Was Jerusalem "Babylon the Great" 2,000 years ago?

[Davy]

JERUSALEM has been the center of it all during this present world. Satan who first rebelled in wanting to be GOD, desires Jerusalem for himself, because God has said He chose Jerusalem for Himself to dwell there forever (1 Kings 11:13; 1 Kings 11:36; Psalms 132:13).


Below are the historical sieges of Jerusalem's history, 27 of them.

(This is taken from Appendix 53 of The Companion Bible, a KJV study Bible put together by the 19th century British Bible scholar E.W. Bullinger):

The following is a complete list of the sieges. I will underline the sieges that involved setting up idol worship, or temporarily stopped temple worship by the Jews.

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Appendix 53:

"1. By the tribe of Judah against the Jebusites, about 1443 B.C. This was some 700 years before Rome was founded. It was only partial, for in David's reign we still find the Jebusites occupying the citadel (the future Zion). The solemn words in Judges 1:8, describing this first siege, vividly portray the after history of the city.

2. By David against the Jebusites (2Samuel 5:6-10; 1Chronicles 11:4-7), about 960 B.C.

3. By Shishak king of Egypt, against Rehoboam (1Kings 14:25, 26. 2Chronicles 12:2-12), about 875 B.C. To this there was only a feeble resistance; and the Temple was plundered.

4. By the Philistines, Arabians, and Ethiopians, against Jehoram (2Chronicles 21:16, 17), about 794 B.C. In this siege the royal palace was sacked, and the Temple again plundered.

5. By Jehoash king of Israel, against Amaziah king of Judah (2Kings 14:13, 14), about 739 B.C. The wall was partially broken down, and the city and Temple pillaged.

6. By Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah king of Israel, against Ahaz (2Chronicles 28), about 630 B.C. The city held out, but Ahaz sought the aid of Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria, for whom he stripped the Temple.

7. By Sennacherib king of Assyria, against Hezekiah (2Kings 24:10-16), about 603 B.C. In this case the siege was raised by a Divine interposition, as foretold by Isaiah the prophet.

8. By Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, against Jehoiakim (2Chronicles 36:6-7), about 496 B.C., when the Temple was partly pillaged.

9. By Nebuchadnezzar again, against Jehoiachin (2Chronicles 36:10), about 489 B.C., when the pillage of the Temple was carried further, and 10,000 people carried away.

10. By Nebuchadnezzar, against Zedekiah (2Chronicles 36:17 20), 478-477 B.C. In this case the Temple was burnt with fire, and the city and the Temple lay desolate for fifty years.

11. By Ptolemy Soter king of Egypt, against the Jews, 320 B.C. More that 100,000 captives were taken to Egypt.

12. By Antiochus the Great, about 203 B.C.

13. By Scopus, a general of Alexander, about 199 B.C., who left a garrison.

14. By Antiochus IV, surnamed Epiphanes, 168 B.C. This was the worst siege since the 10th. The whole city was pillaged; 10,000 captives taken; the walls destroyed; the altar defiled; ancient manuscripts perished; the finest buildings were burned; and the Jews were forbidden to worship there. Foretold Daniel 11.

15. By Antiochus V, surnamed Eupator, against Judas Maccabaeus, about 162 B.C. This time honorable terms were made, and certain privileges were secured.

16. By Antiochus VII, surnamed Sidetes king of Syria, against John Hyrcanus, about 135 B.C.

17. By Hyrcanus (son of Alex. Jannaeus) and the priest Aristobulus. The siege was raised by Scaurus, one of Pompey's lieutenants, about 65 B.C.

18. By Pompey against Aristobulus, about 63 B.C. The machines were moved on the Sabbath, when the Jews made no resistance. Only thus was it then reduced; 12,000 Jews were slain. [Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, with a Parthian army, took the city in 40 B.C.; but there was no siege, the city was taken by a sudden surprise.]

19. Herod with a Roman army besieged the city in 39 B.C. for five months.

20. By Titus, A.D. 69 (See Appendix 50. VI.). The second Temple (Herod's) was burnt, and for fifty years the city disappeared from history, as after the 10th siege (Jeremiah 20:5).

