Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, against those who dwell in Leb Kamai, a destroying wind. And I will send winnowers to Babylon, who shall winnow her and empty her land.” (Jeremiah 51:1, 2a) “Oh, how Sheshach is taken! Oh, how the praise of the whole earth is seized! How Babylon has become desolate among the nations! (Jeremiah 51:41)

The prophet Jeremiah wrote in a mystery during his later prophetic writings. He used a literary device known as Atbash[1]. In deciphering the obscure words ‘Leb Kamai’ and ‘Sheshach’ above noted, we discover that both words point to Babylon. Leb Kamai (Atbash for Chaldeans) means “they that dwell in the heart of those that rise up against me”[2] because the inhabitants of Babylon, the Chaldeans, were sorcerers, practiced astrology and worshiped other gods. Sheshakh (Atbash for Babel) refers to the whole land of Babylon (a/k/a Persia) and its history of rebellion. Bar Sheshach was a Persian Governor who believed in pleasure, did not worship G-d, and rejected a belief in the afterworld.[3] While most Bible expositors do not understand why Jeremiah used these code names for the Chaldeans and Babylon, I will present here a possible scenario based upon the apostle John’s description of Mystery Babylon as well as from Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah.

Jeremiah’s coded names have caused much speculation that Mystery Babylon is a nation or region that has similarities to the Babylon described in Revelation 17 and 18. Based upon Jeremiah’s cryptic references, it is likely that Jeremiah was speaking of a nation that will head an apostate world system that will eventually be centered in a region controlled by the Anti-Christ. Thus, Sheshach is the place where Satan will rule the apostate religions of the world at the end of this age. Leb Kamai is any place “Chaldeans of the world” dwell; they are all “the people who rise up against G-d”.

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth and said unto me, … ‘This is an ephah to measure wheat that goes forth. …This is their resemblance in all the earth.’ And, behold, … a woman was sitting in the midst of that ephah. And he said, ‘This is wickedness.’ … and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then … there came out two women, and … they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens. Then I said … ‘Where do these bear the ephah?’ And he said unto me,’ To build it a house in the land of Shinar:[4] and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.’” (Zechariah 5:5-11 KJV)

Bible scholar, E. W. Bullinger’s commentary on Zechariah 5:5-11 states that this must be a future event due to the context. When the time comes, he says, this place will be marked by commerce (ephah), false religion (the woman called wickedness), and speedy accomplishment (the wings of a stork). According to Bullinger, this will be preparatory to the final judgment of Babylon described in Revelation 18. He believes that the two women represent two nations that are similar. The stork (an unclean bird) indicates possibly two [5]apostate nations.

In many ways, America’s founding mirrors the founding of Israel by “Abram, the Hebrew”, which translates literally as “Abram the one who stands on the other side”. He separated himself from the people of Ur in order to pursue G-d. Likewise, the Pilgrims who formed the earliest permanent colonies in America (1620) were known as “separatists” who came from the other side of the ocean, from Europe to pursue religious freedom. And, just as the Hebrews eventually displaced the native Canaanites, the settlers of America eventually displaced the various native inhabitants. Both Israel and the U.S. are apostate nations in that both were founded upon a single religion, Israel upon Judaism and the U.S. upon Christianity. Today, both nations have ‘lost’ their founding principles and have taken on the identity of secularism. Both have become the “land of the Chaldeans” to a great degree.

Some ancient rabbis believed that Babylon’s power would be moved to the west of Egypt and Ethiopia beyond the ancient boundaries of Babylon, based upon scriptures from Isaiah.

“‘Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia[6], which sends ambassadors by sea, even in vessels of reed on the waters, saying, ‘Go, swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth of skin, To a people terrible from their beginning onward, a nation powerful and treading down, whose land the rivers divide.’” (Isaiah 18:1, 2)

While rivers divided the land of Babylon, the former Babylon was to the north of Israel, not to the west. Rivers also divide America, the most powerful nation on earth. Zechariah (5:10-11) speaks of ‘wickedness’ being taken to this mysterious Babylon, where it would eventually be housed.

“Another angel followed, saying, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon, that Great City,’ because she made all the nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality.” (Revelation 14:8 - MEV)

• Mystery Babylon is the home of “every foul spirit” (Revelation 18:2). Statistics show that America hosts 428 million pornography websites, or 60 percent of the worldwide total and houses the largest prison population in the world. Further, 1.6 percent of the 320 million Americans identify as gay or lesbian, and another 0.7 percent consider themselves bisexual, amounting to 7,360,000 people. That’s larger than the entire populations of 143 of the 242 nations of the world.  From 1973, when abortion was legalized, through 2011, nearly 53 million legal abortions have occurred in the U.S.

