The Great Whore of Revelation

1. Introduction

There is a prophecy in the Bible which concerns every organization on earth: be it religious, political, manufacturing or social. Here it is:

Revelation 17:

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:
2: 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.
3: 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.
4: 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:
5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

In this article I will answer two (2) questions:

(1) Who is the Great Whore of Revelation?
and
(2) Who are her prostitute daughters?

The identity of the Great Whore has been the subject of speculation and discussion for centuries. And even though church groups differ as to who she is, almost all agree that she is a religious organization which has prostituted itself for wealth, popularity and power. The question is: Which Religious Organization?

Before I attempt an answer, we will consider certain clues about the Great Whore which are given in the prophecy itself. If you re-read the passage above you will see that the Great whore bears the name of a city - MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT. It is obvious, therefore, that if we can identify this great city, then we are half way to identifying the Great Whore.

Babylon was the name of one of the most famous cities of the ancient world. When it existed the city sat astride the river Euphrates which runs through modern Iraq. Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian empire; which was at its height when king Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took captive thousands of Jews in Daniel's day. If you visit a reference library you will learn that Babylon was also the religious centre of paganism: where some 4,000 gods and goddesses were worshipped. A favourite amongst these pagan deities was the virgin mother goddess Innini. Some 40 names are ascribed to this goddess, one being Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven. She it was who supposedly interceded with the king of the gods on behalf of sinful humanity.
False religion has always been a thriving money-making business. In ancient Babylon the priesthood extracted large sums of money from the ignorant population for a host of religious services such as: the forgiveness of sins, prayers for the dead, blessings of field and womb, victory in battle etc.

With those points in mind we will now consider four (4) Bible clues concerning the Great Whore, BABYLON THE GREAT. There are several others, of course, but these four are sufficient.

(1) BABYLON THE GREAT
- Governs all the kingdoms of the earth! By any standard this is an all-encompassing statement.
- It shows just how powerful this whore is. No wonder she is called the Great Whore!
- The Bible says: “The woman which thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17: 18)
(2) BABYLON THE GREAT
- The Bible says: “ALL nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Revelation 18: 3)
(3) BABYLON THE GREAT
- Has amongst her partners and customers the leading merchants ofthe earth.
- The Bible says: “For her merchants were the great men of the earth.” (Revelation 18: 23)
(4) BABYLON THE GREAT
- Is guilty of every murder committed in the annals of human history.
- Yes! Every Murder!
- The Bible says: “And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of ALL that were slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18: 24)

After considering these four clues I am sure most will agree that this whore is called BABYLON THE GREAT simply because she is currently achieving on a universal scale what the ancient city of Babylon did in Nebuchadnezzar's day. In view of this, a vital question comes to mind. Is there any city, nation, political or religious organization on earth which fits those four clues? The answer is: certainly not. There just isn't any human organization, religious or otherwise, that:

Rules the entire world.
Has spiritually seduced every nation on earth.
Has as its partners the leading merchants of the whole earth.
Is guilty of every murder ever committed.

I am sure the reader will agree that NO earthly organization, of whatever kind, matches those four clues. Some may fit one or at most two clues, but not all four. This means that BABYLON THE GREAT is NOT an earthly organization or system, but an EVIL METROPOLIS on high. It is the evil capital of SATAN’S EMPIRE: a mighty city which is currently manipulating the activities of virtually every organization on earth!

From Scripture we learn that Satan's ultimate objective is to usurp the authority of Jehovah, abolish his laws, slaughter His followers and take over the entire universe. To accomplish this end he has built BABYLON THE GREAT and made it his capital. Yes, BABYLON THE GREAT is the Devil’s Spiritual Capital: a city throbbing with GREED, FALSEHOOD, VISE and MURDER! From that spiritual metropolis flows unimaginable evil: sins involving man and angel. It behoves every true believer, therefore, to recognize these facts: for only then can we hope - with the Almighty’s help - to stem the tide of temptation and sin which flows toward us from that evil spring. The Bible says in:

Ephesians 6: 10: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Babylon the Great is the implacable opponent of JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN, the mother of all the children of God.

Galatians 4: 26: “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

These, then, are the facts concerning the two spiritual super-cities above which directly influence the world and everything in it: a world of mystifying extremes, of order on the one hand and confusion on the other, of righteousness and sin, love and hate, life and death. Oh how few even suspect that those two cities exist: Jerusalem the Golden, the mother of the believing church and Babylon the Great, the implacable opponent of everything holy, just and true.

2. The Death of the Great Whore

The Bible tells us that BABYLON THE GREAT will one day be demolished and, like its earthly counterpart centuries ago, will NEVER rise to power again.

Revelation 18:

19: “And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20: Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21: And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22: And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23: And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24: And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of ALL that were slain upon the earth.”

