They looked on as the city burned

[placebofactor]

Can New York City be the Babylon of Revelation 18?
Concerning the last days, Revelation 18 describes modern-day Babylon as a habitation of demons, foul spirits, unclean, and hateful. The ancient city of Babylon has never been rebuilt, and Jerusalem cannot be meant because it remains when the Lord returns. So, we need to look for another Babylon. What we are looking for is a city of wealth, a large Jewish population, crime, drugs, corruption, and a population that, for the most part, rejects Jesus Christ. Can New York City be modern-day Babylon, the book of Revelation chapter 19 speaks of? Let’s set up a Biblical scenario. We need a city with a large Jewish population and close ties with Israel.

New York City and Israel share a deep and multifaceted connection. In May 2025, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Israel’s Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat, signed a Declaration of Intent to launch the New York City–Israel Economic Council. This initiative is designed to foster business partnerships between NYC and Israeli companies, support Israeli startups establishing a presence in NYC, promote collaboration in sectors like environmental innovation, life sciences, and artificial intelligence, and coordinate participation in major tech and business conferences.

New York holds the crown as the world’s leading financial center in 2025. It consistently ranks at the top of the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) and the International Financial Centers Index (IFCI) thanks to its unmatched concentration of capital, institutions, and influence. It is home to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ, the two largest stock exchanges globally. It is the headquarters for major investment banks, hedge funds, and private equity firms. A hub for fintech, asset management, and global finance regulation. Strong legal infrastructure and global connectivity

N.Y.C. has the largest Jewish population outside of Jerusalem, with an estimated 960,000 Jewish residents as of 2023, more than Tel Aviv, which has around 401,500 Jews. New York’s Jewish community is incredibly diverse, including large populations of Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews, as well as a vibrant Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) presence. The city is home to hundreds of synagogues, Jewish schools, cultural institutions, and kosher restaurants.

New York City holds the crown as the city with the most millionaires in the world. As of 2025, it boasts an estimated 384,500 millionaire residents, according to the World’s Wealthiest Cities Report by Henley & Partners.
NYC’s dominance is fueled by its status as a global financial hub, home to Wall Street, major corporations, and a thriving real estate market. It’s also where the wealth gap is among the widest in the U.S., making it a city of stark contrasts. New York City is known for its global influence in finance, fashion, media, and entertainment, and has been symbolically compared to Babylon by some Christian commentators. They highlight its material wealth, cultural liberalism, and perceived secularism as signs of moral decline.

From a biblical perspective, the term “sin city” isn’t officially defined, but it’s often used to describe places known for widespread immorality, idolatry, or rejection of God’s teachings. In the Bible, cities like Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) and Babylon (Revelation 18) are depicted as centers of corruption, pride, and spiritual rebellion.

New York City is home to vibrant religious communities, churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples. Contrary to stereotypes, religious life appears to be flourishing.

Drug cartels have a significant presence in New York, especially when it comes to trafficking operations. Drug cartels move narcotics from California to NYC and then distribute them across Upstate New York

If all Christians were to leave New York, (raptured) the state would still remain one of the most diverse places in the U.S., just with a very different religious and cultural landscape. Here's what that might look like:
New York’s population (2025 est.): ~19.9 million
Without any Christians, the remaining religious and non-religious groups would include Jews, Islamists, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists.
What Would Change in N.Y.C. if all Christians were raptured? Many Christian churches, cathedrals, and Christian schools would be vacated or repurposed, and political and cultural influence would shift toward secular, Jewish, Muslim, and other religious communities. Holidays, public events, and even food culture might reflect a broader mix of traditions.
Your thoughts:

[1213]

Can New York City be the Babylon of Revelation 18? ...

I think New York fits well to the description and I am happy that I don't live there. Especially one thing that I think fits well is that New York has the UN headquarters where it could be said "the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her".

...because of the wine of the anger of her fornication which all the nations have drunk, even the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her... ...Because she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see mourning at all... ...And the kings of the earth will weep for her, and will wail over her, those having fornicated and having luxuriated with her, when they see the smoke of her burning;...
Rev. 18:3-9

[placebofactor]

Can New York City be the Babylon of Revelation 18? ...

I think New York fits well to the description and I am happy that I don't live there. Especially one thing that I think fits well is that New York has the UN headquarters where it could be said "the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her".

...because of the wine of the anger of her fornication which all the nations have drunk, even the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her... ...Because she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see mourning at all... ...And the kings of the earth will weep for her, and will wail over her, those having fornicated and having luxuriated with her, when they see the smoke of her burning;...
Rev. 18:3-9

Thanks for that 1213, great point. the United Nations has been an enemy to both Israel and the United States for years. As far as I am concerned Americans should stop paying for the foreign members' luxury living. P.S., I left New York 34 years ago, I saw what was coming.

[placebofactor]

[Replying to placebofactor in post #3]

Revelation 18:8, "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her." The following are my thoughts concerning the last days, the time before Jesus returns to destroy his enemies. The following is for discussion only, only a little theorizing from an old man.

