Question: Could September 11 be at least a partial fulfillment of [Rev. 18] since so many prophecy ...

Question: I have heard a number of Christian leaders say that the attack September 11 on the World Trade Center and Pentagon seems too much like Revelation 18 to be a coincidence: “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen...how much she hath glorified herself...and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her....And the kings of the earth...shall bewail her ...when they shall see the smoke of her burning...saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth...made rich by her, shall stand afar off...weeping and wailing.” Could September 11 be at least a partial fulfillment of these verses since so many prophecy teachers have equated America with Babylon? After all, this was the center of world trade; the New York Stock Exchange and United Nations are located there, etc.

Response: We must be careful to base any opinion as thoroughly as we can upon the Word of God. Clearly, this recent event has nothing to do with Revelation 18. Chapters 17 and 18 both speak of Babylon revived and then destroyed. In Chapter 17 we are told that the woman riding the beast is MYSTERY BABYLON. Is this America? Certainly not. She is not a country, but a city built on seven hills (17:9,18). Could that be New York? No. The angel gives John at least 14 descriptive characteristics which identify this woman beyond question. This is a city that existed in John’s day, ruling over the kings of the earth, was drunk with the blood of the saints and would continue until destroyed. That this city was guilty of fornication with the kings of the earth could apply only if it was a spiritual entity which claimed fidelity to God—certainly not true of either New York or the United States. In both the book and the video, A Woman Rides the Beast, we have identified this woman beyond question as the Vatican in its ultimate role as head of the false world church, bride of Antichrist.

Yes, billions of dollars were lost when the World Trade Center fell, but this was nothing compared to what lies ahead. Nor was “Babylon” destroyed. New York will recover, the stock market will recover, America will recover. That must be— because the Rapture will take place, according to Christ, at a time of peace and prosperity with buying and selling, building and planting, marrying and partying, etc. (Mt 24:37-42; Lk 17:26-30).

What is the significance of the September 11 attack? It could be a step toward the false peace that must be in place prior to Armageddon and in the direction of both the one-world religion and government. In the discussion of terrorism by the UN General Assembly October 4, the ambassador to the UN from Tajikistan said that no imaginable tragedy or disaster could unite the world as the events of September 11 had done. A tremendous unity was expressed by all in their determination to track down all terrorists, and to place outside the pale of civilization, and treat as such, any country that harbors terrorists. Of course, many countries expressing such sentiments have promoted terrorism. Most international terrorists come from Saudi Arabia or Egypt, none thus far from Afghanistan—bin Laden is a Saudi, as are the guards who surround him. It will be interesting to follow developments. So far the world seems to have been shaken out of its dream to take action that could lead to a new era of “peace and safety” that will, of course, eventually be shattered but must prevail at the time of the Rapture.

We are hearing that “Judaism, Islam and Christianity share the same values and have a common spiritual heritage,” as the ambassador for the Northern Alliance opposing the Taliban declared. Of course, this is false, but being brainwashed with this lie could add impetus to the lie which Roman Catholic popes and Rome’s official documents have been declaring for years: that Allah is the same God whom Christians and Jews also worship. Certainly huge strides are being made in the direction of the world religion over which Antichrist will preside, leading to his worship by all except those who refuse to take his mark. So to that extent these events have prophetic significance even though there are no prophecies which could be directly tied to them.