I’ve never really understood how the identification of Babylon with Jerusalem is made, when the thread of imagery from Daniel through 2 Thessalonians to Revelation so strongly suggests a pagan power. What are the reasons for this?

I pointed out in The Coming of the Son of Man that the acts of judgment in the first part of Revelation (seals and trumpets) all draw on OT texts that describe judgment on Jerusalem, whereas the acts of judgment recounted in the second part (bowls) all draw on texts that describe judgment on Israel’s enemies. My argument, therefore, is that Revelation is a tale of two cities - three if you include the new Jerusalem that descends from heaven.

I’m also confused by your reading of the new creation at the end of Revelation. Does this belong to the ‘fundamental eschatological hope that we now have’ - and are these meant to be your words or mine? Or is ‘new creation’ a metaphor for the new covenant?