Babylon in Revelation represents the entire worldwide system—economic, political, religious, and commercial—not the rebuilt ancient city of Babylon.
Les Feldick uses Isaiah 13 to show that the ancient city of Babylon was permanently judged, which rules out the literal city being rebuilt and returning as an end-time center. Instead, he identifies Revelation's Babylon as the one-world network of major cities, commerce, finance, and religion that is being drawn together today. Its judgment in Revelation is sudden and total, affecting all the world's cities at once.
Isaiah 13:19-20 — Declares the ancient city of Babylon permanently uninhabitable, providing the biblical basis for understanding Revelation's Babylon as something other than the rebuilt historical city.
Revelation 18:3 — Directly names the nations, kings, and merchants associated with Babylon, showing its worldwide political and commercial influence.
Revelation 17:5 — Reveals Babylon as a religious system named 'Mystery Babylon' upon a woman's forehead.
Revelation 18:10 — Shows the sudden destruction of the great city Babylon 'in one hour,' which Les connects to the end-time worldwide system.
The Bible explicitly declares of ancient Babylon: 'And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there' (Isaiah 13:19-20). The earthly city is therefore pictured as permanently ruined. In the book of Revelation, the name Babylon is applied to a 'great city' with worldwide influence. Revelation 18:3 says, '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.' Her judgment is announced in Revelation 18:10: 'Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.' Revelation also portrays a religious dimension of Babylon: 'And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH' (Revelation 17:5). A voice from heaven commands God's people, 'Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues' (Revelation 18:4). The biblical text uses the name Babylon to describe a corrupting, worldwide entity involving nations, kings, merchants, and religion, and warns of its sudden destruction.
Les Feldick teaches that the Babylon of Revelation is not the ancient city of Nebuchadnezzar's empire. He reads Isaiah 13 as a permanent sentence on that city, so he rejects the view that Babylon will be rebuilt as the end-time capital. Instead, he sees the 'whole worldwide system' in the word Babylon—the one-world concept that is pulling every major city and economy together. Les names Tokyo, Berlin, London, Rome, and New York as parts of this tightly knit global network. He points to the internet, computers, and the ability to transfer trillions of dollars in split seconds as evidence that this one-world Babylon is far more believable today than it was decades ago. When Babylon falls, he says, it will not be one city but 'all the cities of the world' falling in one hour by the spoken word of God. He also identifies the religious side of Babylon from Revelation 17, calling it a wealthy religious system that has adulterated spiritual things. In Revelation 18, he applies the mourning of kings and merchants to the collapse of this world system, and he applies the command 'Come out of her, my people' to separation from a system that will face God's plagues in the tribulation period.
Les Feldick teaches that Scripture explicitly says the ancient Babylon 'shall never be inhabited' (Isaiah 13:20), and he uses this to rule out the idea that the historical city will be rebuilt and become the center of end-time activity. He acknowledges that some Bible teachers think ancient Babylon will be rebuilt, but he disagrees, saying, 'I think the Scripture meant what it said, that once Babylon was destroyed it would become nothing but a habitation of wild beasts.'
Les describes the Babylon of Revelation as the whole worldwide system that is coming together today as a one-world concept. He names major cities like Tokyo, Berlin, London, Rome, and New York to show that the world is becoming one tightly knit group. He points to the internet, computers, and the ability to transfer trillions of dollars instantly as developments that make his understanding 'far more believable' than it was years ago. According to Les, when Babylon falls, every city of the world will fall into nothingness at once by the spoken word of God.
Revelation 18:3 shows the kings of the earth and merchants tied to Babylon: the kings commit fornication with her, and the merchants grow rich from her abundance. Les applies this to the world's economy and commerce. He also points to Revelation 17, where the woman called 'Mystery Babylon' is a religious system with tremendous wealth, decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, and holding a golden cup full of 'abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.' Les clarifies that this is not physical fornication but a spiritual adulterating of spiritual things.
In Revelation 18:4, a voice from heaven says, 'Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.' Les places this call in the future tribulation period, saying it refers to the plagues that will come upon this world. Separation from Babylon is therefore separation from a worldwide system that is under God's wrath.
Isaiah 13 and Babylon's Permanent Destruction
Les shows from Isaiah 13 that the ancient city of Babylon is permanently judged and will never be inhabited, so the Babylon of Revelation cannot be the same rebuilt city.
Babylon as the Whole Worldwide System
Les identifies the Babylon of Revelation with the entire one-world system—Tokyo, Berlin, London, Rome, and New York—rather than a literal city; its fall would end all the world's cities at once.
One-World Babylon (Repeated Teaching)
This clip repeats the same teaching as Clip 1, reinforcing that Babylon in Revelation is the whole worldwide system and that its fall will be sudden and total.
Revelation 18: The Lament of Kings and Merchants
Les reads Revelation 18 as showing the kings of the earth mourning the fall of the world system while merchants weep because no one buys their merchandise anymore.
Ancient Babylon vs. Present-Day World System
Les explicitly rejects the idea that ancient Babylon will be rebuilt as the end-time capital, saying the world-system Babylon of Revelation is not the same as the ruined city.
The World System Tightening and the Call to Come Out
Les connects today's internet and worldwide finance to the tightening one-world system called Babylon, and applies Revelation 18:4's call to come out of her to the tribulation period.
Mystery Babylon and Spiritual Fornication
Les identifies the end-time woman as a wealthy religious system called 'Mystery Babylon,' whose golden cup is full of abominations and the filthiness of spiritual fornication.
Sudden Fall of the Babylon of the End Times
Les shows both near and far in Revelation 18:8—ancient Babylon fell suddenly by the Medes and Persians, and the end-time worldwide system of economy, politics, and religion will also receive God's sudden wrath.
Isaiah 13:19-20: And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
This is the key Old Testament passage Les uses to show that the ancient city of Babylon is permanently ruined.
Revelation 18:3: 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.
This verse connects Babylon to nations, kings, and merchants, showing its worldwide influence and commercial reach.
Revelation 17:5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
This verse reveals the religious dimension of Babylon and is cited by Les when speaking of spiritual fornication.
Revelation 18:4: 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.
This verse commands separation from Babylon and is applied by Les to the tribulation period.
Revelation 18:10: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
This verse announces the sudden one-hour judgment of Babylon, which Les connects to the destruction of the entire end-time world system.
Les Feldick does not believe so. He points to Isaiah 13:19-20, which says Babylon 'shall never be inhabited.' He acknowledges that some Bible teachers expect the ancient city to be rebuilt, but he believes the Scripture meant what it said: Babylon remains a habitation of wild beasts and birds of prey, not a center of commerce and politics.
Les teaches that Revelation's Babylon is the whole worldwide system—economic, political, religious, and commercial. He pictures major cities as one tightly knit group, and he also identifies the religious side as 'Mystery Babylon' in Revelation 17, which he calls a wealthy religious system guilty of spiritual fornication.
Les describes a sudden end-time destruction. When Babylon falls, 'all the cities of the world' fall in one hour by the spoken word of God. He points to Revelation 18:10, where the kings of the earth say, 'for in one hour is thy judgment come.'
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Babylon the Great" Really Mean in Revelation 18?