2. The Second Angel’s Message.

“A second angel followed and said, ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.’”
—Revelation 14:8.

Following the “confusion” of languages at the Tower of Babel, the name Babylon became connected with the Hebrew word balal, “to confound.” In Bible prophecy, “Babylon” becomes a vivid symbol of religious confusion.

The second of God’s messages strongly opposes a religion of compromise. Revelation 17 depicts spiritual Babylon—apostate Christianity—as an immoral woman (Verse 5). She stands in contrast to the pure woman of Revelation 12 who represents the true Christian church.

The second angel warns, “fallen is Babylon the Great.” The woman who represents Babylon is a fallen woman who “made all nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.” The wine of false doctrine has permeated these adulterated forms of Christianity. The message of the second angel calls God’s people to resist the false teachings of an apostate Christianity which obscure the truths of God’s Word.