“Come Out of Her, My People!”

Words from Heaven through prophecy yet future thunders from the voice of God:

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Revelation 18:4).

These are words given by the God of Creation as He informed the disciple that He loved, John the Revelator, of a certain city’s impending doom.

Theologians have long debated and offered postulations of every sort about this dynamically influential cultural center where evil will play out until its devastation.

Those arguing the case of the Revelation chapter 18 Babylon the Great seem to relish thinking about whether it refers to a particular nation, an actual city, or—the liberal types would offer—merely an idea of human rebellion that ultimately will be judged.

In some ways, this Babylon seems to mirror Sodom and Gomorrah in the days-of-Lot description in Genesis chapter 19.

The cities comprised another cultural center of debauchery and evil out of which God removed His “people.” Then destruction came, and the archaeologists are just now digging up vestiges of that ancient region. Evidence is now overwhelming that Sodom was an actual city and region at a specific time in history. There is no doubt that it suffered tremendous destruction even greater than what was ascribed to Pompeii under the explosion and aftermath of Mount Vesuvius.

In my view, there is little doubt that the Babylon the Lord described to John is destined to be a literal city. It will, I believe, be the greatest city ever, in terms of the influence it has had on humanity’s rebellion against the God of Heaven. And, yes, the condemnation is also directed at the entire anti-God Babylonian system of all human history since the Fall in Eden.

Because we’re so far along toward the consummation of this Age of Grace (Church Age) as all prophetic stage-setting indicates, Babylon the Great—the city described by the angel to be like no other—almost certainly is on the earthly scene at present.

Such a powerful cultural and commercial center would take decades to develop to the point of being that all-inclusive influence. This is my most pointed argument against Babylon the Great being scheduled for future construction in or around the ancient city of Babylon in present-day Iraq.

Israel is the most tremendous signal of just how late we are in this prophetic hour. We’ve watched in recent days God’s chosen nation—His chosen people—suddenly dominating headlines. Anti-Semitism has grown exponentially just within a few months, stemming from the horrendous attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

From that attack, most of the world INEXPLICABLY turned to hatred against Israel and instead made the Islamic fanatics who murdered, raped, and kidnapped innocent Jews and others the center of their insane support. Israel was somehow made the evil in all of this, and must, in the satanically inspired view of the anti-Semites, be expunged “from the river to the sea.”

This is inexplicable only if one doesn’t understand God’s Word and Bible prophecy. The hatred is totally understandable if one realizes that Satan, God’s number-one enemy, has targeted God’s chosen people for annihilation.

He tried it throughout the past millennia, and he tried it with Hitler and the Nazis. This last-ditch effort is going to prove to be the devil’s greatest effort because he knows his time is short—very short.

I propose that Babylon the Great might well be New York City. That city fits the description as no other. It is here at this very moment, while all the other prophetic indicators are literally bursting forth during every news cycle.

Here is the prophecy the angel brought from the throne room of Heaven. It is lengthy, but I believe we must look at it carefully to understand its seeming mirror-image of New York City, which most powers-that-be consider the greatest city on the planet.

“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 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. 

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. 

Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 

And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 

And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! 

For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! (Revelation 18:1-18).

God’s Word—through the angel here—calls this a “city.” Therefore, I take this messenger at God’s Word. This prophecy is referring to a city.

There is no city on Earth like this one…except the great city located on Manhattan Island and its surrounding geography.

With all signals present on today’s horizon, as I said, every direction we look that is setting the stage for prophetic fulfillment (the chief signal being Israel appearing front and center in the news cycles) New York City must be considered a prime suspect for this doomed metropolis.

And this Holy Spirit-directed thought comes to mind: This great city has just recently come under a government with genuine anti-Semitism at its black heart. The new government has moved in many directions to show its disdain for the Jewish population of New York City—even though NYC has a tremendously large population of Jewish people, many of whom voted for the current mayor.

