Two lesser known participants of the end-times are referred to as daughters. One is well known and understood while the other is more obscure. The well-known daughter is the daughter of Zion. She is the city and center of Judaism, Jerusalem. Her counterpart is the daughter of Babylon. She, too, is a city and religious center but the question is, where and what religion?
“Daughter of Babylon” is an Old Testament term used by the writers of Psalm 137, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. The New Testament refers to her as the great city Babylon. The Psalmist, Isaiah, and Jeremiah had the capital city of the Babylonian nation in mind and their prophecies concerning the city of Babylon have been fulfilled. Zechariah wrote after Babylon had been subjugated by Cyrus who would eventually move the capital to Shusha in Persia. It is in Zechariah’s third vision, the vision of the surveyor (Zechariah 2), that the term daughter of Babylon is used in an eschatological sense. The second chapter of Zechariah refers to the end-times as expressed in verses 9-12 and the daughter of Babylon referred to is a city during that time. As always, there lies the conflict. Any association of a city with the daughter of Babylon in an eschatological sense will likely be incorrect unless the end-time is near.
One city associated with the daughter of Babylon became popular in the seventies. The Apostle Peter used the term Babylon as code to refer to Rome in his first Epistle (1Peter 5:13). Many commentators of Christian eschatology ascribe Babylon to Rome and the Roman Catholic Church. The idea gained credence in the mid to late twentieth century as the formation of the European Union was also seen as the ten nation confederate lead by the antichrist. The idea of the European Union as the nations that control the world under the leadership of the antichrist and Catholicism as its religion lead by the Pope seem to fit. Today the influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope are declining and they were never associated with the European Union in the same sense as Judaism, Jerusalem, and Israel. To be clear, the European Union is not the ten nation confederacy of the Tribulation period and the Pope is not the false prophet. Not because I think so but because the associations required in Christian eschatology do not fit with all the scriptures that discuss the confederacy and its center, the daughter of Babylon.
Another city has recently surfaced in commentary as the daughter of Babylon and since its candidacy is closer to the Tribulation it deserves consideration. Much of the documentation supporting this notion is outside Christian theology and is found in Islamic eschatology. According to the notion, not Islamic teaching, the antichrist and false prophet are adherents to Islam. This would make Mecca, which is the center of the Islamic hajj, the end-times daughter of Babylon. As tempting as it might sound to associate Saudi Arabia with the beast of the Tribulation, Christian eschatology depicts the beast as a coalition of diverse nations (Revelation 13:1-4). While Mecca is synonymous with Islam, Saudi Arabia is not considered the focal point of Muslims. Mecca is not a good candidate to be the daughter of Babylon at this time.
The iconic city to be known as the daughter of Babylon must represent the Babylon of the Tribulation. That Babylon consists of the nations that comprise the rest of the statue of Daniel chapter two, shown as rising at the same time in Daniel chapter seven, and bound as a coalition in Revelation chapter thirteen. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold and the city of Babylon his capital. In the Tribulation a city will become the icon of the end-times Babylon which is depicted by silver, bronze, iron, and iron and clay portions of the statue of Daniel chapter two. If China, Russia, Iran, and an Islamic Union are the Tribulation Babylon, what city would be iconic of their rule? (See post Times – They Are A-Changin April 10, 2017 for the nations that rise during the Tribulation.) Perhaps they come to dominate the United Nations which would make New York City the daughter of Babylon of the Tribulation. The problem with a city like New York fulfilling the role as the daughter of Babylon is its lack of any religious significance. The same is true of Brussels and its association with the European Union.
A fascinating possibility, not found in popular commentary, is Istanbul. It has a rich Asian, Western, and Muslim history. As Constantinople it was the eastern capital of the Roman empire. It remained the capital of the Ottoman Turkish empire until the establishment of Turkey’s secular government in the early twentieth century. Like Rome, Istanbul was originally built on seven hills. It was a destination on the Silk Road trade route for China. Today, Turkey is drifting away from secular governance and there is a national desire to make Turkey the focal point of Islamic hegemony as it was during the Ottoman empire. (See post Where In The World – The Ram and Goat? April 17, 2017 for the rise of Turkey in the Tribulation.) It is worth keeping an eye on current events. Will Turkey return to a system of governance reminiscent of the Ottoman empire and move its capital back to Istanbul? What role will Turkey play in China’s new Silk Road initiative? We will have to wait and see.
The iconic city to be known as the daughter of Babylon may not have risen to such status as yet, but when it does, it will require a historical context to fulfill the same associations as does Judaism, Jerusalem, and Israel as the daughter of Zion.
May God bless you in your study of His word.