Toward the end of our last post we discovered that end-times Babylon, is hated by the ten king confederacy which gives rise to Antichrist’s base of power (Revelation 17:15-17). Their hatred most likely arises from Babylon’s dominance in world affairs (the whore is riding the beast). We understand that there is a point where these nations turn to destroy Babylon, with its pluralistic pagan religion and culture, as wells as its economic and military dominance.

Let us remember that the spirit of Babylon and its end-times incarnation is represented by a synergy of Government and Civil religion, where many gods are welcome and often united under umbrella of one dominate deity. We have also learned that because of this religious pluralist paganism, Babylons’ culture is a melting pot of many traditions, rituals and practices (Babylon is the mother of all harlots and abominations).

This leads to the debauchery, which arises from a buffet of freedom, where anything is accepted as right, as individual freedom (do what you want) finds its highest premium (Revelation 18:1-4).

The only religious expression which is not allowed in end times Babylon is the faith once delivered to the saints and the freedom Christ brings throguh His cross and resurrection; which is freedom from the sin nature–for the purpose of freely serving God with all one’s heart.

Babylon exhibits animosity towards the One True God and His Messiah, the the Lord Jesus Christ. This animosity exists in every nation on earth and has from Babel, and was prophesied almost 3000 years ago, as the worlds character before Christ’s return.

Psalms 2:1-3 (NKJV) Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.”

Though this animosity is world wide historically barbaric in our day, its brutality against the saints, there are two entities that bear striking similarities to Babylon from the prophecy of Revelation, if we are living in the very last times… The ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH and THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

(*Israel is also part of Babylon, prophetically as much of the last days events with Antichrist, specifically are focused and located in Jerusalem, more on that later)

One common theme, in the history of eschatological review concerning Babylon’s identity, is it must be the revived Roman Empire, with say something like the European Union, being Babylon’s base. This is a plausible ideal, which would indicate the U.S. is eradicated at the end or part of the European Union. Both are plausible, albeit the latter more than the former.

Although I can see some merit, the Roman Empire has been revived too a great degree in the United States of America, which is a Republic, not a pure democracy. Rome was not pure dictatorship, or democracy but republic government, with a divine right ruler. We will discuss that later. Let’s continue by looking at Revelation 17:5, once more

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

In dealing with the whore let us consider the importance of apostate religion, or religion that appears Christian but is a departure from the biblical faith once delivered to the saints. In Both the Romans Catholic Church and the United States, we find a prevalence of apostate religion (that which appears Christian, but allows and synchronizes all faiths for the common good), and civil government.

We will discuss the U.S. a bit later, but for now consider that the “Vatican” or headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, is not only a religious geography, but a  sovereign government, with its own currency and boundaries. Let us dive into Roman apostasy by looking to another New Testament passage.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 (NKJV) Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The phrase “that Day” is in direct reference to “our gathering together to Him” mentioned in verse 1-3. This refers to the rapture (the day of Christ), as a continuous encouragement Paul began in I Thessalonians 4:13-17.  The rapture cannot occur until there is a “falling away” or apostasy from the faith once delivered to the saints. Secondly.

Are we not living in times which signal greatest “falling away” from the faith, in the history of the world? The Roman Catholic Church, since its rise in the 4th century has been at the fore of apostasy.

MOTHER OF ALL HARLOTS: THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

What I am about to reveal is the historical and doctrinal fact concerning the Roman Catholic Church. Please remember my knowledge has not come from the internet, but my being raised as a Roman Catholic.

After being born again and a year prior to leaving the Catholic church, I began a study of Catholic doctrine and history. What I found, was half truths, pagan and made up religious rituals and outright lies and blasphemous teachings. In my next blog series we will look into the counterfeit Christianity of the Roman Catholic Church in depth. Below are some of the identifying features of the Roman Catholic Church’s apostate activities, which identify her as part of end times Babylon.

