INTRODUCTION:
As introduction, let me state that ANYTHING DONE (BE IT RELIGIOUS, MILITARY OR
MONETARY/COMMERCIAL/BUSINESS) BY OURSELVES, BY OUR MIGHT AND FOR OUR FAME/GLORY
OR TO MAKE A NAME FOR OURSELVES AND TO RIVAL GOD AMOUNTS TO BABYLON.
This is because
the Building of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was birthed from same
premise/foundation. Anytime Babylon is mentioned, Religion, Military and
Finance/Commerce/Money/Business/Economics are in view. Any religious, Military
or Commercial efforts adopted by Man to destroy God’s perfect plan give birth to Babylon. It
is of no surprise that Vatican/Rome (Headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church)
is actually seen as the Religious Headquarters; Washington DC (US) is the
Military Headquarters of the World, and London (UK) the Commercial/Financial/Monetary/Business
Headquarters of the World. Watch these countries and their
roles in these end times, carefully. The stage is truly set, time is running too fast, we
are very close to the End of the age. It’s my prayer that God grants us Grace
to Finish the Race, as this world has nothing good to offer us.
THE MESSAGE:
The first time “MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT” appears, and only once, in the Bible is in Revelation 17:5.
It reads:
“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Since this Babylon is the distinct from the Babylon we've heard and read from the Old Testament (The Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 and the Exile of the Jews in Babylon in the Book of Daniel), we have to allow God to reveal to us, STEP-BY-STEP who or what this Mystery Babylon is.
STEP
BY STEP APPROACH
1. Mystery: Of course, ''Mystery,
Babylon The Great'' is also referred to as “Great Babylon”
(Revelation 16:19) and “Babylon The Great” (Revelation 18:2). But it is only in Revelation 17:5 that
Babylon is ‘adjectived’ or qualified with ''MYSTERY,'' showing that
with physical senses, no one can identify her. Only God can show
who this Babylon is, to those He (God) wants. If something is a MYSTERY,
it cannot be understood by flesh and blood (man) with his physical senses. It is spiritual and that it is God who can
unveil/reveal it; giving the meaning. That is why we read from the first
chapter of Revelation that “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him
to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and
signified it by His angel to His servant John” (1:1). This makes it plain that
this is not John’s personal writing or opinion, but it is the revelation of
Jesus Christ. Therefore, in understanding this Mystery Babylon The Great, we
must only focus on Christ, WHO REVEALS or UNVEILS. Revelation 17:1 is a
confirmation, and it reads “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great
harlot who sits on many waters.” This “great harlot” is about to receive her
judgment from Jesus Christ for her many sins.
2. Mother: Babylon the Great is a
SHE (a woman). Six times it is called a “woman” (verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 18) and
of course she has given birth.
3. Harlot/Prostitute: Again, Babylon the Great is also revealed as a
Harlot or Prostitute. Four times in chapter 17 this Babylon is called a
harlot/prostitute (verses 1, 5, 15, 16).
4. Mother of Harlots/Prostitutes:
This means that MANY Harlots/Prostitutes have come from her; or for better
expression; She has given birth to (produced)
many offspring (children) who are also harlots/prostitutes.
NB: A harlot/prostitute was used metaphorically or symbolically in the
Bible to illustrate unfaithfulness to
the Lord or paganism (Please read Exodus 34:15-17; Ezekiel 23:1-8, The Book
of Hosea, especially chapter 3). A typical case was when the Israelites left
the true worship of God to follow the false gods and religions of the peoples
around them (Hosea 1:2, 6; 2:4-5; Jeremiah 3:8-10). The only point of
digression is that, by identifying this harlot with Babylon, Revelation shows that
this time God is talking about gentiles
who were redeemed and married to Christ but were unfaithful, and not necessarily
Israel.
It is therefore crystal
clear that the symbolism of a “harlot/prostitute” in Revelation represents a
sinful and fallen woman in the eyes of Jesus Christ. She is portrayed as
unfaithful to God and to His Word. This woman is in contrast to the woman
described in Revelation 12, who is described as being faithful to God. Paul.
WHAT DOES THE FEMININE NATURE CONNOTE:
In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul referred to the Church at Corinth ‘”a Chaste
virgin.....betrothed to Christ Jesus.’’ Thus, that Church was pure, undefiled,
faithful which would part of the Bride of Christ. John used a similar
description in 2 John 1:1, where he used the term “elect [“chosen,” margin]
lady” in reference to the Church. The term is used again in verse 5. In verse
13, the phrase “your elect sister” likely refers to a neighbouring
congregation. In these three verses John symbolically calls the Church of God
an “elect” woman. In Revelation 12:13-14 we see a righteous “woman” persecuted
by Satan, but taken into a wilderness for protection at the time of the end. In
verse 17 Satan goes to “make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the
commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” This woman is the
Church that Jesus Christ built (Matthew 16:18). All three of these scriptural
examples picture as a woman the Church that Jesus began. These Churches are in
sharp contrast with the Church in Revelation 17.
