Mystery Babylon | TheLastDays
Though there are many contenders, one of the most riveting images from the Book of Revelation is that of the “Great Whore” riding a scarlet beast—the antichrist himself. She doesn’t know it, but she is being carried to her doom. Such a divine judgment is pronounced upon her that all her wealth and worldly glory are destroyed in a single day. Even the beast is said to throw her down, trampling her the way rodeo bulls do their unseated riders. She is called “Mystery Babylon.” The larger part of that mystery, no doubt, is the “mystery of lawlessness” at work in the Last Days. The abiding mystery for us, however, is just who this fallen woman represents. Does she represent the United States of America?
And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. Revelation 18:2
All scripture citations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.
Chief Characteristics
Whole books are written about most of these crucial components. These characteristics are summaries of what is grounded in scripture, not fabricated through speculation.[i] Speculation is trying to “see” more than we are being shown. What we see by Biblical revelation is real enough, but a fuller view will only come as these still distant components draw nearer.
The woman John sees is a person of unparalleled depravity. If the beast she straddles stands for fierce, merciless brutality hell-bent on world conquest, this “great prostitute” represents “fun-loving” humanity going along for the ride. Where the beast is intense, humorless and driven by his dark purpose, the woman seems to recklessly live by the motto, “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” Make no mistake, at heart she is just like the beast. A born deceiver, she paints herself fantastically as the playful image of a godless lifestyle. Her charms are alluring, but they’re all a mirage like a harlot’s makeup or the thrill of intoxication. The ugly truth of her devotion to the beast and his ways is revealed by what makes her drunk: the blood of the saints. We’ve seen her before. Samson met her to his doom. Then, her name was Delilah.
Pre-Figured in Scripture
Every crucial component of the Last Days has already “appeared” in the Biblical prophetic narrative in the past, somewhat like a dress rehearsal for the final drama. These foreshadows are called “types” because they precede their ultimate expression (the “antitype”).[ii] As shadows of the future reality, however, they cast a revealing light of their own.
1. The Fall of Ancient Babylon
Founded by Nimrod, site of the Tower of Babel and center of Nebuchadnezzar’s power, Babylon must have seemed invincible to the conquered people who paid it tribute. Very likely, it also seemed impregnable to its proud citizens.[iii] For Babylon was not just a city state, but an empire located in Mesopotamia, the “land between” the fabled Tigress and Euphrates Rivers. A broad, deep moat surrounded the city’s mud brick walls which Herodotus the Greek historian described as being fifty royal cubits in width and two hundred in height.[iv]
Babylon had a well-earned reputation for wealth, power and the magnificence of its structures, including the famous hanging gardens. At city center a ziggurat (a pyramid shaped temple) rose to impressive heights, dedicated to their god, Marduk. They didn.t rule by brute strength alone. Babylonian mathematics, cosmology, and astronomy were highly respected throughout the Middle East. Babylon was a genuine cultural and commercial center. But it was also known by the Israelites for its moral depravity—for fornication, sorcery and occult “knowledge.” The Lord noted its unrepented wickedness and marked it for overthrow “in a moment, in one day.”
These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments. You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." Isaiah 47:9-10
Carl Sandburg: Four Preludes
It may be that the poet Carl Sandburg had ancient Babylon in mind as a historic model when he wrote “Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind.” He certainly had the over-weening pride of the America of his day in his sights. That was in 1920. What would he say about our American pride and supposed invincibility now? Strong is his warning.
It has happened before.
Strong men put up a city and got
a nation together,
And paid singers to sing and women
to warble: We are the greatest city,
the greatest nation,
nothing like us ever was…
And the wind shifts
and the dust on a door sill shifts
and even the writing of the rat footprints
tells us nothing, nothing at all
about the greatest city, the greatest nation
where the strong men listened
and the women warbled: Nothing like us ever was.
2. Jezebel, King Ahab’s Wife
Ahab takes the rap as being the most wicked king ever to rule the northern kingdom of Israel. Nevertheless, his wife Jezebel is blamed for having “incited” him to do evil. She also drew the harsher punishment. Ahab died after being wounded in battle, a fairly honorable way to be put down, although when the chariot he died in was washed out, dogs licked up his blood. Jezebel was thrown down from the palace balcony by her own unfaithful servants. As her corpse lay disgraced in plain view, dogs feasted upon her remains, leaving only “her skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.”[v] What had she done?
