Babylon: It’s Fallen and Can’t Get Back Up…Ever!

Last week, we read about the first five bowls of wrath that were poured out.

Bowl one – painful sores on those who have the mark of the beast

Bowl two – oceans turn to blood and everything in the oceans die

Bowl three – rivers and streams turn to blood

Bowl four – sun’s intensity scorches and sears people

Bowl five – the kingdom of the Antichrist is submerged in darkness

There are two more bowls to go.

Revelation 16:12 ERV ¹²The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates. The water in the river was dried up. This prepared the way for the rulers from the east to come. ¹³Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs. They came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. ¹⁴These evil spirits are the spirits of demons. They have power to do miracles. They go out to the rulers of the whole world to gather them for battle on the great day of God All-Powerful.

¹⁵“Listen! I will come at a time you don’t expect, like a thief. Great blessings belong to those who stay awake and keep their clothes with them. They will not have to go without clothes and be ashamed for people to see them.”

¹⁶Then the evil spirits gathered the rulers together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

¹⁷The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Then a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne. It said, “It is finished!” ¹⁸Then there were flashes of lightning, noises, thunder, and a big earthquake. This was the worst earthquake that has ever happened since people have been on earth. ¹⁹The great city split into three parts. The cities of the nations were destroyed. And God did not forget to punish Babylon the Great. He gave that city the cup filled with the wine of his terrible anger. ²⁰Every island disappeared and there were no more mountains. ²¹Giant hailstones fell on the people from the sky. These hailstones weighed almost 100 pounds each. People cursed God because of this plague of the hail. It was terrible. (Revelation 16:2 ERV)

With the pouring out of the sixth bowl, the famous Euphrates River dries up. Interesting science tidbit – “A government report by the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources in 2021 warned that the rivers could run dry by 2040 due to declining water levels and droughts driven by climate change. People have fretted over the Tigris–Euphrates drying up since Biblical times. Thousands of years on, maybe those fears might soon become reality.”[i] By the way, that’s from a scientist’s perspective and not a Biblical one.

With the drying up of the Euphrates, an entry way is made for the enemies of Israel to attack. Warren W. Wiersbe said, “From a human viewpoint, it appears that the armies of the nations are gathering on their own, but John makes it clear that the military movement is according to God’s plan. The satanic trinity, through demonic powers, will influence the nations and cause the rulers to assemble their armies. They will even work miracles that will impress the rulers and cause them to cooperate. But all this will merely fulfill the will of God and accomplish His purposes (see Rev. 17:17). The Gentile nations will look on Armageddon as a battle, but to God, it will be only a “supper” for the fowls of the air (Rev. 19:17-21).”[ii]

The seventh bowl is unique because it’s thrown into the air and there’s no specific target with this one. It reads like the target is the whole world and no one will be unaffected. Verse 17 clearly states that the earthquake will be the worst that has ever occurred. These verses suggest that major geographical changes will take place. All islands will disappear and mountains will be flattened. Hailstones weighing nearly 100 pounds will fall to the earth. (Just for reference, the largest hailstones ever recorded were in 1986 in Bangladesh. They each weighed a little over 2 pounds. 92 people were killed.[iii]

The occurrence of these calamities would seem to be a good cause to turn to God and worship Him, but instead, the people will curse God. But He will prevail. “Movements of armies, confederation of nations, and worldwide opposition to God cannot hinder the Lord from fulfilling His Word and achieving His purposes. Men think they are free to do as they please, but in reality, they are accomplishing the plans and purposes of God!”[iv]

To fully understand the next two chapters, we need to remember the unholy trinity which consists of Satan, the head of the trinity, the Antichrist who starts off as a political superhero or savior, and the False Prophet whose mission will be to wrangle everyone into a one-world religion that worships the Antichrist. There will be two worldwide systems that will be orchestrated by Satan. The political and economic system and the religious system.

Both of these systems are referred to as “Babylon” which isn’t necessarily a reference to a physical place, but rather as “the symbol of mankind’s rebellion against God.”[v]

Revelation 17 discusses the spiritual Babylon – one world religion; Revelation 18 is all about the commercial Babylon – one world economics. Both chapters give an allegorical overview of the systems from their beginnings to their endings.

