Roman Catholicism


Is Roman Catholicism the 'mystery Babylon' of Revelation?

The Bible refers to a mysterious
world system: Babylon the Great

The mystery has the following identifying characteristics (see Rev 17 and 18):

  • It can be traced back to ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq), but comes to full prominence at the end of this age.
  • It has two strands: a political/commercial strand and a religious strand.
  • The political strand is powerful, global and humanistic, reflecting the man-driven objective of Nimrod's Babel.
  • The religious strand is symbolised by a woman riding a beast.
  • The woman strongly influences (even controls) the political strand, whilst persecuting true followers of Jesus.
  • The woman symbolises a corrupt, apostate church which embraces practices, idols and symbols from ancient Babylon.
  • The woman appears to be a counterfeit Christianity.

Protestant reformers such as Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, and Knox identified the ecclesiastical Babylon as the Roman Catholic Church. Babylon says:

"I am, and there is no one else besides me." (Isa 47.10)

The pope says (July 2007):

"There is only one church" (referring to the Roman Catholic Church)

Erroneous Doctrine

The Coronation of Our Lady Miraculous Medal

Catholics are taught to regard the Virgin Mary as "Queen", and this Catholic image shows her "Coronation". She is elevated to the position of a goddess and Mother of God or Queen of Heaven. This pagan concept can be traced back to the Chaldean Mysteries, where Semiramis, a Chaldean queen, was worshipped as Rhea, the great 'Mother' of the gods. It is a Babylonish concept. Catholicism also teaches that Mary was born without sin (the Immaculate Conception) and that she was raised and taken to heaven (the Assumption). There she accepts prayers of adoration and is entreated to intercede on behalf of sinners (see the adjacent image of the 'Miraculous Medal').


Catholic Image of the Eucharist

The above Catholic image denotes the Eucharist or 'thanksgiving'. Catholic Eucharist Wafer Catholicism holds that this is both sacrament and sacrifice (the Mass), when the elements of bread and wine turn into the actual body and blood of Christ (referred to as transubstantiation). Mass is celebrated at the altar (note the altar in the image) since it is held that Christ continues to offer himself as an on-going sacrifice on the altar. The round wafer used in the Eucharist is of pagan origin. It symbolises the sun as found in Baal (idol) worship and in pagan worship in Egypt.


Images courtesy True Catholic.
See also The papal site

Related topics:
World Government
Europe in Bible Prophecy
Multifaith - Pluralism
Truth

Babylon - a confusing mystery

The Bible speaks of a mystery upon the earth:

"... a name was written, a mystery, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Rev 17.5)

The word 'Babylon' means "confusion", and the Bible refers to it as a 'mystery' or something that is hidden, secret and obscure. Let's examine the origin and meaning of the word 'Babylon'.

According to the Bible the sons of Noah started to re-populate the earth after the flood. Noah had a great grandson called Nimrod, a great hunter and leader. He built some of the first cities and one was 'Babel' or Babylon in the land of Shinar (ancient Babylonia or modern day Iraq) (Gen 10.10). It was here they started building a tower to heaven in order to make a name for themselves (Gen 11.1-9). This is highly significant in that Babylon came to denote man's defiance against God; it symbolised the glorification of man rather than God. Secular history and Chaldean legend fills in more of the picture. After Nimrod's death his evil wife Semiramis claimed that he was now the "sun god". Moreover, in the Chaldean Mysteries she was worshipped as Rhea, the great 'Mother' of the gods, and through her actions Babylon also became associated with idolatry and prostitution [Hislop, The Two Babylons, 1858].

So it was from Babylon that we get the concepts of man's independence from God, and the idolatries and mysteries of sun god worship and Mother god/mother child worship.

Catholicism - Counterfeit Christianity

The historian Herodotus wrote of how Babylon was the prime evil source from which all systems of idolatry flowed. In fact, from this root it seems a satanic hand (the current 'ruler of the world' (Jn 14.30)) has guided the development of a counterfeit Christianity. The historian Durant claims that the adoration of the Mother and Child was found in pagan Egypt, and historian Johnson claims that Emperor Constantine never abandoned sun worship. So when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire, he not only merged church and state but he 'Christianised' pagan, idolatrous Babylonian mysteries. From about 400AD we find images (idols) of saints and martyrs appearing in churches, together with the adoration of the Mother and Child (the Virgin Mary) and the evolution of the 'priest' from the early church elder. We find the medieval western church under the papacy becoming a powerful political machine, far removed from the church of the gospels. In fact, with much historical documentation, Hislop maintains that the Roman Catholic Church is a continuation of the ancient Babylonish mystery system, with most of its practices drawn from the Babylonian religion and its priesthood.

