IMAGERY OF BABYLON
The Bible introduces Babylon in Genesis as the place where people came together to build a city and tower that would reach to the heavens and make names for the builders. God spoiled the people’s plan, confused their language, and scattered them all over the earth because their ill-conceived plan to create a religion for themselves was not his idea.

God was also well aware of the potential people had to build powerful religious structures. When thinking about this structure, we must make clear that the story uses the imagery of a physical structure (i.e. a tower built with man-made bricks) to represent an organizational, institutional structure that is designed and built by men for personal religious motives (i.e. make names for themselves). None of this was God’s idea, just like it was not his idea for David and Solomon to build a physical temple.

Therefore, God was compelled to spoil their plans because he knew that the physical structures and the religions that they represented would attract many followers who would perceive that they could touch god and make names for themselves as religious people if they were part of an organized group that worshiped in a physical building where anyone could see them doing their religious activities.

God also knew that unified people with a common language (i.e. they were in agreement about their religious beliefs), and shared desire to create reputations as spiritual people (i.e. make names/reputations for themselves), would be successful in their efforts. For these reasons and the tendency of men to trust religious leaders who would teach them, God instructed Israel to come out of Babylon, to utterly destroy the religious nations of Canaan and to destroy Babylon.

It is important to review this history of Babylon because later Biblical references to it carry the clear inference that Babylon symbolizes institutions in which religious people build tower (i.e. religious organizations) that enable them to reach God. In more specific terms, Babylon is a man-made religious structure or organization that is designed and built by people for their own personal benefit (i.e. pride, make reputations/names for themselves as spiritual people.) But since religions always have specific locations usually called “holy places,” Babylon is also a physical place (e.g. church, ministry, synagogue, etc.) where religious activities are convened by religious leaders who have taken responsibility for building the religious structure and advancing it for their personal benefit.

Thus we should interpret Babylon as anywhere religion is practiced — not just as a place on the map. These symbolic Babylons exist in many forms.

Regardless of the form, Babylon always represents religion.