Hello and welcome, may the Lord be with you!

Know Thyself: St. Teresa of Avila on Humility



How do we gain true humility? How well do we really know ourselves?

Recently, for spiritual reading I’ve been reading St. Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle. It’s a book I tried to read before, but it was a bit forced, and never had much impact.

This time, I feel like she wrote that book just for me. Right to my soul. God’s timing, huh?

The idea that has recently captured me, and changed my life recently, is her talk of self knowledge. An idea early on in the book, one that I had brushed over before, but for some reason not taken too seriously (I’d been stuck in an outer mansion).

Self Knowledge and Humility

Teresa’s talk of self knowledge relates to humility. Humility on its own, as a virtue, can be rather forced. It isn’t true humility if you are solely endeavoring to be humble. However, with self knowledge, you are first made truly humble.

Humility is secret. You are aware of your actions, thoughts and their effects, and where you need God’s grace in your life. Rather than outwardly seeking to appear humble, we truly gain the virtue. We endeavour to grow and change for the better.

Self knowledge is so important that, even if you were raised right up to the heavens, I should like you never to relax your cultivation of it; so long as we are on this earth, nothing matters more to us than humility. (St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle)

Self knowledge can be a tough thing to face. Like seeing in the mirror all your flaws. And we become aware of our need for God. We realise our failings. The areas we need to grow in. And that we can’t do it on our own. We need divine help. And for the knowledge of ourselves in the first place, we need God. It is cyclical.

We shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know God: let us think of his greatness and then come back to our own baseness; by looking at his purity we shall see our foulness; by meditating upon his humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble. (St. Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle)

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You /Every hour I need You /My one defense, my righteousness /Oh God, how I need You (Matt Maher, “Lord I Need You”)

Prayer and Self Knowledge

The secret is prayer and meditation. Knowledge of God brings self knowledge.

If we turn from self towards God, our understanding and our will become nobler and readier to embrace all that is good: if we never rise above the slough of our own miseries we do ourselves a great disservice. (St Teresa of Avila, Interior Castle)

St. Teresa speaks of how we get stuck in thinking solely of ourselves, ironically suffering from a lack of self knowledge. We have a fixed idea of ourselves, thinking that we are humble, yet being self obsessed. This is a trick of the devil to prevent us really knowing ourselves and the way of God. We seek satisfaction in things that aren’t actually fulfilling, that we think we need but we won’t find true happiness in.

But with prayer and self knowledge, we gain perspective. We are able to really “walk” with God, to open our eyes to His graces in our lives and how we respond to them. To better make decisions. To be joyful and to greater give ourselves as gifts for others. To live our lives as a prayer.

How can we grow in self knowledge?

OVERCOMING SINFUL ANGER

If you read anything by St. Francis de Sales, you come away with the impression that he was patience incarnate. He talks endlessly about the wonderful benefits of meekness, gentleness, and kindness—especially to those who deserve it least.

Yet, many don’t realize that this great saint struggled for most of his life with a fiery temper and an intense impatience. By his own admission, it took him nearly 20 years to overcome these tendencies. It is a testament to his fierce battle against self that he is known and remembered for the exact opposite virtues of patience and gentleness, rather than those that came easily to his nature.

OVERCOMING ANGER

At one point or another, we have likely all had moments where we feel that flash of blinding rage come on. We lose control in these moments, saying and doing things that we later regret. I know this has happened to me, anyway, and to be completely frank, temper is something I struggle with.

Anger doesn’t have to manifest itself only in moments of passion however; it can also come in the form of a latent bitterness and unforgiveness over past wrongs that festers for many years. Anger can be explosive, or it can also be silently passive-aggressive.

4127iX+22bL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_But despite the power of angry emotions, we are not helpless against them. The saints and masters of the spiritual life have left us a wealth of advice on conquering our passions, including temper, and they demonstrate by their lives that even the most intense feelings of anger can and must be overcome.

There’s one little book in particular that is helpful for those who struggle with anger, whether it be a quick temper or seething resentment: Overcoming Sinful Anger by Father T.G. Morrow. In this short, compact little book, Fr. Morrow addresses the causes of anger and deftly synthesizes the remedies. His style is accessible as it is succinct, and illustrative stories are sprinkled throughout. His advice is applicable to everyone, whether one struggles with a fierce temper or not.

THE GOSPEL AND RELATIONSHIPS

I recommend Fr. Morrow’s work primarily because it acknowledges that the Gospel is ultimately a matter of relationships, namely our relationship to both God and our neighbor. If our relationship with our neighbor is damaged, our relationship with God is also damaged. Jesus put this fact plainly in the Sermon on the Mount: “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:-23-24).

In other words, reconciliation with our neighbor must always precede a right relationship with God. The only conditional petition in the Lord’s prayer is about right relationships—“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Our Lord makes it clear that if we do not forgive others, we shouldn’t expect forgiveness ourselves: “If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15).

