I was having coffee at Starbucks with a friend and she asked me, “So do you think the USA is Babylon?”
Whew, how do you answer a question like that? I did know what she meant. She was referring to the book of Revelation chapters 17 and 18, two of the most controversial, nitty-gritty chapters in the entire Bible.
I could make a big explanation about those two chapters for the many of you who don’t know the background but I’ll do that in another post. Here I’ll just tell you what answer I gave my friend and why. My answer was, “Yes and no”.
Revelation 17 &18 are mainly about a very unpleasant picture, a seven headed beast which had riding on it a woman who is called “the Great Whore”. Needless to say, this is all deeply allegorical and symbolic. Theologians and mystics for centuries have put forward ideas as to what it all means. During the beginning of the Reformation in Europe a few hundred years ago, it was universally agreed by the Reformation leaders that this “Great Whore”, “Babylon” was none other than the Catholic Church, which the Reformation movement was being fought by at that time. They even had what they thought was a very good reason to believe this. It says in Revelations 17: 9, “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.” So they said, “It’s clear that this means the Seven Hills of Rome, the center of the Catholic Church! So therefore this woman must be the Catholic Church!”
But if you read Revelations 17:18, it tells you right there what the whore of Babylon is. It says, “And the woman that you saw is that great city, which rules over the kings of the earth.”
“What city?” you ask. Well, that’s just it. In God’s eyes, He sees the big picture. He doesn’t necessarily look at national boundaries or humanly defined territories. God sees one gigantic city or network of intertwined metropolises throughout the earth. Whether it’s New York, Dubai or Shanghai, they’re all really very much the same.
Spiritual fornication
The worldwide city system of our day is basically what rules over the earth. It says in Revelation 17:2 that the kings (read politicians) “have committed fornication” with this Whore. Spiritual fornication, in the same way that James said to the early Christians, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God?” (James 4:4) 
So instead of loving God as His bride and wife, it says the rulers of the world have committed fornication with this Whore. And in Revelation 18:3 it says “the merchants of the earth have grown rich through her delicacies”. It goes on to say “her merchants were the great men of the earth, and by her sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Revelation 18:23) So what is that? Some would say, “It couldn’t be talking about our merchants. It couldn’t be talking about our politicians.”
If you look closely at the chapter, the Whore is riding on the seven headed beast. That beast represents the 7 world empires, stretching all the way back to Egypt. It says of this beast, “five are fallen, one is and one is not yet come”. (Revelation 17:10) The five that were fallen were the world empires that had been before that time, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. It says “one is”. That was the Roman Empire, the one that was active and ruling at the time of John’s revelation in 90 A.D. And “one is not yet come.” That is the one that is still yet to come, the worldwide Antichrist Empire that will exist just before the return of Jesus.
An “eternity to eternity” picture
But Babylon the Great, the Great Whore, rides on the beast with all seven heads, not just the beast that is spoken of in Revelations 13. So this in a sense is an “eternity to eternity” picture, just as a number of things are in Revelations. In our times “Babylon the Great” has been brought to almost a perfection, if you can call it that. But still this “Great Whore” is something that has existed throughout history, like this vision shows, all the way back for 1000’s of years.
But it’s not a nation; it’s an entity, one worldwide commercial behemoth that God sees as a prostitute , receiving the adoration and worship of the peoples of the earth. And sadly, if any one nation today epitomizes Babylon the Great, you’d have to say it is the USA. “All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” 
(Revelation 18:3) No matter where you go on earth, American “entertainment” and commercial/material values are hailed above all others. But in God’s eyes, it’s fornication with Mammon and the lusts of this world, brought to its highest perfection by the merchants of this country.
At least there’s something of a happy ending to all this. In Revelation 18:4, a voice from heaven says, “Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins and that you receive not of her plagues.” It’s clear that God sees His people within Babylon the Great and He calls them out of her , before the judgments of God fall. So you don’t have to live in America to be affected or touched by Babylon. It’s there every time you turn on the television or go on line, wherever you live in the world.
The wonderful thing is, there’s a solution. There’s freedom from Babylon the curse of materialism and earthly values. The Bible says that in the future, ultimately “the cities of the nations fell, and Great Babylon came in remembrance before God.” (Revelation 16:19) Then and only then, after the ultimate defeat of worldwide Babylon, will the people of God rule this world with liberty and justice for all, under the leadership of Jesus Christ, the risen Savior and coming King.
[What do you think? I’d be glad to hear your comments. You can use the reply box at the bottom of this page.]
As Pope Benedict has recently said, we are living in a world where there is an eclipse of God, and a darkness that covers the planet. The evils of capitalism, consumerism, and the pursuit of selfish wealth and material pleasures not only thrive, but the world’s economic performance is the measure of humanity’s so called… success.
You have captured a perspective on Babylon that is so crystal clear, and yet almost completely blind to the world. For we choose to believe what we see, instead of seeing clearly, as you do, what you believe.
The great cities are the kingdoms of the eclipse, and if we are looking, we can see how dispassionate, selfish, and dismissive we can become, when we lose touch with the nature of the Earth that God created, and the nature of humility that lies within our hearts.
