She is portrayed as a harlot in the book of Revelation. She is a sorceress and a seductress. She is wealthy beyond imagination, controlling the masses, in bed with the kings of the earth, enabling the merchants of the earth to become rich, and riding a scarlet-colored political beast. She is drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the prophets, and the blood of all those slain on the earth. Who is this mystery woman, “Babylon the Great,” and why is her identity not being revealed? She is the most prominent figure in two chapters of the book of Revelation, and yet her identity remains a mystery. While tremendous attention and emphasis is given to the identity of the beast, the second coming of Christ, the rapture of the church, and the great tribulation, the harlot’s identity is conspicuously overlooked and ignored by most contemporary clergymen, preachers, and evangelists.
Revelation 17:1-6 states: “1 Then one of the seven angels who had seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, and I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers of the earth have become drunk.’ 3 And he carried me away in the the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; 5 and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of harlots and earth’s abominations.’ 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
Revelation 18:24 states: “And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
Solving the Mystery of Babylon the Great
Apostate Israel
In the Old Testament, apostate Israel was very often pictured as a harlot or prostitute. This was whenever Israel left the LORD God (Yahweh) and committed idolatry, immorality, and other abominations before the LORD.
Isaiah 1:21 declares: “How the faithful city (Jerusalem) has become a harlot, she that was full of justice!”
Jeremiah 2:20 states: “. . . Yes, upon every high hill and under every green tree you bowed down as a harlot.”
Jeremiah 3:1 states: “. . . You (Judah) have played the harlot with many lovers; and would you return to Me?”
Hosea 9:1 states: “Rejoice not O Israel! Exult not like the peoples; for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God.”
(Read also Ezekiel 16:1-43, Ezekiel Ch. 23, & Hosea 1:2)
Babylon the Great & the Apostate Church
It is therefore not surprising that many theologians and Bible scholars identify the whore of Revelation, “Babylon the Great,” as being the apostate church. Note what these sources have to say:
Unger’s Bible Dictionary states: “Babylon prefigures apostate Christendom, that is ecclesiastical Babylon, the great harlot. (Revelation 17:15-18)”
The Harper Study Bible states: “Some have thought it to be an ecclesiastical rather than a geographical symbol. In this view the Reformers thought it to be the Roman papacy, while later writers have held it to be an apostate Christendom at the end of the age.”
The New Scofield Reference Bible states: “Ecclesiastical Babylon is all apostate Christendom, in which the Papacy will undoubtedly be prominent; it may very well be that this union will embrace all the religions of the world.”
Wikipedia states: “Historical interpreters commonly used the phrase ‘Whore of Babylon’ to refer to the Roman Catholic Church. Reformation writers from Martin Luther (1483–1546) (who wrote On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church), John Calvin (1509–1564), and John Knox (1510–1572) (who wrote The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women) taught this association.”
Life, Hope, & Truth states: “In summary, we see that the Bible uses a faithful woman to picture God’s Church and an immoral woman to picture disobedience to God, or a false church. . . Considering all the biblical clues, many students of history and Bible prophecy have concluded this was the Roman Catholic Church, which led the Holy Roman Empire to bring great persecution and martyrdom on Christians who held to the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.”
1520: Luther writes To the Christian Nobility, on the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and The Freedom of a Christian; burns papal bull and canon law. Wikipedia states: “Luther accuses the Roman church and the papacy of keeping the church in captivity, equating Rome with the biblical Babylon that exiled the Israelites from their homeland, holding them captive in Babylon. According to Luther, the pope was holding the church in captivity through the use of the sacramental system and Rome’s theology.”
Babylon the Great & Rome
The question then might be asked, “Who did the early Christians believe Babylon the Great to be and how does this relate to the apostate church of the fourth century, often referred to as Christendom?”