A "Mighty city;" N.Y. has been glorified by political leaders, the rich, and Hollywood elite for the past 125 years. The Jews who remain after the rapture are warned to get themselves out of the city. Her demise will come in one hour. New York, on her East coast, is the Pacific Ocean, verse 17, "And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!

Only one thing can destroy a city the size of New York in one hour: a nuclear weapon. North Korea has many nuclear weapons. They are allied with Iran; the nation, I believe, the antichrist and his prophet will rise. Kim Jung Un, President of North Korea, hates America, and because Iran's nuclear program has been destroyed, selling a nuclear weapon to Iran would not surprise anyone. China would be the go-between. Late October of 2027 will be 2000 years from the time Jesus Christ was baptized in the River Jordon, and April 2031 will be 2000 years from his death and resurrection.

[JehovahsWitness]

Can New York City be the Babylon of Revelation 18? ...

I think New York fits well to the description

It most certainly does not.

... She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen,+ and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a place where every unclean spirit* and every unclean and hated bird lurks!+ 3 For because of the wine of the passion* of her sexual immorality,* all the nations have fallen victim,+ and the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her,+ and the merchants* of the earth became rich owing to the power of her shameless luxury.” - Revelation 18:2; 3

While its true that New York represents a great commercial center (being the location of the NY stock exchange) New York city cannot represent Babylon the Great. Note that Babylon the Great is said to be in a symbiotic relationship with both the "kings of the earth" (representing political powers) AND the merchants of the earth (representing big business). Thus if BtG has relations with big business it cannot at the same time BE big business.

Babylon the great must represent something OTHER than commercial or political powers.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS

RELATED POSTS

Who or what is Babylon The Great ?
viewtopic.php?p=917185#p917185

Which religions are part of Babylon the Great?
viewtopic.php?p=1038821#p1038821

Will all the religions be destroyed when Babylon is destroyed?
viewtopic.php?p=1096768#p1096768

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

BABYLON THE GREAT , THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS and ... THE BOOK OF REVELATION

[placebofactor]

Can New York City be the Babylon of Revelation 18? ...

I think New York fits well to the description

It most certainly does not.

... She has fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen,+ and she has become a dwelling place of demons and a place where every unclean spirit* and every unclean and hated bird lurks!+ 3 For because of the wine of the passion* of her sexual immorality,* all the nations have fallen victim,+ and the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her,+ and the merchants* of the earth became rich owing to the power of her shameless luxury.” - Revelation 18:2; 3

While its true that New York represents a great commercial center (being the location of the NY stock exchange) New York city cannot represent Babylon the Great. Note that Babylon the Great is said to be in a symbiotic relationship with both the "kings of the earth" (representing political powers) AND the merchants of the earth (representing big business). Thus if BtG has relations with big business it cannot at the same time BE big business.

Babylon the great must represent something OTHER than commercial or political powers.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS

RELATED POSTS

Who or what is Babylon The Great ?
viewtopic.php?p=917185#p917185

Which religions are part of Babylon the Great?
viewtopic.php?p=1038821#p1038821

Will all the religions be destroyed when Babylon is destroyed?
viewtopic.php?p=1096768#p1096768

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

BABYLON THE GREAT , THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS and ... THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Hey, Jehovah's Witness, glad to hear from you, was beginning to think something happened to you, anyway, glad to see you back. Not sure if you have ever been to New York City, but I'm from New York, lived there for 55 years, then moved to Alabama, where the air is fresh. I also go back there to visit my old friends and relatives, at least the ones who are still alive. I have seen what is going on in New York, especially today. If any city in the history of the world has demons roaming around its streets, N.Y.C. would be in the top 5. The city is about to elect a fanatic Muslim mayor who hates Christians and Jews. If he is elected, this may be the event that will fill the cup of the LORD to the brim with his wrath.

You wrote, "Babylon the great must represent something OTHER than commercial or political powers.[/i]

You may be right. Now I am not saying N.Y.C. is the Babylon spoken of in Revelation. But the (leaders) Kings of the earth gather in New York regularly. It's the financial capital of the world, a place where greed feeds, and a place where Kings like to meet to discuss their greedy needs, and how to maintain power and authority over their citizens. New York is filled with crime and is the hub for many religious affiliations.

Now, be specific, do you have any other ideas as to who or what "Babylon the Great is?" I hope you're not going to say every religion that disagrees with the Watchtower.

[1213]

...
Babylon the great must represent something OTHER than commercial or political powers....

Hmmm.... that is interesting. My other option is Vatican, although I think New York fits better to the description. But, maybe I am wrong. I think the important part in this case is that there is or will be a city that will be destroyed catastrophically, maybe by meteorite. And the city is or will be a dwelling-place of demons and source of much evil. I recommend to stay out of it.

[JehovahsWitness]

...
Babylon the great must represent something OTHER than commercial or political powers....