And of Jezebel the LORD also said, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.'… There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel. I Kings 21:23, 25-26
Jezebel brought pagan worship and idolatry with her when she married Ahab. She was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal, ruler of Tyre and Sidon, located on the Mediterranean coast to Israel’s north. Her gods were the lusty and blood thirsty gods of the Phoenicians. They required child sacrifice. They offered complete sexual depravity. They promised wealth and health. When the Romans came across these same gods in Carthage during the Punic Wars, they considered it a moral crusade to stop the ritual slaughter of children. They completely obliterated the colony, founded centuries earlier by Tyre, and sowed the fields with salt so that nothing could grow there again.
The Lord God wanted the Israelites to drive these evil practices out of the Promised Land—not bring them back in by marriage. The prophets always denounced marriage with unbelievers as an inevitable source of compromise. It was wrong for ordinary Jews. For their leaders it proved deadly on a national scale. Especially, with Jezebel the combination of a weak king and a strong-willed queen set in motion a paradigm that has haunted church life ever since. The Jezebel spirit is one which tries to subvert and usurp rightful spiritual authority, bringing division and destruction wherever it is tolerated.
The Jezebel of history out did all the foreign wives with her wickedness. She imported hundreds of priests who served Baal, spreading compromise and evil practices throughout Israel. She had the true prophets of Yahweh hunted down and killed. The fierceness of her rage even spurred Elijah to flee for safety. But she is perhaps most reviled in scripture for her treachery against innocent Naboth, whom she had falsely accused of blasphemy, then stoned. His real crime? He didn’t want to sell his family vineyard to Ahab, who coveted it. She is a fitting foreshadow of the Great Harlot, Mystery Babylon, who is drunk with the wine of martyred saints.
3. Jezebel, the Prophetess of Thyatira
The same prophetic vision which gave John insight into Mystery Babylon’s fall two millennia ahead of time, also gave warning to a specific church and woman in his day. “That woman Jezebel” may not mean that she carried the name synonymous with spiritual adultery in scripture. Why would anyone name their child Jezebel (or Judas, or Herod or Pontus Pilate for that matter)? And if she was a believer, she should at least have changed her name, though that would hardly have satisfied the Lord. He was demanding an entire change of life—on pain on death.
We need to wake up to this. Even at the beginning of the “age of grace,” Jesus could and did command repentance, or dire consequences would follow. Now, as the age of grace draws to a close, we should expect even greater accountability. Jesus “gave her time to repent” but He didn’t give her unlimited time. We, too, are running out of time. Dear reader, if you need to repent of something, now is the time to do it! Why risk being thrown “onto a sickbed” or worse? To the church of John’s day, Jesus said, “I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman” and what she was doing. We, too, should have no tolerance for sin. For sinners, yes, but not for sin itself—or for accommodating those who refuse to repent when warned repeatedly.
What was her sin? Like Jezebel past and Mystery Babylon to come, her sins were legion. She evidently sought for herself a reputation she didn’t deserve, for it was by her own elevation—not God’s gift—that “she calls herself a prophetess.” From this usurped platform of religious authority, she promoted “seducing” ideas, especially sexual immorality and compromise with the false religions of her day (i.e. that eating “food sacrificed to idols” was OK). It is no stretch at all to see present day America in these two descriptions alone: compromise and sexual immorality. We may even be under the judgement of sickness. Despite spending more on health care than any other nation in the world, we get sicker each year. Will judgment “strike” our children, depriving them of the opportunity to live in this once great and good land?
But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead. Revelation 2:20-23
Revealed by Scripture
The Bible exposes the secret plans and deceptive operations of the dark kingdom, even as it unveils the glorious realities of what our God is doing. The truths of scripture are, therefore, our rock-solid building blocks for interpreting the times we are entering. Nevertheless, for biblical information to become true revelation both prayer and the Holy Spirit are needed.
