The City of God vs. The City of Man
Babylon was a corrupt nation and one of the greatest (i.e. largest) cities in the ancient world. The words of their ruler, King Nebuchadnezzar, really epitomize the views of the nation as a whole: “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty” (Dan. 4:30)? Babylon was a city of arrogance and idolatry, and wholly contrary to the way of God. So Arnold writes, “The history of the OT period led Israelite authors to characterize Babylonia as the place of religious hubris and degrading idolatry, tantamount to a refusal to worship or acknowledge the rightful place of the deity.”[1] It is partly because of their own evil and partly because they besieged Israel, and took its inhabitants captive, that Babylon becomes the symbol of the “City of Man” and all that is contrary to God. It is the city of Jerusalem that represents the city God desires.
The contrast between the two cities is not perfect. After all Jerusalem was far from righteous, in fact they were attacked by Babylon (and Assyria) because of their very lack of righteousness. But God has declared that Jerusalem would be the city that bears His name, and while many of these declarations are prophetic in nature (i.e. pointing to a future day) they are nonetheless meant to say something about the state of Jerusalem at the present time of their pronouncement. So Arnold summarizes nicely for us:
Jerusalem is specially significant for the prophets as the religious centre of the restored holy land (Ezek. 45:1-6). Yahweh has placed his name on Mount Zion, and it shall receive the gifts and adoration of many peoples (Isa. 18:7; Zech. 8:22-23). In this way Jerusalem represents the people of God, who will enjoy the salvation of God after a period of punishment for their sins. The word of God issues forth from Jerusalem (Is. 2:3); peoples gather to honor Him (Jer. 3:17); and the messianic king will appear victoriously (Zech. 9:9-10)… In the age to come, Yahweh’s rule will be firmly established in Jerusalem (Is. 24: 23; 65:18-19). Jerusalem will finally become a holy city and will never again be conquered by foreign nations (Joel 3:17).
While Jerusalem never quite achieves this status in the Old Testament, frankly it doesn’t even come close, these prophetic messages indicate that God has not given up on, abandoned, or changed His original design to have a city in which people worship Him. The New Testament picks up on these prophetic themes and builds upon them. So to the New Testament we now turn.
[1] B.T. Arnold, “Babylon.” New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. 394.
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