A Most Respectful Response — With Gratitude and Steadfast Hope
Randy, thank you for writing with conviction and for reminding readers that Revelation is not casual literature. Scripture does not treat Babylon lightly. Revelation presents “Babylon the great” as a real object of divine judgment and a real source of moral and spiritual danger. The command is unmistakable: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4, NKJV). That warning carries weight in every generation.
As believers who desire to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV), we must carefully distinguish between what the text clearly declares and what we may infer from present events. Not because we dismiss prophecy, but because we cherish clarity. God has not given His people “a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). The Christian posture is not alarm, but discernment, not anxiety, but anchored confidence.
(Revelation 17–18) portrays Babylon as a corrupting power that entangles “the kings of the earth” and enriches “the merchants of the earth” (Revelation 18:3, NKJV). It speaks of luxury, seduction, and exploitation, even to the tragic point of trafficking in “bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13, NKJV). Whatever form Babylon ultimately takes, its character is clear: idolatrous wealth, moral compromise, and allegiance that rivals God.
But it is important to remember why Revelation was written. It was not given to create prophetic adrenaline. It was given to sustain persecuted believers. It is apocalyptic in imagery, prophetic in warning, and pastoral in purpose. Its central message is not the rebuilding of a city. It is the reign of the Lamb. John’s first readers under Roman pressure were not instructed to decode infrastructure. They were called to endurance. They were told that Christ reigns, that evil is limited, and that faithfulness matters more than forecasting. The book forms worshipers, not headline analysts.
Christians have long differed on whether Babylon refers to a literal future city, a symbolic world system, or a final system expressed in a concrete center. Those discussions belong within the boundaries of humble interpretation. But we must be careful not to allow modern developments however intriguing to shift our focus from allegiance to Christ to speculation about geography. Scripture calls us to be watchful, yet sober (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV). To walk by faith, not by sight including the sight of headlines (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV). Jesus Himself, while describing turmoil, said plainly: “See that you are not troubled” (Matthew 24:6, NKJV). That is a remarkable command. The presence of shaking does not cancel the stability of the throne.
The New Testament effect of prophecy is steadiness. Revelation repeatedly calls believers to “hold fast” (Revelation 3:11, NKJV), to be “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10, NKJV), and to worship the Lamb who has already conquered (Revelation 5:12–13, NKJV). The emphasis is endurance, not acceleration. When Revelation says, “Come out of her,” it speaks first to the heart. Babylon is not merely a place; it is a posture. It is the ancient impulse to “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV). It is wealth without worship, influence without humility, power without submission to God.
The enduring question is not, “Where is Babylon rising?” but “Where is Babylon discipling my desires?” What shapes my imagination? What commands my loyalty? Jesus spoke clearly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV). Wherever mammon reigns, Babylon already stands. So while discussions of future fulfillment may continue, the immediate call is always the same: worship faithfully, live distinctly, endure patiently, and refuse compromise.
Revelation does not end with collapse. It ends with communion. It ends not with merchants mourning, but with a Bride adorned. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men” (Revelation 21:3–4, NKJV). The final word is not destruction it is dwelling.
So, I received your article as a serious reminder that allegiance matters. And I gently encourage readers: our task is not to calculate the hour, but to cultivate faithfulness. Not to be unsettled by the movement of nations, but to be steadfast in hope because “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15, NKJV). Babylon may rise in many forms across history. But the Lamb reigns in every generation. And that truth steadies the heart.
Thank you, truly, for the care and thoughtfulness in your words. This is the kind of dialogue the Body of Christ needs more of - iron sharpening iron with grace and mutual respect. I receive your encouragement and I want to engage with your points honestly, because I believe we agree on more than we differ.
You're absolutely right that Revelation was written to sustain persecuted believers, not to fuel speculation. And I say amen — loudly — to your reminder that the book ends not with destruction but with dwelling. That is the hope that anchors everything I write and teach. If anything I've written has left the impression that I'm more captivated by Babylon's rise than by the Bridegroom's return, then I need to recalibrate my emphasis, and I thank you for that check.