Two full chapters and part of another are devoted to this unsavory character. That is more space than is given to the antichrist and the false prophet combined. Something about this mystery is important for us to know and to unravel. Is she a person, a nation or a disposition? Whatever she is we should have no part in her. Her doom is certain! We will go through all the verses in the order they appear in the Book of Revelation.
1. A Vision of the Great Prostitute
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk." Revelation 17:1-2
One of the seven angels calls Mystery Babylon the “great prostitute.” Depending upon the translation, she has been known through church history as the “Whore of Babylon” and the “Great Harlot.” The Greek word used can mean anything from a fornicator or libertine to a prostitute. The key thing in view here is her own sexual immorality, along with an intoxicating ability as a seductress, by which “the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” America fits this picture all too well, not only by our own growing immorality, but also by our motion picture industry, Hollywood, which promotes sexual immorality throughout the entire world.
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. Revelation 17:3-4
The wilderness setting for this part of John’s vision may indicate how utterly devoid of genuine, spiritual life is the obscene activity of this woman. She imagines herself to be “on top of the world” but she lives in a barren land. To slake her insatiable appetite for sexual immorality she drinks in “abominations and impurities” from a golden chalice. The cup is “full”: There is nothing left out, no sexual perversity she won’t imbibe. She can’t or won’t say “no” to any debauchery. And she has wealth and power to keep it going. “Purple and scarlet” are colors which adorn the highest ranks of society, indicating her reach into realms of power. Gold, jewels and pearls show that she has thoroughly seduced the wealthy.
In all this she seems drunk most of all with her contempt for God. The beast who carries her is “full of blasphemous names” and she rides on top of it. This scarlet beast with its denunciations of God provides her elevation. How little she cares that heaven looks down upon her antics. She looks down upon heaven! The scarlet color is fateful as we shall see in the following verse. It is a harbinger of her (and the beast’s) murderous blood lust for the lives of saints. Whatever else the seven heads and ten horns signify, they certainly are telling us that this beast wields immense power and authority over the kings of the earth.
The woman appears as if married to the person of the antichrist who carries her, so united are they in depravity and destructive purpose. As others have noted, however, she is not riding the beast in the usual sense. There are no reins in her hands. This beast is carrying her along a path of its choosing, while she is going along for the ride. Hence, there is an impression of recklessness about her. She is drunk, intoxicated by her depravity and seeming to have the time of her life, while the beast is all business. He is the designated driver and he is not amused, any more than a rampaging bull is amused by trampling those in its path.
And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. Revelation 17:5-6
Here we are shown the “name of mystery: Babylon the Great.” The word mystery is a description of her name, not a part of it.[vi] Other, older translations have it as part of her name: “Mystery, Babylon the Great.”[vii] Hence, our title for this section, Mystery Babylon, is taken from the long-standing tradition made popular by the King James. Which translation is more correct? The answer may be “hidden” on the placard—in how the punctuation had it “on her forehead.” Was mystery followed by a colon or a comma? John saw it, but did he take note? Does it really matter? It may, but for now, let’s see what can be known with more certainty.
Mystery is a word heavily laden with connection to the mystery religions of the ancient world. Those secret occult rituals all had to do with the dying and rising of false gods, most notably Osiris of Egypt, though other similar deities were scattered all over the Mediterranean. It is a fact of spiritual history that behind the might of Babylon the Great—and empowering its rise—stood the worship of these ancient gods, divine beings which we would consider either demonic spirits or fallen angels. The Babylonians did not worship their gods in vain—great power came to them through the ritual offerings and blood sacrifices.
Now, we come to the deeper, darker meaning of the mystery. This is the “mystery of iniquity”[viii] combined with the mystery of “Christ and the Church.”[ix] There is an imagery, well-attested to in scripture, of God being a husband to Israel and to the Church. Remember that in the beginning, Eve was intended to be a helper to her husband Adam, yet she contributed to his fall. This is where the mystery of iniquity began. Why did she turn away from a loving husband and a faithful God? Unquestionably, Adam, not Eve, is the one blamed by God for sin and death entering to claim humanity.[x] He was there but did nothing to stop her. Reversing Adam’s fall, Jesus is the “second Adam” who will soon return for a faithful Bride.[xi]
In the meantime, we see the mystery of the fallen woman, the great harlot Babylon, who embraces the lies and vile ways of her lover, the beast. Just as Eve is the mother of all living,[xii] so Babylon the great, is “mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations”—of all dying. Just as the Bride of Christ represents all that is upright and holy found in those who worship Jesus, so the Great Prostitute—composed of both men and women—is the embodiment of those who sell their souls to the antichrist. Why do they do it? That is the unanswerable mystery. Like John, we cannot help but look upon their reckless waywardness and “marvel greatly.”
