Jeremiah 48
This chapter deals with the destruction of Moab by the “spoiler.” While as in all prophecies, it speaks anciently of Moab's destruction, prophetically it speaks of a nation in the future that may not be Moab in physicality, but Moab spiritually. In looking at the verses, we will see a parallel to the description of future Babylon, and how “the spoiler” (a name we have seen previously referring to the beast or antichrist) will destroy her. While it cannot be said that this is necessarily speaking spiritually of Babylon, the parallels are remarkable.
To show the parallels, I will give the verse from Jeremiah 48 and show the parallel verses from Revelation or other books.
Verse 2-3 “There shall be no more praise of Moab: in Heshbon they have devised evil against it; come, and let us cut it off from being a nation. Also thou shalt be cut down, O Madmen; the sword shall pursue thee. A voice of crying shall be from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction.”
Revelation 17:16-17 “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” Jeremiah 50:10, 26,37-38 “And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.....Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left....A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed. And drought is upon her water; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.”
Verse 6 “Flee, save your lives, and be like the heath in the wilderness.”
Revelation 17:4 “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Jeremiah 50:8 “Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.” Jeremiah 51:6 “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.” Jeremiah 51:45 “My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.” Isaiah 48:20 “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.”
Verse 7 “For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken: and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together.”
Isaiah 47:10 “For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me. Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.” Revelation 18:7 “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” Jeremiah 50:35 “A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.”
Verse 8 “And the spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape: the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken.”
Finally in this verse we see mention of the beast or antichrist by the name we have seen before, spoiler. The spoiler will come upon every city to destroy it, and none of them will escape from his hand. He shall destroy the valleys and plains as well, and the Lord has ordained it. Verses about Babylon that parallel this are the following:
Jeremiah 50:3 “For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.” Jeremiah 51:56 “Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite. And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.”
Verse 9 “Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away: for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.”
Revelation 17:4 “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Jeremiah 50:8 “Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.” Jeremiah 51:6 “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the Lord's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.” Jeremiah 51:45 “My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:13 “Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished and hiss at all her plagues.” Jeremiah 50:40 “As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.” Isaiah 48:20 “Go ye forth of Babylon, flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The Lord hath redeemed his servant Jacob.”
Verse 11 “Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed.”
Revelation 18:7 “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no window, and shall see no sorrow.” Isaiah 47:1 “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.” Isaiah 47:8 “Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow,l neither shall I know the loss of children.”
Verse 12 “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send unto him wanderers, that shall cause him to wander, and shall empty his vessels, and break their bottles.”
Isaiah 47:15 “Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.” Jeremiah 50:10 “And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:16 “Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.” Jeremiah 50:26 “Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.” Isaiah 13:14 “And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.”
Verse 15 “Moab is spoiled, and gone up out of her cities, and his chosen young men are gone down to the slaughter, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts.”
Jeremiah 50:10 “And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 13:18 “Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.” Jeremiah 50:30 “Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:32 “And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him uip: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.” Jeremiah 51:3 “Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.” Jeremiah 51:40 “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.”
Verses 16-17 “The calamity of Moab is near to come, and his affliction hasteth fast. All ye that are about him, bemoan him; and all ye that know his name, say How is the strong staff broken, and the beautiful rod.”
Revelation 18:5,8 “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” Revelation 18:10-11 “Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.” Revelation 18:15-19 “The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.” Jeremiah 50:23 “How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! How is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!” Isaiah 47:9 “But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.”
Verse 18 “Thou daughter that doest inhabit Dibon, come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst; for the spoiler of Moab shall come upon thee, and he shall destroy thy strongholds.”
In this verse we again see mention of the spoiler. This spoiler, which we know to be the beast (whether or not this is speaking of modern day “Moab” which is Jordan, or modern day Babylon, which I believe to be America) will spoil or take away the wealth of Moab as well as destroy its strongholds or places of military, as well as financial strength.
Isaiah 47:1 “Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.” Isaiah 47:5 “Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, the lady of kingdoms.” Jeremiah 51:30 “The mighty men of Babylon have forlorn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.” Isaiah 51:53 “Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 51:56 “Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the Lord god of recompences shall surely requite.” Revelation 17:16 “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” Revelation 18:7-8 “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” Revelation 18:19 “And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.”
Verse 19 “O inhabitant of Aroer, stand by the way, and espy; ask him that fleeth, and her that escapeth, and say What is done?”
Jeremiah 50:28 “The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple.” Jeremiah 51:10 “The Lord hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God.” Jeremiah 51:31 “One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end.”
Verses 20-25 “Moab is confounded; for it is broken down: howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled, and judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahazah, and upon Mephaath, and upon Dibon, and upon Nebo, and upon Bethdiblathaim, and upon Kiriathaim, and upon Bethgamul, and upon Bethmeon, and upon Kerioth, and upon Bozrah, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab, far or near. The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, saith the Lord.”
Jeremiah 50:2 “Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.” Jeremiah 50:46 “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.” Jeremiah 51:8 “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.” Jeremiah 51:47 “Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the mist of her.” Revelation 18:9-11 “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more.” Revelation 18:15, 18-19“The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing....And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate.”
Verse 26-27,29,42 “Make ye him drunken: for he magnified himself against the lord: Moab also shall wallow in his vomit, and he also shall be in derision. For was not Israel a derision unto thee? For since thou spakest of him, thou skippedst for joy....We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart...And Moab shall be destroyed from being a people, because he hath magnified himself against the Lord.”
Isaiah 47:6-8,10 “I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke. And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:.....for thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.” Jeremiah 50:11 “Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls.” Jeremiah 50:29,31 “Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel...Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.” Revelation 18:7 “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.”
This chapter goes on and repeats more of the same, so I will not cover the entire chapter, as this seems to be enough to show the parallel between Babylon and what is said of Moab. God uses the same imagery throughout the Scriptures, which clearly shows that God is the author of the entire Bible, and men were merely instruments through whom He wrote. It also shows that God wants us to see the spiritual parallels between these passages and realize that while they may have applied to the ancient lands which are mentioned in the immediate future of the writers, they also have a further application in our future. The fact that these were often not fulfilled in the completeness of literalness, but only partially fulfilled in the literal sense, or in some cases metaphorically fulfilled in the past, means that there is yet more to come. As some of these nations no longer exist in name, one has to then analyze as to whether it is referring in the future to the geographic area upon which the ancient nation existed, or is it spiritually referring to another nation, who spiritually fits the description, in the future. This is the difficulty in trying to understand prophecy. The parallels between the spiritual entity of future Babylon and future Moab can be seen. Does that mean it is speaking of the same future spiritual entity, or are there two spiritual entities? Or are they two geographic areas about which a similar prophecy is being spoken? Only time can verify an answer.
