lestine strip, was the centre of a
world power in the early ages. It has been the world capital. And it has
in turn been fought over and conquered by every world power. No city has
been a world centre of action during as long a stretch of time, and to
as many different nations.

Out from this centre the action of the Bible reaches north to Russia,
south to Africa (Ethiopia), east to China (Sinim, Isaiah xlix. 12), and
west to Spain. That practically includes the world of our day. America
is of course merely a transplanted seedling of Europe.

Those great Hebrew leaders called prophets had a world outlook. They
were world messengers. It is intensely interesting to take a piece of
paper, and pencil a rough map of the nations named in their messages,
notably Isaiah,[107] Jeremiah,[108] Ezekiel,[109] and Daniel.[110]
Beginning at Jerusalem and Israel they reach first this way, then that,
up and down, back and forth, until the whole world of action of that day
has been touched. They were men of world size. They had a world outlook
and a world message.

But then God's man always has. The world outlook of Jesus was
tremendous. And every true disciple of Jesus Christ has the world
outlook. Grace broadens as well as refining. It is one of the endless
outworkings of sin that tends toward that narrowing provincialism which
everywhere hinders so much, and so intensely.

Now in this world map in the Bible geography two cities stand out beyond
all others, Jerusalem and Babylon; Jerusalem the centre of God's people
and of God's plans, Babylon the centre of the opposing worldly power.
These are the two outstanding cities of the Bible world.

Between these two there is an enmity and warfare that is practically
continuous. Jerusalem comes to be the typical of God's people and power
and kingdom. Babylon stands out likewise as typical of the power and
kingdom always and innately opposed to God and to His people. The
conflict between the two seems irrepressible and irreconcilable. It is
never out of view.

Babylon has been the centre, under successive dynasties, of a world
empire, including not only part of Asia, but reaching west to Europe and
south to Africa. It sat practically in the connecting strip of Orient
and Occident, ruling over both. In the dim dawn of history a
God-ignoring, and so really a God-defying and man-exalting movement,
centred in the city called Babel. And from that time on that city, and
its successor Babylon,