Many individuals throughout history have attempted to identify Mystery Babylon as well as the Whore of Babylon. Far too often do these interpretations attempt to pinpoint a single institution, city, or group of people. Much of the symbolism in Scripture points to hierarchical representations of certain groups and structures. For instance, the archangel Michael represents all of the warfaring angels in Heaven under his control, that is, his army. When Michael goes to war, his army follows with him as though they operate as one body. Throughout Scripture, the church is personified as a woman, this woman representing everyone within the body of Christ. Cities and nations are also personified in Scripture. In chapter 16 of Ezekiel, Jerusalem is personified as a woman. This woman becomes whorish when the people of Jerusalem start adopting the practices, customs, and religious beliefs of the neighouring heathen nations. Spiritually, this woman (representing Jerusalem) has fornicated with the heathen nations and with the lesser gods of those nations.
The book of Revelation describes how Jesus Christ will be married to the church, personified as a pure, virginal woman “without spot or blemish” (having been washed in the blood of Christ and made clean). The church consists of all of the followers of Christ. This type of symbolic mindset, of how groups of people can be personified, is needed to understand much of the book of Revelation.
Many have identified Jerusalem as Mystery Babylon, given the many parallels between Mystery Babylon and descriptions of Jerusalem throughout Scripture. For instance, the inventory of merchandise within Babylon the Great listed in Revelation 18:11-16 closely parallels passages in the Old Testament which describes the riches of Jerusalem and of the Temple.
Many have also identified Rome as Babylon and that the Roman Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon. The Roman Catholic Church is represented by the Whore in the same way that Jerusalem is personified as a whore in Ezekiel 16: because the Roman Catholic Church has adopted pagan practices, customs, and religious beliefs. Through the centuries, the Roman Catholic Church has accumulated many unbiblical teachings which were codified into Church doctrine. This is the reason why in 1517, Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-five Theses to protest against the Church and its unbiblical teachings. Because of the Church’s unbiblical teachings, many have identified it as the Whore of Babylon in Revelation.
Interestingly, Scripture indicates that Babylon the Great is spiritually connected to each and every kingdom and city of the world, with Babylon the Great being the center of it all. This is stated in Revelation 17:18: “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth”. This passage states that Babylon reigns over “the kings of the earth”. This suggests a spiritual hierarchy, where Babylon is at the top of this hierarchy, ruling over every other nation and city in the world.
And thus, Babylon is where the throne of the king of the world presides. And who sits on this throne? It is none other than Satan, who the Bible declares to be the god of this world, thus having power and authority over the nations and kingdoms of the world. This is best demonstrated when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, offering Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, if only Jesus would bow down to him.
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luke 4:5-6
In Luke 4:6, Satan says how all the kingdoms of the world were given to him. This was the result of man’s disobedience in the Garden, where man chose to believe in the word of Satan (“Ye shall not surely die [by eating the Forbidden Fruit]”) instead of believing in the word of God (which says that sin leads to death). By this simple act, Adam and Eve were disobying God while trusting in Satan, putting Satan in the place of God as their master (this principle is described in Romans 6:16). Numerous passages throughout the Bible reaffirm that Satan is the god of this present, fallen world.
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
1 John 5:19
Satan is not alone in ruling over the world. His fallen angels rule over the nations with him. Deuteronomy 32:8-9 describes how, following the events of Babel, the heathen nations were given over to the fallen angels. These fallen angels thus became lesser gods who ruled over the heathen nations. These lesser gods are mentioned in Psalm 82, which describes the unjust rule of these lesser gods, and how so much of the wickedness in the world is caused by their unjust ways. These powers of darkness which rule over the world are perhaps best described in Ephesians 6:12:
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians 6:12
As Revelation 12 prophecies, in the future, Satan and his fallen angels shall lose their heavenly seats, no longer ruling over the world, but instead thrown down to the world.
At this point, Satan will pass down his kingship of the world to the Antichrist, as described in Revelation 13:2: “the dragon [Satan] gave him [the Antichrist] his power, and his seat, and great authority.” Afterward, the Antichrist will declare himself to be God, and he will rule over the world, controlling a one-world-government.
The Whore of Babylon can be seen as a representation of the portion of mankind who are slaves to sin, with Satan as their master, living in sin. This portion of mankind follows in the spiritual footsteps of the ancient city of Babylon, hence why they are represented by Babylon the Great in Revelation. This representation is made most clear in Revelation 17:15: “And he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This passage demonstrates how the whore is really a representation of sinful mankind as a whole, consisting of all the different nations of the world. The reason why the wicked portion of mankind is represented by a whore is because in the beginning, mankind as a whole was married to God. The relationship between man and God was supposed to be like that of a marriage, with God being the Husband, serving as the provider for His wife (mankind), having a loving, intimate relationship with mankind.
For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
Isaiah 54:5-6
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
Jeremiah 31:31-32
Mankind (the wife) committing sin is the same as committing adultery against God (the husband), cheating on God by fornicating with lesser gods. In many passages, the Bible even speaks of entertaining other gods and worshiping things other than God as infidelity against God (Exodus 34:16), that committing sins against God is like taking part in harlotry and adultery since mankind is meant to be in a marriage with God; mankind is to be faithful and practice fidelity and loyalty with the Lord just as a woman does with her husband. Yes, the story of the world is of a marriage gone wrong, with mankind (the wife) cheating on God (the husband) with lesser gods (Satan and the fallen angels) .