Who is the woman called Babylon in the book of Revelation?
The “mother of all prostitutes” – “Babylon the great” is none other than Jerusalem in particular or Israel in general. There are several reasons for this conclusion: • She fills herself with the blood of the prophets and saints: Rev. 16:6, 17:6, 18:20, 24. Cf. Matt. 23:37 and Acts 7:52. • She is the great city where the Lord was crucified: Revelation 11:8 • In the Old Testament, the unfaithful Israel was often described as a prostitute or an unfaithful wife: Jer. 2:2, 3:14, Is. 54:5, Jer. 3:20, Hos. 1:2, Ez. 6:9, Ez. 16, Is. 50:1. Isaiah 1:21 describes it as “See how the faithful city has become a harlot.” The clothing of Babylon is especially important in trying to identify her: • Dressed in purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones and pearls (Rev. 17:3-5) – an almost exact description of the high priest’s ephod (Ex. 28:5-6, 36) • This combination of fabrics and gems also describes the temple tapestry, which, according to Josephus, was “Babylonian tapestry in which blue, purple, scarlet
