The Mother of Harlots

 

The Roman Catholic Church and Her Protestant Harlot Daughters Reveled in Scripture

 

The Old Testament portion of the Bible never mentions the word  "church," it is always congregation or assembly of the people of God.

Church translated from the Greek word ekklesia first appears in the English Bible in Matthews 16:18. The Greek words kaleo (to call), with the prefix ek (out). Thus, the word means "the called out ones." However, the English word "church" does not come from ekklesia but from the word kuriakon, which means "dedicated to the Lord."

Roman Catholicism was never a "church"...  it is, and always has been, a counterfeit organization disguised as a church.

 

The Revelation of Jesus Christ as Recorded by John the Apostle ~ Revelation 17

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings (governments) of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” (The Roman Church is responsible for most of the false doctrines taught by her harlot daughters in Churchanity)

So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.

I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
 

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits (The title seven mountains refers to Rome, which was literally founded on seven hills). There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, (the sea of humanity) multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city (The Vatican) which reigns over the kings (governments) of the earth.”

Secular History

After the fall of the Roman empire in the fifth century, the Catholic Church appeared as the new dominant power of Europe. Like the Romans they had their capital in Rome and they had their own emperor – the Pope.
 
The power of the Catholic Church lay in their perceived status as the gatekeepers to heaven. Cross them in any way, shape or form and you could find yourself barred from the gates of paradise.
 
This could apply to anyone from the poorest peasant to the most powerful King.

For the average person the Catholic Church was an all-consuming presence. For starters every peasant had to give up a portion of their weekly work to labor on church land for free.

 
As if this wasn’t enough they had to pay 10% of their earnings to the Catholic Church through a tax known as the tithe. Since many peasants couldn’t lay their hands on much cash, this tithe was more often than not paid in grain which was stored in vast barns known as tithe barns.

Considering the subsistence level at which most peasants operated, coming up with this tithe was a constant struggle.

In the Middle Ages almost everyone believed strictly in the doctrines of the Catholic Church, which meant they believed they were either going to heaven or hell when they died.

The Catholic Church turned this to their advantage, finding ways to charge people at every turn. As well as the tithes you would have to pay to be baptized – if you weren’t baptized you couldn’t be buried on Church land which in turn meant you’d be unable to pass through the gates of heaven.

Perhaps the most famous instance of medieval church profiteering was the sale of indulgences, papers which declared absolution from sins even those not yet committed.

For all the wealth they accumulated, the Catholic Church paid no taxes, which gave them economic power surpassing even the wealth of some monarchs.
 
Bishops and Clergy owed their allegiance not to their King but to the Pope in Rome which led to more than a few conflicts over the years.
 
Even Kings and Queens were meant to subject themselves to papal authority and those who did not risked attracting the wrath of the Church.

The size, wealth and power of the Catholic Church led to increasingly great corruption in the course of the middle ages... and continues to this day.
 
In response to this corruption dissent arose eventually around the 16th century with German priest Martin Luther. However, most of the false doctrines and Catholic traditions were retained by protestant denominations.

That's why Jesus told John to record this information so Christians with "ears to hear, and eyes to see" would know who is the Mother of Harlots... and her Protestant harlot daughters.

 

You are cordially invited to join Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group

 

The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong. To learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.