Dear children, have you ever heard the saying, “Babylon is fallen?” What does it mean? Babylon was an ancient city that we read about in history books and in the Bible. The name “Babylon” comes from the tower of Babel. You may remember the story found in Genesis 11:1–9:

“The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

The people building the tower of Babel were super-proud, so if their plan had worked, it would have made the earth a very bad place to live. These people were rebelling against God—and if they had been able to finish building their gigantic tower, their selfish attitude of trying to be the “boss” of the whole world would have caused a lot of crime and suffering. That is why God mixed up their language so they would not be able to complete their project. So, from that time on, the term “Babylon” has meant “confusion.”

Have you ever met people that are confused about Bible truths? They may claim that people go straight to heaven as soon as they die, or they may say that God has changed His holy day of rest away from the seventh-day Sabbath of the Bible. To try to mix Bible truths with false ideas causes confusion—being mixed up and not knowing what is going on.

Have you ever been confused? It’s not a good thing. How much better it is to follow Jesus who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)! With God’s Word as our Guide, we do not need to be confused. The psalmist gives a wonderful plan for the youth: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:9–11). Let’s not mix together with confusion. Babylon is fallen, but we do not need to be down in the ditch with her!—BHM.