US-is-Not-Babylon

November 13, 2012

Recently there has been a lot of chatter and questions about the United States place in end time Bible prophecy. One issue that seems to keep coming up is whether or not the United States is "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Rev. 17), Some Christians are very adamant about the USA being Mystery Babylon, but it is just NOT so. There are also other prophecy teachers out there that are right about things like the Antichrist being a Muslim, but then they get off the Word about the identity of the Great Whore. Some of them even say that Saudi Arabia is Mystery Babylon, but neither the US or Saudi Arabia meet all the Biblical requirements to be the Mystery Babylon the Mother of Harlots.

Going back for almost three decades, I have always believed along with many of the reformers and great men of God throughout history that the Roman Catholic Church is Mystery Babylon. The clues in Revelation 17-18 couldn't be more clear when you compare it with both the history and current actions of the Roman Church. I wrote about this extensively in my new book The Polluted Church: From Rome to Kansas City that I published back in the summer of 2012. I also read a very well documented book on the Roman Catholic Church a few months after I published mine entitled Petrus Romanus: The Final Pope is Here by Chris Putnam and Thomas Horn. Here are several excerpts from chapters 7 & 8 of my book that identify Rome as Mystery Babylon.

The Harlot Religious System

"For those of you who are not familiar with what I mean by “harlot religious system” or “great whore” then let’s take a closer look at what the Apostle John prophesied. He saw a “great whore” rising in the earth and riding on a beast in the last days. We know from Revelation 13 & 17 and the book of Daniel that the beast with seven heads and ten horns will be a unification of nations into a one world government that will have ten kings and one leader of those ten kings. This leader will be the last world ruler known as the Antichrist. In Revelation 17, this whore and the beast are seen riding together, however they are not the same thing.

The “beast” is a political and economic system that will be led by the “little horn” (the Antichrist). The “great whore” is a religious entity and system that will work with the Antichrist. You may wonder how I know it is a religious system. Well, it is really simple if you look up the definitions of the Greek words used in the passage. The terms “fornication” and “harlot” are defined in the Strong’s Greek Dictionary as either literal sexual sins and/or the spiritual sin of idolatry. That alone identifies “the whore” as a religious entity. Not to mention, we were told in Revelation 13 that the beast/Antichrist would have a false prophet working with him to cause multitudes of people to “worship” the beast and his image. The term “worship” denotes religion and worshipping anyone or any god instead of or even along with Jesus Christ is a false religion and idolatry. True Christianity worships Jesus Christ as God and none other. Furthermore, the very definition of a prophet is one who speaks for God or a god, revealing this person to be a religious leader with great influence.

So, let’s identify the “great whore.” The Bible tells us that this whore sits on many waters. That may sound strange, but then a few verses later this symbolism is explained. Revelation 17:15 says, “And he saith unto me, ‘The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’” This tells us that this “religious entity” has an international presence and influence upon multitudes. That would definitely describe the Roman Catholic Church and its over one billion adherents worldwide.

The next clue is Revelation 17:9, “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” If you look up the city of Rome, Italy in almost any Encyclopedia or book, one of the first things you see is that Rome is known as the “the City on Seven Hills.” The clues continue in Revelation 17:18 where it says, “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” The word “reigneth” here is a present tense Greek verb which means “ongoing, continuous action that is taking place in the present.” Thus, he was taking about a great city that was presently reigning over the kings of the earth. Well, in 96 A.D. when the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, the Roman Empire ruled over the kings of the earth from their great city of Rome.

However, if you are still not convinced, John identifies her further. Revelation 17:4 says, “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.” The Roman Catholic Church has two ruling bodies in it: one contains the bishops and archbishops and the other the cardinals. The bishops wear purple and the cardinals wear scarlet which is red. In fact, the popes wore red up until the sixteenth century. At times they can still be seen wearing red or purple capes for different occasions…a coincidence? I don’t think so.

