In Part I of The Revelation of the Apocalypse – Pete’s Rev310 Substack, we discussed the first 13 chapters of Revelation. Before moving on to chapter 14, which mentions Babylon in verse 8, I believe we need to discuss this “great city” mentioned six times in Revelation (Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,10,21). Each time, Babylon is described as a great or mighty city.
Only in Revelation 17:5 is it described as a mystery, Babylon the Great (mystery as a descriptive adjective), or, in some translations, as part of its name: Mystery Babylon, the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.
Several different interpretations abound regarding the exact identity of ‘Babylon’ in Revelation 17 & 18. Each chapter depicts Babylon, as a city, being destroyed by fire. Many believe chapter 17 depicts the destruction of religious or ecclesiastical Babylon, and chapter 18 depicts the destruction of political and economic Babylon.
Most scholars and theologians believe Babylon mentioned in these two chapters is the same entity. Others believe they are two different cities because chapter 17 uses the word mystery before Babylon, but chapter 18 does not. Even those who agree that they are the same city cannot agree on which one it is or where it is located. The top four choices are Rome, Babylon (in Iraq), Jerusalem, and Mecca. Some have even suggested New York City.
Rome is by far the most favored interpretation of “Mystery Babylon.” Early Church fathers who believed Revelation 17 and 18 depict Rome include Lactantius, Tertullian, Jerome, and Irenaeus. Some Protestant Reformers who believed Rome is Mystery Babylon include Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Tyndale, and John Wycliffe. Contemporary commentators who hold this view include Bill Salus, Billy Crone, Hal Lindsey, Grant Jeffrey, Clarence Larkin, Dave Hunt, Chuck Smith, Charles Ryrie, and Chuck Missler.
These scholars and theologians believe Revelation’s Babylon is no longer the literal city of Babylon in Iraq, but the power that replaced it as a symbol of apostasy and power. That power was Rome. In 1st century Christianity, Babylon was a code name for Rome, which John and the early church fathers used when referring to it, reflecting both the historical situation and the biblical tradition of Babylon as a symbol of the oppressive, idolatrous empire.
Most scholars believe Peter used this code name in 1 Peter 5:13 to refer to Rome. “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son.” “No credible tradition, inscription, or patristic record ties Peter to Mesopotamia, while multiple early sources tie him to Rome. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30 (≈A.D. 180), identifies Peter’s martyrdom in Rome. Tertullian, Scorpiace 15 (≈A.D. 200), calls Rome “Babylon.” The Muratorian Fragment credits Mark’s Gospel to events “present in Peter’s presence,” i.e., at Rome.” {1}
“Mystery Babylon” is the apostate religious system that originally began in Babylon at the Tower of Babel. The ancient city of Babylon originated idolatry and, therefore, spiritual fornication. All the world empires that came afterward followed in her apostate footsteps. Babylon was the secret name for Rome when John wrote Revelation.
REVELATION 17
In this interpretation, Rome, which encompasses Vatican City, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Papacy, is “the great whore that sits upon many waters: 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” (Revelation 17:1-2). Many scholars and theologians believe Papal Rome (Vatican City) is the great whore of Revelation 17. I agree.
John transfers to Rome the prophetic language earlier prophets applied to ancient Babylon. In Revelation, John uses over 500 Old Testament allusions without a single formal (exact) quotation. He cannot be accused of copyright infringement. Lol. John wrote in a way that the early Jewish (mostly) church could understand, by quoting terminology from the Tanakh. Compare Revelation 17 and 18 with Isaiah 47 and Jeremiah 51:6-14.
Revelation 17:15 explains what the “many waters” in Revelation 17:1 mean. “The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This indicates that the “whore” will have great influence and power over many nations.
In Jeremiah 51, Jeremiah prophesies about the judgment of Babylon that would occur during his lifetime. He also prophesies a far-future judgment of Babylon that has not yet occurred. “O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness” (Jeremiah 51:13).
The river Euphrates ran through the midst of Babylon, and a prodigious lake of water lay on one side of the city, with other lesser waters near it, so that it was, in a manner, encompassed with “many waters.”
Whereas Jeremiah’s reference to “many waters” describes the physical landscape of ancient Babylon, John’s “many waters” refers to Gentile people and nations.
Revelation 17:2 speaks of the spiritual apostasy of this whore and the kings and people of the earth who are her willing participants. “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.“
Jeremiah likewise writes, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad” (Jeremiah 51:7). John is borrowing some of Jeremiah’s linguistic terminology regarding Babylon, but that doesn’t mean he is referring to that exact location, as we will examine in the following passages.
Revelation 17:4-6 further describes this harlot. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.” (Revelation 17:4-6).
