Present-Day Prophecies - Isaiah and Babylon

In discussing religion with folks, sometimes the topic comes up of whether or not any Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled today, as we speak. I believe the answer is Yes. In fact, one Old Testament prophecy comes to mind that is simply irrefutable - the prophecy of the downfall of Babylon in Isaiah.

Isaiah began his ministry around 740 BC, and he lived until sometime around 681 BC. It is disputed as to whether he composed the entirety of the book that bears his name, as certain events place the 2nd half of the book at somewhere around 560 BC, however this is irrelevant concerning the prophecy of Babylon.

The earliest mention of Babylon dates back to the 24th century BC, in an Akkadian tablet. In Isaiah's time, Babylon was one of the largest (if not the largest) cities in the world - and was possibly the first city in the world to reach a population of 200,000. To put it in our perspective, we could equate Babylon to Tokyo or Los Angeles in terms of population.

In chapter 13, Isaiah announces the following prophecy: "Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations". To me, this is a horribly bold statement. Not only will one of the largest cities in the world be destroyed, but never again in the history of the world will anyone live in it. This, put in today's perspective, would almost be equivalent to a statement that Tokyo or Los Angeles would soon not only be destroyed, but moreover never again to be inhabited.

In Isaiah's time, the most important event regarding this prophecy was Cyrus' invasion of Babylon in 539 BC. The Israelites were currently in exile and in quite despair. Cyrus freed the Israelites from bondage and allowed them to return to their home country. While he conquered Babylon, it remained an inhabitable city nonetheless. However in 330 AD, Alexander the Great completely destroyed the city, laying it to ruins. It has been uninhabited since.

In 1985, Saddam Hussein attempted to begin rebuilding the city ontop of the old ruins, inscribing the following on many of the bricks: "This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq"^a. His project was halted with the US invasion in 2003.

Isaiah's prophecy of the fall of one of the largest cities in the world was in fact exactly fulfilled, and is one that we can actually witness today. Whether you are religiously oriented or not, this is simply fact.



^aNebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem in 587 BC and began the Babylonian deportation.