Revelation’s Babylon is NEOM, not Mecca, not Rome, not Vatican City

 When presenting a multitude of biblical evidence, people still angrily deny it because they etched in their minds a verse or two they say prove Babylon (future) is Rome, while adhering to a centuries old theory initiated by Martin Luther.  When it comes to the destruction of end-days Babylon, Scripture makes no mention of any of the ancient Babylonian cities – Nineveh, Ur, Babel, Erech, Accad, Sumer, Assur, Calneh, Mari, Karana, Ellpi, Eridu, Kish, or Tikrit. Rather, all the literal references in Scripture are in Arabia. The use of MOTHER OF HARLOTS …  history records that the worship of Ishtar, ‘Kilili,’ or ‘Queen of Harlots’” originated from Arabia, [Patricia Turner and Charles Russell Coulter, Dictionary of Ancient Deities, page 242, Ishtar, Oxford University Press US, 2001].

Mecca is an extremist, Islamic stronghold. No foreigners, non-Muslims are not allowed. It is not an economic stronghold. It is not committed to world commerce or trade by sea. Mecca is dedicated and committed to being an Islamic holy site, not a world capital or major trading center. Other faiths (other parts of the mystery religion) cannot be practiced in Islam’s backyard. Mecca is still subject to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign laws and religious laws. Mecca is home for the world’s Muslims, but not the home that will become the melting pot of acceptance for all world religions, false doctrines, idol worship and human deification. However, Islam is part of the mystery religion and will be tolerated by the beast/false prophet and practiced in Mecca. The beast/false prophet will allow Islam to be practiced worldwide, but also along with all other forms of false world religions. The beast/false prophet will also allow traditional Judaism to be practiced by Jews in their rebuilt temple. He even allows Jews to practice animal sacrifices for sacrificial atonement of their sins. The Jews have placed their faith in the ‘man-of-sin’, the ‘perfection of deception’, the beast, the antichrist. True worship of Jesus Christ (Christianity) will NOT be practiced or tolerated. Christians who bear witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ will eventually be martyred by beheading, (proselytizing is prohibited). Mystery Religion Babylon will only be accepted for the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation.

Then we have the Red Sea: “The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red Sea” (Jeremiah 49:21). The Red Sea is a geographic indicator as to where the last-days Babylon will be located. Babylon NEOM is being pitched as the ‘great’ city on the Red Sea. Mecca does not meet this test.

Babylon City is not Rome (or Vatican City) or Mecca:

Rome, as a city in Italy, can’t be described in a way that equates with the new (future) Babylon as stated in Revelation. There are seven hills that the city is built on, but they are not mountains. Rome is not, nor will be a future economic powerhouse. Its infrastructure does not allow for the scale of existence that is described in Revelation. I have never been to Rome (let alone Italy). But from pictures, I believe Rome to be a beautiful city with glorious architecture and exquisite artisanship. However, its glory is past and reflects the past Roman Empire. The Bible states that the antichrist will gain the political allegiance and military power of a ten nation confederacy that comes out of or from the past Roman Empire in the European region, however, the Bible does NOT say that the seat (capital) of the beast will be in the ten nation revived Roman empire confederacy.

Vatican City is home to the false, religious doctrine (as it is being promoted today) of Catholicism. It is another ‘ism’ that makes up the evil soup of Mystery Religion of Babylon. I believe that at one time, the Vatican may have sincerely attempted (I’m giving it the benefit of a doubt) to represent Christ (in an extremely challenged and distorted way). However, Satan has influenced this church into evolving into something that does not truly represent Christ and that which makes a mockery of Him. The current head prophet or leader has done a terrific job of deifying AND crowning ‘Mary’ as the Queen of Heaven and worthy or worship. Looks like, sounds like and smells like idol worship and blasphemy. Ponder this thought, Semiramis (Nimord’s wife) deified and crowned herself as Queen of Heaven under Paganism. Just replace Semiramis with ‘Mary’ and you get the same blasphemous effect. If the Vatican is pitching the worship and deification of ‘Mary’ over Christ, then the faithful are being deceived with a twisted, deceiving form of Paganistic Christianity. Which of the seven (7) churches in Asia-Minor does this sound like? Revelation chapters 2-3. The Vatican has ALWAYS worshipped power, influence and wealth. Some estimates have the Vatican owning more wealth than any of the biggest global companies on earth. Does the Vatican really need the widow’s mite from an old woman in some third world country? No. The politics of this priesthood has always been about power and influence over people of the world. Today’s leader spends more time conferring with world leaders, the United Nations and power brokers over political policy and political solutions than serving to the needs of the sexually abused caused at the hands of his evil priests. Is the “head prophet” truly conveying the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world? How about to the power brokers in the world? The answer is no. Vatican City is NOT Babylon Future. Satan has already turned it into a blasphemous heap of sin. My criticism is aimed at those at the top of the Catholic system that would deceive people all over the world. Depending on how closely one follows a head priest’s theology and systemic laws, will determine how closely one is lead astray or not. In Vatican City (or Mecca for that matter), Satan doesn’t need to do anymore, he has already accomplished what he set out to do. Or, is there something more that Satan needs to come out of Vatican City, besides blasphemous doctrine and idol worship (false prophet)?

