Mystery, Babylon the Great
There are many people today that agree that the Book of Revelation predicts the Fall of Babylon. (Revelation 14:8, 16:19) As a matter of fact, there are many Scriptures in the Book of Revelation that describe the Fall of Babylon.
This makes the Fall of Babylon one of the main topics of the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 17:5, 18:2,10,21) There are many today that say that Babylon is Rome or Roman Catholicism. Some others identify Babylon as a modern-day worldwide Church or apostate Christianity.
There is one thing for certain, that is the identity of Babylon in the Book of Revelation is a very important part of just how the Book of Revelation is to be interpreted.
It is in the Book of Revelation that the Coming of Jesus, the New Creation, the Judgment, and the Resurrection are all associated with the Fall of Babylon. To incorrectly identify Babylon is to incorrectly interpret these events.
This is because, no matter what some people believe Babylon to be, all of these events just mentioned are linked with the Fall of Babylon.
Can we identify just who the Babylon of the Book of Revelation actually is?
Yes, we can!
First, let’s notice the following verses: Revelation 16:6, 17:1-6, 18:20,24.
These verses tell us that Babylon was drunk with the blood of the prophets. This is a critical point because the term “prophet” appears at least 88 times in the New Testament.
Most of these usages refer to Old Testament prophets. The city of Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, nor any modern worldwide Church ever persecuted Old Testament prophets, but Babylon of Revelation did.
Therefore, none of these can be identified as Babylon.
What city persecuted the Old Testament prophets and filled the cup of her sin by doing so?
When you compare Matthew Chapter 23 with the Book of Revelation, this is plainly revealed. Jesus plainly and clearly identifies Jerusalem as the one who had killed the prophets. (Matthew 23:31,34)
In Revelation, it is Babylon that killed the prophets.
In Matthew 23:32, Jesus said the Jews were about to fill the cup of their sin by continuing to persecute those sent to her.
In Revelation 17:6, we read how Babylon has filled her cup by persecuting not only the prophets of the Old Testament, but also the followers of Jesus as well. (Matthew 23:34)
In Matthew 23:35-36, Jesus said that Jerusalem was guilty of “all the blood shed on the earth”.
(Note: The Greek word translated as “earth” refers to the Land of Judea not the whole planet.)
In Revelation 18:24, Babylon bears the guilt for “all the blood shed on the earth”. Jesus said that judgment on Jerusalem for killing the prophets would come in His generation that is on that first century generation. (Matthew 23:36)
Jesus restates the nearness of all of these events again and again at the end of the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:6,10,12,20) All of these parallels are not accidental.
The great city, Babylon is spiritually called Sodom. (Revelation 11:8) It is the only city in the Bible, other than the historical Sodom of Genesis 19 that is ever called Sodom.
Other references to Jerusalem as Sodom are found in Isaiah 1:1-2,9-12, Jeremiah 23:14, and in Ezekiel 16:44,46,48. These Scriptures speak about the sins of Jerusalem.
Another undeniable point is that the Book of Revelation states that the Lord was crucified in Sodom. (Revelation 11:8)
Jesus was not crucified in Rome, or by the Catholic Church or by any modern worldwide Church. Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem.
Another major theme of the Book of Revelation is the avenging of the martyrs. (Revelation 6:9-10) In Revelation 17:4-6, the doom of Jerusalem was predicted. (Revelation 18:20,24)
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The judgment of God was on Babylon, the city drunken with the blood of the saints.
Every designation of “Babylon” in the Book of Revelation was used by first century writers to describe the City of Jerusalem. Jesus said in Matthew 23:35-38, the blood of the martyrs, all the way back to Abel would be judged in that generation. This exact same judgment is described to happen to Babylon in Revelation Chapter 18.
The Bible places the blame for persecuting the Church at the feet of Israel/Jerusalem, not Rome.
Notice these Scriptural events:
The Sanhedrin beat Peter and John (Acts 4-5).
Stephen was stoned by the Jews (Acts 6-7).
The Jews instigated great persecution against the Church (Acts 8).
Saul, the persecutor, was sent by the High Priest to persecute Christians (Acts 9:2-3).
Herod brought persecution to the Church to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3).
the Jews were stirred up against Paul (Acts 13:50).
at Thessalonica, the Jews attempted to kill Paul (Acts 17:5,13)
In Revelation 14:6-8, John’s vision revealed an angel with the “Everlasting Gospel” with the message of the soon coming judgment on Babylon.
These verses deal with the preaching of the Gospel in all the world, the filling up of the measure of sin, the soon coming of Jesus and the Judgment of God.
All these events are positioned at the Fall of Babylon. There are many Scriptures that state that the Gospel was preached in all the world before the Fall of Jerusalem. (Note: it was their known “world” NOT the entire planet the Greek language proves this fact.)
Consider these Scriptures:
Romans 10:18, 16:25-26, Colossians 1:23, Titus 2:11. If we accept the Scriptures then we must believe that the Gospel was preached in “all the world” before the Fall of Jerusalem.
Romans 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
The Greek Word for Earth is G#1093 - Ghay or Ge and refers to the Physical land or region they were in
The Greek Word for World is G#3625 Oikoumene and refers to the then "Roman Empire"
Romans 16:25-26, 25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26 but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Colossians 1:23 if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.
Conclusion
We have given undeniable Biblical proof that the Babylon of the Book of Revelation was first-century Jerusalem.
This means that if Babylon was, in fact, first-century Jerusalem, then the modern ideas of a future coming Armageddon, a future millennial, and “the end-of-time judgment” are all false narratives.
The Book of Revelation is all about the Fall of Babylon, the Great which was first-century Jerusalem.
Revelation 11:8
Jesus was crucified in Jerusalem NOT in Rome