Mystery Babylon, therefore, is the antithesis of the spotless Bride. Just as the Bride of Christ represents Jesus’ harvest of all the good seed He’s sown, so the antichrist’s Whore embodies the fulfillment of all the bad seed the evil one has sown. While the true Bride is making herself ready for an up-coming marriage to her Bridegroom, this un-preparing prostitute commits spiritual adultery against God with her paramour the beast. At this level of interpretation, the mystery of Babylon transcends any possibility of identification with a single city, nation or institution. She is fallen humanity at large in unholy wedlock with the spirit of Mammon.[xiii] But this symbolic representation doesn’t mean that the Babylon is not also a discrete entity, as we will soon see.
2. The Vision Interpreted
But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. Revelation 17:7-8
John “marvels”—he simply cannot comprehend what he is seeing. We marvel too, even after two millennia of seeking to decipher the angel’s explanation and all the other clues coded into these passages. Something about this woman’s brazen ways is beyond understanding. Sadly, many in the days to come will marvel, not over the iniquity, but over the beast’s bizarre regeneration. As he was, then is not, yet returns to be again, they will indeed be inclined to worship him as god. The beast embodies the victory over death which the mystery religions promised. It is a false hope. Only those whose names have been “written in the book of life” will marvel at him without perishing.
This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. Revelation 17:9-12
The woman is not just seated on the beast, but upon the seven mountains he rules over. These might be geographic—the seven continents with their heads being the kings who rule over them. On the other hand, a good case can be made that these are the seven mountains of cultural influence and those who control them. Those high places of power in every society are religion, family, education, politics, business, arts and entertainment and the media.
It is well-known that the way to the top of the mountains of influence often means selling out to the underhanded ways of the enemy. Climbing to the top quickly leads to going down into corruption. Whatever the case, the picture is clouded for us by the addition of ten more kings. Where do they come from and what do they represent? It seems that these are not power brokers “yet.” They will “receive authority” from the beast as he is elevated in power himself, but (mercifully) only for a short while—“one hour.”
These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. Revelation 17:13-15
Such is their complete deception that they are of “one mind”—so utterly devoted to the beast that they follow him on the greatest suicide mission in history. In blind faith they “make war on the Lamb.” Inexplicably, they abandon “their power and authority” with which—in a sane world—they might have resisted such an insane idea. Instead, they turn their power and their wills over to the beast who, true to form, tramples their hopes with his fool’s errand. Tragically, we are told that the prostitute is seated not just upon the beast with his ten horns, but upon the “waters”—the unbelieving people of the world believe this deception, too.
And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." Revelation 17:16-18
Although this woman “has dominion over the kings of the earth” it is only as long as she remains seated on the beast. What deceives her is the thought that the beast will reward her loyalty to his diabolical agenda and vile immorality. Nothing could be further from the truth. The beast owes no allegiance except to himself and his dark lord. He despises—“hate” is almost too soft a word—the ones he lords it over. Here is the inner machination of the evil empire fully revealed. The beast turns and tramples one of its own.
The beast and his ten kings “make her desolate,” stripping the helpless prostitute of all her former wealth and “royal” position. She is devoured—there is nothing left even for the vultures of culture to pick through. All is burned with fire. Fire may be the devil’s only friend, but it is also a sure sign of God’s judgment. It is God who has “put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose.” The beast is merely His instrument. Are we seeing God’s judgment upon America here? Many prophets have received just such a vision of fire, flames and sudden destruction.