According to this and other passages in Scripture the destruction of BABYLON THE GREAT is guaranteed. Indeed, it is so certain to occur that the Almighty especially ordered a miniature version, a model of the event to take place on earth over two thousand years ago in the fertile plains of Mesopotamia. The inspired records of the prophets tell us in detail how ancient Babylon was defeated on the very night its king Belshazzar, his courtiers and their concubines were honouring their idols in blasphemous defiance of the God of Heaven. (Daniel 5) On the orders of the Eternal the ancient Babylonian empire, the model and shadow of BABYLON THE GREAT, was overthrown as a fearsome forecast to the angelic host of what was in store for the Great Whore herself.

James 2: 19: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

Consequently, to properly appreciate what is scheduled to occur in the near future, the reader is advised to study the fall of the ancient Babylon as recorded in the Old Testament (Isaiah chapters 13 and 14, Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51). On doing this he/she will quickly see how certain is the collapse of BABYLON THE GREAT. When that spiritual capital is annihilated, this shout of triumph will reverberate across the mighty universe.

Revelation 19: 1:“ And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
2: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
3: And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.
4: And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
5: And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
6: And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and HIS WIFE HATH MADE HERSELF READY.”

The fall of BABYLON THE GREAT will have immediate repercussions throughout space. On earth an economic crash of unparalleled proportions will occur: a crash which will wipe out tens of thousands of business enterprises the world over. International trade, which we all know is motivated mostly by the love of money rather than anything noble, will come to a shuddering standstill as though smitten by a massive stroke and millions of shops, banks, factories and business corporations around the world will shut down. The whole of Revelation chapter 18 is given over to describing the trade and economic repercussions of Babylon’s collapse.

Strange as it may seem, the Revelation indicates that mankind is not only going to share in Babylon's punishment, but will also eye-witness the event. Just as human eyes will be permitted to actually see the throne of the living God at the 6th Seal (Revelation 6: 16-17) so too at the fall of Babylon the Great millions of human beings will actually stand aghast and see that evil super-city being destroyed.

Revelation 18: 9: “And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.”

Then, in a frenzy of awareness, men and woman will realize how terribly deceived they have been in religious matters: how easily the great whore had deceived them into accepting as truth the dubious doctrines of devils. Mankind will then turn in rage on all the religious organizations of men - Christian and otherwise - and will literally tear most of them to pieces. Goaded on by the Antichrist, whose deadly dictatorship at that time will be universally accepted, men will abandon themselves to the service of the Man of Sin. It will, indeed, be a Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation. But, and this is the most wondrous part of it all, Yahweh’s true church, the sanctified Perfect Church, the sealed commandment-keeping servants of the Most High - will be saved out of it. During that awesome period the True Church, symbolized by the pure woman in Revelation chapter 12, will be transported to the wilderness of the people out of Satan's reach (Revelation 12: 13-16, Ezekiel 20: 33-37) See A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada article The Coming Exodus for information on the church's flight to the wilderness.

In the spirit realms above and on the earth below there will be total confusion at Babylon's fall. But at that time Yahweh's followers throughout the universe and especially those on earth, will rejoice with joy unspeakable. For they are to have a measure of peace and protection which no demon can disturb. That is good news for all true believers. Indeed were it not for those encouraging passages in the prophecy which tell of pardon, peace and protection for those who trust and obey the Almighty, the Revelation would terrify the bravest heart and produce panic in the mind of every believer who read it. It is precisely for this reason that A Voice In The Wilderness offers free information on these matters, in order that believers the world over may understand the Revelation, and heed the inspired passages which indicate that faith and obedience are vital pre-requisites to protection. Because, make no mistake, divine protection is conditional and the mandatory condition is living faith which manifests itself in obedience!

Revelation 1: 3: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

3. The Whore’s Daughters

You will have noticed that the Great Whore is also called the Mother of Harlots. In other words, even her daughters become prostitutes. Having identified the Great Whore as Satan's capital city and headquarters on high, our next question is: Who are the Great Whore’s daughters?

Having examined those Bible clues which helped us identify the Mother of Harlots, and bearing in mind she has the characteristics of ancient Babylon, I believe it will be an easier task to identify her prostitute progeny. To begin with, do remember that the Great Whore has several daughters, not just one. This means that we should look around for several spiritual organizations, Christian or otherwise, which bear a remarkable likeness to their HARLOT MOTHER ON HIGH; organizations which prostitute themselves for money or power. After all, that is what prostitution is: the selling of sexual favours for money or power. These are the things we should be looking for?

Spiritual organizations whose overriding aim is to make money or to gain power over the lives of others. The Bible tells us that the love of money is the root of all evil. As we know, this is the aim of all prostitutes - to make money! (1 Timothy 6: 10)
Spiritual organizations which encourage the worship of idols, images or a multitude of gods and goddesses. Remember the Babylonian virgin Mother of God! the Queen of Heaven!
Spiritual organizations which have little or no hesitation at making their members pay for virtually every sacred service: prayer, baptism, marriage and funerals etc.
Spiritual organizations which develop an insatiable appetite for the praises of men. This trait causes them to spend huge sums of money on impressive buildings, expensive furnishings, flowing robes and superficial display.
Spiritual organizations which infiltrate the civil authorities in order to control them to further their own religious plans.
Spiritual organizations which do not hesitate to harass their opponents and, when in power, to torture them into submission, even to the point of murdering those who refuse to submit.
Spiritual organizations which reject the fact that the Bible and the Bible only is the final authority on all matters spiritual.
Spiritual organizations which place human tradition above the commandments of God.