Wikipedia states: “Many Biblical scholars believe that ‘Babylon’ is a metaphor for the pagan Roman Empire at the time it persecuted Christians, before the Edict of Milan in 313. . . Perhaps specifically referencing some aspect of Rome’s rule (brutality, greed, paganism). . . In 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and the Sibylline Oracles, ‘Babylon’ is a cryptic name for Rome. Reinhard Feldmeier speculates that ‘Babylon’ is used to refer to Rome in 1 Peter 5:13. In Revelation 17:9 it is said that she sits on ‘seven mountains,’ typically understood as the seven hills of Rome. A Roman coin minted under the Emperor Vespasian (ca. 70 AD) depicts Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills.”
According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: “The characteristics ascribed to this Babylon apply to Rome rather than to any other city of that age: (a) as ruling over the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:18); (b) as sitting on seven mountains (Revelation 17:9); (c) as the center of the world’s merchandise (Revelation 18:3, 11–13); (d) as the corrupter of the nations (Revelation 17:2; 18:3; 19:2); (e) as the persecutor of the saints (Revelation 17:6).”
According to Eusebius of Caesarea, Babylon would be Rome or the Roman Empire: “And Peter makes mention of Mark in his first epistle which they say that he wrote in Rome itself, as is indicated by him, when he calls the city, by a figure, Babylon, as he does in the following words: ‘The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, salutes you; and so does Marcus my son (1 Peter 5:13).'”
The History Of The Christian Church by Schaff, 1910 Edition states:
“He (John, of Patmos) describes the heathen Rome of his day as ‘the beast that ascended out of the abyss,’ as ‘a beast coming out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads’ (or kings, emperors), as ‘the great harlot that sitteth among many waters,’ as a ‘woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns,’ as ‘Babylon the great, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth.’ The seer must have in view the Neronian persecution, the most cruel that ever occurred, when he calls the woman seated on seven hills, ‘drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus,’ and prophesied her downfall as a matter of rejoicing for the saints and apostles and prophets. Recent commentators discover even a direct allusion to Nero, as expressing in Hebrew letters (Neron Kesar) the mysterious number 666, and as being the sixth of the seven heads of the beast which was slaughtered, but would return again from the abyss as Antichrist. But this interpretation is uncertain, and in no case can we attribute to John the belief that Nero would literally rise from the dead as Antichrist. He meant only that Nero, the persecutor of the Christian church, was (like Antiochus Epiphanes) the forerunner of Antichrist, who would be inspired by the same bloody spirit from the infernal world. In a similar sense Rome was a second Babylon, and John the Baptist another Elijah.”
The early Christian writer and martyr, Victorinus, wrote (260-270 CE): “The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman sitteth. That is the city of Rome.”
The above references indicate that the early Christians identified the harlot, Babylon the Great, as being the Roman empire. Although there are very few quotes from early Christian sources as to the identity of the harlot, there are many historical analogies that can be drawn, identifying the whore of Revelation and the beast that she rides as being Rome. Note the following:
The woman (Babylon the Great) sitting on many waters, indicated Rome’s power over the masses of humanity, peoples, tribes, nations, and tongues.
The woman (Rome) ruling over the kings of the earth and having relations with them.
The woman (Rome) sitting on seven hills or mountains, the seven hills of Rome.
The ten horns of Rome, representing the ten Roman emperors who persecuted the early church.
The woman (Rome) as the center of the world’s commerce and merchandise.
The woman (Rome) as the persecutor of the saints or holy ones.
The number of the beast or anti-Christ (666 in Hebrew and Greek), as applying to the Roman Emperor, “Nero Caesar.”
The death stroke of Nero, the sixth head of the beast, whose anti-Christ spirit would be reincarnated in succeeding Roman emperors who persecuted the early church.
How then did the identity of the whore of Revelation as being ancient Rome, transfer to that of being the papacy or fourth century church?
A Transfer Of Power
In 313 CE at the Edict of Milan, Constantine legalized Christianity, thereby lifting three hundred years of persecution of the early church. The persecution of the early church had originally started in 64 CE, under the Roman Emperor Nero. There were a total of ten persecutions launched against the early church, under ten Romans emperors. What may have outwardly appeared to have been a victory for the early church, was in reality a dark deception.
