What is “Mystery Babylon” and her connection to the Antichrist?

[Enoch111]

MYSTERY BABYLON IS A CITY AS WELL AS AN IDOLATROUS RELIGIOUS SYSTEM

Revelation 17 describes Mystery Babylon. But the key to understanding what Mystery Babylon is has been placed at the end of this chapter in verse 18: And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. So Mystery Babylon is in fact a city which was ruling -- and continued to rule -- over the kings of the earth. Furthermore it is a city which sits on seven mountains or hills: And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth (v 9).

There was only one city on seven hills from which the kings of the earth were controlled, and that is the city of Rome in Italy. At its height, the Roman Empire extended all the way from England down to Arabia, and every country surrounding the Mediterranean Sea was ruled by Rome. Daniel described the Roman empire about 500 years before it come into existence: After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns... Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.(Dan 7:7,23)

After the fall of Rome, the bishop of Rome (the Pope, also called Pontifex Maximus) ruled those countries from the Vatican from the 4th until the 19th century, when the Holy Roman Empire came to an end. In the Bible idolatry is presented as spiritual fornication, since it involves false gods and idols. We see that this is also how Mystery Babylon is described. And idolatry became integral to the Catholic Church.

1. SHE IS A THE GREAT WHORE: THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication... And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Rev 17:1,2,4,5)

Idolatry entered into the church of Rome through Constantine, who tried to blend Christianity with paganism. And the ancient practices of Babylonian idolatry, which had come down to Greece and Rome, entered into the Roman Catholic Church. This is documented in the History of the Church by Philip Schaff , written in the 19th century, as well as The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop.

The history of the relationship of the kings and nobility of Europe with the popes confirms that they sold many privileges to those kings in exchange for their submission to Rome. They therefore committed fornication with Rome. In the Middle Ages, the popes became the most powerful figures in Europe, since they presented themselves as the Vicar of Christ – God’s representative on earth. They even made salvation dependent upon submission to the pope, and kings kissed the pope’s feet.

2. SHE IS DRUNK WITH THE BLOOD OF SAINTS AND MARTYRS
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. (Rev 17:6)

While the Roman Empire stood, Rome killed hundreds, perhaps thousands of Christians. But after the Catholic Church gained power, it persecuted Bible-believing Christians, and killed many. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is a record of the martyrdom of Christians at the hands of Rome. While pagans, Goths, and Vandals did persecute Christians, we need to focus on papal persecutions. The Waldensians and Albigensians, as well as Christians during the Reformation were martyred and killed by the Catholic Church. John Wycliffe, John Huss, Jerome of Prague, etc were prominent Christians severely persecuted by Rome, and WilliamTyndale was burned at the stake after being strangled. Horrible crimes were also committed against Protestants in the valleys of Piedmont in the 17th century.

3. SHE WILL BE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THE ANTICHRIST AND HIS KINGDOM
The kingdom of the Antichrist (the Beast) is closely connected to the former Roman Empire, and will also be closely connected to the church of Rome. There will be ten nations from around the Mediterranean Sea (probably European) which will be allied to him, and the Catholic Church will be connected to both those nations as well as the coming Antichrist. Which could mean that these countries will be primarily Catholic, but they will eventually turn against the Catholic Church and become loyal to the Antichrist.

Three of those nations will be destroyed by the Antichrist, who will then become the “Little Horn” of Daniel’s prophecy. The Little Horn will be the Arch Blasphemer of God, yet he will be worshiped by all the inhabitants of the earth. The Antichrist will gather many nations from around the word for the battle of Armageddon, and fight against the Lord Jesus Christ (the King of kings and Lord of lords) but the Lamb will overcome all of them with the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His Coming. All of this is described in Revelation 17:3, 7-16.

 

[Randy Kluth]

I do not personally believe the Harlot is the RCC. However, I do believe she was Rome. John was given to use a name of mystery and riddles so that the church could know of whom he spoke without alerting his Roman captors. "Babylon" was used as a symbol of Rome, since the 4 Beasts of Dan 7 began with Babylon. The 7 kings, represented by the 7 heads of the Beast, represented 7 pagan kingdoms in Israel's history, the 6th being Rome, the kingdom that "is."

The Antichrist, the Little Horn of Dan 7, will rule over 10 kingdoms and 7 kings, because he will put down 3 of the kings, leaving 3 kingdoms without kings. But none of this indicates Rome will be represented by the RCC.

