For example, who is Babylon? Babylon is a city, according to Revelation 18. I have speculated that the city is New York City, because NYC meets many of the criteria of Revelation 17. In 1714 New York City didn't meet any of the criteria for being Babylon. Since Matthew Henry, one of the most revered commentators, thought it was Rome, because at the time John wrote the prophesy it was understood to be describing the Rome of his day, Rome has been dogmatically accepted by many to be "the Harlot of Babylon."
Some have decided that that was then this is now, and Rome doesn't fit anymore. Therefore new theories must be floated. Theories that ancient Babylon will be rebuilt and spring back into existence to provide a more satisfying fulfillment of prophesy than she has so far. Theories that the Babylon in Revelation 17 and Revelation 18 are two entirely different cities, because chapter 18 begins, "And after these things..." Theories that Babylon MUST be Jerusalem.
In trying to read the history of Babylon, I've found that the history seems to be written according to what people that wrote the history wanted it to be, emphasizing ancient accounts or dismissing them accordingly.
Some say that prophesies of Jeremiah and Isaiah on the fall of Babylon have never been fulfilled. Well, it seems to depend on what one understood them to have prophesied. Babylon wasn't suddenly conquered in a horrible cataclysm or battle. However, Babylon has disappeared from history. It has only been fairly recently that anyone even found ruins of Babylon, and many believed the biblical accounts of ancient Babylon to be purely imaginary, as there was no evidence at all that it ever existed. A whole world empire - poof.
In trying to sort out the history of Babylon, and the prophesies of Babylon, I find myself running into histories and commentaries that spend page after page completely off the subject, and answering what seems to me like silly questions. Was John seduced by the Harlot of Babylon? Well, when one speaks of a ship as a "she," does anyone imagine that lonely sailors are falling in love with "her"? John knows this Harlot of Babylon is a city. I don't think he's struggling with his romantic interest in her. It's as if the commentator said to himself, "No one is going to read this anyway, I just need to write twenty pages of craziness."
I have opinions. I think the Babylon of chapter 17 and the Babylon of chapter 18 are the same. I don't think we're talking about literal Babylon. Babylon is being used as a metaphor, as nearly every other thing John has brought up has been. I don't think it's Rome. I think the first century church thought it was Rome, and it was expected that they would. Hence, Rome, though unspoken, is also a metaphor of this city. I don't think it's Jerusalem. And what does that leave? If all the events described in Revelation were happening today, under the current circumstances, I would say it is New York City.
Some will argue, "Oh, noooooooo. This prophesied city is rich! New York City has a lot of outright squalor! This prophesied city is a seaport. NYC doesn't unload cargo in the city anymore, mostly due to 9/11. NYC doesn't live 'deliciously.' " Etc. Etc. Well, in addition to other criteria, I think we're talking about a city of the Western world. "But NYC doesn't behead Christians, or even throw them to the lions," they cry. "Yet," I answer. The "Harlot of Babylon" needs to be royal. Again, it seems like people have their thinking confused with this being a person and this being a city. It is not a person. To be a royal city, you only need to be the ruling city of the empire, not related to a king.
Unfortunately, when one goes down the metaphorical or spiritual road, they seem to depart completely from any element of logic. If we're not being literal, then logic doesn't matter anymore!
I also feel that this city will be in the English speaking world, simply because of the fact that English has become a world lingua franca, and there would need to be a lingua franca for the political situation to operate on a world scale. Logically, the dominant city would be an English speaking city. Would it make sense for the political and economic and religious affairs of this final world empire to be necessarily conducted in English, and yet choose to rule from a city where the language is Chinese?
Moving on. The "kings of the earth have committed fornication with her." Fornication is used here to mean breaking a sacred trust with God. How do they do this? Well, there are a lot of aspects to modern life that have broken with the former code of conduct with God. One hears, "I don't think anyone should legislate morality." And yet all of legislature is legislating morality, and that ultimately comes down to God's thoughts on the law. The laws of the United States were formulated using the Ten Commandments as the model. It's not just something Christians have done either. Witness countries of the Moslem world, adhering to Islamic law. The Ten Commandments are the basis of the legal system. If we aren't legislating morality, then we also should not send anyone to prison for murder or theft. If you carry this thinking to its logical conclusion, there can be no law at all. And, in fact, this will be the problem with the last empire - it will be a lawless place, run by lawless people. So what if they're fornicators? cry some. We can be fornicators if we like! Why should that be against the law?
Well, the kings of the earth are all fornicators, in the sense especially that they don't adhere to any laws because they don't adhere to God. The Antichrist will seemingly present the perfect solution for them. The new deity not only doesn't disapprove of fornication in any sense of the word, he encourages it!
Curiously, in chapter 17, the kings of the earth have abandoned their thrones in order to turn everything over to the Antichrist, because they have all decided to do away with the Harlot of Babylon, and the Antichrist will help them. Immediately after this, Babylon is destroyed. Are the kings of the earth happy now? Not so much. They are weeping, mourning, and wailing. But isn't this what they wanted? I'm not quite sure. They didn't like being controlled by Babylon, but they enjoyed the benefits of Babylon, which was wealth. With Babylon destroyed, the economies of the kings of the earth, and the merchants of the earth go down.
Some have pointed to Revelation 18's treatment of "the merchants of the earth," as indicating that John, and by extension, God, is speaking against business or countries operating with economies. Evil evil evil. "Money is the root of all evil!" But this is incorrect. Scripture states that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. It therefore makes sense that the final empire would be morally destitute for the sake of money. However, I don't feel that this is an indictment of merchants or of countries having economies. Everyone in it will have abandoned righteousness for money and the things it can buy. If one abandons morals for money there is a problem. With all law and morality abandoned, the whole world goes off into uncharted territory.
I suppose what the kings of the earth wanted was control of Babylon, not collapse.
Was it the Antichrist that destroyed Babylon? Or was it the hand of God? Did God use the Antichrist to destroy Babylon?
"And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all." Revelation 18:21
One angel picks up a stone the size of a great millstone? How much would that weigh? I suppose at least what a car would weigh. That must be a strong angel.
"And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he may be, shall be found any more in thee, and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee.
And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee;" Revelation 18:22-23
No more music, no cobblers, no mechanists, no bakers, lawyers, doctors, or any other profession. What if in New York City all the businesses were closed forever? It would be a sad day.
Not only that, no lights, no weddings... What if it were abandoned, vacant, a ghost town? Here one might find a hubcap left, if that.
No, not New York City! But, if not New York City, another equally remarkable city, "utterly burned with fire," gone completely and forever, in one hour.
Why, why, why? We are finally given an answer to the great question of man in Revelation 18:23-24, "for thy merchants were great men of the earth, and by thy sorcery were all nations deceived, 24. and in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
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