The Council of Nicea convened in the year 325 CE. The Roman Emperor Constantine presided over the council. Christian bishops from all over the Roman empire were invited to attend, with all expenses paid. Of the 1800 bishops that were invited to attend, only 250 to 318 were reported to have attended. This certainly was not a representation of the church in its entirety, nor did this small body of bishops (250-318) represent the theology of all those who chose not to attend. The fact that there were (approx.) 1500 bishops who chose not to attend, would certainly indicate that there was a reluctance on their part to meet with the pagan Roman Emperor at Nicea.
Early in his reign, Constantine had declared himself “Pontifex Maximus,” which means “the greatest or ultimate bridge builder.” The term, “Pontifex Maximus,” meant that he was the bridge between this world and the next, and high priest of the invisible sun. This title was held by the Caesars, beginning with Julius Caesar in 63 BC. As Pontifex Maximus, Julius Caesar presided over both the political state and the pagan religion of ancient Rome. He was emperor, having political authority over the state; and high priest, having religious authority over a pagan priesthood or college of pontiffs. In a similar manner, Constantine (as Caesar or Pontifex Maximus) was emperor over the state and high priest over the priesthood. This priesthood consisted of two orders; one being pagan and the other being Christian. The title, “Pontifex Maximus,” was later transferred to the Pope.
In 376 CE one of Constantine’s successors, the Emperor Gratian, refused the title of Pontifex Maximus.* His refusal to accept the title (Pontifex Maximus) was based on his conscience and his belief that it was unbefitting for a Christian to bear such a title. Emperor Gratian went on to prohibit traditional paganism in Rome.
On this point a Roman Catholic historian says: “Gratian (375-383) was the first emperor to sever the official bond linking paganism to the imperial power, by refusing to accept the insignia of Pontifex Maximus (chief priest of paganism). ‘Such a garment,’ he said, ‘is not becoming to a Christian.’ 7 Another papal historian observes : ‘The anomaly of the Catholic functioning as the chief priest of paganism was at an end.'”
Dr. Philip Schaff says: “Under the influence of Ambrose, bishop of Milan, this emperor (Gratian) went a step further. He laid aside the title and dignity of Pontifex Maximus, confiscated the temple property, abolished most of the privileges of the pagan priests and vestal virgins, and withdrew, at least in part, the appropriation from the public treasury for their support.” (Cod. Theod. xii. r, 75 ; xvi. 10, zo ; Symmach. Ep. x. 6i; Ambrose, Ep. xvii)
Subsequently in 378 CE, Damasus, Bishop of Rome, was elected Pontifex Maximus, being the first Pope to bear the title.* This title meant that as Pope, Damasus was Pontifex Maximus; Bishop of bishops, supreme pontiff, head of the pontiffs or priesthood (both pagan and Christian orders), and henceforth head of the Roman Catholic Church. Two years after his coronation, Pope Damasus declared that no one should be consecrated unless they held to the Nicene Creed.
The Roman Emperor Constantine was to remain unbaptized throughout his life. He was finally baptized on his deathbed by Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia.
Throughout his reign, Constantine certainly did not patronize Christianity alone. The arch of Constantine was erected in 315 CE. Images of the Goddess Victoria adorned the arch. At the dedication of the arch, sacrifices were made to Apollo, Diana, and Hercules. The images of anything Christian were conspicuously absent from the arch.
During his lifetime, Constantine murdered both his son (Crispus) by poisoning, and his wife (Fausta) in an over heated bath. Constantine would not hesitate killing his own relatives, when he thought it was necessary. Constantine put off baptism, until he was on his deathbed, so as to absolve himself of his many sins.
Practically speaking, Constantine was a savvy politician who merely wanted to unify his empire by merging paganism with Christianity. He put off baptism, because he had unfinished worldly business to attend to in securing his throne and empire. The Christian bishops, who attended Nicea, compromised their Christian faith and values in dealing with Constantine. The fact that Constantine put off baptism until he was dying, and that he had proclaimed himself Pontifex Maximus, should have been reason enough for the bishops to have severed any connection with him.
