Who or What Is "mystery Babylon" in Revelation 17?
1) Direct Answer
Mystery Babylon is the great end-time apostate church system—a religious city that rules the nations, joins with political power, and mothers other churches after her kind. It is an unfaithful “woman,” a system of worship that mixes the things of God with the world.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- It is a woman—an unfaithful church: in prophecy a woman types a church (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27). Here she is a harlot, meaning spiritual fornication—uniting with the world and idols (Revelation 17:1-2; Jeremiah 3:1-9).
- She sits on many waters—global reach: “The waters… are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:1,15).
- She is a mother system: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS…” (Revelation 17:5). She has daughters—other churches that take her ways.
- She is rich, ceremonial, and intoxicating: “arrayed in purple and scarlet… decked with gold… having a golden cup… full of abominations” (Revelation 17:4). Her “wine” makes the nations drunk (Revelation 18:3).
- She persecutes the true saints: “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Revelation 17:6).
- She is a ruling city on seven mountains: “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth” and “that woman… is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:9,18).
- She rides the beast—church controlling state power—until the horns turn and destroy her (Revelation 17:3,16-17).
- God calls His people out: “Come out of her, my people” (Revelation 18:4).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- A pure woman portrays the Bride of Christ; a harlot portrays a fallen church. So this is not merely a nation; it is a religious system.
- She is centered in a specific great city known for seven mountains and worldwide influence over kings and peoples—so it’s a church-political power, not just a local congregation.
- She is a “mother,” so her daughters are other systems patterned after her—sharing her mixture of tradition with the world.
- The name “Babylon” reaches back to Babel—confusion and man-made religion (Genesis 11). “Mystery Babylon” is that same spirit in its religious form at the end: organized worship mixed with politics, wealth, and idolatry, drawing power from the beast and intoxicating the nations.
- The final word from Heaven is separation: leave the mixture and cleave to the Word, because her judgment comes suddenly (Revelation 18:8-10).
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, the Bible paints it plainly: a mother church-system, ruling from a great city, riding worldly power, rich, ceremonial, persecuting the saints, and spawning daughters after her order. The call of God is simple—come out to the pure Word of Jesus Christ before her plagues fall.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Seals 2: Breach between the Church Ages and the Seals
63-0317E §108
And the Lamb comes forth now. From being a mediator between God and man, He becomes a Lion. And when He becomes a Lion He takes the book. That's his rights. God's held it, the mystery. But now the Lamb comes. Nobody could take the book. It's still in the hands of God. No pope, priest, whatever it might be, they can't take no... the book. The seven seals hasn't been revealed, see? But when the mediator... when his work is done as an intercessor, He comes forth. And John... The elder said, "He's a lion," and He comes...
Seals 3: The First Seal
63-0318 §34
And then God takes his messenger with the Elect of that age and lays them away asleep, and then He drops a plague upon them who rejected it-a temporary judgment. And then, after that is over, then he goes on. And they denominate, and bring in denominations, and start off with that man's work-like Wesley and all the rest of them. And then it gets all into a scropple again; and then another mystery comes forth. Then what happens? Another messenger arrives on earth for a church age, see. Then when he arrives, the trum...
Revelation, Chapter 4a
60-1231 §47
The voice was the same voice that walked in the seven golden candlesticks, same voice. The voice didn't change. But the voice, where was it when he heard it the first time? How many remembers, in the first church age? Behind him. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day," Revelation 1:10, "in the Spirit." If you want to put that down: Revelation 1:10 and 13. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me as a voice of a trumpet and sounded like many waters. And when I turned to look, I saw one standing...
Is this the sign of the end sir?
62-1230E §102
Notice, Revelation 5:1. Listen at this now. And I saw in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne a book written within [the writing was inside] and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Now, there's writing on the inside of the book, but the backside had seven seals on the back of it that wasn't written in the book. Now, this is the revelator talking---John. Now, remember, it wasn't written in the book. "And in the days of the voice of the seventh angel all this mystery that's written within should be fi...
Seals 2: Breach between the Church Ages and the Seals
63-0317E §22
Now, we see that this seven-sealed book, now, is the mystery of redemption. It's a book of redemption from God. Now, all the mysteries at this time should be finished at the sounding of this messenger. Now, here's the angel on earth, and another Angel, mighty messenger, come down. See, this angel was an earthly angel, messenger. But, here comes one down from heaven---a rainbow, covenant, see? Only Christ it could be---just exactly like it was in Revelation 1st chapter, standing in the midst of the seven golden cand...