The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
Revelation 17:5 NIV
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Revelation, we are introduced to Babylon the Great. Babylon the Great is described in various ways in these two chapters. A woman riding on a multi-headed beast (Rev. 17:3). Dressed luxuriously (Rev. 17:4). The mother of prostitutes and the abominations of the earth (Rev. 17:5). Drunk with the blood of the saints (Rev. 17:6). And the great city that rules over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18).
The identity of Babylon the Great has been debated over the centuries, and various individuals, cities, and institutions have been identified as candidates. But I have to wonder, is Babylon the Great an individual, a city, or a specific institution? Or is she something much greater than any of these?
Much of the imagery found in Revelation comes from the Old Testament. And there, Babylon, while an actual city and empire, represented something much more significant. It, along with Egypt and Assyria to a lesser extent, represented evil and rebellion. While God used them to discipline Israel, they represented all that was in opposition to God.
Babylon and Jerusalem
There is another woman/city described in Revelation. The last two chapters primarily describe a city, the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), which is also identified as the bride of Christ (Rev. 21:9-10). While these two cities are never directly compared, their contrast is great. One is made up of those whose names were found written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev. 21:27). The other is one in whom is found the blood of God’s holy people (Rev. 18:24).
So, who is Babylon the Great? An individual? A city? Or an institution? I am inclined to see Babylon the Great as all of them. Babylon represents all that is opposed to God and his people. That has included countless individuals who have sought to destroy God’s people throughout the ages. It includes many cities and empires that have arisen and acted in defiance of God. And many institutions and religions have been responsible for the blood of the saints.
Babylon the Great is this world system, acting in opposition to God, persecuting those who belong to New Jerusalem, and facing God’s wrath on the day of judgment.