One small step in such an anti-Semitic direction is wrapped up in the following:

Radical socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was the first mayor in over 60 years to skip the city’s annual Israel Day Parade, which was held on Sunday, despite attending other events that celebrate the city’s diverse cultural landscape.

As The Geller Report notes, “Mamdani’s hatred of the Jewish people is so consuming, it defines his mayoralty.”

Mamdani, instead, bizarrely rode around the city on a bicycle in a full suit…

Former Mayor [Mike] Adams took to X to troll Mamdani ahead of the parade, noting, “This year, [the Jewish parade] means even more.”

“At a time when antisemitism is rising across our country and Jewish New Yorkers are facing hatred, intimidation, and attacks at unprecedented levels, you cannot afford silence.” (“Bizarre: Communist Zohran Mamdani Skips Israel Day Parade, Spends Day Riding Bike Around NYC in a Suit,” Margaret Flavin, New York Post, May 31, 2026)

The assaults and insults against God’s chosen people are growing daily and with ever-increasing virulence. Those seeking office in NYC are filled with blatant hatred for Jews and Israel. (And I don’t use the term “chosen” loosely, because God has made it clear they are His chosen people).

Another case in point is the following:

New York Democratic House hopeful Brad Lander doesn’t just bend the knee to Islam; he prostrates himself and licks its evil boot. He attended a Holocaust-denier’s mosque in Queens, repeated a Quranic verse in Arabic, promoted Hamas, and accused Israel of “potentially” committing genocide in Lebanon. This Democrat is on an antisemitic roll.

The New York Sun reported in January 2006 that Al-Khoei imam Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani claimed that Jewish deaths in the Holocaust were “exaggerated.”

“The numbers which have been mentioned are too much,” Al-Sahlani told Sun reporter Russell Berman during the interview. “The numbers, the reasons, we have to study more.”

Al-Sahlani contended that the Holocaust was “done by the Zionists” and expressed admiration for British Nazi apologist David Irving, then in prison in Austria on charges of Holocaust denial, during an interview in April 2006. (“NY Dem Brad Lander Attends Holocaust-Denier’s Mosque, Repeats Quranic Verse in Arabic, and Vows to ‘Partner’ With Muslim ‘Squad’ Members and Mamdani,” Terresa Monroe-Hamilton, RAIR, May 22, 2026)

If we truly pay attention from the perspective of this portion of the Revelation about Babylon the Great, the key is that God at one point tells “His people” to come out of this wicked place that’s about to be decimated by holy fire.

These “people,” I think we should consider, might be referring to the Jewish people who are in Babylon the Great when chapter 18 is fulfilled. God will cause them to “come out,” as the prophecy states. Many of these Jewish people will undoubtedly constitute part of the remnant who will be saved en masse as they see Jesus Christ returning at Armageddon (Revelation 19:11).

Again, New York City has a massive number of God’s chosen people, the Jews, among its population. That number is second only to the number in Israel, the nation.

There is already a growing call for God’s chosen to remove from New York City, as this excerpt reports:

A group of Orthodox rabbis dedicated to religious outreach is calling on the Jewish residents of New York City to immigrate to Israel after Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani—a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a cofounder of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College in Maine—won the mayoral election.

On Wednesday, hours after news networks announced that Mamdani had clinched the election, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization issued an open letter to New York City’s Jewish community and Diaspora rabbis, calling for “renewed reflection on strengthening ties with Israel” and “giving deeper meaning to Jewish identity in light of the growing antisemitic discourse” in the city that is home to the world’s largest Jewish community. (“Rabbinic group issues open letter to Jewish residents of New York City, urging them to immigrate to Israel after Zohran Mamdani’s victory,” World Israel news staff)

So we have one more major element of prophecy to consider in thinking on just how near we must be to Christ’s Second Advent—thus how much nearer we must be to the Rapture!

—Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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Iran Versus God’s Sovereignty

Like many of you, recent statements by President Donald Trump trouble me. In a well-documented boast, he exclaimed, “Tell you what, if there wasn’t me, there would be no Israel right now.”

