To what nation does Jeremiah 50-51 refer?

by John Holbrook Jr.
A Biblical View, Blog #006 posted August 22, 2016, edited December 26, 2022.

Preamble

Jeremiah has been called “the prophet to the nations.” In the Book of Jeremiah, he devotes the first forty-five chapters to Israel (Judah & Jerusalem). In chapters forty-six through fifty-one, however, he focuses on Israel’s neighbors – Egypt, Gaza (Phillistia), Jordan (Moab, Ammon, & Edom), Syria (Damascus), Saudi Arabia (Arabia), Iran, (Elam), and Iraq (Babylon) – and prophesies concerning what will befall them in the future. The United States of America does not seem to be among them – or is it?  (In trying to answer this question, I owe much to S. Franklin Logsdon’s Is the U.S.A. in Prophecy?, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1968.)

Section 1 -= The United States of America (USA)

The original explorers and settlers of America were European Christians. Christopher Columbus, whose name means “Christ bearer,” sailed westward with the belief that he had been given a divine mission to extend Christendom to a new world. Spanish Franciscan and Dominican friars moved into the southwest and French Jesuits moved into the northeast with the common mission of bringing the gospel of Christ to the natives, often suffering gruesome deaths at the hands of demon possessed savages.[1] Their sacrificial lives and martyr deaths planted the seeds for the spiritual phenomenon to come.  A lust for gold motivated the first settlers of Virginia, but the mission to build a New Jerusalem impelled the Pilgrim Separatists who left Holland aboard the Mayflower – the latter entered into a covenant with God and one another to establish a new society that would honor the biblical God and live according to biblical principles. They were followed by the Puritan Separatists led by John Winthrop, whose vision of this society as “a city on a hill” captured the imagination of countless of his followers in the next four centuries.

The founders of the new nation, most of whom were Christians, but all of whom were serious students of the Bible, took care to craft the foundational documents of the new nation according to biblical principles. The powers of the federal government would be limited to protecting society from outside invasion (using a citizens’ militia) and inside criminality (using an appeals court judicial system), punishing evil-doers, maintaining just commercial standards (particularly money, weights, and measures), regulating interstate commerce, and exercising stewardship over the public infrastructure.

In the 19th Century, America’s citizens set about building local communities from the Atlantic to the Pacific that were most notable for the number of their churches, which were filled with God-fearing and Bible-believing worshipers each Sunday. As a result, God blessed and protected the nation as he promises to do for a nation that honors him and his commandments in Deuteronomy 28:1-14, and it became that “city on a hill” of which John Winthrop spoke: the freest, richest, most powerful nation ever to exist – and the envy of the world.

In the last 100 years, the nation has undergone such a startling transformation that it would be unrecognizable to its pioneers, founders, and early citizens. The federal government has become a leviathan. Both its bureaucracy[2] and its budget[3] have become bloated beyond belief. Its currency has been debauched.[4] It has inexorably extended its control over the lives of its citizens. Its professional military forces consume more money than the military forces of all other nations combined, maintain posts in 146 other countries, and engage in aggressive violent actions that extend its hegemony over peoples who do not welcome the presence of either its soldiers and its merchants on their soil or the cultural pollution that inexorably follows from that presence. Worst of all, it has purged the honoring of the biblical God from its public spaces and institutions and extended legal protection to behavior that is abhorrent to God: the worship of false gods and idols; blasphemy; the neglect of parents; abortion and euthanasia; fornication, adultery, and homosexuality and the destruction of the family that follows there from; gambling and theft; and covetousness. State and municipal governments are no better, having merely followed in the federal government’s wake and emulated all its sins.

Not surprisingly, God has begun withdrawing his blessings and protection from the country,[5] For example, on January 28, 1986, hundreds of millions of people watched America’s space shuttle Challenger blow up with seven persons aboard, including a teacher. Yet few understood the lesson. At the time, the space shuttle was the pinnacle of American managerial, industrial, and technological achievement and represented America’s attempt, in President Reagan’s words, “to reach for the stars.” A similar attempt was made over four thousand years ago in Babylon when they said, “Let us build us a city and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven” (Genesis 11:4). But “…the heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16). He “…hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and hath determined the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). And “…though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down” (Amos 9:2).

Section 2 – Babylon-the-Great

In Jeremiah 50-51, “the prophet to the nations” wrote about the fate that awaits Babylon. I have often wondered about the identity of the nation which Jeremiah is describing. There may be two lands involved. While many of the references to Babylon obviously refer to the Ancient Babylon of the 1st millennium BC, a significant number do not, but they do fit the United States of America of the 21st century AD.

Ancient Babylon did not have a mother that was “sore confounded” (Jeremiah 50:12), whereas the USA’s mother, England, has been “sore confounded” ever since the end of World War II.

Ancient Babylon was not “the hindermost of the nations” (Jeremiah 50:12) – it was the first – whereas the USA is the hindermost (last or most recent) of the great nations.