Within the Roman Catholic Church, bishops wear purple robes, and cardinals wear scarlet-colored robes. In Catholic tradition, the golden chalice is the sacred cup used in the Eucharist to hold the consecrated wine, which the R.C.C. teaches is Christ’s literal blood. The bread is believed to be his literal body.
There have been many articles and books regarding the apostasy and sacrilegious beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church, including Terry James and other writers for Rapture Ready, so I will not spend too much time on this subject.
Dave Hunt also wrote an excellent book on this topic called The Woman Rides the Beast, in which he recounts the false teachings of the Catholic Church, including Purgatory, worship of Mary as the Queen of heaven, the Pope being the head of the church and having the authority of Christ, priests being called Father, the belief that the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation, forgiveness of sins and salvation is by faith plus works, and others. For more on this subject, see the podcasts listed below.
Many critics of this interpretation (Babylon is Rome) believe the ‘mystery‘ of Revelation 17:5 is that it is actually Babylon, and that at the beginning of the Tribulation, the ancient city will be “resurrected” and will once again become the center of the world’s apostate religious system, perhaps combining different religions and esoteric beliefs together.
I believe that it is called Mystery Babylon because it refers to a city (and religious system) other than the literal city of Babylon. It emulates Babylon’s religious practices of worshipping false gods and entities, but it is not Babylon. It is Mystery Babylon.
The (ecumenical) Roman Catholic Church is best equipped to become the whore, Mystery Babylon, after the Rapture and the start of the Tribulation. The term “Catholic” itself, meaning “universal,” was first used in the 2nd century to describe the Church’s global reach. The most recent Vatican‑based global statistics indicate about 222,000 Catholic parishes and roughly 131,000 mission stations worldwide, totaling more than 350,000 physical Catholic worship sites across 55 countries.
The Church has 1.3 billion Catholic members worldwide. The Pope leads it and is both the head of state of Vatican City and the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. “The Catholic Church’s total net worth in 2026, according to a study by the Center for Applied Research at the Catholic University of America, was estimated to be around $30 billion. This figure includes the Church’s vast real estate holdings, art collections, and investments in stocks and bonds.” {2}
You may not know it, but Vatican City is recognized as a sovereign independent state under international law, and has been since 1929. This tiny enclave within Rome possesses all the fundamental characteristics of a country, including a defined territory, permanent population, government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.
I believe Mystery Babylon is called the “mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth” not because it is the progenitor of spiritual harlots, but because it is the worst of them all. The idiom “the mother of all (fill in the blank)” means the largest, most extreme, or ultimate example of a particular kind of thing. The expression was first popularized in January 1991, when Saddam Hussein addressed the Iraqi public on the 70th anniversary of the modern Iraqi Army. He declared that the battle over Kuwait was “the mother of all battles” and predicted a long struggle against the “tyranny represented by the United States.”
I believe the Roman Catholic Church is the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, especially when we come to Revelation 17:6. “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.”
“Rome may well be called the slaughter-house of the martyrs. This may indeed be applied both to pagan and to Christian Rome, for both have in their turns cruelly persecuted the saints and martyrs of Jesus; but the latter is more deserving of the character, as she hath far exceeded the former both in the degree and duration of her persecutions.
It is very true, as it was hinted before, that if Rome pagan hath slain her thousands of innocent Christians, Rome Christian has slain her ten thousands. For not to mention other outrageous slaughters and barbarities, the crusades against the Waldenses and Albigenses, the murders committed by the duke of Alva in the Netherlands, the massacres in France and Ireland, will probably amount to above ten times the number of all the Christians slain in all the ten persecutions of the Roman emperors put together.
St. John’s admiration (or astonishment) mentioned in Revelation 17:6 also plainly evidences that Christian Rome was intended: for it could be no matter of surprise to him that a heathen city should persecute the Christians, when he himself had seen and suffered the persecution under Nero: but that a city, professedly Christian, should wanton and riot in the blood of Christians, was a subject of astonishment indeed; and well might he, as it is emphatically expressed, “wonder with great wonder.” And the angel said. Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman…” (Revelation 17:7). {3}
BABYLON IS A CODE NAME FOR ROME
Below are podcasts by Bible teachers who believe Revelation 17 (and 18) refer to Rome, or more specifically Vatican City, as the whore of Mystery Babylon. However, Chuck Missler hints that the “Babylon the Great” of Revelation 18 might be Babylon, Iraq.
