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.
The Handwriting on the wall
58-0108 §6
Now, Babylon was founded by a man named Nimrod, who was the son of Ham, a very evil man. And Babylon was once the capital of the world. When this great city was built there, all the little cities, all around it, paid tribute, taxes, and so forth, to this great city, Babylon. And in there, if you'll read in some of the ancient books, such as Hislop's "Two Babylons", and many of the ancient histories, you'll find that they had all kinds of curious doctrines in there. They had a woman in there, I can't call her name a...
Revelation, Chapter 4c Throne of mercy and judgement
61-0108 §108
Now, it isn't so... If you want to read it, now... we haven't got time. I was going to read it, but I haven't. Put down Revelation 11, 13, and 17. Now, there where beast is, the chapters in Revelation 11, 13, and 17, it's called "beasts" the same way. But the "beasts" there, interpretation is "t-h-e-r-i-o-n," therion, the word, Greek word "therion," which means "a wild, untamed beast." "Therion," that means "a wild, untamed beast." But "zoon" means, "a creature," see, "four living (zoon) creatures." Not the beasts...
The god of this evil age
65-0801M §25
What is it? The world's heading to a climax. Why? The spirit of lawlessness, moral decay, scientific religion, has led it to the cage of every hateful and unclean bird, as the Bible said. Let's read it, Revelation 18. Just while we're getting this point started, we get Revelation 18:1-5. I think I've got that marked right. And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, [Now you people that h...
I will restore unto you, saith the Lord
54-0809A §15
Now, to you my Catholic friends (shook hands with one coming in just a few moments ago): I'm not saying this as a slam to your church. Just a minute till we get through with the Protestants and you'll find out whether we are or not. Notice, now, but in there, the Catholic church come into existence in the book of Genesis. Nimrod established the first Catholic church, which was the first church. It was called the Gates of Heaven, or Paradise, first, Babylon, and then was later called Confusion. But Nimrod, the son o...
Seals 7: The Fifth Seal
63-0322 §43
Now notice (I love this), as in the times of the rider of the four horses---the rider, singular, of the four different horses---there was a beast that announced the power. Every time the rider straddled another horse and come forth to ride, another kind of a beast come out and announced it. That's a great mystery. That is the mystery... Why? ... announcing the mystery. Why isn't there one here on the fifth seal to announce it? Here it is. According to the revelation that the Lord Jesus gave me today, or this mornin...