3. The Fall of Mystery Babylon
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living." Revelation 18:1-3
The brightness of this angel’s glory is in stark contrast with the foul darkness of fallen Babylon who has become “a dwelling place for demons” and all kinds of spiritual riffraff. One terrible irony of spiritual deception is that those who are filled with wickedness from God’s perspective often don’t think of themselves as wicked from an earthly perspective. This judgment is a stunning example. The primary cause of Babylon’s undoing cited here is “the passion of her sexual immorality” and how she succeeded in spreading it to the nations. It’s a safe bet that most people pursuing sexual immorality don’t see themselves as being particularly wicked—not like the power-hungry “kings of the earth” or those greedy “merchants of the earth” (the 1 percenters!) who feed off their lifestyle.
It’s time to pause and ask if this picture fits the United States. Sadly, it fits us perfectly. It could well be argued that on the rise to greatness, America possessed a large measure of goodness. There is an anonymous quote mistakenly attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville which sums up this idea: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” We did have genuine spiritual awakening as a core element of our founding. We did give the world an example of a constitutional republic with guaranteed political and religious freedom. We have been a haven for refugees and immigrants. We have sent out more missionaries and poured out more donations than any other country. We fought the combined evil of the Axis Powers and liberated Europe and Asia from them. Our economy created the boom which raised even the world’s economy to the highest standard of living yet reached (in the 1920s and 1950s). These are solid indications of goodness combined with greatness.
Nevertheless, in this vision it is a “great’ one that we see falling. Only those who rise to greatness can fall from it. That’s true of nations as it is of individuals. The cause of Babylon’s fall shown here is unbridled sexual immorality. There will be other faults mentioned, but this appears first and foremost. Unfortunately, it describes us—the US—all too well. Our film and music industries have indeed seduced the world into following us with these same illicit passions. We have succeeded in merchandizing sexual allure and then marketed it through our advertising and our media to the rest of the world. The merchants of the earth have indeed “grown rich from the power of her (our) luxurious living.” Even the kings of the earth have gotten “into bed” with our corrupt politicians, selling out their own people for the sake of cashing in on American dollars for themselves. Ask any third world dictator how that game is played. Is America Babylon?
If American is not Babylon, we will need to see some aspects of this picture that truly don’t match up with us. Let’s keep watching. In the meantime, perhaps, some other nation or city state fits the image better. However, neither Russia nor Europe nor the Vatican—all mentioned by some as contenders—could possibly fit the description we have been given of an entity whose sexual immorality and luxuriant wealth have seduced the whole world. On the other hand, another possibility could be that this Babylon isn’t about a nation but concerns a reigning ideology or religion which is transnational, such as capitalism or communism, Islam or atheism. Again, it is impossible to see how such things could fall “in one day” as Babylon is predicted to do. Or why it is that the kings and merchants of the earth, see this sight as happening to a separate entity from themselves. The absence of any other reasonably close contender points us back to US.
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Pay her back as she herself has paid back others, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.” Revelation 18:4-6
A “voice from heaven”—is it the Lord’s voice?—now utters the famous warning: “Come out of her, my people.” Since the redeemed belong to God, not the angels, this would seem to be the Lord breaking into the conversation with an urgent, Heart-felt message of concern. God knows how to keep his judgments resting only upon the guilty ones, as He proved the night of the Passover in Egypt. But do we know how to apply the blood of the lamb and stay indoors as the Israelites were instructed to do?[xiv] The world is heading into a dark night if ever there was one. Staying indoors for us means staying out of the world’s temptations (especially sexual immorality) as well as out of the beast’s system (especially the mark). But it also means staying inside with Christ, abiding in Him and pursuing a life under His leadership.
This is an important point because so often the question gets asked why God would let His people experience these End Times judgments. This even gets used in defense of the idea that a pre-judgment, pre-tribulation Rapture will take place. Let us remember that didn’t happen for the Israelites in Egypt. They were huddled up their house in the fear of God during a time when Pharaoh’s wrath and power were directed fully against them. As Pharaoh and his beastly system oppressed the Israelites, God oppressed Egypt with plagues directed against his people’s oppressors. This is our Lord’s MO (method of operation). His word to us tells us that we are going to be on the earth during this time of judgment. We are to make sure we don’t take part in her sins, lest we “share in her plagues.” Clearly, if we “come out of her” we will also be coming out from under her judgments. We will be under the Lord’s covering and protection.
