Revelation 17:5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”
As the world continues to evolve at break-neck speed, the formation of prophecy continues to unfold. Instead of reading the news from a position of sorrow or dread, read it with an eye towards prophecy and it takes on a different light. Instead of getting depressed or fearful, christians can rejoice, knowing God’s predictive plan is moving along right on schedule.
Since Revelations makes Babylon such a focal point in last day events and the figurative Antichrist takes center stage with Babylon, the question of what country or kingdom represents this evil empire might be taking greater form. I have to agree with Dr. Steven Anderson of TruthonlyBible, his evaluation of Babylon is eye opening.
A study of Revelation 17:1–19:5 shows that Babylon the Great is the world’s great superpower in the end times. The following facts emerge from an analysis of this section of the book of Revelation:
1. Babylon the Great has the largest economy of any entity in the world. It is the center of wealth in the world, and it is responsible for an extended period of global wealth creation in the end times.
2. Babylon the Great has shaped global culture in the end times, in a directly anti-christian manner.
3. Babylon the Great has the greatest political power of any entity in the end times.
4. Babylon the Great is considered to have the strongest military in the world of the end times. All of these characteristics uniquely and definitively match the United States of America.
The United States of Babylon
Most commentators assume, based on the use of the Greek word πόλις, polis with reference to Babylon the Great, that Babylon the Great is a city, not a large nation-state composed of many cities, towns, and villages. However, “city” is only one possible meaning of word πόλις, polis. The lexicon LSJ gives “country,” “state,” and “community” as other possible meanings, with numerous examples from Classical Greek. In fact, πόλις, polis was the normal word for “state” in extrabiblical Greek, and typically carried political implications. It is hard to think of a better term that the angel could have used to describe the United States than ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη, “the great polis.”
The term ἔθνος (nation) generally denotes a racial or ethnic group, and there is no American race. The term βασιλεία (kingdom) encompasses all the domains ruled by a state, not just the state itself—which in the case of Babylon the Great could refer to the entire earth.
Revelation 17:18 “And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
Babylon the Great is a world hegemon(dominant influence), a country which heavily influences world politics, economics, and culture in the end times. Further, the text of Revelation indicates that it is a unique entity in the world, ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη the great polis. It uniquely makes all the nations of the world wealthy, reigns over the nations of the world, imposes its culture on all the nations, and leads them in a massive downward spiral of materialistic depravity that culminates in worldwide worship of Satan and the antichrist during the second half of the tribulation period.
These are things that can only be done once, and the United States is now doing them. Never before in history has a single country dominated all the other countries of the world and enjoyed such preeminence in comparison to all the others. The United States finds itself in the historically unique position of monopolizing every significant power source in the world—a position it began to occupy since the end of World War II, and which was greatly enhanced by the end of the Cold War.
They hypocrisy of American politics has caused the world to take notice. A headline in the UK last year stated:
“So much for unity! Biden sparks outrage after signing divisive executive order pushing schools to include transgender athletes in girls’ sports – causing critics to declare that the new president is ‘erasing women'”
Daily Mail
A common theme lately has been the sanctioning of Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine and human rights abuses perpetrated upon the civilians of the country. In the midst of what are many calling the start of World War III, President Joe Biden is focused more on his liberal satanic agenda of influencing the world with American morality.
This past week alone the news read:
“President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he will ask Congress for $2.6 billion for foreign aid programs that promote gender equality worldwide, more than double the size of last year’s request.“
Associated Press
From America’s drive to influence the world comes policies that push for abortion on demand, gay marriage laws, gender dysphoria, and a constant stream of filth pouring out of Hollywood and into the cities and homes of countries throughout the world.
If America doesn’t fit the model for Babylon of Revelation, I don’t know any other country that does.
Living in Babylon
Revelation 18:4-5 “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..”
As people of God, christians are to not partake of the filth this nation represents. Like Lot and his family when dwelling in Sodom and Gomorrah, how difficult would it have been to remain unstained when living in a society that has been condemned and judged by God. Today, we see the same wanton disregard for God’s Holy standard, America has been overrun with sex and drugs. Internet porn has garnered billions of dollars, drug use is at an all time high, and alcoholism is exploding in cities and homes across the nation.
The question is ‘if’ God will bring judgement upon America, but when will God bring judgment.
Revelation 17:15 “Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
According to Revelation, Babylon the Great is destroyed by the antichrist and the ten kings in the European alliance that comprise his base of power. Today, we are witnessing the forming of a new European alliance, one that has been necessitated by a superpower bent on reforming the old Soviet Union.
President Biden was reluctant to place an embargo on Russian oil, a major economic strength for a country attempting to finance genocide. Now, the President of modern day Babylon the Great is looking at Venezuela as a source of oil, run by a dictator that has just as many human rights abuses as Putin in Russia.