Summary
To say that politics played a vital role in the events surrounding the Council of Nicea and what transpired thereafter, would be an understatement! To say that there was an influx of paganism into the early Christian church as well as a deviation from Holy Scripture, would also be an understatement! As some historians have observed, what Satan could not destroy by the outright persecution of the early church, he later accomplished by entering through the back door of the fourth century church. The Council of Nicea marked a turning point in this regard, with the official influx of paganism, political power, and corruption into the church.
The Consequences of Nicea
The Pope, as “Pontifex Maximus,” eventually proclaimed himself to be the vicar or representative of Christ on earth. (Compare Matthew 23:10-11, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Galatians 1:6-9)
The Pope eventually claimed papal infallibility. (Compare 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
The establishment of the priesthood, which was patterned after the pagan priesthood or college of pontiffs in ancient Rome. (Compare 1 Peter 2:5-9)
The establishment of the nunnery, which was patterned after the vestal virgins of ancient Rome.
The forbidding of men and women to marry, by establishing mandatory vows of celibacy. (Compare 1 Timothy 4:1-4)
The confessing of one’s sins to a priest, rather than to God the Father. (Compare Matthew 6:6 & 9-13, James 5:16, Hebrews 2:17-18, 3:1, & 4:14-16)
In a spiritual sense, calling a priest “father,” and the Pope, “Papa” or “holy father.” (Compare Matthew 23:9)
The ritual repetition of the rosary or prayer beads, which are of Hindu and Buddhist origin. (Compare Matthew 6:7-8)
Forbidding men to eat certain foods, such as no meat on Fridays. This edict was originally in honor of the fish god Dagon and the two goddesses of sex and fertility, Venus and Ashtoreth (Easter). (Compare 1 Timothy 4:1-4)
The errant teaching that Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and somehow rose from the dead, three days and three nights later, on Sunday morning. (Compare Matthew 12:40, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
The establishment of Easter as a celebration in 325 CE. Easter was the name of the Babylonian goddess of sex and fertility; Ishtar, Ashtoreth, or Astarte, the queen of the heavens. She was originally known as Semiramis, the mother of Nimrod.
The merging of pagan fertility rites and symbols into the church, such as the rabbit and the egg. (Compare Galatians 5:7-9)
The establishment of Christmas as a celebration in 336 CE. December 25th was actually the celebration or birthday of the sun god, Saturn; also referred to as the winter solstice, festival of lights, or Saturnalia.
The merging of pagan rites and symbols into the church; the lights, tree worship (the evergreen), mistletoe, gift giving, revelries, drunkenness, and immorality, etc. (Compare Galatians 5:9 & 19-21 & 2 Corinthians 11:2-3)
The redefining of the doctrine of the trinity, from early Christian theology to post Nicene theology.
Early Christian Theology
1. The Son of God (Christ) was created or begotten, the first of God’s creative works, before the creation of the world.
2. Everything else was created through Him, by Him, and for Him.
3. There was a time when the Son did not exist.
4. The Son was not equal to the Father and was therefore subject to the Father.
5. God the Father was Almighty and unbegotten, both supreme and infinite.
Nicene Theology
1. The Father and Son were Coeternal.
2. The Father and Son were Coequal.
3. The Father and Son were of the same substance or being.
4. Both the Father and the Son were infinite, without beginning. (See Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, parts I-V)
The list goes on and on. Yet, in the light of all this evidence, the majority of Christian denominations (both Protestant and Catholic) vehemently defend the rulings of the Council of Nicea and the infiltration of paganism, man-made doctrines, traditions, and creeds that had entered the fourth century church.
At Matthew 15:8-9 Jesus said: “8 This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far removed (away) from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts (commands) of men.”
Historically speaking, all of this reeked with political power, corruption, and paganism. An enemy (Satan), during the night, had sowed weeds in with the wheat. (Rd. Matthew 13:36-43)
The Foretold Apostasy
The Apostles had foretold that this apostasy would take place.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 states: “3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first (the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christians has come), and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, the son of destruction (doom or perdition), 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so called god (that is called God) or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, (publicly, openly) displaying himself as being God.”
