They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.
They are Babylon's idols, empty and worthless works of human error and delusion, which are confounded and broken and perish with the city left desolate when the time of their judgment and visitation comes. The declaration belongs to the divine message sent through Jeremiah to ancient Babylon when it had filled the cup of its iniquity, graciously warning and offering mercy and healing that was slighted and refused while its sins mounted up to heaven, so that she falls to rise no more. That word was fulfilled when the proud city and empire fell suddenly under Belshazzar while he and his lords felt secure, its idolatry bringing its destruction despite its power and wealth, as heathen historians testify in marking Babylon's fall before Persia takes its place. Ancient Babylon also serves as a type of mystical Babylon, so the judgment on the literal city reveals the fate of the great apostate system of the last days, with a double application to the ancient empire humbled by the Medes and Persians and by sudden transition to antitypical Babylon whose final destruction comes when God closes all earthly accounts. The idols men prize above God, with the earthly wealth and power tied to them, cannot save their worshipers, teaching cities and peoples who forget and defy God that false worship and wickedness will not endure but judgment will surely come.
Idols Exposed and Doomed
The "they" are Babylon's idols. They are vanity — worthless, empty and deceptive, the works of errors, delusion and human error, including its false principles.
In the time of their visitation, when the time of their judgment comes, they shall perish. That perishing is their being confounded and broken, with the city left desolate.
The idols that people prize above God cannot save their worshipers from destruction. The earthly wealth and power tied to those idols cannot save either.
Babylon's Fall Foretold
The verse is part of the divine message sent through Jeremiah to ancient Babylon when it had filled the cup of its iniquity, declaring impending judgment with gracious warning and proffered mercy and healing. That healing was offered but slighted, left unheeded and refused while her sins mounted up to heaven, leaving the record in Jeremiah 50 and 51 that she falls to rise no more. The final destruction of ancient Babylon set forth there vividly portrays the destruction to be visited upon modern Babylon in the day when God finally closes all earthly accounts in connection with the day of Christ and the end of the world.
It belongs to the great burden of prophecy against Babylon foretelling its destruction and doom. It was a prediction uttered many years before its fall, set among the detailed prophecies from Jeremiah 46 onward against the kingdoms surrounding Israel that foretold Babylon's doom. The ruins of Babylon by the Euphrates remain lasting evidence that these prophecies came true.
Its fulfillment is shown by the dispassionate testimony of heathen historians, marking the rise and fall of the head of gold, Babylon, before the silver Persian empire takes its place in succession onward to the end. The ancient city and empire fell suddenly under Belshazzar while he and his lords felt secure. Its idolatry and error brought its destruction despite its power and wealth, for its idols and false principles were empty products of error that perish when their time of judgment comes.
That destruction was not completed when the Persians overthrew Babylon. It came ultimately as the city gradually fell into decay and became desolate, fulfilling the prophecy literally. It was foretold as utter desolation, when the city would become heaps and be left without inhabitants.
It means Babylon shall become tenantless and desolate and never be inhabited from generation to generation, a land where no man dwells, empty, wholly desolate, utterly destroyed. It shall become heaps, pools of water, a wilderness, a dry land and a desert, a burnt mountain, a possession for the bittern and a dwelling-place for dragons, where wild beasts lie and houses are full of doleful creatures. There the Arabian pitches not his tent for dread of evil spirits and shepherds make not their folds, so that every passerby is astonished.
Type Warning and Application
Ancient Babylon serves as a type of mystical Babylon, so the judgment pronounced on literal Babylon in Jeremiah's day reveals the fate of Babylon the great foretold in Revelation, for that ancient power was a type of the great mystical Babylon of the last days. The prophecy does not foretell a rebuilding of old Babylon on the Euphrates followed by sudden destruction, for it embraces both the fall of the ancient city and the fall of the empire, which fell suddenly while Belshazzar and his lords felt secure. The prophecy of Revelation refers to apostate Babylon alone.
The prophecy has a double application and fulfillment, concerning in its type ancient Babylon humbled by the Medes and Persians, but by sudden transition portraying the day of the Lord in which modern Babylon with all sinners shall be punished as set forth in Revelation 18. It refers both to the fall of the ancient city and empire and to the fall of antitypical Babylon, the great apostate harlot-system ruling over the nations of the earth. The final destruction of ancient Babylon set forth in Jeremiah 50 and 51 is a vivid portrayal of the destruction to be visited upon modern Babylon, the confused religious world of the last days, in the day when God finally and forever closes up all earthly accounts in connection with the day of Christ and the end of the world. That visitation comes after she refuses to be healed and her sins mount up to heaven, so that she falls to rise no more.
In this application Babylon represents a religious system hostile to Christ that uses state power to spread false religion and suppress Christ's followers, and God's judgments oppose that system and defend and protect His people. Jeremiah's lament against Babylon bears witness to paganism's persecution of those loyal to God. The same judgment applies to the churches that reject the first angel's Advent message, which was meant to heal their confusion and worldliness, but their refusal leaves them fallen and without the Holy Spirit, with their worthless works of error perishing when the time of visitation comes.
The unheeded warning and doom stand as a lesson for cities and people who forget and defy God, the warning going unheeded until judgment comes. Their false worship, wrongdoing and wickedness will not endure, but judgment will come. Those under judgment perish.