Vatican City is its own entity within a city, within a country. Likewise, Mecca is an Islamic religious center within a country, within a region. At its essence, Mecca serves basically the same purpose to Islamic peoples as does Vatican City to Catholic peoples.  Both serve up man-made doctrine, man-made laws and man-made theology and are a blasphemously deceptive focal point. Self-righteousness and piety are served up daily (by both). False doctrine is on the menu. And it doesn’t come at a cheap price. The faithful are expected to pay (give) handsomely.  Catholic people from around the world travel to Vatican City to behold its glory and magnificence, and to marvel at its head priest. They love to witness the ‘big throne.’ Why was it made and who is supposed to be sitting on it? Or is it nothing more than an extremely expensive piece of gaudy looking furniture that poor people around the world had to pay for? The same can be said for Mecca and its black rock. Satan already has his grasp over both cities and both religions. He has been successful. This is not something new. The traditions of both Catholicism and Islam run deep into hell, in both of these cities. Satan does not need this to change. He has already accomplished what he wanted to do in both of these religions and cities.

Radical Islam will NEVER allow anyone or anything to set foot in Mecca. Satan wants these countries to have their exclusive blasphemous theology unto themselves. Catholicism serves Satan’s same purpose in countries of the West. This will not change. It doesn’t need to change. Satan is delighted that everyone is chasing a mystery religion of their own which he has uniquely crafted for them. Satan is successfully splitting the world up into many mystery religions, all of which are intended to distract men from ever knowing the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Everyone is reading from a different book, but each book is written from the same author. Mecca, in no way shape or form, could ever be converted into a worldwide powerhouse or economic hub or have a technological presence that the world could marvel at. Yes, it is true that Mecca sits in a mountain range, is in the Middle East and near the Red Sea.  So it can be said the same for NEOM Babylon (Future). As with Rome and Vatican City, will people from all religious faiths around the world flock to and trample around in Mecca? To worship? To do commerce? To build a glorious, future, technological marvel? Would Mecca allow a city wide chain of western movie theaters as NEOM promises? Is there enough open land for a massive construction and enlargement of Mecca? Would the world’s Radical Islamic leaders ever approve of such a thing as having the world trample under foot their most ‘holiest’ of temples? Through their political ideology and war/terror mongering, once proud Islamic countries (Iran) have run themselves economically into the ground. They don’t control enough funds to feed their people, let alone invest in the pipedream of a young whipper-snapper of a Saudi Prince. Many of the more radical Islamic countries are at odds with the young prince of Saudi Arabia and his vision of a more moderate Islam. Iran is specifically at odds with Saudi Arabia. Surprise, surprise! One version of Islam doesn’t like the other version of Islam (Sunni vs Shiite). The wise prince knows radical Islam should not be the future course of his country.  Satan doesn’t need to change anything in Mecca. Its evil perfection is perfectly evil as it is. He has achieved the same purpose with Mecca as he has with Vatican City. The two cities and religions mirror one another. Evil looking at itself in the mirror is still evil. Both are ugly and sickening and blasphemous.

