The whore, of course with her purple tassels, is the Roman Catholic Church that makes drunk the nations with the wine of the wrath of her fornications so Rev. 17.16 says a nuclear bomb will blow up the Vatican.
Oh my God what a tool! The Great Whore of Babylon isn't the Roman Catholic Church, you insipid dolt, it's Rome. John of Patmos is making a caricature of a coin used in Rome at the time that depicted the patron goddess of Rome (Roma) seated on seven hills (which were the seven hills of Rome - Rome was seated in the middle of seven hills and was known as "the city of seven hills"). She is depicted as slender and beautiful, laying back in a relaxed fashion. There are animals at her feet signifying Rome's horticulture. There are grains and grapes signifying Rome's agriculture. She is holding a sword and it is pointing down toward her knee signifying that Rome has military power but chooses not to raise it unless necessary. The waters of the Tiber river are flowing from her feet. That's how Rome saw itself and that image would have been as familiar to people in the 1st century as the picture of George Washington is to us today on the one dollar bill.
What John of Patmos was doing was making fun of that very much like a political cartoon where things are exaggerated and meanings changed. The seven hills on the coin became a beast with seven heads. Purple was the color of the Emperor. Only the Emperor was allowed to wear purple in his toga and only the very rich could afford scarlet dyes. John was making a point about the wealthy and the aristocracy. The grapes on the coin transform to wine and drunkenness and excess. The wine becomes the blood of believers. He is saying
"Rome is not a beautiful slender woman who is graceful and beautiful and forgiving, Rome is a fat ******* whore of a pig who murders Christians just for the hell of it."
Here's a link to a picture of the ******* coin.
Google Image Result for http christianunityblog.files.wordpress.com 2011 04 vespasian-seven-hills.jpg
Roman Catholic Church...what a total moron.
Blue Phantom, you're a total retard, and certainly not a Christian.
"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14.8). The first fallen points to religious Rome falling and the second fallen points to political Rome fallen. The Vatican will be nuked in the 1st half of the 7 year Tribulation; and political Rome will undergo 1/3 of the people dying. The European Union of 28 countries now is that Revived Roman Empire of 10 Toes. The 1st 10 countries installed in the EU were added by 1982.
To what does this city of Babylon refer in Rev. 14.8? To Babylon or to Rome? The Babylon in chapter 17 is a mystery and has reference to
Rome as a religious system. The Babylon here in 14.8 is also connected with the Roman religious system, for the description concerning both is the same. So that the second angel notifies the world that Babylon is fallen; that us to say, the Roman religious system is defeated. From this we can infer that the big harvest follows upon the defeat of the Roman religious system.
“The wine of the wrath of her fornication” signifies the oppression which the Roman religious system will mete out to people. To those unfaithful to the Lord will she give the wine of fornication; and to the faithful will she give the wine of wrath. Wine speaks of that which bewilders people.
The Roman religious system will be revived as the Roman Catholic Church, but she will also be totally destroyed. Rev. 17.16 points to the description of a nuclear bomb that will blow up the Vatican.
The long section from 17.1 to 18.24 is best to be taken as one single chapter. Please note also that 18.1-3 serves as transitional words, since they conclude what has been spoken previously and commence what is next going to be said; for these verses mention the following three things:
(1) “By the wine of the wrath of her fornication all the nations are fallen”—only chapter 17 mentions this (17.2);
(2) “The merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness”—only chapter 18 mentions this (18.11,15); and
(3) “The kings of the earth committed fornication with her”—both chapters 17 and 18 speak about this (17.2, 18.9).
The word “Babylon” comes from “Babel”: It is recorded in Genesis 10 and 11 that Nimrod built the city of Babel in the land of Shinar. It was he who tried to protect himself by his own strength. The origin of the tower of Babel is found in Genesis 11.1-4. God confounded the language of the people and scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth. Hence the city was called “Babel” (11.9). “Babel” or “Babylon” simply means “confusion”. Idol-worship began there, and it stood in opposition to God. The city grew larger and larger until it reached its golden age at the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Due to the unfaithfulness of the children of Israel, God delivered them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon.
In the days of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a huge image: and by interpretation he himself was the image’s head of gold, the most prosperous period in the history of Babylon; then Medo-Persia (the image’s arms of silver) destroyed Babylon, and the city became desolate. Later on, Greece (the image’s belly of brass) destroyed Medo-Persia; and Greece was in turn destroyed by Rome (the image’s legs of iron). Babylon was therefore the first kingdom, while Rome was the last kingdom. And these four kingdoms oppressed the Jews. Three kingdoms have already passed away, but Rome has continued on. The ten toes of the image have yet to appear. Now just as Babylon had greatly worshiped idols and deeply hated the Jews, so has Rome.
Rome was not only politically a city, it was also a center of religion. In the city of Rome were to be found many Christians, yet Rome hated Christians the most. Not until the fourth century after Christ did Constantine the Great accept Christianity and encourage his people to do the same. With the result that Christianity became the official religion of Rome. At the same time, though, the center of politics shifted from Rome to Constantinople. Rome itself became subject to the rule of Constantinople and remained that way until the sixth century. At the time of Leo a general council was held at Constantinople wherein idol-worship was condemned as heretical and illegal. Rome opposed this, and she broke with Constantinople.
Thus were formed the Eastern Roman Church (the Greek Orthodox Church) and the Western Roman Church (the Roman Catholic Church). The influence of the Eastern Roman Church began to wane, but that of the Western Roman Church increased steadily. A great number of Christians suffered death at the hands of the Roman Catholic Church.
According to Revelation 17 and 18 the Roman Catholic Church will experience tremendous growth in the future, far exceeding that of the past. Her influence will be enormous. But when Antichrist shall arise and set up his image as an object of worship,
he with his ten subordinate kings shall destroy the Roman Church. Nevertheless, with the passing of Rome religious, Rome political will still continue. She will make the Mediterranean Sea a center of her influence. Three and a half years later, God will destroy Rome political.
Why is it that chapters 17 and 18 do not mention Rome plainly, but use Babylon instead? Because John lived under the reign of Rome. If he should have plainly written of Rome, his writing might not have been able to be circulated—yet not that John was afraid to write explicitly, but that the Holy Spirit intended to have it hidden. Nevertheless, the same Spirit is concerned lest people take Babylon as being literal. So in Revelation 17.5 He declares:
(1) “Mystery, Babylon the Great”—Being a mystery, it must be spiritual and not literal in its interpretation. For instance, if in 11.8 Jerusalem had been plainly mentioned, the Jews would have immediately risen up in arms. So that a spiritualized form of writing is here used.
(2) By saying Babylon the Great instead of simply Babylon, it intimates that this Babylon is much greater than the actual Babylon of the past. Such a rendering thus helps the reader to know that Babylon is not to be taken as Babylon literally but is to be understood
as standing for Rome.