“As she glorified herself and lived in luxury, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning, since in her heart she says, 'I sit as a queen, I am no widow, and mourning I shall never see.' For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who has judged her." Revelation 18:7-8
The judgement that comes is double-sided. She will be repaid “in like measure” for her sins. Also, that recompense will come in “a single day.” The astonishing thing is how long the patience of God extends—calling, warning, wooing a fallen person or nation. He works with seemingly endless care, seeking only to guide souls to the light despite continual backslidings and their consequences. His grace is amazing! But God cannot or will not hold back judgment forever. Once He sees—and no one on earth has this vision—that no further patience can produce any further redemption, He acts. In truth, He may act out of motives we cannot fathom. This much is clear: When He acts, His believing people always see His Hand and realize what He has done.
This unsuspecting pleasure-seeker has no idea that judgement will come, let alone that her strong position of pride and power can be overthrown in a day. She considers herself to be one of the earth’s rightful rulers, but that is a thought “in her heart,” not of an abiding reality ordained by God. Nor, does she believe that the one she is joined to will ever leave her “a widow”—a woman without a covering, bereft of royal rank and access to power. Who is her “husband”? It clearly isn’t our Lord, though she may think it is. More likely, it is the beast and his entire system of wealth and authority which she rides upon. Lifted up by the beast’s power and her own glory, she even imagines herself to be invincible—“mourning I shall never see.” She never saw it coming!
The ancient world which received this prophecy may have wondered how such a powerful empire could fall in just one day. We know. When we read that this great nation “will be burned up with fire” our minds immediately think of nuclear bombs. One massive attack could wreak incredible devastation in a matter of hours if not moments, leaving the stunned and scattered survivors without access to food and basic supplies. “Death and mourning and famine” could rain down from heaven in a flash. Ever since Dumitru Duduman’s God-given vision almost 40 years ago, a steady succession of prophets have been warning that a third world war is coming—one that will include nuclear attacks with America as its main focus.[xv] Could this happen to US? It could happen to any nation! Only the grace of God has been holding the world back from nuclear holocaust. If that grace is ever lifted, then we will all immediately know “that mighty is the Lord God who has judged her.”
4. Mourning over Babylon’s Fall
And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come." Revelation 18:9-10
The image painted by these verses further drives home the unwanted thought of nuclear explosions. Now, we are told that judgment came, not just in a single day, but in “one hour” of that day. If we are to take this part of the revelation literally and realistically, how can this be anything other than those weapons of mass destruction which fill the rocket silos of the superpowers? Indeed, we are shown that the kings of the earth “will stand far off.” No one wants to get near a radioactive site!
The “torment” of such an attack has both an immediate and a lingering effect, as the death-dealing contamination of water, soil, survivors and buildings continues unabated. It is easy to imagine that news cameras will graphically display “the smoke of her burning” across whatever remains of the internet. Make no mistake, few of those who will “weep and wail” will be in sympathy for the great one has been cast down, but for the loss of her supply of immorality and luxury. That, and the terrible thought that they may be next in the line of fire.
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo anymore, cargo of gold, silver, jewels, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, scarlet cloth, all kinds of scented wood, all kinds of articles of ivory, all kinds of articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls. "The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!" Revelation 18:11-14
The kings of the earth aren’t the only ones impacted by this nation’s sudden destruction. The merchants of the earth will also mourn “since no one buys their cargo anymore.” This is tremendously significant. Whatever Babylon is, she is a major importer and consumer of the world’s goods. Dear saints who may still think that either Rome or the Vatican is the Harlot of Babylon haven’t been paying enough attention to this verse. It is time to put down the old books written by the Reformers and read the news. In their day those targets made perfect sense. That day is long gone!
If either Rome or the Vatican disappeared (God forbid), it wouldn’t cause more than a ripple in the world’s economy. New York, London, Zurich, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai would carry on the world’s finances as if nothing happened. And America would continue unchecked as the world’s leading consumer.[xvi] Of the top three consumer nations, Germany is third with 5.3% of the world consumer market; Japan is 8.5%; while the US consumes a whopping 29% of all products and resources world-wide.
