A Tale of Two Cities

            In 1859 Charles Dickens published his most famous book called: “A Tale of Two Cities”.  The book is set during the French Revolution and deals with the contrasting people and their lifestyles in the cities of London and Paris.

            In the scriptures, we are introduced to the truth of two very different cities: Babylon and New Jerusalem.  Babylon was an ancient city described in Genesis 11.  The people of the earth gathered and began building a tower to the heavens.  They rejected God’s instruction to scatter over all the earth and attempted to establish a name for themselves.  God saw their arrogance and their self-willed attempts and confounded their languages and they scattered. Babylon in scripture, means rule without God.  It ignores the Bible’s teachings and exalts man and his accomplishments.  In the book of Revelation Babylon is the name of the kingdom of the Beast.  It is the final end-time kingdom that is organized in opposition to God and His people.  As the book of Revelation plays out, the kingdom of Babylon gains power until it falls with the return of Christ. 

Another city is described in Revelation.  God prepares the city of New Jerusalem for those who have placed their faith in Him.  It is the beautiful home of the saints called heaven.  It is the city that Abraham sought.  It is the place that Jesus described in John 14:2,3: “In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also”.

Babylon is the home of those who live their lives without God and His Word. It is also called the world where the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life rule.  But those who follow Jesus belong to a different city and one day we will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem.  Babylon or New Jerusalem, in which city do you have your citizenship?