In reality, the Harlot was fulfilled by pagan Rome, who only later converted to Christianity. There was nothing wrong with Charlemagne reviving the Holy Roman Empire together with the RCC. A Christian Theocracy existed in the Eastern Empire for a thousand years. Imperfections aside, there is no better political system than a Christian one!

Rome has had a continued existence since ancient Rome, existing, as you indicate, in a new religious form. After it Christianized it continued in the form of the Holy Roman Empire. And later, it divided between Protestants and Catholics in the West. In the East, the Greek Empire eventually transitioned to the Russian Empire.

I do believe the 2nd Beast of Revelation 13, the False Prophet, will have 2 horns, representing 2 branches of this religious system. Perhaps it will represent a new pagan religion that encompasses both Eastern and Western sections of the old Roman Empire?

But I do believe this new religious system will be pagan, and not Catholic. Rome itself is burned by the Antichrist and by his Empire. Since the Antichrist deifies himself, he will not tolerate Christianity even in its Catholic form. This will be a pagan religion, in my opinion.

 

[Timtofly]

But I do believe this new religious system will be pagan, and not Catholic.

I would not call the Reformed Theology pagan, but really really close. That is what replaced Catholicism historically. That is the only major religion taking over all churches today. I doubt another pagan religion will change the world in a year. A Holy Spirit revival in our churches overcoming Reformed Theology could happen in months.

 

[Randy Kluth]

I would not call the Reformed Theology pagan, but really really close. That is what replaced Catholicism historically. That is the only major religion taking over all churches today. I doubt another pagan religion will change the world in a year. A Holy Spirit revival in our churches overcoming Reformed Theology could happen in months.

I believe there are problems with Reformed Theology, but I can't denounce it, since there has been so much that historically has contributed to Christianity. What about it are you most concerned with?

 

[Timtofly]

I believe there are problems with Reformed Theology, but I can't denounce it, since there has been so much that historically has contributed to Christianity. What about it are you most concerned with?

Limited Atonement. Satan enjoys the fact that lots of people are taught they belong to Satan.

 

[Randy Kluth]

Limited Atonement. Satan enjoys the fact that lots of people are taught they belong to Satan.

I can certainly see why you would take issue with that. Not saying what I believe, though, because I think it depends on how you're looking at it.

I would agree with you that Christ's atonement covered all sin. But how effective is that atonement if people don't make use of it by repenting and by choosing to identify with Christ--if they don't accept the gift of the Spirit and the gift of Christ's righteousness?

I would say that severely limits the *effectiveness* of Christ's atonement. But neither would I say that Christ didn't die for everybody.

 

[Davy]

The Babylon Harlot city is not Rome. It is Jerusalem. There are certain Revelation pointers that reveal it.

1. The "great whore" sits upon "many waters" (Rev.17:1) -- the "waters" represent those of Rev.17:15 about peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues. It's about a one-world beast kingdom, which is what the 1st beast in Rev.13 is about.

2. The symbolic "woman", which is a "great city" per Rev.17:18, sits upon a scarlet colored beast that has seven heads and ten horns -- this beast she sits upon is the 1st beast of Rev.13, a kingdom beast having ten horns, seven heads, and ten crowns.

3. The beast kings idea in Rev.17 then parallels the beasts of Daniel 7 -- Rev.13:2 points back to the beasts of Dan.7 about the 1st beast, a kingdom structure. And Dan.7 points to the statue image pieces in Neb's dream of Dan.2. The ten kings are represented in the final statue piece to be destroyed at Christ's coming per Dan.2. That final image piece is made of part iron and part clay represented by the feet of ten toes.

4. Rev.17:6 reveals this great city is responsible for the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. This was written in late 1st century through Apostle John, so that points this to Jerusalem which slew the prophets (Matthew 23:37).

5. The beast king idea in Rev.17 points back to the "little horn" prophecy for the end in Daniel 7 & 8. He is the beast king that comes up among the ten kings (of Rev.17:12-13) and subdues 3 kings. The Daniel prophecy involves Jerusalem as the "great city" where the little horn will end the daily sacrifice and place the transgression of desolation, i.e., an idol abomination in the temple at Jerusalem.

 

[Enoch111]

The Babylon Harlot city is not Rome. It is Jerusalem.

Since Jerusalem has NEVER reigned over the kings of the earth, you can forget about Jerusalem. Even in its heyday the united kingdom of Israel ruled only over Israel.

 

[Davy]

Since Jerusalem has NEVER reigned over the kings of the earth, you can forget about Jerusalem. Even in its heyday the united kingdom of Israel ruled only over Israel.

