Mystery Babylon
Part 2—The Great Harlot: Revelation Chapter 18

by Joel Richardson

Part 1—The Great Harlot: Revelation Chapter 17  |  Part 3—Mecca/Saudi Arabia as the Great Harlot

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!" (Revelation 18:2)

Next we will examine the passages from Revelation 18 that describe the actual fall of Babylon. While the weight of the information in chapter 17 addressed either the religious dimensions of the Harlot or her relationship to the Beast Empire, here in chapter 18, the emphasis is on the Harlot's financial dimensions as they relate to the merchants of the earth:

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'

Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!' "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.' The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

"Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?' They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.' " Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.

"After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!" (Revelation 18:2)

The first thing that we see here is that the Harlot, Babylon, is prophetically declared to have fallen. This is yet a future event.

"She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird." (Revelation 18:2)

The Harlot is again described as a city that is a home for many demons and evil spirits. This is in line with the ancient eastern perception that desolate wastelands were the home of demons and unclean spirits. As an utterly wasted place, it will be the home only for demons, evil spirits and scavenging birds of the desert. It is the absolute lack of human habitation that is being emphasized.

"For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries." (Revelation 18:3)

The reason that she is judged is due to the "maddening" influence that she has doled out to the nations. They have accepted and swallowed the maddening doctrines that she espouses and spreads. By "maddening," we are to understand that an irrational hatred and rage fills the hearts of those who partake in her "wine"—her idolatrous doctrines.

We can learn much here about the nature and the spirit of the Harlot's idolatrous religion. In the New Testament, when one becomes a follower of Jesus, they are filled with the Holy Spirit and bear the appropriate fruit of such in their lives; things like love, joy, patience and peace, etc. Conversely, the effects of receiving the Holy Spirit are often contrasted to drunkenness: "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18)

The people who partake of this particular wine—the spirit behind the Harlot religion—find themselves drunk with rage. As I mentioned in the opening of this book, for much of my life I was possessed by this very spirit. Today I am filled with the Holy Spirit of God, and His presence is evident in my life.

"...the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries." (Revelation 18:3)

The Merchants of the earth have grown rich from her excessively bourgeois lifestyle. She buys and the merchants have grown rich. She is, among other things, a voracious importer of goods.

"Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself."

God warns his people living in Babylon to "come out of her"—to flee, for she is about to be judged severely. The severity of judgment is described as being equally as excessive as the luxury that she lavished on herself during her lifetime. Many Bible teachers have expressed that this warning is more a universal warning for all Christians to flee any form of lukewarm Christianity and less of a localized warning of an impending judgment specifically for those living in Babylon.

I actually once met an older couple from Georgia who felt that it was their ministry to walk into various churches on Sunday morning and yell out during the sermon, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive her plagues!" They would then hightail it to their car and speed off to the next church to shout out their prophetic warning and disrupt another church service.

Contextually, however, this call is directed specifically to those who are living in Babylon proper. It is not a universal call to all of God's people everywhere. We should note that the warning does not say, for instance, that God's people should flee in order that they may avoid being tempted or seduced by the Harlot to compromise.

The warning is a specific warning directed to God's people living in Babylon to get out of Babylon, lest they be destroyed as God's judgment is executed. The warning is exactly like the warning that Jesus extended to those who would be living in Jerusalem at the time when the Antichrist sets up the abomination that causes desolation.

Jesus said, "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15,16 NIV) Like the call to flee Babylon, so the call to flee Jerusalem is specific to a particular time and place. It is not a universal call to flee "spiritual Jerusalem," nor is the call to flee Babylon to flee an undefined theoretical spiritual state. It is a warning that is particular to a specific time and place.

"In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.' Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her." (Revelation 18:7,8)

This portion of the passage is once again a very clear allusion to an earlier prophecy about Babylon made by the prophet Isaiah. In fact, portions of this passage are nearly direct quotations of Isaiah's prophecy. Whenever this occurs, it is important to go back to the passage quoted or alluded to, in order to glean any addition information that may not have been stated in the newer passage, but which is understood implicitly to be included.

You said, 'I will continue forever—the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. "Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.' Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood.

They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells. You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.' (Isaiah 47:7-10 NIV)

The Harlot is entirely arrogant. She is convinced that her reign will never be extinguished. From her vantage point, she is beyond displacement, beyond ever being dethroned—she will never mourn.

Instead, however, the text emphasizes the speed and power with which she will meet her end as God's judgment falls upon her. Another important element here that is not included in the passage in Revelation is the Harlot's expressed belief about herself that "no one sees me."

