Stewarton Bible School

The Whore of Revelation

INTRODUCTION
There is a prophecy in the Bible which concerns every organisation 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 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 organisation which has prostituted itself for wealth, popularity and power.

The question is: Which religious organisation?

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 whore bears the name of a city - 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.

With those points in mind we will now consider four 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! Of her the Bible says: "The woman which thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17:18)
  2. BABYLON THE GREAT has already seduced all nations! The Bible says: "ALL nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." (Rev. 18:3)
  3. BABYLON THE GREAT has amongst her partners and customers the leading merchants of the earth. The Bible says: "For her merchants were the great men of the earth." (Rev. 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." (Rev. 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 organisation on earth which fits those four clues?

The answer is: certainly not. There just isn't any human organisation, religious or otherwise, that:

I am sure the reader will agree that no earthly organisation, 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 organisation 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 organisation 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, vice and murder. From that spiritual metropolis flows unimaginable evil: sins involving man and angel. It behoves every true believer, therefore, to recognise 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.

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.

Rev. 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.

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.

Rev. 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 (Rev. 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.

Rev. 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 realise 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 organisations 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, symbolised by the pure woman in Revelation chapter 12, will be transported to the "wilderness of the people" out of Satan's reach (Rev. 12:13-16, Ezekiel 20:33-37) See SBS 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 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 the Stewarton Bible School 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!

Rev. 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.

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 organisations, Christian or otherwise, which bear a remarkable likeness to their 'harlot mother on high;' organisations 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?

I could go on and on, but I think the reader will have got the idea by now. In short: the "daughters" of the Great Whore are religious organisations 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:

COME OUT OF HER MY PEOPLE
That is a comprehensive list you will agree. It takes in virtually every religious organisation on the face of the earth. Am I saying that there are no genuine seekers after truth in these organisations? 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 organisation on the face of the earth has, to a greater or lesser degree, paganised or prostituted itself for money or power.

Furthermore, at this moment in time (March 1999), 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 organisation. Pause for a moment and consider this picture of the whore who sits astride all the nations of the world.

Rev. 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)

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.

Meanwhile we should take the first two spiritual steps mentioned above. This means that we are to:

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 SBS articles:

SBS Home   Prophecy Page


Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
April 1998 ... Reformatted December 1999
http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/prophecy/whore.html