BIG SINS, LITTLE SINS

When we think of grave sins, we are too often think only of think of things like adultery or cold-blooded murder. If we don’t do these things, we think we are alright spiritually. And yet Jesus makes it quite clear that, while it is more subtle, anger is a form of murder and that it has grave consequences to our souls (see Matt. 5:22). St. Paul, too, mentions anger alongside adultery in his list of sins that will keep people out of heaven (see Gal. 5:20-21).

In short, anger is not something we can tolerate in our lives, for it is deadly to our souls. As Fr. Morrow writes:

For the real Christian, it’s not where we’re from that counts the most, but where we would like to go one day. Explosive anger is not something you want to have with you when you leave this planet. It will profoundly dampen your ability to enter the Kingdom.

If you have a problem with exploding anger and you want to be a Christian, you absolutely must work hard to overcome it. You cannot simply say, “Well, that’s me,” if you want to be friends with the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Fr. Morrow’s little book, Overcoming Sinful Anger, is an excellent resource in the battle against anger. Whether your explode in anger several times a day or struggle with forgiving past hurts, this book is sure to have advice for you that is as practical as it is simple. I highly recommend it.

It is often said that admitting you have a problem is the first step to resolving it. If we are humble enough to admit we struggle with anger, we can certainly overcome it by God’s grace. Like any growth in the spiritual life, extinguishing the fires of anger will take time and determination, but the struggle will be worth it.

https://www.catholicgentleman.net/2015/03/o...g-sinful-anger/

The Whore of Babylon

In another tract, Hunting the Whore of Babylon, we looked at nine arguments given by fundamentalist Dave Hunt for his claim that the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon from Revelation 17–18. His arguments are typical of those used by fundamentalist anti-Catholics and are easily proven wrong. (See that tract for details).

But we can go beyond a mere critique of the shallow anti-Catholic arguments like Hunt’s. There is irrefutable evidence in Revelation 17–18 (the chapters Fundamentalists love to quote againstthe Catholic Church) that proves that it is impossible for the Catholic Church to be the Whore.



A Vision in the Wilderness
When John introduces the Whore in Revelation 17, he tells us: "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of b.asphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.’ And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marveled greatly" (Rev. 17:1–6).

This passage tells us several things about the Whore: (1) She is an international power, since she "sits on many waters," representing different peoples (17:15), and she has committed fornication with "the kings of the earth," and she has inflamed "the dwellers on earth" with her fornication. (2) She is connected with the seven-headed Beast from Revelation 13:1–10. That Beast was a major pagan empire, since its symbolism combined animal elements from four other major pagan empires (compare Rev. 13:1–2 with Dan. 7:1–8). (3) The Woman is connected with royalty, since she is dressed in the royal color purple. (4) The Woman is rich, for she is "bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup." (5) She has committed some kind of fornication, which in Scripture is often a symbol of false religion—lack of fidelity to the God who created heaven and earth. (6) She is symbolically known as Babylon. (7) She is a central cause of "abominations" in the land, abominations being a reference to practices, especially religious practices, that are offensive to God. And (8) she persecutes Christians "the saints and . . . martyrs of Jesus."

While the rest of her description could refer to a number of things, the symbolic designation "Babylon" narrows it down to two: pagan Rome and apostate Jerusalem. It is well known that the early Church Fathers referred to pagan Rome as "Babylon"; however, there are also indications in Revelation that the Whore might be apostate Jerusalem. Historically, a number of commentators, both Protestant and Catholic, have adopted this interpretation.



The Seven Heads
Continuing in Revelation, the angel begins to explain to John the woman’s symbolism: "This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while" (Rev. 17:9–10).

Fundamentalists argue that these seven mountains must be the seven hills of ancient Rome. However the Greek word here, horos, is almost always translated "mountain" in Scripture. Mountains are often symbols of kingdoms in Scripture (cf. Ps. 68:15; Dan. 2:35; Obad. 8–21; Amos 4:1, 6:1), which might be why the seven heads also symbolize seven kings. The mountains could stand for a series of seven kings, five of whom have already fallen.

This passage gives us a key rule of Bible interpretation which is often denied by Fundamentalists: A symbol does not have to refer to one and only one thing. Here Scripture itself tells us that the heads refer both to seven mountains and seven kings, meaning the symbol has multiple fulfillments. Thus there is not a one-to-one correspondence in the Bible between symbols and their referents.

Also, the mountains could be a reference to pagan Rome, yet the Whore could still be a reference to apostate Jerusalem. In this case, her sitting on the Beast would not indicate a geographical location but an alliance between the two powers. The Whore (Jerusalem) would be allied with the Beast (Rome) in persecuting "the saints and . . . martyrs of Jesus." (Note that the Whore also sits on many waters, which we are told are many peoples, [cf. 17:15]. The context makes it clear that here her "sitting" on something does not refer to a geographical location.)