Worst of all, one of the charges against Babylon is that she has profited from trade in “slaves, that is, human souls.” As of this writing (February 2019), highly disturbing reports of America’s involvement in and saturation with human trafficking keep making the news. Can anyone doubt that the global epidemic of pedophilia, sex trafficking, and online pornography has been fueled by America’s porn industry? How horrible it is that even this grisly part of the picture also fits US.
The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud, "Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste." And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?" And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, "Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste. Revelation 18:15-19
The vision gains clarity with continued description like a pair of binoculars being brought into focus. Now we see a city that surpasses all the other cities of the world: “What city is like the great city?” We do not have to choose between nation or city for interpreting what is happening here. The empire of ancient Babylon was synonymous with its capital city, Babylon. To think of one was to think of the other: the city could never have been great without the empire, but the empire required the city to lead it. Both were overrun by the invading Persians in 539 BC. Curiously, the unsuspecting city with its impregnable walls fell to a sneak attack in a single day. Is history is about to repeat?
Here, too, we are shown a city at the heart of this fallen empire, a port city known to “all whose trade is on the sea.” It is also a city of immense wealth and culture as we are shown in the following verses. Tragically, it looks like New York has come into view. Is there any city like it? New Yorkers would be the first to say it has no equal.
Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!" Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more; and the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will be heard in you no more, and a craftsman of any craft will be found in you no more, and the sound of the mill will be heard in you no more, Revelation 18:20-22
An extraordinary thing happens as part of the judgment. Something “like a great millstone” is thrown into the sea. This completes all that preceded it. Ever since the tsunamis which wreaked so much havoc in Asia, we are aware of the destructive power of tidal waves. Is that what we are being shown here? It certainly looks like it. At the very least, this clinches the idea that this is a port city for it sits at the edge of the sea. The resulting waves are part of what causes Babylon to be “thrown down with violence.”
Lest we think of this as a mere natural disaster, the vision reveals that it is by the hand of “a mighty angel” that this disaster takes place. It is awful but easy to image that such a flood would carry all away with it, leaving “no more… the sound” of life or labor. It seems inconceivable that this could happen to so incredible a city as New York, but this is the word of God. Our plans may fail; His never do. If only something in the prophecy could turn us away from all these connections to US!
and the light of a lamp will shine in you no more, and the voice of bridegroom and bride will be heard in you no more, for your merchants were the great ones of the earth, and all nations were deceived by your sorcery. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth." Revelation 18:23-24
The final verdict for judgment is now pronounced. The same mighty angel which threw the millstone into the sea announces that Babylon deceived the nations by her “sorcery” and that “in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain upon the earth.” That is the most serious charge we have heard. The Lord held this back for last. It should silence any thought that His earlier reason for the judgment—sexual immorality—lacked (how can we say it?) sufficient weight. Indeed, it proves a truth of Isaiah 5:20, that those who begin by calling evil good, end by calling good evil.[xvii] A people bent on calling sexual immorality good are at heart fully capable of calling prophets and saints evil—and want them silenced and killed.
Perhaps, there is hope here. Or, perhaps this is too dark to decipher. All the previous characteristics readily link America and New York to Mystery Babylon and the “great city.” All of them. Verse 24 above seems to be the lone exception. A case can certainly be made for how the US has been promoting the occult through books and media. A further case can be made that American pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) are the world’s largest drug pushers—promoting that which scripture calls “sorcery” as a new way of life.[xviii] We are also deeply involved in illegal drug trafficking all over the world, along with satanic worship and witchcraft by multiple thousands of practitioners. Sadly, when we do things, we don’t do them on a small scale. To our shame, we are fulfilling the tail end of verse 23.
Nevertheless, there is one thing that doesn’t match up. And it is not a small thing. How has America been involved in massive world-wide persecution of God’s chosen ones? How is it possible that “the blood of prophets and saints” and “all who have been slain upon the earth” can be found in US? It is true that we have killed 60 million in the womb. It is also true that the mood of the US is turning darkly against all things Christian, including Christians. Persecution of believers is beginning to happen here. Will this escalate in such a way that we slide into the execrable fulfillment of these words? That day is not today, but it may be coming. Until then, this may be the one thing holding back judgment at the present time.
