Where will the Antichrist's
headquarters be located?

In their "Left Behind" series of books, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins portray the Antichrist moving the headquarters of the United Nations from New York to Babylon and changing the name of the organization to the Global Community.

There is a strong biblical basis for believing that Babylon will be the capital of the Antichrist's world empire. Revelation 17 pictures Babylon as the headquarters of the Antichrist, and Revelation 18 describes the destruction of the city by God and equates it with the destruction of the Antichrist's world kingdom.

But there is a problem with these passages. Revelation 17 actually states that the capital will be "mystery Babylon" (verse 5), which I believe is a clear indication that the author is speaking symbolically. A good example of this same terminology being used to express a truth symbolically can be found in Revelation 11:8 where Jerusalem is referred to as "the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt."

Likewise, Peter uses the term Babylon to refer symbolically to Rome in 1 Peter 5:13. He refers to the church in Rome as "she who is in Babylon." This verse makes it clear that Babylon was a code name for Rome among First Century Christians.

In Revelation 17 two clues are given as to the identity of the city. First, it is described as the city of "seven mountains" (verse 9). Second, it is described as "the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18). I believe these descriptions make it clear that "mystery Babylon" is Rome. John could not name Rome because he was a Roman prisoner, so he described the city symbolically and then gave us clues that could only point to Rome.

Furthermore, Isaiah 13:17-20 says that when Babylon is destroyed by the Medes, it will "never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation." There are some, like Charles Dyer, who have tried to argue that Babylon is being rebuilt today. But the only rebuilding has been for tourist purposes, not for large scale habitation. The site of ancient Babylon is still over 90% desolate.

So, I believe the capital of the Antichrist's empire, both politically and spiritually, will be the city of Rome.

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