This passage gives us one reason why the Catholic Church cannot be the Whore. We are told that the heads "are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come." If five of these kings had fallen in John’s day and one of them was still in existence, then the Whore must have existed in John’s day. Yet Christian Rome and Vatican City did not. However, pagan Rome did have a line of emperors, and the majority of commentators see this as the line of kings to which 17:10 refers. Five of these emperors are referred to as having already fallen, one as still reigning in John’s time, and another yet to come. Since Jerusalem had no such line of kings in the first century, this gives us evidence that the Beast (though not the Whore) is Rome.



The Ten Horns
The angel also interprets for John the meaning of the Beast’s ten horns: "And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast; they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful" (17:12–14).

This shows us that the Beast is allied with ten lower rulers and with their own territories. Some Fundamentalists bent on making this apply to modern times and the Catholic Church have argued that the horns refer to the European Community (EC) and a revived Roman empire with the Catholic Church at its head. The problem is that there are ten kings, but there are now manymore than ten nations in the EC.

However, what we are told about the horns does fit one of the other candidates we have for the Whore—apostate Jerusalem. The angel tells John: "And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled" (17:16–17).

If the Whore is Jerusalem and the Beast is Rome (with the ten horns as vassal states), then the prophecy makes perfect sense. The alliance between the two in persecuting Christians broke down in A.D. 66–70, when Rome and its allied forces conquered Israel and then destroyed, sacked, and burned Jerusalem, just as Jesus prophesied (Luke 21:5–24).



The Whore’s Authority
Finally the angel tells John: "And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth" (17:18). This again points to pagan Rome or apostate Jerusalem. In the case of the former, the dominion would be political; in the case of the latter, it could be a number of things. It could be spiritual dominion in that Jerusalem held the religion of the true God. It could be a reference to the manipulation by certain Jews and Jewish leaders of gentiles into persecuting Christians.

It could even be political, since Jerusalem was the center of political power in Canaan and, under the authority of the Romans, it ruled a considerable amount of territory and less powerful peoples. On this thesis "the kings of the earth" would be "the kings of the land" (the Greek phrase can be translated either way). Such local rulers of the land of Canaan would naturally resent Jerusalem and wish to cooperate with the Romans in its destruction—just as history records they did. Local non-Jewish peoples were used by the Romans in the capture of Jerusalem.



The hub of world commerce
Continuing in chapter 18, John sees the destruction of the Whore, and a number of facts are revealed which also show that she cannot be the Catholic Church. For one, she is depicted as a major center of international trade and commerce. When it is destroyed in chapter 18, we read that "the merchants of the earth [or land] weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo any more" (18:11) and "all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea . . . wept and mourned, crying out, ‘Alas, alas, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth!’" (18:17–19).

Pagan Rome was indeed the hub of world commerce in its day, supported by its maritime trading empire around the Mediterranean, but Christian Rome is not the hub of world commerce. After the Reformation, the economic center of power was located in Germany, Holland, England, and more recently, in the United States and Japan.



Persecuting apostles and prophets
When the Whore falls we read, "‘Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you’. . . . In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth" (18:20, 24). This shows that the Whore persecuted not just Christians, but apostles and prophets. Apostles existed only in the first century, since one of the requirements for being an apostle was seeing the risen Christ (1 Cor. 9:1). Prophets existed as a group only in the Old Testament and in the first century (Acts 11:27–28, 13:1, 15:32, 21:10).

Since the Whore persecuted apostles and prophets, the Whore must have existed in the first century. This totally demolishes the claim that Christian Rome or Vatican City is the Whore. Rome was not a Christian city at that time, and Vatican City did not even exist, so neither of them could be the Whore. Furthermore, Fundamentalists continually (though wrongly) claim that Catholicism itself did not exist in the first century, meaning that based on their very own argument Catholicism could not be the Whore!

Fundamentalists are fond of conjecturing that in the last days there will be a "revived Roman empire," such as the one that persecuted Christians in the first century. Yet they never draw the inference that this empire would be headed by a revived pagan Rome, with the bishop of Rome leading the Christian underground, just as he did in the first century.

Still, Revelation 18:20 and 18:24 prove that the Whore had to be a creature of the first century, which, in the Fundamentalist view, the Catholic Church was not. Thus, on their own view, their identification of the Catholic Church with the Whore is completely impossible! Only ancient, pagan Rome or apostate Jerusalem could possibly be the Whore.



If Not the Whore, the Bride
The fact that the Catholic Church is singled out by Fundamentalists as the Whore reveals that they intuit the fact it has an important role in God’s plan. No other church gets accused of being the Whore—only the Catholic Church. And it is understandable why: The Catholic Church is the largest Christian body, larger than all other Christian bodies put together, suggesting a prominent place in God’s plan. Fundamentalists assume, without objectively looking at the evidence, that the Catholic Church cannot be the Bride of Christ, so it must be the Whore of Babylon.