Ancient Babylon was not “the hammer of the whole earth” (Jeremiah 50:23), whereas at the start of the 21st century the USA is – to quote Madeleine Albright and many others after her, including President Obama – “the indispensable nation.”

Ancient Babylon was not inhabited by “mingled peoples” (Jeremiah 50:37), whereas the USA is a mixture of immigrants from every other nation in the world.

Although Ancient Babylon enjoyed a measure of wealth and power, she was not “a golden cup in the Lord’s hand” (Jeremiah 51:7), whereas the USA is far and away the richest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen.

Ancient Babylon did not make “all the earth drunken…[and]…mad” (Jeremiah 51:7), whereas the USA has exported its commercialism and debased culture to every nation on the globe.

Ancient Babylon did not ‘dwell on many waters’ (Jeremiah 51:13) – only a small portion of it touched the Persian Gulf – whereas the USA sits amidst the Great Lakes to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

In my opinion, Jeremiah may have been addressing the USA of the 21st Century. If he was, the USA will be destroyed suddenly and utterly in an hour.[6]

Section 3 – Important Caveat

In conclusion, I should add that there are some problems involved in identifying the nation of Babylon in the Book of Jeremiah with modern America (the USA).

First, if Babylon-the-Great refers to the USA, then ancient Babylon is missing from Jeremiah’s list of nations, which would be strange because it was the first nation and dominated the ancient world for about 339 years (2297-1958 BC).

Second, Babylon-the-Great is mentioned in both (1) the Book of Jeremiah, where it clearly symbolizes a nation, and (2) the Book of Revelation, where it clearly symbolizes a horse and its rider. It seems strange to me that the same name would refer to two such different entities.

Third, if the horse and its rider refer to Romanism and the antichrist (the papacy), which is maintained by the Historicist School and by me, it might refer to Vatican City, which is regarded by many as a separate nation within Italy. If so, it could not be the nation to which Babylon-the-Great in Jeremiah refers, because, like Ancient Babylon, it does not fit what Jeremiah says about Babylon-the-Great.

Nonetheless, even if Babylon-the-Great in the Book of Jeremiah is not a reference to the USA today, it still serves as a warning: the USA is following in the footsteps of ancient Babylon and will probably suffer the same fate as Babylon-the-Great.

© 2016, 2022 John Holbrook Jr. _____________________________________________________

[1] The myth of the noble savage is just that – a myth.

[2] By 2006, national, state, and municipal governments employed over 40% of workers in the country, most of whom earned more and possessed better pensions than their counterparts in the private sector.

[3] Over $2.5 trillion a year and growing.

[4] The dollar is worth 1% of what it was worth in 1913  when congress delivered it into the hands of the Federal Reserve, a private corporation owned and operated for the benefit of the country’s largest banks.

[5] Compare the curses in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 with what is happening in the U.S. today.

[6] Jeremiah 51:8.

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11 thoughts on “To what nation does Jeremiah 50-51 refer?”

  1. I appreciate you article. I believe you are absolutely correct as a matter of fact I believe that America is the Great Whore of Revelation 17 and 18. Much of the same terminology that you find in Jeremiah 50 51 is he in Revelation 17 and 18. It is also important to note thank God only uses the title “whore” when he addresses a City or Nation that once knew him but then spiritually forsaken God and going after false gods. This also fits the United States of America to a T. I could go on and on about it but you get the gist of it. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments I would really appreciate hearing from you. Yours in Christ, Roger.

    1. Roger: Thank you for your interest in my site. I am glad that you agree with my post about the USA being the subject of Jeremiah 50-51. As I mentioned in my reply to another comment regarding this post, I become more convinced of it with every passing day. Shalom John.

      1. I “knew” about 25 years ago that Jeremiah 51 was the USA. I saw it immediately. It freaked me out so badly back then that I steered clear of Jeremiah for years. I am now reading it again, and still seeing the correlation. The USA is done. You can put a fork in it. I am writing this 11-19-22. I was thinking this morning about turkey and trimmings. I like the food, but not the holidays, as they are ALL pagan. Then, a thought crept into my mind: We may not make it until the 24th. People are occupied with the “holidays”. Mene mene tekel upharsin comes to mind. Handwriting on the wall. Sudden destruction. I don’t make this up. I am not a prophet, preacher or anyone special. Praise God. His will be done.

        1. Thank you for your comment.

          As I pointed out in my blog, the identification of Babylon-the-Great with the USA is not as ironclad as you suggest. On the one hand, in Jeremiah 50-51, the description of Babylon-the-Great does not fit ancient Babylon, but it does fit the USA – exactly. On the other hand, in Revelation 17-18, Babylon-the-Great is identified as the Mother of Harlots, which I believe is a reference to the Roman Church.

          Best, John.

