The Infamous Great Harlot

The Bible is inundated with symbolism and literalism. However, unless one is a theologian, it's rather difficult to understand the many symbolic meanings in the Bible. For example, the book of Revelation describes "A fiery red dragon waiting to devour a child from the woman giving birth", "A beast rising up out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns", or "The Great Harlot who made the inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of her fornication." What do these symbols mean? For the purpose of this article, I will focus on the identity of the Great Harlot. Who is she and what clues does the Bible give in her description?

In ancient Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans had an organized religious system-sometimes referred to as "Mysteries." Those behind the Babylonian religious system initiated the "Mysteries." In his book, The Two Babylons, author Alexander Hishop maintains that the Babylonian "Mysteries" required the people to be bound neck and heel to the priest for "the priest were the only depositions of religious knowledge; they (priest) only had the true tradition of how religion could be interpreted and without blind and implicit submission to the Babylon priest, what was necessary for salvation could not be known to the people." Many say that the Roman Catholic Church represents the Great Harlot. Is it possible that the Harlot stands for something more?

Revelation further explains: "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Rev. 17:4-5)" How does the Great Harlot get the inhabitants of the world drunk? We must go back a bit, remember Babylon is famous for the Tower of Babel, where Nimrod organized a rebellion towards God. Due to this rebellion, God scattered the people and mixed their language. Yet the scattered people retained knowledge of the pagan religion. Not to mention, the inhabitants of Babylon had common knowledge of a prophetic scripture: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:15.) Although this scripture was fulfilled once Jesus Christ defeated Satan at the cross, the people of Babylon distorted the truth of the scripture. They knew "a woman's seed" (not a man and woman) would bring forth a Son (the Messiah) miraculously. The Babylonians wrongfully worshipped Semiramis, a woman deity and her son, Tammuz. From Babylon the origin of worshipping a Mother deity and Child continued spreading to the ends of the Earth. In Egypt, the woman deity and her son were worshipped under the names Isis and Osiris. In India, Isi and Iswara, in Asia, as Cybele and Deoius, Shing Moo, the Holy Mother in China (Hislop). Most interesting, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary follows the same pattern.

Just consider the symbolic description of the Great Harlot: A woman holding a cup of wine which causes the entire world to get drunk. In 1825, Pope Leo XII, struck a medal bearing on the one side his own image and on the other, that of the Church of Rome symbolized as a "Woman," holding in her left hand a cross, and in her right a CUP, with the legend around her "Sedet Super Universum," which translates "The whole world is her seat." Whenever someone claims to see an image of the Virgin Mary news organizations clamor to televise it. Just this year, someone paid over $20,000 for a piece of bread that was supposed to contain her image. The sightings of apparitions of the Virgin Mary have increased over the centuries. The Roman Catholic Church reveres Mary. Would you be surprised to know that the Muslims revere Mary also? Catholics and Muslims both use the rosary, also known as "sibhah" to Muslims. Rev. Charles Dickson, Ph.D., explains Mary has a universal appeal that transcends over cultural, geographical, and even religious boundaries. Many believe that the Virgin Mary will be used a stepping stone to connect a universal one-world religion under the same umbrella.

People get emotional just at the sight of an image of the Virgin Mary and when these images speak the world appears to be spellbound. Hislop claims in his book, "The image of the beast is pronounced to be the Virgin Mother or the Madonna. This isn't hard to fathom-many worship and pray to Mary via the Catholic Church. Image will have both life and voice, and will be an effective agent of Papal clergy, who will make it speak exactly as they please." People need to consider who they are praying to. According to the Bible, neither the Virgin Mary, nor the saints (Paul, Peter, Thomas, etc), or Allah, can offer salvation. For the Bible states, "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name (Jesus Christ of Nazareth) under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)"

What is the fate of the Great Harlot? "And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will [be the very ones to] hate the harlot (the idolatrous woman); they will make her cheerless (bereaved, desolate), and they will strip her and eat up her flesh and utterly consume her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His own purpose by acting in harmony in surrendering their royal power and authority to the beast, until the prophetic words (intentions and promises) of God shall be fulfilled" (Rev. 17:16-17). The ten horns are the confederated kingdoms of the Anti-Christ and for whatever reason turns against the harlot and consumes her with fire.

Revelations describes the future Babylon with the same characteristics of the Harlot before its ultimate destruction. "For all nations have drunk the wine of her passionate unchastity, and the rulers and leaders of the earth have joined with her in committing fornication (idolatry), and the businessmen of the earth have become rich with the wealth of her excessive luxury and wantonness." (Rev. 18:3) Pastor John Hagee put this in perspective: "Babel introduced the first organized, idolatrous religious system in the history of the world. That's why Apostle John calls Babylon the Mother of Harlots (Rev 17:5). Babylon was the birthplace (mother) of spiritual adultery." It makes sense that the Great Harlot will end where she began.

To many the symbolism through out Revelation is a deterrent, people say they don't understand it. However, Revelation makes a promise few books in the Bible do. Jesus promises: "And behold, I am coming speedily. Blessed (happy and to be envied) is he who observes and lays to heart and keeps the truths of the prophecy (the predictions, consolations, and warnings) contained in this [little] book." (Rev:7) You are blessed for simply reading the book of Revelation, read it. You may understand it more than you think.