While this prophecy has an end-time fulfillment with the appearance of the Anti Christ, it also had a preliminary fulfillment when Constantine (as Caesar) declared himself Pontifex Maximus, head of the political state and the religious priesthood. Constantine, along with subsequent emperors and popes, bestowed upon himself a title and authority that belonged only to Christ. In this sense, he became an Anti Christ, seating himself in the temple of God (the church), and publicly declaring himself to be God (Pontifex Maximus)!
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states: “16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple (the church), and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and that temple you are.”
Eusebius, who witnessed the proceedings of the council of Nicea, described the entrance of Constantine: “himself proceeded through the midst of the assembly, like some heavenly messenger from God, clothed in rainment which glittered as it were with rays of light, reflecting the glowing radiance of a purple robe, and adorned with the brilliant splendor of gold and precious stones.”
The apostasy went on to involve the sanctioning of man made doctrines, creeds, and traditions, along with the adaptation of pagan customs, art, and philosophies into the church. This was also accompanied by the infusion of political power and moral corruption into the church.
In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul spoke of this future apostasy: “1 The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, 3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.” 1 Timothy 4:1-3
The Apostle Paul also prophesied: “3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers, in accordance with their own desires; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
The Apostle Peter warned: “1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” 2 Peter 2:1-3
Jesus said to His followers: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:16
James wrote to believers: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:4
All of those who compromised their faith and Christian standards during the fourth century, committed spiritual adultery and were in bed with the world. The apostasy or falling away from the faith was in full sway by the end of the fourth century. In the same way, we now see an end time apostasy unfolding. This is evidenced by the fact that many churches have deviated from the sound doctrine found in Holy Scripture and the original gospel.
Babylon the Great
As has already been established, many theologians, authors, and Bible scholars identify the whore of Revelation, “Babylon the Great,” as being the apostate church.
Revelation 18:4 states: “. . . for her sins (iniquities, crimes, and transgressions) are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities (sins, wickedness, and crimes) and calls them up for settlement (to mind).” (See Revelation 18:5-8)
When ancient Israel fell into apostasy and false worship, the prophets who were sent to her by God, referred to her as being a spiritual prostitute or adulteress woman. (See Isaiah 1:2, Jeremiah 2:20, & 3:1-11, Ezekiel 16:1-43 & Ch 23)
The merging of pagan Babylonian doctrines, customs, and traditions into the fourth century church, was an act of spiritual immorality and adultery. Historically speaking, all of the doctrines, customs, and traditions that infiltrated the fourth century church can be traced back to ancient Babylon. As a result, these same doctrines, customs, and traditions of Babylonish origin, were later transferred and adopted into the majority of denominations that exist today. This would also include those of the Protestant movement. In this sense, the church was no longer a chaste virgin betrothed to Christ, but an apostate harlot in bed with the world. (See Revelation 17:1-6, contrast Ephesians 5:22-27)
Christians are commanded to come out of anything that teaches or promotes Babylonian doctrines, traditions, and customs. God’s own word tells us to come out of the religious harlot, “Babylon the Great.” (Rd Revelation; Chapters 17, 18, & 19)
Revelation 18:4 states: “Come out of her my people, lest you take part in (receive part of) her sins, lest you share in (receive part of) her plagues.”
The Apostle Paul stated at 2 Corinthians 11:2-4: “2 For I feel a divine jealously for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent seduced (deceived) Eve by his cunning (craftiness), your thoughts (minds) will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ). 4 For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough (you are marvelously tolerant, you put up with it alright).”
