The important question to be answered is that of the identity of Babylon. We get a good idea of what Babylon really is by noting that she is a whore.
"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." Rev 17:2Now the question is what does a woman, especially an adulterer represent in scripture ? Well we are very clearly told that a woman represents a church. A pure woman represents God's church and a whore represents an apostate church. In the OT the people of Israel were often collectively refered to as a woman. Sometimes it is as God's unfaithful wife. Hos 2:19-20, Eze 23 Isa 54:1-8 etc. At other times Israel is as a young pure woman (Eze 16:8:14) These two similar yet different metaphors are used to describe Israel in her apostate and pure states respectively. This metaphor is carried over into the new testament, the church was often refered to as God's bride (2 Cor 11:2, Eph 5:21-23, Parable 10 virgins etc) So the metaphor of a woman is used consistenly to describe a church.
In Revelation 12 we find a pure woman, representing God's pure church into which Jesus Christ is born and which is then persecuted for a period of 1260 days (or years) by a certain red dragon which we shall investigate a little further on.
In Revelation 17 we find however a harlot, an adulterous woman who persecutes God's saints. This can only refer to an apostate church, who appears to be God's church, but is in adultery with the things of the world. Now what does spiritual fornication/adultery represent. Well adultery is a illicit relationship between two parties. Spiritual adultery is the mixing or the joining of the sacred and the profane, the holy and the worldly, the church and state.
"Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned my holy things they have put no differnce between the holy and the profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profane among them." Eze 22:26Now we also note that this harlot is sitting on a certain thing."Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is emnity with God? whosoever therfore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." Rev 17:3How very interesting, here we have this RED beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. Well, did we note in Rev 12 that it is a RED dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns that persecutes the pure woman (God's faithful church) for 1260 years. Beasts are always used in scripture to represent the governments of the world - the state. Guess what! It is the apostate woman that rides on this very same dragon in fact it is she that is directing the action because it is she that gets drunk with the blood of the saints being who are persecuted by the beast she sits on. Now what does the beast represent ?
Well apart from effectively being the same beast that we find in Daniel 8, Rev 17 gives us some clues. The 7 heads are 7 mounains (v 9) on which the apostate church sits, and the woman is also a great city which would rule over the earth for a long time (v 18), how many cities of any long term consequence do you know are famous for being situated on 7 hills ? We also find this same 7 headed 10 horned blasphemous beast in Rev 13, to make matters more interesting
We also note that Babylon has many daughters. What would this be but other churches which have arisen from her that have the same persecuting characteristics as their mother.
Now I should say something about the pure church outlined in Rev 12. The beast (in conjunction with Babylon) is rather unhappy about the pure woman so...
"the Dragon was wrath with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus." Rev 12:17Now this is interesting because in Rev 14 we find an interesting message that is given to the world by some angels :
"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." Rev 14:8So the whole world is going to partake of the spirit which the harlot Babylon has to offer and of course we are told in Rev 13 that "all the world wondered after the beast", and they worshipped the beast, so we see the whole world going after and coming together in fellowship for a common worship. (interesting isn't it) Any way lets not get side-tracked.
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand." Rev 14:9Oh yes we all want to steer clear of that don't we !, but in the same chapter our attention is then brought back after looking at Babylon. to the pure woman because we are told again :
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev 14:12Why then does the scripture present this contention between the apostate woman and God's true bride ? Well in Rev 18 we find another angel with another important message regarding Babylon. and he says
"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.So we find that all nations have followed after this woman and have merged the things of God with the things of the world, in an unholy matrimony, and worldliness and materialism has flooded in together with all sorts of uncleanliness and sin (such as idolatry). A big union, all in a common worship. What does God say ?For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." Rev 18:2,3
"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." Rev 18:4Come out, of her, don't participate in that unholy system which claims to be God's spouse, and appears to be of Christ, while simultaneously enjoing the pleasures of worldliness and sin.
"Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." 2 Cor 5:17Yes you are right there is a true visible church, and its so visible that its easy to see, in fact the scripture tells us what it looks like, to make we don't end up on the side of Ms B. drunk with the blood of the saints.
"The Dragon was wrath with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus." Rev 12:17