The Deception of the Babylon Harlot - The Revelation of Jesus Christ

“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:” ~ Revelation 17:4

As spoken about in detail in previous posts, this woman named Babylon is a symbolic representation of a fallen church full of hypocrisy. She dresses herself like a spiritual queen. She claims to be the wife of Jesus Christ who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. But she is treacherously unfaithful to Christ. The gold and precious stones and pearls she dresses herself up with, are selected teachings from the Bible. She adorns herself on the outside with a form of godliness so that she can deceive people. But they are only outer adornments because what is in the cup that she drinks is every evil imaginable! All kinds of ungodliness and corruption.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” ~ 2 Timothy 3:5

As spoken before, the beast the harlot is riding represents every earthly kingdom, including: religions, nations, businesses and more. She has influence and control through her selling herself, selling the gospel for gain, and the manipulation and selling souls through deceptive lies that destroy the soul. She receives earthly glory and favor from many earthly leaders. These earthly leaders also make themselves rich and powerful through their relationship with the harlot Babylon.

Yet our Lord Jesus Christ did not seek earthly power and riches. Instead he came riding humbly into Jerusalem, before his crucifixion, riding upon a lowly donkey.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” ~ Zechariah 9:9

How contrary to her claimed husband this fake Babylon church is. She claims to be the original one that deserves all glory and honor. She definitely represents the Catholic Church, but there are many other similar to her that also claim to be the true bride of Christ. So symbolically she represents all who claim to be the bride of Christ, but yet they are also drinking of her cup of spiritual unfaithfulness.

Beware because her cup is very deceptive and addictive. Many have been made drunk on it and become completely addicted to it!

“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” ~ Jeremiah 51:7

What ultimately is in her cup, is her blood guiltiness, for she is the principal one guilty of shedding the innocent blood of God’s true people. Her very harlot nature is the most powerful driving force motivating the persecution of Christians!

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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.” ~ Revelation 17:5-6

The sanctimonious presentation of the Pope and the leadership of the Catholic Church (and many others claiming to be leaders of large bodies of “Christian Sects”) has a great deceptive power. How could a leadership so careful about its presentation and words be actually so corrupt? Even the Apostle John had difficulty with this! It is truly amazing how these conditions exist with such power and influence amongst the whole earth. John had to wonder also with great amazement.

It is amazing how men claiming to be “ministers of God” can use their influence to buy and sell religion with powerful earthly leaders. By doing so they enable themselves to become even very powerful amongst people. Religious deception is powerful! And Christian hypocrisy deception is the most powerful!

That is why the Catholic Church today is the most powerful earthly institution in the world. They hold influence affecting the leadership of every earthly leader, including the most powerful nations of our day. The Catholic Church does not control them, but she holds powerful political influence affecting the decisions that these leaders make (and other religious leaders also exercise this influence to a less degree). And these world country leaders also have influence upon the decisions and directions of the Catholic Church and other religious leaders. They all flirt with each other politically to further their own individual power and influence.

That is why Christian hypocrisy (and especially the Catholic Church) is described as a harlot named Babylon. And this is why Revelation 17:2 states concerning religious hypocrisy “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.” The people of all these religious institutions are all made drunk on the wine of Babylon’s spiritual fornication with everyone. They are spiritually drunk and unable to discern what really is going on because of their “feel good” religion and the power and influence they exercise through it.

Is it no wonder that the prevailing spirit among people almost everywhere is unfaithfulness. They flirt and lust in their hearts after others that they are not married to, and accept it as “normal”. It is all the same spirit of Babylon. Buying and selling by fleshly lust attractions is the world’s way of business.

And through selling religion for gain, the Catholic Church has taught many others to leverage the selling of religion for the same gain. Hence the principal institution of Christian hypocrisy has rightfully earned the title “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

The Catholic Church is the mother of harlots because they have taught everyone else how to also be a spiritual harlot! How to buy and sell religion, and the souls of people, for personal gain.

But in John’s day (the first century) the Catholic Church did not exist yet. And remember that the symbolism within Revelation is spiritual, describing spiritual conditions that have actually existed in almost every age of the Gospel day. (Gospel day = the time from Christ’s birth until the end of time.) When Christ was born and lived on earth, the religious institution of power and influence amongst the then Jews was the Jewish Sanhedrin, and the then High Priest. And these were the same ones who bought and sold religious influence with the then earthly powers (the Roman leaders). They used this power with the Romans to also persecute Christ and the true Christians of that time.

“But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.” ~ John 11:46-48

The greatest threat to religious leaders is a spiritual kingdom where Christ is King within the hearts of the people!

Also earthly leaders who selfishly love the sinful life, are also threatened by Christ’s holiness in the people. Consequently both religious leaders and earthly leaders (even those who hate one another) will conspire (flirt and sell themselves to one another) for the purpose of destroying Christ and his influence. So the spiritual Babylon of John’s day started out being the Jewish leadership.

Consequently, during the first persecution of Christians by the Jews, the Apostles and disciples agreed in prayer this way:

“The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:26-31

But after the destruction of Jerusalem, the battle against the true Church transferred directly to the Roman government, and later from there to the new Babylon: the Roman Catholic Church.

And still today many are still wondering and amazed by the outer spiritual adornments of the Catholic Church.

Are you still wondering after this mysterious spiritual harlot that claims to be the church?

Note: this diagram below shows where the seventeenth chapter is within the full Revelation message. The judgment messages of chapter 17 are part of completing the purpose of God to destroy the influence of hypocrisy. To better understand a high level view of Revelation, you can also see the “Roadmap of Revelation.”