Yet the evidence for its true role is plain. The First Vatican Council taught that "the Church itself . . . because of its marvelous propagation, its exceptional holiness, and inexhaustible fruitfulness in all good works; because of its Catholic unity and invincible stability, is a very great and perpetual motive of credibility and an incontestable witness of its own divine mission" (On the Catholic Faith 3).

So why is the Bride maligned as the Whore? Jesus himself answered the question: "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household" (Matt. 10:25). "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world . . . the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (John 15:18–20).
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004

IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

But the fruit of the Spirit is, charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, - Galatians 5:22

If anyone claims to be filled with the Holy Spirit but does not have these fruits, know that he/she is nothing but a liar.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting. - Jude 1:21

Why would there be a reason for purple & red to be haram to Christians?    funny logic you have there. Unless of course you are confused. Very confused!

According to *Rev 17:6, the saints (Christians) will be killed by the Roman Catholic church! SO why would the colors of the RCC have anything to do with Christians??!!

Don't tell me you consider yourselves as Christians!

Are you not even aware of the doctrinal distinctions, between your religion(RCC) & the Christians?

Also, most of the things mentioned in the book of Revelation are yet future. I'll display the verses first & the explanation comes below :

 

    Rev 17:1-COME HITHER; I WILL SHEW UNTO THEE THE JUDGMENT (or punishment) OF THE GREAT WHORE (or prostitute) THAT SITTETH UPON MANY WATERS:

    17:15-THE WATERS...WHERE THE WHORE (or prostitute) SITTETH, ARE PEOPLES, AND MULTITUDES, AND NATIONS, AND TONGUES (or languages).

    17:2-WITH WHOM THE KINGS OF THE EARTH HAVE COMMITTED FORNICATION (or adultery), AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH HAVE BEEN MADE DRUNK (or intoxicated) WITH THE WINE OF HER FORNICATION, (of the whore’s fornication).

    18:3-FOR ALL NATIONS HAVE DRUNK OF THE WINE (or maddening wine) OF THE WRATH OF HER FORNICATION (the whore’s fornication), AND THE KINGS OF THE EARTH HAVE COMMITTED FORNICATION WITH HER, AND THE MERCHANTS OF THE EARTH ARE WAXED RICH (or grew rich) THROUGH THE ABUNDANCE OF HER DELICACIES (or from her excessive luxuries).

    7:3-SO HE CARRIED ME AWAY IN THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS: AND I SAW A WOMAN SIT UPON A SCARLET COLOURED BEAST, FULL OF NAMES OF BLASPHEMY (or covered with blasphemous names), HAVING SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS.

    17:18-AND THE WOMAN WHICH THOU SAWEST IS THAT GREAT CITY, WHICH REIGNETH OVER THE KINGS OF THE EARTH.

    17:9-AND HERE IS THE MIND WHICH HATH WISDOM. THE SEVEN HEADS ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS, ON WHICH THE WOMAN SITTETH.

    17:4-AND THE WOMAN WAS ARRAYED (or dressed) IN PURPLE AND SCARLET COLOUR, AND DECKED (or was glittering) WITH GOLD AND PRECIOUS STONES AND PEARLS, HAVING A GOLDEN CUP IN HER HAND FULL OF ABOMINATIONS (or filled with abominable things) AND FILTHINESS OF HER FORNICATION (or the filth of her adulteries).

    18:16-ALAS, ALAS, THAT GREAT CITY, THAT WAS CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND DECKED WITH GOLD, AND PRECIOUS STONES, AND PEARLS!

    17:5-AND UPON HER FOREHEAD WAS A NAME WRITTEN (or this title was written on her forehead-NIV), MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND (of the) ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

    17:6-AND I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNKEN WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS, AND WITH THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS (or with the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus-NIV): AND WHEN I SAW HER, I WONDERED WITH GREAT ADMIRATION (or I was greatly astonished).

    18:4-AND I HEARD ANOTHER VOICE FROM HEAVEN, SAYING, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, THAT YE BE NOT PARTAKERS (or share) OF HER SINS, AND THAT YE RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES.

    18:5-FOR HER SINS HAVE REACHED (or are piled up) UNTO HEAVEN, AND GOD HATH REMEMBERED HER INIQUITIES (or crimes).

    18:7-HOW MUCH SHE HATH GLORIFIED HERSELF, AND LIVED DELICIOUSLY(as the glory and luxury she gave herself), SO MUCH TORMENT AND SORROW (or torture and grief-NIV): GIVE HER: FOR SHE SAITH IN HER HEART, I SIT A QUEEN, AND AM NO WIDOW, AND SHALL SEE NO SORROW.

