“John was saying that the “Great City” (Jerusalem – the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified – Rev 11:8) had become Babylon. And he develops this theme in Revelation 18.”
Jerusalem was not a power of any kind for almost two thousand years
Rev 17 describes the great whore as one which sits upon many waters
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rome is the only power over all that could fit the description because it has and have had power over the entire world, over many waters which are nations.
I think some posters are getting confused between types of Babylon and the actual Babylon. Big difference! For example, we know that Isaac was a type of Christ (like carrying the wood for his sacrifice up the mountain) but we would never consider trying to apply Isa. 53 to him! Same thing here. The old Babylon, Jerusalem, probably Rome... those are types of Babylon. Why try to make all the prophecies of Babylon fit those types? They won’t, just like Isa 53 does not fit Isaac. The point of the article was that, just like ancient Babylon and Jerusalem, the US (represented by NYC) is a type of Babylon. It asks us to pray for the US, that repentance will prevent God’s judgment just like repentance prevented Nineveh’s judgment.
“Yes but the merchants of the earth have not gotten rich off of the abundance of Jerusalem`s delicies.”
No, but I think you should say “have not yet”. We don’t know that they will not have by the time the prophecy is fulfilled, especially because the narrative of Revelation seems to suggest that Jerusalem will be a sort of capitol for the Beast’s operation.
“Rome is the only power over all that could fit the description because it has and have had power over the entire world, over many waters which are nations.”
Rome had power in the past, but not today, and there is no real indication that it will have any power in the future. Just as Rome once had power, so once did Athens, or Persepolis, or Cairo, so why is Rome special?
Besides, you can possibly interpret Rome to fulfill a small part of the description, but it cannot possibly fulfill this part:
“24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.” Rev. 18:24
Rome didn’t kill the prophets. Who did? Well, Jesus answered that for us (speaking to the Pharisees):
“47 Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres.
49 Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:
50 That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.”
So, Jesus told us who was responsible for the blood of the prophets, and who it would be required of. Thus, the harlot must refer to the same, lest we call Jesus a liar.