Spiritual Sodom And Egypt

Last updated on July 5, 2025

Revelation 11:8 – Unmasking the Identity of the Great City

“And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” – Revelation 11:8

In the Book of Revelation, the mysterious death of the two witnesses takes place in what is described as “the great city.” This city, according to the text, is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt—a symbolic reference loaded with deeper meaning. Moreover, the same verse plainly states that this is also the place where our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. This leads many readers to ask: Is this “great city” a literal city like Jerusalem, or does it carry a broader, spiritual implication?

To begin answering this question, we must revisit the biblical accounts of Christ’s crucifixion. Scripture makes it clear that Jesus suffered and died outside the physical city of Jerusalem. The Gospel of Mark affirms this detail plainly:

“They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull… And they crucified Him.” (Mark 15:22, 24)

This event occurred outside the city walls, not in the city center. Further reinforcing this, the Apostle Paul, in the Book of Hebrews, also emphasized that Jesus suffered “outside the gate”:

“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” (Hebrews 13:12)

Given these testimonies, it becomes increasingly difficult to argue that Jerusalem, in its literal geographic sense, is the “great city” described in Revelation 11:8. Although some theologians and interpreters have proposed that Jerusalem might still fit this label due to its central role in biblical prophecy and the history of God’s people, a deeper investigation into Revelation reveals something more symbolic and profound.

Babylon The Great

As we move further into the Book of Revelation, another city emerges as a central figure of spiritual corruption and judgment: Babylon the Great. This Babylon is not merely a physical city but represents a broader spiritual system filled with defilement, idolatry, and rebellion against God.

“The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.” (Revelation 16:19)

This verse makes a bold and unambiguous declaration: Babylon is “the great city.” So when Revelation 11:8 speaks of “the great city” where the two witnesses will be killed—and where the Lord was crucified—it draws a spiritual parallel, not a geographical one. In this context, “crucifixion” represents more than the physical act. It symbolizes the rejection of truth and the persecution of righteousness—realities that existed in ancient Jerusalem but are now attributed to a larger, global spiritual system: Babylon the Great.

Sodom And Egypt

To further understand what this spiritual city embodies, we must examine the symbolic identities tied to it—namely Sodom and Egypt. These two places are not random; they were chosen deliberately to convey spiritual conditions that persist even today.

Sodom symbolizes rampant immorality, particularly the spirit of fornication. This isn’t merely about physical acts but about a deeper spiritual unfaithfulness to God. Sodom represents the defiance of divine order and the indulgence in sinful pleasures that dominate human societies. The same spirit that infected Sodom, leading to its destruction, continues to pervade the hearts of those who reject God’s truth in favor of worldly lusts.

On the other hand, Egypt represents bondage. It symbolizes the spirit of oppression and slavery, often unseen but powerfully present in people’s lives. These spiritual “slave masters” bind individuals through fear, sin, addiction, and false doctrine. Egypt is where God’s people once cried out under heavy burdens, and that spirit still keeps many trapped in spiritual darkness.

Together, Sodom and Egypt form the spiritual atmosphere of Babylon the Great. And just as these oppressive spiritual realities contributed to the crucifixion of Jesus, they will also play a central role in the persecution and death of the two witnesses in the end times. The same spirits of lust, idolatry, deception, and persecution continue to operate within the spiritual framework of this “great city”—Babylon.

The Fall Of Babylon

God, however, has already determined Babylon’s fate. Revelation declares its coming downfall with strong language:

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird.” (Revelation 18:2)

This proclamation signals not only the collapse of a city but the end of a corrupt spiritual system. God does not leave His people without instruction either. He commands a clear separation from Babylon:

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say: ‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)

This call to “come out” speaks to a spiritual exodus. Just as God called His people out of Egypt, He now calls believers out of spiritual Babylon—to be separate from its ways, its idols, and its sins. It is a summons to live holy and uncorrupted in the midst of a fallen dark world.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the “great city” described in Revelation is not a reference to physical Jerusalem, but rather to the spiritual realm of Babylon the Great. This city carries the same spiritual characteristics of Sodom and Egypt—symbolizing unfaithfulness, immorality, and bondage. In this symbolic place, Jesus was “crucified” through the rejection of truth, and in the same place, the two witnesses will also face death at the hands of those driven by these spirits. As followers of Christ, we are called to recognize this spiritual Babylon and to separate ourselves from it. Though Babylon may dominate the world for a time, its fall is certain—and God’s people must be ready to stand apart when judgment comes.

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