Who is Babylon the Great? Is it a city or a nation? What does it represent? Learn about what the Bible teaches about the characteristics of this endtime symbol.
CHARACTERISTICS of BABYLON THE GREAT
# | CHARACTERISTICS | REFERENCE TEXT | REFS #s | MEANING |
1 | A Woman | “I saw a woman” | Rev 17:3 | Produces children, offspring |
2 | The Great Whore | “the great whore” | Rev 17:1 | “Great” because there is none greater than her |
3 | The Mother of Harlots | “Mother of Harlots” | Rev 17:5 | False religions, heresies, unrighteousness |
4 | Sitting On Many Waters | “sitteth upon many waters” | Rev 17:1; Jer 51:13 | Influencer, controller of the nations |
5 | A Queen | “I sit a queen” | Rev 18:7 | Royalty, higher than all others |
6 | The Great City | “great city” | Rev 17:18 | “Great” because there is none greater |
7 | Rules Over All Kings | “reigneth over the kings of the earth” | Rev 17:18; 18 | Ruler over nations |
8 | Sitting On The Beast | “a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast” | Rev 17:3,7 | Riding it, keeping it subdued, controlling it |
9 | Drunken With Innocent Blood | “drunken with the blood of the saints” | Rev 17:6 | Drunk with the blood of the innocent |
10 | Makes Nations Wealthy | “merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” | Rev 18:3,5 | Because this city imports more goods from other nations than any other, they become wealthy |
11 | Filled With the Best of Everything | “lived deliciously” | Rev 18:7, 12-13, 19 | Nothing is lacking, the best of all the earth is found in her |
12 | Largest Importer of Goods | “merchants of the earth shall weep….for no man buyeth their merchandise any more” | Rev 18:11-13 | Lists not only staple foods, but the most delicious, expensive, luxurious goods made |
13 | Has Great Diversity of People | “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” | Rev 17:1,15,18; 18:16 | Great diversity of all nationalities, languages, race, groups |
14 | No Other Nation Compares | “What city is like unto this great city!” | Rev 18:18 | Self-explanatory |
15 | Wealthiest of All Nations | “wherein were made rich all that had ships” | Rev 18:19; 18:11-13 | Has the wealth to make all other nations rich through her abundant purchases |
16 | Proud and Unashamed | “upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY” | Rev 17:5; 18:7; Jer 50:29,31 | Has a whore’s forehead, not ashamed of her iniquities but rather boasts of them before all |
17 | Corrupted the Whole Earth | “did corrupt the earth with her fornication” | Rev 19:2; 17:5; 18:3 | All the world’s corruption and evil was directly linked to her actions and policies |
18 | Greatly Admired | “when i saw her, I wondered with great admiration.” | Rev 17:6; Jer 51:41 | Praise of the whole earth, of which all people of the world want to be a part of her |
19 | Hated By The Beast | “these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” | Rev 17:16 | The beast hates her because she rides, or controls him, and he cannot do everything he pleases. He cannot fully implement his plans as long as she has control over him |
20 | Place of Good Life & Prosperity | “harpers….musicians….pipers….bridegroom….bride” | Rev 18:22-23 | Musicians and marriages represent joy, happiness |
21 | Habitation of Every Imaginable Evil | “the habitation of devils” | Rev 18:2 | The place where every fallen angel makes his dwelling, and where he creates his plans |
22 | Human Trafficker | “souls of men” | Rev 18:13 | Purchases humans |
23 | The Great Sorcerer | “by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” | Rev 18:23; Isa 47:9 | Drug induced and inducer |
24 | Filled With Great Intelligent People | “her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men” | Jer 50:57 | Filled with great intelligent people |
25 | Filled With Wisdom & Knowledge | “Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee” | Isa 47:10 | The greatest wisdom and knowledge of all the earth is found in her people and she reflects that |
26 | Conceals Her Abundant Iniquities | “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” | Rev 17:5; Isa 47:2-3 | Her iniquities are so great and so vile, so unnatural that she doesn’t want the world to know |
27 | Dwells Carelessly & Unafraid | “dwellest carelessly” | Isa 47:8: Eze 39:6 | Has never known defeat, only prosperity |
28 | Believes She Will Never Fall | “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” | Rev 18:7 | Believes she will never fall because she has never been subject to failure. She dominates the world |
29 | Glorifies Herself | “How much she hath glorified herself” | Rev 18:7 | Boasts of being the mightiest of all |
30 | Great Powerful Voice | “the great voice” | Jer 51:55 | Great and powerful voice, nations listen |
31 | Impenetrable Fortress | “Broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire” | Jer 51:58 | Impenetrable fortress, Broad walls and high gates |
32 | Full of Idolatry | “land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols” | Jer 50:38 | Idolatry is everywhere and in everything |
33 | Murder of the Innocent | “in her was found the blood….of all who have been slain on earth” | Rev 18:24 | Murderer of innocent, which most certainly includes the unborn babies |
34 | Destroys the Whole Earth | “which destroyeth all the earth” | Jer 51:25; 50:23 | Destroys anything and everything good in the world |
35 | Filled With People that Hate Her | “I will fill thee with men, as caterpillars; and they shall lift up a shout against thee” | Jer 51:14 | God filled Babylon with people that hate her so that they will bring her down |
36 | The Lord’s Golden Cup | “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’s hand” | Jer 51:7 | God used Babylon as His instrument of judgment to judge all other nations and keep order |
37 | Has Mightiest Army On Earth | “the hammer of the whole earth” | Jer 50:23 | Hammer of the earth used to subdue other nations |
38 | Filled With God’s People | “come out of her my people” | Rev 18:4; Jer 51:45; Zec 2:7 | Filled with God’s people, His saints. Zion dwells there |
39 | On Verge of Collapse | “her foundations are fallen” | Jer 50:15 | The strong principles she was founded on have collapsed, crumbled, deteriorated |
40 | Filled With Strangers | “I will….send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her” | Jer 51:2,4,9,14,45-46 | Filled with fanners or strangers. These are people that have no love or connection to her and therefore she means nothing to them |
41 | Responsible For Israel’s Slain | “caused the slain of Israel” | Jer 51:49 | Support of those that slayed them |
42 | Satan’s Stronghold | “I will punish Bel in Babylon” | Rev 17:2; Jer 51:44 | Stronghold of Bel (Satan), his kingdom, the place where his throne is and where he does his greatest work |
43 | Marked Difference Between Good & Evil | “the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil” | Jer 24:1-3 | Filled with good and bad figs, meaning there is a profound difference between good and evil |
44 | Strives Against God | “thou hast striven against the LORD” | Jer 50:24 | Strives against and resists everything related to God |
45 | Filled With Every Imaginable Evil | “gave them up to uncleanness….gave them up vile affections….gave them over to a reprobate mind….being filled with all unrighteousness” | Romans 1:18-32 | Guaranteed destruction by God because of every kind of evil. If Babylon corrupted the whole earth, then she must be filled with every imaginable evil to the point that she influences all nations. |