'Beginning of Sorrows – 1 Seal'
Rev 17:1,3 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.... So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The New Testament Church
Mat 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."
Apostle Peter, the fisherman, was possibly the first Pope as he was appointed by our Lord Jesus to build His church. Unfortunately, the New Testament church was not free from abominable practices and heresies after the apostolic age.
Idolatry in the church
During the various Inquisitions from 12th –18th century, the church was defiled mainly by idolatry. Bible believing Christians and clergies were burned at the stake, a form of execution for witchcraft. That was the darkest period in Christianity.
The Renaissance period in the 13th century witnessed a dramatic growth of Marian art in Europe. During this period, notable works of Marian art were produced by Boticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. This was possibly the beginning of the worship of Mary and the saints. Wars were fought and won under the auspices of the Virgin Mary. The victory at Battle of Lepanto (1571) was accredited to her and signified the beginning of a strong resurgence of Marian devotions, focusing especially on Mary, the Queen of Heaven and Earth. These abominations led to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Protestant reformers, in particular Andreas Karlstadt, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, destroyed religious images in churches in northern Europe and England by invoking the Decalogue's Prohibition of Idolatry and the Manufacture of Graven Images of God.
Unrepentant, The Pope glorified Mary further:
– In 1661, Alexander VII declared that Mary was free from original sin.
– In 1708, Pope Clement XI ordered the feast of the Immaculata for the whole church.
– In 1716, The feast of the Rosary was introduced.
– In 1727, the feast of the Seven Sorrows commenced.
Mystery of the Harlot
Rev 17:2b,9,18 "And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns... Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits....And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth."
Vatican City is a sovereign state located within Rome. Rome was the centre of Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem. The church witnessed the conversion of nearly the entire Europe to Christianity. Sadly, heresies and the worship of Mary defiled the Catholic Church. The Pope then reigned over Christian kings during the period of Inquisition, where many churches were serving Satan (scarlet beast) with idolatry.
Today, the Pope no longer controls the world. In his stead, the US has replaced Rome with its wealth and power. US churches were the champion of Christianity in the last century so much so that the gospel was spread far and wide. Contrastingly, in these few decades, they have committed many abominations which are sins leading to death. They blaspheme the Holy Spirit, reduce the bible to history or myths, commit sodomy, legalized gay marriage, and teach heresies. I believe the US today, is the fulfillment of the scriptural Mysterious Harlot.