As we have mentioned in Timeline, the Book of Revelation presents the events in chronological order.  There are references to this "woman" in different chapters of the book, therefore it is important to look at the chapters in order.  The chapters are the following:

Revelation 14 -- Babylon the Great is mentioned for the first time as "already fallen."

Revelation 16 -- God mentions again the fall of Babylon as a long PAST event.

Revelation 17-- An angel shows the apostle John the judgment of Babylon, and explains to him who is the scarlet colored "beast." 

Revelation 18 -- The angel shows in detail what happens when Babylon is destroyed.

Revelation 19 -- A great crowd in heaven rejoices over their salvation and the fact that God judged "the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality."  This is the event the saints were waiting for,  the completion of the number of people who were to die. (The Fifth Seal)

Let us look at the verses directly and see what God says.

Revelation 14:8
And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "She fell, she fell, Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."

In this verse,  the angel states that Babylon is ALREADY fallen.  If we read the next verse, it sheds light on WHEN the fall of Babylon occurs.

Revelation 14:9
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the [leopard] beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,

Revelation 14:10
he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

As we can see, one angel states that Babylon is already fallen, and the following angel warns people not to worship the leopard beast or receive the mark.

Chapter 16 speaks mainly of the Bowls of Wrath -- the plagues that God brings upon unrepentant people.  In this chapter, the fall of  Babylon is mentioned again as a long PAST event.

Revelation 16:19
...and the cities of the nations fell. Babylon the great was REMEMBERED before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.

It is only in Chapter 17 that the mystery of Babylon is explained.  However we know it is already fallen since Chapter 14.  The exact time of the fall of Babylon is omitted. 

Let us read the actual words from chapter 17.

Revelation 17:6
And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.
Revelation 17:7
And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

Those who do not know God, do not understand who the beast is.  But, the followers of YHVH know and understand who the beast is.

Revelation 17:9
"Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

Revelation 17:10
and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Revelation 17:11
"The beast which was and is not, is himself also an EIGHTH and is out of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

Revelation 17:12
"The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

Revelation 17:13
"These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Revelation 17:14
"These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."

Revelation 17:16
"And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.

Revelation 17:17
"For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.

Revelation 17:18
"The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."

From these verses in Chapter 17, we can derive the following:

1. The woman Babylon is a great city, one of the most important in the whole world.  This great city is made up of multitudes  of different ethnicities.  The seven heads are seven sequential kingdoms, and the ten horns are ten kings.

2. The great city is the main city of the 8th kingdom.  John was told that 5 of those kingdoms had already fallen, and the 6th one was the reigning kingdom at the time.  The 7th kingdom had not yet come, and the beast itself was considered an 8th kingdom that came out of the 7 kingdoms.

At the time John saw the vision, the reigning kingdom was the Roman Empire; that is the 6th kingdom.   

From the bible - Daniel 7, and other historical records, we can find which are the kingdoms:

1^st kingdom - Assyrian Empire Ezekiel 31

2^nd kingdom - Egyptian Empire

3^rd kingdom - Babylonian Empire  (612 B.C. - 539 B.C.)

4^th kingdom - Medo-Persian Empire(539 B.C. - 330 B.C.)

5^th kingdom - Greek Empire (330 B.C. - 163 B.C.)

6^th Kingdom - Roman Empire 
              West (31 B.C. - 476 A.D.)
              East (31 B.C. - 1453 A.D.)

7^th Kingdom - Ottoman Empire (1299 A.D. - 1922 A.D.)
http://www.osmanli700.gen.tr/english/chronology/chronologyindex.html

After the Roman Empire came another kingdom, the seventh head of the beast, and after this seventh head arises the eighth one.  This LAST HEAD is considered the beast itself because it is composed of people who are descendants from the previous seven kingdoms.  When this eighth kingdom is established, the city Babylon is able to "sit" upon the red beast.

3. The city is full of immorality.  It is considered the "mother of harlots."  Therefore there must be other cities full of immorality which have "learned" this behavior from the main mother city. All the people on earth are "drunk by the wine" of the iniquity of Babylon.  They are taught that sinning is OK.  Nowadays immoral lifestyles can be presented to all the inhabitants of the earth through TV, videos, movies, recorded music, and the internet. People do not need to live in the city Babylon to learn pornography and immorality from the mother city; they just watch the TV shows.

