People want to talk about the destruction of "Babylon" as it is mentioned in Rev 17-18 and Jer 50-51, and claim it is America.  But no one wants to examine Isaiah/Yeshayahu 13.  In Isa/Yesh 13, it places the destruction of Babylon at the second coming.  There is no denying that, since the destruction of Babylon is timed for when "the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine" (Isa 13:10)

And at this time, we are told,

"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there" (Isa 13:19-20)

There are 2 things that indicate this is the Babylon of modern day Iraq, and not the USA. 

• It is called "the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride", associating it with the Chadlean race both in and around Babylonia (but covering an even greater area).
• Potential dwellers are characterized as "Arabian" (covering an even GREATER area than "Chaldean")

Neither of these things makes any sense if "Babylon" is the USA.  This is using a literary technique common in Hebrew, which is pararllelism.  Parallelism is often used in Hebrew in order to clarify what was said in a previous statement.  Here, parallelism is used not once, but twice, to clarify that Babylon is "Chaldean" and "Arabian."

The same sort of parallelism is used in Isaiah/Yeshayahu 43:14 when it says...

לְמַעַנְכֶם שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָבֶלָה, וְהוֹרַדְתִּי בָרִיחִים כֻּלָּם, וְכַשְׂדִּים, בָּאֳנִיּוֹת רִנָּתָם.

For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and I will bring down all of them as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships of their shouting.

Once again, the area NEAR Babylon (See http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2014/jovial318-2.htm) is referenced by the use of the race term "Chaldean", a term unfitting of the USA.  Also, in Isa 43, we're told

• "I have called thee by Name" (Isa 43:1)

And we're also told that God would

• Grant Egypt, Ethiopia and Seba as a ransom (Isa 43:3)
• Destroy Babylon (Isa 43:14)

So whoever Babylon is, they are sinning more than Egypt, Ethiopa and Seba, because those nations are given in possession and not destroyed.  As I pointed out in http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/mar2014/jovial318-1.htm , one great reason we can conclude that the USA is not Babylon is that there are plenty of more sinful nations that are not going to be destroyed.

There's only one reasonable conclusion.  "Babylon" refers to Babylon, not the USA.  Whether it is the ancient city of Babylon on the Euphrates, or the entire Babylonian area may not matter.  It could mean the ancient city of Babylon will be rebuilt.  Or perhaps it refers to the entire Babylonian region (Modern day Iraq) in the Euphrates/Tigris area of Iraq.  Either way, it is not the USA.  There are many signs the False Messiah will rise from Rome, and later will....

"...plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain" (Dan 11:45)

which to me sounds like ancient Babylon given what it says in Rev 17-18.  For that reason, we may not see "Babylon" become what Rev 17-18 describes it as until AFTER the False Messiah risees to power.  Don't expect to see it in its final state as of today.  There is nothing in Revelation that tells us that the tribulation period won't start before Babylon rises above even a ghost town.

Shalom, Joe