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The Identity of End Time Babylon

Is modern day Babylon the Babylon of the end times?

by Dr. David R. Reagan

A geographic location that has become a focal point of debate among Bible prophecy experts is the location of the city of Babylon.

End time Babylon has always been a perplexing issue for prophetic scholars, especially for premillennialists who try always to accept the plain sense meaning of the Scriptures.

The Bible clearly teaches that Babylon will be the end time capital of the Antichrist's world kingdom (read Revelation 17 and 18). The Bible is also full of prophecies about the total destruction of this city (see Isaiah 13 & 47, Jeremiah 50 & 51, and Revelation 17 & 18).

But there are some very good reasons to conclude that the Babylon of the end times will not be the same city as ancient Babylon which is located in the modern nation of Iraq.

The first reason for drawing this conclusion can be found in Isaiah 13:7-22 where a very clear prophecy is given that Babylon will lose its glory after its defeat by the Medes and that it will cease to be inhabited forever. In accordance with this prophecy, Babylon was conquered by the Medes, and it began a long decline that ultimately resulted in its abandonment to the forces of nature. By the time of Christ, one eyewitness reported that the city was nothing but "mounds and stones and ruins."

The second reason for concluding that end time Babylon will be a different city is to be found in the description recorded in Revelation 17. First, the city is referred to as "mystery" Babylon, a clear tip off that the name is being used symbolically (verse 5). Then the passage proceeds to state that the city is the one located on "seven mountains" (verse 9). This seems to be a clear reference to Rome, since it was known at that time as "the city built on seven hills." Finally, in verse 18, the city is identified as "the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." At the time of the writing of Revelation, this phrase could only refer to Rome.

The city is referred to metaphorically as Babylon because at the time of the Antichrist's reign, it will represent the epitome of the occultic spiritual evil that originated in Babylon and has always been associated with its name. Likewise, at that same time, Jerusalem will be a center of revolt against the Lord, and it is referred to in a similar metaphorical way as "Sodom and Egypt" in Revelation 11:8 — symbolizing immorality and idolatry.

The argument over the location of end time Babylon has been sharpened recently by the publication of a book called The Rise of Babylon (Tyndale House, 1991). It was authored by Charles Dyer, a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.

Dyer takes the position that the end time Babylon is the same as ancient Babylon, and he strives valiantly to prove his point by reproducing photos of what he asserts to be the rebuilding of Babylon. But the photos do not show that the city is being rebuilt for habitation. Rather, they show that Saddam Hussein had simply built a tourist center.

I went to hear the author speak about Babylon. I wanted to see how he would handle the passage in Isaiah 13:17-18 which says that Babylon will become a waste city and never be built again after it is taken by the Medes. The author started reading with verse 9, and when he completed reading verse 16, he simply said, "Now let's skip to verse 19." In short, he completely ignored the passage about the Medes. I guess that is better than trying to explain that it really doesn't mean what it says.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what the author tries to do in his book. He argues that the prophecy regarding the Medes refers to the modern day Kurds who will join with a multinational force that will destroy Babylon. The argument is unconvincing.

Although I do not agree with the conclusions of this book, I recommend it to you. It will provoke you to think and to search the Scriptures — two exercises that we need much more of in the Church today.