Saudi Arabia’s prince distinctively knows what he is up against. He is a sharp, intelligent, worldly young (millennial) man. This is why he wants to pursue a more moderate version of Islam in an entirely new city that does not have the historical burdens and ugliness of radical Islam. Islam has a bad reputation worldwide, even though the media says otherwise and markets it as a religion of ‘peace’. It is not a religion of ‘peace, but the absolute, complete opposite.  What billionaire investor would want to invest a couple $ billion into building where radical Islam and terrorists have a stronghold? Nowhere! Anywhere having extreme, radical Islamic laws will be a significant deterrent to any significant foreign investment. The Prince, wisely knows this. An entirely new, glorious city (with its own government, acceptance of other faiths, laws, etc.) within a country, within a region is a strategic way of bypassing the obstacle of radical Islam in the region.  The prince will still be in control of his country AND his country will benefit from the taxation of NEOM and it will be a step forward in the diversification of his country’s overall economy. This is a win, win, and win for everyone, so the thinking goes. All this progress from just creating a mega city in a small corner of the country that the old guard radical Islamic clerics can’t get their hands on. Brilliant.  Economics dictate the prince’s hand. Oil prices and revenue for the kingdom is way down. Arabia’s economy (revenue) is almost 100% dependent on the price of oil. As goes oil, so goes the kingdom. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Live by oil, die by oil. For the future, Saudi Arabia HAS to diversify its economy. This has been, and is, a challenge for many countries and cities around the world today. The effort of adapting to changing global economic pressures that require replacing old industries and technologies that die off. Consider the old steel towns around the U.S. that quickly grew during the days of the steel boom. When the steel boom died (or global economies of steel production changed), steel mills closed and the cities built around them suffered greatly and in some cases are still suffering. Every city struggles to replace that which they were dependent on, with something new. Saudi Arabia is no different than anywhere else in the world. They have to live by the same economic laws as everyone else.  NEOM Babylon is one of the prince’s strategies to counter his country’s reliance on oil. NEOM is a gamble that the prince has to make. He has no other choice. Properly packaged, endorsed and sold worldwide, NEOM will be a fantastic success in the future. It will be a modern marvel. It will be a “great city.” The Bible says so, numerous times in the book of Revelation. We are told that Satan (until the Day of the Lord) is the god of this world and influences the glory of nations, countries and cities. He also controls the wealth of the planet. Consider Satan’s temptation of Christ in the desert with the kingdoms of the world, Matthew 4:8-10.

Historically, Vatican City and Mecca have continuously been contemplated as the future Babylon of Revelation. Rightly so, both Vatican City and Mecca appear, on the surface, as likely candidates as future Babylon. However, just as there are many past world dictators (Caesar, Nero, Nimrod, Hitler, etc.) who have been thought of being the antichrist, Vatican City and Mecca are false positives.  What is a false positive? It is a testing term that suggests that something that looks like, sounds like, smells like something it is supposed to be … but it’s not. It’s a medical term used when discerning the outcome of a medical testing procedure. Without the proper discernment by the doctor or technician who is reading the test results, the test can be misinterpreted and the wrong outcome determined. This is not to say that the doctor or the technician is bad or read the test wrong on purpose. It just means that there was a problem interpreting the test results at the time. It could also mean that there wasn’t enough information available, at the time the test was done, to make a proper assessment. In extreme medical cases, usually as more information becomes available from different tests, eventually the false positives go away and give way to a correct or better assessment of the problem. I am only spending a little time in discussing this because many excellent giants in eschatology have come before me. Given what was known at the time, and in the past, I would agree with them. At best, you can only understand that which you know. That which lies outside of what is known, is speculation. I don’t believe anyone was/is speculating, but doing their best in discerning which was known at that particular point in time.

