Babylon – The Great City – Jerusalem- then and today
Major premise #1: Three times this Babylon, is the woman, is called the great city (Rev 18:2, 9, 16, 18, 19)
Minor premise #1: “The great city” is “where also their Lord was crucified”(Rev 11:8)
Conclusion: Jerusalem then and even today is Revelation’s Babylon
Jesus was not crucified in Jerusalem.
John 19:20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for
the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.
Hebrews 13:12 12 And so
Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.
Babylon is described as both a woman and a city, but is not a literal woman or a literal city. Those are only symbols.
Revelation 17:8 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
How did Jerusalem ever rule over the kings of the earth?
Major premise #2: Babylon was guilty of “the blood of the prophets” (Rev17:6; 18:24)
Minor premise #2: According to Jesus and Paul, only Jerusalem killed the prophets (Matt 23:34–35;
Luke 13:33; 1 Thess 2:15–16)
Conclusion: Jerusalem then and even today is Revelation’s Babylon
Revelation 18:24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.
What about prophets in the church for the past almost 2,000 years? Jerusalem is responsible for their deaths? Again, I think you are missing the global influence of Babylon which Jerusalem has never had.
The book of Revelation is not a book about the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. It is a book about Jesus Christ and His global church as well as the enemies of Christ and His church. And it is not a book primarily about things that happened up until 70 AD. It is a book that is primarily about the entire New Testament era spanning from the first coming of Christ to the future second coming of Christ. Preterists, like futurists, take too narrow of a view of the book and end up missing what it is all about.
Major premise #3: John’s people are commanded, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues” (Rev 18:4)
Minor premise #3: The only city Jesus ever commanded his followers to flee from is Jerusalem—when they saw two specific signs (Matt 24:15–16;
Luke 21:20–21). Eusebius recorded that this departure happened and no Christians were trapped and destroyed in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem between 66-70 AD
Conclusion: Jerusalem then and even today is Revelation’s Babylon
The command to come out of Babylon was from a spiritual perspective, not a physical perspective.
Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’
She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. 3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘
Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;
You're not recognizing that Babylon has a global influence beyond what ancient Jerusalem had. How does what is written above describe ancient Jerusalem? How is it possible that Jerusalem was "a haunt for EVERY impure spirit" and "a haunt for EVERY unclean bird" and "EVERY unclean and destestable animal"? How did ALL of the nations drink the maddening wine of Jerusalem's adulteries?
The command to come out of Babylon should be understood similarly to what Paul wrote here:
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or
what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 17 Therefore, “
Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.“
Everything I highlight in red here is descriptive of Babylon. What God is saying in Revelation 18:4 is to come out from the spiritual darkness that results from being yoked together with unbelievers and taking part in wickedness such as Belial and idol worship. Notice that Babylon is "a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal" and God is saying to come out of her. Compare that to 2 Cor 6:17 where it says "Come out from them and be separate says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.". Do you see the similarity there? In Revelation 18:4 God is not calling Jews to physically leave Jerusalem. He is calling His people, which consist of Jew and Gentile believers in the church, to come out of spiritual darkness and into the spiritual light and to be separate from the unbelievers who love wickedness and their idols and such.
Babylon is the spiritual opposite of the heavenly new Jerusalem, which is "the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev 21:9), which describes the church. All unbelievers are spiritual citizens of Babylon while all believers are citizens of the heavenly new Jerusalem (Heb 12:22, Gal 4:26).
Major premise #4: This Babylon would be destroyed (Rev 18:2, 8, 10, 11, 17, 19–23)
Minor premise #4: The only city Jesus said would be destroyed was Jerusalem—it would be “left to you desolate” (Matt 23:38) with “not one stone . . . left on another” (Matt 24:2)
Conclusion: Jerusalem then and even today is Revelation’s Babylon
As I've already shown, Babylon is not a literal city. You're trying to relate unrelated scriptures.
Revelation 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of t
he great whore that sitteth upon many waters: 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication....15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
How did Jerusalem sit upon many waters, which represent "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues"? How did the kings of the earth commit fornication with Jerusalem? How were the inhabitants of the earth made drunk with the wine of her fornication?