In the midst of her excessive luxury and debauchery, she expresses that no one is aware of her sins. Of course, nothing escapes God's notice, and what is done in secret will be judged publicly. In this case, the whole world will look on as the Harlot is utterly destroyed.

"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

"'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more...." (Revelation 18:10,11)

The kings of the earth, specifically the ones "who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury," will see her destruction, and they will "weep and mourn." It is important to see that the Harlot does share her luxury with the kings of the earth. As such, their source of material extravagance is cut off. They weep and mourn. Likewise, the merchants of the earth will also mourn. They no longer have this great city to purchase their merchandise.

The smoke from her judgment will be seen from afar. One is immediately reminded of the scene from Manhattan on 9/11 when news cameras relayed images of the Twin Towers from across the harbor. One could see the smoke and the debris from the decimation of the Towers trailing off into the sky and over the ocean. Likewise, based on these descriptions, we may also expect Mystery Babylon to possess a relatively long and visible shoreline that may be observed from opposing lands.

"Cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men." (Revelation 18:12,13)

Here we have a long list of the specific products that she imports. The items that she imports may be divided into three categories. We can learn much about Babylon by the items that she imports. These are things that she cannot produce herself. The three categories are:

"Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you." (Revelation 18:20)

The literal command goes out to the saints, apostles, and prophets to rejoice because such a great persecutor has been defeated.

"With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again." (Revelation 18:21-23)

As shown in this and other portions of the prophecy, the Harlot will be destroyed violently and swiftly: "in a day," "with such violence," "consumed by fire." It is important to note that the gradual decay, decline and breakdown of the Roman Empire cannot be honestly found in this description.

We also see that the judgment on the Harlot is permanent. There will never be heard in this city the sound of music or musicians. Workers will never rebuild the city. The sound of tradesman will never be heard or seen in her again. All agriculture will cease. There will be no weddings. Ultimately we see no signs of any human habitation.

"Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." (Revelation 18:23,24)

And lastly, we see the final mention that, "your merchants were the world's great men." Those who do business with Babylon are the world leaders, the ultra-wealthy, the elite, the board members and the CEOs of the most powerful corporations in the world.

The influence of the Harlot is described with the Greek word pharmakeia, from which we get the English word for pharmacy. The word is used in the Bible to describe a magic spell, sorcery, witchcraft or even the effects of a hallucinogenic drug. The influence of the Harlot, her religion and her excessive wealth has an overwhelming effect on many peoples and nations.

Now, having completed our examination of the complete prophecy, we may now also add these last final descriptions regarding the Harlot:

Deciphering the Meaning of "Babylon the Great"

As was mentioned earlier, one of the most crucial clues that we are given to help us recognize the identity of the Harlot is found in the name that is written on her forehead: Babylon the Great. What exactly does this mean?

In order to understand what this name is referring to, we need to examine both the relevant biblical and historical references—ultimately retrieving what this name meant to the early Christian Church. For the biblical/historical understanding, one can simply examine the Old Testament references to this city. But in order to understand what the name Babylon meant to the early Christians and to their Jewish contemporaries, we will need to take a look not only at the New Testament but also at some other late 1st or early 2nd Century Jewish documents.

Babylon as a Code Word for Rome

Outside of Revelation 17 and 18, the name Babylon is used only a few times in the New Testament, and thus our sources for study are limited. We are however given a brief but very significant hint in the first epistle of Peter. Toward the end of Peter's 1st general epistle to the Church, he concludes with some final greetings. The actual verse reads as follows:

The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son. (1 Peter 5:13—KJV)

From this verse, we learn that at the time of this writing, Peter was writing from a place that he referred to as Babylon. But is this the literal Babylon on the Euphrates, or is referring to somewhere else? Church history all but settles this question by placing Peter in Rome at the time of the writing of this epistle.

The evidence for such is rather overwhelming. Several Church Fathers including Ignatius, Tertullian, Irenaeus, Polycarp, Clement, Lactantius and Cyril as well as other early non-ecclesiastical historians, such as Tacitus, solidly substantiate this position.

As such, Unger's Bible Dictionary states unequivocally that: "the evidence for his [Peter's] martyrdom there [in Rome] is complete, while there is a total absence of any contrary statement in the writings of the early fathers" (Unger's Bible Dictionary 3rd Edition, Chicago. 1960. P. 850).

Peter is believed to have arrived in Rome in roughly A.D. 47 and remained there until his death in roughly A.D. 64 to 67. The Epistle of Peter is believed to have been written soon before his martyrdom under Nero. Shortly after the fires that burned Rome in 64, a great persecution broke out against the Christians.

