She will go down hard and she will go down fast. In one hour this city will be destroyed in what appears to be nuclear destruction. The smoke will rise into the skies for miles and miles. Television crews will be in unbelief as they trip over each other trying to get live footage on the air. Everyone will be gagging on fumes, gasping for breath as they lament the passing of such a great city. She will be missed by all the citizens remaining on the earth during this time forecasted in the future. But, there will not be a place to lay a flower or even a teddy bear with a note attached. People will be too terrified to approach. This mega-city will be completely vaporized and lying in a smoldering heap of God’s judgment. Her spiritual name is Babylon the Great.
We open today in Revelation, Chapter 18:
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’
“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
“Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:1-8).
The end-times Babylon is a highly debated topic in the eschatology world. I know; I have read more than a few books on this mystery city of the prophetic future.
Being a lover of eschatology and the book of Revelation, I just have to give it a swat.
So, here I go…..
First of all, I just have to open with a statement that will run throughout my entire article. It is this: I take this as a literal city, present now and into the tribulation. I do not see this city as a metaphor for something else. There is some symbolism represented here, and I will get into that. But, I cannot be someone else, and must report what I see here that is clearly evident to me in this passage.
I will start with her location and characteristics.
-She is a very modern, luxurious, godless city. If I had to pick a city of old to compare her to, I would pick these three:
1) Ancient Babylon: now, basically a ruin and tourist site. According to Roman-Jewish historian and scholar, Flavius Josephus, Nimrod was most likely the architect and driving force behind the building of the Tower of Babel. He was said to have led the people of God astray. God disbursed the people, confusing their one language.
Today, there is a palace there, built by Saddam Hussein; however, it is not occupied. Ancient Babylon was considered a great city and an architectural wonder of its day. It is not now the city it was long ago. I think the evil spirits that founded that city have a new place to abide and have moved from there to set up camp somewhere more accommodating. I feel that those evil spirits are now living large in a present-day, very populated coastal city.
2) Ancient Tyre: I picked this Roman port city because of its pagan worship, and it was a prosperous and lucrative seaport, as end-times Babylon is currently.
3) Ancient Nineveh: Just like Nineveh, end-times Babylon will be a large, capital city filled with pagan activity and godless living. Nineveh, as you remember, was the capital of the Assyrian Empire.
So, to sum up these thoughts on end-times Babylon and what is described as her characteristics according to this passage, they are:
-She is a modern version of her old self. The evil spirits that originally founded her have relocated to a new place. Demons live there, big time, and it sounds like a large congregation of them. Imprisoned, foul spirits are abiding in the lives of the people.
Unclean and caged birds is a representation of leaders who cage and trap their followers like birds—with false doctrine and anti-God teaching. This includes, in my opinion, those who appear to be teachers and leaders of Christianity—and are anything but Christian.
-She is a large city, possibly now a capital or was once a capital, and a coastal seaport. Imports are extensive, and containers come into the ports daily, loaded with luxury items from all over the world. Human trafficking is also prevalent, laced among her legitimate endeavors of trade.
“Merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory, every kind of object of most precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; and cinnamon and incense, fragrant oil and frankincense, wine and oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:12-13).
And, also,
“The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city that was clothed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.’ Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, 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).
-She has structures within her reminiscent of the architecture resembling the Tower of Babel highlighting her landscape, tall and towering and reaching to the heavens. At least one structure is among some of the tallest in the world. Also, seen around the city is architecture representing pagan deities and false Gods.
-She is a proud city in every way. All her leaders and officials are as profane as she is. They lead the way in every kind of sin and anti-God lifestyle.
-The entire city is not corrupt as God calls His people to come out before her destruction and not to share in her sins. If they respond, they will be spared.
-She rides upon the beast – the government of the Antichrist reigning during the seven-year tribulation.
“So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:3-5).
The end-times government reigning during the seven-year tribulation is symbolic here in the beast with the seven heads and ten horns. These world leaders are a ten-nation confederation formed from the revived Roman Empire who are ruling in the future described here. It will be a one-world government supremely led by the Antichrist. They all support the harlot – that is, until the very end, when suddenly the city is destroyed in one hour.
-As a city, she embodies every sin the Lord hates. She also has another big sin laid at her doorstep. She has shed the blood of God’s people from the beginning of time right into this end-of-days scenario. She has a lot of blood on her hands.
“And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth” (Revelation 18:24).
-Because she has so much demonic activity that has been present for some time now, the city will be rampant with many problems and social degenerative issues prevalent in our day.
Violence, crime, drug abuse and gang activity will be commonplace. Sexual crimes of all sorts will play out daily and be featured in the news. The abortion rate will be very high, and the homosexual agenda will be pushed upon the citizens in militant fashion. It will not be a city of law and order or anything that would be God-honoring in any way.
-This city will step forward and lead in the persecution of both Jews and Christians here in the end-times.
I have a feeling by the time the judgment described here comes, she will be the worst city on the planet. She is already on fast-forward to get there.
-God says she gets a double portion of His wrath because she deserves it. He is serving up justice for those she has destroyed in her quest to get to where she is. She has killed the people of God without any remorse. God has seen every wicked thing she has done and refused to repent of.
-She represents, as a city, everything that is evil and corrupt on this earth—all congregating into one place. Evil spirits always thrive and live in places where they are welcome. They have been welcomed with open arms into this end-of-days city.
End-times Babylon is a real city depicted here, just as real as the judgment forecasted long ago in these pages of scripture that will unfold in this future time. She is alive and well, here and now on earth, following down the path of no return—for herself and her unrepentant citizens.
-Her name has been changed; she is not known by the name Babylon at present. “Babylon the Great” is the spiritual name that God chose for her because that is the place of her origins.
I report, and you decide with all that I have shared today.
The best place to be right now is in God’s hands in a relationship with Him. Jesus Christ alone offers that to everyone. If you turn to Him, He will save you no matter where you live.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
The rapture is soon, and I want all my dear readers going with me!
Sally Law