Today’s religious scholars assign various identities to Mystery Babylon—including the United States of America, the United Nations, a future global governmental system, and more. However, none of these identities satisfy all, or even most, of the descriptive elements provided in the Bible.

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Mystery Babylon represents the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism did not exist at the time of John’s exile on the isle of Patmos, so its identity would not have been clear to him. Still, God provided this prophecy so that later Christians could recognize the Catholic Church for what it was. If you are not convinced, this chapter will scrutinize each element of the description of Mystery Babylon individually to help you see how John’s vision points to the Roman Catholic Church.

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Why Mystery Babylon Is the Roman Catholic Church

Mystery Babylon Is a Prostitute

According to the angel, Mystery Babylon is a prostitute. From the name etched across her forehead, we also know that she is the mother of all other prostitutes. Because a prostitute represents a false church in prophecy, this woman characterizes not only a pseudo-Christian church herself but also the mother of all other false churches.

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Astonishingly, in 1564 AD, after the Council of Trent, Pius IV published an oath that he claimed must be observed to qualify for eternal life. The oath read, in part, “I recognize the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Roman Church as the mother and mistress of all churches; and I promise and swear true obedience to the Roman pontiff, successor of St. Peter, prince of the apostles, and vicar of Jesus Christ.”[i] The pope himself published an oath describing the Catholic Church in the same way the Bible describes Mystery Babylon—as the mother of all other churches and a mistress, which implies sexual promiscuity—and he did so after the Protestant Reformers identified the Catholic Church as Mystery Babylon.

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The significance of the name “Mystery Babylon” is also impossible to disregard. The word “mystery” is a synonym for deception or secrecy—an obfuscated religion that is not clearly understood. Babylon is repeatedly used throughout the Bible as a representation of Satan’s evil forces in contrast with the goodness of God. We know the priests of the Babylonian sun cult fled to Pergamon after the religious revolts of 484 BC and migrated to Rome once Pergamon joined the Roman Republic. Centuries later, when Constantine converted to what he believed was Christianity, he merged the early faith with Roman paganism to appease the Roman aristocracy and military leadership, most of whom remained pagan. It was through this merger that Constantine created the false church of Mystery Babylon. In his apostasy prophecy, Paul described this pagan form of Christianity as “the mystery of iniquity,” and the symmetry of his word choice with Revelation 17 does not seem accidental.

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God intentionally showed John the name “Mystery Babylon the Great” on the prostitute’s forehead. The name alludes to both the Babylonian origin of Catholicism and the secretive way this pagan religion has disguised itself as a Christian church—the final iteration of Babylonian paganism.

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It Is Comprised of People from Around the World

The angel told John precisely what the waters in his vision signified. “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth,” the angel declared, “are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Today, over 1.3 billion people identify as Catholic. The religion is conducted in numerous languages, with a foothold in most countries.[ii] The Roman Catholic Church’s fulfillment of the waters in Revelation 17 is as obvious and straightforward as the angel’s explanation of what the water represents.

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Non-Christians Will Be Deceived

The hidden pagan identity of Mystery Babylon has conned billions into believing Catholicism is a Christian religion. Revelation 17:8 predicted this deception, saying those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life would look upon Mystery Babylon with wonder and admiration. There is a clear distinction between those who view the Catholic Church as pagan and those who do not. If your name is written in the Book of Life, you may be able to see through the deceptive mystery of Catholic doctrine. If it is not, you would likely be unable to see through her false Christian disguise, and you are destined for Hell.

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Arrayed in Purple and Scarlet, Decked with Jewelry, Gold Cup in Her Hand

In Revelation 17:4, John describes seeing Mystery Babylon dressed in purple and scarlet. These are the same colors as the attire of the higher ranks of the Catholic clergy, where cardinals wear scarlet and non-cardinal bishops and archbishops wear purple.[iii] But the illustration of Babylon’s appearance goes further, describing her as “decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand.”

