Conclusion. In light of the foregoing themes, which defined Babylon the Great, one must bear in mind that Rome dominated those under its sway, often with heavy hand. Trade was not free. Taxes were steep. Relationships were mired in the muck of subservience, backed by the sword. All of this was therefore obligatory, per terms and conditions established and instituted by Rome. Of those forced to bow to her will, the Goths and the Saxons figured
prominently. None, regardless of nationality, would have cared, much less shed a tear, at her collapse and funeral. While, as has been shown, Rome is indeed the woman and the headquarters of the Great Whore, who has strong roots, therefore a connection and a spirit reminiscent of ancient Babylon, so that she too is called Babylon the Great, in the mind and plans of God, on the one hand, she does not to any degree fit the profile set forth here in chapter 18.
As for the prospect that actual Babylon in Iraq might be rebuilt and brought to some future level of prominence to match that specified in this book, that is highly, highly unlikely if for no other reason than the hand and plans of the Almighty God who initiated and who supervised her downfall under the bows, the blows and the swords of the Medes and the Persians, see the sidebar, Babylon the Great, in discussion for verse 3.
Whatever Iraq's potential, she lacks the essentials, shall we say, including the freedoms, among many other things perhaps, that allow for this type of globally recognizable aspect, reach and or this kind of a relatively peaceful coexistence with other nations, being dominated and controlled by Sunni Muslim, thus, prone to violence in its approach to international relations
with other. Even if Iran takes over, as it most likely will at some point, most probably just before, or quite possibly following the fall of this Babylon the Great, so lofty a goal is at best hopelessly unattainable, Iran is controlled by Shiite Muslims, and, equally prone to violence and bloodshed to enforce its relations with others, on religious grounds. God will make certain of
that. Thus, with so much on the table that accurately makes this and every other Bible prophecy an absolute reality, today, time and circumstance all come together, and the circumstance all come together, working hand in hand to preclude any such prospect, that Babylon will be rebuilt, see side bar above, Shiite Islamic rule, page 36. So then, Rome, Vatican City and Babylon, Iraq having been weeded out, who is this Babylon the Great? Who can she be if not the
United States of America? Given that there are, for sure, metaphorically, at least two end times Babylon's alluded to in the Revelation, in four places, 14-8, 16-19, 17, 3-6, 18, 18, 1-20, might there not also be a third one known only to the mind of Almighty God, one that did not and could never have existed prior to our day? One that, given the circumstances, we need not look for, beyond this date? Rehash. By way of rehash, a number of things about this particular Babylon,
18, 1-19, stand out and are therefore worthy of repetition.. This city and her people are an entirely end times entity. That is, she does not exist until the last days, or, our time. Given that this is an end times institution, having no discernible, physical or historical ties to the distant past, it is highly unlikely as but that this, city, is to be interpreted metaphorically as a modern nation. There is no one city anywhere, past or present,
which could ever meet the qualifications listed here. A nation, only one, can, no other kingdom, nation or, city-state in the history of mankind has ever fit the mold propounded by John the
Revelator here in this eighteenth chapter. The ancients knew of nothing like her.. In terms of profile, nothing in the text surrounding this Babylon suggests any definite association with the great whore, a function or persona of the woman having multiple, split personalities, where she is distinctly religious on the one hand, Babylon the Great written on her forehead,
and yet uniquely political on the other, that great city, per chapters 17 and 16-19. Thus, Babylon here, chapter 18, is not a primarily religious institution as is the Vatican nor does modern-day Rome have the standing on the world stage, in the eyes of the world, that she does. There is nothing here in this profile of Babylon the Great to link her to the great whore of chapter
17. She will go down, indirectly per the will of God, at a time when global economies are still relatively strong, in so far as, close association with her is beneficial and profitable, which means that her devastation will not be connected to that of the apocalyptic period, she will be betrayed by the political factions of her partners in trade, hers will be the first major devastating blow to the global economy, the second and third will come with World War III and with the ensuing, acts of
God, respectively. Her utterly disastrous demise and ruin will spell the beginning of the end for all others, ushering in the Russian-led invasion of Palestine and the next global stab at a Holocaust that backfires, leading to the rise of the Jews, followed by the apocalypse itself, which contributes even more strongly to the notion that the fall of this Babylon will have to occur before, not during
the tribulation period. Contrast this to the two apocalyptic Babylon's, one of which will be destroyed by an, act of God, during the Bull judgments, the city of Rome, per Revelation chapter 16 verse 9.
The other, the great whore and mother of harlots, Vatican city, per Revelation chapter 17 verses 16 to 17, destroyed completely by the beast and the ten nations, per the will of God, goaded into that action by his hand, before the Bull judgments, ending a relatively protracted period of economic upheaval created, instigated and left for them by God, as if to taunt them, they will exist harmoniously, and they, the beast and these nations, will preside jointly for only a short time,
within the confines of probably not more than a few months to one year. Her destruction will have catastrophic financial consequences all over the world, on all her allies and partners in trade, this would suggest that while the effects in the seal judgments might have many man-made causes, the root cause may ultimately be traceable and attributable primarily to the void left by this Babylon, that is, the Russo-Arab invasion, and the wars under the seals all commence by virtue of
long-standing hostilities, as well as a mad-dash power grab to secure control of the Middle East, by wresting control of the Holy Land from the Jew as they seek to exterminate him.