    18:17-FOR IN ONE HOUR SO GREAT RICHES (or wealth) IS COME TO NOUGHT (or has been brought to ruin). AND EVERY SHIPMASTER, AND ALL THE COMPANY IN SHIPS, AND SAILORS, AND AS MANY AS TRADE BY SEA (or all who earn their living from the sea), STOOD AFAR OFF.

    18:19-AND THEY CAST DUST ON THEIR HEADS, AND CRIED, WEEPING AND WAILING, SAYING, ALAS, ALAS, THAT GREAT CITY, WHEREIN WERE MADE RICH ALL THAT HAD SHIPS IN THE SEA BY REASON OF HER COSTLINESS! FOR IN ONE HOUR IS SHE MADE DESOLATE.

    18:20-REJOICE OVER HER, THOU HEAVEN, AND YE (saints and) HOLY APOSTLES AND PROPHETS; FOR GOD HATH AVENGED YOU ON HER

    18:23-FOR BY THY SORCERIES WERE ALL NATIONS DECEIVED.

    18:24-AND IN HER WAS FOUND THE BLOOD OF PROPHETS, AND OF SAINTS, AND OF ALL THAT WERE SLAIN (or killed) UPON THE EARTH.

    19:2-FOR TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS: FOR HE HATH JUDGED THE GREAT WHORE, WHICH DID CORRUPT THE EARTH WITH HER FORNICATION, AND HATH AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS SERVANTS AT HER HAND.
 
Rev 17:1,15,2; 18:3; 17:3,18,9,4; 18:16; 17:5,6;
 
Rev 18:4,5,7,17,19,20,23,24; 19:2.
The Scriptures relate to us a false religion that is referred to as the whore. This false religion shall exist during part of the Tribulation. This same religion has also existed in the past.

    The Scriptures relate to us a great city which is also called the woman. This city has also existed in the past, even before the days of the apostles.

    The Scriptures indicate to us that both this city and the false religion are interwoven. The city is part of the false religion, and the false religion is part of the city.

(Scripture with commentary)

    Rev 17:1-COME HITHER; I WILL SHEW UNTO THEE THE JUDGMENT (or punishment) OF THE GREAT WHORE (or prostitute) THAT SITTETH UPON MANY WATERS.

    This false religion is called a "great whore", because it has left the true teachings of Christ, and turned aside to many false doctrines. As a whore turns aside and goes into sin, so this religion has turned aside as an unfaithful woman or whore. The church is called to be obedient to Jesus, as a faithful wife is to her husband. In the opposite sense, this religion is pictured in the imagery of an unfaithful woman, a great whore. The verse then says THAT SITTETH UPON MANY WATERS.

    17:15-THE WATERS...WHERE THE WHORE (or prostitute) SITTETH, ARE PEOPLES, AND MULTITUDES, AND NATIONS, AND TONGUES (or languages).

    This false religion encompasses peoples, multitudes, nations, and people of different languages. This shows us that it is a worldwide, false religion, of which multitudes of people are part of.

    17:2-WITH WHOM THE KINGS OF THE EARTH HAVE COMMITTED FORNICATION (or adultery). The rulers of nations are also part of this great whore. AND THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH HAVE BEEN MADE DRUNK (or intoxicated) WITH THE WINE OF HER FORNICATION. People throughout the world have been deceived. They have become as a drunkard that is so intoxicated with the whore’s deceptions, that they are numb to the truth. Their mind has been taken totally captive and deceived with the whore’s adulterous doctrines, which are contrary to God. This false religion has intoxicated the world.

    18:3-FOR ALL NATIONS HAVE DRUNK OF THE WINE (or maddening wine) OF THE WRATH OF HER FORNICATION. The kings of the earth, the people of the earth, and the nations of the earth have partaken of the whore’s maddening adulterous doctrines. AND THE KINGS OF THE EARTH HAVE COMMITTED FORNICATION WITH HER. The kings of the earth have become intoxicated with sin, with false teachings, with abominations, and they have committed spiritual fornication with her. Consider a person drinking. They want to drink more and more. Their senses become dulled. Sin offers pleasure, but produces death. AND THE MERCHANTS OF THE EARTH ARE WAXED RICH (or grew rich) THROUGH THE ABUNDANCE OF HER DELICACIES (or from her excessive luxuries). Here the verse switches over to the city of the great whore. The city is pictured as a trade capital with many luxuries. And as such, merchants have become rich through her. We note that the whore and the city seem to be inseparable. They blend in together, so that some of the descriptions given for one, fit the other, also.