• Mystery Babylon is described as a great military power, the “hammer of the whole earth” (Jeremiah 50:23). The United States is the top military power in the world. America’s utmost border would be Alaska, which borders Russia to the west and north. Russia has just built a large military base in the Arctic region, directly north of the USA.

“The Lord has opened His armory and has brought out the weapons of His indignation, for this is the work of the Lord G-d of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses; cast her up as heaps and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left…Recompense her according to her work; according to all that she has done, do to her, for she has been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.” (from Jeremiah 50:25-29)

• Mystery Babylon must have a Great City with a deep-water port and must trade with many nations who become rich through their trade with her (Revelation 18: 17-19). The United States has many deep-water ports, its main port being New York harbor. America trades with almost every country in the world.

“The merchants … who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing … For in one hour such great riches came to nothing. Every shipmaster …and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance and cried out when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What is like this great city?’” (Revelation 18:15-18)

• Mystery Babylon will have a large population of Jews. America has the highest population of Jews second only to Israel. Many Jews immigrated to America from the various European nations as well as from Russia to escape persecution. G-d is calling His people, Israel out of ‘Babylon’ to return to their Covenant land.

“In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the sons of Israel shall come, they and the sons of Judah together… shall go and seek the LORD their G-d. They shall ask the way to Zion …saying, ‘Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in an eternal covenant that shall never be forgotten.’ My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have caused them to go astray… Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans….” (Jeremiah 50:4-8)

“O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon, thou must escape.” (Zechariah 2:7)

For those Christians, called sons of Abraham by adoption (Galatians 3:29), G-d is calling them out of the spiritual apostasy of ‘Babylon’. Moreover, many Christians will follow the Jews to the land of Israel.

“…In those days it shall come to pass that ten men of all the languages of the Gentiles shall take hold of the robe of him that is a Jew, saying, ‘We will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.’” (Zechariah 8:23)

• The punishment of Babylon will be great.

“O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness” (Jeremiah 51:13).

“Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called [7]The Lady of Kingdoms” (Isaiah 47:5).

“And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when G-d overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah…It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Her time is near to come, and her days will not be prolonged.” (Isaiah 13:19, 20a, 22b)

“Because of the wrath of the Lord she shall not be inhabited, But she shall be wholly desolate. Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified and hiss at all her plagues.” (Isaiah 50:13)

It leaves one to wonder how this sudden destruction could come. The Heritage Foundation explains “an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack represents one of the greatest threats imaginable—to the United States and the world. An EMP occurs when a nuclear device is detonated high in the atmosphere—a phenomenon of which America's enemies are well aware. If a nuclear device could be exploded 250 to 300 miles up over the middle of the country, it would disable the electronics in the entire United States,” says Nordling, president and CEO of Minneapolis-based Emprimus. “That would disable the entire electric grid. It would disable communications, it would disable fuel manufacturing and production, it would disable hospitals and medicines, it would disable 911 call centers. Everything else would be shut down,” Nordling says. “Water treatment facilities, food storage facilities, everything would be gone.” “Financial records would be wiped out. Your investments would be gone. Your medical records and prescriptions would be zapped.” Without electricity, America would “sit in silence and in darkness”.

The vast majority of Americans would die from starvation or disease or would freeze to death according to William Graham, who was chairman of the bipartisan congressional Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack. Only those that have prepared for such an emergency would survive.

An EMP attack would certainly make the land “wholly desolate” as prophesied in Isaiah 50:13 above. The United States would be vulnerable to attack and would no longer be able to protect Israel as her greatest ally, her big-sister nation. This would open the way for the nations of the world to come against Jerusalem, which is the ultimate goal of the enemies of G-d. In fact, the Muslims call America the great Satan and Israel the little Satan.

“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12:2-3)

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”  (Luke 21:20-22)

I am not placing a date or time on this possible scenario that would create the situation in which Israel would have to stand alone against the world. But, America could not exist as a super-power at the time the world comes against Jerusalem because the people of the United States would stand with Israel.  It is G-d's plan that this situation that would drive Israel to call out to the Lord for help. 

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my G-d; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry entered His ears.” (2 Samuel 22:7)