Many scholars agree that while all the armies of the world are headed toward Jerusalem to fight her, this is when there will be a strike against Babylon to destroy it. Ron Rhodes writes, “What an irony we have here. While phase one of Armageddon is underway, with the antichrist preparing his armies to attack Israel, God will cause a military force to attack the antichrist’s headquarters of Babylon.”2

Rhodes and others seem to think (according to Jeremiah 50:41-42) that Babylon will be attacked and destroyed by a military force from the north. However, I think it is more likely that these verses are referring to the armies of Media Persia in 539 B. C. The future destruction of Babylon (referred to in Isaiah 13:19 and Revelation 18) is clearly God’s own doing, just as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Now back to the fall of Jerusalem. The clear teaching on this is in Zechariah 14:1-2:

Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

From these verses we see a three-point account of the battle and the fall of Jerusalem.

1. The gathering armies of the world will move into the city, plunder the houses, and ravish the women. What a brutal and ruthless bunch.

2. Half of the people in the city will be captured, and the rest will be left standing among the ruins—a sad picture.

3. Much spoil is taken and divided among them. John MacArthur comments: “Jerusalem will be so overcome by the enemy that the spoil will be leisurely divided in the midst of the city, illustrating how completely Jerusalem will be overthrown.”3

Another Scripture reference on Jerusalem’s fall is Zechariah 12:2-4:

“Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah. 3 “It will come about in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will be severely injured. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. 4 “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will strike every horse with bewilderment and his rider with madness. But I will watch over the house of Judah, while I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.

These verses give us a true perspective of what will be going on, or what God will make the nations to become through their fighting over Jerusalem. Verse two tells us that “Jerusalem will be a cup that causes reeling.” What does that mean? I think it means that because of their sin of lust and greed over the spoils of war, they will become drunk with it, and thus disoriented. Hence, they will be easy prey for God’s divine judgment. They, in effect will be trapped. And it will be all of God’s doing. He will gather them together; and He will make them easy targets for His coming judgment.

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2 Ron Rhodes, The End Times In Chronological Order (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2012), p. 166.

3 John MacArthur, John MacArthur’s notes on Zechariah 14:1.