One of the most glaring indictments that identify the Roman Catholic Church as the “great whore” is Revelation 17:6. It says, “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.” It is not a secret that the Roman Catholic Church tortured and killed millions of true Christians and Jews during their numerous inquisitions and crusades. Some estimate that they have killed around sixty-eight million people. [**This clue is a MAJOR reason why the United States is NOT Mystery Babylon. The USA has not killed millions of Christians to the point we are "drunk" with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus]. No...The Roman Catholic Church killed and persecuted millions of Christians for centuries. It is Rome that is drunk with the blood of martyrs not America. And though Rome claims to have changed since those inquisition days, I personally believe (and many would agree with me) that she has continued murdering true saints covertly through her secret agents the Jesuits. No wonder the Apostle John marveled at this treacherous whore.

Furthermore, the Lord gave more clues in Revelation that Rome is the Great Whore and not America. This passage about the destruction of Mystery Babylon declares, "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. 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" (Revelation 18:20-21). Did America kill the holy New Testament apostles of the Lamb or did the Roman Empire i.e. that "great city" of Rome? Of course, the answer is no. America didn't even exist at the time the Roman Empire killed the first apostles and prophets of the New Testament Church. And for those who know their history, the Roman Empire under Constantine created the Roman Catholic Church in 313 AD as a way to continue the empire. Even the term "pontiff" was a title that became associated with the Roman emperors before the Roman Catholic Church came into being. This is the reason that the destruction of Rome not America is in the Bible as God taking vengeance on the "great city" that killed His apostles.

Also, in Revelation 18, Mystery Babylon is said to be very wealthy and deeply involved in the world economy and this is touted as the main reason why the USA has to be the Great Whore. However, when we look at reality we see that America is broke. We are over $17 trillion in debt and that is not even counting derivatives. The USA is not a leading exporter of any of the products mentioned in Rev. 18. In fact, Italy is at the top of leading producers of marble, olive oil, wine, fine flour pasta, and other things. And with the revelations of Karen Hudes (the twenty year attorney at the World Bank turned whistle-blower) on the global economic corruption and stating publicly that 40% of US tax dollars goes to the European bankers and the other 60% goes to the Jesuits at the Vatican...there is no doubt who controls the world's wealth/economy and it is NOT the United States of America. The Vatican is the wealthiest city/country in the world. (Oh and if you are wondering where the USA gets money to pay our own bills, the answer is simple: we print it and make up the difference with drug money from CIA drug sells. Why else have US troops been guarding the opium fields in Afghanistan for years)?

The Babylon Connection

She is also called, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” This word “mystery” means something that it hidden, covered up or a secret. So, this Scripture is saying that this religious system will have aspects of ancient Babylon covered up or hidden by something. It is clear from the Bible and archaeological discoveries that Babylon was, at one time, the center of false religion and idolatry of the world. They worshipped different gods and goddesses like Lilith and Bel. They built opulent temples for their gods and attempted to unify the world under their dual religious and political system. This is exactly what the popes have been trying to do for a very long time.

For instance, Pope Pius the XII (March 2, 1939 – October 9, 1958) was an unabashed internationalist. In a 1959 speech entitled “Legacy to World Federation” He urged for peace on three levels: 1) “The reaffirmation for the necessity of a Supranational World Order.” 2) “Accept the United Nations but with ceaseless efforts to strengthen it.” 3) “We must promote the fullest cooperation with every agency that promotes international friendship.” Pius said that, “Catholics have the obligation of insisting on the ratification by America of the Genocide Pact and of working for reorganization of the United Nations in order to make it more consistent with that world institution” which Pius the XII stated should have “supreme power”.57

His successor Pope John XXIII stated in 1963, “Along with its plea to the United Nations to become ‘more equal to the magnitude and nobility of its tasks,’ the Pope’s encyclical made a case for the establishment of world government with all the cogency of his theologians’ best proofs that God exists. In Vatican language Pacem en Terris calls world government a ‘public authority’, but defines it as ‘having worldwide power and endowed with the proper means for the efficacious pursuit of the universal common good.’ The Pope held that such a government must be founded because all nations are now interdependent.”58 Pope John Paul II was also very dedicated to developing the “New World Order” with a reformed United Nations. This is why he worked so diligently with Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. It wasn’t about freedom; it was about preparing the way for world government. Uniting the nations of Europe under one government and currency would be the prototype for their ultimate goal. In fact, Pope John Paul II made this statement in the early 1990’s: "By the end of this decade we will live under the first one world government that has ever existed in the society of nations…a government with absolute authority to decide the basic issues of human survival. One world government is inevitable."59

More recently Pope Benedict XVI said in his 2009 encyclical entitled, Caritas in Veritate, or Charity in Truth, “…there is an urgent need of a true world political authority…with real teeth” whose task would be “to manage the global economy.”60 And this is exactly what the Bible tells us that the Antichrist and the False Prophet will accomplish. They will have a world government and then control the world economy through the “mark” of the beast: “…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: 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. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:16-18).

