Not always the most obvious, but of central importance.

Many think that Mystery Babylon the Great is civil government, or the Roman Empire. However, as was pointed out in the post “Rome, A Prophecy Failure or Symbolic,” much of what is written in Revelation emphatically did NOT fit Rome all along. Revealing the Christian Age offers solid evidence that Mystery Babylon is NOT Rome. Rome and the caesars are at best a type, symbolic of what is to come.

Mystery Babylon is treated as if she is a secret entity.

That fits calling her “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,” Rev 17:5 WEB. That implies she is a mystery religion, as discussed in the post on “The Mystery Religions: An Overview.”

Now you can view Rome in public. You can travel there, stay there, live there. But to see Mystery Babylon John is carried “away in the Spirit into a wilderness.” Rev 17:3 WEB. A remote place. She is a hidden entity. She is “the great prostitute,” Rev 17:1 WEB. But Rome had no need to prostitute herself. Rome could beat to pieces any who resisted her.

Mystery Babylon is spoken of as if she
dominates world trade

In fact, most of the imagery about Babylon and her fall, seems to come from the prophecies of the fall of ancient Tyre and Sidon, like Isaiah 23, and Ezek 26, 27 and 28 (they are symbolic of her). These were principal Phoenician trade cities, which dominated trade in the Mediterranean world for several centuries. They were not all of Mediterranean trade, but they did facilitate it, and dominate it.

“ “… the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury.” ” Rev 18:3 WEB

Mystery Babylon is a promoter of sexual immorality,
and perversion of every sort.

In Revelation 17 she is drinking from a golden cup filled with the filth of fornication, Rev 17:4. She is “THE MOTHER … OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Rev 17:5 KJV.

“ “with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” ”
Rev 17:2 WEB

Mystery Babylon is the arranger of death and destruction.

She is not government. Rather she reigns/rules OVER the kings of the earth, Rev 17:18. She is the original Deep State. Mystery Babylon is implicitly the fomenter, the arranger, of wars.

“ “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of ALL who have been slain on the earth.” ” Rev 18:24 WEB

Mystery Babylon is COMPLETELY destroyed
very near the end of our age.

The man of lawlessness comes very near the end of time, and he with ten kings, destroys Mystery Babylon completely, all the way to the ground, within HISTORY, Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

Christians are commanded to come out of Mystery Babylon, Rev 18:4.

That of course implies that you can understand the prophecy, and come out of her.

KJV is the King James Version, 1611

WEB is the World English Bible, a copyright free revision
of the original ASV American Standard Version 1901