“The Blood of the Prophets, the Saints, & All Those Slain On the Earth”
Following the Council of Nicea (325 CE) religious persecution broke out among Christians. In their classic II volume history of the world, The Story Of Civilization, historians Will and Ariel Durant devoted one book called The Age Of Faith, to the Medieval period between 325-1300 AD. In their book, the Durants wrote that more Christians were killed by their fellow Christians during the dispute over the meaning of the Trinity (342-343 AD) than were slain during all of the Christian martyrdoms of Pagan Rome (an estimated 1,000,000). Of the aftermath of the Council of Nicaea, noted historian Will Durant writes, “Probably more Christians were slaughtered by Christians in these two years (342-343 AD) than by all the persecutions of Christians by pagans in the history of Rome.” (The Story of Civilization, Vol. 4: The Age of Faith, 1950, p. 8) Atrociously, while claiming to be Christian many believers fought and slaughtered one another over their differing views of God!
Note what the following historic sources have to say in this regard:
“To enforce the decisions (about the trinity) of the Council of Nicea, Constantine commanded with the death penalty for disobedience…….”– A History of Christianity Volume 1 1997 Kenneth Scott Latourette
“The day was to come when the Nicene party won out completely and then the emperors, who wished to prevent any more such quarrels, decreed that one who denied the Trinity should be put to death.”-The Church of our Fathers – 1950, pg. 46
“The doctrine that Jesus Christ the Son of God was God the son was decreed by worldly and ecclesiastical powers. Men were forced to accept it at the point of the sword or else. Thus, the error of the trinity was propounded to the end that ultimately people believed it to be the truth. Thus Christianity became in essence like Babylonian heathenism, with only a veneer of Christian names.”— Forgers of the Word -1983 Victor Paul Wierwille
“When we look back through the long ages of the reign of the Trinity . . .we shall perceive that few doctrines have produced more unmixed evil.”– (A Statement of Reasons for Not Believing the Doctrine of the Trinitarians Concerning the Nature of God and the Person of Christ); by Andrews Norton; 1833
The conflict over the doctrine of the Trinity eventually succeeded in dividing the Roman Empire into two factions, East and West. Most historians leave this period of intense religious internecine warfare out of their descriptions.
On Sunday, March 12th, 2000, Pope John Paul II publicly asked God’s forgiveness for the sins of Roman Catholics throughout the ages, including wrongs inflicted on Jews, women, and minorities.
Pope John Paul II made many apologies. During his long reign as Pope, he apologized to Jews, Galileo, women, people convicted by the Inquisition, Muslims killed by the Crusaders, the inactivity and silence of many Catholics during the Holocaust (March 16, 1998) and for the execution of Jan Hus in 1415.
As was foretold in Revelation 18:24, the Babylonian whore was responsible for the slaughter of the saints, the prophets, and all those who dwell on the earth.
A popular figure given in 1897, by The Rationalist’s Manual by M. D. Aletheia, gave the death toll at 56 million:
“Let us look for a moment at the number of victims sacrificed on the altars of the Christian Moloch: — 1,000,000 perished during the early Arian schism; 1,000,000 during the Carthaginian struggle; 7,000,000 during the Saracen slaughters; In Spain 5,000,000 perished during the eight Crusades; 2,000,000 of Saxons and Scandinavians lost their lives in opposing the introduction of the blessings of Christianity; 1,000,000 were destroyed in the Holy Wars against the Netherlands, Albigenses, Waldenses, and Huguenots; 30,000,000 Mexicans and Peruvians were slaughtered ere they could be convinced of the beauties of the Christian creed; 9,000,000 were burned for witchcraft. Total, 56,000,000.”
As the Protestant movement took hold throughout Europe, many monarchs, both Protestant and Catholic, acted as tyrants in perpetuating the slaughter.
King Henry the VIII (1509-1547) executed hundreds of people (both Catholic, Protestant & radical Protestant) for heresy. King Edward the VI (1547-1553) executed a number of radical Protestants during his short reign. During her five-year reign as queen of England, Mary I (1553-1558), nicknamed, “Bloody Mary,” had over 300 religious dissenters (mostly protestant) burned at the stake in what are known as the Marian persecutions. Her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) also executed hundreds of people (both Catholic & Protestant) for their faith, although many of these were convicted of treason. The slaughter went on to involve successive English Royalty, which included Anglicans and Cromwellians as late as the year 1713.
