The Stranglehold of Babylon

Is idolatry simply the worship of things? Or are idols symbols for value systems? In scripture, idols are seen as symbols of value systems. Systems which have no value or power other than that which worshipers place in them are contrasted with the system God has established.

Idols then become symbols representing particular social, economic, political and religious views. When prophets criticized idols as simply being wood and stone, they also challenged the integrity and validity of the things that idols represent. Idols represent certain value systems and ways of life for their adherents. The temptation of Israel to follow these value systems was as pernicious for the ancient Israelites as it is for us today.

Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel lead all-out attacks on idols (Isaiah 41-44;45-47; Jeremiah 50-51; Daniel 3). Why? and What does it mean to us since these attacks are set against Babylon in the sixth century B.C.? Keeping in mind that Jewish prophets foretell the future by using events of the past, these attacks by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel are also attacks against the idols of our day and the Lord's people who worship these idols.

As we examine the ancient city of Babylon, her history is remarkable. Bel (also known as Marduk) and Nebo were this city's symbols. They represented the political, social, military, and economic system that produced successful empires. They were symbols of privilege, power and wealth. And they were also symbols of arrogance, pride and unbridled ambition.

Babylon, in Genesis 11, is the symbol of self-exaltation and revolt against God. Babylon's ambition was to be as great as God, to be independent of His rule. No idol is mentioned, as the city is her own symbol of idolatry. Babylon is also referred to as the "whore of the earth" and the reference of 'whoring after other Gods' is a reference to Israel and us choosing the ways and values of Babylon instead of the ways of our God.

According to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel, there is no element in Babylon capable of redemption or reformation. Babylon will be destroyed and human efforts cannot prevent the collapse of a false system, no matter how great. The idols of Babylon are useless for anyone except a successful warrior, and then only when he wins. Such systems only have place for a winner. The attributes of arrogance and pride fit the pattern of humanity's major sins (cf. Isaiah 2:-12-22). The Isaiah chapters (Isaiah 41-47) devote a major section (Chapter 47) to a description of Babylon's fall as mistress or queen of the nations. Babylon's humiliation and shame lie in the exposure that her claims and self-esteem were without basis. She had thought of her status and privilege as eternal. She thought of herself as autonomous and invulnerable. "I am, and there is none beside me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children" (Isaiah 47:8). She had no sense of accountability to God or mankind. She depended on sorcery and astrology, just as we depend on the economy, technology, human advancements and science. But she would come to recognize that these had no power at all to preserve or to save her (47:9-15). The treatment of Babylon and idolatry in Isaiah 41-47 is not primarily intended to give a historical presentation, but a prophetic one.

Israel anciently and we of the Lord's people today are tempted to commit ourselves to something of pure human fabrication rather than to what is of God. We fare "in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospers according to his genius, and every man conquers according to his strength" (Alma 30:17). These false tendencies of the mind that hinder clear thought are the essence of idolatry. And worse, the values represented by these idols either replace or exist side by side with the worship of the true God, and in many cases are thought to be the values of the true God.

What is it, then, of Babylon that has such a stranglehold on its people? Why are we tempted to commit ourselves to things of pure human fabrication rather than to what is of God? Even when the Jews had an opportunity to return to Jerusalem, most did not, but stayed in Babylon, even though they had been taken captive by this great world power. This was because it is so easy to assume the value of Babylon's values, her way of doing things, because Babylon was so successful. They failed to realize that they had been taken captive by Babylon--again!

The failure to recognize this captivity is the key to our undoing. Because the Babylonian system of society, economics, politics and human values is a human fabrication, it will, in time, collapse. It has no lasting divine sanction. The ultimate sin is to assume that these man-made institutions are in themselves of divine quality, that they will last forever. Babylon is not God, nor do her ways partake of the qualities of God's law. Even praiseworthy human values become a substitute for God's goodness and righteousness. We even ascribe these human values to God. 

But like ancient Israel, we are called to be the servants of God, even when we live and work in Babylon. But we must reserve our worship, our ultimate commitment, to God--it is His goodness and righteousness versus everything else. This commitment must stand above all other systems, parties and values. But in order for us to recognize this, we must understand and know that we are, at least for now, captives of Babylon and her man made systems. Isaiah calls upon us who are now living in a secular environment, to differentiate clearly between our loyalties to human structures, authorities and economies, and our commitment to our God, our Savior and our Lord. 

Among the Lord's people, however, the worship of the true God is rarely done away. Rather, we often worship the true God alongside the false gods. We maintain a careful equilibrium in order to preserve an identity with the God of Israel. At the same time we follow our own gods as we please. This compromise enables us to satisfy both our carnal instincts and our spiritual aspirations. It causes the Lord's prophets to cry, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Josh. 24:15) and "How long will ye halt between two opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21).

In fact in some instances the worship of the true God and false gods becomes fused. Then the concept of the true God gets distorted, while the false gods assume the authenticity and endorsement that belongs to the true God. It epitomizes the idea of "philosophies of men mingled with scripture." For the Lord's people this type of syncretism lies but one step away from severing spiritual roots. It forms the final stage of apostasy before the Lord brings on His judgment.

We must wait for our deliverance, but in the meantime recognize our captivity and pray for our deliverance. Our awareness of where we are must be clear. The reminder by many prophet-writers in the Book of Mormon to remember the captivity of Israel and Israel's deliverance is a reminder to us as well.  Not only are we captive to our sins and must be delivered, but we are captives in Babylon and must be delivered. But first we must believe that we must be delivered, and then want to be delivered. But in order to be delivered from, we must desire to be delivered to. But to what?