It is only very, very recently, since the end of 2017 (seven months ago as I write this), that Babylon NEOM has jumped on the world scene and is quickly gaining the attention of the billionaires and the technology wizards of the world. NEOM was introduced to the world EXACTLY one month after the Revelation 12:1 sign physically occurred over the earth on September 24, 2017. This is an astrological fact. These are the ‘Nimrodian’ architects, planners and investors of the future Tower of Babel. Through the worldwide common language of big, big, big money and deceiving technology, Satan thinks he has overcome the limitations of different languages that occurred in antiquity past. NEOM is not a mistake or false positive. NEOM Babylon Future meets too many of the eschatological litmus tests, not to be Revelation’s Babylon Future. Just as NEOM popped up yesterday, the Bible also indicates that the antichrist will pop us suddenly and will not be revealed until the proper time (after the rapture of the true Church, Bride of Christ). Satan will not waste a second of time in drawing the world’s attention to his puppet of sin in the flesh, the ‘perfection of deception’, the beast, the antichrist. The beast/antichrist will pop onto the world scene quickly and unexpectedly, just as NEOM Babylon is doing.  The antichrist is the false positive of Christ. He looks like a savior, talks like savior, acts like a savior, says he is the savior … except he is not. Only Jesus Christ is the Savior, through the forgiveness of sins, the shedding of his blood and through his resurrection. No other man-made religion addresses sin or the need for salvation. This is why the Mystery Religion of Babylon (NEOM) will be so popular and accepted. No one will suggest that man is sinful, no one will suggest that man needs Christ, everyone will suggest that its ok to be like you are, keep doing what you are doing, worship who or whatever you want to worship, to ignore the fable of Christ, etc. Do as though wilt or as thou pleases. That is why God sends his two supernatural witnesses into the world for the first 3 ½ years of the Tribulation. Any meaningful representation of Christ and the gospel is gone missing from the earth. The true Church, Bride of Christ is gone missing, nowhere to be found on earth. Men will be following their own devices and whims. An infamous Satanist once said, “Do as thou wilst.”

This attitude is at the very core of every false religion, doctrine, system of worship worldwide. It is at the core of Satan’s rebellion against God. Satan wants to be God. He wants to rise up above God. Satan gives this attitude to men, so they will rebel against God and never come to the understanding of their need for salvation through Jesus Christ. Men have always wanted to be their own masters, beholden to no one, able to form their own truth or relativism. Men want to be their own gods and govern over their own creations. Men want to delight in their own creations. God is not impressed by men’s creations. They are literally ‘scribbles in the sand’. Quickly washed away with the next tide. This is instinctive to men, this is their nature … this is sin. There is that word again, sin, no one wants to hear it or to even have it suggested that is applies to them (or me or you). Through big money, advanced technology and the mystery religion of the coalescing of the world’s religions, the promotion of sin will be at its zenith in NEOM Babylon Future. It is just starting, it has already been conceived and will grow to enormous proportions. How is that for an investment forecast for future returns? Men will grow rich by reason of her costliness (Rev. 18:19). The billionaires and investment fund managers of the world are starting to trip over each other to get on the NEOM bandwagon to hell. God has the last laugh. The entire chapter eighteen (18) of Revelation describes the complete and total destruction of NEOM Babylon in just one hour. So much for the billions and billions ($500 billion estimated) of dollars of investment. All gone in a flash, in an hour. Poof! Bye-Bye! Up in smoke! Literally. “And they cried when they saw the smoke of her burning.” (Rev. 18:18). Any grown man (or woman), who has invested billions into any startup venture, will literally cry when they realize their investment has disappeared instantly.  Yeah…but? During the great depression in the U.S. during the 1930s, men who lost fortunes during the stock market crash, literally jumped out of windows of their banks or investment houses, to their death, when they learned the value of their investments were zero, nada, zilch, nothing. Back in the 1930s, we were talking about millions. In NEOM, we are literally talking about billions. Poor, poor billionaires. So materialistically rich, yet spiritually bankrupt. (Rev. 3:17) … “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked:” The rich and super, mega rich invest their money in the kingdom and cities (NEOM) of Satan, instead of in the kingdom of heaven of God and Jesus Christ. This is physically, literally and spiritually true. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word to John the Apostle, addresses this issue many times throughout the Bible’s book known as the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Babylon Future is not Rome, it is not Vatican City and it is not Mecca. It is also not New York, London, Paris, Moscow, Hong Kong, Berlin, Beijing, Delhi, Dubai or any of the other great cities of the world. These are all ‘wannabees’ or false positives. Something great (evil) can be said of all of them. After all, they are under Satan’s control.  NEOM Babylon Future is also under Satan’s control. The promise of a new city, glorifying technology and evil, in the sands and mountains of Saudi Arabia! This sounds like of the promise and marketing pitch of the Tower of Babel, all over again. Anyone want to place their bets or make an investment in this venture? … I thought so. Anyone want to make their eternal bet in their eternal future with the eternal King of Kings or Lord of Lords in the eternal city of New Jerusalem? … I pray and hope so. The Bible says I can expect a better return on my investment in the kingdom of heaven (my acceptance of Christ’s forgiveness of my sins, through the shedding of his blood and resurrection) than what I could ever expect from my billion dollar investment in NEOM Babylon Future. The ironic (and true) feature of Christ’s offer of salvation is that it is FREE! It doesn’t cost a widow’s mite, a dollar or even a billion (or two) dollar investment. Christ gives us the seed money, or investment principal FREELY! We just have to accept his offer, believe in him and trust in him. He wants to save us from our sin (do as thou wilst until you kill yourself). He doesn’t force us to take the investment, we can accept the investment freely of our own free will. He does not jam the decision down our throats. You have to make the decision of your own free choice. Take the free offer, while it is still valid and being offered. Decisions have a shelf life, eventually we run out of time to make a decision or the offer is rescinded. Our days and time on earth is short, and end quickly. If you delay or put off making your investment, or don’t make one at all, then you lose out on receiving the benefit of having made the investment. Plain and simple. This is true in both physical and spiritual life. The earlier you make your investment, the longer you gain from the benefit of compounding. Our investment (decision) in Christ is our investment in eternity. What type of a return can you expect? What amount or price can you put on that? God paid handsomely to save me, you and everyone else who accepts the offer of eternal salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. God paid the ultimate price with the life of his Son, Jesus Christ. This is worth more than an infinite number of trillions of dollars. This is not offered in Materialism, Buddhism, Toaism, Gaism, Satanism, Hinduism, Sexualism, Idolism, Catholicism, Islam, Paganism, etc. It is Satan’s plan that all of these “ism’s” (coalesced into a mystery religion) will lead all men astray to both physical and spiritual eternal death. Satan hates us and hates God for having a plan to save us through Jesus Christ. Christ’s plan is to save us. Satan’s plan is to destroy or devour us.