But I want to gently push on one point. You write that the call to "come out of her" speaks first to the heart. I agree, but I would add that it does not speak only to the heart. Throughout Scripture, God's warnings carry both spiritual and practical dimensions. When He told Lot to leave Sodom, it was a spiritual posture and a physical departure. When He told the early church to flee Jerusalem before AD 70, the ones who took it literally survived. The spiritual and the concrete are not in competition in God's economy. They walk together.
You wisely caution against letting modern developments shift our focus from Christ to geography. I share that caution. But I would also suggest that ignoring what God may be doing on the ground — in real nations, in real time — carries its own risk. The Pharisees knew Scripture intimately. They could quote the prophets. And yet Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they "did not know the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:44, NKJV). They had the theology but missed the moment. That haunts me. I would rather be watchful and wrong about a detail than asleep and wrong about a season.
You frame the central question as, "Where is Babylon discipling my desires?" That is a beautiful and necessary question. I would simply add a second one beside it: "Am I paying attention to what God is assembling on the world stage, so that when He calls His people to move, I'm ready to obey, not just spiritually, but practically?"
The two questions are not enemies. They are companions. One guards the heart. The other guards the horizon. And I believe faithful believers need both.
I want to close by affirming what you affirmed: the Lamb reigns. In every generation, in every shaking, in every empire that rises and crumbles — He reigns. That is not in question. The only question is whether we will be found watching and worshiping when He makes His next move.
Thank you again for your words. I count this kind of exchange as a gift.
Thank you Randy for both the Babylon information and your subsequent reply to a reply. It is imperative that believers dialogue about all aspects of scripture, and prophecy and end times is sorely lacking in that conversation. For my part, I have never gotten the impression that you were more captivated by world happenings than the return of the Bridegroom. That Jesus and His return is the hope that anchors everything you teach is shouted from all your writings! Thank you for all of it and for making us aware of scripture and end times events so we may look up and see that our redemption is near!
Sorry hit send before I was done…. Loved that comment above and agree 100% with it. If you want to drop the gloves on this topic, we should do just that, time is short. Your thread of mine?
I have talked with so many ‘Prophetic scholars’ and PhD’s on this topic the last 40 years that don’t know what they are talking about and won’t look at the actual unfulfilled parameters I almost have given up. You’re not a PhD are you?, I don’t waste my time on them anymore. Look me up at Jeremiah Jj and tell me where I am wrong.
Can’t believe you charged me to leave this comment informing you need to go back to the scriptures.
For skeptics, come read a contrary view, no pay walls ever and anyone can post.
Hi Randy Kay, just subscribed in order to leave a post. Whatever happened to the comment, ‘buy the Truth and sell it not’ Proverbs 23:23.
This topic is not business for me it’s about Truth, or True - Truth like Francis Schaeffer use to say.
Don’t know where to start, that post is so off the mark from identifying Babylon the Great I am stunned.
Babylon in scripture is a System, a City and a Nation. She is all three, if one remembers nothing from this post remember that. Babylon in scripture is a system, a city, and a nation. She is all three.
Iraq does not even come close to fulfilling even 5% of the unfulfilled parameters by God for its fulfillment. In Isaiah Jeremiah and Revelation, Sorry, no good way to spin this but you are deceived.
Been studying this topic for 40 years and started posting again after 10 years under the same tag line, ‘Babylon is Rising’ based off a book that a friend of mine wrote in 1987 that debunks. you position 100%.
I post under the name Jeremiah Jr. on Substack and am about 16 posts into this topic, and I am not even getting started yet.
It is imperative that believers dialogue about all aspects of scripture, and prophecy and end times is sorely lacking in that conversation.
