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www.truthworks.com          4 APR 03          devotion archive

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

I tell you the Truth,

At this very moment, Iraq is the center piece of focus for the entire world.  Most people are familiar with modern day Iraq, its leadership and its religion.  But there’s much more to this tiny country than what we see on the news.  Let’s look at a few things you may not realize.

Historically, the area of Iraq is deep in Biblical background.  Perhaps you remember the story of Jonah and the whale.  His journey took him to Nineveh, which is within the borders of modern day Iraq.

Iraq is also the home of the first major city.  Shortly after the great flood, Noah’s grandchildren settled in Iraq, building the first major city in history.  That city was Babylon.  Today, the world watches Baghdad.  But just a few miles south of the Iraqi capital is the ancient city of Babylon.  Babylon is the city which was ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar, the same king that threw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the fiery furnace.  Yes, this is the same city where the great prophet Daniel lived out his days under the rule of the Babylonians.

And this same Babylon represents all that is wrong with man and man’s sin problem.  Long before Nebuchadnezzar, when the city was first formed, the people plotted against God.

Genesis 11:
¹ Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
³ They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
⁵ But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. ⁶ The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
⁸ So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel -because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

While we tend to remember Babylon for its “tower,” the inhabitants there were disobedient from the beginning.  One of God’s first commandments to Noah was for his family to multiply and scatter throughout the earth.  But the grandchildren of Noah, the sons of Ham, saw fit to congregate and settle together in one place.  And as we just read, they were determined to reach heaven on their own.

Now, let’s turn our attention away from the lost cause of Babylon.  Let’s look at another city, a city ordained by God.

Revelation 21:
¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Jerusalem, which means “city of peace” or “foundation of peace,” is the capitol city of Israel.  Jerusalem is first mentioned in Genesis 14:18 with introduction of Melchizedek, king of Salem.  Later, the city was renamed to Jerusalem during the time of King David.

In these two cities, which lie so close together on the map of the world, we find symbolization of all religion.  It only takes a quick glance to realize the difference between the city that God confused and the city that God chose as his own dwelling place.

Babylon represents all of mankind’s attempts to work its way to heaven, attempting on its own merit to reach a God that can be overcome.  Babylon is every religion in which man attempts to earn his way through works and through personal sacrifice in order to obtain righteousness.

Jerusalem represents the complete opposite.  As we just read, the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven.  This city brings us hope, not despair.  It shows us the grace of God, as He descends down to us because there is no was for us to reach up to Him.

Two cities, so close together.  Yet two cities that are polar opposites in God’s design of this world.

Both cities remind us that we are not capable of righteousness on our own.  They remind us that pride and self-sufficiency lead to destruction.  They remind us that our only hope is in the God who comes down to man, not in the men who try to reach God.

Jerusalem is our future hope.  And we look forward to the day of hearing His voice announce that the time has come for Him to live with us.  On that day, Babylon will crumble again.  And the children of God will see no more death or mourning or crying or pain.

Your Servant,

Randy Hunt

Prayer Requests (and Praises!):
Your continued prayers for my father are appreciated.  He is about to complete his radiation treatment for his brain cancer.  Continue to pray for his salvation in the same prayer.  Thanks so much.
-Randy

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