Why would you turn down being saved? A drowning man grabs the hand/arm that reaches under the water to pull him up. A sick person seeks the skills of a physician to help heal their physical body. Christ desperately wants to heal us from the physical and spiritual results of sin. You don’t think sin has an effect on a person’s physical body. Think again. Talk to an addict or someone who feels compelled to do something over and over again, even though they know they shouldn’t or know whatever it is they are doing is wrong, or harmful. This is one very simple form of the effects of sin. Sin manifests itself differently in everyone, but the result is the same. Physical and spiritual death. Try to explain this to anyone alive in Babylon NEOM Future. They are living the good life, enjoying the manifestations and results of their technological investments. They have a million dollar condo on the Red Sea, or Gulf of Aqaba and are living life ‘deliciously’ (Rev. 18:7) … “For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit like a queen, and am now widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Emphasis added). This verse pretty much sums up the attitude of men’s minds and hearts in Babylon NEOM Future. They think to themselves, ‘Man, I got it made! It’s a great life, I can afford anything, I can do whatever I want and I don’t have to account to anyone, nothing can stop me now!’ Notice that both evil and righteousness pay dividends, depending on how men invest of themselves. Poor, poor billionaires. Poor, poor technocrats. Poor, poor hypocritical religious leaders. The Christian Tribulation Saints (those martyred, beheaded for witnessing of Christ) lose their temporary physical life, but gain an eternity with Christ in heaven, which pays dividends forever. Do not mock this, do not make fun of this and do not belittle this. These souls are so convinced of the gospel and the forgiveness of their sins through Jesus Christ, that they will not deny Christ and instead choose beheading over rescinding their faith in Christ. They withstand Satan’s strongest attempts to dissuade them of Christ and they are victorious.  Are any of us thus convinced to be of this fortitude if it were us? How precious are these people to Christ! The Bible’s book of Revelation is crystal clear when it indicates no one else, from any other religious group, is martyred or beheaded. Why would this be? Why are Christians the only people getting beheaded? Why is Satan so threatened by us? What is he so deceived into thinking he is accomplishing by doing this? He can’t pick on Christ, so he picks on us. He picks on the big brother’s … little brother. If this sounds like a sermon, it is, but in the context of the evil that exists during the Tribulation and in Babylon NEOM future specifically.

NEOM is Babylon Future and is a phoenix rising in the desert sands and mountains in the land of Shur (Saudi Arabia) to become a great, great city that sits like a queen in her glory and believes it will never see sorrow.

In His Service,

The Night Watchman

Night Watchman Ministries

Nightwatchman.blog (for many articles, graphics and data concerning NEOM Babylon, please visit!)