Empire. If Babylon represents Israel, the fulfillment took place in A.D. 70 and part of the purpose of the book is to encourage its first recipients that apostate Israel would be punished. Equating Babylon with the Roman Empire assured the early Christians that their persecutor would be judged. This interpretive scheme limits the message to the early church and confines judgment to a specific time and place, whereas Revelation speaks of universal judgment. The historicist view has many versions based