Something else to consider is the reference made by the Apostle Peter to a church in Babylon when in fact at that time the literal city of ancient Babylon was nothing more than ruins as it is today. He wrote, “The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son” (1 Peter 5:13). In this verse, Babylon is recognized as a code word meaning Rome. This is because there is no evidence that Peter ever ministered in Babylon. Roman Catholics have even acknowledged this association saying, “‘Babylon,’ from which Peter addresses his first Epistle, is understood by learned annotators, Protestant and Catholic, to refer to Rome - the word Babylon being symbolic of the corruption then prevailing in the city of the Caesars.”61

Over the years some Protestants have argued that the Bible never says Peter was in Rome, but Catholics disagree and use 1 Peter 5:13 saying, “While there were many things that happened connected with Jesus and the Apostles that are not written in the Bible (see John 21:25), Peter’s presence in Rome is confirmed by it. In his first epistle Peter closes by saying ‘She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; so does my son Mark’ (5:13). ‘She who is chosen’ refers to the Church in Rome. ‘Babylon is a Christian code word for Rome and the Roman Empire. Examine Revelation 17:5 where the author uses Babylon — mother of harlots and the earth’s abomination, drunk on the blood of Christian martyrs — in this sense. At the time Peter was writing, Babylon was no longer a great city but a deserted relic of mud huts.”62

As if all of these identifying marks are not enough, in Revelation 18, God begins to declare His judgment on “Babylon the great.” He makes this cry, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” This lets us know that some of His people are in this Mystery Babylon (the Roman Catholic Church), but He wants them to come out of that system of idolatry. Following this a statement was made that reveals beyond any doubt that “Babylon the great” is the Roman Catholic Church. The Bible says, “How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow” (Rev. 18:7). The word ‘queen’ here in the original Greek is the word ‘basilissa’ pronounced bas-il’-is-sah. From this word comes the Latin word ‘basilica’ which was originally used to describe a Roman public building as early as the second century B.C. In other words, this Mystery Babylon says in her heart, “I sit a basilica.” Could it be any more obvious than that?

Some might think that I am alone in this belief. But I recently heard two well-known prophecy teachers on television teach that the Roman Catholic Church is the Great Whore of Revelation 17. The first one is minister and author Irvin Baxter on his television program End of the Age. Baxter also has an article on this issue on his website.63 And then, I was given the DVD set of Perry Stone’s 2011 Conference in Griffin, Georgia. In session five entitled 666 and the Scarlet Harlot, Perry Stone taught this exact same thing about the Roman Catholic Church. Other men of God like the late Keith Green, Leonard Ravenhill and most of the Reformers believed this as well. Really, you have to be either spiritually blind, ignorant, or have an agenda to not see that the Roman Church is the Great Whore…there is just too much evidence.

The Mother of Harlots

Now that we have identified the “great whore” of Revelation as the Roman Catholic Church, let’s look at why she is called “the Mother of Harlots” or “the Mother of Idolatries.” On June 30, 2000, CatholicCulture.org published an article written by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (who is now Pope Benedict XVI) entitled Note on the Expression Sister Churches. At that time, Cardinal Ratzinger was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which means he was the overseer of Catholic doctrine. He also worked very closely with Pope John Paul II. This note was written to clarify that although the Roman Catholic Church sought ecumenical dialogue with other churches, they were not a “sister church” but instead the “mother church of all churches.” This note was approved by Pope John Paul II and is held as “authoritative and binding.” The following is an excerpt: “It must always be clear, when the expression ‘sister churches’ is used in this proper sense that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic universal church is not sister but mother of all the particular churches."64