The Apostle John wrote at 1 John 3:10-12: “10 By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.”
Jesus said, “By their fruits you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:20
Jesus also said, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” John 13:35
“Come Of Of Her My People”
This is a command given to all Christians, found at Revelation 18:4-5:
“4 Come out of her my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities (acts of lawlessness).”
The question for every believer is, “Will you come out of the harlot, known as Babylon the Great?” “Are you willing to come out of any religion, religious institution, or religious denomination that has adopted the doctrines, customs, and traditions of ancient Babylon into their theology?”
Note the curses that are to fall upon the Babylonish whore and all those who continue to have any connection with her.
Revelation 18:6-8 states: “6 Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. 7 As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, ‘A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,’ 8 so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
A political wild beast with seven heads and ten horns, the eighth king of Bible history, will turn on the harlot and destroy her. This beast will completely devastate the harlot, leaving her naked, and will eat up her fleshly parts and burn her with fire! God puts it into the hearts of men to carry out His purpose and be of one mind, by giving their royal power to the beast, until the words of God have been accomplished.
Revelation 17:11 & 15-18 states: “11 As for the wild beast that was and is not, it is an eighth (king) but it belongs to the seven, and it goes off to perdition (destruction). And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 15 And he said to me, ‘The waters that you saw where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled (accomplished). 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.'”
The kings of the earth, who committed fornication with her and lived in sensuality and luxury with her, will weep and wail when they see the smoke of her burning. Politicians will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, “Alas, alas, thou great city, thou mighty city Babylon! In one hour has thy judgment come.” Revelation 18:9-10
The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo and merchandise anymore. Businessmen, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off in fear of her torment and say, “Alas, alas for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! In one hour she has been laid waste.” Revelation 18:11-19
The fact that the political kings and commercial merchants of the earth weep and wail over the destruction of the harlot, Babylon the Great, helps one in identifying her as the religious element or faction of human society. She would most certainly represent the apostate church and also the many pagan religions, which have adopted Babylonish doctrines, customs, and traditions into their theology. That the identity of the harlot would include both Christian and pagan religions, is confirmed by many theologians, authors, and scholars.
The wild beast, along with the ten kings who give their loyalty to the beast, will demand that all of those on the face of the earth worship the beast and take its mark, signifying their loyalty. This will be a godless religion of a New World Order, which is hosted by a false prophet, who does signs in the sight of the beast to mislead all those who dwell on the face of the earth. All of those who take the mark of the beast will be thrown into the lake of fire and tormented forever and ever in the sight of the Lamb and His holy angels. Here is where the faith and endurance of the saints becomes evident; their refusal to take the mark (666) and worship the beast! The eighth king of Bible history (the beast), along with the ten kings who give their loyalty to the beast (the ten horns), will then war with the Lamb (Christ Jesus) and His holy angels at the coming of the Lord. The beast and the false prophet, along with the kings and armies of the earth, will then be thrown into the lake of fire and tormented forever and ever. (Rd. Revelation Ch. 13, 17, & 19)
Revelation 14:8-12 states: “8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion.’ 9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with aloud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.’ 12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints (holy ones), those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
Revelation 19:19-21 states: “19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against the rider on the horse and against his army (Christ). 20 And the beast was captured and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from His mouth (Christ); and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” (See Revelation 19:11-16)
True believers will come out of the whore, Babylon the Great! They will demonstrate their faith and endurance, by not worshiping the beast or taking its mark! They will inherit the kingdom and reign with Christ for a thousand years!
Daniel 7:27 states: “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; and all dominions shall serve and obey them.” (See also 1 Corinthians 15:53-54)
Revelation 20:4 states: “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
*Some historians site Emperor Gratian’s refusal to bear the title of Pontifex Maximus as taking place in 379 CE, and Pope Damasus’ inheriting the title of Pontifex Maximus as taking place in 380 CE.
*Red print is for variations of scriptural passages and/or for clarification.