Harlot Babylon Series

Session 3: Her Judgment & Destruction

I.Babylon will Fall:

Though Babylon will rise to a prominent role in the Last Days we can be confident in her eventual defeat and the certain victory of the Kingdom of God. Babylon, just like the Antichrist, is judged, she falls, and she does not prevail in the end.

  1. Babylon’s Punishment is the First Detail John Receives:
  1. The very first line of one of the most important New Testament prophecies (Revelation 17 & 18) declares to us the judgment and destruction of the Harlot even before we learn who and what she is. This is strategic.

“Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters (Re. 17:1).”

  1. Additionally her fall is made clear in the Book of Revelation in the only two direct references to Babylon that precede chapter 17.

“A second angel followed and said, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries (Re. 14:8).”

“The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Re. 16:19).”

  1. Angels on 3 separate accounts told John about the destruction that will cometo the Great Harlot, revealing to us the way the story ends.
  1. Judgment is Reserved for Her:

Long prophesied is the fall of Babylon, her judgment is sure. In fact many scriptures speak of the judgment she will receive as belonging to her; as being her judgment, her time, her disaster (Is. 13:20-22; Je. 50:26-27, 51:2, 9, 47, 52; Re. 18:4, 8, 20).

“I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster (Je. 51:2).”

“She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there…Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged (Is. 13:20-22).”

“Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine (Re. 18:8).”

  1. She Can’t be Healed:

Babylon will have been able to buy her way through anything; she will have been enabled to overcome every challenge that she faced previously. But in the hour of her judgment she cannot be healed, her destruction is sure (Je. 50:13, 51:4, 9; Re. 18:5-7).

“Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. “‘We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed (Je. 51:8-9)…”

  1. Her Destruction is Proclaimed Internationally:

Before the time of her judgment the messengers of God will be prophesying to the nations about her coming destruction (Is. 13:2; Je. 50:2, 51:27; Re. 14:8).

“Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame (Je. 50:2).”

  1. Babylon will be Left Burning with Fire:

The point is made multiple times that Babylon will be burnt (Is. 13:19, 47:14; Je. 50:32, 51:30, 32, 58; Re. 13:13, 17:16, 18:8, 9, 18).

“Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken (Je. 51:30).”

  1. She is Captured First and then Destroyed:

In very primitive style Babylon will be captured and then set ablaze (Is. 13:15-16; Je. 50:2, 24-25, 46, 51:41).

“Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon will be captured (Je. 50:2).”

  1. Destruction Overtakes Babylon in a Moment:

(Is. 13:19, 47:9, Je. 50:27, 31-32, 44, 51:8; Zch. 5:6, 11; Re. 18:10, 17, 19).

“Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure (47:9).”

II.Her Judgment is Likened to Sodom & Gomorrah:

  1. Testimony of the Old Testament Prophets:

Isaiah and Jeremiah both prophesy that Babylon will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah were.

“Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah (Is. 13:19).”

As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrahalong with their neighboring towns,” declares the LORD, “so no one will live there; no man will dwell in it (Je. 50:40).”

  1. What Happened to Sodom and Gomorrah:

Since we know that the fall of Babylon is likened to how God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah it is important that we know what is meant by that statement. To understand these implications we need to look at the account of the judgment of those cities found in Genesis 19.

“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and…(Lot) bowed down with his face to the ground. “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house”…all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them…The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”…With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished…Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt (Ge. 19:1-26).”

  1. Lessons We Should Learn:

The below comparisons are the simple observations from the account of Sodom & Gomorrah's destruction. As we see how God overthrew these cities we can understand what is meant about Babylon’s future judgment being like how God dealt with Sodom & Gomorrah.

  1. There was angelic activity that released divine judgment.
  2. Sin cries out to the Lord almost in the way that intercession does.
  3. Rampant homosexuality was a primary reason for the judgment.
  4. God’s people were given warning with enough time to escape.
  5. God’s people had to come out of her (Re. 18:4), physically.
  6. In the hour of judgment strict obedience is necessary for survival. When one of His people disobeyed (looked back) they received a similar judgment as the cities being judged. Lot lost his wife that day though God made great effort to deliver her.
  7. Literal fire and sulfur came down from the sky.
  1. The Plagues of Revelation:

We already know that fire and sulfur will fall down upon men as part of God’s End Time plagues of judgment. The Book of Revelation just out and says in several places while alluding to it in several additional passages.

“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up (Re. 8:7).”

“The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths (Re. 9:17-18).”

III. Babylon’s Twofold Destruction:

After the initial introduction of her fall (Re. 17:1) the rest of Revelation chapter 17 & 18 describes why these judgments that will come upon the Harlot are necessary. It gives us great detail into her wickedness and shows us how God is completely just in giving her the cup of His wrath (we will spend an entire session on this theme). What is not as well known is that it prophesied that End Time Babylon actually falls not once but twice.

  1. Babylon Falls Twice:

Several passages in Revelation declare Her double destruction, all of which either quote or allude to Isaiah chapter 21.

  1. She is fallen, fallen:

“Then he answered and said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen (Is. 21:9)!”

“Another angel followed, saying, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city (Re. 14:8).”

