“And he [the angel] cried out in a mighty voice, saying: ‘Babylon the great is fallen, fallen! And she has become a dwelling-place of demons, a prison for every unclean spirit, a cage for every unclean bird, and a prison for every unclean and detestable creature.’” (Revelation 18:2).
Old Testament background
John’s vision about the fall of the End Times ‘Babylon’, often called ‘Mystery Babylon’, strongly echoes Isaiah 13 in the above quote from Revelation 18, as well as elsewhere in that chapter. “Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It will never be inhabited, nor will it be settled from generation to generation, nor will the Arabian pitch tents there … but the wild beasts of the desert will lie there …” (from Isaiah 13:19-21).
It is clear to me, as it is to many scholars, that the fall of ‘Babylon’ in Isaiah 13 is primarily about the fall of the End Times ‘Babylon’ rather than the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar. The context of Isaiah 13 is that it comes ‘hot on the heels’ of two chapters that describe the wonderful state of affairs during the Messianic age. Therefore, set in the context of looking forward to the millennial rule of Messiah, we have Isaiah 13, which commences with the words, “The prophecy against Babylon”. Isaiah 13 also contains a section on God’s judgment on the whole world, which is clearly eschatological, and it is followed in Isaiah 14 by God’s mercy on Israel and the condemnation of Satan to the bottomless pit (compare Isa 14:15 with Rev 20:1-3).
The Book of Revelation indicates that the fall of ‘Babylon’ immediately precedes the marriage of the Lamb.
Timeline in Revelation
The Book of Revelation indicates that the fall of ‘Babylon’ immediately precedes the marriage of the Lamb. For example, the rejoicing in heaven at the fall of ‘Babylon’, which is described in Revelation 19:1-4, seems to be immediately followed by more rejoicing in heaven at the coming of the marriage of the Lamb (Rev 19:5-9). This chronology is reinforced in Revelation 14, where the fall of ‘Babylon’ in verse 8 is followed by what many Christians view as representing the rapture of the saints in verses 14-16.
Timeline in Matthew 24
I suspect it might come as a surprise to some readers that Jesus also gave the fall of ‘Babylon’ as a key event that would immediately precede the rapture of the saints. But who knew?
Whilst there is no record in any of the four Gospels of Jesus mentioning ‘Babylon’ by name, Jesus alluded to the fall of ‘Babylon’ by using the traditional Jewish rabbinical technique called Remez.
Jesus used this technique of Remez in Matthew 24:29, in which He implied that ‘Babylon’ would fall just before the powers of the heavens would be shaken. More on this later, but first I would like to explore the whole idea of how Jesus alluded to things.
The art of allusion
Jesus often alluded to kingdom truths, rather than just stating the plain facts. His parables are a good example of this. In Matthew 13:11, Jesus said that He spoke in parables, “because it has been given to you [My disciples] to know the mysteries [the secret or hidden truths] of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been granted to them [other people].”
The apostle Paul knew the day and the approximate hour (although not the year), and he told us (if you are not sure, just read 1 Corinthians 15:52
As one example of this, in His Olivet Discourse, Jesus referred to the ‘Parable of the Fig Tree’ (Matt 24:32-34). As I explained in chapter 1 of my book, Countdown to Messiah1, I believe that Jesus was actually giving the final part of the three-part ‘Parable of the Fig Tree’, which was that He would return before the generation that witnessed the rebirth of the nation state of Israel had passed away. “Since Jesus actually said that “this generation [of 1948] will by no means pass away”, I would suggest that we are now getting quite close to the time of His return.
Another example, not a parable this time but a cryptic utterance, nevertheless, was the Lord’s much-misunderstood statement in Matthew 24:36, where Jesus said: “Concerning that day and hour, no one has perceived [in their mind], not even the angels of the heavens, but My Father only.” I find it frustrating that many English translations tend to use the present tense here [“no one knows”], rather than the correct tense actually used in the original Greek [perfect indicative active – a past tense], because this has led many uninformed people to believe (incorrectly) that we would never perceive the day and hour. The apostle Paul knew the day and the approximate hour (although not the year), and he told us (if you are not sure, just read 1 Corinthians 15:52 and be aware that ‘the last trump’ refers to the final tekiah gedolah that is blown on the shofar at the end of the Feast of Trumpets2).
So, in Matthew 24:36, Jesus effectively told His disciples that no one had been able to work out the day and hour of His return (up until that very time when Jesus was speaking), but the disciples already knew that anyway! Therefore, why did Jesus bother to say those words? Why did He tell His disciples what they already knew? I would suggest that Jesus was indeed actually telling His disciples the day of His return by alluding to the Feast of Trumpets – which was known colloquially as the feast “when no one knew the day or hour”3. (For further details about the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah in Hebrew, please refer to my article on ‘Leviticus 23 [Part 2]’ which was published in November 2021).
I would suggest that Jesus was indeed actually telling His disciples the day of His return by alluding to the Feast of Trumpets
This idea of alluding to something is central to the traditional Jewish rabbinical technique of Remez (which means “hint”). In his book, The Jewish Jesus4, David Hoffbrand writes:
“A rabbi would make reference to a Scripture but find the hint of a deeper meaning in it than just the plain interpretation. Often this was in the context and passage from which that Scripture was drawn. Their listeners understood very well what was being said because, knowing the Scriptures far better than we do today, they recognized and understood the significance of the verses alluded to.”