The Antichrist will arise in Europe and out of this confederacy America will have met her match. Still question the role of America in the last days?— then consider the mystery.
The Mystery
First, it is striking that in Revelation 17:5, John says the name of the harlot is a “mystery,” even though he reads it plainly. That verse is best translated, “and upon her forehead a name written, a mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.” Although some translations attempt to alleviate this difficulty by making the word μυστήριον, mystērion (“mystery”) the beginning of the harlot’s name, this is an extremely improbable interpretation. Babylon the Great is never called “Mystery” elsewhere, as would be expected if this word were part of its name. The only other occurrence of μυστήριον, mystērion in Revelation 17:1–19:5 is in 17:7, in which the angel tells John that he will reveal “the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her.” Thus, it is the woman’s identity that is a mystery; mystery is not part of her character, as if she represents a mystery religion (i.e., a religion with occultic secrets).
If Babylon the Great were a reference to the rebuilt city of Babylon in Iraq, its name would be no mystery. Even if it were a reference to Rome, the name would not be especially mysterious, since Rome was the great world power of John’s day, and Peter even refers to Rome as “Babylon” in 1 Peter 5:13.
The primary reason the book of Revelation calls the harlot “Babylon the Great” is because she represents an entity that did not exist and was wholly unknown at the time the book was penned. Hence, the Revelator chose to use a metaphor and state that the real name was a mystery.
The Fall
Revelation 14:8 “Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
The two verbs ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν, epesen epesen (fallen, fallen) are in the aorist tense, which is typically used to indicate past action. Within the narrative context of the book of Revelation, this proclamation is issued at the midpoint of the tribulation period. Even if one does not accept that the book of Revelation is organized chronologically, it should be noted that the sequence of angelic announcements in Revelation 14:6-11 is very specific. The angel who warns against receiving the mark of the beast is said to have “followed” the angel who proclaimed the fall of Babylon the Great in the past (Rev 14:9). The mark of the beast is implemented after the midpoint of the tribulation period, which marks the time of these angelic announcements as the midpoint. Thus, Revelation 14:8 is a clear statement of the fall of Babylon the Great before the midpoint of the tribulation period.
Revelation 17:16-18 “And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
If Babylon the Great is destroyed before the midpoint of the tribulation period, this raises the question of how this momentous event is related to the judgments of the first half the tribulation, namely, the seal judgments and the first six trumpet judgments. While the seal judgments do not directly mention Babylon the Great, there are many textual indications that Babylon the Great is destroyed early in the tribulation period, as a major part of the first four seal judgments. The first seal judgment pictures the antichrist conquering through war (Rev 6:1-2), and it is entirely in accord with Revelation 17 to understand this to signify his destruction of Babylon the Great.
Just last week, an article in Newsweek reminded us of how close America is to nuclear war…
Russia sortied ballistic missile submarines and land-based mobile missile launchers on March 1 in what was called a drill. Two days earlier, Vladimir Putin put Russian nuclear forces on “special combat readiness,” in other words, high alert. Minutes before the Ukraine invasion, the Russian president warned of “consequences that you have never experienced in your history.”
Newsweek March 10, 2022
It is very likely that America will undergo a nuclear war shortly after the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
While Babylon the Great is mentioned in the narrative of the seventh bowl judgment (Rev 16:19), that verse does not state that Babylon the Great itself is destroyed with the cities of the nations after the seventh bowl is poured out, but rather that Babylon the Great called to remembrance before God, for the purpose of finishing God’s wrath against her. To use the terminology of the book of Revelation, Babylon the Great caused all the nations to drink of the wrath-bringing wine of her fornication (Rev 14:8; 18:3; cf. 17:2). According to Revelation 16:19, it is exactly this wine that is poured out in the seventh bowl judgment. By judging the nations that drank of Babylon the Great’s cup, God is judging Babylon the Great itself, destroying and condemning all that she has produced.
Our Response
Have you wondered why America continues to grow so evil? The weight of living in this country is becoming more difficult by the day. As believers in Christ it is imperative we become all the more diligent to separate ourselves and be holy.
2 Corinthians 6:17-18 Therefore…
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”
If we want to have any impact, any godly influence in a world that has been influenced by the Great Harlot, we must be ever more diligent in our conduct, what we see, how we respond, what we say, and this is greatly helped by remaining in the Word of God and in fellowship with other believers. The world may be growing darker but God’s people still represent the light.
Be light in a world of darkness and let the Great Commission be fulfilled. God’s plans are coming to fruition, where will you find yourself in a day like today?
Only God knows.
U.T. 