The Figurative Babylon

"If you should ask me concerning the precepts of

the Christian religion. I should answer you:

nothing but humility."

St. Augustine of Hippo

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The Figurative Babylon

by Arno Froese

The word, "Babylon," may mean "confusion" or "the gate of God." During the building of the tower at Babel, God confused the language; thus, the definition of "confusion" is fitting. The other meaning of Babylon, "gate of God," suggests self-redemption. Even after Babylon no longer existed, the Bible speaks about Babylon in Revelation 17 as an entity that propels the Antichrist to power. Will ancient Babylon be rebuilt and become the center of the world's economy, finances and religion? The Bible mentions, "Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the Earth" (Rev. 17:5). This verse does not refer to "Babylon" literally, but rather figuratively. This Babylon is a different identity than the one mentioned in Jeremiah 27:6.

While a literal Babylon no longer exists, the spirit of Babylon, characterized by rebellion and confusion, continues. Babylon is a symbol of rebellion against God, whose position in that regard passed to Media-Persia, then to Greece, and finally to Rome. The spirit of Babylonian rebellion and licentiousness continues today and will climax in a great confrontation between light and darkness at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, many assume that ancient Babylon will play no significant role in the development of end-time events. It is not the "Mystery Babylon" of Revelation 17.

The Babylon of Revelation 17 is pictured as a woman "drunken with the blood of Saints, the blood of martyrs of Jesus" (v.6). The literal ancient city of Babylon would not be responsible for the deaths of the Christian martyrs mentioned in Revelation 17:6.

Another reason the literal city of Babylon is not the Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17, that the the "seven heads" of the beast in Revelation are described as "seven mountains" (v.9), most likely describing the terrain of this region. The literal city of Babylon was established on the "plain of Shinar," a virtual desert, with no mountains nearby.

Who, then, is this "drunken woman," "Mystery Babylon," pictured in Revelation 17, which drank the blood of the martyrs of Jesus and continues to commit spiritual fornication with the political power structure of the world? Rome is the only city in the world appears to meet the criteria the Bible uses in describing "Mystery Babylon." The Roman Empire was the originator of democracy and a symbol of economic prosperity. I believe that no other city on earth is recognized simultaneously as a religious and political entity. However, some Bible scholars believe that a rebuilt Babylon under Antichrist may be suggested in Revelation 18.

We need not belabor the point regarding the world's current global financial system, where economics ignores sovereign borders. Nor do we need much imagination to see that a one-world religion is already in the formative stages. Under the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, the empire was commanded to worship a false god or suffer the consequences (Dan 3). This persecution of those unwilling to bow before a false deity is viewed by many to be typical of the final persecution of Israel and Christian converts led by Antichrist during the Tribulation.

Only "Mystery Babylon" will finalize the work of the Tower of Babel builders and King Nebuchadnezzar, a global system under the philosophy of political democracy, free enterprise, unified financial systems, and ultimately a one-world religious faith. You may ask, "Why?" Because the father of lies (Satan) must imitate that which is promised to take place when Jesus comes (Phil 2:10-11).



Source: Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible, Isaiah chapter 13; page 703; AMG Publishers