you? So keep on using your tricks and doing all your magic that you have used since you were young. The astrologers and the fortune-tellers are like straw; fire will quickly burn them up. They cannot save themselves from the power of the fire. They will not be able to help you. Everyone will go in their own way, and there will be no one left to help you. The one you say will help you is now confused and scattered. Their wisdom and knowledge have made fools out of them and you. I will come on you for what you did to my children, the Israelites. My judgment will come to you, and you will know that I am God.’
The word of God:
“Babylon, she has become a dwelling place for demons and a place for every impure spirit,” Revelation 18:2.
‘You will be removed from the earth as an impure and wicked people. Others will renounce you and erase you from their memory. You are a contrary people, and the end is on you. You want to confuse religious beliefs with spiritual truth. God will not allow this to take place in the lives of His people. We will live.’
