Week 51 Revelation 18
“The Fall of Babylon” is what my bible calls chapter 18 . In his vision John saw an angel appear and shout: Babylon is fallen. The margin in my bible says to check Isaiah (I do. Isaiah also says: Babylon is fallen).
The impression I have is that Isaiah was talking specifically about the actual city of Babylon in the ancient world. I check and see that the ancient ruins of the historical city of Babylon are in Iraq. Before the old Iraq-Babylon fell it was a flourishing center-of-the-world city. But Isaiah predicted that before too long: wild animals of the desert will move into the ruined city. Houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Ostriches will live among the ruins, and wild goats will come there to dance. Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make their dens in its palaces.
Reading Revelation I don’t get the impression that John is talking about the same Babylon that Isaiah was. I think he’s talking about another Babylon. A similar but different city or empire still in John’s future (and I’m guessing my future too). John describes this “New Babylon” in pretty graphic and uncomplimentary terms. And the outcome for Babylon #2? It has become the hideout of demons and evil spirits, a nest for filthy buzzards, and a den for dreadful beasts.
So it looks like equally dismal prospects for both Babylon Past & Babylon Future.
Note: quotes from Revelation 18:2 Isaiah 21:9 & Isaiah 13:21-22 (NLT). See Wikipedia “Babylon”