Revelation 17:GNT “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came to me and said, “Come, and I will show you how the famous prostitute is to be punished, that great city that is built near many rivers. ²The kings of the earth practiced sexual immorality with her, and the people of the world became drunk from drinking the wine of her immorality.”

³The Spirit took control of me, and the angel carried me to a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a red beast that had names insulting to God written all over it; the beast had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and covered with gold ornaments, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand she held a gold cup full of obscene and filthy things, the result of her immorality. ⁵On her forehead was written a name that has a secret meaning: “Great Babylon, the mother of all prostitutes and perverts in the world.” ⁶And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s people and the blood of those who were killed because they had been loyal to Jesus.

When I saw her, I was completely amazed.”

These verses center around the famous prostitute, or the harlot as she’s described in some translations. What John is seeing and describing to us is imagery. We are given a few descriptions.

-Kings of the earth practiced immorality with her indicating that she has friends in high places.

-People were intoxicated by drinking the wine of her immorality meaning that she has no trouble getting people to buy into what she’s selling.

-She sits on a red beast with seven heads and ten horns and covered in blasphemous names against God (This is the Antichrist. Revelation 13:2 NIV “And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.”) She sits on or rides on the beast indicating that she goes in tandem with the Antichrist.

-She’s dressed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold & precious gems which represent royalty and wealth.

-She’s holding a gold cup filled with filthy and obscene things.

-On her forehead is a name that we are told has a secret meaning. “Great Babylon, the mother of all prostitutes and perverts in the world.”

-She’s drunk with the blood of God’s martyrs which means she gains prominence through violence against believers.

If we skip down to verse 18, we are told the identity of this harlot. Revelation 17:18 ERV “¹⁸The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” Look back at verse 5. What city is named there? Babylon!

It may or may not surprise you that Babylon is mentioned in the Bible more than any other city other than Jerusalem.[vi] Also consider that there are 404 verses in Revelation; 42 (or 10%) are about Babylon.

Just as a refresher, Babylon was not good. After the flood, Noah’s great-grandson, Nimrod, founded the kingdom of Babylon. The Hebrew meaning of the name Nimrod, by the way, means “rebellion.”[vii] You probably remember the story of the Tower of Babel. God had told the people after the flood to scatter throughout the earth, but the residents there in Babylon decided to be disobedient and stay put. They then came up with the idea of building a tower so high that it would reach Heaven; but not for the purpose of reaching God. No, in fact, their purpose was to make a name for themselves. “Josephus, a historian, points to one of the main reasons that Nimrod ordered the construction of the Tower of Babel was to create a structure tall enough to withstand another worldwide flood like the one seen in Genesis 6 and the story of Noah’s Ark. Nimrod appeared to have forgotten the purpose of the flood in the first place. God sent a worldwide flood because of the earth’s vast wickedness and depravity.”[viii]

God took care of the plan to build this monstrous tower. Where there had just been the one language, God confused them so that many different languages were spoken so that people couldn’t understand one another. The word babel means “confusion by mixing.” (Remember that definition for later.)

Babylon went on to do other horrible things such as destroying the temple in Jerusalem when they invaded Judah. Under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians took captive many Israelites (including Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego) and oppressed them for 70 years.

“Babylon became a symbol for the stereotypical enemies of God and His people.”

Babylon was a real place back in Biblical times until it fell to the Persians in 539 BC. Jeremiah was given a prophecy by God about the fall of the Babylonian Empire several decades before it happened. Today, Babylon is just ancient ruins over in Iraq. So why all of the hoopla about Babylon in end times?

There are those who believe the city of Babylon or a replica of some kind will be built and will play a major role in the later days. In other words, it will be a physical location. Sadaam Hussein. Remember him? “Believing himself to be the reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar II, who had conquered Jerusalem 2,500 years earlier, Hussein invested more than $500 million toward his goal of restoring Babylon’s ancient city.”[ix] Hussein even went so far as to have a coin made and circulated with both his and King Nebuchadnezzar’s profiles.

Hussein’s efforts came to a halt in 2003 when the U.S. invaded Iraq. Nevertheless, it may interest you to know that “in 2009 the U.S. State Department issued a media note announcing a $700,000 pledge to The Future of Babylon Project, explaining that “Babylon stands out among Iraq’s rich contributions to humanity.” The note went on to say that this project “exemplifies the American people’s commitment to the preservation of human heritage and their respect for the cultural heritage of Iraq.”^4”[x] That’s a bit mind-blowing, isn’t it?!