UP TO THIS POINT, WE CAN SAY, IN SUM, THAT THE
WOMAN IN REVELATION 17, WHICH IS REFERRED TO AS MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT IS A
POLLUTED, DEFILED, UNFAITHFUL, FALLEN, BACKSLIDDEN OR A FALSE CHURCH.
6. SHE SITS ON MANY WATERS: The
“waters” that the harlot sits on (mentioned in verse 1) are revealed in verse
15 to be “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”
7. SHE WAS DRUNK WITH THE BLOOD OF THE
SAINTS AND MARTYRS OF CHRIST: In verse 6 of Revelation 17, we are told this
woman, FALSE CHURCH, is intoxicated, not with wine, but with the Blood of God’s
people. This is obviously referring to RELIGIOUS
PERSECUTION which this FALSE CHURCH has waged against the True Bride of Christ
and has succeeded in even killing many. For John to wonder/marvel with great
admiration upon seeing the woman, tells that the atrocities this woman has committed
against God and His people are beyond comprehension; very wicked a woman.
8. SHE IS CARRIED BY, OR RIDING ON, A BEAST: In verse 7, we are again told
the woman rides on a Beast. “And 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, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.’’ Now, under the
inspiration of God and with discernment, any reader knows that when Bible talks
of BEAST in prophetic context, it refers to KINGDOM/KING/EMPIRE (Please, Read
the Book of Daniel). This political beast is described in verses 8-17. It is
also spoken of in Revelation 13:3-8 and Daniel 7:7-8, 19-25. This beast is the
regenerated Roman Empire through its numerous revivals down through the ages
that will end at the second coming of Jesus Christ. Thus, this Beast on which
Woman (Mystery Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots/Prostitutes) sits, is the SERIAL
REGENERATED ROMAN EMPIRE/KINGDOM.
9. LOCATION OF THE WOMAN: In Revelation
17:18, we read that “And the woman which thou sawest is that great
city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” When John was writing this
Revelation given him by Christ, there was only one city which was reigning over
the earth...And that was Rome/Vatican. Again, in verse 9, we are told the Seven
horns represented the seven mountains on which the woman sits. This is also in
connection to Rome.
WITH THE ABOVE DESCRIPTIONS, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS/PROSTITUTES, IS THE ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH, WHICH RIDES ON THE BEAST OF THE (REGENERATED) ROMAN EMPIRE, AND HER
OFFSPRINGS/CHILDREN (i.e. ALL CHURCHES WHICH CAME OUT FROM OR BROKE TIES WITH THE
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH BUT ARE STILL HAVING HER STYLE/CHARACTER/FEATURES/TRADITIONS/DOCTRINES/TEACHINGS,
OR IS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY CONNECTED TO HER).
Reflect on the following issues.
- ---Which
Church has its leader called Holy Father, which, in itself, is BLASPHEMY?
- ---Which
Church values traditions/dogmas and customs more than what the Bible says?
- ---Which
Church values statues and images?
- ---Which
Church worships idols and departed souls such as Mary and their leader?
- ---Which
church calls herself mother of all churches which most denominational churches
came from?
10. HER JUDGEMENT: Since sin,
unrepented from, CANNOT go unpunished, Mystery Babylon is going to be punished
– and it is going to be a severe one. God is going to judge her and anyone who
was her “partner in Crime.” Mystery Babylon The Great is not only called the
“MOTHER OF HARLOTS.” The same verse also calls her the “MOTHER OF THE
ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” The previous verse says the woman has “in her hand
a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication” (verse
4). Look at the strong words Christ used in describing the magnitude of the sin
this Church has committed. Christ told the Pharisees, “For what is highly esteemed
among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). This
woman, “highly esteemed” in the eyes of many in this world, has become
an “abomination in the sight of God” for perverting the truth of God. The final
judgment is revealed in the next chapter, which says, “Babylon the great is fallen, is
fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul
spirit” (Revelation 18:2). Interestingly, God inspired the prophet
Isaiah to use similar language to describe the fall of the Babylonian Empire
(Isaiah 21:9; 47:9). This civil government, which also forced people to
practice false religious worship (Daniel 3:1-6), was a forerunner or type of
the false religious power also called Babylon in Revelation 17-18.