No, we will NOT.. forget about Jerusalem. The reign of the symbolic 'woman' of Rev.17 has not happened yet, so your historical reference is totally irrelevant.

When the final Antichrist beast king shows up, THEN he will reign over the ten kings of Rev.17, which are the ten horns of the Book of Daniel. Jerusalem is where the "abomination of desolation" for the end is prophesied to occur, not Rome. And the "seven mountains" are areas of the earth, not hills, because the scope of reign in Revelation is over ALL nations and peoples. If you say that's Rome, then folks will know you're telling a fib.

 

[Enoch111]

No, we will NOT.. forget about Jerusalem. The reign of the symbolic 'woman' of Rev.17 has not happened yet, so your historical reference is totally irrelevant.

There are many other reasons why Rome -- and not Jerusalem -- is the whore and mother of harlots. They are all spelled out in Revelation 17. Furthermore, you are ignoring Daniel's prophecy about the fourth beast which every commentator connects to Rome. Those four empires depicted by Daniel were the Babylonian, Medo-Persia, Grecian, and Roman empires. And Rome controlled all the nations around the Mediterranean for a very long time.

 

[Davy]

There are many other reasons why Rome -- and not Jerusalem -- is the whore and mother of harlots. They are all spelled out in Revelation 17. Furthermore, you are ignoring Daniel's prophecy about the fourth beast which every commentator connects to Rome. Those four empires depicted by Daniel were the Babylonian, Medo-Persia, Grecian, and Roman empires. And Rome controlled all the nations around the Mediterranean for a very long time.

No, there are no pointers to Rome in Rev.17. They all point to Jerusalem, just as Rev.11 tells us Jerusalem is the "great city".

In Rev.17 like I showed, the symbolic woman ("great city") sits upon ten horns and seven heads, and upon many waters, which are all peoples (i.e., nations). That isn't Rome. Rome is not going to be the global rule of the whole planet. The Antichrist wants Jerusalem, and that is where the prophecies of the end all culminate, even as given by Lord Jesus in Matthew 24 about the "abomination of desolation". Rev.11 reveals another built temple with those worship within, and the Gentiles treading the holy city for 42 months, with the dragon in power per Rev.13 for 42 months. That's about the coming Antichrist. The "dragon" is another title for Satan himself. He wants to be The GOD, and Jerusalem is where God had declared He will dwell forever! It's about JERUSALEM!

 

[Bobby Jo]

... what a powerful Topic. It's too bad they're short one blind man and an elephant.


Maybe if we had a young child they could solve what these "experts" miss.
Bobby Jo

 

[quietthinker]

No, there are no pointers to Rome in Rev.17. They all point to Jerusalem, just as Rev.11 tells us Jerusalem is the "great city".

In Rev.17 like I showed, the symbolic woman ("great city") sits upon ten horns and seven heads, and upon many waters, which are all peoples (i.e., nations). That isn't Rome. Rome is not going to be the global rule of the whole planet. The Antichrist wants Jerusalem, and that is where the prophecies of the end all culminate, even as given by Lord Jesus in Matthew 24 about the "abomination of desolation". Rev.11 reveals another built temple with those worship within, and the Gentiles treading the holy city for 42 months, with the dragon in power per Rev.13 for 42 months. That's about the coming Antichrist. The "dragon" is another title for Satan himself. He wants to be The GOD, and Jerusalem is where God had declared He will dwell forever! It's about JERUSALEM!

Be certain that Jesus' lament does not apply to you......'As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace!But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.…'

 

[Davy]

Be certain that Jesus' lament does not apply to you......'As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace!But now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side.…'

Don't listen to the blind leaders of the blind.

Jerusalem has been sieged something like 27 times in its history. There is one more FINAL siege of Jerusalem coming at the end of this world. And that is what Christ's Olivet discourse in Luke 21 is covering, because the "days of vengeance" (Luke 21:22) is about the sudden destruction on the "day of the Lord" (2 Peter 3:10; Isaiah 61:2), which is the LAST day of this present world.

 

[Timtofly]

It is the last day of Adam's 6000 year punishment. Then immediately follows the last 1000 year period on earth. Humans alive and born in the last 1000 years will know and experience what would have been, if Satan had not sifted Adam's descendants like he was allowed to do to Job and his children. Job was a single human set as an example of what God allowed Satan to do with Adam and his family for 6000 years.

 

[quietthinker]

Don't listen to the blind leaders of the blind.