Don’t think for a minute that this is a new concept with the Roman Catholic Church. For centuries, different popes have also claimed that their church was the “mother of all churches.” In an extract from Pope Gregory VII’s Letter to the Bishop of Metz in 1081 Doeberl, op. cit. iii. 40 sqq. Mirbt, No. 297, “The holy fathers, as well in general councils as in their writings and doings, have called the Holy Roman Church the universal mother, accepting and serving with great veneration this institution founded by the divine will, this pledge of a dispensation to the church, this privilege entrusted in the beginning and confirmed to St. Peter the chief of the apostles.”65

Also, the term “Mother of Harlots” means that she got impregnated by some other entity or entities and then gave birth to “idolatries” that were part her and part of another. Just as a child is a mixture of their mother and father’s DNA, so is the religion that the Great Whore of Rome has birthed. She became intimate with elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, Celtic paganism, Greek gods, and ancient goddess worship and birthed her own versions of these abominations. And like a mother, she gave her idols different names like the Virgin Mary. The real Mary (who was the mother of Jesus) had sex with her husband after Jesus was born and had at least six more children thus ending her virginity. The “Virgin Mary” that Catholics worship and pray to more closely resembles the ancient Roman goddess Dianna who was worshipped as the perpetual virgin goddess. Rome also fornicated with Samhain (the Festival of the Dead) and birthed All Saints Day which encourages the “veneration” (worship) of dead saints and prayerful communication with the dead.

I could go on and on but instead let’s look at what her fornication with principles of Buddhism and Mary worship has produced. As I previously shared, Buddhist meditation or “contemplation” involves primarily two aspects. The first is quieting the mind by concentrating on something repetitive like chanting words, sounds or focusing on breaths. The second is visualization or the act of creating images in the mind. Now, I have already shown you how the principles of Buddhism were incorporated into Roman Catholicism through the desert fathers in the third and fourth centuries. Let’s fast-forward to the early thirteenth century where repetitious prayers were already being practiced in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1208 A.D. a spirit claiming to be Mary appeared to a priest named Saint Dominic and gave him some modifications for prayer. This spirit instructed Dominic “…to teach his listeners to picture (or visualize in their minds) the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as they prayed the Rosary (a prayer to Mary).” They were to recite “…the Lord’s own prayer, the Our Father. Then they repeated over and over again the Angel Gabriel’s words to the Virgin when he announced that she was to be the Mother of God’s Son. As they said the Our Fathers and Hail Mary’s, they learned to see in their own minds the mystery they named.”66

There you have it! A spirit claiming to be Mary encourages Dominic to pray repetitious prayers and to practice visualization. Of course this spirit also incorporated prayers to another being other than God. This mixture of Buddhist techniques with a slice of Mary idolatry all wrapped up in some true Christian teachings about Jesus is an absolute masterpiece of satanic deception. Even a Roman Catholic Archbishop admitted that the Roman Catholic Church had to be either of Christ or the masterpiece of Satan: “Now a system like this [Roman Catholicism] is so unlike anything human, it has upon it notes, tokens, marks so altogether supernatural, that men now acknowledge it to be either Christ or Antichrist. There is nothing between these extremes. Most true is the alternative. The Roman Catholic Church is either the masterpiece of Satan or the kingdom of the Son of God.”67 Archbishop Manning was elevated to Cardinal in 1875 so obviously his comments did not bother his colleagues. I would have to say that after looking at their history and doctrines, there is no doubt that Roman Catholicism is the masterpiece of Satan. It is even now morphing into the one world religion that accepts every belief and every religion while still claiming to be “Christian.”

In fact, Pope John Paul II was also the overseer of a new publication of the Catechism (official teachings) of the Catholic Church which made a special provision for Muslims. His revision includes Muslims in the plan of salvation even though they reject Jesus Christ as God in the flesh, the Son of God, and deny that He died on the cross for the sins of mankind, thus denying that Jesus is the only way to heaven. The Catechism says, “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”84

So, Pope John Paul II honored the pagan moon-god Allah by taking off his shoes and entering a mosque. Then he kissed the Qur’an (a book that represents a religion of a false god that denies nine different times that God has a Son). Then, he publishes a revised Catechism that states that Muslims are all saved and worship the same God as Christians even though Muslims and their Qur’an deny that Jesus Christ the Son of God has come in the flesh. And Rick Joyner and other Christians call Pope John Paul the II one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time. Have we taken leave of our senses and entered the Twilight Zone? The Bible clearly says that any person that denies that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God is “antichrist” and void of eternal life. So, that would include Muhammad (who started writing the Qur’an at least 514 years after the New Testament of Jesus Christ was finished) and any other religion or religious leader that denies Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the ONLY Messiah and Son of God.

