Chapter 18: Babylon is Fallen

What Babylon Is

Before understanding Babylon's fall, first understand what Babylon is.

Babylon is not just a city. It's a system.

A religious system that:

The name comes from ancient Babylon, the city where Nimrod built the Tower of Babel, rebelling against God by attempting to reach heaven through human achievement (Genesis 11:1-9).

God confused their language and scattered them. But the spirit of Babylon (human religion that exalts itself against God's revealed truth) has persisted through history.

Revelation identifies end-time Babylon with specific imagery:

"And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth."

Revelation 17:5

Mystery Babylon: Not literal ancient Babylon (long destroyed), but symbolic Babylon, a religious system operating in the last days.

Mother of Harlots: Not just one false church, but a mother church that spawned daughter churches. The Roman Catholic Church (mother) and Protestant churches that kept the Roman Catholic Church's errors (daughters).

Abominations of the Earth: Practices God calls abominable: Sunday worship instead of Sabbath, immortal soul instead of death-sleep, corrupted Bibles instead of preserved Word.

Church diagnostic checklist: https://theremnantthread.com/studies/church-diagnostic

Babylon is any religious system (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or ecumenical) that teaches doctrines contrary to Scripture and partners with state power to enforce them.

The Two-Fold Fall

Revelation describes Babylon's fall twice with identical words in different contexts:

First announcement (Revelation 14:8):

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication."

Second announcement (Revelation 18:2):

"And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

Why announce the same fall twice?

Because Babylon falls in two stages:

Fall #1: Moral Collapse (Past - 1798)

The first fall occurred when Babylon lost moral authority and political power.

The 1,260-year reign (538-1798 AD):

The deadly wound (1798):

Babylon fell morally. Her doctrines were exposed. Her authority was rejected. Her persecuting power was removed.

But she didn't cease to exist.

Fall #2: Final Destruction (Future - Near)

The second fall is Babylon's complete and final destruction.

Revelation 18 describes it in vivid detail:

"Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."

Revelation 18:8

This fall is:

It hasn't happened yet. But it's coming.

Between the two falls is a period of recovery and final deception, which we're living through now.

The Healing of the Deadly Wound

Revelation 13:3 describes something crucial:

"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."

The deadly wound (1798) didn't destroy the beast. It healed.

How the wound is healing:

1. Political Power Restored

1929: Lateran Treaty signed between Vatican and Mussolini

Post-1929: Progressive restoration of influence

2. Moral Authority Regained

Despite scandals (sex abuse, financial corruption, historical atrocities), the papacy maintains global moral authority.

Why?

The Roman Catholic Church regained what she lost in 1798 (not through force, but through persuasion).

3. Unity Movement Advancing

The ecumenical push (Chapter 14) is healing the Protestant-Catholic split.

What the Reformation divided, ecumenism is reuniting. Not by Protestants convincing Catholics to reform, but by Protestants abandoning protest and rejoining the Roman Catholic Church's orbit.

Developments:

The daughters are returning to the mother.

4. Persecution Power Rebuilding

The Roman Catholic Church doesn't yet have power to enforce Sunday or persecute Sabbath-keepers.

But the infrastructure is being built:

When the final crisis hits, The Roman Catholic Church (through her Protestant daughters and secular allies) will have the power to enforce the mark.

The wound is nearly healed.

And when it's fully healed, the second fall comes.

Babylon Includes Protestant Churches

"But I'm not Catholic! I'm in a Bible-believing Protestant church. This doesn't apply to me."

Wrong.

Revelation 17:5 calls Babylon "the mother of harlots."

Mother implies daughters.

If the Roman Catholic Church is the mother harlot, who are the daughter harlots?

Protestant churches that:

  1. Kept the Roman Catholic Church's Sunday instead of returning to biblical Sabbath
  2. Teach the Roman Catholic Church's immortal soul instead of biblical death-sleep
  3. Partner with the Roman Catholic Church in ecumenical compromise

Protestantism was supposed to protest the Roman Catholic Church's errors and return to Scripture alone.

Instead, most Protestant churches:

They're daughters of the harlot.

Not as fully corrupted as the mother (they don't have rosaries, Mass, confession booths, papal authority). But they teach enough of the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines to be her daughters.

Who Babylon Includes

Babylon includes:

The Roman Catholic Church - The mother. Center of the system. Openly admits changing the Sabbath. Claims authority to override Scripture. Enforced Sunday for 1,260 years. Killed millions who refused.

Eastern Orthodox - Split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 but kept Sunday, Trinity, Mary veneration, icons, liturgical worship. Daughters who left mother's house but kept mother's doctrines.

Mainline Protestant Churches - Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Anglican, Episcopal, etc. Born from Reformation but kept Sunday, Trinity, and compromised with culture. Daughters who protested some errors but retained fundamental ones.

Evangelical Protestant Churches - Baptist, non-denominational, Bible churches, etc. Claim "Bible alone" but observe Sunday without biblical command, teach Trinity without biblical word, believe immortal soul without biblical support. Daughters who inherited doctrines without examining their origin.

