The Hanging Gardens of...

Where are the hanging gardens??

I've been reading through Jeremiah and was struck by all the predictions regarding the demise of Babylon, now Iraq, and parts of Iran. Much his prophecy has come to pass, though there is yet a further devastation to come. We can count on it. Anyone who says otherwise is ignoring the evidence of their eyes, not to mention the Word of God. We get to see that wasteland frequently on TV. And, looking at shots of the country on nightly news, many of us are amazed anyone would live there.


Babylonia is indeed a desolated land today. It was not always, apparently. The city of Babylon was once known as the city beside many waters, famous for its hanging gardens.

"The Lord will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be cut off." Jeremiah 51:13 "She will be the least of the nations - a wilderness, a dry land, a desert." Jeremiah 50:12- and many similar verses.

God's Word is true, all the time. But, what can I learn from this? What is the personal application here? For one thing, it is an encouragement to us all, that yes, the evil in the world will be righteously judged, and come to an end. I can trust what the Scriptures tell me. And, when it says,

"Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins."
Jeremiah 51:6a

I can take that to mean, in my own life, don't be tempted to blend in, adapt the standards, goals and criteria of the world. Don't be afraid to be different.