21. The Romans had again to besiege the city in A.D. 135 against the false Messiah, Bar-Cochebas, who had acquired possession of the ruins. The city was obliterated, and renamed Ælia Capitolina, and a temple was erected to Jupiter. For 200 years the city passed out of history, no Jews being permitted to approach it. This siege was foretold in Luke 19:43, 44; 21:20-24.

22. After 400 years of so-called Christian colonization, Chosroes the Persian (about A.D. 559) swept through the country; thousands were massacred, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was destroyed. The Emperor Heraclius afterwards defeated him, and restored the city and the church.

23. The Caliph Omar, in A.D. 636-7, besieged the city against Heraclius. It was followed by capitulation on favorable terms, and the city passed into the hands of the Turks, in whose hands it remains to the present day.

24. Afdal, the Vizier of the Caliph of Egypt, besieged the two rival factions of Moslems, and pillaged the city in 1098.

25. In 1099 it was besieged by the army of the first Crusade.

26. In 1187 it was besieged by Saladin for seven weeks.

27. The wild Kharezmian Tartar hordes, in 1244, captured and plundered the city, slaughtering the monks and priests."

There will be a 28th according to Zechariah 14, which will be raised by Messiah, even as the 7th was by Jehovah."
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[Marty fox]

It should be EASY for ALL those who claim to be a Christian. Ask yourself, can Jesus Christ Himself ever be corrupted? No! Of course not. So HOW... can the Temple of The Spirit ever be corrupted, since Lord Jesus is its CORNERSTONE?

Do you even know what a cornerstone is?

Eph 2:19-22
19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
KJV

Therefore, ANYONE who thinks that Apostle Paul in 2 Thess.2:4 was pointing to the above "holy temple", of which Jesus is its CORNERSTONE, doesn't really know what that above "holy temple in the Lord" actually is.

And those who do that FALSE pointing, show they are following a FALSE DOCTRINE from the devil and his workers. That because only a NON-BELIEVER would ever come up with such a STUPID IDEA that the Holy Temple of The Spirit could be corrupted by that "man of sin."

What I was saying is that the beast sets himself up over everything including the church by claiming to be worshipEd as God not that he actually corrupts the church. Those who deny to worship the beast were persecuted

 

[Marty fox]

The topic is Babylon of Rev, not any other Babylon.

What a copout common answer the question

 

[Marty fox]

For what it is worth....

Revelation 14:8

8 And another angel followed, saying, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

This verse reveals the ultimate collapse of spiritual Babylon, a system of false religion and corruption that has led countless people away from the truth of God. The repeated phrase “is fallen, is fallen” emphasizes the certainty and completeness of Babylon’s downfall. It echoes similar language found in Isaiah 21:9, where the fall of literal Babylon was foretold: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.” Just as the ancient city of Babylon fell under God’s judgment for its pride, idolatry, and rebellion, spiritual Babylon—representing false systems of worship—will also collapse under divine judgment.

Here, Babylon is not a literal city but a symbol of spiritual confusion, corruption, and apostasy. The name itself means "confusion" (Genesis 11:9), stemming from the Tower of Babel, where God confused the languages of humanity for their rebellion. In Revelation, Babylon symbolizes a counterfeit religious system that has corrupted God’s truth, blending paganism with Christianity and deceiving the nations into false worship. This ties directly to the papal system and its influence throughout history, which introduced unbiblical traditions, altered God’s commandments, and led people into spiritual “fornication”—a term used to describe idolatry and unfaithfulness to God (Jeremiah 3:6-9).

The angel declares that “she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” This imagery is significant:

The “wine” symbolizes the intoxicating influence of false teachings, doctrines, and practices that Babylon has spread throughout the world. Like wine that clouds judgment, these teachings have spiritually intoxicated and confused people, leading them into rebellion against God.

“Fornication” refers to the unholy alliance between the false church system and worldly powers. This spiritual adultery has compromised God’s truth, replacing it with human traditions and false doctrines. The result is a system that misrepresents God and distorts the Gospel.

