Again, I don’t discount the correlation to 70 AD..
But, if we read further in Revelation 18, verse 22 to start...
And the voice of harpers and minstrels flute players and
trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee. And the light of the lamp shall shine no more at all in you;
Just a slight piece of revelation 18 that I believe it looks forward because-
There is still music and still craftsmen in Jerusalem, as there is in any spiritual Babylonian city today, maybe even the original Babylon, I don’t know.. I am not booking any trips there :)
Revelation 18 in part has not been fulfilled.. ‘no more at all’ means no more at all... eight times in some form or fashion, that phrase... unless the English gets the Greek wrong in revelation 18...
That is pretty convincing to me that nobody will exist in that babylon he saw in vision ‘no more at all’... we have weapons that can do that within an hour today...
I believe you are mistaking the current Jerusalem with the holy city of old, before God divorced Israel, left the city of Jerusalem, and destroyed it. You can find almost identical scripture in the OT relating to Jerusalem as found in Revelation 18:
"Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate." (Jer 7:34 KJV)
That is one of the most important passages available in determining the identity of Babylon the Great, because God has had only two brides: Israel and the Church. When Israel became the Great Whore, God divorced Israel, destroyed its "ruler", Jerusalem, along with many outlying Israeli cities; and then took a new bride, New Jerusalem, which is the Church.
Those who believe that old Jerusalem will be restored to its former estate are greatly mistaken. Read these excerpts carefully:
"Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations, And say, Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite." (Eze 16:2-3 KJV)
"And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy." (Eze 16:38 KJV)
"They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords. And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more." (Eze 16:40-41 KJV)
"As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." (Eze 16:48-49 KJV)
"When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate." (Eze 16:55 KJV)
That ain't gonna happen.
At least, by reading Ezekiel 16, one can understand why God called Babylon, the great city, Sodom and Egypt.
Philip