When God’s judgment on Babylon the great—the powerful,
false church—occurs during the end times, it will be swift. As the scriptures
note, it will take place “in one day” (Revelation 18:8) and “in one hour”
(verses 10, 17, 19) of that day. “Thus with violence the great city Babylon
shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore” (verse 21). It will be
God’s vengeance for all His saints who were martyred by her over the centuries
(verses 20, 24).
11. WARNING FROM CHRIST TO HIS PEOPLE WHO ARE IN BED, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, WITH THIS WOMAN/FALSE CHURCH: Jesus Christ gives us all a
warning in His judgment against this woman and the ungodly society that will
exist at the time of the end. John writes, “And I heard another voice from heaven
saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you
receive of her plagues’” (verse 4). This warning includes two important lessons
for us.
First, we are to completely come out of all doctrines and practices that are
not from God’s Word—the Bible. Christians must “contend earnestly for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). This means seeking to
follow the doctrines and teachings of the faithful woman of Revelation 12.
Second, it should go without saying that Christians are not to return to the
false doctrines and teachings of this false woman after they have come out of
her. Christians have made this mistake of compromising and returning to false
doctrines in the past, and the Bible indicates that some will make this mistake
again in the future (Revelation 2-3). Christians cannot worship God “in spirit
and truth” (John 4:24) by mixing in or returning to false doctrines.
12.
CONCLUSION: Jesus Christ has revealed to the reader who
“BABYLON THE GREAT” is. She is no longer a mystery. She’s the Roman Catholic
Church which Rides on a beast (political system, the Roman Empire/Kingdom).
This False Church, the Roman Catholic Church, together with all her daughters
(churches that have their roots from her and are practicing some of her false
doctrine/teaching/tradition/dogma and are UNFAITHFUL TO GOD) constitute Mystery
Babylon the Great. In broader sense, anything a man does Independent of
(without) God constitute Babylon
There are so many people who say they hate Catholic
teachings and practices and that there is no way they will ever be yoked
(together) with Rome/Vatican. Meanwhile, the church (religious organisation)
that such people attend, are already in bed with Vatican/Rome via the Pope’s
Ecumenical Movement. This is FALSE UNITY championed by many Popes over the
decades to (a) UNITE all Churches under ONE UMBRELLA, falsely referring to John
17 as their reason (Ecumenical Movement); and (b) UNITE all religions, Christianity,
Buddhism, Islam, Traditionalism, etc, under ONE UMBRELLA, falsely telling
people that we all serve one god but through different ways (INTER-FAITH
MOVEMENT). If you attend any gathering that has bought into these FALSE UNITIES
championed by the Popes of the Roman Catholic Church, please come out of that
church. Again, if the church/Christian gathering you have joined is a 501(c)3
Tax Exempted organisation, please come out of that Church. It is not a Church
anymore; because she has deposed Christ of His Headship over the Church and has
replaced Him with the State/government. If you are in a Church where sin is
treated lightly, please come out. If you are in a Church where SALVATION,
REPENTANCE, CRUCIFYING YOUR MEMBERS (DYING TO THE FLESH) IS NOT PREACHED OR
ONLY PREACHED ONCE AWHILE, PLEASE COME OUT FROM THAT CHURCH.
Let’s see the false Church like a CLIFF; You can fall on one side
(say, at the side of the mystery Babylon, the Roman Catholic Church and her
falsehood); or the other side (say, the daughters of the Roman Catholic
Church...Those Churches that came from Roman Catholic Church which are also
prostitute/harlot, which can be a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Pentecost or any
Church you can think of). You can fall to either side of the Cliff, and the
devil doesn’t care to which side of it you fall. As long as you fall, he is
happy. This warning is to those who say they are Not Catholics; they are
Baptists, Presbyterians or Pentecostals, but their church leaders have embraced
false doctrines/teachings and are even defending homosexuality, abortion and
all manner of sins.
We must love Jesus Christ than any church/religious
denomination we attend and its pastor/leader. That Clarion Call from Christ was
not to Sinners; but to Saints. He said “COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE.” Christ is
preparing a spotless/pure/undefiled Bride. Some are already in one falsehood or
the other. But He is calling them OUT. Will you heed to His Call. We must come
out from any deception and any falsehood by the power of Christ, else we will
have our portion of the Judgement that Christ has pronounced against the FALSE
CHURCH. May Christ have mercy on us and grant us the grace to HEED TO HIS CALL.
Amen!
By: Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
