The following is excerpted from THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE. See end of report for details.
The Bible teaches that the apostasy will increase until a “one world church” is formed. This is signified by the religious harlot of Revelation 17.
1. The pure Bride of Christ becomes a wicked fallen woman.
This
downfall started even during the days of the apostles when some of the
churches were committing spiritual fornication with the world (James 4:4). Demas was one of those who turned from the truth because he loved the world (2 Tim. 4:10).
The doctrine of Balaam and Jezebel was operating in the early churches.
“But
I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and
to commit fornication” (Rev. 2:14).
“Notwithstanding
I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman
Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my
servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols”
(Revelation 2:20).
According to this false doctrine, Christians have liberty to participate in the wicked things of the world.
The
doctrine of Balaam and Jezebel has increased throughout the church age
and is the doctrine that prevails among professing Christians today.
2. The harlot “church” is already taking shape.
Though it won’t be complete until the time of the Antichrist, the harlot “church” is already growing rapidly in the world.
It is being built through the unity movement.
Throughout Christianity there is a call for “unity.” We are told that
unity is more important than doctrine. We are told that we should not
create divisions among Christians. We are told that we should not judge
other Christians, but that we should join them in fellowship and
ministry. We are told that the different denominations are like ice
cream. There are many different flavors of Christianity–Roman Catholic,
Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Charismatic,
Evangelical, Baptist, Church of Christ, etc.–but we cannot say that
only one is right and the others are wrong. We are told that we should
learn from one another and not condemn one another.
This
ecumenical philosophy is creating the one-world church, but the Bible
teaches us to earnestly contend for the one true faith that was revealed
during the days of the apostles (Jude 3). Paul taught that we are not
to allow any other doctrine, which is the most narrow approach to
doctrinal purity that one can conceive (1 Tim. 1:3). We are to separate from those who teach different doctrine (Rom. 16:17).
The harlot “church” is also being built by contemporary worship music.
This music merges the things of Christ with the world’s party music.
The Christian rock philosophy is a Balaam/Jezebel philosophy.
Contemporary Christian Music creates an appetite for the things of the
world. It builds bridges to the world and to apostasy so that the
churches that use it become corrupted in doctrine and practice. There is
a close association between contemporary worship music and the Roman
Catholic Church.
See 1 Corinthians 15:33, which warns that wrong associations corrupt good manners of Christian living. (See the book The Directory of Contemporary Christian Worship Music and the video presentation The Foreign Spirit of Contemporary Worship Music, which are available from Way of Life Literature.)
The
harlot “church” is being built by many other things, including the
social gospel, kingdom building, the positive philosophy (don’t speak
about “negative,” controversial things), contemplative prayer, and the
heresy of “non-essential” doctrines. (See What Is the Emerging Church? from Way of Life Literature.)
3. The harlot “church” will take its final form after the Rapture.
We see an outline of this timeline in the book of Revelation.
In
Revelation 2-3 Jesus addresses the seven churches, and we can see in
these chapters a description of the apostasy that began small in the
days of the apostles (signified by the church of Ephesus losing its
first love, Rev. 2:4-5) and grows through the age until most of the churches are apostate (signified by the church of Laodicea, Rev. 3:15-17).
In
Revelation 4 the true churches are taken out of the world to heaven’s
throne room to be with Christ. Just as John was called up to heaven in Revelation 4:1, so will all of the New Testament believers be called up to heaven at the Rapture (1 Th. 4:15-17). See Jesus’ promise to the faithful Philadelphia church (Rev. 3:10-11). This church signifies the true churches that still exist at the end of the age. They are weak but they keep God’s Word (Rev. 3:8).
In
Revelation 6 the judgments begin to fall on the world of unbelievers
for seven years. During this time, the Antichrist will come to power and
the harlot “church” will reign with him for a brief time.
4. Consider the characteristics of the harlot “church” of Revelation 17:
Mystery Babylon descends from ancient Babylon (Rev. 17:5).
