A.T. Jones (1850-1923)

This fall was foretold over and over in the word of the Lord by his prophets; it was proclaimed in Babylon by the public reading there of the word of the Lord concerning Babylon; all who were the Lord's people, or who would be the Lord's people, were called to leave Babylon, that they might not be taken in her fall; signs were given by which all might certainly know when to forsake her, and how she would be overthrown. All this was made plain to all by the word of the Lord.

Isaiah proclaimed the message of a vision declared unto him, in which Elam and Media were to go up and the siege; and in a "night of pleasure," of eating and drinking, the watchman would cry, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground." Isa. 21:1-10.

The same prophet also wrote to her of her pride and her wickedness, saying: "Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee: thou shall not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee, which thou shalt not know." Isa. 47:11. He wrote plainly the name of the man—Cyrus—(some hundred and sixty years before Jeremiah), who would lead the forces in the overthrow of the city. Isa. 45:1-7. He also wrote, "Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed the servant Jacob." Isa. 48:20.

In Jeremiah 50 and 51 is written "the word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet." Jer. 50:1. In these two chapters there is given an account, even to [its] particulars, of the fall of Babylon written more than half a century before the time. This account was sent to Babylon by a prince of Judah, who, when he arrived there, was to stand in the broad street of Babylon by the river Euphrates, and "read all these words." And when he had read the words, he was to have exclaimed, "O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever."

And when he had spoken these words, he was to bind a stone to the manuscript, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates, and say, "Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her." Jer. 51:64.

And all that the Lord had spoken, and that the prophets had written, came upon Babylon. Babylon did fall. In her iniquity she fell, and because of her iniquity she fell. And this, not because it could not have been otherwise, but because she would not have it otherwise. For the Lord would have healed Babylon; but she would not be healed. His people were there for that very purpose; but when she would that be healed, they were obliged to forsake her, and go everyone to his own country; for her judgment reached unto heaven, and was lifted up even to the skies, "Foreigners (the Jews) living there said, We tried to help Babylonia, but it was too late. Lets leave now and go back home. God has punished Babylonia with all his might and has destroyed it completely.", Jer. 51:9 GNB. So Babylon was left to her fate, and sank to rise no more at all.

So much for the Babylon of the book of Daniel and of the days of Daniel.

But now there is a Babylon of the book of Revelation, and of our days—the last days.

What means the Bible word [to say] concerning a Babylon of the last book of the Bible and of the last days? What does it mean unless it be that the world of the last times is to become like the Babylon of those other days, and is to come to the same end as did the Babylon of those other days? If that is not the lesson in it, then there is no lesson in it. The term "Babylon," written so often in the book of Revelation, and of the last times, is meaningless if it does not mean that the last days, and the world of the last days, will be such as was Babylon in her last days.

Why was the fall [of] Babylon proclaimed in old time? and why is the fall Babylon proclaimed in the last times? [300] Why, unless there is to be a Babylon to fall in the last times as certainly as there was a Babylon in old time to fall?

Why was the judgment of God to be visited upon Babylon in old time? and why is the judgment of God to be visited upon a Babylon of the last times? [320] Why, unless there is to be a Babylon in the last times as certainly as there was a Babylon in old time?

Why were the Lord's people called out of the Babylon of old time? and why are the Lord's people called out of the Babylon of the last times? Jer. 51:6, 45; Rev. 18:4. Why, unless the Babylon of the last times terms herself in iniquity as did the Babylon of old time?

Why was it that the messenger in Babylon of old time ended his message by casting a stone into the midst of Euphrates, and exclaiming, "Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her," Jer. 51:61-64? And why is it that, at the close of the message concerning the Babylon of the last times, a mighty angel takes up "a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall the great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." Rev. 18:21. Why, unless there is to be a Babylon in the last times to sink, and that [it] will sink, as certainly as there was a Babylon of old time to sink, and that [city] did sink?

Why was it that, at the noise of the fall of the Babylon of old time, the earth was moved, and the cry was heard among the nations? And why is it that, at the fall of the Babylon of the last times, "the kings of the earth. . . bewail her, and lament for her," and that their cry is heard among the nations? Jer. 50:46; Rev. 18:9, 10, 15-19. Why [is that recorded], unless the judgment upon the Babylon of the last times is just as real and as terrible as was that upon the Babylon of old time?

Why was it that when the Babylon of old time fell, so at [Revelation's] Babylon there fall also the slain of all the earth? And why is it that when the Babylon of the last times falls, there is found in her "the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth?" Jer. 51:49; Rev. 18:24. Why, unless the Babylon of the last times is just as wicked, just as cruel, and just as impressive, as was the Babylon of old time?

Why was it that when Babylon of old time fell, the heaven and earth, and all that was therein, were called to "sing for Babylon?" And why is it that when the Babylon of the last times shall fall, the word will be, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets?" Jer. 51:48; Rev. 18:20. Why, unless it is a thing to rejoice [for] heaven and earth to be freed from the curse of the Babylon of the last times as readily as it was of the Babylon of old time?

But why call attention to any more parallels? Is it not perfectly plain that there is a Babylon of the last times that is a complete repetition of the Babylon of old time? Is there not a real Babylon in the book of Revelation just as there is a Babylon in the book of Daniel? Is there not a Babylon of our days as real as there was in the days of Daniel? And is not this Babylon of the last days to sink under the judgments of the Lord as really as did the Babylon of old? When that judgment was written for the Babylon of old, was it not at the same time written: "This is the purpose that is purposed upon the earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed and to shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and to shall turn it back?" Isa. 14:26, 27.

Why talk then about a millennium—unless, indeed, it [shall] be a millennium of ruin and waste in this [time] and desolation? Did Babylon of old have a millennium of any other kind than of ruin, waste and desolation, swept "with the bosom of destruction," "a possession for the bittern (a type of wetland bird) and pools of water," "as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah?" Isa. 13:19; 14:22, 23; Jer. 50:40.

Why talk then about the conversion of the world? Was the Babylonian world of old time converted? Did she sink because she was converted?—She would not be converted. She sank because she was overwhelmingly wicked. And the Babylon of the last times is just like her. And thus with violence shall Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

"Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached and the heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." {A.T. Jones, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, June 14, 1898, p. 381.1-8}

[CIAS: We adjusted some grammar in [] to make it easier to read.]

[300] The Fall of Babylon in Today's Iraq by the Medo-Persians in 538 BC: "And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground." Isa. 21:9;

Jeremiah 51:8 "Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed. . . .
51:47 Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. . . .
51:49 As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth. . . .
51:58 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary." Jer. 51:8, 47, 49, 58;

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Rev. 14:8;
"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Rev.18:2.

[320] "The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah."Isa. 13:1, 19;
"For I will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord." Isa. 14:22;

Isaiah 47:5 "Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms. . . .
47:7 And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.
47:8 Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
47:9 But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
47:10 For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
47:11 Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know." Isaiah 47:5, 7-11;

Jeremiah 50:9 "For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
50:10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.
50:11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
50:12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
50:13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
50:14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.
50:15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
50:16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
50:28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.
50:29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel." Jer. 50:9-16, 28, 29;

"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. . . .
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled." Rev. 17:1, 16, 17;

Revelation 18:6 "Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come."