4. The city is "drunk" with the blood of the Christians.  Therefore, the beast will persecute the true worshipers of YHVH.

5. The Scarlet Beast "was and is not and will come."  We interpret this to be that it reemerges in a new location as a new world power after a time of decline.  See our new article "Scarlet Beast."

6.  The ten horns (ten kings) acknowledge the supremacy of this scarlet beast.  They hate the city Babylon and set her on fire.  Not only the ten kings do this, but the eighth kingdom itself participates in this act of "terrorism."  Who are these ten kings?  They are not part of the eighth kingdom, but they have agreements with this beast; they recognize it as the main leader, "they give their power and authority to the beast."

7.  These ten horns (ten kings) are the main ones that will fight against Christ and his "chosen" ones: "These will wage war against the Lamb..."  This happens at the Battle of Armageddon. As we can see, these kings hate Christ and the Christians.  They do not worship the true god YHVH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they worship another god.

In the destruction of the city, the "10 horns" perform the act of terrorism, but the "beast" coordinates it. 

When we read chapter 18, we find some more information about the CITY Babylon.

Revelation 18:1
After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.

Revelation 18:2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. After the "destruction" of Babylon, her condition worsens; it becomes a dwelling place of demons and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird.

Not necessarily will the complete fall of Babylon happen overnight, but it is a process that is irreversible.  Her economic status will continue to dwindle just like it happened in the original Babylon which was located in what is now Iraq -- the economy slowly deteriorated over a period of years, and ultimately it became what it is today, a desolate, uninhabited area.

 

Revelation 18:3 "For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her luxury." The merchants became rich selling pornography produced in Babylon. Revelation 18:4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;

Many descendants of Israel live in this city and YHVH warns them to GET OUT, and not to partake of her immorality or receive of her punishment.

Revelation 18:5 for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Revelation 18:6 "Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her.

Revelation 18:7
"To the degree that she glorified herself and lived in luxury, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see sorrow.'

She thinks that the beast is defending her, and she has nothing to fear, but the beast with the ten horns will turn against her and burn her with fire. Revelation 18:8 "For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. Revelation 18:9 "And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived luxuriously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning,

The rulers of other nations, which became rich from doing business with her, lament the fall of the great city Babylon.

Revelation 18:10
standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.'

The judgment of Babylon occurs in ONE HOUR.

Revelation 18:11
"And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more--

Revelation 18:12 cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, Revelation 18:13 and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and bodies and souls of men.

The city is a major world trade center, but economic depression sets in after its fall.

Revelation 18:14
The fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them.

Revelation 18:15
The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning,

This city is the financial center of the world.

Revelation 18:16
saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls;

Revelation 18:17
for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!' And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance,

Revelation 18:18 and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What city is like the great city?' Revelation 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!' The city is a great port; sailors stay away unable to come in as they see the smoke of the destruction.

Revelation 18:20
"Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her."

Revelation 18:21 Then a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and hurled it into the sea, saying, "Thus with a swift pitch will Babylon, the great city, be hurled down, and will not be found any longer." The buildings of Babylon come down with violence.

Revelation 18:22
"And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer;

Revelation 18:23
and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your drugs.

The merchants of Babylon profit from the sale of drugs.  Not only illegal drugs but also prescription drugs, preservatives, pesticides, etc.  Babylon deceives the world into using these chemicals.

Revelation 18:24
"and in her blood of prophets and of saints was found, and of all those who have been slain on the earth."

This city represents the whole world.  All the nations of the Earth gather in this city to make decisions on a global scale.  It is the site of the United Nations.  Because she represents the entire Earth, God holds her responsible and brings punishment upon her.

The last mention of Babylon is in chapter 19.  John hears a great crowd in heaven celebrating their salvation.  

Revelation 19:1
After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

Revelation 19:2
BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS SLAVES OUT OF THE HAND OF HER."

Revelation 19:3
And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! her smoke rises up forever and ever."

Revelation 19:4
And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"

Revelation 19:5
And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His slaves, you who fear Him, the small and the great."

Revelation 19:6
Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

God is ready to punish sinners.

Revelation 18:4-5
Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues. For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

Jews are leaving NYC in 2020 due to corona virus. I believe that more plagues are coming. Leaving big cities is a good idea as people should relocate in rural areas.

Our God YHVH is coming soon.  Get ready!

If you want to know what happens to the Scarlet Beast after the fall of Babylon read our article "Scarlet Beast."

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