Babylon the Great: The Religious and Commercial Systems of Revelation 17-18

John sees more concerning Babylon as his vision continues. In this section, John begins to trace the development of a system that is called "Babylon" (17:5). Several things need to be kept in mind in the study of Revelation 17 to 18: first, chapters 17 and 18 are not chronological; second, it is not a revival of ancient Babylon; and third, Babylon pictures as an apostate religious system and a commercial system.

The Chronological and Historical Nature of Babylon

The prophecies John is recording should not be understood as being chronological. What is revealed here does not necessarily imply that it follows the series of "bowl" judgments that have just been revealed. John focuses here on something that he calls "Babylon," which at one point in time represented a great nation that existed in the ancient world. However, John is not picturing a revival of ancient Babylon. For Babylon to be resurrected as a nation during the Tribulation would violate the succession of Gentile kingdoms that was predicted in Daniel 2:36-45 and 7:1-14.

John is not predicting a resurrected Babylon, but is picturing the final form of Gentile world authority that will exist during the Tribulation as being characterized by the term "Babylon." The final system existing in the Tribulation has some of the features that earlier were connected with the ancient civilization that existed in the Tigris-Euphrates valley.

Succession of Gentile Kingdoms

According to the prophecies in Daniel 2:36-45 and 7:1-14, the succession of Gentile world authority follows this order:

  • Babylon
  • Medo-Persia
  • Greece
  • Rome
  • Revival of ancient Roman Empire in ten nations form
  • Christ's Millennial Kingdom

Religious Babylon vs. Commercial Babylon

Babylon pictures as an apostate religious system in chapter 17 and a commercial system in chapter 18. Chapter 17 represents an apostate religious system that will be in place beginning in the early days of the Tribulation. It will become a worldwide apostate church that will exist following the rapture of the true body of Jesus Christ, the true church. This "Babylon" will be destroyed at the midpoint of the Tribulation, when the world dictator (i.e., the first beast or Antichrist) sets himself up as God and demands that the world worship him.

Chapter 18 pictures this commercial "Babylon," which will exist during the last half of the Tribulation, as well as its final destruction. During this period, the False Prophet (i.e., the second beast) will require everyone to receive his mark and the world's economy will be affected.

Comparison of the Two Systems

The following summary distinguishes the two aspects of the Babylonian system described in the text:

  • Religious Babylon (Chapter 17): An apostate religious system and worldwide church that reaches its zenith after the rapture and is destroyed at the midpoint of the Tribulation.
  • Commercial Babylon (Chapter 18): A commercial system that exists during the last half of the Tribulation, involving global economic control via the mark of the beast.

The Description of the Great Harlot

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with John, saying, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters." The noun "harlot" could refer to physical unfaithfulness to a marital partner or spiritual unfaithfulness to God. In prophetic vocabulary, prostitution or adultery is equivalent to idolatry or religious apostasy. The concept of spiritual unfaithfulness is frequently used in describing the apostasy of Israel. Characteristically, the Lord of the Old Testament is the husband of Israel, while in the New Testament, the church is viewed as a virgin destined to be joined to her husband (i.e., Christ) in the future.

So, "the harlot" is describing an unfaithful religious system which rejects the Lord Jesus Christ as her husband. The adjective "great" refers to the harlot system which will reach its zenith after the rapture of the church. The prostitute exists today in many forms, including unfaithful priests, liberal Protestant sects, and the cults. It was mentioned in Revelation 14:4 that the 144,000 had "not been defiled with women, for they are virgins," which means they had not become involved in any way with the apostate religious system of the beast. They had remained faithful to God in spite of great persecution at the hands of the world dictator.