Like the other storylines, this mark of the beast storyline has its own unique characteristics, the first being that Babylon falls (Ch. 17), and then she is burned (Ch. 18).
One would think that the fall of Babylon and the burning of Babylon are the same thing, but they are not. The fall of Babylon is where she loses her footing, and the burning of Babylon is where she is shown no mercy by friends or foe. Thus, her burning is where she is pounced upon and completely devoured (Rev. 17:16).
In the world today, we see the economic system losing its footing. The next step is that she is eaten by conspiring nations (Rev. 17:12-13).
Nevertheless, Babylon has this coming for being the foundational cause of murdering the saints of God (Rev. 6:9-11, Rev. 17:6). And the Savior’s revenge upon her is stated in Rev. 18:20 and 19:2.
After the dust settles from the marriage of the 144,000, and avenging the saints of God against armies of the beast (Rev. 19:19-21) in the winepress (Rev. 14:17-20, Rev. 9:13-21). The new economy for man on the earth is the economy of God, as shown in the last chapter of this storyline, Chapter Twenty-One.
Thus, in Chapter Seventeen, Babylon falls, and in Chapter Twenty-One, the economy of God arises.
The focus of this fall of Babylon storyline is Chapter Twenty, where the bad guy is captured and contained, freeing the world from temptation. This period of his confinement is a thousand years. Afterwards, he is released for a short time to tempt man again.
Then the second resurrection comes for all the wicked. The first resurrection had taken place previously (Rev. 20:11-15).
This storyline is about economic failure (Ch. 17-18) and economic success (Ch. 19, 20, and 21).
For reference, it is during the economic failure that the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:11-18) ravages the world.
