Mystery Babylon: who is this Great Whore?

In Revelation 17, which you can read by clicking here, a City is described as "Mystery Babylon." It is a city that "rules over the kings of the earth." Furthermore, it is a city that "sits upon many waters, is full of blasphemy [literally evil speaking], has prostituted itself with the kings of the earth, and has made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornication." John goes on to give us more clues. He says that she is a city that has committed abominations and filthiness and is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus Christ. She is seen riding in on the beast that has 7 heads and 10 horns but the 10 horns hate her, cast her off and destroy her.

SO WHO IS SHE?

Now, there has been much speculation among prophecy students and scholars, probably more so about this subject than any other, as to who this Great Harlot is and what the identity of this city is. Some have said that it is Rome, some the ancient city of Babylon and some New York City. Some say Rio de Janiero, Brazil and others Jerusalem. I believe you can easily narrow this down to one city only. But for the sake of speculation, I will give the cases for the 2 most logical and you can decide.

1. New York City. I first heard this theory in the mid 1990's while reading J.R. Church's book, The Guardians of the Grail and the Men who Plan to Rule the World. In that book, the case was laid out that the numerical value for New York City is 666. Furthermore, New York is a city that rules over the Kings of the Earth as it headquarters the U.N. It is full of blasphemies for it has many pagan statues and symbols the very least of which is the Statue of Liberty herself. You say, "How can Lady Liberty be a pagan statue?" Well, take a look at the picture above and tell me who it reminds us of? It is not a picture of the Statue of Liberty but of the Greek goddess Hera, who is the wife of Zeus. From studying biblical history, I have come to the conclusion that the worship of Zeus is synonymous with the worship of Satan. Furthermore, the flame is symbolic of bearing light, and the name Lucifer means "Light bearer." Throughout New York City, especially in the financial sector of Manhattan, you have all kinds of pagan "light bearers," including a statue of Promitheus in the Rockefeller Center, which is designed after the U.N. bldg as a shrine to David Rockerfeller, who admitted to being part of a "secret society whose goal was to bring about a one world govt." He admitted this when donating the land for the U.N. Furthermore, it has prostituted itself with the kings of the earth through commerce and finance and does sit upon many waters, both literally and symbolically (many peoples). So, there you have it. It must be New York, right?

Well, before we say definitively, we must look at the complete picture. The beast upon which the Harlot rides has 7 heads and 10 horns. The 7 heads represent 7 mountains or hills upon which the city sits; and the 10 horns are easily identified as teh 10 kings which will give rise to the Antichrist, spoken of by Daniel the prophet in Daniel 7. Was New York built upon 7 hills? There has been talk that Manhattan was originally built upon 7 hills, but I haven't been able to find definitive proof of this. Furthermore, it is a city that is drunk with the blood of the martyrs, and New York, although wicked and full of blasphemies, has not been known as a City where Christians have been martyred en masse. So is there another city that better fits the bill?

2. Rome - the Vatican in particular. Now, as I begin this, I know I will be accused of Catholic bashing. And I do not intend to do that. Furthermore, I realize that Protestants have a history as well that has been neither ideal, nor always Christlike. Protestants have fought and killed one another in the name of religion, and I realize this. But since Rome has always been known as "The City of the 7 Hills," I feel it is only fair and right to assume that it could be this "Mystery Babylon."

In 1994, Dave Hunt released a book entitled, A Woman Rides the Beast. In this book he makes a pretty strong case for Rome and the Catholic Church as this Great Whore who comes in riding the beast. First of all, 1 Peter 5:13 states, "The Church which is in Babylon greets you." Peter was obviously not writing from ancient Babylon, but was in Rome. Rome has long been known as Babylon as well as the City of the 7 hills. The City of Rome from the days of Nero on has been drunk with the blood of the martyrs whom he burned as candles in his garden and blamed the burning of the City upon which was actually started by himself. Then fast fwd to the days when the Church was in charge. The Catholic Church has been responsible for the death of more Christians than any other institution in history. While much can be made of their torture of the Waldenes, Albigenses, Hugenots and other Christians, one immediately thinks of the Spanish Inquisition. In a book published in Spain in 1909, Emilio Martinez wrote, "In one year, 1481, and in Seville alone, the Holy Office [of the Inquistion], burned 2000 people alone, the bones and effigies of another 2000...and 16,000 others were condemned to varying sentences." It is said that when Napolean's troops conquered Spain in 1809, the French troops, who themselves were used to torture and cruelty, found a torture chamber in a Monastery that was full of prisoners many naked and insane. The sight so sickened the troops that they tore the Monestery down, filled it with gunpowder and blew it up.

Back to this Mystery Babylon...it is said also to be full of blasphemies and fornication. Fornication in Scripture is always used in both a physical and spiritual sense. And no other City can be guilty of both physical and spiritual adultery than the one who embodies both, which is the Vatican. From Popes, claiming to be the Vicar of Christ, to Cardinals, to Monks, the system has given way to fornication of the basest sort. From adultery to pediphilia, anything has gone as their "doctrine of demons...forbidding to marry (celibacy)," which Paul spoke of in conjunctions with the last days in 1 Timothy 4:1-3, gave rise to the most wicked filth known to man with many including the Popes (Sergius III, John X, John XII, Benedict V, and Innocent VII, to name a few) have themselves violated. The richest instution on earth is this Catholic Church, and has used its wealth to gain political dominion throughout the earth. Christ, which had no place to lay his head, must certainly shake his head in disgust that this entity which would claim to be his bride, would conquer with the sword, persecuting the native in the Americas, the Phillippines, the Jews, and Moors alike. This "Church," which claims the title of the one true Church and claims to have the Vicar of Christ and successor to the Apostles as its head, can surely not be the Church that Jesus founded upon the Rock of Himself!

You say, ok, but what about the Pagan Statues and stuff. All the Catholics pray to Jesus and Mary and the saints. We could spend another post certainly on this topic, but all I will say, is that Alexander Hislop lays out the case that Roman Catholicism is the heir apparent of the Babylonian Mystery religion which was founded by Nimrod's son in the days shortly after the confusing of the languages at the Tower of Babel. The worship of the Mother and Son is found in Ancient Egyptian, Phonecian, Babylonian, and Chinese Paganism; and I believe as does he is at the heart of the deification of Mary by the Catholics. He lays this out in his book,The Two Babylons.

To this day, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens alike continue to come and bow before the Pope kissing his rings. As for the 10 kings which will arise to power in the last days, they will use this Harlot for their own gain until they are through with her at which time they will cast her off and destroy her. And it is obvious to me that that is what is taking place. The Pope recently warned Israel against using "obscure texts to claim rights to Palestine." What is so sad is that so many poor are being exploited in the name of Christianity.

When you go to Israel and see all these places where Christ once stood now with pagan shrines filled with gold statues where the poor from every nation come bowing and kissing the feet of these statues and giving their money for their upkeep, it makes you sick and full of righteous indignation. And rest assured there is a day of reckoning coming! To me, the identity is obvious. While New York is full of sin and may very well be about to come under the Heavy Hand of God's Judgment, Mystery Babylon is reserved for a City like Ancient Babylon that is known for being a Religious, Economic and Political entity, three in one, just as the Antichrist's Kingdom will be. And to me, that title can go to none other than the Vatican. God will avenge the Blood of the Martyrs! And while, I acknowledge that there are good people and true believers within the Catholic Church, I would say to them, "FLEE BABYLON TODAY!" Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord; and quit touching the unclean thing. Run to Jesus today, Our time is running out!!! MARANATHA!!!