The Truth About Revelation 17 & 18: Babylon and the Beast | Pastor Allen Nolan Sermon
Who is the Mysterious Woman of Revelation 17 and 18? – Bill Salus
Revelation 17:1 to 18 MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT – Robert Breaker
Chuck Missler Revelation Session 21 Ch-17 18 The Mystery Of Babylon – Chuck Missler
BABYLON MEANS BABYLON, IRAQ
Below are some Bible teachers and pastors who believe “Babylon the Great” in Revelation 17 is the same city and empire/system as Revelation 18. They believe it is the Babylon in Iraq. Some of these teachers believe Chapter 18 is a continuation of chapter 17, and that the city’s destruction is the same event in time. Others believe chapter 17 occurs at the end of the first half of the Tribulation and chapter 18 occurs at the end of the Tribulation.
Revelation 52. Babylon: The Bookends of History, part 1 of 2. Rev. 17-18. – Andy Woods
Babylon Rising: Is the Strait of Hormuz Preparing the Way for Revelation 18? – Brandon Holthaus
Footsteps of the Messiah – Arnold Fruchtenbaum
Most scholars agree that chapter 17 focuses on the destruction of ecclesiastical Babylon, while chapter 18 focuses on the destruction of political and economic Babylon.
THE TIMING OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WHORE KNOWN AS MYSTERY BABYLON
During the first half of the Tribulation, this apostate religious system will be the state-sponsored religion for the government of the ten kings (as mentioned in Daniel 2:41-42 and Daniel 7:7) of the Revived Roman Empire. It is near the midpoint of the Tribulation when the whore, Mystery Babylon, will be destroyed by the ten kings (horns), as mentioned in Revelation 17:16. “And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.”
We know this occurs near the midpoint of the seven-year Tribulation because back in chapter 13, it says, “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Revelation 13:5-7).
The power given to the Antichrist for forty-two months will come from God. God will cause the ten kings to relinquish their authority and power to the Antichrist. “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. (Revelation 17:17). Forty-two months refers to the last half of the seven-year Tribulation. This is God’s allotted time for the Antichrist’s reign as king of the world. It is about the same length as Jesus’ ministry during his first advent.
After the ten kings burn Vatican City, the Antichrist will subdue three of them, possibly by killing them. Revelation doesn’t mention this, but Daniel 7 does. “The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times, and half a time” (Daniel 7:24-25). Of course, these verses are referring to the Antichrist. We know “time, times, and half a time” refers to the last 3.5 years or 42 months of the Tribulation, when the Antichrist will have total control over all the earth.
THE BEAST WITH SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS
Regarding the seven-headed, ten-horned beast of Revelation 17:3,7 (and Revelation 12:3; 13:1), when the word ‘horns’ in Scripture is used symbolically, it represents strength and kingship (see Psalm 75:10; Zechariah 1:18–21), while ‘heads’ denotes ruling centers, kingdoms, or realms (see Isaiah 7:8; Revelation 17:9).
An angel (one of the seven angels who had the seven vial judgments) then told John he would explain the mystery of the woman and the beast, with seven heads and ten horns, that carried her. “The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8).
This beast, empowered and possibly temporarily indwelt by Satan, refers to the Antichrist. Revelation 17:8 says he is killed (the beast “that was,” and “is not”) and then brought back to life (“and yet is”). Revelation 13:3,12 says the beast’s “deadly wound was healed.”
“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition” (Revelation 17:9-11). Whenever the word mountain is used symbolically, it always symbolizes a king, kingdom, or throne.
Many Bible scholars believe five fallen kings or kingdoms in the ancient past, blasphemers of God and enemies of the children of Israel, come from the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The one kingdom present in John’s day (“and one is”) was Rome, which is the sixth head or kingdom. All of these kingdoms were well acquainted with spiritual fornication, but Rome especially: first pagan Rome, and later Papal Rome, which became “Mystery Babylon.”
The seventh head that hasn’t come yet is the end-time kingdom of the ten kings, which will also be a customer of the “great whore.” The Antichrist is the “little horn” of Daniel 7:8,20 that eventually “comes up” among the ten horns. He is also the beast of Revelation 17:11. “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” The Antichrist becomes part of the seventh head/kingdom with the ten kings during the first half of the Tribulation and then becomes the eighth head during the last half.
“And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet [during John’s day]; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (Revelation 17:11-12). Around the midpoint of the Tribulation, they will yield their power and authority to the beastly Antichrist and remain loyal to him through the rest of the Tribulation. “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:13).
The ten kings hate the whore, and once her usefulness is over, they will destroy her. “And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled” (Revelation 17:16-17).
The last verse in Revelation 17 plainly states that the woman (named Mystery Babylon) is a city. “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:18). I believe this verse clearly refers to Rome (and Vatican City), which will be the capital city of the ten kings (the revived Roman Empire) during the first half of the Tribulation.