Jerusalem has been sieged something like 27 times in its history. There is one more FINAL siege of Jerusalem coming at the end of this world. And that is what Christ's Olivet discourse in Luke 21 is covering, because the "days of vengeance" (Luke 21:22) is about the sudden destruction on the "day of the Lord" (2 Peter 3:10; Isaiah 61:2), which is the LAST day of this present world.

Missing the point is like pedalling backwards. There is a principle Jesus is speaking of here as well....it is that which is addressed.

 

[Davy]

Missing the point is like pedalling backwards. There is a principle Jesus is speaking of here as well....it is that which is addressed.

I'm not a Jew, so what you 'tried to quote' Jesus about doesn't apply to me, for that was meant for Jerusalem and those. But what I point to in my response to you does... apply to you and for the end of this world, and not only about Jerusalem. So you might try better to stay on topic, which of course has been about the Luke 21 events.

 

[Bobby Jo]

... The reign of the symbolic 'woman' of Rev.17 has not happened yet, so your historical reference is totally irrelevant.
When the final Antichrist beast king shows up, THEN he will reign over the ten kings of Rev.17, which are the ten horns of the Book of Daniel. ...

Certainly Rev. 17 is not fulfilled in the sequence of Roman emperors. Both Scripture and History disprove that nonsense:

The “Abbingdon Bible Commentary” offers a candid opinion regarding John’s purported present tense setting and the sequence of Roman Emperors:

“[The] five of whom are fallen [presumes John’s work to be written in] Vespasian’s reign. Titus is to come, but only to last for a short time. Perhaps the writer knew of the hopeless condition of Titus’ health. He is therefore either using a literary convention, and assuming an earlier date than is the fact to give his words the force of a prophecy concerning Titus, or, more likely, he is using here material written in Vespasian’s reign which partly suits his purpose and partly not; for there are very good reasons for thinking that this book was written, not in Vespasian’s reign, but in Domitian’s.”[1]

[1] Eiselen, Frederick, Edwin Lewis, & David Downey, The Abingdon Bible Commentary, Abingdon Press, NY, 1929, p. 1392​

However, you have no clue as to the "seven mountains" and thus have no clue as to the "seven kings" and the "eighth which was and is not". Therefore you cannot assess ANY historical time line veracity. Furthermore, you have no clue as to the Rev. 13 Beast, so again you cannot assess ANY historical time line veracity.

But other than not knowing what you're talking about, we're MORE than interested in whatever else you don't know.
Bobby Jo

 

[Davy]

Certainly Rev. 17 is not fulfilled in the sequence of Roman emperors. Both Scripture and History disprove that nonsense:

The “Abbingdon Bible Commentary” offers a candid opinion regarding John’s purported present tense setting and the sequence of Roman Emperors:

“[The] five of whom are fallen [presumes John’s work to be written in] Vespasian’s reign. Titus is to come, but only to last for a short time. Perhaps the writer knew of the hopeless condition of Titus’ health. He is therefore either using a literary convention, and assuming an earlier date than is the fact to give his words the force of a prophecy concerning Titus, or, more likely, he is using here material written in Vespasian’s reign which partly suits his purpose and partly not; for there are very good reasons for thinking that this book was written, not in Vespasian’s reign, but in Domitian’s.”[1]

[1] Eiselen, Frederick, Edwin Lewis, & David Downey, The Abingdon Bible Commentary, Abingdon Press, NY, 1929, p. 1392​

However, you have no clue as to the "seven mountains" and thus have no clue as to the "seven kings" and the "eighth which was and is not". Therefore you cannot assess ANY historical time line veracity. Furthermore, you have no clue as to the Rev. 13 Beast, so again you cannot assess ANY historical time line veracity.

But other than not knowing what you're talking about, we're MORE than interested in whatever else you don't know.
Bobby Jo

The Rev.17 eight kings are not about all Roman emperors. The only Roman emperor represented was the idea of the 6th king with, "and one is", which was the ruler over the Romans empire in Apostle John's days.

Rev 17:10-11
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
KJV

The Rev.17:11 verse gives us a clue of who all those 8 kings are about. Instead of listening to men's doctrines, you might instead listen to The Word of God, because the previous Rev.17:8 verse gave you info about the identity of that verse 11 beast king. And since he was also 'OF' the seven, that's a revealing Message too of the identities of the past kings, and even the false king loosed at the end of Christ's future Millennial reign of Rev.20.

 

[Bobby Jo]

...

Now if you could explain why Rev. 12 says SEVEN Diadems, and why Rev. 13 says TEN Diadems, -- maybe we could get somewhere ...

Bobby Jo