Is New York City Babylon the Great?

I was asked for my thoughts on the potential for New York City to be Babylon the Great City. I believe many people are wondering if New York City is Babylon the Great City, so I will share my thoughts on whether the city represents Babylon the Great City in this article.

New York City Pros

Many believe that New York City is a strong candidate to represent Babylon the Great. Here are some of the reasons why many view the city as a prime candidate to represent Babylon the Great City:

• The city is a major global, economic and financial center. Arguably, it is the most important economic and financial center in the world.
• The city is located on the coastline, which would enable merchants to see its smoke if something were to happen to the city (Revelation 18:17-18).
• The United Nations is currently headquartered in the city.

New York City Cons

Despite this, I do not believe that New York City is Babylon the Great City. Here are some important issues that I think proponents of New York City need to consider:

• New York City is arguably the most important economic and financial center in the world at this time. However, will New York City remain so in the future? The United States is facing a looming fiscal disaster with mounting national debt and unfunded liabilities in the tens of trillions of dollars. The consequences of this fiscal disaster have serious economic, financial, and political implications that could significantly weaken the United States’ standing in the world. I wonder whether New York City can maintain its status as a leading economic and financial center if/when the United States’ power declines drastically.
• New York City’s most compelling item of support to me is the fact that the United Nations is currently headquartered in the city. However, will the United Nations remain in New York City or will it move to another location if/when there’s instability in the U.S. or if/when the U.S. decides to no longer fund the United Nations?

The main issue that I have with the argument that New York City represents Babylon the Great is that there’s a lack of a direct scriptural reference to New York City. In contrast, the Bible mentions specific areas and terms exclusive to Babylon, Iraq, such as the “land of the Chaldeans”, the land of the north, the “north country”, etc. in passages and chapters (like Jeremiah 50, Jeremiah 51, and Isaiah 13) pertaining to Babylon and its demise in the end times. The Bible can be very specific geographically in end time prophecy.

If you would like to learn about the “mystery” of Babylon the Great, click this link to read my article on the topic: Babylon the Great: Insight into Mystery Babylon