L
The identity of the whore in the book of Revelation is claimed by many as the Roman Catholic church and this was the view of early protestant reformers in one of their justifications of the split with Rome.
But does the description of the whore in the book of Revelation match the RC church?
(Rev 18:20 KJV) Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
What city or nation was to be avenged with the blood of the apostles and prophets?
(Mat 23:34 KJV) Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
(Mat 23:35 KJV) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
(Rev 18:24 KJV) And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
(Mat 23:36 KJV) Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
As can be seen from Jesus' statement that it was Apostate Israel in the 1st century AD that was to be held guilty of the blood of the prophets and they would be avenged and "All these things shall come upon this generation."
How can it be said that the Roman Catholic church is the whore of Babylon when all of scripture points to apostate Israel of the 1st century AD, the generation to whom the Lord Jesus came?
How can the blood guilt of Israel be transferred to another "body" such as the RC church - there is no logic to that thinking. It is a total twisting and denial of the bible to claim that anything other than Israel of the 1st century AD is the object of scripture and prophecies including the Book of Revelation.
Jesus plainly states "upon you" the - "YOU" is Israel he's leveling this statements.
(Deu 32:32 KJV) For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
Compare the above with what John states in Revelation:
(Rev 11:8 KJV) And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
(Isa 5:1 KJV) Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
(Isa 5:2 KJV) And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
(Isa 5:5 KJV) And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down
Compare the above from Isaiah with what John states in Revelation:
(Rev 14:19 KJV) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
From the above we see that Isreal of the 1st centuy AD was the final crop of the "vine of Sodom" and their city is spiritually called Sodom.
Jesus repeats the vine motif in his speech here:
(Mat 21:33 KJV) Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it (Isa 5:2 And he fenced it), round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower (Isa 5:2 a tower in the midst of it), and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
(Mat 21:34 KJV) And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
(Mat 21:35 KJV) And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
(Mat 21:36 KJV) Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
(Mat 21:37 KJV) But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
(Mat 21:38 KJV) But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
(Mat 21:39 KJV) And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
(Mat 21:40 KJV) When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
(Mat 21:41 KJV) They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
(Mat 21:43 KJV) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
But does the description of the whore in the book of Revelation match the RC church?
(Rev 18:20 KJV) Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
What city or nation was to be avenged with the blood of the apostles and prophets?
(Mat 23:34 KJV) Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
(Mat 23:35 KJV) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
(Rev 18:24 KJV) And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
(Mat 23:36 KJV) Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
As can be seen from Jesus' statement that it was Apostate Israel in the 1st century AD that was to be held guilty of the blood of the prophets and they would be avenged and "All these things shall come upon this generation."
How can it be said that the Roman Catholic church is the whore of Babylon when all of scripture points to apostate Israel of the 1st century AD, the generation to whom the Lord Jesus came?
How can the blood guilt of Israel be transferred to another "body" such as the RC church - there is no logic to that thinking. It is a total twisting and denial of the bible to claim that anything other than Israel of the 1st century AD is the object of scripture and prophecies including the Book of Revelation.
Jesus plainly states "upon you" the - "YOU" is Israel he's leveling this statements.
(Deu 32:32 KJV) For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:
Compare the above with what John states in Revelation:
(Rev 11:8 KJV) And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
(Isa 5:1 KJV) Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
(Isa 5:2 KJV) And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
(Isa 5:5 KJV) And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down
Compare the above from Isaiah with what John states in Revelation:
(Rev 14:19 KJV) And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
From the above we see that Isreal of the 1st centuy AD was the final crop of the "vine of Sodom" and their city is spiritually called Sodom.
Jesus repeats the vine motif in his speech here:
(Mat 21:33 KJV) Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it (Isa 5:2 And he fenced it), round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower (Isa 5:2 a tower in the midst of it), and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:
(Mat 21:34 KJV) And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
(Mat 21:35 KJV) And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
(Mat 21:36 KJV) Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
(Mat 21:37 KJV) But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
(Mat 21:38 KJV) But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
(Mat 21:39 KJV) And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
(Mat 21:40 KJV) When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
(Mat 21:41 KJV) They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
(Mat 21:43 KJV) Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.