Revelation 17:1-19:5 present the Fall of Babylon. Babylon is the temptress who seeks to lure the world from faithfulness to God. The New Jerusalem is to be the faithful wife in stark contrast to Babylon the faithless prostitute. The language is offensive and blunt– but so is the consequence of rejecting God’s love and covenant. Babylon is the personification of political and worldly power opposed to God and oppressing God’s people. Jesus’ followers are warned against the deceptions of Babylon because Babylon carries within the seeds of her destruction (17:16-17). God alone is to be worshiped.