I could go on and on, , but I think the reader will have gotten the idea by now. In short: the daughters of the Great Whore are religious organizations which have prostituted themselves for a variety of reasons, the main reason being the love of money and power. Who, then, are the daughters of the Great Whore? Taking the foregoing into consideration, the answer becomes fairly obvious: They are:

PAGANISM:
- Under this heading we can place ALL the pagan religions of the world: that is, wherever idolatry, vain repetition, prayers for the dead, religious persecution, sun and moon worship, ancestor worship and the worship of the nature is found.
- See sermon on Baal concerning the worship of Nature.
SPIRITISM:
- This is the worship of evil spirits (fallen angels) who manifest themselves in hundreds of ways, mostly in the sightings of people long since dead, in order to attract the worship of mankind.
- See A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada lesson Spiritism.
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH:
- Though this religious organization has many Bible-based teachings and millions of true believers, sad to say it is also riddled with pagan beliefs and practices.
- These include the Worship of Mary, (a practice patterned on the Babylonian worship of the Virgin Queen of Heaven) idol, image and relic worship, the use of the rosary and the Sign of the Cross, the payment of prayers for the dead, the enforced Celibacy of the priesthood, the doctrine of purgatory etc.
- These and other pagan practices in the Roman Catholic church classify her as one of the whore's daughters - probably the largest, wealthiest and most influential of them all!
APOSTATE PROTESTANTISM:
- Though the Protestant Reformation began with the casting away of many pagan teachings brought over from the Roman church, it wasn't long before Protestantism split into scores of groups, many of which have been seduced by the love of money and, like their Roman Catholic parent, prostituted themselves.

That is a comprehensive list you will agree. It takes in virtually every religious organization on the face of the earth. Am I saying that there are no genuine seekers after truth in these organizations? I am most certainly NOT saying that. Everyone knows that there are many, many sincere, well-meaning and kind people in ALL the groups mentioned above: so there is no way we can smugly say that we are better people than them. What I am saying is that virtually every religious organization on the face of the earth has, to a greater or lesser degree, paganized or prostituted itself for money or power.

Furthermore, at this moment in time, (2012) every sincere seeker of truth, of whatever faith, is physically residing in the Babylonian system directly controlled by the Great Whore above. Like a rider on the back of an evil beast, she sits astride the nations of the world, spewing her seductive policies on virtually every human organization. Pause for a moment and consider this picture of the GREAT WHORE who sits astride all the nations of the world.

Revelation 17: 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:
2: 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.
3: 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.
4: 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:
5: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

Yes, we are ALL currently living in a world patterned on the Babylonian system which began in the days of Nimrod thousands of years ago. “And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD … And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel,” (Genesis 10: 8-10)

4. Come out of Her My People

What, then, are we to do about these facts: especially if we want to escape the terrifying plagues which are scheduled to fall on this Babylonian system? The answer is found in the Bible itself. We are to come out of Babylon. This is done in stages.

FIRST:
- We must repent of our sins, place our faith in the Almighty and His only begotten Son Yeshua (Jesus) and forsake paganism in all its forms.
- See A Voice In The Wilderness Gospel Page for information about this first vital step.
SECOND:
- We must begin to obey the commandments of Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.
- Only then can we be certain of His protection when the seven last plagues fall on this Babylonian system in which we live.
- These two steps should be taken right away. There is no need to put them off.
THIRD:
- When the Almighty calls us to physically come out of this Babylonian system, we must obey that call.
- It is worded as follows: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Revelation 18: 4)
- This third step is still future. But you can be certain that the call to come out of Babylon will come just before the seven last plagues are poured out on earth.

We will know that time has arrived when world-wide trade sanctions are imposed on the obedient people of God by an international command forbidding them to buy and sell in the markets of the world!

Revelation 13:

16: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

I am certain that when that time comes, when no man might buy or sell, then the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel will send His angels to physically escort us out of this Babylonian system; just as He did when Lot was escorted out of Sodom and when ancient Israel was escorted out of Egypt. See A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada article The Two Witnesses. Meanwhile we should take the first two spiritual steps mentioned above. This means that we are to:

Place our faith in the Almighty and jettison all pagan practices which have absolutely no foundation in Scripture.
And then we are to begin obeying the commandments of the living God.
Are you willing to take these first two steps? You must if you want to be ready for the third.

Only then can you be sure that you will be amongst the believers who will escape the coming plagues scheduled to fall on the Babylonian system in which we ALL live. For further details, see the following A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada articles:

AMEN!

In the Son’s Name - For the Father’s glory.

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