SUMMARY relationships of NATIONS, KINGS, & MERCHANTS to Babylon--Rev 18
NATIONS   

            have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality (3   

            were deceived by your sorcery (23
KINGS
            have committed acts of immorality with her (3   

            lived sensuously with her (9
MERCHANTS
            have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality ( 3   

            no one buys their cargoes any more (11   

            became rich from her (15   

            merchants were the great men of the earth (23; from many nations

RIGHT: Rome, the "GREAT CITY"?

We begin with our opening question: Must Babylon be a Super-Large City to be the "GREAT CITY"?

We choose Rome as our opening city for consideration because it has been a centuries-old favorite to replace literal Babylon as "Babylon the Great". But, as is apparent, how could Rome be "Great" if "Great" means GREAT BIG— Great in Size— a Super-Large City? There are 84 cities somewhere in the world that are larger than Rome! Tokyo is 10-times larger.

The WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL CITY

Beginning in World War 2

WASHINGTON DC became the "Command Center" for all Allied Forces in World War 2.

"At Roosevelt’s insistence, Churchill agreed that a single command center in Washington ... would coordinate the war effort.“
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/darkest-days-world-war-ii-winston-churchills-visit-white-house-brought-hope-washington-180961798/

From this point on, we know what happened. The Allied nations defeated Hitler's Nazis under the leadership of Washington DC's "coordinated war effort", and saved Europe from total collapse.

RIGHT: In World War 2 Washington DC was 2% the size of New York City. But the Power was in Washington.

The POWER of Washington DC in World War 2

"World War II (1939-1945) was the largest international event of the twentieth century and one of the major turning points in U.S. and world history.“

https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ww2/ww2bib.html

Washington DC, the Little, "Great"-Big City

The power and influence of Washington DC among the Monster-Cities of the world has remained from World War 2 until today.

The key to Washington DC's Power?

AUTHORITY. Washington had, and still has, Authority over America and its many much larger cities. In many ways this power extends throughout the world. Today, for example, which city imposes Tariffs and Sanctions that tilt international policy in America's direction? New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, etc., are much larger cities, but it is relatively ordinary-sized Washington DC with the power.

MUST “The Great City” be ...the BIGGEST City?
"Washington, the small city …that many argue still rules the world..."...Washington DC: … the world's most powerful city..."
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2220956/Washington-DC-The-worlds-powerful-city-coolest.html

RIGHT: Washington DC, the world's MOST POWERFUL city, has more influence and control over world affairs than 700 LARGER CITIES !

"Washington DC: The master plan that created the world's most powerful city   

        Washington, D.C... has something unsurpassed by any other city in the world.   

                    POWER.
Power pulses through the veins of this city... the White House and the Capitol are DC's main power centers... the world's superpower."
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/washington-dc-most-powerful-city/index.html (CNN), Richard Quest and Joe Minihane, CNN • Updated 16th July 2018

RIGHT: 700 world cities are LARGER than the world's MOST POWERFUL CITY!

"...the most powerful city on Earth."
https://www.downtowndc.org/go/1776/

"...the most powerful city in the world..."
http://esaontherise.com/about/events-dc/

The CHIEF RESIDENT of Babylon
... And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and
great authority…

[ How much authority?... ]
authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation…Re 13:2, 7

1. Washington DC is today’s Most Powerful City.
2. Jerusalem, in Bible Prophecy, is the "Great City".
3. Babylon, in Bible Prophecy, will be a second "Great City".

4. NONE is among the 397 LARGEST CITIES in the world.

RIGHT: The Outgrowth City of Babylon —  Hillah, Iraq

We saw the evidence (considerable), in Part 2 of this Series (the Reemergence Of Babylon and the "Great City") that Hillah is the Extended City Of Babylon, raised up and built from the actual, recycled and redistributed, Stones of Babylon.

The Question: How can it be that a city could ever become — with 798 Larger Cities in the world — the "Great City" of Babylon?

The Answer lies in the word "AUTHORITY", as it is used in various prophecies in the Bible. Authority must have Power to enforce its Will. But that Authority can be 1) acquired, 2) received, or 3) derived. Babylon's Authority is DERIVATIVE! Babylon's Authority is hinged—yea, anchored —to the Authority of the Antichrist !

The SIZE of the City (Babylon) is not what makes it "GREAT". The SIZE (magnitude) of its AUTHORITY is what makes it "GREAT".

1. The GLOBAL AUTHORITY is based in a Man.

2. The Man is based in a city.

3. That city, Large or Small, therefore has Great (derivative) Authority as the Base-City of the Man.

4. Not GREAT-SIZE, but GREAT-AUTHORITY makes it the "Great City".

5. Size may or may not compel or influence Authority. But Authority has the final word.  

6. There is nothing that would exclude the extended city of Babylon-Hillah from becoming the "Great City" if the Antichrist — the Man with Global-AUTHORITY — sets his Throne in Babylon-Hillah !

