The two climactic events of the Great Tribulation are the
“the war of the great day of God, the Almighty,” (Revelation
16:14), and the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It
should be noted that the passage says nothing of a battle in
this valley, for no fighting will take place there. The
Valley of Jezreel will merely serve as the gathering place
for the armies of the nations. While the dragon, the beast,
and the false prophet gather the nations for the purpose of
destroying the Jews, God has His own purpose for permitting
this gathering to take place. This is the first stage of
“the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.”
The fact that the city of Babylon is to be rebuilt, and
there is evidence the city is being rebuilt, and become the
world capital of the Antichrist is based on the fact that
Babylon was never destroyed in the manner described by
Isaiah and Jeremiah. If we take these prophecies literally,
they require a rebuilding of Babylon to become the political
capitol of the antichrist. However, not only is Babylon to
become the world political capital, it is also to become the
world economic capital. This fact is supported in the vision
of Zechariah 5:5-11. The “ephah” was a measure of weight and
became the symbol of economy. This symbol of economy, in
this case a corrupted one, was placed in the land of Shinar,
which is the same as Babylonian. Throughout the second half
of the Tribulation, Babylon will be both the center of world
economy and the world political center, however, later, in
the second stage of “the war of the great day of God, the
Almighty” Babylon will suffer a sudden devastation
(Revelation 18).
The means of the destruction of Babylon is described in
Isaiah 13:1-5. The “oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah
the son of Amoz saw” was a gathering of the “consecrated
one” “mighty warrior” “exulting ones” of God to “execute”
His anger. The context of Isaiah 13:6-22 clearly puts the
destruction of Babylon, announced in verses 1-5, within the
scope and time of “the great day of God, the Almighty,” a
reference to the Great Tribulation. Isaiah’s prophecy
concerning Babylon concludes in Isaiah 14:22-23, clearly
stating that unlike other nations, Babylon will not even
have a surviving remnant.
Another prophecy dealing with the destruction of Babylon is
Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51. As in Isaiah, Jeremiah 50:9-10
tells of a gathering of many nations against the city of
Babylon. Jeremiah chapter 51 contains a more detailed
description of the destruction of Babylon. According to
Jeremiah 51:24, the judgment will be especially severe due
to Babylon’s evil deeds against the people of Israel.
According to Jeremiah 50:43 and Jeremiah 51:32, the king of
Babylon, the Antichrist will not be present in the city when
his capital city is destroyed. The sending out messengers to
inform the king of Babylon that his city is destroyed is a
clear-cut indication that he will not be there when it
happens. So where is he? He is in the Valley of Jezreel.
Prior to the sudden massive destruction of Babylon, a
warning will be given to the Jews who are still in Babylon
telling them to flee out of the city before it is too late.
This warning comes several times in the prophecy of Jeremiah
(50:6-8, 28; 51:5-6, 45, 50). Those who escape from Babylon
will flee to Jerusalem to announce Babylon’s destruction to
the Jews there.
According to Jeremiah 50:4-5, the destruction of Babylon
will come at the same time that Israel is seeking Jehovah
their God and entering into an everlasting covenant with
God, the same as the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34. The
ruin of Babylon is associated with the restoration of Israel
in Jeremiah 50:19-20.
Another extensive passage dealing with the destruction of
Babylon is Revelation 18:1-24. This chapter of Revelation
deals specifically with the political and economic Babylon
that will rule the world for three and a half years. The
passage begins with a declaration of the fall of Babylon
(Revelation 18:1-3). After Babylon’s destruction there will
be intense lamenting by those who invested heavily in her,
became rich by her, but will now be bankrupt by her
destruction. Three classes of people that will mourn over
Babylon and their lamentations are recorded in Revelation
18:9-19. First is the lamentation of the kings, the
political rulers of the world (Revelation 18:9-10). These
are the ten kings who have submitted their authority to the
Antichrist.
The second group of mourners is the merchants in 18:11-17.
Babylon will become the economic center of the world, the
center of business and world trade, a city characterized by
the luxury items listed in this passage. However, it will
suddenly all go up in smoke, and the wealth of the merchants
will be no more. The transporters of goods are the third
group who benefited from their association with Babylon.
However, they, too, will lament (Revelation 18:17-19).
However, while three groups are in mourning, there will be
three other groups rejoicing (Revelation 18:20): saints,
apostles and prophets. The destruction of Babylon will mark
the soon return of the Messiah. The destruction of Babylon
