A Name, A Mystery

The apostle John is soon to learn that the great harlot has chosen a dangerous beast to ride. First, though, his attention turns to Babylon the Great herself. She is richly adorned, but, oh, how repulsive she is! "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and was adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls and had in her hand a golden cup that waa full of disgusting things and the unclean things of her fornication. And upon her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 'Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth.' And I saw that the woman was drunk witht the blood of the holy ones and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus." - Revelation 17:4-6a.

As was the custom in ancient Rome, this prostitute is identified by the name on her forehead. It is a long name. "Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth. That name is "a mystery," something with hidden meaning. But in God's due time, the mystery is to be explained. In fact, the angel gives John enough information to allow Jehovah's servants today to discern the full significance of this descriptive name. We recognize Babylon the Great as being all of false relgion. She is " the mother of the harlots" because all the individual false religions in the world, including the many sects in Christendom, are like her daughters,imitating her in committing spiritual harlotry. She is also the mother of "disgusting things" in that she has given birth to such revolting offspring as idolatry, spiritism, fortune-telling, astrology, palmistry, human sacrifice, temple prostitution, drunkenness in honor of false gods and other obscene practices.

Babylon the Great is dressed in "purple and scarlet," the colors of royalty, and is "adorned with gold and precious stone and pearls." How appropriate! Just reflect on all the magnificent buildings, rare statutes and painting, priceless icons, and other religious paraphernalia, as well as astronomical amounts of property and cash, that this world's relgions have accumulated. Whether at the Vatican, in the TV empire of evangelism centered in the United States, or in the exotic wars and temples of the Orient, Babylon the Great has amassed-and at times lost-fabulous wealth.

Look now at what the harlot has in her hand. John must have gasped at the sight of it-a golden cup "full of disgusting things and the unclean things of her fornication"! This is the cup containing "the wine of the the anger of her fornication" with which she has made all the nations drunk. (Revelation 14:8; 17:2) It looks rich on the outside, but its contents are disgusting, unclean. (Compare Matthew 23:25, 26) It contains all the filthy practices and lies that the great harlot has used to seduce the nations and to bring them under her influence. Even more revolting, John sees that the harlot herself is inebriated, drunk with the blood of God's servants! In fact, we later read that " in her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth." (Revelation 18:24) What massive bloodguilt!

Over the centuries, the world empire of false relgion has shed oceans of blood. For example, in medieval Japan, temples in Kyoto were transformed into fortresses, and warror-monks, invoking "the holy name of Buddha," battled on another until the streets ran red with blood. In this 20th century, the clergy of Christendom have marched with the armies of their respective countries, and these have slaughtered one another, with the loss of at least a hundred million lives. In October 1987 former U.S. president Nixon said: " The 20th century has been the bloodiest in history. More people have been killed in the wars of this century than in all the wars fought before the century began." The relgions of the world are judged adversely by God for their share in all of this; Jehovah detests "hands that are shedding innocent blood." (Proverbs 6:16, 17) Earlier, John heard a cry from the altar. "Until when, Sovereign Lord holy and true, are you refraining from judging and avenging our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10) Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots and of the disgusting things of the earth will be deeply involved when the time comes to answer that queston.

Next time:An Awesome Mystery Solved.