Jesus often used this technique of Remez when He quoted from Scripture. For example, when He cleansed the Temple of the money changers and other rip-off merchants, Jesus said: “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it ‘a den of thieves’.” Jesus was directing His listeners to Jeremiah 7:11-12, where it is written:
“‘Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,’ says the LORD. ‘But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel’.”
Those who heard Jesus mention ‘a den of thieves’ would have recalled this Scripture in Jeremiah 7, and they would also have been aware that it referred to the time when the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and killed the two sons of Eli. Clearly Jesus was hinting that the wickedness of his listeners might bring down a similar judgment of God upon them!
Clearly Jesus was hinting that the wickedness of his listeners might bring down a similar judgment of God upon them!
The use of Remez in Matthew 24:29
Matthew 24:29-31 reads as follows:
“Immediately after the distress [or tribulation] of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened [in its going forth] and the moon will not give its light’, and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet [the last trump – at the end of the Feast of Trumpets], and they will gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The section in bold, “the sun will be darkened [in its going forth] and the moon will not give its light”, is a quotation from Isaiah 13:10. Jesus was directing His listeners to a portion of Scripture in Isaiah 13, which we have already understood refers to God’s judgment on the End Times ‘Babylon’.
Basically, then, Jesus was saying that the final signs just before the rapture would be as follows:
- ‘Babylon’ would fall on a day (or night) when “the sun will be darkened [in its going forth] and the moon will not give its light”.
- “The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
- “The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky.”
- “All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet [the last trump – at the end of the Feast of Trumpets], and they will gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
From the way this was written, it appears that these final events all occur in fairly quick succession. Indeed, in Revelation 22:20, Jesus said: “Surely I am coming quickly.”
It might be worth noting that on Wednesday 2nd October this year there will be an annular eclipse of the sun across parts of the South Pacific, Chile, Argentina and the South Atlantic.
An observation
It might be worth noting that on Wednesday 2nd October this year there will be an annular eclipse of the sun across parts of the South Pacific, Chile, Argentina and the South Atlantic. At the same time, whilst “the sun will be darkened” in the western hemisphere, “the moon will not give its light” during the hours of darkness across the Middle East. As daylight dawns on the Thursday morning, it will then be the first day of the two-day ‘Feast of Trumpets’.
After this October, the next time that either a total eclipse of the sun or an annular eclipse will occur just before the Feast of Trumpets is in September 2034. By that time, babies born in 1948 would be 86 years old, which seems to be rather stretching the generational time-span given by Jesus in the ‘Parable of the Fig Tree’ (see above) – at least as far as Psalm 90:10 is concerned.
Conclusion
Jesus told us to “watch”. I am concerned that many Christians have absolutely no idea what they are supposed to be looking out for. Some believers might be watching for the sign of the Son of Man to appear in the sky, followed quite quickly by the sight of Jesus appearing “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”, but by that time it will already be too late for the ‘foolish virgins’ (Matt 25:1-12) to get themselves ready for the heavenly wedding. Since Jesus clearly wants us to be ready for Him, as the Parable of the wise and foolish virgins strongly indicates, what are you looking out for?
I am watching for ‘Babylon’ to fall. Views vary in respect of the identity of Babylon. Joel Richardson considers all the main contenders in his book, ‘Mystery Babylon’.5 For many years now, as the days have got closer to the Feast of Trumpets each year, I have scanned the news headlines to check if ‘Babylon’ has fallen. I will be watching particularly hard on Wednesday 2nd October this year, especially during the evening/night, because of the solar eclipse.
I will be watching particularly hard on Wednesday 2nd October this year, especially during the evening/night, because of the solar eclipse.
If ‘Babylon’ does indeed fall at that time then I will be ‘rapture ready’, expecting to be caught up to heaven before the sun sets in Jerusalem on Friday 4th October. However, please note I am not saying that these events will definitely occur this October – I am just strongly advising that we should watch and be ready.6
If nothing happens this year, as indeed it might not, then there should be a partial eclipse visible in New Zealand on 21st September 2025, and maybe that will provide a sufficient darkening of the sun to satisfy the prophetic description in Isaiah 13:10 – or maybe there is some other means by which God intends to darken the sun.
Whatever God has planned, I do believe that the ‘wise virgins’ should be watching for ‘Babylon’ to fall – and watching carefully on 2nd October.
Endnotes
1 Ian Liddle, ‘Countdown to Messiah' (Second Edition)’, 2020.
2 Mark Biltz ‘God’s Day Timer’, WND Books, 2016, p.63
3 Biltz, ‘God’s Day Timer’, chapter 6: ‘Rosh HaShanah’.
4 David Hoffbrand, ‘The Jewish Jesus’, Destiny Image, 2017.
5 Joel Richardson, ‘Mystery Babylon’, WND Books, 2017.
6 Editor’s note: This is indeed reasonable. But we need to observe that Jesus commanded us to both ‘watch and pray’ (Matt 26:41; Mark 13:33 KJV). It is in prayer that I discern – indeed, can state prophetically – that these events will not occur this October.
Ian Liddle is a retired (secondary school) teacher of mathematics, a member of the leadership team at Lea Valley Church (Waltham Abbey), a former director of the local Healing Rooms (Healing Rooms England & Wales) and a part-time lay preacher.