    17:3-SO HE CARRIED ME AWAY IN THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS: AND I SAW A WOMAN SIT UPON A SCARLET COLOURED BEAST. The woman is pictured as a city in Rev 17:18. The beast is the Antichrist and his empire. This city and false religion sits on the beast, and rides the beast. It goes along with the beast, and may even try to control the beast. FULL OF NAMES OF BLASPHEMY (or covered with blasphemous names). Both the false religion and the Antichrist are full of blasphemy against God. This should be fulfilled during the Tribulation. HAVING SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS. The city is shown to be full of the names of blasphemy against God. The seven heads are explained in Rev 17:9.

    17:18-AND THE WOMAN WHICH THOU SAWEST IS THAT GREAT CITY. The woman is portrayed as a great city. WHICH REIGNETH OVER THE KINGS OF THE EARTH. During at least part of the Tribulation, this city shall reign over the kings of the earth.

    17:9-AND HERE IS THE MIND WHICH HATH WISDOM. THE SEVEN HEADS ARE SEVEN MOUNTAINS, ON WHICH THE WOMAN SITTETH. The city is shown to be sitting on seven mountains or hills.

    There is a city, that is a trade capital, that does sit on seven mountains, having a worldwide religion that is part of the city itself. That city is Rome. The religion is the Roman Catholic church.

(Ancient Babylon did not sit on seven hills. It was situated on a plain. Ancient Babylon does not fit many other prophecies that are yet to be covered).

    17:4-AND THE WOMAN WAS ARRAYED (or dressed) IN PURPLE AND SCARLET COLOUR, AND DECKED (or was glittering) WITH GOLD AND PRECIOUS STONES AND PEARLS. The city is portrayed in these colors and glittering.

Do these previous words also fit the church at Rome? What colors have the pope and his cardinals worn in the past? These same colors have also been used in certain Roman celebrations. We have pictured here a false religion that is in Rome. It is pictured as being arrayed in beauty, glamour, and splendor which is far removed from the sackcloth that the two witnesses of God will wear during the Tribulation.

The beautiful and magnificent Vatican, in the city of Rome, is very enticing, even intoxicating. The verse continues, HAVING A GOLDEN CUP IN HER HAND. The woman (the city) had in her hand a golden cup (the whore). The city and false religion are as one. We are reminded of the golden cup that the whore uses. The gold may show us it is something beautiful, something to be desired. It is something that, on the outward appearance, appears to be just, and right, and beautiful. However, on the inside of the cup, God’s Word tells us, it is FULL OF ABOMINATIONS (or filled with abominable things) AND FILTHINESS OF HER FORNICATION (or the filth of her adulteries).

It is full of abominable teachings, sin, and deception. It is full of wine that intoxicates people and dulls their senses to the pure truth of God’s Word. Satan is clever. He mixes truth with deception. He mixes God’s Word with lies, and few suspect what is really happening.

    18:16-ALAS, ALAS, THAT GREAT CITY, THAT WAS CLOTHED IN FINE LINEN, AND PURPLE, AND SCARLET, AND DECKED WITH GOLD, AND PRECIOUS STONES, AND PEARLS! The word "fine linen" is added in this verse.

    17:5-AND UPON HER FOREHEAD (the forehead of the city) WAS A NAME WRITTEN (or this title was written on her forehead-NIV), MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. MYSTERY. This indicates something secretive. BABYLON. This denotes what religion this is, as well as its origin. THE GREAT. This denotes the magnitude of this false religion. THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS. Meaning the origin or source of false doctrines and religions. AND (of the) ABOMINATIONS (mother of filthiness and immorality) OF THE EARTH. This false religion is the mother of abominations. It might be noted that MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT is on her forehead, not the name of Jesus.

It might be asked, "Why is Babylon written and not Rome?" This is explained a little further on in detail.

  * 17:6-AND I SAW THE WOMAN DRUNKEN (the word drunken indicates overindulgence) WITH THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS, AND WITH THE BLOOD OF THE MARTYRS OF JESUS (or with…the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus). AND WHEN I SAW HER, I WONDERED WITH GREAT ADMIRATION (or I was greatly astonished). This city, Rome, was drunk with the blood of the saints. In this city, multitudes of people were killed that bore the testimony of Jesus. As the Catholic church emerged, it also was responsible for killing multitudes of the saints. It might be asked, "What religion killed the saints that dared to possess a Bible? What religion today feels that they only have the right or knowledge to interpret the Holy Scriptures? What religion today puts church tradition on an equal level with, or above the Scriptures? What religion is it that takes away the fear of hell by supplanting it with a "not so bad place" called purgatory? What religion is it that denies the finished work of Christ, inasmuch that a person must do certain works to inherit eternal life, and many other things as well?"

    We have pictured a false religion that preaches Jesus, but has killed many that followed Jesus. It is a religion that claims they are holy, but in God’s eyes they are an abomination. It is a religion that has deceived many in the past, is deceiving many today, and will continue to deceive many into the Tribulation. In like manner, during the Tribulation many will believe the Antichrist is really the true Christ, yet he is the embodiment of evil.