  2. You are correct about the USA being Babylon the Great. I first knew of this in 1990, and sadly, most Christians can’t accept this fact. This country has also “crucified” Jesus by turning their backs on Him (Revelation 11:8), and maybe even His Two Witnesses will also be martyred by crucifixion in the USA/Babylon the Great/”the Great City”.

    1. William: Thank you for visiting my site. I am glad that you agree with my post about the USA being the subject of Jeremiah 50-51. I become more convinced of it with every passing day. Shalom John.

  3. I enjoyed your post and it is so educational, and I totally agree with you that the USA is Babylon in the 21st Century, so many idols are being praised and God is a jealous God. We have to continually pray for the people blinders to be taken off of their eyes and that everyone will get back on their posts. He is soon to return the handwriting has been on the wall for a very long time. Especially with all these sex changes and people letting everything go, no morals or respect, characteristics are not of God. Help the people of God repent and get back in alignment with God. I have RSVP my yes in all my ways and I will be at his celebration once he returns to this place. Those who have not RSVP will spend eternity in HADES (Hell). Thank you Man of God.

    1. Thanks for your comment.

      Regarding Babylon-the-Great referring to the USA, please see my reply of today to C’s most recent comment on this blog.

      Best, John.

  4. Count me as another who believes both Jeremiah 51 and 50 are about the United States of America. Interestingly, there is a passage in I think 50 where God eyes America cunningly and says to himself, “Surely I shall fill thee with men as with caterpillars”. I immediately was brought to mind the Latino invasion. The “golden cup” brings to mind Liberty, who is made of copper and looked, originally, a blazing bright gold color especially at dawn and sunset. I am convinced 50 and 51 refer to America and there is no way out. I became so convinced in fact I left America, fully stressed by the situation of being there, and am in a deep depression now watching from afar as she continues to mysteriously suicide before the world’s eyes.

    The deeper question, however, is who the Chaldeans are. As a person of color it fascinates me whites and white preachers never, ever address this question, although the Chaldeans are mentioned side saddle with destructed Babylon in nearly every verse in both chapters and at every turn. They are labeled a “bitter and hasty” people filled with “arrogance”, who are “as fat as the heifer” and who “bellow like bulls”. Babylon and the Chaldeans are described as mirror images of each other and sibling sinners whose fates are intertwined, who are one another, and who rise and fall together for identical sins. I’m going to say it.

    Chaldea is the white race, and until you guys fully GET. THIS., and correct yourselves for your unique, undeniable sins, among them rampant homosexuality, transgenderism, dog bestiality and innumerable other offenses against God, you’re doomed. You are the Chaldeans referred to by Jeremiah, and Babylon is your final empire. Get it or don’t. Fix it or be sent to hell.

    Simple as.

    1. Thanks for your comment.

      First, regarding Babylon-the-Great referring to the USA, please see my reply of today to C’s most recent comment on this blog.

      Second, I grow weary of the trend of the day to interject race into the discussion of every topic. What is important is to regard every person (a) on the one hand as having been made in the image of God by our Creator (Gen 1:28) and therefore as being worthy of both respect and respectful treatment, and (b) on the other hand as being a sinner and therefore in need of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ – all of which applies to me.

      Third, the Chaldeans were Mesopotamians. I believe that the Hittites are a figment of archaeologists imagination and that the documents found at Boghaz-Koi represent the Chaldean archives of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (603-487 BC), the kings of which were the following: Nabopolassar II=Mursilis, Nergilissar I=Nergil I, Labash Marduk, Nebuchadnezzar=Hattusolis, Amel Marduk=Evil Marduk, Nergilissar II=Nergil II, Labash Marduk II, and Nabonidus, with Belshazzar as his co-regent who was presiding over the city when it fell to the Persian king Darius I=Darius-the-Mede.

      Fourth, the judgment of the white race – or any other race – might best be left in God’s hands. Every race consists of individuals, all of whom are unique and thus differ sharply in the their thoughts, words, and deeds, all of which are known to God, but not to us.

      Best, John.

  5. After reading the above comments, I want to make my view of Babylon-the-Great a bit clearer. I believe that the USA is either (a) the Babylon-the-Great in Jeremiah 50-51 itself, which appears to be contradicted by Revelation 17:5 (this verse gives the name “Mystery, Babylon-the-Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth” to the antichrist, who is riding a scarlet beast) or (b) a nation for which the Babylon-the-Great in Jeremiah is a foreshadow or type. Our forefathers honored the Biblical God and his commandments and raised their children to do likewise. In recent years, however, we have turned away from honoring him and his commandments, and our descent into apostasy and depravity has been stunningly swift. Now I wonder daily at the longsuffering, mercy, and patience that has kept him from pouring out his wrath upon us thus far. We must realize that he will not stay his hand forever. Unless we repent, beg for his forgiveness, and return to honoring him and his commandments soon, he will destroy us, just as he has warned us in his Word, the Bible, which is trustworthy in all respects.

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