Yep, sounds right to me. There was a pop song years ago called “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, kind of describes the state of mankind without God. I’m not Catholic but I spent many years in central and eastern Europe as a missionary and I’ve seen the dedication, consecration and humility of so many Catholics. And it almost seems like they are the only Christian voice left in Europe that speaks out for Godly truth and values. There’s a lot in their own house, so to speak, that really needs to be addressed and cleaned up. But at least they have kept the faith and have not bowed the knee to the atheist “post Christian” spirit that pervades so many parts of the Western world now.
The first time I read the New Testament many years ago, while reading Revelation 17 and 18 I was wondering: Who is Babylon? And received clearly from the Lord: “The United States of America.” Wow! More recently, I‘ve been wondering, “How does this country fits with it all?” The Lord has confirmed it to me in different ways. The more significant came just 5 year ago, when a friend in California loaned me a book, “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man,” by John Perkins. There he describes among other things how, as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then taking over their economies. He explained also, “If that doesn’t work, then the jackals try to foment a coup or revolution, or perform assassinations; and if the economic hit men and the jackals fail, is our young men and women, who are send to kill and die, which is what we’ve done in Iraq.” Well, to clarify it, actually the BIG BANKS of the Illuminati are the ones using this WHORE for this and other purposes!
It’s a really controversial subject and very emotional for many millions of people. From a strictly Scriptural point of view, I’d have to say, like I did in the article, that the USA is currently one of the clearest fulfillments of this phenomenon of Babylon the Great which has been around since the beginning of the empires of man on earth. But I don’t say that or mean that in a hateful or anti-American way as it could also be said for many other nations around today which are just as much wrapped up in Babylon as the US is. It’s all going to have its final fulfillment in the days just before the coming of the Lord and the solution for believers is going to be what it says in Revelations 18:4 “Come out of her, My people…”
you got it! nail on the head….
No offense to Americans. It’s simply a continuation from the time of Cain.
Cain was disobedient to the Lord and offered God what he wanted instead of what God asked. He got angry, slew his brother, accused God of being too hard on him and went out & “builded a city and called it after his son”. Gen 4. The first city built by wicked rebellious man.
Then Joseph in Egypt taught Pharaoh how to capitalize on the people in the first great world empire. Gen 47:14 says
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan,
16 Joseph said, Give your cattle; if money fail.
17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: horses, flocks, the cattle, and for the asses.
18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, (they said) our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:
19 … buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh:
20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field.
21 And as for the people, he removed them to cities.
22 Only the land of the priests bought he not;
23 Then Joseph said unto the people, I have bought you for Pharaoh: lo, [here is] seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
24 And in the increase, ye shall give the fifth [part] unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be for seed of the field, and for your food, your households, and for your little ones.
25 And they said, we will be Pharaoh’s servants.
Thus began the Great City that reigneth over (other) kings of the earth and why in the end, it has to receive the wrath of God Rev16.19
Yep. That’s why St. Augustine wrote about “two cities”. You’re either living for, and laying up treasure in, one or the other. This isn’t something you’ll hear in many churches but it is clear from the Bible that this is how the Lord sees it.
To me, this article sounds like a very good answer, deduction, and assessment. May God continue to bless you always.
hmmmm very good it makes a lot of sense and you have not ruled out the coming last kingdom on earth ruled by antichrist dont quote me but im sure that the Jehovah witnesses teach very close to what you have said here
Thanks Mark
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/hubble20th-img.html
This is your image above with Jesus holding the book of life in His right hand and in His left are evil things and a two- faced woman on a scarlet beast holding a cup.I’m all alone in my struggle and am throwing this hail mary before I collapse from my war with this life.Do with it as you please.May God help us all.
As a spirit-filled child of God, I have always received understanding divinely and I have been able to verify the correctness of this write up. However, it is not so accurate as it seems to have exonerate the United States partially from being seen as the breeding for the kingdom of the anti-christ. The record in the book of Daniel chapter 2:42-44 reveals a kingdom that is as strong as iron and will destroy break other kingdoms in pieces. However, this kingdom’s feet and toes is partly made from potter’s clay and partly iron. this indicates that it is partly strong and partly fragile because of its involvement with the seed of men (as you can see different races making up America). According to this scripture, the next kingdom shall stand forever and it shall be established by God himself. The kingdom will destroy every other kingdoms. Now my point is this: If the half-weak and half-strong kingdom shall be the last before Christ establishes his, when then shall the kingdom of anti-christ come. America is soon gonna metamorphose into that kingdom as already the US government has approved most practices condemned by Christ. Porn sites operate freely, the LGBT community now recognized legally and so on. This is against Christ; it’s apparently fore-running Anti-Christ’s government. The Anti-Christ government isn’t going to be one of the seven revealed powers because it is an event and not a dispensation. it has a period of seven years but an active period of three and a half years. Thank you.
The Religion in the US that brought success has been replaced by the religion of EGO.
From the bottom, shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, and at the top, Pride.
To be ‘endarkened’ is to cut off access to the higher self, enslaved, rather than separating from the ego to be set free.
“There is no truth in the EGO, only the will for power” so this main tenant of Post-Modernism is true within the EGO.
From the EGO point of view power would be for control to make the world safe & secure… Just like Soviet Russia.
The EGO does not self reflect as it can do no wrong; everything ia the fault of others. EGO describes the father of lies.
Americans are being shamed into submission in Diversity training every day, the resulting loss of free will regarding politics is interpreted as pride. Perhaps it is false pride hiding the coercion. Suddenly, “deceiving them that dwell on earth by the means of those miracles.”, makes more sense.