Revelation 14:8 – A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
What is Babylon? Or who is Babylon? To be sure there are many different beliefs. Pastor Byron MacDonald, Senior Pastor of Rolling Hills Covenant Church in CA, author of The Morning Comes And Also The Night, best expressed a controversial revelation of Babylon. His view may be too hard for some to believe or grasp, but for others, when reading his point of view, it will be an “Oh yeah, of course, that all fits together” moment. His view cannot be fully explained in what I send out in the mornings. I suggest that you get the book and read it for yourself. Here is an attempt is made to give a brief explanation. Pastor MacDonald writes that the coming great Babylon is made of three key players. They are all called Babylon and are three distinct players, yet separate players. One is from the political world, another from the religious world, and one from the economic world. The political and religious parts are easy to identify as they are the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The third member may also be spotted if one is willing and has an eye willing to see. As the Word says that knowledge in the last days will be increased (Daniel 12:4) so this revelation was a mystery that could only be understood as the Lord uncovered it.
Revelation 18:14 tells of a place that lived in “luxury and splendor” but then is destroyed and no longer lives that way. Again, we, as Americans, are proud of how much we have and how wonderful it is to live here where luxury and splendor (especially when we compare to so many countries around the world) surround us in our homes.
Revelation 18:17-19 tells how the sea going merchants from around the world see Babylon going up in smoke. If this were ancient Babylon that is rebuilt (Jeremiah 30:59 says it will not be), it would still be a mostly landlocked city. These verses give us the picture that the merchants of the world will sit in the waters offshore of Babylon and mourn the loss of their “cash cow.” Ancient Babylon was located in Iraq, about fifty miles south of Bagdad. Take a look at a map and see that where Babylon sat was not near an ocean or sea. Even if one looks at the borders of Iraq we see that the only deep waters where an ocean going ship could sit off its coast is the Persian Gulf. To the south of Iraq are Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, To the West of it is Saudi Arabia and Jordan. To the Northwest of it is Syria. On its Northern border is Turkey and to the east of it is Iran. Family, look at a map, Iraq is mostly landlocked and it definitely not the commercial giant of the world with ships from every nation waiting off its shores to bring in the goods. This commercial Babylon is not in Iraq. However, if we look at the United States, both the eastern and western borders of the USA are surrounded by oceans. There are harbors built to receive massive amounts of containers lining its mainland coasts. Family, this description is not of the, for the most part, landlocked Iraq. Again, the only nation that makes sense of this description is the USA.
Revelation 18:16 tells the colors of the nation it is calling Babylon. It is known by three colors: red (scarlet), white (linen) and blue (purple). Which nation is known by those colors? We know that answer. By the way, the Iraqi flag is red, white and black.
Revelation 18:22 tells how this great Babylon entertained the world with its music. Which country more aptly fits the description of entertaining the world, the USA or Iraq? With the loss of the trades (building, automotive, aircraft, computers, internet industries, etc.) from this “Babylon”, which would impact the world more, the USA or Iraq.
Family, it is clear that the Babylon being described here is none other than the USA. All we need to do is look at the morality of the USA. Look at how the USA has rejected its roots and lied and changed the history of it, to walk, no run, away from God. It was always known (Till revisionists told their lies) and taught in schools throughout the United States that it began as a group of brave people looking for religious freedom. They wanted to live in a land to freely serve the God of the Bible. They found it in the USA. They worshipped and thanked God and as a result God blessed the USA. Now, the country abandons the ideal they sought and the God who blessed it. Surely they shall reap the consequences.
Next we should wrap up reviewing V18 with looking at other views of this verse.
Family as we, with an open mind, review this amazing book of Revelation, we are amazed at the prophecies that were spoken and written thousands of years ago and now we are reading of them unfolding in the newspapers, on the internet, and being talked about from our television news. God is coming back for us. God said it and so it shall be. As Jesus told us, every word of the Bible will sure come true (Matthew 5:18). That includes all the verses that say God loves us, has saved us, and is coming back to bring us to His home (John 3:16, Romans 5:9, John 14:2-3). We cling to that! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.