Q82 : USA in Revelation?

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Q82 : USA in Revelation?

I have been reading Revelation a lot and America seems to fit the description. What are your thoughts?

A82 : by Tony Garland

If you are saying that Babylon in Revelation chapters 17 and 18 has a lot in common with America (the USA) today—I would agree. This simply reflects the global influence which Babylon, as the mother of harlots (Rev. 17:5), has had in the many cultures and countries of history.

If you are asking whether I think Babylon in Revelation relates specifically to the USA or a particular city in the USA (Rev. 17:18), my answer is, “no.”

There are a number of reasons why I am among those who believe that “Babylon” in the New Testament has the same meaning as it does in the Old: the literal city of Babylon in modern day Iraq on the banks of the Euphrates River. The reasons I hold this view are discussed in my Revelation commentarya and also in my course on the Book of Revelationb.

I can also recommend an article by Andy Woodsc which discusses the various views concerning the identity of Babylon in the Book of Revelationd.

Of course, the view that “Babylon” in Revelation denotes the literal city of Babylon implies that world conditions are not presently right for some of the events described in Revelation to unfold. This doesn't sit too well with those prophecy teachers who specialize in sensational correlations between news events and the Bible, keeping their listeners continually expecting the Tribulation to unfold at any minute. (A faith-destroying practice over the long-haul when the predicted developments fail to materialize.)

As Christians, our focus is not on the Tribulation, the cataclysmic events recorded in the Book of Revelation, or the Antichrist. We are to be watching for our Lord—Jesus Christ—Who can return for His own at any time. An understanding of the pretribulational rapture of the Church is a healthy antidote to the distraction and sensationalism which characterizes much teaching on prophecy.

If you are truly interested in coming to terms with the Book of Revelation, I would recommend you spend time working through the commentary or the course.


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