Babylon’s Rise and Fall

This flow traces the judgment of Mystery Babylon and its place in Shorey’s proposed chronology.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Prostitute Revealed

The Prostitute Revealed A vision of influence An angel shows John a woman seated on a scarlet Beast and associated with kings and peoples. Her name identifies her as Mystery Babylon, and the vision links her power with wealth and corruption. A riddle of identity Shorey treats the symbols as descriptions of a powerful city or nation rather than a settled identification. This uncertainty motivates his later comparison with the United States.

Kings Turn against Her

Kings Turn against Her An alliance breaks The ten kings who had shared power with the Beast turn against the woman. They make her desolate and burn her, fulfilling the judgment described to John. Power changes hands Shorey emphasizes the surprising reversal in which the political partners of Babylon become her destroyers. The episode binds her fall to the Beast’s larger consolidation of power.

The Call to Leave

The Call to Leave A warning from heaven A voice calls God’s people to come out of Babylon so they will not share in her sins or plagues. The command implies that the faithful remain exposed to the consequences of the city’s downfall. Shorey’s chronology He uses this warning to argue that Babylon’s destruction occurs before the rapture in his arrangement. The sequence adds urgency to his interpretation of the passage.

Merchants Mourn

Merchants Mourn Wealth disappears Kings, merchants, and sailors watch Babylon burn and lament the collapse of its trade and riches. The repeated image of judgment arriving in an hour underscores the city’s sudden ruin. A global consequence The commercial response makes Babylon’s fall larger than a local disaster. Shorey sees the scale of the wealth and maritime trade as supporting his United States theory, while acknowledging uncertainty.

Heaven Answers the Fall

Heaven Answers the Fall Praise and vindication A great heavenly multitude praises God for judging the prostitute and avenging the blood of his servants. The elders and living creatures join the worship. The wedding announcement The celebration moves into the announcement that the marriage of the Lamb has come. Shorey links this heavenly scene to the rapture and places it after Babylon’s fall.

At the angel’s opening of Revelation 17

Before Babylon’s destruction in the Revelation vision

As Babylon’s judgment approaches

During Babylon’s sudden destruction

After Babylon has been judged