Question About The Book Of Revelation

[Maccabeus]

[indent=1]Rev 17:4 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:[/indent][indent=1]Rev 18:3 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.[/indent]

[i][b]What is this refering to?[/b][/i]

Edited October 7, 2011 by Maccabeus

[Theoketos]

Probably ancient Rome. Also all worldly leaders.

[phatcatholic]

Some scholars also think that the "whore of Babylon" mentioned in these verses is Jerusalem, or Satan, or any force against true religion. I think that there is an acceptable variance of opinion on this point. The [i]Ignatius Catholic Study Bible[/i] provides some help in making sense of all of this. After surveying the case that is made for identifying the Whore with Rome and Jerusalem, the authors conclude:

[indent=1]What is curious about the above is the strength of both interpretations. Some details seem to fit a description of Rome, while others are more clearly applicable to Jerusalem. This being the case, one might argue that these opposing views are not mutually exclusive but that both are legitimate in different ways.[/indent]

[indent=1]In our judgment, a stronger case can be made for Jerusalem as the city whose demise is apocalyptically presented in Revelation. But this does not mean that other readings of the book are thereby ruled out. Jerusalem was the first city to fit the description in Revelation, but it is by no means the only city. What was true of apostate Jerusalem -- that it became a center of godlessness, violence, and corruption to the point of defying God and shedding the blood of his servants -- holds true of countless cities down through the ages. History is clear that Rome stood next in line to carry on the legacy of Jerusalem by its ruthless persecution of Christianity, so Revelation's warnings of divine judgment apply to it as well. Indeed, Rome's blood guilt is very much part of the message of the book, even in its literal sense (e.g. 13:7). So even if John intended us to think first and foremost of Jerusalem, God's judgment serves as a warning to any and every city thereafter that would choose to turn against the Lord and his disciples.[/indent]

[indent=1]Thus, when one surveys the history of interpretation, it is not surprising to learn that Rome and, indeed, many other earthly powers, political as well as religious, have been identified as the Babylon of Revelation. We must not restrict the meaning of apocalyptic events to exclude later historical applications. Revelation's theological message is a timeless message, and its pastoral application is one of perennial relevance. It was as meaningful in the first century as in every century since, even to the end of time. ("The First, Second, and Third Letters of St. John and the Revelation to St. John", pg. 59 [line breaks are mine])[/indent]

For a compliation of articles in defense of the various identifications of the "whore", see the following blog post: [url="http://phatcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/10/catholic-church-is-not-whore-of-babylon.html"]"The Catholic Church Is Not the Whore of Babylon"[/url]