The apostate harlot “church” descends from the false religion established at Babel during man’s early history (Gen. 10:8-10; 11:1-9). Babylon is “the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5),
meaning that the world’s dark religions had their evil beginning with
her. At Babel the devil organized the first idolatrous religion. The
Tower of Babel was preeminently an act of idolatry. It was the beginning
of the mystery religions that eventually permeated the world. It
represented mankind united against the Creator and His holy laws. At the
heart of Babylonianism is the worship of self, which is based on the
ancient lie that Satan uttered to Eve, “ye shall be as gods” (Gen. 3:5).
Babylon is the devil’s world kingdom, with all of its religious,
political, and commercial aspects. The head of this dark kingdom is
called “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).
The
Babylonian religion spread throughout the earth. Idolatrous towers were
built all across Mesopotamia. These were devoted to the worship of the
sun, moon, and stars. Goddess worship was also prominent. The idolatry
was practiced by the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and
the Roman. It spread from the Middle East to Africa, Europe, North and
South America. (We deal with this in the section on Babylon in the
apologetics course An Unshakeable Faith and in the PowerPoint/Keynote presentation on Babylon that accompanies that course.)
The
Roman Catholic Church is a Christianized Babylonianism. The Papacy, the
Mass, Mariolatry, the Rosary, the Priesthood — all of these were
borrowed from the idolatrous Babylonian religions. The ancient
Babylonian mother-goddess worship was the basis for Rome’s doctrine of
Mary. In the Bible, Mary is never called Queen of Heaven or the Mother
of God, but the old mother-goddesses had these titles. The images of the
goddess Isis and her baby Horus were the models for the Madonna and
child. (Evidence for this can be found in the section on Babylon in the
apologetics course An Unshakeable Faith and in the PowerPoint/Keynote presentation on Babylon that accompanies that course.)
“Babylon
the great” in Revelation 17 is the final form of Satan’s world religion
and government. It is taking shape today and will come to power with
the Antichrist during the Tribulation and will be destroyed before
Christ returns (Rev. 19:1-3). (For a detailed study of Revelation 17-18 see the Advanced Bible Studies Series course on Revelation, which is available from Way of Life Literature.)
Mystery Babylon is worldwide.
“Come
hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that
sitteth upon many waters: … And he saith unto me, The waters which
thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:1, 15).
The “many waters” are “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”
Mystery Babylon’s headquarters is in Rome.
“The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Rev. 17:9).
Rome
is famous for her “seven hills.” Rome, of course, is the headquarters
for the Roman Catholic Church, which is at the center of the great
harlot religious system.
Mystery Babylon will probably be ruled
by the pope. On August 7, 1977, Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury
in the Anglican Church, said: “We should like to see the churches of
England, Scotland, the United States and any other countries, bound
together in one body. If the pope would like to come in as chairman, we
should all welcome him” (Why Were Our Reformers Burned?). Our books
Evangelicals and Rome and The Directory of Contemporary Worship Music
document the back-to-Rome movement within practically every segment of
Christianity.
Mystery Babylon is filled with blasphemy.
“I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy” (Rev. 17:3).
This
is true of the Roman Catholic Church. The titles of her popes are
blasphemous (e.g., “holy father,” “his holiness,” “vicar of Christ”).
Rome’s mass is blasphemous. It is blasphemous to claim that bread
actually becomes Jesus and it is blasphemous to worship the bread when
it is put into a box called a tabernacle in Catholic churches. Rome’s
doctrine of Mary is blasphemous. Rome has created fables about Mary’s
sinless birth, her bodily assumption into heaven, her coronation as
queen of heaven, her intercession for sinners. Consider Santa Maria
Maggiore Church (Saint Mary Major) in Rome, which was built to honor
Mary as the “Mother of God.” It features a large mosaic on the ceiling
depicting Mary sitting with Jesus on His throne and being crowned by Him
as Queen of Heaven. Another image of Mary in this church is titled
“Mary Queen of Peace,” which is blasphemous because peace only comes
through Christ. Outside of the St. Mary Major Church, Mary is even
depicted hanging on the cross with Jesus! The Saint Stanislaus Kostka
Catholic church in Chicago has an image of Mary sitting on the ark of
God and surrounded by worshiping angels. This is a great blasphemy, as
the ark was the place where Jehovah God abode in the tabernacle (Ex. 30:36). (For photos of these things see “Rome’s Mary on the Cross” at the Way of Life web site — www.wayoflife.org.)
