The Whore of Babylon
I would like to see people's opinions on the historicist interpretation of the Book of Revelation, which states that the Church of Rome is Babylon, mother of harlots and abominations upon the earth. Rather than focusing on all the misguided practices of the Catholic Church (that would take a whole discourse, far too much there for one post), instead I am focusing here on the Book of Revelation as indentifying Rome for what it is. You don't hear a lot of this position nowadays, people are too fascinated trying to identify American Presidents or Muslims leaders as the antichrist. However, such interpretations just don't stack up. Nowadays, the historicist interpretation is very limited, seen only in the more conservative Reformed circles and also in the Seventh-Day Adventist church. Anyway, from the evidence given below, I think it is hard to deny the Church of Rome is Mystery Babylon the Great, and will give rise to the antichrist when he comes. From what I can see this should be obvious from the Book of Revelation, but sadly Rome is wielding a new sword in the form of ecumenical work, and has inflitrated once sound churches to enslave their congregations with all the trappings of Popery. Anyway, below is my case:
1. 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 (Rev 17:1)
This is the first clue as to the identity of Babylon. In prophetical language, a false or unfaithful church is called a harlot or a whore, both in the OT and the NT, and so immediately it is clear that Babylon is not just a malicious power to Christians, but a false and deceitful church. Mariology, prayers to saints, the veneration of angels, worship of idols and relics... these are all signs of unfaithfulness to Christ, and the Roman Catholic Church has institutionalised every one of them. Also, the bit about sitting upon many waters means having influence over many people in Bible prophecy, which the Roman Catholic Church (the RCC from now on) undoubtedly does.
2. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arayed 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 (Rev 17:3-4)
Again, here all the clues point towards the RCC being this woman, Mystery Babylon the Great. Purple and scarlet are the most prominent colours to be used outwith the lower ranks of the RCC, and at any gathering in the Vatican the Pope is surrounded by a sea of scarlet and purple.
Just as Babylon is described, so too are the clergy, leaders, and buildings of the RCC decked with gold and precious stones.
3. 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)
This point hardly needs any further explanation when it comes to the RCC. The persecution with which Rome has sought to remove its enemies has taken many different forms. Most famous is the Inquisition, and besides this you have the brutal suppression of any new religious ideology seen as a threat to Roman power. Even prior to the Reformation the RCC crushed any opposition, be it from the Cathars, Hussites, Wycliffians etc. As the Reformation progressed, Rome would promise to uphold kings through its episcopal hierarchy, enforcing dogmas supporting the divine right of kings, and giving support to attrocities such as the St. Bartholomew Days massacre, and the Killing Time in which thousands of Scottish Covenanters were executed by the closet Papist Charles II. There is no doubt that the Roman Church has claimed the lives of far more honest Christians than any other single church could ever aspire to.
4. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Rev 17:9)
Here, the seven heads of the beast on which the woman (the harlot church) is said to sit are said to be representative of seven hills. Again, this points blatantly to the city of Rome, which is as far as I know the only great city to be famous for being built upon seven hills. This is so obvious there's not really much I can add to it.
5. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. (Rev 17:18)
To remove any doubt, Babylon is said to be synonymous with a single city. Where else could this be, but the city of Rome? What other city on earth is synonymous with the church based in it? The city of Rome is the seven hills on which the RCC, the harlot church, sits. No other city could have been said to "reigneth over the kings of the earth" in John's time when he wrote the Book of Revelation.
In fact, the city of Rome itself is identified at numerous points throughout the NT as being the new Babylon, that would persecute the saints just as literal Babylon had done to the Israelites throughout the OT. The similarities between the old literal Babylon and the new mystery Babylon are very clear. "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" (Isa 14:13). "I shall be a Lady for ever. I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a Widow, neither shall I know the loss of children" (Isa 47:7-8). And now Rome is well known today as the Eternal City. Indeed, after the destruction of the temple and the carrying away of Jewish ceremonial pieces to Rome (in the same manner as the Babylonian captivity), the name of Rome was used synonymously with Babylon by the Jews. They even have a proverb, "the Redemption of Israel will not be accomplished, before Rome is destroyed." Just as ancient Babylon called itself "Queen of the world" (Isa 47:7), now with rapid Mariology, the RCC calls Mary "Queen of the world", "Mother of God"! This is clear Babylonianism, nothing but paganism and never Christianity.
