Nebuchadnezzar had truly built a tremendously impressive city. Culture had risen to great heights in the Babylonian empire. Many people found the meaning of their lives in Nebuchadnezzar’s cultural development. It seemed that man would come to his goal through Nebuchadnezzar. It seemed that this king would lead man to his purpose, just like the tree of life could do in the thoughts of many people at that time. It appears as if the king of Babylon was able to realize the task given by God to mankind in Genesis 1:26–28. He seemed to be the tree of life.
You see here how the devil is always trying to be God’s imitator. He wants to do things so that it looks like God’s work, while in reality it is deception, counterfeit work. What is the big mistake in Nebuchadnezzar’s cultural development? It is the fact that it represents cultural development that does not come from the love of and for God. Therefore, it is also not cultural development according to the standards of the only Creator and God. The Lord and his glory are not the goal of this cultural development. This development of the culture is entirely the style of the great Babylon. It is the culture of a world that is centred around man. It is a culture so strongly focused on man and his sinful heart that it blinds people.
Here we see the building of the city of man of which we also read in Revelation 17:1–18 and Revelation 18:1–24. Developing the culture in this way may seem so beautiful. People are very attracted to it. Beautiful buildings, literature, art—all of these are focused on man and the glorification of people. Is that the true culture? Actually it is a sham culture if it does not arise and aim to honour the Lord. The glorification of man and his talents will not last. Nebuchadnezzar will also have to experience this in a painful way.
22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.