--- title: Babylon the Great Is a City, Not a Religion url: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/babylon-the-great-city/ markdown: https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/babylon-the-great-city.md type: argument perspective: Protestant (historic Nicene) response to Jehovah's Witness teaching topics: [Eschatology] challenges: [Christ Returned Invisibly in 1914, Only Jehovah's Witnesses Have the True Religion] verses: [Revelation 17:18, Revelation 17:9, Revelation 18:11, Revelation 18:4, 1 Peter 5:13, Jeremiah 51:45, Isaiah 48:20, Jeremiah 50:8, Revelation 18:12] strength: Strong tone: Good attribution: G.K. Beale / Craig Koester / David Aune added: '2026-04-04' last_reviewed: '2026-04-04' index: https://jw-apologetics.app/llms.txt --- # Babylon the Great Is a City, Not a Religion *Revelation 17:18 / Revelation 17:9 / Revelation 18:11-13* ## Doorstep Question > "In Revelation 17:18, the angel tells John exactly what Babylon the Great is — 'the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.' The Watchtower says Babylon the Great is the world empire of false religion. But the angel says it is a city. What city sits on seven mountains and ruled over the kings of the earth in John's day?" ## JW Claim Babylon the Great represents the world empire of false religion — especially Christendom. God's people must 'get out of her' (Revelation 18:4) by leaving false religion and joining Jehovah's organisation. The harlot's destruction at Armageddon will remove all false religion from the earth. ## Strategy This argument works by letting the angel's own interpretation in Revelation 17:18 do the heavy lifting. Read the verse aloud from the NWT: 'The woman whom you saw means the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.' The angel does not say 'world empire of false religion' — he says 'the great city.' Then connect the clues the text itself provides: (1) She sits on seven mountains (17:9) — Rome was universally known as the city on seven hills. (2) She has a kingdom over the kings of the earth (17:18) — Rome ruled the known world when Revelation was written. (3) She trades in luxury goods and even 'bodies and souls of men' (18:13) — Rome's slave economy. (4) In her was found the blood of prophets and saints (18:24) — Rome persecuted both Jews and Christians. The Watchtower must override the angel's plain statement to insert 'false religion' where the text says 'city.' Ask: why would the angel give John a specific explanation and then mean something completely different? Most commentators — Protestant, Catholic, and secular — recognise Babylon as Rome or a Roman-type world power, not an abstract concept like 'false religion.' ## Key Insight The angel in Revelation 17:18 explicitly identifies Babylon the Great as 'the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.' The Watchtower's 'world empire of false religion' interpretation requires overriding the angel's own explanation with a meaning the text never states. ## JW Responses & Counters ### Response 1 **JW says:** "Babylon the Great can't be literal Rome because she is destroyed at Armageddon — Rome fell centuries ago." **Counter:** Revelation uses Babylon as a symbol for Rome precisely because the original Babylon had already fallen. Just as 1 Peter 5:13 calls Rome 'Babylon,' Revelation uses the name for the world power of John's day. Whether the prophecy also has a future fulfilment does not change what the angel says it represents — a city with political dominion, not a religious organisation. Even the Watchtower acknowledges 1 Peter 5:13 refers to Rome. ### Response 2 **JW says:** "The harlot rides the beast — religion rides the political system. That proves she is false religion, not a political power herself." **Counter:** The imagery of riding the beast shows the harlot exercising influence over political powers, not that she is religious. Rome's emperors controlled a vast network of client kings — the 'kings of the earth' who 'committed immorality with her' (17:2). The relationship is political and economic, not religious. Notice that the merchants weep over her destruction because 'no one buys their cargo any more' (18:11) — the language is commercial, not liturgical. If Babylon were 'false religion,' why would merchants mourn lost trade? ### Response 3 **JW says:** "Revelation 18:4 says 'get out of her, my people' — this must mean leaving false religion for true worship." **Counter:** The call to 'come out' echoes Jeremiah 51:45 — 'come out of her, my people' — which literally meant fleeing the city of Babylon before its destruction. It also echoes Isaiah 48:20 and Jeremiah 50:8. In the original context, God's people were leaving a city and political system, not a religion. The early Christians understood this — many fled Jerusalem before its destruction in 70 CE, and the call in Revelation would have been understood as separating from Rome's corrupt political-economic system, not from 'religion' as a category. ### Response 4 **JW says:** "The woman is dressed in purple and scarlet — these are religious colours. She must represent false religion." **Counter:** Purple and scarlet were the colours of Roman imperial power and wealth, not exclusively religious colours. Roman emperors wore purple. Roman senators had scarlet-bordered togas. The description of luxury — gold, precious stones, pearls — fits a wealthy imperial capital, not a religious institution. Revelation 18:12-13 lists her trade goods: gold, silver, silk, marble, spice, wine, cattle, horses, chariots, and slaves. This is a commercial inventory, not a religious one. The text describes economic and political power, which is exactly what the angel says in 17:18. ## What to Avoid Do not attack the Watchtower's interpretation as absurd — JWs have heard it taught consistently and it feels natural to them. Instead, simply read 17:18 and let the angel's words create the tension. Also avoid getting into debates about whether Rome means the Catholic Church — that plays into the JW framing. The point is that the text says 'city,' not 'religion.' ## Homework Read Revelation 17 and 18 straight through in one sitting, then return to 17:18 and read the angel's explanation in the NWT until you can quote it: 'the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth'. Note the clues the text supplies: seven mountains (17:9), rule over the kings (17:18), the cargo list (18:11-13) and the blood of prophets and saints (18:24). Read 1 Peter 5:13 as an example of Rome being called Babylon. Practise the doorstep question aloud. Expect 'get out of her' (18:4), and read Jeremiah 51:45 and 50:8 so you can show the call first meant leaving a city. Stay clear of the Catholic Church question. ## Next Moves - [The Prediction Cycle — 150 Years of the Same Pattern](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/prediction-failure-blame-cycle.md) - [Dual Prophet Test](https://jw-apologetics.app/arguments/dual-prophet-test.md)