They are Babylon's idols, empty and worthless works of human error and delusion, which are confounded and broken and perish with the city left desolate when the time of their judgment and visitation comes. The declaration belongs to the divine message sent through Jeremiah to ancient Babylon when it had filled the cup of its iniquity, graciously warning and offering mercy and healing that was slighted and refused while its sins mounted up to heaven, so that she falls to rise no more. That word was fulfilled when the proud city and empire fell suddenly under Belshazzar while he and his lords felt secure, its idolatry bringing its destruction despite its power and wealth, as heathen historians testify in marking Babylon's fall before Persia takes its place. Ancient Babylon also serves as a type of mystical Babylon, so the judgment on the literal city reveals the fate of the great apostate system of the last days, with a double application to the ancient empire humbled by the Medes and Persians and by sudden transition to antitypical Babylon whose final destruction comes when God closes all earthly accounts. The idols men prize above God, with the earthly wealth and power tied to them, cannot save their worshipers, teaching cities and peoples who forget and defy God that false worship and wickedness will not endure but judgment will surely come.
Idols Exposed and Doomed
The "they" are Babylon's idols. They are vanity — worthless, empty and deceptive, the works of errors, delusion and human error, including its false principles.
In the time of their visitation, when the time of their judgment comes, they shall perish. That perishing is their being confounded and broken, with the city left desolate.
The idols that people prize above God cannot save their worshipers from destruction. The earthly wealth and power tied to those idols cannot save either.
Babylon's Fall Foretold
The verse is part of the divine message sent through Jeremiah to ancient Babylon when it had filled the cup of its iniquity, declaring impending judgment with gracious warning and proffered mercy and healing. That healing was offered but slighted, left unheeded and refused while her sins mounted up to heaven, leaving the record in Jeremiah 50 and 51 that she falls to rise no more. The final destruction of ancient Babylon set forth there vividly portrays the destruction to be visited upon modern Babylon in the day when God finally closes all earthly accounts in connection with the day of Christ and the end of the world.
It belongs to the great burden of prophecy against Babylon foretelling its destruction and doom. It was a prediction uttered many years before its fall, set among the detailed prophecies from Jeremiah 46 onward against the kingdoms surrounding Israel that foretold Babylon's doom. The ruins of Babylon by the Euphrates remain lasting evidence that these prophecies came true.
Its fulfillment is shown by the dispassionate testimony of heathen historians, marking the rise and fall of the head of gold, Babylon, before the silver Persian empire takes its place in succession onward to the end. The ancient city and empire fell suddenly under Belshazzar while he and his lords felt secure. Its idolatry and error brought its destruction despite its power and wealth, for its idols and false principles were empty products of error that perish when their time of judgment comes.
That destruction was not completed when the Persians overthrew Babylon. It came ultimately as the city gradually fell into decay and became desolate, fulfilling the prophecy literally. It was foretold as utter desolation, when the city would become heaps and be left without inhabitants.
It means Babylon shall become tenantless and desolate and never be inhabited from generation to generation, a land where no man dwells, empty, wholly desolate, utterly destroyed. It shall become heaps, pools of water, a wilderness, a dry land and a desert, a burnt mountain, a possession for the bittern and a dwelling-place for dragons, where wild beasts lie and houses are full of doleful creatures. There the Arabian pitches not his tent for dread of evil spirits and shepherds make not their folds, so that every passerby is astonished.
Type Warning and Application
Ancient Babylon serves as a type of mystical Babylon, so the judgment pronounced on literal Babylon in Jeremiah's day reveals the fate of Babylon the great foretold in Revelation, for that ancient power was a type of the great mystical Babylon of the last days. The prophecy does not foretell a rebuilding of old Babylon on the Euphrates followed by sudden destruction, for it embraces both the fall of the ancient city and the fall of the empire, which fell suddenly while Belshazzar and his lords felt secure. The prophecy of Revelation refers to apostate Babylon alone.
The prophecy has a double application and fulfillment, concerning in its type ancient Babylon humbled by the Medes and Persians, but by sudden transition portraying the day of the Lord in which modern Babylon with all sinners shall be punished as set forth in Revelation 18. It refers both to the fall of the ancient city and empire and to the fall of antitypical Babylon, the great apostate harlot-system ruling over the nations of the earth. The final destruction of ancient Babylon set forth in Jeremiah 50 and 51 is a vivid portrayal of the destruction to be visited upon modern Babylon, the confused religious world of the last days, in the day when God finally and forever closes up all earthly accounts in connection with the day of Christ and the end of the world. That visitation comes after she refuses to be healed and her sins mount up to heaven, so that she falls to rise no more.
In this application Babylon represents a religious system hostile to Christ that uses state power to spread false religion and suppress Christ's followers, and God's judgments oppose that system and defend and protect His people. Jeremiah's lament against Babylon bears witness to paganism's persecution of those loyal to God. The same judgment applies to the churches that reject the first angel's Advent message, which was meant to heal their confusion and worldliness, but their refusal leaves them fallen and without the Holy Spirit, with their worthless works of error perishing when the time of visitation comes.
The unheeded warning and doom stand as a lesson for cities and people who forget and defy God, the warning going unheeded until judgment comes. Their false worship, wrongdoing and wickedness will not endure, but judgment will come. Those under judgment perish.