1. MARY QUEEN OF HEAVEN? The Roman Catholic Church has blasphemously elevated Mary, the mother of the Christ, to being the Queen of Heaven. This is a biblical title, but not a good one, as Jeremiah 7:18, 44:15-27 and Ezekiel 8:14, 20-28 reveal. The Queen of Heaven referred to, in these passages, is none other and Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod and founders of the Babylonian system. She was worshiped in Israel, as Ashtoreth and goes by many names around the world (Astarte, Isis, Mary in the Roman Catholic Church). In fact, when looking at the Roman Catholic iconography of “The Madonna and Child”, one is led to believe that is Mary and Jesus. This is complete falsehood. It is none other than Semiramis and Tammuz her son (Ezekiel 8:14), which were renamed to satisfy undiscerning Christians; who were being led into idolatry, in statue and icon worship. Remember the Queen of Heaven presides over all faiths (as it was in Babel), but will not tolerate the faith once delivered to the saints.
2. VATICAN LEADS ALL FAITHS TO PRAY TOGETHER? As far back as the late 1960’s the Roman Catholic Church has led and sought to bring all faiths under its umbrella, whether they pray and serve one god or many. These idolatrous prayer meetings and councils, allow for distinctive belief, with the idea they all lead to the same place or god. They are correct, these endeavors led by the Roman Pontiff, lead to the second death and one of its ultimate inhabitants…SATAN!
3. DIMINISH THE CHRIST THE REDEEMER AND HIS FINISHED WORK? Roman Catholicism mixes creed Christianity with pagan ritual and practice in their worship. In dealing with Mary for instance, she is looked at doctrinal as Co-Redemtrix with Christ. In this mode she is also the chief means of intercession for the saint rather than Christ, who is the only mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:15; Hebrews 7:25). Their masses also daily diminish the full atonement of Christ and His once for all death, by making the Lord’s table into an idolatrous Egyptian ritual.
4. THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS IN HER AND ALL OVER HER PERSON? Revelation 18:24 reveals murderous spirit against the saints, in the WHORE of Babylon, “And in her was found the blood of the saints and the prophets and saints, and all who were slain on earth“. In this passage we see a complete historical view point, beginning with the spirit of Babylon (The spirit of Antichrist) which has been at war with God from the garden. Remember Babylon itself besieged Judah and Jerusalem, killing hundreds of thousands. Israel itself is seen as a great apostate and idolatrous woman, in the Old Testament as well. In fact in Revelation, we find that Jerusalem is seen by God in the last days as part of the Babylon equation (Revelation 7:9; Revelation 16:19). Apostate Judaism accounts for the death of the O.T. prophets and many of the first martyred Christians, but the Roman Catholic Church has rivaled them all. From the beginning of the Papacy (606 a.d.), up to 50 million have been slain, who dared to not bow to Roman Catholic domination. Consider that in the Spanish inquisition alone, 300,000 were killed, where 31,000 were brutality burned at the stake, in the name of Jesus Christ.
5. THE EQUALIZATION OF CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM AND JUDAISM? In the Roman Catholic Catechism tenets 839-841 we find that they believe all three faiths, as coming from Abraham, are paths to the kingdom of God, so long as they are in good standing with the Roman Catholic Church. They also in subsequent tenets open the door for those who behave well in other faiths. The entire lot of this false teaching is completely contrary to the word of God’s declaration of salvation by grace throguh faith, in Jesus Christ the Lord (John 14:6; Romans 1:18-21; Ephesians 2:8-10). The Roman Catholic faith is contrary to a person believing on the Lord Jesus and following Him in repentance and faith.

This last one is a scary development, indeed, when we consider the Abraham accords between Israel and the U.A.E., being brokered by the United States, but more on that in a bit. For the sake of advancing forward into how the United States potentially plays into end times Babylon, let me finish by quoting Leonard Ravenhill on Roman Catholicism…

“Evangelists today are wide-eyed to the might of Communism, but tight lipped at the menace of Romanism. America would shake from coast to coast in twenty-four hours if some preacher, anointed with the Holy Ghost, gave the Roman Catholic Church a broadside! We stir national interest against the cruel, half-civilized Mau Mau (wicked enough), but powwow with, and pander to, the Roman Catholic Church! These priests who dope men’s souls,these idolatrous “masses,” these Calvary eclipsing prayers to Mary, these miserable millions cheated in life and in death by the greatest forgery Lucifer ever made.” 

In my next post we will see the potential for America being part of Babylon. Let us first acknowledge that Roman Catholicism has great influence in the United States, religiously and politically. By many estimates the amount of Roman Catholics in the U.S. (over 74 million) is rapidly approaching the majority of Christians (90 million). Of the last 4 presidents, three of them have sought audiences with the Pope and the Catholic political engine is powerful, as well as cultural influence in the way of false unity and false peace. They define the abominable COEXIST bumper sticker.

Like Roman Catholicism how is it that America resembles the Babylonian system in Revelation? We’ll find out next time.