The
blasphemy is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church. It is spreading
throughout Christianity. It is blasphemous, for example, to mix the holy
things of Christ with the unholy party music of this world. The
emerging churches even go further in their blasphemy, by performing
wicked secular rock songs in their church services. For example,
NewSpring Church in Florence, South Carolina, performed “Highway to
Hell” by the vile rock band AC/DC for Easter service 2009, and
Northpoint Church of Springfield, Missouri, performed “Sympathy for the
Devil” by the Rolling Stones for Easter service 2011. It is also
blasphemous to say that God accepts the moral perversion of
homosexuality, which many evangelicals are saying. (See The Treacherous Waters of Evangelicalism,
which is available as a free eBook from Way of Life Literature —
www.wayoflife.org.) It is blasphemous to say that the God who sends
sinners to hell is a mean God, but this is what some in the emerging
church are saying. (See the book What Is the Emerging Church?)
Mystery Babylon is clothed in purple and scarlet.
“… the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour” (Rev. 17:4).
The
apostles and Christians of the early churches lived simple lives and
built simple churches, but apostate Christians love impressive
cathedrals, flowing robes, ritualism, candles and incense, and expensive
clothing.
Revelation 17:4
describes exactly how Rome’s bishops and archbishops and cardinals and
popes are clothed even to this day. In 2003 I witnessed a mass in St.
Paul Without the Walls basilica in Rome in which the bishops were
clothed in scarlet. When Pope John Paul II died, the cardinals who met
to elect a new pope were clothed in scarlet.
Many of the emerging
churches are moving in the direction of Rome by adopting things such as
candles, incense, dim lighting, ambient music, labyrinths, icons,
prayer stations, art, dance, meditation, chanting, and contemplative
prayer. (See What Is the Emerging Church? from Way of Life Literature.)
Mystery Babylon is immoral.
“…
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” (Rev. 17:1-2).
She is described as a whore. This refers both to spiritual and physical fornication.
The apostasy has always been associated with living after “the lusts of the flesh” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).
The
Roman Catholic Church has been immoral throughout its history. After
Martin Luther visited Rome he observed, “If there be a hell, Rome is
built over it.” He was referring to the wickedness that he found in that
city. Many of the popes, who were supposed to be “celibate,” committed
fornication. Pope John XII (955-63) is described by the Catholic Encyclopedia
as “a course, immoral man, whose life was such that the Lateran palace
was spoken of as a brothel.” Pope Benedict IX (1032-1045) lived a
“dissolute life.” Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84) erected a house of
prostitution in Rome. Pope Pius II (1458-64) and Pope Innocent VIII
(1484-92) each had at least two illegitimate children. Pope Alexander VI
(1492-1503) had at least four illegitimate children whom he made rich
through church positions. Alexander held unspeakable orgies in his
palace and kept married women as mistresses. Pope Julius II (1503-13)
had at least three illegitimate children. Throughout the world, Roman
Catholic priests are infamous for homosexuality and child abuse. In
Northern Ireland they are called “filthy beasts” by the Protestants.
According to Roman Catholic bishop Pat Buckley, studies have shown that
80% of the Catholic priests in Ireland have broken their vows of
celibacy (“500 Irish Priests Having Regular Sex with Women,” London News Telegraph,
Jan. 21, 2006). In America, Rome has paid over $1 billion to settle
court cases against child-molesting priests. Most of these are
homosexuals. A 2004 study found that 5,148 priests had been charged with
committing this wickedness.
The rock & roll Christianity of
these last days is filled with immorality. Rock & roll Christians
live almost the same as the world. They love the world’s wicked movies
and television programs and the world’s music and the world’s immodest
dress fashions and the world’s vain sports stars and the world’s strange
video games and the world’s Internet sites. Even homosexuality is
widely accepted among the rock & roll churches. (See The Treacherous Waters of Evangelicalism, a free eBook available from Way of Life Literature.)
Mystery Babylon is wealthy.
“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…”
(Rev. 17:4).
This
is an accurate description of the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church.
The crown of Pope Paul II (1464-1471) was “set with diamonds, sapphires,
emeralds, chrysolites, and jaspers” (Ouseley, A Short Defence,
1821, p. 230). The wealth of the Catholic Church is vast. In the 1970s,
the Vatican was the third wealthiest “nation” behind America and Japan.
