It appears a political kingdom CAN be referred to as carrying on spiritistic practices.
I am in complete agreement with this statement. I can personally associate the phrase "spiritistic practices" with the word religion.
What did all of the cities/kingdoms that were associated with Babylon and thus destroyed by God have in common? - A lot of them were wealthy and greedy, but more importantly they were idolatruos, pagan, and hated God's people the Jews. The latter is why God came against them.
In Rev. 17, "Mystery Babylon" is described and equals a religious entity.
In Rev. 18, Babylon the Great is described as a literal place,...a city, of wealth and commerce.
Is there a connection between the two? More than likely yes, they are associated. A religious entity needs a city for its headquarters. Does this mean the entire city is based on this religion. No, not necessarily. A city still needs to operate commercially. In fact,...Rev 18 says that this is going to be a very wealthy city.
As far as ancient Babylon is concerned it was a literal city on the Euphrates river; right after the flood (Genesis 11:1-10), Babylon was the seat of the civilization that expressed organized hostility to God. Babylon was later the capitol of the empire that cruelly conquered Judah. Babylon, to the Jews, was the essence of all evil, the embodiment of cruelty, the foe of God’s people, and the lasting type of sin, carnality, lust and greed. To those familiar with the Old Testament, the name Babylon is associated with organized idolatry, blasphemy and the persecution of God's people. In the New Testament, the worlds system of the last days is characterized both religiously and commercially as Babylon (Revelation 17 and 18). Therefore, Babylon is a suitable representation . . . of the idolatrous, pagan world-system in opposition to God.
Enough about my take on these prophecies,....I want to know, in your opinion, how the US fits into all this.
Please answer my questions:
If the USA is the harlot, then who are the "martyrs of Jesus' that she has killed? Who has she fornicated with? What nations is she presiding over? Sure, she is a superpower,...and a major world influence, but is she really presiding over nations? How are the colors purple and scarlet associated with the US? What do the seven hills/mountains refer to?
How is the US riding the Beast (Russia)? We are more powerful than Russia at this moment,...but are we really controlling Russia? The Beast uses the Harlot to his advantage and then discards her. How is Russia using the USA to its advantage?
How do you reconcile that the USA is not a city?
If the beast is in existence (like you say it is),...then that means the 10 kings have to be in existence too,...so in your scenario,...who are the ten kings?