Charismatic/Pentecostal Churches - Spirit-filled movements that emphasize gifts but ignore commandments. Keep Sunday, teach Trinity, pursue signs without testing spirits (1 John 4:1). Daughters deceived by counterfeit spirituality.

Megachurches - Consumer Christianity. Entertainment worship. Celebrity pastors. Programs replacing obedience. Sunday seeker-sensitive services. Daughters who prioritized growth over commandment-keeping.

Ecumenical Organizations - World Council of Churches, National Council of Churches, ecumenical partnerships that prioritize unity over truth. Babylon's coordinating bodies bringing daughters back to mother.

Any church that:

All of these, despite their differences, are part of Babylon.

And God's people are commanded: "Come out of her."

Why God's People Are Still in Babylon

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Revelation 18:4

"My people."

God has people IN Babylon.

Not everyone in Babylon is God's enemy. Many are His people, sincere believers who love Jesus but haven't yet discovered the truth about Sabbath, the Father's sole deity, Sunday's origin, or Babylon's deceptions.

Why they're still there:

1. They don't know

Most Christians have never heard:

They haven't heard because their pastors haven't heard. Their pastors haven't heard because seminaries don't teach these truths. Seminaries don't teach them because denominations have other priorities. The cycle perpetuates, not from malice, but from institutional inertia. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6).

2. They trust their church more than Scripture

When presented with evidence that Sunday is unbiblical, they respond:

"But my church has kept Sunday for generations. Are you saying my grandparents were deceived? Are you saying all these godly pastors are wrong?"

This objection deserves a careful answer.

First, Scripture addresses exactly this situation:

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent."

Acts 17:30

God distinguishes between ignorance and informed rejection. The times of ignorance (when people didn't have access to truth) God "winked at." This does not mean it was excused permanently, but it was handled differently than willful rebellion.

And James clarifies the principle:

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."

James 4:17

Sin isn't just doing wrong. It's knowing what's right and refusing to do it. As for your grandmother who loved Jesus and kept Sunday with all the light she had, God judges hearts, not just practices. She responded to what she knew.

The mark of the beast isn't about your grandmother's past. It's about informed choice when truth is available and consequences are attached. When Sunday observance becomes legally enforced and people knowingly choose tradition over commandment, that becomes the dividing line.

Your grandparents' relationship with God is between them and God. The question now is yours: You have the evidence. What will you do with it?

This is not an excuse to remain comfortable. The grace that covered ignorance doesn't cover willful rejection once truth is known.

Your grandmother's salvation isn't the issue. Yours is.

3. They fear losing community

Leaving their church means:

Fear of isolation keeps them in Babylon even after they see the truth.

4. They've been warned against "legalism"

Any mention of commandment-keeping triggers "legalism" accusations.

"You're trying to earn salvation by keeping Sabbath!"

"We're under grace, not law!"

"Colossians 2:16 says don't let anyone judge you about sabbaths!"

They've been immunized against obedience by misapplied "grace" teaching.

5. They're waiting for their church to reform

"I'll bring this up with the elders. Maybe we can study it together. Maybe we can shift to Sabbath as a congregation."

They don't understand: Babylon will never reform. It will fall.

The call isn't "reform Babylon." It's "Come out of her."

The Call: Come Out

"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."

Revelation 18:4

This is God's voice calling His people out, not with a suggestion but a command, not for later but for now, not for mental assent while staying physically but for actual departure.

Two reasons given:

Reason 1: Don't Partake in Her Sins

By remaining in Babylon, you participate in her sins, even if you personally disagree. Scripture is explicit about separation:

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? ... Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord."

2 Corinthians 6:14, 17

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

Ephesians 5:11

How does participation happen?

"But I'm just attending. I'm not making the doctrinal decisions."

I can't judge your specific situation since "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). But Scripture's call is clear: "come out from among them." Not "stay and reform from within." Not "attend while disagreeing privately." Come out.

The separation principle isn't arbitrary. It's protective. "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (Galatians 5:9). Remaining in false systems exposes you to their errors and normalizes those errors for your children.

Come out means stop participating.

Reason 2: Don't Receive Her Plagues

Revelation 18 describes Babylon's plagues in graphic detail:

"Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."

Revelation 18:8

"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come."

Revelation 18:9-10

Her judgment is coming:

Those still in Babylon when final judgment falls will share in her destruction.

You don't want to be inside Babylon when God's wrath is poured out.

The ten plagues are preliminary (Chapter 15). The seven last plagues are final (Revelation 16). Those in Babylon when the seven last plagues fall will experience:

Come out before the plagues fall.

How Merchants and Kings React

Revelation 18 describes three groups mourning Babylon's fall:

1. Kings of the earth (verses 9-10): Political leaders who partnered with Babylon for power.

They mourn because they lose their source of religious authority, the church that legitimized their rule, blessed their wars, and controlled their populations through doctrine.