The
wealth also describes the Protestant denominations and “evangelicalism”
and the charismatic movement today. Like the church at Laodicea, they
are rich and increased with goods (Rev. 3:17).
Evangelical and charismatic churches are large and prosperous.
Evangelical and charismatic colleges and publishing houses are rich and
influential. Their radio and television ministries are heard by
millions. Some of the evangelical and charismatic leaders own multiple
mansions and fly around the world in their own luxury jets. In 2006,
churches in America spent $8.1 BILLION just on audio and projection
equipment (“High Tech Churches,” Christian Post, Sept. 26, 2007). An article in Christianity Today
in October 2006 entitled “Let’s Improve the Public Perception of
Evangelicalism,” described “evangelicalism” in the following terms: “We
now have institutional resources and influential churches to a degree
barely hoped for 50 years ago. Our people are better educated and more
affluent. Our global networks are connecting believers like never
before.” This is more representative of the apostate church of Laodicea
and the harlot “church” of Revelation 17 than the simple churches
founded by the apostles.
Mystery Babylon is ecumenical.
“the Mother of harlots…” (Rev. 17:5).
She
has many daughters who share her character. This refers to the
ecumenical movement that is joining together all branches of
Christianity: Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Baptist,
Pentecostal, evangelical, charismatic, etc. The ecumenical movement is
even bringing “Christians” together with pagan religions.
The
emerging “harlot church” was seen at the 1983 World Council of Churches’
(WCC) General Assembly in British Columbia, Canada. The WCC is made up
of more than 340 denominations representing roughly 500 million
professing Christians. The opening ceremony was led by North American
nature-worshipping Indians who burned fish and tobacco in a fire to
their pagan gods. Three Hindus, four Buddhists, two Jews, four Muslims,
and a Sikh participated in the Assembly. There were readings from Hindu,
Buddhist, and Muslim scriptures. A Hindu woman from South India
performed a pagan dance to the earth mother goddess. Philip Potter,
General Secretary of the WCC, said that it is God’s will “to unite all
nations in their diversity into one house.” Dirk Mulder, moderator of
the WCC interfaith dialogue program, said that a Buddhist or Hindu can
be saved without believing in Jesus (Foundation,
Vol. IV, Issue III, 1983). There were also “evangelicals” who
participated in this abominable conference. Clearly this is the “church”
of Revelation 17.
The emerging “harlot church” was seen on
January 24, 2002, when Pope John Paul II led the Day of Prayer for Peace
in Assisi, Italy. The interfaith prayer gathering featured some 200
religious leaders, including representatives of “Christian”
denominations (Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Reformed, Baptist,
Lutheran, Mormon, Mennonite) as well as representatives of Islam,
Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Bahai-ism, Confucianism, Shintoism,
Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, etc. Prominently featured were 29
Muslim leaders from such countries as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt,
Sudan, Morocco, and Libya, all of which persecute Christians to various
degrees.
The emerging “harlot church” is seen in the
contemplative prayer movement which is spreading quickly throughout
Christianity. This movement borrows practices from the old Roman
Catholic monasticism system, which in turn were borrowed from pagan
Babylonian religions. The contemplative prayer movement promotes the
writings of Roman Catholic mystics such as Teresa of Avila, Catherine of
Siena, John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis of Assisi, and
Madame Guyon. Many within the contemplative prayer movement are openly
promoting Zen Buddhism and Hindu yoga, which are Babylonian religions.
The late Thomas Merton, one of the most influential men in the movement,
was both a Buddhist and a Catholic monk. Jesuit priest Thomas Clarke
admits that the contemplative movement has “BEEN INFLUENCED BY ZEN
BUDDHISM, TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION, OR OTHER CURRENTS OF EASTERN
SPIRITUALITY” (Finding Grace at the Center, pp. 79, 80). The
contemplative prayer movement puts professing Christians into
communication with the demons that are the powers behind the ancient
Babylonian idolatry. Many of the most influential evangelical leaders
are recommending contemplative prayer, including Rick Warren, Bill
Hybels, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Max Lucado, Philip
Yancy, Lee Strobel, and Charles Stanley, as we have documented in the
report “Evangelicals Turning to Catholic Spirituality,” which can be
found at the Way of Life web site — www.wayoflife.org.