Others believe that the physical city of Babylon will not be rebuilt and that the references to Babylon are more about the symbolism that Babylon is. Babylon has been and will always be seen as a symbol of “rebellion, pride, and worldly power” as well as “corruption and idolatry”.[xi]

This harlot in Revelation 17 represents the spirit of Babylon which is spiritual adultery. “A wife who is unfaithful to her husband is an adulterous woman. A church which calls itself Christian, and which courts an alliance with the godless world-system, commits spiritual adultery (James 4:4).”[xii] This is problem now – even today!

There are so many churches (and people!) that have confused God’s Word by mixing what they like about it with their own opinions and persuasions. They’ve eliminated or disregarded those things in God’s Word that they don’t agree with or that make them uncomfortable. They emphasize the abundance of blessings – whether material or financial and minimize the dangers of sin. What’s left is a gospel filled with babel that makes the people comfortable and happy and makes God angry because it’s so far from His truth! Confusion by mixing!

Paul warned Timothy of this in 1 Timothy 4:1 GNT “The Spirit says clearly that some people will abandon the faith in later times; they will obey lying spirits and follow the teachings of demons. ²Such teachings are spread by deceitful liars, whose consciences are dead, as if burnt with a hot iron.”

Once Christians have been raptured, the spirit of Babylon will be rampant. There will be this massive void and a false world religion that rises up with the Antichrist and the False Prophet that will be used to seduce the world. Right now, Christianity is the most predominant religion in the world.[xiii] Once the Christians are gone, there will be a longing for answers and for hope. Where there are catastrophes, the unholy trinity will promise protection. When there are conflicts, they’ll promise peace. When there is poverty, they’ll promise prosperity.

But the promises are false and temporary.

Most of the rest of chapter 17 reads a little bit like a riddle and addresses mainly the Beast because it’s only through the Beast that the harlot has any power. Let me rephrase that not using the imagery. It’s only through the Antichrist that the false world one religion will have any power.

Let’s look at the symbolism in a few of these verses.

Revelation 17:9 ERV “⁹“You need wisdom to understand this. The seven heads on the beast are the seven hills where the woman sits. They are also seven rulers. ¹⁰Five of the rulers have already died. One of the rulers lives now, and the last ruler is coming. When he comes, he will stay only a short time. ¹¹The beast that was once alive but is no longer living is an eighth ruler. This eighth ruler also belongs to the first seven rulers. And he will go away to be destroyed.”

The seven heads are the seven hills. We discussed some chapters ago that Rome was initially built on seven hills, and it’s thought that the Roman Empire will regain significant power in the last days. Seven rulers, five of which have died, one who lives now and one who is to come. We have to think of the present tense when John was given this vision. At that time, there had been five kingdoms that had ruled in the past. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. All five of them had fallen. At the time of John’s writing, the Roman Empire was ruling. This fits with the five that have died and one who lives now. The one who is to come is thought to be this 10 -nation confederation (aka the ten horns) that will include the Antichrist. That confederation will only last for a short period of time until the Antichrist becomes “the world’s dictator and its god. In this way ‘the beast’ was both ‘one of the seven [kings, kingdoms]’ but also ‘the eighth.”[xiv]

Revelation 17:13 ERV “All ten of these rulers have the same purpose. And they will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴They will make war against the Lamb. But the Lamb will defeat them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. And with him will be his chosen and faithful followers—the people he has called to be his.”

Revelation 17:16 ERV “ ¹⁶The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will take everything she has and leave her naked. They will eat her flesh and destroy her with fire. ¹⁷God put the idea in their minds to do what would complete his purpose. They agreed to give the beast their power to rule until what God has said is completed.”

So that took a turn, didn’t it? These verses spell out the demise the harlot (aka the spirit of Babylon aka one world religion) will face. Maybe it will be because the spiritual Babylon will have too much power, too much wealth, and too many followers that the Antichrist and the 10 nation confederation will put an end to it out of jealousy. Remember from Revelation 13 that the Antichrist will demand that the people worship him so anything or anyone that competes with him will likely be eliminated and destroyed.

This destruction of the harlot (one world religion) likely will take place around the midpoint of the seven years of tribulation.

