“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” – John 17:20-21
As you read the Bible, especially the Old Testament, it can be difficult to make sense of all the kings and nations. This is especially true in Daniel, as his prophetic missionary ministry in Babylon continued throughout the reign of four kings and also foretells of additional nations rising up in history after his death. For the original readers, these details would be as familiar to us as the high-profile nations and political leaders on the world stage that dominate our nightly news.
As a bit of a history lesson to set the stage for the book of Daniel, Babylon and the Babylonians are also called Chaldea and the Chaldeans throughout the Bible. Geographically, today we’d call this land Iraq.
In Daniel 1:2, Babylon is also called “Shinar.” We first learn about this region in Genesis 11:2. The context is the Tower of Babel. Following the great war in Heaven where Satan and demons tried to set up their own kingdom apart from God, this demonic effort continued as godless people wanted to make a great city and great name for themselves, complete with a high tower that reached up to the heavens so they could act like a god. God creates a Kingdom; Satan counterfeits with Babel.
Seeing this evil, God said that if everyone worked together, nothing would be impossible with them, and evil would only increase on the earth. To reduce evil on the earth, God confused their languages and scattered the people. The principle is that Satan’s team is often more unified than God’s people. Why? Satan attacks the unity of God’s people and blesses the unholy alliance of those opposed to God. For this reason, Jesus uses His longest prayer in John 17 to pray for Christians to have unity and not division. The point is that unified unbelievers are more powerful than divided believers.
In tomorrow’s devotional, we will discuss how the spirit of Babylon is still at work in modern times.
Take some time to pray for God’s Church to be united and strong against those opposed to Him.
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