Thus, there is already a harlot “church” taking shape and sitting upon many waters.
Mystery Babylon is a persecutor.
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…” (Rev. 17:6).
It
has been estimated by reputable historians that during the Roman
Catholic Inquisition 50 million people were killed for the crime of
“heresy” between A.D. 600 and A.D. 1850. This is the number cited by
John Dowling, who published The History of Romanism in 1847 (book VIII, chapter 1, footnote 1).
From
A.D. 1160-1560 the Waldensian Christians who dwelt in the mountains in
northern Italy and France were visited with 36 terrible persecutions
because they refused to submit to the Roman Catholic Church (Thomas
Armitage, A History of the Baptists).
They were almost completely destroyed. For example, in 1209, Pope
Innocent III called for a war against the Waldenses. Anyone who
volunteered to join the war was promised forgiveness of sin and many
rewards. Tens of thousands took up arms for the pope and marched against
the Waldenses. Some 200,000 non-Catholic Christians were killed within a
few months. Two large cities were destroyed, together with many smaller
towns and villages. The Christians were thrown from high cliffs,
hanged, disemboweled, pierced through, drowned, torn by dogs, burned
alive, crucified. In one case, 400 mothers fled for refuge with their
babies to a cave in Castelluzzo, which was located 2,000 feet above the
valley in which they lived. When they were discovered by the rampaging
Catholics, a large fire was built outside of the cave and they were
suffocated. Thousands were made homeless and were forced to wander in
the woods and mountains to escape the persecutors. “In this manner, the
war was carried on for twenty years. Town after town was taken,
pillaged, burnt. Nothing was left but a smoking waste” (John Christian, A History of the Baptists).
This is but a tiny sampling of Rome’s Inquisition.
During
the Great Tribulation, terrible persecution will be unleashed against
those who refuse to submit to the Antichrist, and the harlot religion
will be intimately aligned with him.
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them” (Dan. 7:21).
“And
his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall
destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy
the mighty and the holy people” (Daniel 8:24).
“Then
shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye
shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be
offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Mat. 24:9-10).
“And
when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which
they held: 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O
Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them
that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of
them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little
season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should
be killed as they were, should be fulfilled” (Rev. 6:9-11).
“After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number,
of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our
God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the
angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four
beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and
honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which
are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto
him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out
of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9-14).
“And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image
of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not
worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15).
The
New Testament describes two types of churches: true and false. There
will be true churches in the world until Jesus takes them away through
the Rapture. But false churches will outnumber true churches by far and
will eventually be formed into the great worldwide harlot “church.” This
“church” will rule with the Antichrist for a short season and will then
be destroyed.
Excerpted from THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE.
ISBN 978-1-58318-172-0. One of the many reasons why the Bible is the
most amazing and exciting book on earth is its prophecies. The Bible
unfolds the future in great detail, and The Future According to the Bible
deals in depth with every major prophetic event, including the Rapture,
the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Tribulation, the Antichrist, Gog and
Magog, the Battle of Armageddon, the Two Witnesses, Christ’s Return,
Muslim nations in prophecy, the Judgment of the Nations, the
resurrection body, the conversion of Israel, the highway of the
redeemed, Christ’s glorious kingdom, the Millennial Temple, the Great
White Throne judgment, and the New Jerusalem. The first two chapters
deal at length with the amazing prophecies that are being fulfilled
today and with the church-age apostasy. Knowledge of these prophecies is
essential for a proper understanding of the times and a proper
Christian worldview today. The 130-page section on Christ’s kingdom
describes the coming world kingdom in more detail than any book we are
familiar with. Every major Messianic prophecy is examined. Prophecy is a
powerful witness to the Bible’s divine inspiration, and it is a great
motivator for holy Christian living. In this book we show that the
Lord’s churches are outposts of the coming kingdom. The believer’s
position in Christ’s earthly kingdom will be determined by his service
in this present world (Revelation 2:26-27; 3:21). The book is based on forty years of intense Bible study plus firsthand research in Israel, Turkey, and Europe. 520 pages