Chapter 18 addresses the political and economic system of the unholy trinity that is spearheaded by the Antichrist. Whereas the spiritual Babylon was identified as a woman, the political and economic Babylon is identified as a city.

Revelation 18:1 HCSB “After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. ²He cried in a mighty voice:

It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a dwelling for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.”
The first announcement in this chapter is declaring that Babylon the Great has fallen and has become a dwelling place for demons and all things unclean.

The second announcement is directed to God’s people.

⁴Then I heard another voice from heaven say,

“Come out of that city, my people,
    so that you will not share in her sins.
    Then you will not suffer any of the terrible punishment she will get.
⁵That city’s sins are piled up as high as heaven.
    God has not forgotten the wrongs she has done.” (Revelation 18:4 HCSB)

This is call for God’s people to separate themselves. Warren W. Wiersbe said, “How easy it is to become fascinated by the things the world has to offer. Like a person taking a sip of wine, we can soon find ourselves drinking deeply and then wanting more. The world system that opposes Christ has always been with us, and we must beware of its subtle influence.”[xv] While this warning is for tribulation saints, it’s for our ears as well. This world has way too much to entice us with and we must separate ourselves so as not to share in the sins of the world.

Listen to verses 9 through 11 and see if you notice anything interesting.

Revelation 17:9 ERV “⁹“The rulers of the earth who sinned sexually with her and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then they will cry and be sad because of her death. ¹⁰The rulers will be afraid of her suffering and stand far away. They will say,

‘Terrible! How terrible, O great city,
O powerful city of Babylon!
Your punishment came in one hour!’

¹¹“And the merchants of the earth will cry and be sad for her. They will be sad because now there is no one to buy the things they sell—

These verses along with some verses that follow name certain people. Rulers of the earth, kings, merchants, sea captains, sailors are all mentioned. There is an emotion that all of them will experience and that is mourning. You see, the destruction of the economy will be lamented to great depths. Several times in this chapter it states that they will cry and be sad. They didn’t do that when the one world religion was annihilated. They mourn the loss of the one world economic system because that’s what hurts them the most! When people are fueled by materialism, greed, power, and wealth, those become their idols. People in the end days will be mourning because of this economic fall. Kings – merchants – captains- sailors – they will lament their material loss rather than their spiritual loss. They mourn their stuff! Even now, God knocks down every idol in our lives by some means and He does it for our own good.

Matthew 6:24 GNT “”You cannot be a slave of two masters; you will hate one and love the other; you will be loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

The remaining verses of chapter 18 describe more in detail what is said in Revelation 18:10 CSB. “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come”

We are told a powerful angel picks up a large rock or millstone and throws it into the sea. Judgment is rendered and a sentence is imposed. “²⁴You are guilty of the death of the prophets, of God’s holy people,
and of all those who have been killed on earth.” (Revelation 18:24) “ “That is how the great city of Babylon will be thrown down.
It will never be found again. (Revelation 18:21)“

“At this point in our study, the political and economic system of ‘the beast’ has at last been destroyed. All that remains is for Jesus Christ to come from heaven and personally meet and defeat ‘the beast’ and his armies. This He will do, and then establish His righteous kingdom on earth. But the important question is: ‘Are we citizens of ‘Babylon’ or citizens of heaven?” [xvi]

Spoiler alert: Babylon loses. Heaven wins.

[i] Why Is The Euphrates River Drying Up And What Does It Mean? | IFLScience

[ii] Be Victorious by Warren W. Wiersbe

[iii] Heaviest hailstones | Guinness World Records

[iv]Be Victorious by Warren W. Wiersbe

[v] Be Victorious by Warren W. Wiersbe

[vi] Top 10 most frequently mentioned cities in the Bible (+their significance) (biblescripture.net)

[vii] Nimrod: meaning, origin, and significance explained (wtname.com)

[viii] What Was the Tower of Babel? Bible Story and Meaning (christianity.com)

[ix] Babylon Today: Rebuilding the Ancient City – Living in the Age of Signs – DavidJeremiah.org

[x] Babylon Today: Rebuilding the Ancient City – Living in the Age of Signs – DavidJeremiah.org

[xi] The Biblical Meaning of Babylon: Unlocking its Symbolism in Scripture – John Baptist Church