Mystery Babylon!

Rev.17:1,2, says “And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, come hither; I will show 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.” This verse tells us how the whore of Babylon would be judged, verse four describes how she is dressed. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” Listen to what Pro.7:10,11, says “And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of a harlot, and subtle of heart. (she is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:” Purple is emblematic of rank or authority, specifically that worn by Roman Emperors, Imperial or regal rank or power. Scarlet is a bright red color. The Bible says that the ten horns would hate the whore, eat her flesh, and burn her up (Rev.17:16). Is.21:9c, says “…Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.” Natural Babylon fell first in the Old Testament; it must fall spiritually in the New Testament era. In its first century application its speaking of Jerusalem. But it also lets us in on a city that has taken on the spirit of what first century Jerusalem was. Babylon had already fallen by the time Zechariah was writing this prophecy. This passage is speaking of another ‘Babylon’, not a literal Babylon, but Mystery Babylon. As stated before, ‘Mystery Babylon’ was first century Jerusalem. After the Babylonian exile Judah mingled their practices with ancient Babylonian customs. But Peter gives us more insight on this spirit of Babylon: 1Peter 5:13 says “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.” It is known throughout history that Peter was in Rome when he wrote his letter, but he calls Rome ‘Babylon’, letting us know that Rome would become the new Babylon. At the time Jerusalem was Babylon. Even though it had not happened yet, Rome like Babylon would destroy the Jewish Temple, the Jews as well as Christians would be under the yoke of the Romans like Babylon. But unlike Babylon, Rome would not be conquered from without, but divided from within into fragmented nation states. The (Roman) Catholic Church is the extension of the Rome that was divided.

-Anthony Booker