A Most Respectful Response — With Gratitude and Steadfast Hope
Randy, thank you for writing with conviction and for reminding readers that Revelation is not casual literature. Scripture does not treat Babylon lightly. Revelation presents “Babylon the great” as a real object of divine judgment and a real source of moral and spiritual danger. The command is unmistakable: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4, NKJV). That warning carries weight in every generation.
As believers who desire to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV), we must carefully distinguish between what the text clearly declares and what we may infer from present events. Not because we dismiss prophecy, but because we cherish clarity. God has not given His people “a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV). The Christian posture is not alarm, but discernment, not anxiety, but anchored confidence.
(Revelation 17–18) portrays Babylon as a corrupting power that entangles “the kings of the earth” and enriches “the merchants of the earth” (Revelation 18:3, NKJV). It speaks of luxury, seduction, and exploitation, even to the tragic point of trafficking in “bodies and souls of men” (Revelation 18:13, NKJV). Whatever form Babylon ultimately takes, its character is clear: idolatrous wealth, moral compromise, and allegiance that rivals God.
But it is important to remember why Revelation was written. It was not given to create prophetic adrenaline. It was given to sustain persecuted believers. It is apocalyptic in imagery, prophetic in warning, and pastoral in purpose. Its central message is not the rebuilding of a city. It is the reign of the Lamb. John’s first readers under Roman pressure were not instructed to decode infrastructure. They were called to endurance. They were told that Christ reigns, that evil is limited, and that faithfulness matters more than forecasting. The book forms worshipers, not headline analysts.
Christians have long differed on whether Babylon refers to a literal future city, a symbolic world system, or a final system expressed in a concrete center. Those discussions belong within the boundaries of humble interpretation. But we must be careful not to allow modern developments however intriguing to shift our focus from allegiance to Christ to speculation about geography. Scripture calls us to be watchful, yet sober (1 Peter 5:8, NKJV). To walk by faith, not by sight including the sight of headlines (2 Corinthians 5:7, NKJV). Jesus Himself, while describing turmoil, said plainly: “See that you are not troubled” (Matthew 24:6, NKJV). That is a remarkable command. The presence of shaking does not cancel the stability of the throne.
The New Testament effect of prophecy is steadiness. Revelation repeatedly calls believers to “hold fast” (Revelation 3:11, NKJV), to be “faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10, NKJV), and to worship the Lamb who has already conquered (Revelation 5:12–13, NKJV). The emphasis is endurance, not acceleration. When Revelation says, “Come out of her,” it speaks first to the heart. Babylon is not merely a place; it is a posture. It is the ancient impulse to “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4, NKJV). It is wealth without worship, influence without humility, power without submission to God.
The enduring question is not, “Where is Babylon rising?” but “Where is Babylon discipling my desires?” What shapes my imagination? What commands my loyalty? Jesus spoke clearly: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, NKJV). Wherever mammon reigns, Babylon already stands. So while discussions of future fulfillment may continue, the immediate call is always the same: worship faithfully, live distinctly, endure patiently, and refuse compromise.
Revelation does not end with collapse. It ends with communion. It ends not with merchants mourning, but with a Bride adorned. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men” (Revelation 21:3–4, NKJV). The final word is not destruction it is dwelling.
So, I received your article as a serious reminder that allegiance matters. And I gently encourage readers: our task is not to calculate the hour, but to cultivate faithfulness. Not to be unsettled by the movement of nations, but to be steadfast in hope because “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15, NKJV). Babylon may rise in many forms across history. But the Lamb reigns in every generation. And that truth steadies the heart.
Maranatha.
Thank you, truly, for the care and thoughtfulness in your words. This is the kind of dialogue the Body of Christ needs more of - iron sharpening iron with grace and mutual respect. I receive your encouragement and I want to engage with your points honestly, because I believe we agree on more than we differ.
You're absolutely right that Revelation was written to sustain persecuted believers, not to fuel speculation. And I say amen — loudly — to your reminder that the book ends not with destruction but with dwelling. That is the hope that anchors everything I write and teach. If anything I've written has left the impression that I'm more captivated by Babylon's rise than by the Bridegroom's return, then I need to recalibrate my emphasis, and I thank you for that check.