    It is no wonder that a religion that teaches in the name of Jesus, but is really full of false teachings and abominations, will undergo a great judgment, and so will all those who partake of her sins.

    18:4-AND I HEARD ANOTHER VOICE FROM HEAVEN, SAYING, COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE, THAT YE BE NOT PARTAKERS (or share) OF HER SINS, AND THAT YE RECEIVE NOT OF HER PLAGUES. God is telling "His" people, to get out of this city and false religion.

    18:5-FOR HER SINS HAVE REACHED (or are piled up) UNTO HEAVEN, AND GOD HATH REMEMBERED HER INIQUITIES (or crimes).

    18:7-HOW MUCH SHE HATH GLORIFIED HERSELF The city and false religion in Rome have glorified themselves. AND LIVED DELICIOUSLY (or in luxury). The Roman false religion has also lived in luxury. SO MUCH TORMENT AND SORROW (or torture and grief) GIVE HER (as the glory and luxury she gave herself-NIV): FOR SHE SAITH IN HER HEART, I SIT A QUEEN, AND AM NO WIDOW, AND SHALL SEE NO SORROW (or I will never mourn). The Lord is telling us what the city and Catholic church say in their heart.

    18:17-FOR IN ONE HOUR SO GREAT RICHES (or wealth) IS COME TO NOUGHT (or has been brought to ruin). Again, it can be noted that the city of Rome is a city of riches. AND EVERY SHIPMASTER, AND ALL THE COMPANY IN SHIPS, AND SAILORS, AND AS MANY AS TRADE BY SEA (or all who earn their living from the sea), STOOD AFAR OFF.

The woman, which is a city, is now shown to be a seaport. Again, the Scriptures are clearly showing us, that it is Rome.

    18:19-AND THEY CAST DUST ON THEIR HEADS, AND CRIED, WEEPING AND WAILING, SAYING, ALAS, ALAS, THAT GREAT CITY, WHEREIN WERE MADE RICH ALL THAT HAD SHIPS IN THE SEA BY REASON OF HER COSTLINESS (or wealth)! FOR IN ONE HOUR IS SHE MADE DESOLATE (or has been brought to ruin). During the Tribulation, both the city of Rome and the whore (the Roman Catholic church), will be destroyed in one hour.

    18:20-REJOICE OVER HER, THOU HEAVEN, AND YE (saints and) HOLY APOSTLES AND PROPHETS; FOR GOD HATH AVENGED YOU ON HER. This clearly shows us that this is a city that existed during the days of the apostles. Where did Paul die? The answer is Rome.

    18:23-FOR BY THY SORCERIES WERE ALL NATIONS DECEIVED.

    18:24-AND IN HER WAS FOUND THE BLOOD OF PROPHETS, AND OF SAINTS, AND OF ALL THAT WERE SLAIN (or killed) UPON THE EARTH.

Again, we note that multitudes were killed in this city. They include prophets and saints of Jesus Christ. Is the slaughter against Christians over? No. Much more is coming during the Tribulation.

    19:2-FOR TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ARE HIS JUDGMENTS: FOR HE HATH JUDGED THE GREAT WHORE (the church at Rome), WHICH DID CORRUPT THE EARTH WITH HER FORNICATION, AND HATH AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS SERVANTS AT HER HAND.

    There are some that think the Babylon of the Old Testament will become the Babylon that appears in the Revelation. Literal Babylon was never a part of the Roman Empire.

    The great whore represents the papal system in its final glory and control of the world during the Tribulation. It can be noted in the message to the church at Thyatira, that Jezebel is also portrayed as the Roman church. God gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. This portrays that the false religion, that is, the great whore, will continue in her ways until the end, when she is destroyed. She will be cast into great tribulation, and all her followers, except they repent. As has been noted, God’s people are told to come out of her.

  It might be said that the Roman false religion will grow even larger once the Rapture has happened, but it will be short lived.

  Yeah, i know you don't even believe in the rapture which is clearly stated in the Bible (rapturo/ harpazo)  The Christian Bible!

  Rome was founded approximately 753 B.C.
THE GREAT WHORE, THE FALSE RELIGION
The great whore. Her teachings have left the truth and turned to many false doctrines

She has many people-Rev 17:1,15

She has many nations-Rev 17:1,15

She is a worldwide religion-Rev 17:1,15

She has people from many languages-Rev 17:1,15

Her name is written upon the forehead of the city of Rome-Rev 17:5

Her name is:

Mystery-Rev 17:5

Babylon the Great-Rev 17:5
The Mother of Harlots-Rev 17:5

And Abominations of the Earth-Rev 17:5

The kings of the earth are also a part-Rev 17:2

Kings have committed fornication with her-Rev 17:2

She has corrupted the earth with her fornication-Rev 19:2

The inhabitants of the earth have become intoxicated with her false teachings-Rev 17:2

