A Tale Of Two Cities Series

“A Tale Of Two Cities”

Between the 16th & 19th chapters of Revelation we are given a destruction of two cities, each called Babylon.

One is a religious system and the other is an economic metropolis.

Last week in n the 17th chapter of Revelation we saw the religious influence that the woman (Babylon) had attached itself on the nations of the world.

Then the Antichrist turns on her and destroys her.

Many scholars have asked the question that when the Antichrist destroys this woman is he destroying a geographical location where she rules?

In this case I believe the answer is no because to destroy a religious system you do not have to destroy it’s buildings.

Illustration: The people are the church, not the building.

But in chapter 18 we are given an entirely different picture.

This Babylon is indeed a specific location and is the center of commerce, trade, and industry in the last half of the Tribulation.

Revelation 18:1-10

I believe the city John is describing here will be like no other to compare it to because of its wealth, its luxury, or its moral decline.

It will be so vital to the economic world that when it is destroyed in one hour, as verse 10 says it will be, the entire world will mourn.

Folks that is important. Imagine being so dependent on something that you would be devastated if it were gone.

Joke: Sure gonna miss her.

Many Bible scholars believe that this Babylon is going to be an actual rebuilt city and

it will be built on the Euphrates River at the same exact spot as the original Babylon.

Their belief is based on scripture from Isaiah 13:6-7 “Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every man’s heart will melt.

They will feel like their entire world is lost.

Since the city of Babylon has not existed since the days of Alexander the Great, it would have to be rebuilt in order for God to destroy it.

Also Zechariah prophesied that in the last days a temple would be built in Babylon.

Zechariah 5:5-11

Now notice in verse 6 Zechariah ask he angel what is it he is looking at and he angel it is a

measuring basket.

The Hebrew word as told in the King James for this measuring basket is ephah.

An ephah was a symbol of commerce.

In this prophesy the ephah represents the Satanic world system which would include all

commercialism and the worship of luxury.

Zechariah tells us that the angel pronounced an indictment of wickedness and threw her

down in the middle of the ephah.

She then is picked up and transported by two women to the land of Shinar, which is the

site of ancient Babylon.

And there the ephah was to build a temple for the woman and to establish her in it.

Babylon will be rebuilt but it won’t be the economic center of the world.

The woman that Zechariah speaks of in his prophecy is the Babylonian system I spoke

about last week in chapter 17. The occultic religion of the ancient Babylon.

The ephah that this woman settles down in refers to the revived Roman empire and it’s

capital, which is Rome.

The woman is content to live in Rome for awhile, but sometime before the middle of the

Tribulation she gets the idea that she is not to popular with the Antichrist.

So her religious system seeks to move her headquarters out of the immediate reach of the

Antichrist and moves to the site of the ancient Babylon.

Using the wealth that she accumulated while she was in Rome the Antichrist helps her set

up shop in Babylon.

But just like Pharaoh when he let the Israelites go the Antichrist regrets that he let such

wealth and power slip away so he destroys her.

So for the next 3-1/2 years he reigns killing the saints and convincing people to worship

him.

Then his great capital city of Rome will be destroyed by God in one hour.

Revelation 18:11-24

Notice in verse 11 who it is that weeps the loudest over the fall of Babylon, the great city

which is Rome.

These businessmen have come from all over the world to do business in this city.

Everything they have, their fame and fortunes will be lost.

In verse 13 we see that the Kingdom of the Antichrist will deal not only with commodities

but with the souls of men.

And in verse 23 we are told how this is possible by sorcery and witchcraft to lead nations

astray.

Revelation 19:1-10

In this chapter John resumes the chronological picture of the future at the point he left off