“And he cried…saying, "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen (Re. 18:2)…”

  1. The world leaders cry woe, woe:

Similarly the kings, the merchants and seamen of the earth all proclaim “woe, woe” to Babylon upon her judgment.

“When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come(Re. 18:9-10)!’”

“The merchants (of the Earth vs 11)…will weep and mourn and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin(Re. 18:15-17)!’”

“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off...with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin(Re. 18:17-19)!”

  1. If there was any doubt that the double woe is actually pointing to two distinct judgments in the Book of Revelation the term “woe” is used to speak of individual events denoting each woe as a separate and unique judgment.

“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels (Re. 8:13)!”

“The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come(Re. 9:12).”

“The second woe has passed; the third woe is coming soon (Re. 11:14).”

  1. The Sequence of Her Two-Fold Judgment:

A careful study of the scriptures helps us to understand that Babylon receives judgment in two stages. Instead of two judgments coming back to back or instead of Babylon, the capitol city, being destroyed, rebuilt and then destroyed again.

  1. Her first judgment:

The first judgment occurs near the halfway point of the 7 Year Tribulation. It focuses on the locations (city or cities) of the worldwide religious network, which Antichrist will destroy and burn with fire.

“The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire (Re. 17:16).”

  1. Her second judgment:

Babylon’s second judgment occurs at the pouring out of the seventh bowl, which takes place at the very end of the Great Tribulation just before Jesus takes His Throne. This is the final wiping out of all that remains of the Harlot Babylon and includes the decimation of the cities of the Earth.

“The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Re. 16:19).”

“The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her (Je. 50:32).”

  1. A sort of third judgment:

There is actually a third dimension of judgment on this same Harlot; it could also be considered the process that leads up to the second judgment.

  1. In between the first and second judgments there are roughly 3 ½ years –this is referred to as the Great Tribulation.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened (Mt. 24:21-22 NKJV).”

“There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then (Da. 12:1).”

  1. During these years God will be releasing continual judgment on the Antichrist kingdom, which for all intended purposes is the same kingdom as Babylon because it is the kingdom he inherits from her once he destroys her. God’s plagues are being loosed across the Earth to both judge the Harlot –that is the people that embraced her wickedness, and then also to strike against the plans, the resources and strengths of the Antichrist.
  1. How We Can be Sure Babylon is Judged Twice:
  1. The 10 nations give their kingdom to the beast:

When the ten horns burn the harlot, they then give their kingdom to the beast (Re. 17:12-13). The Antichrist is only given a kingdom for 42 months however (Re. 13:5). This places the burning of the city by the ten horns at the beginning of those 42 months (the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation). The context of Revelation 16:19 requires that Babylon fall at the end of the Great Tribulation so these must be two separate falls.

  1. The 10 nations fight the Lamb at the end of the Great Tribulation:
  1. The final fall of Babylon happens at the seventh bowl of wrath (Re 16:19),which is at the final stage of Jesus’ procession where He dashes the nations surrounding Jerusalem.
  2. Revelation 17 tells us that the ten horns fight against the Lamb andthat the Lamb overcomes them (Re. 17:14). But we know that thisfinal battle between the Antichrist and his nations verses Christ and those who follow Him takes place at the very end around the city of Jerusalem (Zch. 14; Re. 16:16).
  3. It says that Babylon is destroyed bythe hands of these same nations, the ten horns (Re. 17:16).
  4. If the destruction of Babylon is only one event or one time frame then the ten horns are destroying Babylon while simultaneously loosing a fight against Jesus at Jerusalem.
  5. They are separate events however; the destruction of Babylon at the hands of the ten horns takes place at the beginning of the final 3 ½ years and the complete destruction of Babylon by the Lord occurs at the end of that 3 ½ years.
  1. Manner in Which She is Destroyed:
  1. We are told God destroys Babylon with an Earthquake (Re. 16:19).
  2. But it says that Antichrist destroys her by his armies and with fire (Re. 17:16).
  1. These are two events are distinct.

Now that we have the fact of Babylon’s two-fold judgment established we will use the next couple of sections to look at the details her judgment.

IV.Antichrist Turns on Babylon:

As mentioned previously Antichrist is a major source of Babylon’s judgment (Is. 13:19; Je. 51:30, 32; Re. 17:16, 18:8-9). This is very surprising however because of their deep involvement together just beforehand. We will only make mention of this in passing because we plan to spend a whole session on this broad theme.

“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast…The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God’s words are fulfilled (Re. 17:12-17).”

V.God Will Pour Out His Wrath:

Though God will use both human and supernatural agents to accomplish His purposes it is God who overthrows the Harlot Babylon (Is. 13:19; Je. 50:25, 51:1-2, 11-12; Re. 14:8, 16:19, 18:2, 8, 20, 19:2).

“The LORD has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign LORD Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians (Je. 50:25).”

“The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath (Re. 16:19).”

  1. God Repays Babylon for Her Sins:

(Ps. 137:8; Je. 50:15, 29, 51:24, 35, 49, 56; Hb. 2:7-8; Re. 18:6, 8)

“Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup (Re. 18:6).”

“O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us— he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks (Ps. 137:8-9).”