Perhaps one of the greatest mystery that will play a big role in the last days (as it was centuries ago) is the Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17:1-18). A woman, in Biblical perspective symbolizes a religious institution or a church (Ephesians 5:22-26). This woman was the one that implemented the prophesied tribulations of the saints and their martyrdom that was widely experienced yet barely exposed throughout the course of history. Thus, she was depicted as a whore who was drunk by the blood of the saints because of her savagery and inhumane cruelty.
Throughout the history, many faithful Christians fell victim of her religious persecutions. Those who have the courage to stand firm in the Word of God were burned together with their Bibles during the times when it was put in the "Index of the Forbidden Books." Some were branded heretics and were martyred for preaching their doctrines which are irreconcilable to their church's dogmas. Others experienced the medieval tortures such as the garrote, burning at stake, guillotine and more odd ways to persecute the saints and forced them to expose their beliefs or renounce their faith. Thus, it fulfilled the very words of Jesus Christ that he prophesied to his disciples, when he said, "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service (John 16:2)." It was said that there were more people killed by these religious Inquisitions than the combined record of casualties of World War I, World War II and some other major wars of the 20th century. The tribulation of the saints and their martyrdom during these events became the fulfillment of the prophecy concerning the vile works of the Whore of Babylon.
Whoredom has a deeper spiritual meaning in the Bible than its common usage literally. The word itself was used in the Scripture not only to identify the act of committing adultery and fornication but also synonymous to the idolatrous practices done by the heathens and the people of God. Throughout the Bible, idolatry became one of the major reason why God's wrath was turned to his chosen people (Israelites). When Aaron and the children of Israel made a golden calf in the wilderness to be their god, the Lord's wrath raged on them. He was so angry that he would annihilate anyone who will not drink the water in which the pulverized remains of the molten image was mixed. Another one, was when the kings of Israel and Judah began to turn to the idols of other nations and worship as their own gods. God in his anger, suffered the Israelites to be dispersed throughout the nations of the world while the remnants of Judah were exiled to Babylon. Thus, having another gods and bowing down to their images is nothing but a spiritual prostitution. As a woman who had sexual relationship to another man other than his husband is an act of whoring, so is a nation who worshiped their gods rather the one true God is a "spiritual whoredom (Hosea 6:6; Revelation 3:20)."
One of the most intriguing part of the prophecy concerning the Whore of Babylon is that it is so admirable that many will fall on her beauty. No wonder, for even John, a man of God in whom the vision was revealed was mesmerized and blinded by its alluring grandeur. Although, the vision seems to be ahead of John's time yet he unwittingly fall from this religious institution with great admiration. Now, if an apostle and a faithful man of God was deceived by the Whore of Babylon even for a while (Revelation 17:6-8), how much more are those people who have not known the truth and those elect of God who are faithless?
