Mystery Babylon
Revelation 17:5 contains one of the few scriptures in the Bible where every word is capitalized. In other words, it is a very important scripture. But what does it mean? Revelation 17:7 states, “the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her.” In the book of Revelation, an angel refers to a prophet (click here to find out why). The only one who can reveal the whole mystery of the symbolism of Mystery Babylon, therefore, is a prophet. Here is the revelation taught by the 20th century prophet, William Branham, regarding:
Babylon: A city by another name
The Book of Revelation is a book of symbols, and every word has a meaning. When Jesus preached on earth, he spoke in parables, and every object in these parables had a meaning. Although known for his compassion, Jesus spoke in parables so that other people would not understand what he meant (Matthew 13:13). The book of Revelation is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and follows identically the pattern of parables and symbolism. Revelation 11:8 says, “the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This scripture is speaking of Jerusalem physically, but revealing its underlying immorality. When the book of Revelation speaks of Babylon, it is identifying the spiritual failures of historical Babylon - confusion, anti-god, idol worship – but is speaking of another city: Rome.
Rome: Sitting on Seven hills
The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson, 1976, s.v. "Rome"). The Seven Hills of Rome east of the Tiber form the heart of Ancient Rome. The original city was held to have been founded by Romulus on the Palatine Hill, and the other six hills are now called the Aventine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, and Caelian. The independent settlements on these hills began to unify into what is now known as Rome as the marshes between the hills were drained, and as inter-settlement religious games began to be held. While the Vatican Hill, Northwest of the Tiber River, is not one of the Seven Hills of Rome, this hill has been included within the city limits of Rome since Pope Leo IV (848 - 852 A.D.) expanded the city walls to protect St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican.
The Identity of the Woman
In the New Testament, Christ is referred to as the man, and the Church is referred to as the woman. It is in this context that Paul says in his letter to the Church at Corinth, "for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present [you as] a chaste virgin to Christ." (II Corinthians 11:2) The Woman, therefore, is a church. Based on Revelation 21:2 which says, "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband", church, woman, and city all refer to the same thing. That great city on which the woman sits is Rome, the city of seven hills. The woman, or church, of this city is none other than the Roman Catholic Church.
Why the Woman is called a Whore
A whore is someone who takes her relationship beyond her marriage vows. Paul cautioned the Corinthians not to corrupt their doctrine with the lies of the serpent. For a Church, accepting false doctrine is the equivalent of being a whore: it means leaving the scriptures to supplement God with traditions. Roman Catholic tradition requires its followers to call priests "Father", which was forbidden by Jesus (Matthew 23:9). Roman Catholic tradition also requires its followers to bow in reverance to images (icons) and statues (idols) of saints, which is forbidden by the scriptures (I John 5:21). But above all, the seduction of the Roman Catholic Church is its doctrine, called the "doctine of devils" (I Timothy 4:1) which, among other things, forbids to marry (at least for priests and nuns), and teaches to abstain from meats (traditionally, the only meat Catholics will eat on Friday is fish).
The Wine of Fornication
In the second century, the Church at Rome began disputing with the churches in the East about the method of celebrating Easter and communion, but was quieted by the personal intervention of Polycarp and Irenaeus. At the council of Nicea in 325, the Roman method of communion was adopted, and was thereafter enforced by Constantine and the Roman Empire. After St. Columba evangelized the Picts in what is now Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church sent its missionaries up, who disputed about the date of Easter and method of communion with the Celtic Christians until the Kings expelled the Ionian monks in favour of the Catholic monks. Throughout history, the Catholic church has been known to withhold and grant its form of communion for political reasons, for money, for discipline, and for other favours. William Branham prophecied that the Catholic Church would unite with the Protestant Churches on the method and form of Communion[1]. The fact that Rome's form of communion is called the "wine of fornication" reveals only one thing: her form of worship through communion is wrong.