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Since the eighth century, popes have worn extravagant tiaras for formal ceremonies. In the fourteenth century, these ornate tiaras took on a triple-crowned form called the triregnum. Papal tiaras are always adorned with gold and precious stones and usually include pearls. The mitre is a less formal, pointed hat embroidered with gold thread, often containing precious stones and pearls. In fact, most pieces of papal regalia—including the falda, fanon, mantum, and chasuble—at least contain gold embroidery.

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John could see these signs of Mystery Babylon’s material riches in his vision. But the golden cup in her hand was not about wealth—it was a direct reference to Catholicism’s use of gold chalices when its priests perform the Eucharist ritual during masses.

 

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Popes wearing the triregnum and other vestments with gold, precious stones, and pearls.

(Top, from left) Pope Gregory IX, various popes from the Ghent Altarpiece, Sixtus IV.

(Bottom, from left) Pope Gregory XII, Pius VI, Leo XIII.

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Gold Eucharist chalices on display at the Seville Cathedral in Spain.

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It Is Located on Seven Hills

The Servian Walls were the only defensive walls encircling Rome from their construction in 378 BC until the late third century AD. For most of its history, the size of the empire was the city’s primary defense. By the time any foreign incursions reached Rome, reinforcements stationed elsewhere in the empire could come to the city’s aid.

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As the empire weakened, the city began to be threatened militarily more regularly. The centuries-old Servian Walls had become obsolete and would not have withstood a siege from more advanced militaries. In 275 AD, the emperor Aurelian built new walls around the city to defend it more effectively against outside threats. These colossal walls still stand today as a testament to ancient Rome’s former strength.

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During antiquity, Rome was widely known as the “city of seven hills,” based on the number of hills within the limits of the original Servian Walls.[iv] When John wrote Revelation in the first century, the city had expanded far beyond the Servian Walls, but the moniker persisted. This nickname is still so famous today that dozens of modern cities have adopted it to associate with the legacy of ancient Rome.[v] Anyone in the first century who read a letter that mentioned a seven-hilled location would have interpreted it as Rome. The apostle Peter, believed to have written the epistle of I Peter in Rome, even referred to the city as “Babylon” in I Peter 5:13. This suggests that he knew of the link between the city of seven hills and Babylon.

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The Eighth Hill and Eighth King Are “Of the Seven”

The Catholic identity of Mystery Babylon gives us the answer to how the beast represents an eighth hill of Rome. Another hill lies outside of the city’s original walls, just west of the Tiber. Tradition holds that the apostle Peter was crucified and buried on this hill, as were many other early Christians. By the fourth century, the tombs of the apostles and early Christians martyred there were still visible. In 322 AD, Emperor Constantine built the first Saint Peter’s Basilica over their graves—on Vatican Hill.

 

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Topographical map of the seven hills of Rome within the city’s ancient Servian Walls.

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It Was, and Is Not, and Yet Is

Revelation 17:8 says the scarlet beast would have three distinct phases: “was,” “is not,” and “yet is.” These stages help bring the identity of the scarlet beast into focus. In his A Commentary on the Holy Bible, Matthew Henry wrote, “The beast on which the woman sat was, and is not, and yet is. It was a seat of idolatry and persecution, and is not; not in the ancient form, which was pagan: yet it is; it is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sort and form. It would deceive into stupid and blind submission all the inhabitants of the earth within its influence, except the remnant of the elect.”[vi] Similarly to its seven heads, the beast itself has two fulfillments. The angel reveals it represents the eighth king of Rome, but it also represents an anti-Christian, idolatrous religion on an eighth hill—an evil, Satanic religious force in opposition to true faith in God—which was, is not, and would be again.

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Its representation as the seat of idolatry and persecution becomes more evident when you consider when Revelation was written. The idolatrous sun cult had a seat in Babylon until the revolts of 484 BC and was resurrected after the creation of Roman Catholicism. Revelation was written between these two periods, which explains why the angel conveyed to John that this pagan religion “is not” during his lifetime.

