Abominable Church

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The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible and the Essential Catholic Survivors Guide says it refers to Jerusalem and Rome.

The text itself suggests Jerusalem. The harlot is called “the great city” in (Rev 17:18) a title earlier given to the city where Jesus was crucified (Rev 11:8). She is “seated” on the beast/waters (Rome). “Seated” symbolizes their unholy alliance in oppositon to Christians. Harlotry was a familiar charge against Jerusalem in the OT for her spiritual promiscuity with pagan nations (Isa 1:21; Jer 2:20; Ezek 16:1-25; 23:1-4, 11, 30). “Making her naked” in (Rev 17:16) recalls how the Lord punished Jerusalem with Gentile lovers who stripped her naked in the OT (Ezek 16:30-43) and “burning her up with fire” is found in (Ezek 23:22-31).

There is also a note: those who interpret the harlot as Rome (or Jerusalem) exclusively read this in terms of self-destruction caused by infighting and civil-war.
That’s better than the way I would have put it. 👍
 
That’s better than the way I would have put it. 👍
Thanks for the thumbs up, but I must ask: What do you mean by “Wrong, the whore of babylon is yet to come”?

The interpretation I shared was refering to first century Jerusalem and it’s destruction by the Romans in 70 A.D. In otherwords, the whore of Babylon is not still to come. Rather, it is ancient history.
 
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible and the Essential Catholic Survivors Guide says it refers to Jerusalem and Rome.

The text itself suggests Jerusalem. The harlot is called “the great city” in (Rev 17:18) a title earlier given to the city where Jesus was crucified (Rev 11:8). She is “seated” on the beast/waters (Rome). “Seated” symbolizes their unholy alliance in oppositon to Christians. Harlotry was a familiar charge against Jerusalem in the OT for her spiritual promiscuity with pagan nations (Isa 1:21; Jer 2:20; Ezek 16:1-25; 23:1-4, 11, 30). “Making her naked” in (Rev 17:16) recalls how the Lord punished Jerusalem with Gentile lovers who stripped her naked in the OT (Ezek 16:30-43) and “burning her up with fire” is found in (Ezek 23:22-31).

There is also a note: those who interpret the harlot as Rome (or Jerusalem) exclusively read this in terms of self-destruction caused by infighting and civil-war.
Thank you for the clarification!
 
Here’s the thing that I NEVER get about nearly all these references to Revelations or the Book of Mormon… all of the supposed references seem to state that this Abomination will consume or torture the Saints.

Problem is… where in History has the Catholic church tortured or killed Saints? – If anything the Catholic church is attacked because we uphold the Saints, have memorials to them, Holidays, statues, are even accused of Worshipping them.

That doesn’t sound like torturing and killing Saint to ME? – so that never made any sense to me.

That’s like accusing America of being Evil because we killed and tortured the Founding Fathers – which we don’t. We build monuments to them, put them on our money, have holidays, etc.
 
Thanks for the thumbs up, but I must ask: What do you mean by “Wrong, the whore of babylon is yet to come”?

The interpretation I shared was refering to first century Jerusalem and it’s destruction by the Romans in 70 A.D. In otherwords, the whore of Babylon is not still to come. Rather, it is ancient history.
Revelation ch 17: 15 The angel continued, 'The waters you saw, beside which the prostitute was sitting, are all the peoples, the populations, the nations and the languages.

Revelation ch 17: 18 The woman you saw is the great city which has authority over all the rulers on earth.’

Jerusalem hasn’t had this authority yet but it will when the antichrist rules.
 
There has been an initial fulfillment already. Please read the links from Randy Carson.
Revelation ch 17: 15 The angel continued, 'The waters you saw, beside which the prostitute was sitting, are all the peoples, the populations, the nations and the languages.

Revelation ch 17: 18 The woman you saw is the great city which has authority over all the rulers on earth.’
If this is applied to Rome they did have political authority. St. Paul even referred
Jerusalem hasn’t had this authority yet but it will when the antichrist rules.
If this is applied to Jerusalem it could refer to the manipulation by Jerusalem’s leadership to get the Roman state persecuting the Christians.

Also, the earth/land is symbolic of the holy land in apocalyptic liturature, while the sea always represents the gentiles surrounding it. Since Jerusalem was the center of political power in Canaan and, under the authority of the Romans, it ruled a considerable amount of territory and less powerful peoples. On this thesis “the kings of the earth” would be “the kings of the land” (the Greek phrase can be translated either way). Such local rulers of the land of Canaan would naturally resent Jerusalem and wish to cooperate with the Romans in its destruction—just as history records they did. Local non-Jewish peoples were used by the Romans in the capture of Jerusalem. I got that from the first link. So it is not accurate to say it didn’t happen, because it did.

Catholics are typically amillenial meaning we believe that we are currently in the 1,000 years of Rev 20. The next events in history (in my opinion) would be:

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. They invaded the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev 20:7-10)

A final tribulation and anti-christ will come with Gog and Magog. Will an abominable church give them religious cover? I don’t know. Maybe details from the first 19 chapters will repeat in this final context somehow, but they wouldn’t necessarily have to. Does that make sense?
 
An interesting piece of trivia somebody pointed out to me a while ago (don’t remember who, so I can’t give attribution).