Catholicism Today

We can list some of the idolatrous practices and pagan doctrines of today's Catholic Church:

  • The round wafers in the sacrament symbolise the sun (the sun was erected above the altars in the worship of Baal) [Hislop]
  • The columns of St Peter's Cathedral in Rome have a sun-like image, and a wall has a golden sunburst image just as in the Babylonian temple
  • The Church claims that the woman in Revelation 12.1 represents the Virgin Mary or 'Mother of God'
  • The Church insists that there is no salvation by faith alone, but that further works are required e.g. through the sacraments and penance. Thus, salvation can only be achieved through the Catholic Church and Rome is the only true church
  • The Church insists that the pope is unable to err in any formal statement (such as a Papal Bull)
  • The Church insists that the Mass is a sacrifice as Christ continues to offer Himself on the altar
  • The Church insists that the wafer and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ (transubstantiation)
  • The Church is a prime player in the EU, so merging Christ's true mission for the church with state business. Recent EU Treaty emphasis upon the 'subsidiarity' of nation states to the EU is a Vatican concept [Semlyn, All Roads Lead to Rome]

Of course, Wycliffe, Huss, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Knox, Whitefield, the Wesleys, and others recognised many of these doctrines and practices as being opposed to biblical teaching and so they opposed the Catholic Church. Even so, today's free churches are only partially reformed from Rome in that they still retain pagan concepts. For example, December 25th was originally the heathen date used to honour the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven [Hislop]. And the Christian Sunday arose when Constantine replaced the Jewish Sabbath since he decreed no work was to be done on 'the venerable day of the sun' (Sunday). Perhaps in this sense we can understand the term 'MOTHER OF HARLOTS' in Rev 17.5.

Catholicism Tomorrow

Ancient Babylon was destroyed by the Medo-Persian Empire around 539 BC. This destruction was foretold in Isa 47, where Babylon is described as "daughter of the Chaldeans" ... queen of kingdoms". She was powerful and proud, but her destruction was coming. Isaiah 47 describes history, but the chapter also looks forward to an end time Babylon. The parallels between what happened to ancient Babylon and what will happen to the future ecclesiastical Babylon (headed by the Roman Catholic Church) are striking. Regarding ancient Babylon we read:

"Yet you said, 'I will be a queen for ever ... I am, and there is no one besides me. I will not sit as a widow ...'" (Isa 47.7,8)

Compare this with the prophecy of the end time Babylon:

"... for she says in her heart; 'I sit as a queen and I am not a widow ...'" (Rev 18.7)

Regarding ancient Babylon we read:

"But these two things will come on you suddenly in one day: loss of children and widowhood ... they have become like stubble, fire burns them ..." (Isa 47.9,14)

Compare this with prophecy for the end time Babylon:

"For this reason in one day her plagues will come,... and she will be burned up with fire ..." (Rev 18.8)

The prophetic picture is one of an end time apostate church suffering sudden and catastrophic destruction. How? Destruction comes from the other end time Babylon - the powerful ten-horned beast of Rev 13.1, the final commercial, political and humanistic world government (see World Government) :

"And the ten horns ... and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, ... and will burn her up with fire" (Rev 17.16)

Why does this happen? A plausible explanation is that the political beast of Rev 13.1-10 is godless and its leader demands that the world worship him alone (2 Thes 2.4)(Rev 13.8). The end time church, although corrupt and 'Babylonish', will probably still acknowledge God as supreme above all creation, and so stands in the way of the aspirations of the end time world ruler. In fact, many see the other beast of Rev 13 (v 11-18) as the Antichrist - represented by the papacy - and this beast is notably absent in Rev 17.16.

Summary

Nimrod's Babylon was originally humanistic, political and commercial, but with the influence of his wife this soon developed into idolatry, pagan worship and moral corruption (the 'Chaldean Mysteries'). These pagan mysteries subsequently developed into an ecclesiastical Babylon which many believe is characterised by Roman Catholicism. Some elements of these mysteries are still retained by today's Protestant Church. Both Babylons, political and religious, can be seen in Rev 17 and 18 (whilst Rev 17.14-18 is specifically the political Babylon), and prophecy indicates that the Roman Catholic Church will be destroyed by the political Babylon. Many claim both Babylons can be seen within the EU, see Europe in Bible Prophecy.


Download a detailed study of the two Babylons:
End-times: The Last Years of this Age
A Word version is here