A woman of Power
This immoral church, called the whore, sits upon many water, which represent many and diverse people. Not only does the whore have great religous power, it also has great political and economic power. Revelation 18 prophecies its demise, and says, "And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:" and, "for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived." (Revelation 18:11,23) The Roman Catholic Church's membership in 2005 was estimated at 1/6th of the worlds population, or 1.1 billion people.[2]. The Vatican is also a strong international diplomatic player, enjoying full diplomatic relationships with 176 different countries as of July 2007. [3] Most American Presidents visit the Pope at least once during their term in office, signifying the importance of the Catholic vote in the United States. The Bible calls this great city an attractive woman, as many were enticed by her promises of pleaseure and wealth. Revelation 18:3 says that, "all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies." Pope Leo X was quoted as saying "Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it." Solomon, however, advised against joining in her pleasure, saying, "For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword." (Proverbs 5:3-4)
A Woman of Wealth
The Vatican City is a city of great and ancient culture. In Rome, old pagan temples - priceless pieces of artwork and real estate - were converted into Cathedrals. Today, the Vatican city displays some of the World's most treasured sculptures and paintings, as well as architecture, gold, jewels, ancient artifacts, and literature. From the pavement to the ceiling, each building in the Vatican is a symbol of overwhelming excess and wealth. Revelations 18 says the following about the wealth of this city, that will be lost on its demise:
The Beast
The beast is the organization and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, including the Pope. The Beast that was: The Pagan Roman Empire, the great persecutor of the Christian Church. The Beast that is not, and yet is: The Papal Roman Empire, the second great persecutor of the Christian Church.
Dressed in Purple and Scarlet
Purple is the royal colour of Rome. While Pagan Rome was defeated thousands of years ago, Papal Rome continues today. The Pope often dresses in white, Bishops in Red, Cardinals in purple, and Priests in black. Some Papal tiaras are covered in gold and precious stones, as are many statues and figures within the Vatican City.
Names of Blasphemy
The Beast contains the spirit of the Antichrist. Revelation 13:8 says that, "all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The names of blasphemy is anything that removes the name of the King of Kings, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, from his rightful place as head of the church. Blasphemy also means to ridicule, and make fun of. One example of the names of blasphemy is the Catholic method of water baptism, in which a person is sprinkled in the Name of the Father, and in the Name of the Son, and in the Name of the Holy Spirit. The problem is that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not names. The Name that should be used is the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. A close reading of the book of Acts reveals that every baptism of the early church was performed in the Name of Jesus Christ, and not titles. Titles is a substitute, which is spiritual fornication and blasphemy. Another example of blasphemy is the hierarchy of Rome. The Bible instructs that Jesus Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:23). By inserting a Pope and congregation of cardinals between the Churches and Jesus Christ (ie. between the body and the head), the Roman Catholic Church offers the spiritual equivalent of the guillotine to its followers.
Guilty of the Blood of the Martyrs
Smucker's Glorious Reformation records that the Roman Catholic Church martyred 68,000,000 Christians during the Dark Ages and Reformation. Foxe's Book of Martyrs records a similar history of the brutality of the Catholic Church and its inquisitions. No other church or organization today can be said to be guilty of such massive extermination, and even the 6,000,000 who perished in the Holocaust is only 10% of this number. The Catholic Church is also the only religous organization with a standing army, the Papal Guards. Regardless of the size of this army, its past has been shared with the Templar knights, the Crusaders, and other organizations of more obvious brutality - all performing their crimes in the name of Christ with the Blessing of the Roman Catholic Organization.
The Harlot Daughters
The Catholic church was prophecied in the book of Revelation as the Great Whore, having mixed the gospel of God with the ideas of men. The Bible tells that she is guilty of the blood of the martyers, and sits in a city built on seven hills (Rome). The Bible also says that this woman is the Mother of Harlots. As the Mother of Harlots, the Catholic Church produced other churches which also mixed the gospel of God with the ideas of men. These Harlots are the Protestant Churches, some of which refer to the Roman Catholic Church as the "Mother Church".
Ten Horns
Unlike the ten horns in Revelation 13 which have crowns, these ten horns only have power as kings (i.e. they are dictators with the power of kings, but are not kings). According to Revelation 17:16, these dictators will ultimately "hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
The Fall of Rome
The whore, which is the Roman Catholic Church situated in the Vatican City, will be demolished in one day. William Branham prophecied that this would take place as part of an atomic attack on the city.[4] With the demolition of the Vatican City and its inhabitants will come and end to the myth of Apostolic Succession.
Footnotes
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