Revelation chapter 17 informs believers of a Last
Days Universal Church disguised as a Christian institution, and being
located in the city of Rome. This last days religious Babel
would also be rooted in the ancient mysteries of the bygone
Babylonian styled mystic religious systems.
The earthly city of Jerusalem has historically prostituted itself
to the Babylonish system of this world, and thus was
lamented over by Jesus 2000 years ago because it did not recognize the time
of their special visitation from God. Rome has effectively overtaken the mantle of the
leadership of that institution called the Bride of Christ, but it has comformed
its teachings to that of the paganistic religious dogmas of the ancient Chaldean Mysteries.
Rome, as an empire has always been conscious of the enormous
value that religion plays as a unifying element among mankind. Rome historically used the religions of Mythology for the express purpose of solidifying a secular empire. Emperor Constantine formulated the political method of uniting
a monotheistic religion with secular politics to form the base
of an all-encompassing world empire.
The most astute leaders of government recognize
that the most efficient means of governing the vast and diverse masses of
people is through the means of religion. This is of
course exactly what the future Anti-Christ and his False Prophet will fully
accomplish on the earth during the Tribulation Period.
The Satanic conspiracy which will culminate with
the Antichrist at the head of a world empire must
by necessity be based upon a world-wide system of religion that is
in reality a counterfeit Christianity with a counterfeit
Christ to be adored.
Roman bishops carry the title of "Vicarius Christi"
which means instead of Christ, or Antichrist. This is
exactly the very definition promoted by the early church
and the writers of the Gospel to identify the seed of the serpent, the usurper of Christ.
Little wonder then, that we should be seeing the
Vatican involved with the political discussions pertaining to
possession of the city of Jerusalem in the ongoing
final status negotiations in the Mid-East Peace talks.
Alas, Rome is ill-fated to become a ruinous heap
without inhabitant, superceding the infamous carnage
of her religious sister, "Babylon". Indeed, it is the Roman system that is in view in the last days destruction of “Babylon the Great”. The New Jerusalem however
will one day fulfill its destiny as Gods City.
Mystery Babylon is mentioned in Revelation chapter
17:5. This mysterious woman riding a great beast is portrayed as being a
Harlot. Not only is this woman a harlot, but she
has daughters that are likewise involved in harlotry.
The essence of this entity being pictured as a
woman is of course synonymous with the New Testament review of
the true Church as being portrayed as the Bride of
Christ. In the same manner that the bride of Christ
is resplendent and faithful to her bridegroom; the
harlot woman is so pictured because she takes the
name of her bridegroom, but is most unfaithful to
him.
It should be evident for interpretational purposes
that this harlot woman is in fact an institutional church that
revels in the name of Christ, but has committed
spiritual fornication by compromising the teaching
of her first love. (Jesus)
This scriptural scenario leaves us with no option
but to identify the Mystery Lady as anything other
than a so-called Christian Church. Now, does the
Bible give us any more clues to what institutional
entity this might be? The answer is yes!
This false Christian bride has been historically
guilty of persecuting the loyal children of the bride-
groom. Revelation 17:6 identifies her as having
killed many of the true saints during the course of the "Church
Age", which culminated when Jesus returned home
to build a place for the Faithful Bride!
Also in Revelation 17:3 this Christian self-styled bride
is condemned for the religious offense of blasphemy.
Blasphemy would not be a charge of validity against
a religion other than Christianity because all other
religions do not pretend to be the Bride of Christ.
Further, Revelation 17:10 indicates that this whore
of a bride only came into existence after 5 previous
world kingdoms had come and gone. This harlot institution only
came into prominence then in the early stage of
the common Church era in conjunction with the Roman Emperors
which presided over the world political scene during the stage
of Christ's arranged Betrothal.
Revelation 17:4 accuses this woman of excessive
worldly lifestyles going so far as to enrich and
infatuate herself with wealth obtained by her paganistic
methods. She has exalted herself in the beauty
pageant of worldly doctrine and actually succumbed
to the point of involving herself in adultery, with the suitor who has
contended for her love against the one and only
Christ for Lordship over the human family on earth
and Heaven itself. He is none other than "Lucifer".
Still more evidence is given in Revelation 17:2,9.
The Mystery woman has worked in league with the
Kings of the Nations to entice people into illicit
religious institutions and religious practices for the express
purpose of manipulating the masses into submitting
to the Prince of this World, ( Antichrist / Satan ).
Finally the false christian Woman is shown to be logistically
residing upon seven mountains and would eventually
be geographically located in the same city that
ruled over the world in John's day ( ROME ), and
from there, eventually reigning over the Kings of the earth.
The seven mountains represent the seven world
kingdoms that have existed down through the
epic drama of human civilization since the days of
Nimrod at Babel, and mans world wide endeavor to develope a
utopian world without God. This fact also indicates that the religious
system of the end times has been in existence from
ancient time!
Revelation 18:2-10 further conveys that this Woman of Harlotry
actually originated long ago in ancient Babylon and has historically been
guilty of exacting great wealth, devotion, and power
from the sea of humanity, by selling passages into Heaven.
She claims to be a "Queen", an actual mate of the Heavenly King!
She also claims that she is specifically not a widow, which
indicates she has a Bridegroom that is conspicuously
absent, yet he is still with her, and feeds her sensual lust!
Jeremiah chapter 44 goes into explicit detail about
this woman who claims to be a QUEEN; and there God
makes it quite clear that this self-styled Queen of Heaven, is
no Lady.