To Be 'Swept With The Broom Of Annihilation'

Ancient Babylon became "the jewel of kingdoms." (Isaiah 13:19; The New American Bible) This sprawling city was strategically located on the trade route from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, serving as a commercial depot for both land and sea trade between the East and the West.

By the seventh century B.C.E., Babylon was the seemingly impregnable capital of the Babylonian Empire. The city straddled the Euphrates River, and the river's waters were use to form a broad, deep moat and a network of canals. In addition, the city was protected by a massive system of double walls, buttressed by numerous defense towers. Little wonder that its inhabitants felt secure.

Nevertheless, in the eight century B.C.E., before Bablyon rose to the height of its glory, the prophet Isaiah foretold that Babylon would be 'swept with the broom of annihilation.'(Isaiah 13:19; 14:22, 23) Isaiah also described the very manner in which Babylon would fall. The invaders would 'dry up' its rivers-the source of its moatlike defense-making the city vulnerable. Isaiah even supplied the name of the conqueror- "Cyrus," a great Persian king, "before whom gates shall be opened and no doors be shut." - Isaiah 44:27- 45:2, The New English Bible.

These were bold predictions. But did they come true? History answers.

Next time: 'Without A Battle'

A Book For All People, 1997