Who is the Harlot AND Her Daughters?

12/3/2012 | self

[DouglasKC]

Question: In the passages below a harlot symbolizes something. The title on her head is "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." One of the titles is "the mother of harlots". This suggests that there are other harlots that have sprung from this harlot.

This is more curiosity then anything else...but what are opinions on what this represents?

Rev 17:1 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,
Rev 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
Rev 17:3 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.
Rev 17:4 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.
Rev 17:5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 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.
Rev 17:7 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.
Rev 17:8 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.
Rev 17:9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
Rev 17:10 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.
Rev 17:11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
Rev 17:12 "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.
Rev 17:13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
Rev 17:14 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."

[Uri’el-2012]

It is interesting that the NAME
"Nahum" means comforter in Hebrew.

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[Boogieman]

“ALL Protestan theorists use Reveleations to continue their attack on the Catholic Church.”

That’s a pretty broad brush, and actually, the Protestants aren’t the only ones. The Catholics themselves assert that Babylon is a spiritual codeword for Rome, when they claim that the use of that in Peter’s epistle signifies that he was at Rome, in order to bolster their claim for him as a Bishop there. Also, it was the Catholic seer Malachi Martin who made a prophetic list of Popes, with the antichrist seemingly taking the final place. The idea that Mystery Babylon will turn out to be Rome/the Catholic Church, or some perverted form of it, did not spring from Protestants, but pre-dated them.

“There have been many “Anti-Christs” through history.

The Bible never refers to “the” singular, Anti-Christ.”

Not in that specific language, but it certainly refers to a singular, end-times figure that leads the opposition to God. Most people refer to that guy by the moniker “Anti-Christ”, but we can call him the Beast, or the Man of Perdition if you want to be all literal about it.

[xzins]

You do not use the word “author” until late on this thread long after your assertion was made. So, a fair observer would not conclude that your assertion was limited to authors.

Despite that, your assertion that protestans always consider the whore to be the Catholic Church is unsupportable. Some do and some don’t.

John MacArthur, for example, identifies Babylon the Great as a rebuilt Babylon. “The Old Testament’s predictions of Babylon’s total destruction (e.g., Isa. 13:1-14.27; Jer. 50-51) also favor identifying the great city Babylon on the Euphrates.” (From MacArthur’s commentary on Revelation 12-22, Moody Press, 2000, p 167.)

So, your “always” simply doesn’t work. Admit it.

[G Larry]

“What did Jesus say about the endtimes”

Imagine that!

A book that has nothing to do with interpreting Revelations!

Near as I can tell, Revelations is NOT a Gospel.

Alex, you can keep your book.

[Augustinian monk]

“What did Jesus say about the endtimes”

Imagine that!

A book that has nothing to do with interpreting Revelations!

Near as I can tell, Revelations is NOT a Gospel.

Alex, you can keep your book.”

Huh? The book covers much in revelation as well as the Oilvet discourses. Not everyone thinks that the Vatican/Rome play a future role in endtimes.

[Alex Murphy]

Alex, you can keep your book.

Truth be told Larry, I have at least a half-dozen "Protestant" commentary and exposition books in my library on the subject of the Book of Revelation (not "Revelations"), none of which "attack the Catholic Church" or even mention it beyond a footnote or work citation for that matter.

Your original post said that ALL Protestan [sic] theorists use Reveleations [sic] to continue their attack on the Catholic Church, the subject being Protestant theorists. A later post backpedalled on the claim, challenged the reader to instead site [sic] a Protestant writing on Revelations [sic] that doesn’t use it to bash the Catholic Church, the subject now being Protestant writings on the Book of Revelation, of which you claim to own 20 unnamed works.

Well, I own at least six books by Protestant authors other than Dr. Sproul, specifically on the subject of the Book of Revelation, that hardly even give mention to the Catholic Church. Now I'm not going to name them Larry, because I expect you to give me as much benefit of the doubt as I've given you with your unnamed 20.

So eat your crow, Larry. It's good for the spleen.

[spacejunkie2001]

I’ve heard it’s the Catholic Church as well and there’s a guy named Doug Batchelor that has a show and a site that has a sermon or two on it. His show is amazing facts.

[Uri’el-2012]

Nineveh

See: Gen. 10:11f; 2 Ki. 19:36; Isa. 37:37; Jon. 1:2; 3:2ff; 4:11; Nah. 1:1; 2:8; 3:7; Zeph. 2:13; Matt. 12:41; Lk. 11:32

shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach

[spacejunkie2001]

Do tell why you think SDA’s aren’t Christian? They don’t worship Jesus’ mother or bow down to graven images like the Catholics; these things alone disqualify CATHOLICS not SDA’s

[G Larry]

Now the self proclaimed genius of this thread denies there are 20 Protestant authored books, which bash Catholicism.

[G Larry]

Now the self proclaimed genius of this thread denies there are 20 Protestant authored books, which bash Catholicism.

On the subject of The Book of Revelation...

[Alex Murphy]

Now the self proclaimed genius of this thread denies there are 20 Protestant authored books, which bash Catholicism.

It's not polite to talk with your mouth full, Larry. Besides, you're spitting feathers.

[Boogieman]

You’re half right. That passage refers to the resurrection, but not the general resurrection (the Second Resurrection), but rather the resurrection of the righteous (the First Resurrection).

[GeronL]

Every man and woman who denies there is such a thing as sexual morality is one of “her daughters”

[xzins]

Now the self proclaimed genius of this thread denies there are 20 Protestant authored books, which bash Catholicism.

Larry, that simply isn't accurate. Alex said he'd accept that you have 20 books.

You are beginning to look frantic. Quit while you're ahead. Truth be told, Alex Murphy is very knowledgeable.

[Boogieman]

You could look at it that way, but there are other explanations. For example, there are verses where it talks about God blotting out names from the Book of Life. So, it could be that all of our names were written there originally, but many will get blotted out.

[Arthur McGowan]

How do you know?

[Salvation]

Where are you getting these ideas about the Catholic Church and Catholics???

We do not “worship” the Blessed Virgin Mary but hold her in high regard — after all — she is the mother of God made man, Jesus Christ.

The graven images thing is also wrong. We do not worship or pray to statues or images.

Are you getting these ideas from some ill-informed preacher or from some pamplet that someone gave you?

[spacejunkie2001]

Praying to ANYONE but God is worshipping a false idol. That includes Mary or saints or wooden statues.

[Boogieman]

“Do tell why you think SDA’s aren’t Christian?”

Christians don’t follow false prophets.