It’s clear that God has used the president to aid and defend Israel. I believe that’s why the Lord kept him safe from the assassins’ bullets in 2024. But his claim of responsibility for Israel’s survival not only assigns undue credit to himself, but it also displays ignorance of Bible prophecy.

Let’s first tackle the matter of Israel’s place in the end times. Trump’s spiritual advisor, Paula White, adheres to a belief whereby the church brings in the golden age of the millennium. This teaching regards Israel’s 1948 reemergence as a nation as a fluke of history; as such, Israel is no different than any other country in the world. The Bible, however, reveals a much different picture of the future where Jesus, not the church, rules for a thousand years over the nations. Scripture also reveals the prominent place of Israel in His worldwide kingdom.

Although God has used Trump to advance His sovereign agenda in regard to Israel, He remains in total control of all that happens to the nation between now and the end of the Tribulation period. His purposes do not rest with any human ruler. Not only that, not even the antichrist with his brief acquisition of great power will be able to stop God’s purposes for the Jewish people.

The president’s usurping of glory due to the Lord is another matter. Trump doesn’t understand his role as God’s instrument in supporting Israel. Babe Ruth used a bat in hitting home runs that led to his great acclaim in the history of baseball, yet no one credits his bat with his ability to hit the ball so far.

A similar shortsightedness lies behind Trump’s insistence that ceasefires will lead to peace in the region. His failure to recognize Israel’s uniqueness in Bible prophecy blinds him to both the spiritual forces behind the Middle East wars and the demonic nature of Islam. It’s most definitely not a “religion of peace” but rather a political ideology that honors lying and killing as the means to further its quest for world domination.

As I wrote in last week’s Nearing Midnight, what we see today is a replay of what happened during the days of Queen Esther and Mordecai. Satan is the driving force behind Iran’s determination to destroy Israel, which will continue unabated until the end of the Gog and Magog war, when the Lord destroys the Persian forces and brings judgment to the nation. After that, the devil will continue his deadly campaign against the Jewish people until the end of the seven-year Tribulation.

Because the battle is primarily spiritual, ceasefires will only prolong the wars rather than bring any lengthy cessation of conflict in the region. This awareness led to my frustration with President Trump when he demanded that Israel not retaliate in response to Iran’s missile attack last weekend. His message conveyed an equivalence with Israel and Iran that ignores the entire history of the conflict as well as the Word of God. His apparent trust in Iran’s leaders to make a deal and stick to it is totally unwarranted.

I do not know what will happen in the coming days, weeks, and months in the war between Israel and Iran. But with history as our guide, we know that Iran will not give up on its desire to acquire nuclear weapons nor its desire to destroy Israel. With Scripture as our guide, we know the Persian state’s desire to inflict as much terror as possible on the Jewish state will not end until the Lord destroys it.

What I do know is that all we are seeing today, including President Trump’s belief that he can bring lasting peace to the region with a deal that will somehow allow him to declare victory over Iran, is bringing us closer to the time when we will meet Jesus in the air. Both the headlines we read and all the things hidden from our sight are furthering the Lord’s agenda for Israel’s future.

God will continue to use human rulers to serve His purposes, but make no mistake, He will finish His purposes for the Jewish people and Jerusalem, as He decreed in Daniel 9:24:

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”

How do we know the Lord didn’t accomplish all these things in the past? The key event in the seventieth week has never happened in all of history since He spoke these words. As a result, we can be very certain of this: Just as the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem played a key role in the fulfillment of the initial aspects of His promise, so they will do so in the inauguration of Jesus’ kingdom in which He will bless the world with a reign of righteousness that will never end.

It’s so easy to become dismayed at the daily flow of news regarding the Middle East conflict- well, at least for me it is. Bible prophecy, however, calms my heart as it reminds me that God is ultimately in control. It’s totally impossible for any ruler (even the future antichrist), peace deal favoring Iran at Israel’s expense, or future war to deter His plan to bless Israel with a gloriously restored kingdom, during which time we will reign with our Savior.

-Jonathan