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It Would Receive Its Power from Ten Future Kingdoms

Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel experienced their dreams of four empires more than a millennium before the 476 AD fall of Rome. Their dreams both contained predictions that the last empire would fragment into ten kingdoms. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream alluded to the ten kingdoms, as the statue’s iron legs and feet divided into ten toes, though this interpretation is not explicitly mentioned in the prophecy.[vii] Daniel’s account of his dream contained a direct declaration on the fate of the Roman beast, as the angel unequivocally said, “The ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.”[viii]

Like Daniel, John saw ten horns on the heads of the scarlet beast Mystery Babylon sat upon. The angel in John’s vision explained that these ten horns also represented ten kings who had yet to come to power at the time of his vision. John received this vision at the height of Rome’s dominance, nearly four centuries before the empire’s fall brought the ten kingdoms to power.[ix]

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It Will Have “Made War with the Saints, and Prevailed Against Them”

During the Middle Ages and Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church was responsible for the deaths of an incredible number of Christian martyrs. While the exact number is impossible to calculate accurately, many experts have attempted to come close. Modern Catholic sources range in the tens of thousands, as they underestimate the staggering numbers to hide their history of genocides and atrocities. On the contrary, Protestants frequently cite death totals in the tens of millions, occasionally as high as fifty million or more.

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While both the lower and higher estimates are likely biased exaggerations, the number of Christians slaughtered by the Catholic Church is easily in the millions. If the deaths that resulted from the European Wars of Religion are included, the estimates in the tens of millions could certainly be realized over more than twelve hundred years.[x]

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Ultimately, the actual number of Christians murdered by the Vatican is inconsequential. What is important is that the Catholic Church—a church that is supposed to be Christian—spent centuries slaughtering Christians by the thousands, fulfilling the prophecies that anticipated Mystery Babylon’s maniacal bloodlust against true Christians.

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It Holds Great Influence Over World Leaders

Revelation 17:2 prophesied that “the kings of the earth have committed fornication” with Mystery Babylon. The Catholic Church undoubtedly holds great influence over leaders in politics, international banking, entertainment, business, and other fields. Heads of state, legislators, and political candidates often meet with the pope. It is common for popes to issue calls to action to world leaders on a variety of issues, including those unrelated to religion.

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Mystery Babylon Is a City That “Reigneth Over the Kings of the Earth”

While capital cities reign over countries, only one city can be described as reigning over all the kings of the earth—Vatican City. Throughout history, the papacy has exerted immeasurable control over politics. While heads of state are sovereign leaders, the papacy’s power comes from claims of religious and moral authority. Medieval kings and political leaders craved the pope’s endorsement and feared angering him. Popes claimed to have the power to excommunicate anyone who crossed them, supposedly banishing them to Hell. A dispute with the pope could take away political legitimacy, forcing subjects to choose between obeying their king or their pope.

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The pope’s political control only grew after the Protestant Reformation began. During the period that historians call the Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church created a plan to respond to the Protestants. This response included the foundation of the Jesuits, who would eventually become known as the “shock troops of the Counter-Reformation.” The Jesuit Order secretly infiltrated governments and institutions around the world, including various Protestant denominations, to influence and control politics and religion in their struggle against true Christianity.[xi]

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God’s Warning to Leave Catholicism

Revelation 18:4-5

4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

 

When reading these verses, you can sense the agony and urgency in the mysterious voice’s words as it desperately pleads with believers to abandon Catholicism. It warns us that if we remain in the Catholic Church, we will be “partakers of her sins” and will share in her punishments.

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Catholic apologists will have you believe Mystery Babylon is not a false church. They claim it is anything from the United States to a future one-world government. The United States was not founded on seven hills, nor is it a false church, a “great city,” or made up of many nations, so it clearly cannot fulfill the prophecy of Mystery Babylon. The warning to “come out of her” means we would be free to leave it, which is impossible under a one-world government. Preterists identify her as the Roman Empire, which was also not a false church, nor was it “many nations.” The Roman Empire did not receive its power from the ten kingdoms since they did not exist until after the empire collapsed. Also, the empire fell in 476 AD, more than four centuries after the Preterists’ supposed 70 AD second coming of Christ.