6. To those who object that Revelation refers to Imperial Rome, and not Papal Rome, that doesn't stack up. The whore of Babylon is not a openly heathen power, is described as being shrouded in mystery, disguised as a lamb, being an unfaithful bride to Christ. And the claim that the fall of Imperial Rome matches the fall of the beast doesn't stack up either. Indeed, the city of Rome was sacked a number of times. There was Alaric with his Goths, Attila with his Huns, Genseric with his Vandals, Odoacer with his Heruli etc. However, the nature of their relationship with Rome doesn't stack up for John's prophecies to have been fulfilled. Were these kings ever of the ten horns of the beast? Did they ever share power with Rome and rule the world with her? Having given their support to Rome, did they then betray her having leagued with the false prophet? The answer to all this is no, and so if we take the sacking of Rome by these kigns to be the fulfillment of Revelation, then John's prophecies failed completely.
Furthermore, Paul himself speaks of another power which was hindered from taking power by imperial Rome. "And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" (2 The 2:6-7). The Papacy could only take power once heathen Rome was "taken out of the way", and this is what happened. Just like heathen Rome, it sits on the beast (the seven heads of which are said to represent the seven hills of the city of Rome), and is surely the emergent power Paul and John spoke of, and which Tertullian said that Christians prayed would be delayed from emerging by maintaining heathen Rome's power.
7. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Rev 13:11-12).
Given the previous points, this shows that the (not a) antichrist will be a Pope. There are three beastly creatures mentioned in Revelation. Firstly is the dragon which fights with God in heaven and is cast down to earth, and this creature is said by John to be the satan himself. Then there is the first beast, which emerges out of the sea. The imagery is important, since remember in prophetical language the sea represents multitudes of people. Of course, the Papacy is a man-made instituation, which emerged from the greatest city of its time and came to rule over many people/waters. However, this second beast, disguised as a lamb (meaning he will impersonate Christ and pretend to be the second coming) is said to rise out of the earth. This beast is not a person, or an institution, but the son of perdition himself. Note how in the passage quoted above, it is said that this second beast "exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him", this means he must take power directly from the RCC, in other words he, the antichrist, will be a Pope.
8. The antichrist will take all the influence he is described as having through the modern ecumenical movement, which has allowed the Pope to become the single most respected religious leader amongst Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants, Muslims, pagans, whoever. We can be sure that the antichrist is not a secular power such as the Obamachrist as many US Evangelicals often imagine, since "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 The 2:4)". With claims to being the "Vicar of Christ", and infallability since 1871, the Pope is dangerously close to clamiing such authority. And the harvest will be ripe for such a figure, as "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables (2 Tim 4:3-4)". The observance of Biblical principles is almost unheard of these days, with people instead valuing man made traditions over them, whether it is observing holy days (condemned outright Galatians 4:10), repeating prayers in ritualistic fashion (condemned somewhere else, too tired to look it up), or any of the vast variety of un-Biblical doctrines that have consumed the "Christian" churches of today. All these are trappings of the whore of Babylon, designed to replace a relationship with God through ritualistic ceremonies and comforting doctrines.
And now that the Jews are retaking their homeland (a miracle in itself - considering the existence of a Jewish identity was seen as proof of God's existence hundreds of years ago, if they knew a Jewish state existed in the Holy Land they would run for the hills). Jerusalem is divided as Daniel prophecied, and so now the Pope will surely be the figure respected by Jew and Muslims alike who will stand on the temple mount and declare a seven year ceasefire, filling everyone with such joy and respect that they will bow down and worship him.
So... how do Catholics defend against this?
Reply With Quote
- Four Horsemen of the Presence
Originally Posted by Rhyfelwyr
x2
Bookmarks