As we stop and listen to Him, by reading His Word daily, we can move from "distress to deliverance", as did Habakkuk. One very interesting thought before we conclude, the ultimate destruction of Babylon, modern-day Iraq, will take place after the Anti-christ sets up his worldwide political, economic, governmental kingdom in that "literal" city of Babylon (Revelation 18 and 16:17-21 ).

All that we see going on in Iraq today is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled, seemingly in the near future. But remember, the total destruction of Babylon takes place just before Jesus comes back to Earth and steps down on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. -- Jimmy DeYoung
http://devotional.prophecytoday.com/2020/04/habakkuk-318-19.html

I am in disagreement with Futurist, like Jimmy DeYoung, Thomas Ice and others that a literal, future Babylon has to exist before Jesus' return.

I am accused of taking the Historicist position that Europe, the Revived Roman Empire, is figuratively Babylon mentioned in Revelation.

[quote]Some Historicist adherents of a symbolic view would hold up either the political city of Rome or the ecclesiastical papacy of Rome and look to either the decline of the Roman Empire or the fall of Roman Catholicism as the fulfillment of the prophecy. Here again, the details provided do not align with the reality of historical record. - Theopedia

It appears to me that the issues related to the Olivet Discourse and the identity of Babylon in the New Testament, for example, are holdovers from the historicist interpretative

approach that dominated Protestant eschatology from about 1525 until around 1800. -- Thomas Ice [end quote]

I have never been a Historist, nor influenced by Historist interpretation of Revelation for my understanding.

There is scriptural reasons to take the figurative approach:

Their bodies will lie in the public square of the great city—which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt—where also their Lord was crucified. Revelation 11:8

Notice in the text Jerusalem is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt. This city is compared to these godless kingdoms.

your mother will be greatly ashamed;

she who gave you birth will be disgraced.

She will be the least of the nations—

a wilderness, a dry land, a desert. Jeremiah 50:12

They come like men in battle formation

to attack you, Daughter Babylon.

The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,

and his hands hang limp.

Anguish has gripped him,

pain like that of a woman in labor. - Jeremiah 50:43

Notice the figures of speech used....Mother Babylon, King of Babylon and they have an off spring called "the daughter of Babylon.

Revelation 17 is full of symbolism about Babylon.

The name written on her forehead was a mystery:

Babylon the great

the mother of prostitutes....

Time will not permit me to develop this further, what is mentioned is that an allowance can be made from the scriptures using the literal futurist method without the Historicist method.

I frame it this way:

If the rapture were to happen between now and ten years, then literal Babylon is not ready to fulfill prophecies concerning her. Only Europe as the Revived Roman Empire could as a figure of Babylon can fulfill these prophecies.

If the rapture were to happen in ten years or more, then that would be enough time for literal Babylon to rise to prominence on the world stage to fulfill these prophecies.