This is how God destroys Babylon
Revelation 17:1-6 (NKJV) Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
Please remember, Babylon is a city. The Scriptures plainly tell us so: Revelation 17:18 (NKJV) And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
AI answer from Brave search: “The nearest city to Babylon in Iraq is Hillah, which is the capital of the province and is located approximately 8.5 kilometers (5.3 miles) away from the ancient site of Babylon.” See map here (https://mapcarta.com/N2488023863) scroll out a little to see Hillah.
V1 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters…” The last of God’s perfect and just punishments for Earth, the atmosphere, and all life is complete. The angel wishes to show John the specific, special judgments on Babylon, the seat of antiChrist’s government and business sectors. Babylon is called a harlot because of a belief system contrary to the Scriptures and worship of a false god (most likely the antiChrist). The many waters are usually identified with all the people living on Earth.
V2 “…with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the Earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Fornication may refer to just sexual immorality or idolatry (Jeremiah 2:20 and Ezekiel 6:9), but here it probably refers to both. Those following the antiChrist are drunk on the success of their evil and sinful pleasures.
Revelation 17 (Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary (7 Vols.)) “This scarlet-attired woman is that miserable attempt made in every age to counterfeit the true Church of the living God. Man does not like the religion of the Cross, of faith, of self-denial, and each age has witnessed some false system from which all these objectionable elements are eliminated. Surely a meretricious system has revealed itself successively in Babylon, Jerusalem, Rome, London, New York, and other great centers. Fashion smiles on it, wealth bedizens it, human power unites with it, and in every age it has been drunken with the blood of martyrs.”
V3 “So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” “Being carried away in the Spirit” refers to the speed of thought or possibly a vision within a vision. Why is this evil thing labeled a woman? Because of fornication and attracting men and women to a false religion (Jeremiah 3:6-9, Ezekiel 16, and Nahum 3:1-4). The beast here is the world government of the antiChrist.
Bible Knowledge Commentary: “She was sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names. The beast had 7 heads and 10 horns. The beast is an obvious reference to the world government (Rev 13:1). The 10 horns are later defined (Rev 17:12) as 10 kings who had “not yet received a kingdom.” The 7 heads seem to refer to prominent rulers of the yet-future Roman Empire.”
Revelation 17:1 (Walvoord Prophecy Commentary) “The fact that the woman is riding the beast, and is not the beast itself, signifies that she represents ecclesiastical power as distinct from the beast, which is the political power. Her position as a rider indicates on the one hand that she is supported by the political power of the beast, and on the other that she is in a dominant role and at least outwardly controls and directs the beast.”
Contrast this woman with the sun-clothed woman in chapter 12 (Israeli believers who fled to the Petra area).
V4 “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.” Purple is the color worn by nobility (Daniel 5:7) and the very rich (Luke 16:19). Scarlet is usually associated with great wealth and honor (2 Samuel 1:24). The golden cup is full of contents, which are abominations (every type of sin) and the filthiness of her fornication (the allurements to draw nations and leaders to follow her). Their love of sinful pleasures is immense.
V5 “And on her forehead a name was written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.” An identifier of this “woman” is Mystery. A mystery is not a puzzle to solve but something not fully revealed. Other terms are identified: Babylon the Great is this city. She is the mother who gave birth to all these sins and nurses them. Since God does not approve of these things, we should learn and with the help of God avoid them at all costs.
V6 “I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” While observing the woman, John notes that she is drunk, not with wine but the blood of the believers (saints). They are addicted to murder.
We learn:
- Special attention is given to the seat of the antiChrist’s government.
- This city is horrendously wicked.