In Revelation Babylon the Great is prophesied to be destroyed by the Wild Beast of Revelation chapter 13 vss 1 and 2. The Beast represents a political element that governments of the earth will submit to in the future. If you want to learn more about that see my article posted on page two of this site entitled Don’t Believe These Stories About The Beast of Revelation.
Babylon the Great is figuratively seen as a prostitute riding on top of that political entity, the Wild Beast in Revelation.
Babylon the Great is said to commit fornication with the kings of the earth, including this political wild beast. By prostitution the scriptures are referring to Babylon the Great’s entanglement with nations that will prevent it from correctly representing God before them, and before other people. It’s a spiritual adultery those scriptures speak of because it doesn’t properly represent God. Whether Babylon the Great is one religious entity, or if it is made up of many religious entities cannot definitively be determined by scripture. But it appears to be made of a conglomerate of religious groups.
Revelation claims it is responsible for the blood of all people slain on earth. That’s one reason it appears to represent a conglomerate of religious groups and not just one. When speaking to Jewish religious leaders Christ charged the people in Jerusalem with Abel’s death and the murder of prophets. Since Abel was actually killed by his brother Cain, while some of the prophets were killed by other people, how are those killings tied together with Jerusalem’s guilt and Babylon the Great’s guilt?
Cain killed Abel because he developed rage against him while they both offered sacrifices to God or shortly after that. The account doesn’t associate Cain’s anger with any type of rulership, other than Cain’s failure to exercise control over his own emotions. Nor do scriptures associate Cain’s rage with any material interest in coveting Abel’s possessions. That’s important to identify Babylon the Great and Jerusalem’s guilt. Because Christ associated Jerusalem’s guilt with Abel’s murder, he appears to have done so because of events arising out of Jerusalem’s religious practices, that had nothing to do with its commercial or political concerns. That means Babylon the Great likely is not a commercial or political entity either. Here, at Luke 11:50, is what Christ said in charging Jerusalem with Abel’s murder:
As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.
There Christ also claims Jerusalem was charged with the murders of some prophets. And Christ said Zechariah was killed between the alter and the sanctuary, which suggests he was killed by people who believed they were performing a religious sacrifice, or at least had their intent influenced by their religious beliefs. So Christ appeared to be holding Jerusalem responsible for these murders because of events stemming from its citizens’ religious practices, such as their excommunicating and killing Christ.
After Christ left earth he sent the message of Revelation to John. In it he was claiming he was holding that prostitute called Babylon the Great responsible for the blood of the prophets. That means this Babylon the Great must include those in Jerusalem Christ previously held responsible for killing the prophets. Christ also extended Babylon the Great’s guilt to include the spilling of the blood of saints and ALL PEOPLE SLAIN ON EARTH.
The prophets were killed because they revealed God’s will to people. And they were killed because of fulfilling that commission entrusted upon them by God. Therefore, the prophets murders carry the implication that God holds their murderers’ religious affiliations responsible for those killings, and not their commercial or political affiliations. Simply put Babylon the Great is religion and those affiliated with it, either one religion or many. As stated above, it appears to be many.
Jerusalem was in a relationship with God, like Christendom is today. Yet scriptures do not indicate if Babylon the Great is only religious groups in that special type of relationship with God, or if it includes many religions God does not approve of, including religions that are neither Christian nor Jewish.
“And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” Revelation 18:24
One reply on “Identifying Babylon the Great”
Since Revelation is a highly symbolic book, it is recommended, that we not take many expressions literally! I believe there is enough evidence that Babylon the Great in Revelation represents WT in times of the end and “earth” (Rev. 11:18) the “new earth”, that is, as the Insight on The Scriptures so candidly puts it: “It is evident that “heavens” is symbolic and that “earth” here, has symbolic reference to a society of people living on the earth (I might add – new society), just as at Psalm 96:1.—See HEAVEN (New heavens and new earth).