Rev. 17:3, 4  "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication."

With these verses of scripture, we begin the process of identifying whom Mystery Babylon the Great is. However, before we definitively identify her, we note that she was riding the back of a "scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." This is the same beast that is identified in Chapter 13:1 "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."

The dragon had caused this beast to rise up out of the sea of humanity. The dragon had given this beast his seat and authority. The dragon had made this beast in his own image. Thus, the origin of the woman also came from the dragon. The dragon is the architect of both the beast and the woman. In addition, the dragon was controlling the movements of both the beast and the woman. The dragon had arranged that the beast would export the woman's fornications on the back of the beast and would ride the beast unto the uttermost parts of the world. In addition, we would expect that since the beast was full of names of blasphemy, that woman who rode upon his back would also be full of names of blasphemy.

With verse 4, we begin to identify the woman known as Mystery Babylon the Great. At this point, I will set forth the proposal that Mystery Babylon the Great was Jerusalem under Judaism. Judaism is not a scriptural term, but identifies the religion of the Jews when Christ walked on the earth. The worship of the Jews was a polluted form of the Old Testament Law worship that God had given her on Mt. Sinai. The key here is "polluted." The Jews had changed the purpose of the Law worship. The law was not designed to make anyone righteous, but to show forth the need of a redeemer:

1. Heb. 7:19 "For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
2. Rom. 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
3. Gal. 3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
4. Gal. 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith."

The Lord told some unbelieving Jews: John 5:39 "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." These Jews assumed that the scriptures were a rulebook by which they could attain eternal life. Rather than being a rulebook for attaining eternal life, the scriptures are a testimony of Jesus and what he did for his people. With this erroneous view of the purpose of the scriptures, the Jews went about trying to establish their righteousness through the keeping of the law of God:

1. Rom. 9:31 "But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

2. Rom. 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Furthermore, they weren't satisfied with just attempting to keep the law of Moses, they added to the law their own traditions:

1. Matt. 15:1 "Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; 6 And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition."

2. Col. 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
3. 1 Peter 1:18 "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers."

Furthermore, the Jews added their own teachings to the Old Testament teachings:

1. Matt. 15:8 "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
2. Matt. 16:12 "Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
3. Col. 2:20 "Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh."

They worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. They believed and taught that the creature through an act on his part could attain to eternal life. This worship of the creature is an act of spiritual fornication. The belief that the creature can attain unto eternal life by his efforts is the doctrine of Satan. The serpent set forth this doctrine in the Garden of Eden: Gen. 3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." This doctrine that the creature can do something to obtain eternal life has been exported all over the world on the back of the seven head, ten horn beast.

We proceed to show that the woman called Mystery Babylon the Great answers to Jerusalem and Judaism. The word purple appears in the scriptures 48 times and about 40 of those times it is associated with the law worship given to the children of Israel. The word scarlet appears in the scriptures 52 times and at least 45 times the word is associated with the law worship given to the children of Israel. The word gold appears in the scriptures 417 times and in at least 350 of those times the word is associated with the law worship and the children of Israel. The phrase "precious stones" appears in the scriptures 19 times and in at least 15 times it is associated with the nation of Israel. The word pearls appears 8 times in the scriptures and is associated with Israel in all but one time, except when it is associated with Mystery Babylon. All of these associations suggest that Mystery Babylon and Jerusalem are the same. In the rest of Chapter 17 and Chapter 18 there are many other signs that point to Mystery Babylon being Jerusalem under Judaism.

The woman had "a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication." The word abomination is associated with idolatry. An idol is a representation of a false God. The many antichrists that are in the world today are all idols. The descriptions of their Christs are all descriptions of false Christs and not the biblical description of Christ. These false Christs are abominations and their worship is spiritual fornication. Mystery Babylon's cup was full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. The Lord warned that there would arise false Christs: Matt. 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


Rev. 17:5  "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

Jeremiah wrote in Jer. 3:1 "They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed." Israel of old had a whore's forehead and the woman known as Mystery Babylon had a whore's forehead in that she refused to be ashamed of her harlotry and idolatry. The very title on her forehead described her as a harlot and idol worshipper.

The first part of the title is "Mystery." Mystery is defined as a secret. 2 Thes. 2: 2:1 "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

This indicates that the woman was cloaked in secrecy. She was also full of deception, deluded, deceived, and took pleasure in unrighteousness.

The word, Babylon, means confusion and indicates that the woman is full of spiritual confusion. The doctrine of salvation from sin by works of the sinner is a doctrine of confusion. There are multitudes of variations of this theme and all based on the works of man. The problem is that it requires a spiritually dead person to act to get spiritual life. This is utter confusion. This confusion has gone forth throughout the world upon the back of the beast.

The Great is referring to the great city. The term great city is used in the scriptures 17 times. Most of the time it is used to describe Jerusalem or Mystery Babylon, which I propose, is pointing to Jerusalem. The following verses correlate Jerusalem to a great city:

1. Rev. 11:8 "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."

2. Jere. 22:8 "And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? 9 Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them."

3. Rev. 21:10 "And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal."

Obviously reference 3 above is referring to the church, whereas the first two references are to natural Jerusalem.

"THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." Elsewhere Mystery Babylon is described as a harlot. This indicates that she, as a mother, gives rise to harlots. Since her fornication is spiritual fornication and resulted in the arising of idols (false Christs), her doctrinal teachings (salvation by works) has gone forth on the back of the beast to all nations on the earth and sprung up in multitudes of organizations including false churches and other religious societies.