REVELATION 18
Rome and Babylon are the two leading interpretations of the identity of “Babylon the Great” in Revelation 18. Most who believe it is Rome also believe chapter 17 refers to Rome; likewise, for those who believe it is Babylon (in Iraq). I tend to agree with Chuck Missler and John Walvoord that they refer to two different cities. I believe Rome (and Vatican City) is Mystery Babylon in chapter 17, and Babylon (Iraq) is Babylon the Great in chapter 18. Babylon is mentioned six times in Revelation, but it is only called “Mystery Babylon” once, in chapter 17.
Most eschatologists believe the burning of Mystery Babylon (the whore) in Revelation 17 occurs at the midpoint of the Tribulation, for the same reasons I outlined, and the burning of Babylon the Great in chapter 18 occurs at the end of the Tribulation. As I mentioned, chapter 17 appears to focus on the religious apostasy of the “great city,” whereas chapter 18 focuses on her worldwide political and economic characteristics.
I believe that after the destruction of Vatican City at the midpoint of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will set up shop in the Middle East. He will have a palace in Jerusalem and in Babylon, Iraq. He will commit the abomination of desolation in the Jewish temple, as mentioned by Daniel and Jesus. His political and economic capital will be moved from Rome to Babylon. This is mentioned in Zechariah 5.
“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. And he said, This is wickedness.
And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base” (Zechariah 5:5-11).
The ephah was a standard measure of weight and became the symbol of the economy. In these verses, this symbol represents a corrupt economy, as seen in the addition of lead, which gives a false measure. This ‘ephah’ will be taken to the land of Shinar, which is Babylonia (modern-day Iraq). It appears the rebuilt city of Babylon will be the future center of the world economy during the second half of the Tribulation.
However, God will judge Babylon for her wickedness and corruption, and the city will be destroyed. “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Revelation 18:2-3).
I believe John is prophesying about Babylon’s (in Iraq) sins and destruction. If you compare the language and terminology of Revelation 18 with Isaiah 13-14 and Jeremiah 50-51, you can see where John got his descriptions. They all prophesy about the same end-time events involving Babylon.
These Old Testament prophecies, and others, point to Babylon’s sudden, catastrophic destruction. Isaiah 13 describes her utter destruction. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged” (Isaiah 13:19-22).
These prophecies of Babylon’s sudden and permanent destruction were never fulfilled in history, certainly not by the Medes/Persians’ conquest of Babylon in 539/538 BC. This further suggests a future event in which Babylon is rebuilt and then brought to ruin, connected to the seventh-vial judgment or an attack by an adversary (perhaps the ancient Medes, the Kurds of today). Whatever happens, it is quick, as verse 19 says, “in one hour she is made desolate.” Some have suggested a tactical nuclear bomb will be used for Babylon’s destruction.
“And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger; to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it” (Isaiah 13:8-9).
Proponents of Babylon being Rome use Revelation 18:20 as an argument in its favor. “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.” They say Babylon never persecuted or killed any of the apostles. However, the Greek word ‘apostolos’ can also be translated as ‘messenger’ or “one who is sent.”
The future destruction of Babylon is prophesied in Jeremiah 51:36-58. “Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labor in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary” (Jeremiah 51:58). Of course, John also prophesies of Babylon being utterly burned with fire in Revelation 18:8.
Jeremiah wrote in a book (or scroll) all the evil he had prophesied would come upon Babylon. He told Seraiah, a prince of Israel, that when he went to Babylon with King Zedekiah, he should read the words of Jeremiah’s book. Jeremiah told him, “Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.
And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary” (Jeremiah 51:62-64).
This is a prophetic picture of what will occur in Revelation 18:21, which John prophesied about. “And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” In Hebrew, ‘sea’ (yām) can mean a large body of water such as a river.
Jeremiah was definitely prophesying about Babylon. Likewise, John was prophesying about Babylon in Revelation 18. I believe the ‘Babylon’ mentioned in Revelation 14:8 and Revelation 16:19 also refers to Babylon, Iraq, which we will discuss in the next article.
If this interpretation regarding the two ‘Babylons’ of Revelation 17 and 18 is correct, I find it very interesting that within the timeframe of Daniel’s 70th week, the revived versions of the two ancient empires that demolished Jerusalem and burned the Jewish temples will, in turn, be judged, and their cities and worship centers will be burned and destroyed.
“Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.
Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her” (Jeremiah 50:13-15).
Randy Nettles
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Endnotes:
{1} Why does Peter refer to Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13, and what does it symbolize?
{2} Catholic Church Net Worth 2026: Real Estate & Wealth
{3} Revelation 17:6 Commentaries: And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. – Benson Commentary