1. If the Antichrist is an ORDINARY Leader with ORDINARY Authority...

3. But if the Antichrist has GLOBAL AUTHORITY...

2. ...then, it would require a GIANT City to qualify his City as the GREAT City in Revelation 18.

4. ...then he can set his Throne in an ORDINARY city and that city virtually 'overnight' becomes the GREAT CITY in Revelation 18.

1) RIGHT and across 

The Antichrist carries his Global AUTHORITY with him wherever he chooses to locate his headquarter-city. His throne-room, whether he chooses it to be in any Super-LARGE City, or in any ORDINARY Smaller City, does not change, but retains its absolute level of Global AUTHORITY.

What DOES Change, is the STATUS of his CHOSEN CITY!

2) RIGHT and across

If the Antichrist chooses to establish his throne and headquarters in any one of the world's Giant Skyscraper Mega-Cities, in a moment that City becomes "The GREAT CITY". It does not inherit, but administers, the Global Authority of the Antichrist.

If that happens, it becomes a REPLACEMENT Babylon; i.e., Rome, New York City, London, Mecca, etc., would replace Babylon as "Daughter-Babylon", or some such.

3) RIGHT and across  

BUT— If the Antichrist chooses to establish his throne and headquarters in any one of the world's smaller-ordinary Cities, in a moment that City becomes "The GREAT CITY". It does not inherit, but administers, the Global Authority of the Antichrist.The Bible minces no words: Babylon of Chaldea, in the day of the End-Time Salvation of the Jews (Jer 50:1-5), will be called "GREAT" (Rev 16:19).

THE CENTER OF ALL POWER

The Antichrist will have...

1. Absolute POLITICAL Power   

        and authority over every tribe and people         and tongue and nation was given to him….

2. Absolute RELIGIOUS Power   

        And all who dwell on the earth will worship         him…

3. Absolute MILITARY Power   

        And he causes all… to be given a mark …

4. Absolute ECONOMIC Power   

        and he provides that no one should be able         to buy or to sell, except the one who has the         mark… (Revelation 13:7-17 , all of the above)

Which city apart from the Antichrist has this power?

                            None—
not even the Biggest! If any city had this power on its own, it would RIVAL THE ANTICHRIST ! The Bible knows of no such Rival — on earth — to the Antichrist.
Wherever the Antichrist sets his Throne—
that city will control the world—
that city will be the “GREAT CITY”.

PICK A CITY to be Babylon "the Great"...  

            Rome ?  

            London ?   

            New York ?   

            Mecca ?

The Bible picks this one...

                            Babylon of Chaldea

9-11; The United States President was The CENTER OF ALL POWER

In a national emergency, the president of the United States instantaneously becomes The CENTER OF ALL POWER.

When the World Trade Center Twin Towers were torpedoed with our own civilian airplanes by Islamic Terrorists on September 11, 2001, Congress and the Supreme Court —two co-equal branches of government — took a backseat to a single indivicual as all emergency decisions and power automatically reverted to president Bush.

Air Force One, the presidential plane, became in reality Air Force One "the GREAT", because its chief occupant was himself America's Center of Power, and America was the world's Super-Power.

Neither America, nor any of its cities, is Babylon. But the lesson here is that, if an airplane can house global apocalyptic power, so can an ancient, legendary, small to mid-size relic city like the Babylon-Hillah Outgrowth City that exist now.

Above: All AUTHORITY and All POWER to act was in the hands of the president on Air Force One. 9-11 sent the U.S. into emergency mode.

BELOW: Air Force One "the GREAT"—Great Authority derived from its chief occupant.

ABOVE: Nobody on the planet had this kind of AUTHORITY. The "Black Suitcase" was on the plane. It contained the apocalyptic Nuclear codes.

BELOW: On Air Force One during the crises. The man with AUTHORITY and his team.

1) RIGHT and across  

Revelation 17:12 says that 10 Kings will rule over a single confederated kingdom (the Revived Roman Empire). They share their GLOBAL AUTHORITY with the Antichrist.

Babylon remains a Relic-City at this point. But it has entered its final days of evil, "satanic-glory" as the "Mother-base" of World Religion.

2) RIGHT and across  

Revelation 17:13, 17 says that these 10 Kings give their kingdom to the Antichrist. He sets his Throne in Babylon—instantly the GREAT CITY.

You can see in the pictures (right) what this means with its powerful implications of GLOBAL AUTHORITY...

        ...The INSTANT, OVERNIGHT transfer of Authority and Sovereignty of INTERNATIONAL ASSETS to the NEW “King of Babylon” (Rev 13:7, cmp. 17:6, 15)

In this INSTANT, OVERNIGHT transfer of Authority and Sovereignty of INTERNATIONAL ASSETS to the Antichrist, the 10 Kings

GIVE HIM the KEYS to (using U.S. equivalents)

        their Banks   

        their Pentagon

        their CIA   

        their Internet ...

their Wealth
their Resources
their Defense Dept
their Transport-Dpt.           Air, Roads, Seas
their Treasury Dept.
their Seaports
their Borders ...

... their KEYS TO THE KINGDOM !!!