It was during this extended period of persecution that Church tradition locates Peter's martyrdom. Of the Fathers, Jerome perhaps most clearly validates this universally held belief in his On Illustrious Men, when he states that:

"Peter, after having been bishop of Antioch, and after having preached to the believers of the circumcision in Pontus [plainly inferred from 1 Peter 1:1], in the second year of Claudius went to Rome to refute Simon Magus, and for twenty five years there held the episcopal chair, down to the last year of Nero, that is, the fourteenth, by whom he was crucified with his head downwards, declaring himself unworthy to be crucified as his Lord, and was buried in the Vatican, near the triumphal way.

Because Church history solidly places Peter in Rome during the writing of his epistle and because Peter refers to Rome as Babylon, we may conclude that the early Christians understood the name Babylon to be a code word referring to Rome. Euesbius lends solid evidence to this in The Chronicle, where he noted,

"It is said that Peter's first epistle, in which he makes mention of Mark [Marcus in the KJV cited above], was composed at Rome itself; and that he himself indicates this, referring to the city figuratively as Babylon."

Thus we have a clear New Testament reference establishing the fact that the apostolic Church viewed Rome as Babylon. Beyond this, we have abundant support by virtually all of the most prominent and earliest Church Fathers.

This use of the name Babylon to refer to Rome appears also to be in continuity with the Jewish practice of referring to Rome as Babylon as well during the latter part of the 1st Century and into the 2nd Century.

We find evidence of this in at least three Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works such as the Sibylline Oracles (5:159f), the Apocalypse of Baruch (2:1), and 4 Esdras (3:1). Thus, Babylon was a 1st Century code word for Rome both to Jews and Christians.

This point is vital in any attempt to establish the identity of Mystery Babylon—The Great Harlot. We have documented the fact that at the time of the writing of the New Testament, the Church viewed the city of Rome as spiritual Babylon, or more specifically—Mystery Babylon.

We also know of course, that before referring to Rome, the name Babylon also simply referred to itself—the capital of Babylonia, the third of the Beast Empires. And while the pattern is not extensive, we may observe the most obvious shared commonality of these two cities: They were both capitol cities of one of the six prophetic Beast Empires. Thus, in our quest to understand and identify Mystery Babylon, we now have a plausible working definition:

Mystery Babylon is a symbolic term used to identify the capitol of the reigning Beast Empire of the day. It is there that the premiere anti-Semitic and anti-Christ religion of the age will be found.

Or in a briefer and much more blunt definition, Tyconius, a fourth century Christian in his Commentary on the Apocalypse, states of Babylon:

"By it, the city of the people of the devil are signified." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Revelation p.225)

And thus we may now ask the important question: Which city or political entity today may then rightly be called Mystery Babylon?

Many prophecy teachers today still identify Rome as Babylon. This is largely due to the ongoing polemic of many Protestants to portray the Roman Catholic Church as the Antichrist system.

As we now see, however, they certainly may not use this verse to do so. For as we have pointed out, Mystery Babylon migrates. It was once literal Babylon, the prophetic foreshadow of the final Babylon, and later it was Rome, another capital of a persecuting Beast Empire.

And thus the conclusion submitted here is that because as we have argued thus far throughout this book that the Beast Empire that is presently emerging and arising today is a revival of the Islamic Empire, we can only conclude that as the spiritual and financial capital of the emerging Islamic Beast Empire, it is Mecca/Saudi Arabia that is today Mystery Babylon. Of course, when we say this, we are speaking both specifically and generally.

Specifically, Mecca is the city that is the spiritual capitol of Islam—the predominant religion of the final Beast Empire—while the broader Kingdom of Saud houses the premiere financial capitol of the emerging Beast Empire.

This may seem like quite a novel claim to anyone as they first hear it. Once again, I would suggest that perhaps much of the reason that many will have a difficult time accepting this interpretation is because of the prevailing American, Western, Anglo or even dare I say the Christian centric worldview of the Church. But the horizon is in sight when Christian predominance over the world will be a thing of the past.

Yet most are in denial about this. Against all trends, most Christians simply refuse to imagine a day when Christianity will play second fiddle to Islam as the world's dominant religion. It is as if people can only visualize a world where America remains the sole superpower, where Christianity thrives and where the pan Islamic world remains weak.

While the concept of Mecca/Saudi Arabia as the Harlot of Revelation may be a difficult paradigm to swallow, I can assure you that for a resident of Jerusalem, someone who truly has grasped the utter Jerusalem centricity of the Bible, this concept would make perfect sense.

But far more importantly, as you will soon see, Islam/Mecca/Saudi Arabia indeed perfectly fulfills the many biblical requirements necessary to be identified as Mystery Babylon.

Part 1—The Great Harlot: Revelation Chapter 17  |  Part 3—Mecca/Saudi Arabia as the Great Harlot

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