5. Rejoicing in Heaven
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants." Once more they cried out, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever." And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!" And from the throne came a voice saying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." Revelation 19:1-5
Forgive me, if as an American, I cannot join in with the rejoicing, because this prophecy seems to point to my own country as the target. I can certainly rejoice that our God is good and that He knows what He is doing and that He never, ever does anything wrong. I can also rejoice that whenever this Harlot is cast down it will mean liberation for God’s people all over the earth. These are good things. Even so, there was a time when the prophet Elisha wept as he ministered healing to Hazael, king of Syria. Why? Because he knew it would mean death to those he loved.[xix] If this word is truly against US, then there is a double sorrow both for the people who will die and for the dream. I grew up with the dream of America as she was meant to be, and as I once believed she was…
Other Scriptures to Study
1. Samson Beguiled by Delilah
15 And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth. 16 And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death; 17 That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man. 18 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he hath shewed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand. 19 And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. 21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Judges 16:15-21
2. Naboth's Vineyard: A Character Study
1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money." 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." 4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food. 5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?" 6 And he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'" 7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." 8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 And she wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death." 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. 13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned; he is dead." 15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you killed and also taken possession?"' And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood."'" 20 Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.' 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat."
25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.) 1 Kings 21:1-26
3. Jehu Executes Jezebel: Her Fatal Fall
30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, "Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?" 32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, "Throw her down." So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34 Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, "See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." 35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: 'In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.'" 2 Kings 9:30-37
4. The Humiliation of Babylon: An Historic Parallel
1 Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate. 2 Take the millstones and grind flour, put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers. 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.
4 Our Redeemer—the LORD of hosts is his name— is the Holy One of Israel. 5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. 6 I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy. 7 You said, "I shall be mistress forever," so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely, who say in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me; I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children": 9 These two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, "I am, and there is no one besides me." 11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.
12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. 13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. 14 Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you. Isaiah 47:15
Next Crucial Component
The Dragon What monstrosities dragons are! In legends the mere sight of them inspires terror, panic and mind-numbing fear. Swooping down suddenly upon helpless villagers they wreak havoc from the skies with no thought of mercy, spreading confusion and destruction in their wake. Slaying the living, stealing their treasures and hording the wealth—that’s what they do. It’s what our enemy does, too. Also called the prince of the power of the air, this evil one roams the heavens, the earth and the realms of the dead. Like the fire-breathing dragons of old, this ancient deceiver cannot be killed by human hand. Its going to take the Lord and His holy angels to defeat him. And defeat him they will. But we will have to wade through his havoc to get there.
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Endnotes
[i] Cambridge Dictionary defines speculation as “the act of guessing possible answers to a question without having enough information to be certain.” It derives from the Latin word “speculari” which means “to look at, view, observe” and originally indicated “close observation and intelligent contemplation.” By the late 1500s it gained the disparaging sense it carries today of “mere conjecture.” See etymonline.com.
[ii] Adam is the type; Jesus, the “second Adam” is the antitype: Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. Romans 5:14
[iii] 1 Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans! For you shall no more be called tender and delicate… 3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one… 5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called the mistress of kingdoms. Isaiah 47:1, 3, 5
[iv] A royal cubit is between 20 and 21 inches in length which would make Babylon’s walls about 85’ high and 431’ wide. Scholars believe this to be an exaggeration, especially since Herodotus never visited the city himself, but was relying upon reports.
[v] But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 2 Kings 9:35
[vi] According to ESV, CEV, NIV, NLT and others.
[vii] KJV, ASV
[viii] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 KJV
[ix] For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32
[x] Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12
[xi] Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45
[xii] The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Genesis 3:20
[xiii] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. Matthew 6:24
[xiv] For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:`1-13
[xv] Read Dumitru’s prophecy here: https://z3news.com/w/dumitru-duduman-china-russia-attack-america/
[xvi] See: https://www.internationalbusinessguide.org/25-largest-consumers-markets-outlook-2015/
[xvii] Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20
[xviii] In Galatians 5:20 the word Paul uses for sorcery is the Greek word “pharmakeia” from which we take our word for pharmaceuticals.
[xix] And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. And Hazael said, "Why does my lord weep?" He answered, "Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women." 2 Kings 8:11-12