IDENTIFYING BABYLON THE GREAT
We know that nowhere in the Bible Babylon the Great defined as 'false religion'.
The Bible does though EXPLICITY define Babylon the Great as “The great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”
— Revelation 17:18
This is not a theological description.
It is political, economic, and imperial language.
Religion does not “have a kingdom over kings.”
Empires do.
Also, A harlot in Scripture can be:
- A city
- A commercial power
- A political entity... moreIDENTIFYING BABYLON THE GREAT
We know that nowhere in the Bible Babylon the Great defined as 'false religion'.
The Bible does though EXPLICITY define Babylon the Great as “The great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”
— Revelation 17:18
This is not a theological description.
It is political, economic, and imperial language.
Religion does not “have a kingdom over kings.”
Empires do.
Also, A harlot in Scripture can be:
- A city
- A commercial power
- A political entity
- A culture of corruption
for example...
“Tyre will become like a prostitute… her profits and wages will be holy to Jehovah.”
— Isaiah 23:15–18
Tyre was a commercial empire, not a religion.
Revelation 18 devotes extraordinary detail to Babylon’s economic role:
Merchants grow rich from her. Global trade collapses at her fall. Cargo lists include gold, spices, livestock… and finally: “human souls” (Rev. 18:13)
- Religion does not run global shipping lanes.
- Religion does not control international trade.
- Religion does not cause merchants to weep when it falls. But economic empires do.
Babylon is:
- A commercial system
- A financial hegemon
- A luxury-driven ruling power
This aligns far more with imperial systems than with churches.
“Adultery with the Nations” — What the Bible Actually Means
In Scripture, adultery is not primarily sexual; it is covenantal betrayal.
When Israel was accused of adultery, it was not because she abandoned morality first, but because she:
- Trusted foreign powers instead of God
- Entered political and military alliances that compromised her calling
- Adopted the values and practices of empires she relied upon.
“They committed adultery and bloodshed… trusting in Assyria and Egypt.”
— Ezekiel 23
It is important to note though. that Scripture does not require Babylon to be:
- One nation only
- One city only
- One era only
So, Babylon is better understood as:
A recurring pattern of global dominance built on wealth, exploitation, and assumed permanence.
It is also important to note another characteristic of Babylon (and this is where the 'religious' aspect begins to feature in):
When a society elevates self-definition, power, personal autonomy, and pleasure above reverence for God and the sacredness of life, it acts Babylonian.
That includes:
- moral arrogance
- contempt for spiritual humility
- treating what God calls holy as trivial
- celebrating rebellion as virtue
- systematizing moral inversion
Revelation 17–18 describes Babylon as:
• A woman (symbolic entity)
• A harlot (spiritual unfaithfulness)
• Seated on many waters (peoples, nations, languages)
• Riding the wild beast (political power)
• Drunk with the blood of the holy ones
• Exceptionally wealthy, influential, and global
• Engaged in commerce, luxury, and political entanglement
• Claiming moral authority while corrupting the earth
- This is not just a political system.
- This is not just commerce.
- And it is not merely false religion in isolation.
It is a spiritual–political–economic hybrid system that seduces humanity away from God.
The strongest Scriptural evidence that Babylon must involve religion is that Babylon claims to represent God.
Thus, Revelation says…
“Come out of her, my people.”
Which means:
- God’s people are inside her
- She claims divine legitimacy
- Leaving her is painful
- But necessary for survival
That line alone proves Babylon must involve religion, not merely politics or commerce.
Babylon is not destroyed by armies.
She is destroyed when:
- Her lies are exposed
- Her moral authority evaporates
- Her hypocrisy becomes undeniable
- People stop outsourcing conscience
Which is why truth is her greatest enemy!
So, our real battle is NOT against flesh and blood - but against systems which weaponize belief.
