In the book of Revelation the writer, the apostle John, tells us four times that he was in spirit. The first time he was in spirit on the Lord’s Day and saw seven golden lampstands: “I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet...And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands” (1:10, 12).
The second time he was in spirit, he saw a throne: “After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things. Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting” (4:1-2).
The third time, John was carried away in spirit to the wilderness and saw the great Babylon: “He carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns...And on her forehead there was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (17:3, 5).
The fourth time, John was carried away in spirit to a high mountain and saw the New Jerusalem: “He carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (21:10).
Four times John was in spirit, and every time he saw a vision. The book of Revelation is composed of these four visions.
In the first vision the apostle John saw the seven golden lampstands, and these golden lampstands are the seven local churches. Therefore, the first vision was the vision of the local churches. This is covered in the first three chapters.
In the second vision John saw a throne, and the One who sat on the throne had a sealed scroll in His right hand. Out of this scroll there were seven seals, and out of the seven seals were seven trumpets, and included in the seven trumpets were seven bowls. The seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls are the different judgments of God upon the world. This is covered in chapters 4 through 16. In other words, these thirteen chapters contain the second vision of this book, the vision of the divine judgment of God upon this sinful and evil world.
In chapter 17 John was again in spirit; but this time he was carried away because he was to see something awful and horrible, which no human word can describe. He was carried away in spirit into the wilderness. If we would see something, we must be carried away from it a certain distance. When we are too close, we cannot see clearly, but when we are carried away, it becomes so clear.
John was carried away into the wilderness and had a clear view. There he saw a sinful woman sitting upon a beast. This is the third vision. If we read this book carefully with references from other books of the Bible, we will realize that the woman signifies religion, and the beast the political government. Strictly speaking, the beast here is the Roman Empire, while the woman signifies the Roman Catholic Church. A woman joins herself with a beast (i.e., religion joins itself with politics). On her forehead there was a name written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT. This vision of the great Babylon is covered in chapters 17 and 18.
The Lord tells us clearly that this woman, the great Babylon, is a harlot. She is also called the mother of the harlots. Who are all her daughters? I do not like to say, but I believe we all know. Every Bible student recognizes that the great Babylon signifies the Roman Catholic Church, and the Roman Catholic Church as the great harlot is the mother of many harlots.
The Roman Catholic Church is a mixture. She has the gold, the precious stone, and the pearls, the three items used for the building up of the New Jerusalem; but she has something more. Let us read Revelation 17:4: “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication.” Although she was gilded with gold, precious stone, and pearls, she was first clothed in purple and scarlet. These are not things for the New Jerusalem. Therefore, this woman is a real mixture. There is something of gold, precious stone, and pearls; yet these are rather superficial and outward. She was only gilded with them. The first things were the purple and the scarlet.
All the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church wear scarlet robes and a scarlet hat—everything is scarlet, and the pope wears purple. But there is nothing scarlet and purple in the New Jerusalem. There is undoubtedly something of God in the Roman Catholic Church. Even such a spiritual sister as Madame Guyon was there. She was a real precious stone, but she was under the purple and the scarlet.
What is this great Babylon? It is the mixture of Christianity. The great Babylon is a harlot mother with many harlot daughters. The Roman Catholic Church is the mother, and the denominations are the daughters.