Here is how the Holy Spirit had the Apostle John write it: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is ANTICHRIST that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also” (1 John 2:22-23)….“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world, Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:13-14)… “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of his Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John 5:9-12).

Here are a few verses from the Quran that denies Jesus Christ as God and the Son of God. It even denies that Jesus was crucified which is the very basis of the Gospel and our salvation from sin:

“O People of the Scripture! Do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, “Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. (Surah 4:171)

“They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity…Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle” (Surah 5:73 & 75)

“That is Jesus, the son of Mary - the word of truth about which they are in dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah that he should beget a son” (Surah 19:34-35).

“And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain” (Surah) 4:157

So, we see that Islam is a direct denial of the foundational doctrines of Christianity and of Jesus as God the Son who was crucified as a sinless sacrifice for mankind. Thus, Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) are liars and deceivers of the worst sort. Their terrible deception is paving the way for the rise of a moderate Muslim man (who will be a descendant of Muhammad) to step forward as the Imam Mahdi, preaching peace in all facets of politics and religion.85 He will be deeply involved in the Israel/Palestinian peace negotiations and suggest that all religions should put down their differences and join together for the common good of mankind. And the world will marvel after this eloquent man who is speaking peace, unity, and security (especially after another global economic crisis and WW3) but he will really be the Antichrist and turn on Israel and Christians worldwide. And whoever is the Pope at that time will work side by side with this moderate Muslim to lead the world into a horrible season of religious deception, persecution and totalitarian control of every facet of life.86 Millions will be killed if they don’t submit to these false messiah figures, but this season of trial and death will culminate at the Battle of Armageddon and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Thus, Pope John Paul II was no different than any of the preceding popes. He was just like the wicked kings of Israel (like Jeroboam) who led the people of God into idolatry. John Paul II did not lead millions to repentance and true salvation in Jesus Christ nor did he stop the repetitive/mantra prayers to Mary or the dead saints. He did not remove the statues and icons from their cathedrals. Nor did he refute all of the false teachings about Mary being sinless, the co-redeemer with Christ, or her being taken up to heaven. And he did not take a stand against the antichrist spirit of Islam."

Furthermore, award winning filmmaker Christian J. Pinto believes the prophecies concerning the man of sin and a New World Order as the Revived Roman Empire agrees with what the Reformers, such as Martin Luther believed, which was that Rome and Islam were "the two horns of the beast." Prophetically speaking, the two legs of the statue envisioned by King Nebuchadnezzar became the Eastern and Western Roman Empire, he says, where the West was ruled by the Vatican, while the East eventually fell to the sword of Islam. "The Reformers believed that the Islamic Antichrist (Mahdi) would destroy the body of the Church through slaughter, while the Roman Antichrist (the false prophet) would destroy the soul of the Church through false doctrine," he says. And I agree that this is what the Scriptures have always said would happen.

Having stated the above, I will end with what God said to His people caught up in this idolatrous religious system:

"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).

References

57. Found in Vital Speeches of the Day, December 15, 1959

58. Look Magazine, July 2, 1963

59. The Keys of This Blood: The Struggle for World Dominion between Pope John Paul II, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Capitalist West by Malachi Martin; Simon and Schuster, New York 1990

60. Reuters news article entitled, Pope Calls for “Global Authority” on Economy by Philip Pullella October 24, 2011

63.www.endtime.com/pdf/archives/Judgment-of-the-Great-Whore.pdf

64.www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=3135 See item #10

84. Catechism of the Catholic Church #841 1994 Edition

85. Our Antichrist Revealed video on http://www.truegod.tv/v/33fd

86. For more information on this subject go to www.TrueGod.tv and view our video The Antichrist Revealed