God’s Judgment on the Whore of Babylon
John’s vision of Mystery Babylon continues into Revelation 18, which describes the fate of the Roman false church and those who do not leave her. Revelation 18:10, 18:17, and 18:19 prophesy that God’s ultimate judgment on the Vatican will occur swiftly—in only one prophetic hour.
Revelation 18:8-10
8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
From previous examples, we know one prophetic hour would amount to fifteen days. While the phrase “one hour” could be intended to figuratively show the swiftness of God’s vengeance, the more likely interpretation is that the time interval follows the day-year principle, like all the other prophecies in Revelation that contain specific time frames do.
Revelation 18:17-19
17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,
18 And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!
19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
Heaven Celebrates the Destruction of Mystery Babylon
Verse twenty declares Heaven will celebrate as God avenges the deaths of the Christian martyrs slain by Mystery Babylon over the centuries. The next several verses describe the finality of the Catholic Church’s destruction. Read these five verses carefully and scrutinize the text to see how well this part of the description of Mystery Babylon fits the Roman Catholic Church. If Revelation 17 was not clear enough for you to acknowledge the Catholic fulfillment of Mystery Babylon, Revelation 18:20-24 will remove all doubts.
Revelation 18:20-24
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Verse twenty-two predicts, “The voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee.” Catholic masses and rituals regularly have music performed by instrumentalists and choruses. It continues, “No craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee.” The Roman Catholic Church commissioned many of history’s greatest artists. Architects, engineers, masons, carpenters, painters, sculptors, glassworkers, jewelers, and metallurgists built and decorated its extravagant churches and cathedrals. The Renaissance would have been much different without the patronage of the church.
“The sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee” is a figurative prophecy. This phrase is remarkably similar to Mark 9:42, which contains the Bible’s most recognizable reference to a millstone. In Mark 9, Jesus said it would be better for a person to drown in the sea with a millstone around his neck than be allowed to harm children.[1] In Revelation 18:21-22, a millstone is again thrown into the sea, alluding to the destruction of Mystery Babylon. In these verses, a parallel is drawn between the deceivers of children in Mark 9:42 and the Roman Catholic Church, which indoctrinates children through false dogma.
The prophecy, “The light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee,” does not require much interpretation. Advent candles, votive candles, paschal candles, baptismal candles, and more are found in every Catholic Church.
“The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee” is a straightforward reference to the weddings held in Catholic churches, a popular venue for brides and grooms.
Verse twenty-three declares, “By thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” This is a reference to the way the Catholic Church has led people astray from true Christianity with false doctrine and fabricated miracles.
The Catholic Church slaughtered countless Christian martyrs during the Middle Ages and Counter-Reformation. The phrase, “In her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth,” predicts a type of evaluation where God will judge the Catholic Church for her violence against Christians.
[1] Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.