Dr Paul Allen

  The word “Babel” means “gateway to a god” and sounds like the Hebrew word balal, which means “confusion” (Gen. 10:8–10; 11:1–9). In Scripture, Babylon symbolizes the world system man has built in defiance of God. Jerusalem and Babylon are contrasting cities: One is the chosen city of God, the other the wicked city of man. The city of God will last forever, but the rebellious city of man will ultimately be destroyed (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17–18). God musters His army (Isa. 13:1–5, 17–18). God is sovereign. He is able to call any army He desires, to accomplish any task He assigns. He can summon them with a whistle (7:18), or by using leaders to raise a banner, shout, and beckon to the soldiers (13:2). In this case, God is mustering the army of the Medes (v. 17; 21:2); and He calls them “My sanctified ones.” Even though they did not believe in Jehovah God, the Medes were set apart by God to do His holy work. God punishes His enemies (Isa. 13:6–22). The city of Babylon was completely des...

How goes the world? Answering that question tends to lead to discouragement. Everything seems upside down. Evil is considered good; good is considered evil. Truth has fallen in the streets and is trampled by academic processions, political machinery, and populous parades.  It seems that Christianity is an ever-shrinking minority with less influence than numbers. Who is in control? How can these things be? Although we may not know why things are the way they are, we must believe that the Bible is true and that there is a throne secluded from natural sight that governs absolutely with an agenda of self-glory and salvific good—God’s throne. It may seem that the world is out of control, but it is not. Throughout biblical history, God assured His people of His unfailing purpose at times when they needed that assurance most. Ezekiel lived when it appeared that hostile powers would successfully have their pagan way against God’s redemptive plan.  Since he was a priest, Ezekiel knew t...

By all accounts, the battle — 2605 years ago — was a ferocious event. Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar was out for revenge. The King of Israel had betrayed him — for a second time. This time, he would not withhold his wrath. 2 Kings 25: 1-9 reads: “So the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the [fourth] month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war [fled] by night by the way of the gate between the two walls … And he [Nebuzaradan, the Babylonian captain of the guard] burnt the house of the Lord, and the King’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great man’s house, burnt he with fire.” It was 586BC. King Nebuchadnezzar’s troops plundered the city. King Solomon’s Temple on Mount Zion was stripped of its treasures and dismantled. Thousands were taken into captivity. Now, archaeologists say they have — for the first t...

The god Marduk and his dragon Mušḫuššu, from a Babylonian cylinder seal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. . . . And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech , and Accad , and Calneh , in the land of Shinar .” ( Genesis 10:8 , 10) The Bible is a book of history and has been remarkably corroborated by archaeology. There are other “bibles,” to be sure. One of the more famous is the Enuma Elish , a creation story from ancient Babylon written on seven tablets. In it the god Marduk battles the chaos goddess Tiamat and defeats her with super-weapons. Once Marduk becomes the leader of the gods, he makes heaven and Earth out of Tiamat’s body and humanity from Marduk’s blood and bone. Interestingly, Nimrod assumes the name Marduk in his own self-aggrandizing records. Little wonder God identifies this place and time in history as “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT , THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” ( Revelat...

English: The Flight of the Prisoners, c. 1896-1902 , gouache on board, 8 15/16 x 11 5/8 in. (22.7 x 29.7 cm), Jewish Museum, New York, NY. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Many times when we suffer, the first Bible book and Bible character that pops up in our mind is Job. And that makes sense. That’s why the book of Job is in the Bible—to teach us how to actually trust in God’s sovereignty and respond to suffering righteously. But the suffering that Jeremiah , the weeping prophet, endured at the time of the Babylonian captivity was just as severe. Job’s sufferings were indeed horrifying, yet there’s something to be said for the fact that his sufferings were fairly personal. Jeremiah’s sufferings, on the other hand, were on behalf of an entire nation wickedly brutalized and ripped from its land. On top of that, Jeremiah himself had not followed in the unfaithfulness of his countrymen which brought this judgment upon them. All the while, he acted righteously and proclaimed the word ...

Before we can appreciate this truth, we must get our bearings. Ezekiel was a prophet to the people of Judah during their years of captivity in Babylon. This captivity came about in three stages. In 605 B.C. when Daniel and his friends were taken. In 597 B.C. when ten thousand more of Judah’s citizens, including Ezekiel, were taken. In 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar and his forces dealt the final blow to Judah by destroying the city of Jerusalem and carrying away even more captives. Ezekiel seems to have begun his prophetic ministry around 592 B.C. and continued it until the year 570. It was there in Babylon that Ezekiel received this vision of the cherubim. What did this mean? Many of the Jews had a tendency to believe that God was present only in the temple. On the basis of this vision, Ezekiel could assure his fellow captives that God was present there in Babylon just as he was in the temple of Jerusalem. Our circumstances can be such that we can also be tempted to belie...

English: An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “And the sons of Neariah; Elioenai, and Hezekiah , and Azrikam , three.” ( 1 Chronicles 3:23 ) Elioenai’s name is in a long list of names in the book of Chronicles . In fact, it is significant that the Bible contains the proper names of more individuals than can be found in all the other books of antiquity put together—strong evidence of its historical authenticity. These were real names of real people, and each would, no doubt, have a fascinating story to tell if he could. The ancient Israelites were very conscious of their divine calling as God ’s chosen people; family relationships and genealogical records were highly valued. Godly parents were ve...

in the . (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) This ancient clay cylinder dates from the sixth century BC and contains a declaration from Cyrus the Great .  The first section describes Cyrus ’ greatness and mercy—common themes in such declarations.  The second section, composed of Cyrus’ own words, describes how he returned captive peoples and their gods to their native lands.  It also records his hope that all the returned gods will intercede before Bel and Nabu (the chief Babylonian gods ) on his behalf. The description of Cyrus’ mercy and efforts to return captives supports the biblical account of Israel ’s restoration from exile ( Ezra 1 ). Ezra Introduction:  After being held captive in Babylon for decades, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple. The priest Ezra emerged from one of the first waves of refugees. He taught the people the law and reformed their religious life so the other nations around them could see the...

Cristo Redentor (Christ Redeemer) (Photo credit: bossa07 ) Luke 9:18–20 “Then he said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God’” ( v. 20 ). The title Christ is used more for Jesus in the New Testament (some 531 times) than any other title. It is important to remember that “Christ” describes a function or role of Jesus and is not His last name. Even though our English translations of the Greek New Testament usually refer to “Jesus Christ,” a more proper use of the title is “ Jesus the Christ .” Still it is not inappropriate to say “Jesus Christ” or to refer to our Lord simply as “Christ”; after all, He is the Christ par excellence, the final holder of the title and the One in whom it finds its greatest fulfillment. As you might have deduced from the preceding paragraph, we call Jesus the “final Christ” because in actuality, many people have held the same title. “Christ” comes from the Greek wordchristos, which is itself a translation of the H...