But I want to gently push on one point. You write that the call to "come out of her" speaks first to the heart. I agree, but I would add that it does not speak only to the heart. Throughout Scripture, God's warnings carry both spiritual and practical dimensions. When He told Lot to leave Sodom, it was a spiritual posture and a physical departure. When He told the early church to flee Jerusalem before AD 70, the ones who took it literally survived. The spiritual and the concrete are not in competition in God's economy. They walk together.
You wisely caution against letting modern developments shift our focus from Christ to geography. I share that caution. But I would also suggest that ignoring what God may be doing on the ground — in real nations, in real time — carries its own risk. The Pharisees knew Scripture intimately. They could quote the prophets. And yet Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they "did not know the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:44, NKJV). They had the theology but missed the moment. That haunts me. I would rather be watchful and wrong about a detail than asleep and wrong about a season.
You frame the central question as, "Where is Babylon discipling my desires?" That is a beautiful and necessary question. I would simply add a second one beside it: "Am I paying attention to what God is assembling on the world stage, so that when He calls His people to move, I'm ready to obey, not just spiritually, but practically?"
The two questions are not enemies. They are companions. One guards the heart. The other guards the horizon. And I believe faithful believers need both.
I want to close by affirming what you affirmed: the Lamb reigns. In every generation, in every shaking, in every empire that rises and crumbles — He reigns. That is not in question. The only question is whether we will be found watching and worshiping when He makes His next move.
Thank you again for your words. I count this kind of exchange as a gift.
Thank you Randy for both the Babylon information and your subsequent reply to a reply. It is imperative that believers dialogue about all aspects of scripture, and prophecy and end times is sorely lacking in that conversation. For my part, I have never gotten the impression that you were more captivated by world happenings than the return of the Bridegroom. That Jesus and His return is the hope that anchors everything you teach is shouted from all your writings! Thank you for all of it and for making us aware of scripture and end times events so we may look up and see that our redemption is near!
Thank you Jane for the support. Happy to be on this Walk with Jesus with you!
Sorry hit send before I was done…. Loved that comment above and agree 100% with it. If you want to drop the gloves on this topic, we should do just that, time is short. Your thread of mine?
I have talked with so many ‘Prophetic scholars’ and PhD’s on this topic the last 40 years that don’t know what they are talking about and won’t look at the actual unfulfilled parameters I almost have given up. You’re not a PhD are you?, I don’t waste my time on them anymore. Look me up at Jeremiah Jj and tell me where I am wrong.
Can’t believe you charged me to leave this comment informing you need to go back to the scriptures.
For skeptics, come read a contrary view, no pay walls ever and anyone can post.
Hi Randy Kay, just subscribed in order to leave a post. Whatever happened to the comment, ‘buy the Truth and sell it not’ Proverbs 23:23.
This topic is not business for me it’s about Truth, or True - Truth like Francis Schaeffer use to say.
Don’t know where to start, that post is so off the mark from identifying Babylon the Great I am stunned.
Babylon in scripture is a System, a City and a Nation. She is all three, if one remembers nothing from this post remember that. Babylon in scripture is a system, a city, and a nation. She is all three.
Iraq does not even come close to fulfilling even 5% of the unfulfilled parameters by God for its fulfillment. In Isaiah Jeremiah and Revelation, Sorry, no good way to spin this but you are deceived.
Been studying this topic for 40 years and started posting again after 10 years under the same tag line, ‘Babylon is Rising’ based off a book that a friend of mine wrote in 1987 that debunks. you position 100%.
I post under the name Jeremiah Jr. on Substack and am about 16 posts into this topic, and I am not even getting started yet.
It is imperative that believers dialogue about all aspects of scripture, and prophecy and end times is sorely lacking in that conversation.