In this message I would like to give a brief further word concerning Babylon.
After writing concerning Israel, God's chosen people, Jeremiah wrote six chapters concerning the nations involved with Israel. His writing concerning these nations begins with Egypt and ends with Babylon. As we have seen, Egypt typifies the world of making a living and of enjoyment. Now we need to see that Babylon is not only the end but also the beginning of human government.
The great human image in Daniel 2 represents the totality of human government on earth, which began at Babel and ends with the Roman Empire. The head of that human image is Babylon, and the feet and the toes are the Roman Empire. But in God's eyes the entire image is Babylon.
According to the historical understanding, the four parts of the great image represent four empires—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Macedonia-Greece, and Rome—but in the sight of God all these empires are Babylon. Since the head of the image is Babylon, the entire image from the head to the toes must be Babylon. Thus, in the eyes of God, the entire human government of the human race on earth is Babylon.
In Revelation the restored Roman Empire is called Babylon the Great (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2). Babylon the Great has two aspects—a political aspect (Rev. 18) and a religious aspect (Rev. 17).