2. Merchants of the earth (verses 11-17): Economic leaders who profited from Babylon's wealth.

They mourn because they lose their customer, the church that bought gold, silver, precious stones, fine linen, purple, silk, scarves, vessels, ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron, marble, cinnamon, incense, ointment, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour, wheat, beasts, sheep, horses, chariots, and slaves (souls of men - verse 13).

Babylon is a massive economic system. When she falls, global commerce collapses.

3. Shipmasters and sailors (verses 17-19): Transportation industry that moved Babylon's goods.

They mourn because they lose their livelihood, the trade routes, the shipping lanes, the economic network that depended on Babylon's consumption.

It is significant that none of them mourn for religious reasons.

They don't grieve that the church is destroyed.

They grieve that their power/profit source is destroyed.

Babylon's fall reveals what she really was: not a spiritual entity pursuing truth, but a political-economic empire using religion as control mechanism.

How Heaven Reacts

While earth mourns, heaven celebrates:

"Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her."

Revelation 18:20

"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."

Revelation 19:1-2

Heaven rejoices because:

  1. Justice is served - Babylon killed millions of Sabbath-keepers, burned reformers, tortured "heretics." God avenges their blood.
  2. Truth is vindicated - For centuries Babylon claimed she was the true church, that her traditions superseded Scripture, that commandment-keepers were legalists. God proves she was the deceiver.
  3. The faithful are rescued - Those who came out of Babylon, who refused the mark, and who kept the commandments despite persecution are vindicated and rewarded.

The same event that earth mourns, heaven celebrates.

Your response to Babylon's fall reveals whose side you're on.

The Finality of Babylon's Fall

"And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."

Revelation 18:21

No more means no more.

Not wounded and healed again. Not reformed and improved. Not replaced by "Babylon 2.0."

Gone. Forever.

The next verses (22-23) drive this home:

No more musicians (verse 22) No more craftsmen (verse 22) No more millstone sound (verse 22) No more candle light (verse 23) No more bridegroom/bride voices (verse 23)

Complete desolation.

Why such finality?

"For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived."

Revelation 18:23

Babylon deceived all nations.

Every country. Every culture. Every religion has been influenced by her doctrines, from Sunday worship to immortal soul belief to corrupted Bibles to ecumenical unity.

The vast majority of professing Christians currently participate in Babylon's system, most without realizing it.

When God judges her, the judgment is thorough because the deception was global.

Where Do You Stand?

Babylon is falling.

The first fall happened (1798). The wound is healing. The second fall is coming.

Between now and the final fall, God's people must choose:

Stay in Babylon:

Result: Partake in her sins, receive her plagues, fall with her in final destruction.

Come out of Babylon:

Result: Escape her sins, avoid her plagues, stand with Christ when she falls. And become what Babylon could never make you: a son of God (Romans 8:14), a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17), an ambassador of the kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20).

You don't leave Babylon to become isolated. You leave Babylon to become family.

A Priest Who Left

Dr. Robert Knoor was a Roman Catholic priest, trained in the Roman Catholic Church's seminaries, ordained in the Roman Catholic Church's orders, and serving in the Roman Catholic Church's parishes. He knew the system from inside.

Then someone asked him a simple question about the Ten Commandments: "Do not commit adultery. Is that wise?" Yes. "Do not steal. Is that wise?" Yes. "How about the Sabbath? It's in the same list."Dr. Robert Knoor's testimony as a former Roman Catholic priest who became Seventh-day Adventist is documented in video testimony uploaded to Gospel Med channel (December 24, 2022). He described finding biblical logic for the Sabbath he had never examined before and being impressed by the Sabbath-keeping community's dedication, with members giving over 10% of income, spending an entire day in worship each week. Video testimony searchable as "Roman Catholic Priest Become Seventh-day Adventist- Powerful Testimony."

The question haunted him. Why did God command nine laws that everyone agrees remain valid, but supposedly replaced the fourth? Where was the biblical authority?

He searched. He couldn't find it. What he found instead: the Roman Catholic Church's own admission that they changed the day without biblical command.

A Catholic priest, discovering his own church's confession.

He left. Not because he hated Catholicism. Not because of scandal or personal grievance. Because he couldn't unsee what Scripture says and what the Roman Catholic Church admits.

If a priest trained in the Roman Catholic Church's own system can leave, so can you.

There's no middle ground.

You're either in Babylon or out of Babylon. You either receive her mark or refuse it. You either participate in her system or separate from it.

The call is clear:

"Come out of her, my people."

Revelation 18:4

Not "come out someday." Not "come out when convenient." Not "come out if you feel led."

Come out.

Now.

While there's still time.

Before the plagues fall.

Before the final destruction.

Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.

The first fall proved God's judgment is certain. The second fall will prove God's justice is complete.

No one in the remnant wants to be inside when the final fall comes.

Next: The message God's remnant proclaims to warn the world before Babylon's final fall, the Three Angels' Messages.