What role does the "great city" play in end-times prophecy? Anchoring in the Text: Revelation 17:18 “ ‘And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.’ ” Identifying the “Great City” - In Revelation 17–18 this title repeatedly links to “Babylon the Great.” - Earlier prophetic echoes—Isaiah 13; 47; Jeremiah 50–51—describe an arrogant power judged in a single day. - Revelation 11:8 applies “the great city” to Jerusalem in one sense, yet the dominant end-times portrait (Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 18:2) depicts an idolatrous world capital influencing every kingdom. Four Key Roles in End-Times Prophecy 1. Global Ruler • “rules over the kings of the earth” (17:18). • Possesses political clout so vast that monarchs “commit adultery” with her (17:2). 2. Economic Nerve Center • Merchants grow “rich from the abundance of her luxury” (18:3, 11-17). • Trade lists (18:12-13) show universal dependence—gold to grain to souls of men. 3. Spiritual Seductress • Presents a counterfeit religious system, symbolized by a scarlet beast and cup of abominations (17:4). • Leads nations into idolatry and moral compromise (14:8; 18:23). 4. Target of Sudden, Final Judgment • Destroyed in “one hour” (18:10, 17, 19) by the very kings she once ruled (17:16-17). • Heaven rejoices over her fall (18:20); the earth laments economic collapse (18:9-19). Prophetic Timeline Hints - Mid-Tribulation: the beast and ten kings gain power (17:12-13) and turn on the city (17:16). - Great Tribulation climax: Babylon’s fall signals the nearness of Christ’s visible return (19:1-11). Links to Earlier Scripture - Genesis 11:1-9—Babel’s tower introduces the pattern: human unity opposing God. - Jeremiah 51:7—“Babylon was a golden cup… intoxicating the whole earth,” language echoed in Revelation 17:4. - Daniel 2 & 7—successive empires culminate in a final kingdom shattered by God’s stone/son of man. The “great city” is that last composite power. Why This Matters for Believers - Encourages separation from the world system: “Come out of her, my people” (18:4). - Affirms God’s sovereignty—He ordains even her destruction (17:17). - Offers hope: the collapse of the “great city” clears the stage for “the holy city, new Jerusalem” (21:2). Takeaway The “great city” stands as the final, literal center of political, economic, and religious rebellion. Her swift downfall guarantees that every rival to Christ’s kingdom will be removed, making way for His righteous, eternal rule. |
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