21st Century Revelation's premise is that we are living in the End Times right before the end of the Church Age and the Rapture. Revelation is a series of parallel events spiraling down to the end of human rule. Four seals and five trumpets have already occurred. The Tribulation begins with the 144,000 sealed and World War III. The middle includes the rule of the Antichrist and World War IV while God pours out His wrath with seven bowls. The Tribulation ends with Armageddon and the Second Coming. But what and where is Mystery Babylon?

Revelation describes two women that are cities. New Jerusalem is the righteous bride of Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:1-2) and Mystery Babylon is the wicked mother of harlots (Revelation 17:5). Scholars list possible cities that may fulfill this prophecy.

1. Babylon, Iraq - During the Tower of Babel, the people rebelled against God (Genesis 11:4, 8-9). Babylon was destroyed later and never inhabited again. Islam is the green horse of the Apocalypse.

Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there [Babylon], and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited forever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation (Jeremiah 50:39).

2. Jerusalem, Israel - God chose Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel but the Jews went into idolatry, killed many prophets and Jesus Christ. Still, God will restore the Jewish people and Jerusalem will be the world's capital during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
The Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south (Zechariah 14:3-4).

3. New York City, United States - New York is the economic capital of the world but the United States eagle is not a superpower during the Tribulation. Capitalism is the black horse of the Apocalypse. The German leopard, Russian bear and United Kingdom lion merge together into this European beast lead by Antichrist. See World Government.

I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard [Germany], and his feet were as the feet of a bear [Russia], and his mouth as the mouth of a lion [United Kingdom]: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Revelation 13:1-2).

4. Rome, Italy - Rome is headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. Apostasy in the Catholic and Protestant churches is the white horse of the Apocalypse. During the Tribulation, the False Prophet seizes organized religion to worship the Antichrist. Revelation 17-18 gives a description of Mystery Babylon.

The Roman Catholic Church is not the woman yet. After all Christians are raptured, all false religions reject Jesus Christ and merge into one world religion using the organization of the Catholic Church. However, the ten kings hate the woman. The Antichrist rules the Beast (World Government) and the False Prophet rules the second Beast/Woman (World Religion) to worship the Antichrist. They control people through the Mark (World Economy). Satan rules the Unholy Trinity.

At the end of the battle of Armageddon at the Second Coming, Mystery Babylon, who is the woman and city is destroyed.

The book of Revelation is not sequential but a spiral of parallel events that have shorter and shorter time spans until the return of Jesus Christ. The Church Age began at Pentecost and ends at the Rapture. The seals began at the merger of Church and Roman State. The trumpets began with World War I. The Tribulation begins with a seven year covenant and World War III. The reign of the Unholy Trinity begins half way through the Tribulation and then the bowls start. Armageddon begins the final war. The seals, trumpets, Tribulation, reign of Antichrist, bowls, Mystery Babylon and Armageddon end with lightning, thunder, earthquakes and great hail at the Second Coming. Since we are over one hundred years into the Laodicean period, four horses are on the run and five trumpets sounded before the Tribulation. The beginnings of three world wars are falling into place. We are so far into the End Times that we see Revelation being fulfilled.

References: 21st Century Revelation: World Wars, Iraq Wars & End Wars - Chapter 20: Players in the Game, Chapter 23: World Wars, Cold War, Chapter 24: Between Iraq and a Hard Place, Chapter 25: Iraq War III, Revelation Outline, Timeline of the Tribulation, Tribulation, Revelation, Covenant