Bible Question: "Is the attack on New York by the terrorists predicted in the Bible? Is that what Revelation 18:10 refers to?"

Bible Answer: The Scripture you refer to is speaking about the destruction of the city of Babylon, which the Apostle John predicts will be destroyed in one hour. That is the main resemblance to the attacks on New York, which happened in about one hour.

To get the whole understanding of John's prediction, you need to read at least two verses, Rev. 18:9-10, or better the entire chapter.

"And the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, 'Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come," Rev. 18:9-10 says.

First, the Scripture plainly says the entire city will be destroyed, if you read the entire chapter. The loss of the twin towers of the World Trade Center is certainly the greatest tragedy and loss of life on American soil, but thank God the whole city of New York is not lost.

There is one other resemblance to the prediction. The "smoke of her burning" was indeed seen far off from New York. The astronauts in the space shuttle said they saw the column of smoke rising up on the morning of Sept. 11 when the second tower collapsed in flames.

But I think that's as far as you could possibly stretch this Scripture, and I believe that's exactly what you have to do to make this prediction fit the attacks on New York. Every time any major event occurs, people try to find its prediction in the Bible, and in this case, I believe there is no Scriptural prediction that fits at all.

Someone else asked me to find a Scripture that said "the twin towers will fall" or "the two brothers will fall," which someone had told them was in the Bible. I searched ever occurrence of those two phrases in exhaustive concordances and found no verses that fit.

While there are many amazing predictions in the Bible that have come true in history, it would be impossible for one book to contain predictions for every major event that ever has or will occur. Can you imagine how big and miraculous such a book would have to be?

Now as the identity of the city of Babylon referred to in Rev. 18. Bible scholars for centuries have debated that, with some claiming it is Rome, and many other cities having been named. I have never heard anyone say Babylon is New York, but I suppose they will now.

I prefer to take the Scripture literally, and say Babylon means Babylon. That was not possible until recent times, when the ancient city of Babylon has been rebuilt by none other than our old foe of Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein, the dictator of modern-day Iraq, which is on the same land as the ancient city-nation of Babylon.

He has rebuilt the city on its old site and proclaimed himself the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in the Bible.

So if you believe that, is it such a stretch to believe this ancient city might once again become a center of commerce for the world, as John predicts it will be in Revelation 18? On that we will have to wait for the passage of time and the fulfillment of John's prediction.

Which is another reason to doubt Rev. 18:10 refers to New York, because Babylon's destruction will occur following the many other events predicted in the earlier chapters of Revelation, which plainly have not occurred. To stretch that one verse to fit New York makes the Bible into a piece of elastic that stretches far beyond the truth.

Submit Bible questions by email to writeme@johnwmyers.com

(John Myers has been a Christian lay speaker, Sunday School adult teacher and newspaper Bible study columnist for more than 20 years.)