The Book of Revelation, with its vivid imagery and cryptic pronouncements, has fascinated and perplexed readers for centuries. One of its most enduring mysteries is the identity of “Mystery Babylon,” a city depicted as a corrupt harlot who faces divine judgment. While various interpretations abound, a compelling case can be made for identifying Mystery Babylon as first-century Jerusalem, drawing upon a close examination of the seals described in Revelation, the birth pains described in the Gospels, and their connection to the historical events of that era.
The concept of “birth pains” as told by Jesus in Matthew 24 was a metaphor for the escalating calamities that would precede the destruction of Jerusalem. These birth pains included false Christs, wars, famines, and earthquakes, and many events mirroring the curses outlined in Leviticus 26 for Israel’s disobedience under the Mosaic Law. The seals in Revelation, particularly the first six, vividly portray these birth pains, offering a detailed glimpse into the turbulent decades leading up to the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
The Timing
The Book of Revelation warned, over and over, that the events contained within it were near and would soon take place.
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants1 the things that must soon take place…3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation 1:1-3
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”…7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”…10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near…12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. – ” 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!- Revelation 22:6-20
Likewise, Jesus has already told His followers the events He prophesied would happen before that generation passed away.
34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. – Mat 24:34
Seal One: False Messiahs
[Rev 6:2 NASB20] 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.
The first seal unveils a rider on a white horse, wielding a bow and wearing a crown. This figure symbolizes the emergence of false messiahs, a phenomenon that plagued Judea in the decades leading up to the war. Historical records, including Josephus’s Wars of the Jews, document figures like Manahem and Jonathan, who claimed messianic status and garnered many followers. These false messiahs, promising deliverance but couldn’t come through on their promises mirroring the warning issued by Jesus in Matthew 24:5: “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.”
Seal Two: The Sword of War
[Rev 6:4 NASB20] 4 And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that [people] would kill one another; and a large sword was given to him.
The second seal reveals a rider on a red horse, empowered to “take peace from the earth.” This imagery corresponds directly to the wars and rumors of wars foretold by Jesus in Matthew 24:6. The Roman Empire, despite its Pax Romana, was embroiled in various conflicts during this period, including campaigns in Britain, Parthia, and Gaul, as well as a devastating civil war. These wars throughout the empire created an atmosphere of instability and dread, fulfilling Jesus’s prophecy of escalating conflict.
Seal Three: The Grip of Famine
[Rev 6:5-6 NASB20] 5 When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard [something] like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
The third seal depicts a rider on a black horse, holding a pair of scales, symbolizing famine. This rider’s declaration, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!” points to the inflated prices and scarcity of food during a famine. Jesus had warned of famines in Matthew 24:7,24 and this prophecy found fulfillment in the first century. Acts 11:28 recounts the prophet Agabus’s prediction of a “great famine over all the world,” which likely occurred during the reign of Emperor Claudius. This widespread famine, impacting even regions beyond Judea, contributed to the growing sense of unease and hardship that characterized the time.
Seal Four: The Pale Horse of Death
[Rev 6:7-8 NASB20] 7 When [the Lamb] broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and the one who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and famine, and plague, and by the wild animals of the earth.
The fourth seal introduces the most chilling rider: Death, astride a pale horse, accompanied by Hades. This rider is granted authority to kill “with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.” While not explicitly mentioned in Jesus’s birth pain discourse, this seal aligns with the curses outlined in Deuteronomy 32 and Ezekiel 14 for Israel’s disobedience. Josephus, in Wars of the Jews, provides a harrowing account of the conditions in Jerusalem during the Roman siege, where famine, disease, and violence ravaged the population. The fourth seal, therefore, represents the culmination of these intensifying judgments, culminating in widespread death and suffering.
Seal Five: Believers Martyred for Their Testimony
[Rev 6:9-10 NASB20] 9 When [the Lamb] broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?”
The fifth seal of Revelation reveals the souls of those martyred “for the word of God and for the testimony they had maintained” (Revelation 6:9-11). These martyrs align with Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24:9 that his followers would be persecuted and killed. The historical record supports this, showing that early Christians were often the target of persecution by Jewish religious leadership because of their insistence that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God and their commitment to spreading their faith.
Seal Six: Signaling the Start of the War
[Rev 6:9-10, 12-17 NASB20] 9 When [the Lamb] broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” … 12 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; 13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
The sixth seal, however, shifts from human suffering to metaphors of cosmic upheaval depicting the word-shaking judgment. Revelation describes a great earthquake, a darkened sun, a blood-red moon, and stars falling from the sky. These signs were from Old Testament prophecies of the judgment and signaled the coming destruction of Jerusalem. There were not only metaphors, there were also actual events. Jesus himself had prophesied earthquakes as part of the birth pains preceding the destruction of the Temple. Josephus, a first-century historian, also documented an earthquake that occurred before the war with Rome, which was interpreted by Jewish scribes as a sign of impending doom. The sixth seal, therefore, marks the transition from the escalating birth pains to the final judgment of Jerusalem.