Read Jeremiah 50:1-3
The nation from the north was Medo-Persia, an alliance of Media and Persia that would become the next world power. Cyrus took the city of Babylon by surprise and brought the nation to its knees in 539 B.C. (Daniel 5). The complete destruction of the city was accomplished by later Persian kings.
At the height of its power, the Babylonian Empire seemed immovable. But when Babylon had finished serving God’s purpose of punishing Judah for her sins, it would be punished and crushed for its own. Babylon was destroyed in 539 B.C. by the Medo-Persians. Babylon is also used in Scripture as a symbol of all evil. This message can thus apply to the end times when God will wipe out all evil once and for all.