“And the Woman Was Arrayed in Purple and Scarlet Colour…” – Revelation 17:4
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I updated this article to show yet more clearly that Mystery Babylon of Revelation chapter 17 can be none other than Rome, specifically the Vatican, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. One of my good friends just wrote an article for his blog entitled, “Jerusalem is Mystery Babylon the Great.” No way! He’s quoting from a preacher, Rev. James C. Gallagher. Does anyone of my visitors know this preacher? I never heard of him before and can’t find his bio.
First of all, let’s read Revelation chapter 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 (Or nations throughout the world as explained in verse 16.) : 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. 6 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. 7 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. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
I used to think Mystery Babylon is referring to the American empire, but now it’s clear to me through the study of history, it’s none other than the continuation of the Roman Empire through the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, also known as the Holy See. I believe the America government does what it does because it’s under the control of the Vatican. Christians back in the 19th century knew that! See Washington in the lap of Rome. And yet some Christians today think America is under the control of Zionist Israel. No way. Israel is a small country. It could not exist without American support. The modern state of Israel was purposely created to be a source of trouble. Early Zionist Jews wanted a homeland, but they didn’t necessarily want it in the Middle East in the midst of their enemies! I believe there’s a high-level connection with Zionist leaders and the Vatican. You can call that a “conspiracy theory” if you want, but the fact is Hitler was a son of the Catholic Church, was blessed by Pope Pius XII, and signed a deal with Zionist Jews to send German Jews to Palestine!
The Haavara Agreement (Hebrew: הֶסְכֵּם הַעֲבָרָה Translit.: heskem haavara Translated: “transfer agreement”) was an agreement between Nazi Germany and Zionist German Jews signed on 25 August 1933. The agreement was finalized after three months of talks by the Zionist Federation of Germany, the Anglo-Palestine Bank (under the directive of the Jewish Agency) and the economic authorities of Nazi Germany. It was a major factor in making possible the migration of approximately 60,000 German Jews to Palestine between 1933 and 1939. (Source: Wikipedia)
It came to me so clearly while on an exercise walk today, December 14, 2023, that the “great whore that sitteth upon many waters” could in no way be Jerusalem. There is no Zionist Israeli influence in the Philippines where I live today that I know of. I see none. But I see quite a lot of influence of the Roman Catholic Church! The Philippines has Protestant / non-Catholic churches, but it’s still a predominately Roman Catholic nation. To be fair, there is a Wikipedia article entitled, History of the Jews in the Philippines, but Wikipedia says about the article, “This article is written like a personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay that states a Wikipedia editor’s personal feelings or presents an original argument about a topic.”
This is what I told my friend who says Jerusalem is Mystery Babylon the Great and quotes from James C. Gallagher:
“And the Bible is explicit, beyond any controversy that Jerusalem is Mystery Babylon.”
I don’t see how anyone can make such a statement!! There is great controversy about this subject!! To say Jerusalem is Mystery Babylon diverts blame away from Rome’s atrocities against the world and God’s people over a span of at least 1500 years!!!
Gallagher says,
“The seven hills are associated with the beast, not the woman.”
And he implies these hills are hills in Jerusalem?! Daniel chapter 7 is crystal clear that a beast is a metaphor for a kingdom or empire.
Gallagher quotes Revelation 17:9,
And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
But he leaves off Revelation 17:10 which explains what the seven mountains are. It clearly defines the seven mountains as seven kings and not physical hills or mountains.
Revelation 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Gallagher says,
“Where is the City of God? According to Scripture, it’s Jerusalem.”
Not now it ain’t!! The Heavenly Jerusalem is, but not the physical city Trump moved the US embassy to. To say otherwise is to say God destroyed the “city of God” and His House the Temple in 70 AD. But according to Jesus’ own Words, He called the Temple, “Your house”, meaning it’s not any longer His Father’s House but it now belongs to the Christ-rejecting Jews.
Luke 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
The Temple the Jews’ house was desolated by God through the Romans.
And the woman which you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. Revelation 17:18
Gallagher says,
“So without controversy, Mystery Babylon is a city. This city has to also be capable of spiritual fornication and adultery and as we’ve already made the point Rome is not capable of spiritual fornication and adultery, not like Jerusalem is.”
I beg to differ! If he said that to the early Protestant Reformers, they would think he was living in a different reality. Revelation 17:18 can only be talking about Rome. Rome was the ruling power of the day. It destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple to punish the Jews for their rebellion.
Gallagher says,
“Against only one other city in history could a charge of fornication be leveled. That city is Rome. More specifically Vatican City, end of story. Now that’s not the end of the story. Let’s tell another story and let’s tell a Bible one. … Jerusalem is also claimed to be built on seven mountains or seven hills.”
He’s saying the seven mountains of Revelation 17:9 are referring to Jerusalem! In all the commentaries I’ve ever heard about Revelation 17, I never heard that one before. His statements sounds so much like Jesuit sophistry. To say Mystery Babylon is Jerusalem is to totally ignore centuries of abuse of Rome. And it continues to this very day. Just look at the border crisis in the USA. The Roman Catholic Church is behind it, not Zionist Israel.
Is James C. Gallagher purposely trying to deceive? He’s not teaching a sound exegesis of Scripture in my opinion. Is he a member of a Masonic lodge? Could he be an undercover Jesuit? I can’t find his bio.
James C. Gallagher also totally ignores Revelation 17:4. If I remember correctly Martin Luther was aghast when he visited Rome and saw the purple and scarlet-clothed bishops and cardinals and immediately identified them with the woman of Revelation 17, Mystery Babylon.
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 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.
See the Wikipedia definitions and the photos below, and tell me why the New Testament book of Revelation in chapter 17 doesn’t describe the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church! It has been estimated by careful and reputed historians of the Catholic Inquisition that 50 million people were slaughtered for the crime of “heresy” by Roman persecutors between the A.D. 606 and the middle of the 19th century. Is this not in fulfillment of what Babylon the Great has done according to Revelation 17:6?
Cardinal is a vivid red, which may get its name from the cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals (although the color worn by cardinals is actually scarlet), or from the bird of the same name.- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_%28color%29
Photos of Roman Catholic Cardinals
Purple was the color worn by Roman Emperors and magistrates, and later by Roman Catholic bishops. – Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple
Photos of Roman Catholic Bishops
Photo of Roman Catholic Cardinals and Bishops
Roman Catholic Cardinals front, Bishops in the back.
Do you think the number of the Beast of Revelation chapter 13 might have something to do with the Roman Catholic Church? I sure do!
Related posts:
What is the “Water as a Flood after the Woman” from the Mouth of the Serpent of Revelation 12:15?
Babylon the Mother Church – By Henry Grattan Guiness
The Priest, the Woman, and the Confessional – Charles Chiniquy
The Ten Horns of the Books of Daniel and Revelation
What is “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” of Revelation Chapter 17?
Revelation 17-22. Concluding Visions
Roman Catholicism By Lorraine Boettner Chapter V Peter