The Babylon of Revelation chapter 18 will be the center of a political, commercial, and financial system that is ruled by the Antichrist. The Antichrist will honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things (Daniel 11:38). The Antichrist’s gods will be his military power, wealth, and control of people. The Antichrist’s power will be short-lived—God will destroy him (Revelation 19).
Some Bible teachers believe this Babylon is not a city, but a worldwide godless political, commercial, and financial system—it’s probably both. The Bible calls Babylon a city, and there is nothing anywhere else in the Bible that says it isn’t a city. There are several Old Testament prophecies about Babylon that have not been completely fulfilled. Isaiah 13, 47, Jeremiah 50-51, Ezekiel 26-27 are just some of the prophecies concerning Babylon. All these prophecies concerning Babylon have not been completely fulfilled. For example: The prophecies concerning Babylon in Isaiah 13:9-12 hasn’t been completely fulfilled yet, but it will happen. Babylon, as the capital of the Antichrist’s rule over the earth, will have worldwide influence which makes it much more than just a city. Rebuilding Babylon into a large city with ports for ships is very possible with the modern building and dredging equipment of today.
“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory” (Revelation 18:1). Some Bible teachers believe that this angel is Jesus Christ. But the word “another” comes from the Greek word “allos” that means “another of the same kind.” If this angel was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Greek word “heteros” would have been used. Jesus promised to send another “allos” Comforter, another like Himself (John 14:15-18). Many Bible scholars believe it’s a very powerful angel of God such as Gabriel or Michael. God uses Angels for many of His purposes. Gabriel told Zacharias to name his son John, and Gabriel told Mary that she would be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1). Angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). One angel killed 185,000 of the Assyrian Army (2 Kings 19:35).
And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” (Revelation 18:2). Sometime in the future two hundred million demons will be released from where they are bound at the Euphrates River (Revelation 9). Satan and his demons will be cast out of heaven to the earth (Revelation 12). Every demon that has not been eternally bound in the bottomless pit will someday be roaming the earth. Filthy spirits like frogs that are spirits of demons will go out and deceive the whole world and bring them together for the great day of God, the Almighty, which brings about the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-14). The materialistic passion for the pleasures and things of this world will make worldly thinking people act like a drunk man with no self-control. They will be so deceived by these demons and the Babylonian political, commercial, and financial systems that they will gladly worship the Antichrist and follow him to their death (Revelation 19:17-21).
“For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury” (Revelation 18:3). In the last half of the seven year tribulation most of the world will be under the control of the political, commercial, and financial systems, and the other secular enterprises that are set up by the Antichrist and the ten kings under his control. Worldly thinking people will gladly take the mark of the beast because they are obsessed by worldly riches, things, and pleasures; they are without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, and lovers of money (2 Timothy 3:1-5) The Antichrist, under Satan’s control, will rule these ungodly world systems.
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” (Revelation 18:4). The church of Jesus Christ will have been taken into heaven (1 Corinthians 15:51-52), 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 4:1-4); but God is still calling Jews and Gentiles during the tribulation to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and there will be many who answer that call (Revelation 7:1-17). Many of them will be martyred for their faith because they refuse to take the mark of the beast. But many believers will survive until the end of the tribulation. All believers are told to not get involved in the ungodly political, commercialism, and financial systems of the Antichrist. This is also telling the unbelievers of that time in the future to “Put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior” and get out of the ungodly world systems so they will escape the wrath of God and enter into God’s heaven for all eternity. Sometime in the future all the political, commercialism, and materialistic systems of this world will perish.
“For her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:5). The word “piled” literally means “glued or welded together.” God knows every evil thought, motive, and deed throughout the history of mankind. There comes a time when sin reaches a certain point within a nation and/or people’s lives that God will intervene—He always has! When every intent of the thoughts of the people were continually evil, God destroyed them with a flood (Genesis 6). When the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah reached up to God He destroyed them with fire and brimstone (Genesis 18:20-21, 19:13). In order to be true to His righteous character, God must intervene and destroy Babylon because of her sin. The apostle Peter wrote, “Since all these worldly things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11).
Carlin Lawrence
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