The Catholic Church is generally thought of as the Mother Church. It makes this claim itself:
I acknowledge the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church for the mother and mistress of all churches. — Art. 10, Creed of Pope Pius IV. Double Bull of Pope Pius IV, Nov. 13 and Dec. 9, 1564, trans. in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, New York: Harper, 1919, Vol. 1, p. 99.
With this in mind, and with the knowledge that an immoral woman in Bible prophecy is the symbol of a false church, consider Revelation 17:1-6: “And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, Come hither; I will show you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters.”
You will remember that water represents humanity. “Many waters” in this verse, therefore, refers to the many nations over which this prostitute, the papacy, has influence. In other words this false church is worldwide, having its organization in every nation. Continuing with verse two: “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.”
Fornication in this verse is referring to spiritual adultery, the defiling of the pure doctrine of the Bible with pagan practices and beliefs. Here we see that the nations of the earth have willingly accepted this harlot’s doctrine. Fornication also refers to the illicit union of the church and the state (nation) in which the church uses the police power of the state to enforce its doctrine.
Continuing with verse three: “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, 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 cup filled with abominations and filthiness of her fornication and the wine mentioned in verse two represent the false, pagan doctrines that this church teaches. Verse two indicates that the entire world is drunk on this wine of the papacy. Practically the entire world has believed the lies and deceptions that the Roman Catholic Church has put forth as Bible truth. The world is so intoxicated on this wine of the papacy that people will not even listen to the truth, much less consider it. No wonder God warns us in First Peter 5:8 to be sober and not drunk on this wine of the papacy. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”
Don’t misunderstand here. The Catholic Church is NOT a Christian religion. It is a strange combination of all the old pagan religions with a Christian facade. Just because they claim to be a Christian church does not make it so.
Continuing with Revelation 17:5, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Notice that Babylon is a name that the Bible gives to the harlot and her family, and it represents this mother church and all the false daughter churches. The word “Babylon” means “confusion.” What better term to describe the religious situation in the world today? This harlot, the Catholic Church, is the mother of harlots; she has spawned many other churches that teach much of the same doctrine that this mother church teaches, and they all worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, God’s holy Sabbath day of the fourth commandment.
Notice that the design on the Vatican 100 Lira coin displays a woman holding a cup in her hand with the symbol of the sun god in the cup. This is a rather graphic fulfillment of the prophecy in Revelation 17:4. It strongly implies that they know they are the great harlot of Revelation 17.
Remembering that the Catholic Church slaughtered hundreds of millions of God’s true Christians during the dark ages, continue with verse six: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”
How many denominations are there of Christ’s true church, the one that He Himself established? Ephesians 4:4-6 tells us that there is one — and only one — true church. “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” The 500 or so church denominations we find in the world today are the daughter churches of this harlot and are not of God, and they do not serve God, although they think they do. What better way for the devil to keep people out of Christ’s true church than to have some 500 denominations, each claiming to be the true church? It is easy to see why those searching for the truth would give up in despair. Satan is clever enough to make sure that when a person gets into one of his counterfeit churches, that person feels as if he were in God’s church. Satan provides all kinds of spiritual “highs” to make people believe that their experiences are from God. They are drunk on the wine of Babylon. How thoroughly Satan has deceived the people of the world! How complete is their deception at the hands of this master liar and his ministers! But God will never accept any of Satan’s counterfeit religions
all from
THE MYSTERIOUS 666