The antithesis of Babylon is Zion. Whatever Babylon is, Zion is not. And whatever Zion is, Babylon is not. Isaiah describes both in great detail and also prophesies what will become of both. And since all that Isaiah said has been and shall be, his description of both has historical as well as endtime prophetic significance. Isaiah identifies Babylon with all non-Zion entities (Isa. 13-23). These include the earth and the world, nations and alliances of nations, aggressive world powers, tyrants and oppressors, rulers and people of power, enemies and adversaries, and the wicked of the Lord's people.

If Zion consists of those of the Lord's people who repent, who return, and whom the Lord delivers, then Babylon consists of all who do not repent, who do not return, and whom He does not deliver. If Babylon stands for the world and the wicked whom the Lord destroys in his day of judgment, then Zion stands for what he does not destroy at that time. Isaiah describes the polarity between Zion and Babylon with many examples, all leading up to the Lord exalting Zion and destroying Babylon.

Throughout the scriptures, Zion is brought into the clearest focus by placing it against a dark background; and like Zion, that background world is given a code name: Babylon. Babylon, like Zion, is a real society—a type, place, and environment of human existence, described in the scriptures with great clarity and precision. (The word Babylon is not just a general term to indicate anything that is not Zion; it is the designation of a very particular and specific type of society.) Though Babylon is vividly described by the prophets, the best way to define her is as the exact opposite of Zion in all things. Babylon is just as pure in its way as is Zion; it is pure evil—for even good, when it becomes contaminated and perverted, becomes evil. The main thing is that Babylon and Zion cannot mix in any degree; a Zion that makes concessions is no longer Zion.

Isaiah prophesied, however, that many of the Lord's people would not be looking forward to Zion because they are so immersed in Babylon. Their preoccupation with the things of this world prevent them from discerning that Babylon will be destroyed. Having lost sight of Zion, and going about to establish their own righteousness, according to Isaiah, many of the Lord's people will be unprepared when the Lord sees fit to destroy Babylon. Isaiah observes an interdependence between Zion and Babylon--between the Lord's righteous people (those who repent) and the wicked (those who do not repent). Those of the Lord's people who do not repent will be the very people whom Lehi and Nephi saw in the large and spacious building. These prideful people compose the "multitudes of the earth" and the "house of Israel," who fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb (1 Nephi 11:34-35).

Without the prospects of Zion, however, many of the Lord's people will not be looking past Babylon, but only to a more comfortable life in Babylon. One of the reasons, I believe, that Christ commanded us to search the words of Isaiah was to prepare us for the days leading up to the destruction of Babylon. Isaiah emphasized the contrast between Babylon and Zion so that we would recognize our captivity and desire to be delivered from Babylon, so that Zion could be established. It seems, though, as if many of us have lost sight of Zion.

The Saints' early efforts to establish Zion did not yield the blessing that was promised. The Saints were unable to build up the Zion of which the prophecies speak. When their enemies came against them, God did not defend and prosper them as he did Enoch's people. They failed to establish the latter-day Zion because they were unschooled in the laws of Zion (D&C 105:2-10).

When Latter-day Saints recognize that they choose either Babylon or Zion, and cannot belong to both, perhaps there will be some awakening of a greater number of them who presently are not looking forward to being delivered from Babylon. Hugh Nibley, in his book Approaching Zion, articulates many problems we face today in becoming a Zion people. As he points out, instead of having become more Zion-like since the restoration of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith, we seem to have acquired more of the characteristics of Babylon. Instead of having become God's peculiar people, a nation of kings and priests, we have become, as some modern prophets have told us, an idolatrous people, a people under condemnation, treating lightly the things we have received.

If this is true, where do we go from here?

First, we must recognize where we are. We live in Babylon and our employer is Satan, or it is his system that we work and labor in. This has been true since the time of Adam, where Cain and many after him rejected God and chose to operate under Satan's system--which is Babylon.

Second, we must recognize that we are slaves in this system and cannot deliver ourselves from it. Like the children of Israel in Egypt, we are slaves in Babylon and must be delivered. At some point we will be asked to leave it and we must be prepared.

Third, we must recognize that there is something better and desire it--Zion or the Lord's law which will be established, whether we choose to leave Babylon or not. 

Fourth, we must feast upon His words and believe them--not treat them lightly. Through His words we come to know that Zion will be established by those who believe His words, exercise faith in Him and repent or turn to him and away from all that we are and away from where we are. Through His words we learn that the Prophet Joseph Smith laid the foundation for the latter-day Zion, and that callings and offices in the restored Church of Jesus Christ exist expressly for the purpose of establishing Zion and her stakes (D&C 107:36-37, 59, 74). The Saint's labors in the Lord's vineyard build up the Church, which helps to bring forth Zion (D&C 39:13). We will come to recognize that the purpose of the revelations given in the Doctrine and Covenants is to lay the foundation for the building up of the latter-day Zion. We must labor for Zion and not for money (2 Nephi 26:31).

Fifth, we must recognize that Zion can be built up only by the law of the celestial kingdom (D&C 105:5), meaning we must desire to live the law of consecration so that there will be no poor among us and we can prepare for the Lord's second coming. He will not come until Zion is established,. He has warned us that many among us will reject the fulness of His gospel, in which case it will be taken from us and given to the House of Israel who will hear His words, believe them and repent.

But are we enjoying Babylon so much that we don't even think of Zion? Are we like the Jews who were captured by the Babylonians and taken to Babylonia, only to want to remain even after they were free to go back to Jerusalem?