Revelation 17:1-5 Come and I will show you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth commit fornication. ...She made them drunk with the wine of her fornication...she is arrayed in purple and scarlet and decked out with jewelry. Upon her head was the name Mystery Babylon the Great. The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.

"Babylon" is a term used in scripture to designate the various false or apostate religions. Babylon was the cradle of counterfeit religion in ancient times. Nimrod, and his queen Semiramis, started the pagan cults. When Nimrod died, he was defied as "a savior" and Semiramis supposedly conceived without a human partner and gave birth to a "god". She was later "deified" and became the "Queen of heaven". Babylon is also the origin of the title "Pontifix maximus" designating the highest priestly position in pagan worship.

In Rev. 17 Babylon is represented as a woman (church) who is unfaithful (a harlot) to her vows of marriage (unfaithful to God). Specifically Babylon represents the Roman Catholic Power, who has carried forward many of the ancient Bablyonian beliefs. Babylon (a woman respresenting Christ's church) yet who corrupted herself by departing from Biblical truths, (offering the wine of false doctrines) loving worldly riches and political power and committing fornication with the kings of the earth. She is not alone for she is the mother of harlets; other apostate (protestant) religions.

Lift up the Banner

God has placed in our hands a banner upon which is inscribed "here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12

Call the people out of Babylon, so they can enter the gates of God's kingdom.
Rev. 18:2, 4,5 Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen,... Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.
Rev.22.14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Exalt the voice unto them — call loudly — give the loud cry message "Come out of her my people that you will not take part in her sins." Rev. 18:4
God has commanded His people to give the warning before God's wrath is poured out.

The nations are gathered together for the final battle

Rev. 16:14 The spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Jeremiah 30.5-7 For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Rev. 19.11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
19.12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
19.13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
19.14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
19.16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
19.19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
19.20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
19.21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth:

The great sin of the Christian world is their rejection of the law of God, the foundation of His government. Not only do they reject God's law, but they gather together to oppose those who still honor God's authority. As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir up those who have rejected God's law to destroy God's people in the time of trouble. There will be, all over the world, a simultaneous movement for their destruction.

But Christ will ride forth to their deliverance.
"Take heed that day can come upon you unawares...watch, pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:34,36)

"The day of the Lord is great and very terrible, who can abide it? Who shall stand when He appears?" Joel 2:11, Hab. 1:13

To those who say "My God, we know Thee" yet transgress His covenant, and go chasing after other gods (sunworship) hiding sin in their hearts, to these the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light, even very dark, with no brightness in it. Amos 5:20

Rev. 6:12 And, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
6.13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
6.14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
6.15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
6.16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
6.17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

God's judgment will come. Even though "there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own pleasure and saying it won't happen (See 1 Peter 3:3) But it will come to pass that God will "punish the people that are settled on their lees: that say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, neither will He do evil" Zeph. 1:12

While the wicked run when Christ reveals Himself, knowing they have not obtained salvation, the righteous look up with joy, for in God's eyes they are more precious than gold

More precious than the golden wedge of Ophir

Mal. 3.17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son that serves him.

Let us be sure that we are now receiving the refining of which the Lord speaks when He says: I "will try them as gold is tried." "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." Since God can thus refine us, let us place ourselves in His hands. Let us stand, where we are working for Him, against anything that may come to hinder, and He will give us strength and grace and power, and we shall see the salvation of God.

The heavens and the earth are shaken

Hebrews 12:25,26 "See that you do not refuse Him that speaks. For if they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven? At that time His voice shook the earth (vx. 20 the sight was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear) but now He has promised "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."

At Sinai God spoke the sacred precepts of the decalogue amid awesome displays of thunder and flame. God accompanied the proclaimation of His law with exhibitions of His power and glory, that the people might never forget the scene and that they might be impressed with profound veneration for the author of the law, the Creator of heaven and earth. He would also show to all men the sacredness, the importance, the permanence of His law.

ONCE MORE, God says, HE WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH BUT ALSO THE HEAVENS!

"It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in it's strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession...everything in nature seems turned out of it's course...The voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying "It is done (Rev. 16:17) There is a mighty earthquake (Rev. 16:17,18) The firmament appears to open and shut...The whole earth heaves and swells like waves on the sea...Thick clouds cover the sky. The clouds sweep back, ...there appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone...that holy law, God's righteousness, that amid thunder and lightening and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now revealed to men as the rule of judgement."

Haggai 2.21 Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
2.22 And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

The verses in Isaiah 14-18 describe violence and much blood shed. This points first of all to the fall of literal Babylon. But also continues the end time scenerio:
Revelation 14 describes scenes of terrible blood shed in the last moments of earth's history.
Revelation 17:12-16 describes the ten horn--ten kingdoms who work with the beast — the roman religious, political, spiritual Babylon — power, for one hour, to make war against the Lamb, Christ's people and law. But Christ will overcome them and deliver His people. Then in verse 16, the 10 horns turn against the whore, Babylon, and make her desolate and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

In the end, there will be a terrible awakening of those who have rejected Christ and His commandments. Once again God's law will be proclaimed in a supernatural demonstration.
People will realize what they have been fighting against in their promotions of new and strange doctrines. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction. Yet the ones most bitterly attacked will be the church leaders and ministers who preached smooth things, leading them into deception. These false watchman are the first to fall. There are none to pity or to spare. Young and old, women and children perish. This is the ultimate fulfilment of Ezekiel 9. In the mad strife of their own fierce passions, and by the outpouring of God's unmingled wrath, fall the wicked inhabitants of the earth until finally, Christ appears and ends the maddness by consuming them with the brightness of His coming.

History shows that literal Babylon was overthrown and completely destroyed, so spiritual Babylon will also be overthrown.

Rev. 17:1 I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore.
17.5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
18.7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously,...for she said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow...she shall be utterly burned with fire...
18.21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Literal Babylon, after her destruction remains desolate. These verses also picture the state of the earth after the destruction. Human kingdoms will no longer inhabit the earth.
Dragons will live in the desolate houses and palaces
Rev. 12:9 Dragon = Satan
Rev. 12:4 Dragon has a third of the angels with him
Only Satan and his angels will live in the desolate ruins of this earth during 1000 years
Rev.20.1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled:

The power that represents Babylon will be no more. Isaiah 24:3 says the land will be utterly empty and utterly spoiled; for the Lord has spoken.

The whole earth is simple a desolate waste land. The dragon from the abyss, the land of desolation, the prince of abomination, has turned the whole earth into one abyss. Here is the home of Satan and his evil angels, amid the ruin and darkness of this earth, with no man to tempt or annoy. Here he rules the results of his kingdom staged in opposition of God's law.--Total desolation. ---But the story continues in chapter 14!