She has been responsible for killing God's servants-Rev 19:2

THE WOMAN, THE CITY OF ROME
The great whore is part of a great city (Rome)-Rev 17:5,18

The city sits on 7 mountains or hills-Rev 17:9

The city has a golden cup in her hand-Rev 17:4

Note the golden cup of the Catholic church

In the cup:
    Abominations
    Fornication

The city of Rome, drunken with the blood of the saints-Rev 17:6; 18:24

Apostles were killed in her-Rev 18:10

Prophets were killed in her-Rev 18:20,24

A trade capital-Rev 18:3,15

Her sins have reached to heaven-Rev 18:5

She is not far from the sea-Rev 18:17

Every single one of these fits the Roman Catholic church perfectly.

The Roman Catholic church and the city of Rome are as one. Your Vatican 

The Roman Catholic church is the great whore.

It is the modern-day extension of Mystery, Babylon the Great. It is the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth. And it is also true that many will refuse to believe this.

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You keep an eye on future events & judge for yourself whether Bible prophecy is true 

Yes, as Man Jesus did not write a book. God inspired mortal men to write it. Fundamental thing like that also you got it wrong? Oh my...

Again the Bible did not call the RCC the great whore. Throughout history, yes heretics like Protestants are not tolerated but the punishment was meted out by the civil authorities who wanted order in society. Same thing happened in England to Catholics under the rule of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Oliver Cromwell. Tell me, did Jesus found many Churches of conflicting doctrines?

You said "The true Church of Jesus Christ are the Evangelical Protestant churches. The Methodists, Baptists, Lutherans, etc" yet you attack Christmas and Easter which are celebrated by these groups? LOL.        

You sir need to have your mind checked and repent for your blasphemies against Christ, His Mother and saints and His Church. And stop worshiping Jack Chick as if everything he produced is the truth.

More or less the same thing is stated in other religious scriptures including the Quran and the Gita but they also are in opposition to each other.

and we had the so called Christian/other miracles even after Jesus was crucified, like the miracles that happens at our Lady of Lourdes  or Sai Baba (Hindu) miracles that has been exposed as frauds or statistically not a miracle at all.

It's best to consider if God exists before we get to which of the denominations is correct.

Here's the statistic:

There has been more than 500,000 religions in the world today (most of them extinct and all of them soon to be). All those 500,000 religions contradict each other. So just from the start the possibility of your religion (or any one religion) being correct is statistically less than 0.001%

Actually no, for most of us "statistic" is a simple word. Gee, it's not 0.01%? It changes nothing from what I said. Ofcourse you are the expert who likes counting ants in the room while totally ignoring the elephant.

Again another fallacy. Nobody was asking you to use the Bible to answer the question nor was the riddle based on the bible but since this is a catholic thread, you get your attributes of god and evil from the Bible. So what else can you base it on? If one were to ask the Mulsims, surely it won't be the Bible, it will be the Quran and they will have to or attempt to answer it based on the attributes of evil and God in the Quran.

We all agree that evil exists, including religions, it goes without saying and is the central premise of the riddle.

You don't know what atheism is (I am not trying to be rude), that's why you are asking the preceding questions. Why should we not believe that evil exists when its real? the same validity doesn't apply to god. Morals or what we base our morals on have nothing to do with atheism. You really think atheists have no morals or we are atheists because we like to commit evil? The opposite is most likely true. Atheism is based on knowledge and critical thinking not ignorance.

I put it to you the only difference between an atheist and a theist really is that we believe in one god less.

Hitler and the Nazi Party members were mostly Catholics (more than 90% of them), please don't attempt to conflate all evils on atheism. Your former Pope; Pope Benedict XVI (Ratzinger) was a Nazi party member!!!

Since you already claimed I don't know and blabbered nonsensically, it would make little difference to you what my answer is and I rather debate with those who are honest and don't engage in non-stops spins like you. Just a waste of time and effort.
Go learn English first and then check if that's what I said or is it another one of your spin? Bullshitting about what I really said?

From my neighbour's pet goldfish. Go check or learn to ask nicely.

Glad you atleast know what an irony is, you are catching up

Keep spinning, you just can't stop nature.

Yeah, I don't intend to be nice to those who are rude or consistently engage in BS: do ut des

As you can see I got no issue debating nicely with others here who are not  ignorant, arrogant, pompous, "Mr Know-it-all-empty-barrel" like you.

Keep bullshitting. You can't stop bullsitting as much as a leopard can't change its stripes.

You started off rude and you expect courtesy? One of us surely is a hypocrite.

Debating with you is as pointless as giving a diamond necklace to a monkey. A waste.

Bullshit! you were nice. You just couldn't contain your arrogance and don't forget we have a history of long and lengthy encounters just to counter your bullshit and your never ending spins, like this one.