The Great Harlot – Part Two
As we have seen in the previous instalment, in his vision of revelation, St. John the evangelist predicted that in the end times most of the population of the world would worship a single religion. This religion would be universal in scope and would attract rich and poor alike. In the book “The Last Days of Tolemac” the Oracle describes what this one-world religion will be.
This religion is called “Babylon” . Babylon is not just the name of a place. It is a symbol of everything for which the original city of Babylon was once famous. At the height of its glory Babylon was the envy of the world. It was a place of great luxury and wealth. Its hanging gardens were among the wonders of the ancient world.
In his vision, John saw a woman wearing royal clothes adorned with fine jewelry. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” (Revelation 17: 4-5)
The woman of mystery that John saw in his vision was called the “Mother of Harlots” because she had seduced all the nations of the world. Her cup of gold symbolized the excesses of all those who had worshipped her.
“For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” (Revelation 18:3)
The religion symbolized by the woman called “Babylon” is the religion of materialism. It is the desire for material wealth ahead of all other values in life. Babylon is a very old religion. It has seduced people since the earliest days of civilization. It continues to seduce people to this day. It is now the dominant religion on the earth. All nations and cultures have fallen prey to its seductive lure.
Babylon lies at the heart of all the sorrows of this world. Those who lust after money and wealth may appear to be successful in life, but they are pursued by sorrow. In striving for material gain they are stalked by spiritual loss.
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:10)
It is the love of money and the single-minded pursuit of wealth, luxury and pleasure, without regard for the spiritual values of life, that has brought people and nations to the crisis that now confronts the world.
It is the love of money that has caused so much sorrow among so many people on the earth over so many centuries.
The quest for material security has become the established way of life for people and societies in all parts of the world today. Those who have material wealth are universally admired. They are considered to be among the successful people of this world. Most people who lack wealth yearn for it, and are willing to resort to any form of enterprise, legal or illegal, in order to get it.
But this blind search for material wealth by nations, corporations and people has been the source of endless human anguish. Down the centuries it has been the cause of countless wars. It has led to the destruction of nations and the death of millions.
The religion of Babylon can no longer be resisted because it is so pervasive. It can no longer be defeated because the laws of every land support it. The mighty creation that Babylon has become today, with its modern world of investment, commerce, finance and trade, will soon come to an end. It will be destroyed because it has replaced the spiritual values of life with the pursuit of material wealth.
The religion of Babylon has lost its soul.