Click on the thumbnail below for a map of ancient Rome:

i173.photobucket.com/albums/w44/markomalley/anticatholic/oldromemap-1.jpg

You can clearly see that the Vatican is on the NW side of the city of Rome…opposite the Tiber. The walls of Rome are clearly defined in this map, so there should be no question. The fact that the modern city of Rome goes all around the Vatican has nothing to do with what was written in the Apocalypse.

To get to the Vatican in the first century, one would literally have to cross the Tiber…out of Rome.

Just something to consider when discussing the abomination &tc with our separated brethren…
 
One problem with that is that the Book of Revelation seems to have been written after A.D. 70. However, I wonder if it would be too much of a stretch to say that this referred to the Jesusalem of Simon Bar Kokhba’s day (the 130’s).
There are two schools of thought. One places its date in the AD60’s.
 
I believe it IS Jerusalem Israel, Not Rome, that is spoken of As the Whore Of Babylon.

Apologist Scoot Hahn does an excellent job outlining Why, it is so.

defendingthebride.com/ch/whore2.html

This passage in Revelation 11:8 is most important because it clues us in as to where this “great city” is. It is “WHERE indeed their Lord was crucified.” It is Jerusalem.

SEVEN HILLS

Revelation 17:9-10 “Here is a clue for one who has wisdom. The seven heads represent seven hills upon which the woman sits. They also represent seven kings: five have already fallen, one still lives, and the last has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a short while.”

7 HILLS of JERUSALEM

Jerusalem was a large city spreading beyond the walls of the fort and onto the seven hills there during the time of Jesus and the Apostles.
It’s seven hills are;
1.) Mount Gared; 2.) Mount Goath; 3.) Mount Acra; 4.) Mount Bezetha; 5.) Mount Moriah; 6.) Mount Ophel; 7.) Mount Zion.
Sometimes, some will substitute the first four with the Mount of Olives, Mount of Offence, Mount of Evil Counsel, and Mount Calvary.
Roger writes: The great city of Revelation 11:8 is not the same great city found in Revelation 17-18.
Revelation 11:8 speaks of the great city where the Lord was crucified, while in contrast Revelation 17:18 is speaking of the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
The outcome of events in Revelation 11 is that the two prophets who are killed are raised from the dead and ascend to heaven in the sight of their enemies, at which time there was a great earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city, causing those who were left to be frightened and to give glory to the God of heaven.
**
“BABYLON” IS CALLED THE GREAT CITY**
Revelation 18:10 “They will keep their distance for fear of the torment inflicted on her, and they will say: ‘Alas, alas, great city, Babylon, mighty city. In one hour your judgment has come.’” NAB
Jerusalem is also called the great city.
Jeremiah 22:4-8 “If you carry out these commands, kings who succeed to the throne of David will continue to enter the gates of this palace, riding in chariots or mounted on horses, with their ministers, and their people. But if you do not obey these commands, I swear by myself, says the LORD: this palace shall become rubble. For thus says the LORD concerning the palace of the king of Judah: Though you be to me like Gilead, like the peak of Lebanon, I will turn you into a waste, a city uninhabited. Against you I will send destroyers, each with his axe: They shall cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire. Many people will pass by this city and ask one another: ‘Why has the LORD done this to so great a city ?’”
"BABYLON" AND THE DEATHS OF THE PROPHETS
Revelation 17:5-6 “On her forehead was written a name, which is a mystery, ‘Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.’ I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of the holy ones and on the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her I was greatly amazed.”
Revelation 18:24 24 “In her was found the blood of prophets and holy ones and all who have been slain on the earth.” NAB
Compare them with these statements about Jerusalem
Luke 11:47-51 “Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building. Therefore, the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute’ in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!”
also Luke 13:31-34 and Matthew 23:29-36 and 24:34
Roger writes: Dr. Hahn seems to be making 2 points here:
(1) that the fact that both Jerusalem and Mystery Babylon are guilty of the blood of the righteous points to them being the same thing; and
(2) that the punishment Jesus referred to, which would come upon them from this bloodguilt, would come within one generation.
In Matthew 23 and Luke 11, Jesus was talking to, and about, the lawyers, the scribes, and the Pharisees! This will become obvious if one reads these chapters all the way through. Jerusalem is serving its purpose of being a symbol for, or a summing up of, things Jewish; in this case the hypocrites and the wicked among the lawyers, scribes and Pharisees.
But Jerusalem represents more than just the scribes and the Pharisees; it also represents the little children who came to Jesus, and it represents those who do the will of the Father, whom Jesus calls “my brothers and sisters,” not to mention the “chicks” that Jesus still longed to gather together.
The hypocrisy and wickedness of the Pharisees and scribes is being specifically targeted in Matthew 23 and Luke 11, and although all Jerusalem would suffer for it (we know this because Jesus said that their house is forsaken and desolate until they say “Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord”), we must remember that Jesus explicitly accused, not Jerusalem, but “this generation” of having the blood of the righteous on their hands.
Further, even if Jesus had implicitly alluded to Jerusalem as the city upon which would come “all the righteous blood shed on earth,” it would still not be the same as Mystery Babylon, for in Mystery Babylon is found the blood of all who were slain on earth. That is an even more comprehensive blood guilt than that of which all the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers were guilty.
 
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