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It is essential to allow the Biblical text to speak for itself. The evidence provided in Revelation 17 is straightforward and makes Mystery Babylon easy to identify. It should be clear from their false interpretations that the Futurists and Preterists are uninterested in discovering the accurate fulfillments for Mystery Babylon and the rest of Revelation. The motive behind their deceit is clear—to help the Roman Catholic Church preserve its pseudo-Christian illusions and prevent it from being exposed as a pagan false church.

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The warning for believers to leave Catholicism should also help to clarify Jesus’ unnerving prediction in Matthew 7:21-23. Out of context, these verses may be terrifying to Christians. Is Jesus telling us that there will be Christians who believe they did everything God expects of them in life, but were still not good enough to enter Heaven?

 

Matthew 7:21-23

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 

Three critical elements in these verses could identify the poor souls who will fall into this category. First, these people do believe Jesus is the Messiah, as evidenced by the fact that they call him “Lord.” Second, the phrase, “but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven,” informs us that only those who follow God’s commandments and act in accordance with his will while on earth will receive eternal life. The last phrase to scrutinize is “ye that work iniquity.” Jesus is warning that those people who believe in him but continue to sin will be denied admittance into Heaven.

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Summary

The Catholic Church Fulfills the Full Description of Mystery Babylon

• Mystery Babylon is a prostitute—a false church (Revelation 17:1)

• It is comprised of people from around the world (Revelation 17:15)

• It has deceived Catholics and many Christians through its false doctrine (Revelation 17:2, 17:8)

• Catholic cardinals wear red and bishops wear purple (Revelation 17:4)

• Papal vestments and tiaras are decked in gold, precious stones, and pearls (Revelation 17:4)

• Priests hold gold cups in their hands when celebrating the Eucharist

• It is in the city of seven hills—Rome (Revelation 17:9)

• It is on the eighth Roman hill—Vatican Hill (Revelation 17:11)

• It received its power from the ten kingdoms of the fallen Roman Empire (Revelation 17:12-13, 17:17)

• It martyred countless Christians (Revelation 17:6)

• It holds influence over world leaders (Revelation 17:2, 17:18)

• It is also a city—Vatican City (Revelation 17:18)

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[i] Buckley, Theodore Alois. 1851. “The Bull of our Holy Lord, the Lord Pius, by Divine Providence Fourth Pope: Touching the Form of the Oath of the Profession of Faith.” In Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, 279-280. London: George Routledge and Co.

[ii] Glatz, Carol. 2021. Vatican Statistics Show Continued Growth in Number of Catholics Worldwide. March 26. Accessed August 5, 2023. https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-statistics-show-continued-growth-number-catholics-worldwide.

[iii] King, William J. n.d. Simply Catholic. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.simplycatholic.com/colors-worn-by-cardinals-and-bishops/.

[iv] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2023. Seven Hills of Rome. June 13. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/place/Seven-Hills-of-Rome.

[v] Malinowski, Gosciwit. 2017. “Septimontium (Seven Hills) as conditio sine qua non for a City to Pretend to be a Capital.” In Horizons, Vol. 8.1 3-26.

[vi] Henry, Matthew. 1835. “Revelation XVII. Ver. 7-14.” In A Commentary on the Holy Bible, Romans to Revelation, by Matthew Henry, 635-636. London: The Religious Tract Society.

[vii] Dan. 2:40-43 (KJV).

[viii] Dan. 7:24 (KJV).

[ix] Elliott, Edward Bishop. 1847. “The Ten Horns of the Beast.” In Horae Apocalypticae, Vol. III, 117. London: Seeley, Burnside, and Seeley.

[x] Plaisted, David A. 2022. “Estimates of the Number Killed by the Papacy in the Middle Ages and Later.” Archive.org. March 20. Accessed June 29, 2024. https://archive.org/details/estimates-of-the-number-killed-by-the-papacy-in-the-middle-ages-and-later.

[xi] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2022. Counter-Reformation. December 13. Accessed August 20, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/event/Counter-Reformation.