Hmmm.... that is interesting. My other option is Vatican, although I think New York fits better to the description. But, maybe I am wrong. I think the important part in this case is that there is or will be a city that will be destroyed catastrophically, maybe by meteorite. And the city is or will be a dwelling-place of demons and source of much evil. I recommend to stay out of it.

No offense but I am genuinely curious : by what criteria do you come to your conclusions? I undserstand you see the word "city" so you will pick a city (I presume you do not allow for symbolism, ie a city symbolising a group of people or a nation or an organisation..) but how do you pick your city? Do you look for anything at all in the text or do just pick one at random...like Barcelona or Melbourne ?

[1213]

No offense but I am genuinely curious : by what criteria do you come to your conclusions? I undserstand you see the word "city" so you will pick a city (I presume you do not allow for symbolism, ie a city symbolising a group of people or a nation or an organisation..) but how do you pick your city? Do you look for anything at all in the text or do just pick one at random...like Barcelona or Melbourne ?

I allow symbolism, if Bible tells or indicates it is symbolical. And in this case, I think the Babylon may actually have several meanings. It can be a city and it can be also a group of people, or organization at the same time. Bible tells "My people, come out of her", which I think means even God's people can be in it. It is also said it sits on many waters and Bible tells the waters means nations in this. That brings to my mind the United Nations, which headquarters is in New York, which can be seen also as a place of many nations. This matter is also one of the reasons why I could pick Vatican. It is also multicultural and in a way has power in many nations.

Bible also speaks it has committed fornication. I understand that means, has been unfaithful to God, served other gods or practised things that are against God's will. And also this I think can be seen true in UN and also Vatican.

Bible says directly that is a city, which is why I believe it is so: "And the woman whom you saw is the great city, having a kingdom over the kings of the earth". Having kingdom over the kings of earth could have fitted to Vatican, but maybe not anymore. More fitting is the UN that seems to be against Israel and God. But, maybe it is not yet fully. In my opinion UN is not as powerful as it is wanted to be. And I think one reason for that is Trump. It may be that after Trump, the "globalists" have a revenge and make the UN more powerful than ever.

It is also said the place is luxurious, and many merchants came rich from her. That indicates to me that it is a place that purchased lot of precious things. Fits well to New York and also to Vatican. "Clothed in linen and purple and scarlet" brings to my mind Vatican.

I don't think any other city fits to the description at the moment, because they have not the same power and influence.

Here is a compilation of the things Bible says about the Babylon:
- the great harlot sitting on the many waters,
- with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the ones inhabiting the earth became drunk from the wine of her fornication.
- And I saw the woman being drunk from the blood of the saints, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.
- the seven heads are seven mountains, where the woman sits on them.
- The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.
- And the woman whom you saw is the great city, having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
- Babylon the great has fallen! It has fallen, and it has become a dwelling-place of demons...
- her fornication which all the nations have drunk, even the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and the merchants of the earth became rich from the power of her luxury...
- My people, come out of her, that you may not share in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues;
- Give back to her as also she gave back to you, and double to her double, according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double. By what things she glorified herself, and luxuriated, by so much give back to her torment and mourning. Because she says in her heart, I sit as a queen, and I am not a widow; and I do not see mourning at all.
- Because of this, in one day her plagues shall come: death, and mourning, and famine; and she will be consumed with fire, for the Lord God judging her is strong. And the kings of the earth will weep for her, and will wail over her, those having fornicated and having luxuriated with her, when they see the smoke of her burning; standing from afar because of the fear of her torment, saying, Woe! Woe to the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment came.
- And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more,
- Woe! Woe to the great city having been clothed in linen and purple and scarlet, and having been gilded with gold and precious stone, and pearls!
- seeing the smoke of her burning, saying, What is like the great city?

Why do you think it is not a city?

[JehovahsWitness]

No offense but I am genuinely curious : by what criteria do you come to your conclusions? I undserstand you see the word "city" so you will pick a city (I presume you do not allow for symbolism, ie a city symbolising a group of people or a nation or an organisation..) but how do you pick your city? Do you look for anything at all in the text or do just pick one at random...like Barcelona or Melbourne ?

I allow symbolism, if Bible tells or indicates it is symbolical.

interesting, I presume by "if the bible tells or indicates" you mean there will be a sentence that says "Attention the city in this passage is symbolical...". Is there any way in or opinion that the bible could be indicating symbolic? If so, how? What would you be looking for ?

... It can be a city and it can be also a group of people, or organization at the same time.

Why do you think it is not a city?

well a city is not a group of men and women or an organization or a single woman ... a city is a location of buildings. so if it is a literal (do you understand this word "literal") city, it cannot at the same time be a woman and if it is a woman it cannot at the same time be a group of men and women. If it is an organisation it cannot at the same time be a city. It is either a literal city (location of buildings ) or it is not a literal city (it is symbolic of something other than a literal city) those are the choices: a literal city or not a literal city.