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 4: The Second Seal
63-0319 §121
And upon her head was [written] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT [anybody knows Babylon is Rome], THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. [Listen to the 6th verse.] And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. She was such a beautiful thing with crosses and everything on her. How in the world could she be guilty of drinking the blood of the saints? It puzzled him. Now, he is going to t...
The Mark of the Beast
54-0513 §65
And the woman ... (the woman, now, the church; now, the beast is the power she had, the Roman Catholic church, the Roman Catholic power; but here is the church speaking now.) 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 the filthiness of her fornication: There she is. It's some church you know, isn't it? Got to be there; she's pictured out. Just read on down and we will see who she is. And upon he...
Why I'm against organized religion
62-1111E §107
Now look, immediately after her sin, her secrets was discovered. We've had that a long time ago, we know it. Now the next chapter, look at Revelation 18. May I just turn to it just a minute. It might be a good thing, it won't take us but just a few minutes longer, and it might mean a little something to you. I hope it does. Now we see here, in the 17th chapter, the 5th verse. ... upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, THE ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH. [And watch.] And I...
Why are we not a denomination?
58-0927 §32
Look. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colors, ... decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication: Now friends, we're not reading a daily newspaper, we're reading God's eternal and blessed Word. All heavens and earth will pass, but that Word will remain! That's right. And upon her head was written a name ... [was a name written, rather], MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, THE ABOMINATION OF THE...
Five definite identifications of the true Church
60-0911E §36
And remember, she was called "Mystery, Babylon" (we know that's the Catholic church), but notice, she's the mother of harlots. What's a harlot? The same thing that she is, the whore. Now, where did these organizations come from? There's their mother, that's what they are to begin with. Then you say, "That's the antichrist." That's true. Then if that's antichrist, then what about our organizations? Just as harlot and whore is the same thing: committing adultery, committing fornications, accepting false things becaus...