Hello Arnie, I'm not sure that it is appropriate to assume that the city of revelation 11(?) is Babylon, but let me explain my thinking here. The passages in Revelation about Babylon are parallel passages to Jeremiah chapter 51. The prophecy found in Jeremiah had it's fulfillment in the fall and destruction of Babylon long before they are repeated in the book of the Revelation. Some people believe that the city of Babylon must be rebuilt in order for the scripture in Revelation to find fulfillment, but many things in scripture are understood to be symbolic representations of something else of a spiritual nature. The Lord could certainly have men rebuild Babylon to ensure that the literal expression of His word is fulfilled, but He doesn't have to do that to keep His word, when His word is fulfilled in a spiritual way. The problem with taking anything from scripture in a non-literal way is that it leaves too much room for misinterpretation. I grew up in a suburb of NYC and as a teen I would take trips into the city with my buddies to "have fun" shopping at stores that were different from what we had available in the suburbs, and also to see unusual sights that you generally wouldn't see in the suburbs e.g. street people, many with apparent mental disorders, doing bizarre things, hookers and transvestites working the alleys and shady doorways of the hotels and "adult entertainment" businesses of west 42nd Street, and the like. I always had something of a love/hate relationship with the city as a youth. My perspective has changed somewhat as an adult, especially since the day I was born again in Christ Jesus, but I often feel like Lot making judgments in the gates of Sodom. Lot is called "righteous" in the scripture, and as one who feared God, but he made foolish choices and escaped the fate of Sodom with little more than the clothes on his back. Prior to the 9/11 attacks I was engaged in posting warnings of impending judgment upon our nation, largely drawn upon Old Testament scripture, and the general warnings that the prophets gave to the nations. God does not change. His character is described as love, but also as just, and justice can't allow unrighteousness to continue forever as it is the source of such great sorrow, pain, and suffering. I don't believe for a moment that the postings I made back then were motivated by my own heart's desire, but rather out of a fear of the things that would come upon this nation as the result of our rejection of the God of the Word. "In God we Trust" is a meaningless motto when the god you place your faith in is "Mammon." I believe that the World trade center was targeted in part because the terrorists believed that its fall would do greater damage to the city than it actually did, but I also believe that it was targeted for what it represented; World trade dominated by the U.S. as the most powerful of the superpowers still in existence, consuming the resources of nations and exporting Arms, pornography, and a concept of freedom which is more about licentiousness than the Christian concept of freedom to serve God in righteousness. New York City is still seen as a center of world trade by many in the world. People are drawn to it believing that in it are their only chance of a successful career, fame and fortune, a name and a place for themselves. The streets of the city are littered with broken dreams in the faces of panhandlers and others just struggling to survive. Its like a microcosm of the world and the world is judged. The scripture tells us that we, as Christians, are to be looking for another home that is not of this world, another city not built by the hands of men. Scripture points to a judgment upon the whole earth, not just on one city that represents the earth, yet I believe that the Babylon of revelation is just that, a city that represents the hopes and aspirations of the world, like that ancient tower called "babel" than men built to reach up into the heavens. God promises His own not just a kingdom, but a new heavens and a new earth. Chapters 33 and 34 of Isaiah give visions of the day of the Lord, the day of His judgment and they aren't limited to those few nations that are actually mentioned. The western world was unknown for the most part, at the time of the writing of the book of Isaiah and any direct references to the United States would have been totally meaningless and totally unnecessary. Those that aren't among the redeemed remain children of wrath as we all once were. Those passages in Isaiah actually suggest that the redeemed of the Lord will be witnesses of God's judgment upon the earth and will walk out among the burned and destroyed cities with tears in their eyes over the fierceness of God's wrath. The bible suggests that the earth will be turned into hell with rivers of burning pitch and the slain of the Lord everywhere, but also points to a new land, a new home for the redeemed of the Lord, where the Lord will pour out healing upon His people and will reign in righteousness. We generally would prefer to spiritualize the meanings of these passages, as the wrath of God against sin and rebellion doesn't quite square with Jesus when He's portrayed as the gentle lamb slain for the transgressions of the world. We know Him in the context of God's grace, but the world will know Him in the context of God's wrath. We prefer to think that God would cast everyone that hasn't believed in Christ into a burning hell for all eternity, rather than consider the notion that He will bring judgment against all flesh in some moment of time that we might actually experience. I don't deny the existence of an eternal judgment as Jesus taught about such things Himself, but its a bit easier to imagine a judgment against everyone else that will happen when we aren't there to see it, than to believe that we will have to watch as those who dismissed the Lord and His shed blood as a common thing, are made to suffer His indignation. Jesus was filled with sorrow at the notion of the impending judgment of Jerusalem, how should we feel about what is coming upon the whole earth? I'll be turning 56 years of age in a few weeks and I can't believe the things that my eyes have been witness to, what more can I expect to see within a few more years? The scriptures speak of men longing for death and not being able to find it. If I didn't know Christ, I would have no hope for comfort, so I continue to preach Him to anyone with an ear to hear, so that some might be saved in the hearing. It's a little thing if someone doesn't regard what I say as truthful; men reject the truth every single day of their lives. But there is joy in heaven over every soul that hears the Lord and turns to Him for salvation. Who are we to remain silent? Yet, we can debate over which place is the Babylon of the book of the revelation, and who is the anti-Christ or who bears his mark, while billions continue their walk down the road to destruction, completely oblivious to the truth that salvation is as close to them as the words of their mouths.