A compelling line of reasoning, when one considers that even in these relatively good hard times, the nations, jointly or individually, can only barely keep their heads above water, by contrast, both Rome and Vatican City, the woman, with such as will be of her, revived, beast or empire, and the great whore, will be left standing until the virtual bitter end before being destroyed, and yet their presences, individually or corporately, will have no
significant impact on the global economy throughout the apocalypse, the global economies will long have been in shambles, with no relief, and, no potential for relief, by either of them, when each is finally destroyed. Politically, it is without doubt safe to say, the Pope and his Vatican will play a major role in events that ultimately lead to the coming of the beast.
With the world economy irreversibly upturned since the seal and trumpet judgments, no one from World War III, Revelation chapter 6, to the end at the Battle of Armageddon, not even the rich, will be able to afford her products and services, etc. All of the judgments will be tailored in part to create a globe-spanning economic and political quagmire, there will be little time, occasion, or demand for the pleasures and frivolous pursuits she makes possible by her
presence, once the apocalyptic narrative shifts into full swing. Furthermore, by the time of Revelation chapter 16 verse 19, the destruction of Italy and Rome, the woman divorced from her religious aspect, i.e., the great whore, there will be no nation, or, city, that can live up to and fit the particulars that pertain to her, the great whore, the religious aspect of the woman on the beast with ten heads, being the Vatican, seat of the Roman Catholic Church will have been
destroyed earlier in the reign of the beast, by a coalition led by the beast and his ten-nation confederacy. Babylon the Great will have been a major player in the international trafficking
of drugs, or narcotics, see side bar above, Uncle Sam's Poppy Farms, page 32. Since no economy will ever fully recover from the seal and trumpet judgments, neither Rome nor the Vatican city will ever be able to undo what God has done, for the benefit of surviving men and women up to this point, and hence, with a view to saving souls, that seems to be the point of this mess that God
plans to and will have implemented. What this means then, is that the beast will inherit, and he will preside over a global empire in shambles, in every way imaginable, but particularly politically and economically. Like his predecessors, and, like a Humpty Dumpty whom God handed an
inheritance consisting of a broken egg, he'll never be able to pull it back together. He will not be given time to build or rebuild much of anything of any real significance, much less rebuild Babylon of Iraq so as to bring it to that level of fruition and prominence depicted here in Rev. 18. With only 3.5 years left to the end of the world, he simply will not have the time.
It might be said of the language employed by God in his description and analysis of Babylon the Great, that it is both toxic and vitriolic, venomous even, as this is a people whom he has known from their beginning, a people who have never met with his favor, although it was expected
that they should have had, or, might have had some form of relationship with him. Of this we may rest fully assured, as was true of Pharaoh and later of the, real, Babylonians, as was, or will be true of Gog and Magog, the Russians, and of the other Babylon, that metaphorical composite of Rome and Vatican City. So, in similar fashion, it is true here that this is a people for whom the Almighty can think no good thought. He harbors no emotion for them greater than a deep-seated loathing of
their very being. The message in his tone, and the sudden, catastrophic toppling of this great city is, I am sick of looking at you. The sooner I can clear the deck of you, the merrier. Thus, for them having been weighed in the balances and found to be perpetually wanting the handwriting is on the walls. Nonetheless, for all this, no doubt the question persists still in the minds of some,
who precisely are these people? Interestingly, there is no expectation, not even a whimper of a demand for increased evangelistic activity on the part of the saints known to be among the Babylonians, not one expression of concern that some among the unsaved might be brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, by her effort, contrast this to the work of the 144,000 and their angelic assist, each of whom will preach and issue stern warnings all over the planet to a world of
unbelievers, who live for a short while under the exclusive dominion of the Spirit of Antichrist, at their appointed time during the apocalyptic period. There is no interest on high in seeing them bring the nation back to any supposed Christian roots or heritage, though it appears she will be recognized for having been highly religious, practicing her facade under a
Christian banner, in the name of God Almighty. The only concern is that, the true saints should be wary and diligent to distinguish themselves according to the word of God, so that she knows, and she is fully aware of their commitment, as opposed to her philosophy, her ideology, or her religious bent, for fear they too will be caught up in her judgment and punishment.
That judgment will fall upon her, and upon her every adherent, unabated and without mercy, including inattentive saints who having ventured so close as to copy her ways that they will fail to heed God's warning. So again, in closing, in light of every particular laid out thus far then, who among the cities, nations in these end times days best fills the bill ascribed to Babylon the Great, then does the United States of America? The answer of course is no one. America is not
mentioned anywhere in the Bible, by name. But she is most definitely alluded to, based upon the quality of her international social, political, and economic ties and, on her spiritual climate, as she is known and valued in the eyes of God blessed beyond measure, yet the object of his sore disdain. The reason? Unto whom much is given, much is expected. Like Nimrod, being a rebel at heart, she has known God from the beginning, but, like the churches of Ephesus, Sardis, and Laodicea,
she has served him only on her terms. The image of him, conveyed around the world by her churches, has been and is both defamatory and blasphemous. Given the glare of her opulence, in light of her standing in international circles, the world cannot hear God's voice over hers expressed in sectarian, denominational doctrines, systematic theological studies, and so-called Christian worldviews whitewashed historical studies. Thus, the ROI he seeks has always been and will
remain until she is gone sub par. For a fuller, more thorough consideration of this and related issues including how so great, so powerful and so dispersed a people can be completely destroyed in only one hour, please consider carefully America in Bible Prophecy. Babylon the Great and America in Bible Prophecy. The Achilles Heel. Each by this author. Each discussion follows and so is included in this work. One might add.