By stating that “all nations” have been made to drink this wine, the verse highlights the global reach of Babylon’s influence. No corner of the earth has been untouched by its corruption. From the Middle Ages to the present day, Babylon’s doctrines have infiltrated cultures, nations, and even churches, creating a counterfeit version of Christianity that obscures God’s Word and truth. The announcement of Babylon’s fall serves as both a warning and a declaration of hope:

A Warning: For those who continue to align with Babylon and its false system, this message is a clear call to come out of her before it is too late (Revelation 18:4). God is revealing that Babylon’s power is temporary, and its judgment is certain.

A Hopeful Declaration: For the faithful, this message is a promise that the system that has oppressed God’s people and corrupted His truth will not endure forever. God will bring justice, and Babylon will be fully and finally destroyed.

This second angel’s message stands as a powerful indictment against spiritual Babylon and all it represents. It reminds us that false systems of worship, no matter how powerful they appear, cannot stand against God’s truth and righteousness. Babylon’s fall is both a judgment on rebellion and a call to those still within its grasp to turn back to God.

That was exactly what apostate Israel did in the first century and the destruction of the temple and the city put an end to the Old Testament sacrificial and temple age.

 

[ewq1938]

What a copout common answer the question

How is that a cop out? There's a literal Babylon, and the non-literal of Rev. The subject is whether Babylon of Rev is Jerusalem. All evidence proves it is not Jerusalem, and not a literal city at all.

 

[Marty fox]

How is that a cop out? There's a literal Babylon, and the non-literal of Rev. The subject is whether Babylon of Rev is Jerusalem. All evidence proves it is not Jerusalem, and not a literal city at all.

Then so was the Babylon Peter talked about?

 

[ewq1938]

Then so was the Babylon Peter talked about?

I believe Peter was talking about a church located in a place literally named Babylon. It has nothing to do with the Babylon found in Rev.

 

[Davy]

What I was saying is that the beast sets himself up over everything including the church by claiming to be worshipEd as God not that he actually corrupts the church. Those who deny to worship the beast were persecuted

That theory involves certain fringe groups claiming to follow God's Word instead that falsely claim the "temple of God" phrase of 2 Thess.2:4 is about the Christian Church, when it is not.

That 2 Thess.2:4 phrase is about a future... literal... stone temple... that will be built for the end of this world during the "great tribulation" Jesus warned us about for the end of this world. The future "abomination of desolation" event Jesus warned us about requires that future standing stone temple in Jerusalem (Matt.24:15-26).

What makes it impossible... for that "temple of God" to be about the Christian Church is because NO geographical land where a Church building sits is the True Church of The Spirit per Ephesians 2. Instead, those in Christ represent The True Church by The Spirit, a manifesting that Christ's enemies on earth today cannot touch or corrupt! If a believer falls away from Christ, how... does that affect The True Church of The Spirit? It does not affect The True Church one bit, for that person is simply 'cut off' from The True Church of The Spirit. So yeah, even within literal Church buildings today, there exist even some people in it that are still 'spiritually dead' inside, and really are not part of The True Church of The Spirit. Jesus gave us that example with the unbelieving Pharisees that appearing so holy and full of faith, but that He metaphorically called whited tombs which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of "dead men's bones".

It should be obvious why this is so for this present world, simply because Christ's enemies in nations outside the Christian nations burn down Christian Churches, and try to prevent Christians in their nations from holding even home Church meetings. Stalinist Communist Russia was a prime example of this, as Joseph Stalin had the Christian Churches closed down and instead used them as grain storage buildings.

Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 was showing us about the concept of one-world religion when that "man of sin" shows up at the end, and his headquarters of operation being in Jerusalem with a future stone temple. That is why Paul showed that "man of sin" will exalt himself over all that is even 'called' God, or that is worshiped.

How many religious faiths would that include? EVERYTHING, Christianity included. Could that be what Paul meant about believers that 'fall away' per 2 Thess.2:3 in conjunction with verse 4?? Yes! Absolutely! It is what the "strong delusion" Paul mentioned will be about, the apostasy of many deceived brethren when that "man of sin", or pseudo-Christ, arrives playing Jesus Christ with miracles to deceive with.

Thus the idea of a pope as Antichrist, an old belief by the first Protestant Reformers, is NOT the answer to what Apostle Paul was describing about the end in 2 Thessalonians 2. Nor is it about the silly false idea of "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT..." representing Christ's Church.