Babylon is The Mother Of Harlots. A harlot is an impure woman. Doctrinal error is spiritual impurity. Doctrinal error makes a church impure.

In the Bible, a woman can represent a pure church or an impure church.

Jeremiah 6:2 KJV

v.2 I have likened the daughter of Zion [God's people] to a comely and delicate woman.

Below is an example of a woman representing Christ's pure church.

Revelation 12:1 KJV

v.1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman [God's pure church] clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

Below is an example of God's professed people representing an impure church. Israel at the time was in apostasy. God called them a harlot or a whorish woman.

Jeremiah 3:8 KJV

v.8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

So in these last days, Babylon - The Mother Of Harlots represents the Catholic Church and all the fallen Christian churches who teach for "doctrines the commandments of men" by being a whore with the practices of the world and traditions that are contrary to God's commandments.

Therefore, Babylon mixes the truth of God with the errors of men.

Matthew 15:9 KJV

v.9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Mark 7:9 KJV

v.9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Babylon also represents apostate Christian churches that worship in vain on Sunday - keeping the commandments of men rather than worshiping the Creator on the 7th day Sabbath according to God's 4th command found in the Ten Commandments.

Therefore, Babylon is "The Mother Of Harlots." "The Mother Of Harlots" is the Roman Catholic Church. Doesn't the Catholic Church call herself "the mother church"?

The daughters of Babylon are all the professed Christian churches who are in apostasy that follow the Mother's [Roman Catholic] traditions and false doctrines.

How wide or universal is Babylon's apostasy?

Babylon's apostasy is world-wide and constitutes Christian denominational churches including Roman Catholicism.

Revelation 14:8 KJV

v.8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

The apostasy of all Christian churches is world-wide because "she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." "All nations" [Christian churches in the various nations] "drink" or follow these false Christian teachings that is the result from "fornicating" with the practices of the world and following unbiblical traditions.

Worshiping God the Creator on Sunday and establishing the birth of Christ on December 25th are examples of worldly pagan traditions adopted by professed Christians through the influence of Pagan Rome and the Roman Catholic Church. [1.2. Sun Worship (the Reason for the Season)]

Expressing leniency toward the sin of homosexuality is also a fast gaining worldly-minded trend with many major church denominations. [The Washington Post]

Today, the unholy practices of Babylon is called love and compassion. But true love for Christ will never sacrifice the truth of the Bible to appease sinners, accept a sinful lifestyle, or break any of God's Ten Commandments. True compassion for people and love for God is demonstrated by telling the truth no matter how much it offends.

Pope Francis leniency toward LGBT may only be a ploy to further galvanize his support from all quarters of society. Rather than call the homosexual lifestyle sin, the pope and other leading Christian churches that support this sinful practice by indifference or acceptance will deflect from the real issues that displease God. They will cast contempt on those who seek to uphold all of God's commandments. The pope needs the support of the LGBT community because many that practice this lifestyle hold powerful positions in the world even among national leaders. The pope is consolidating his power and soon the world will wonder "after the beast" Revelation 13:3.

Babylon's [Catholic Church and Christian churches that unite with her] apostasy is world-wide.

Who is this "beast"?

The beast in Revelation 14:9 is the Roman Catholic Church.

Revelation 14:9 KJV

v.9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.

Firstly, a beast in Bible prophecy refers to kings, kingdoms or nations. It refers to civil governments or religio-political governments.

Daniel 7:17 KJV

v.17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.

The above reference in Daniel referred to four great nations that arose in ancient times. It referred consecutively to Babylon, Media-Persia, Grecian and Roman empires (Daniel 7:2-8 and Daniel 8:20-23).

The beast in Revelation 14:9 is a religio-political kingdom and refers to Papal Rome or the Roman Catholic Church that exercised the power of the civil government through a union of church and state first decreed by Justinian the emperor of Rome in 533 AD and established in 538 AD.

Through the Dark Ages, the Roman Catholic Church persecuted Christians (Protestants) and killed millions until the Catholic Church was wounded and lost much of its power when Pope Pius VI was taken captive by General Berthier under Napoleon in 1798 AD.

Thus ended the 1,260 years of Papal persecution from 538 AD to 1798 AD.

Bible prophecy states that "... his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast" Revelation 13:3 KJV.

Pope Francis is moving aggressively to heal this wound by attempting to unite all religions and intruding into the affairs of sovereign nations such as the United States of America.

In Revelation 13:1-10 KJV, this beast power is identified most prominently by using the same word four times. That word is "blasphemy", "blasphemies" and "blaspheme."

The Pope of the Catholic Church claims to be the Vicar of Christ and the successor of Peter. As such, Catholic priests hear confessions of sins and claim the prerogative to forgive sins ("Ego te absolvo"). A man cannot forgive sins. Any man claiming the prerogatives of God makes himself a god. The Bible defines this as blasphemy!

Mark 2:7 KJV

v.7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

John 10:33 KJV

v.33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

Jewish leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy when He forgave sins. Jesus was not just the Son of man, but is the Son of God. The Jewish leaders were wrong. As the Son of God, Christ can forgive sins. Nevertheless, they correctly established a Biblical principle that forgiving sins is an act of God alone!

The "beast" who has men that act as priests that blasphemously forgive sins is the Roman Catholic Church.

What does it mean to "worship the beast"?

The act of worship is to yield adoration, homage, reverence and consent to a superior authority or leadership.

Revelation 14:9 KJV

v.9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand.

The controversy in heaven started with Satan challenging God's authority and His sovereign right to receive worship exclusively (Isaiah 14:4-16 and Ezekiel 28:12-19).

The controversy will end with the same challenge. Satan wanted worship in heaven. He wanted it from Christ on earth (Matthew 4:9-10).

What Satan could not get in heaven nor from Christ, he is determined to get from mankind.

There is only one commandment in the great Decalogue that defines our responsibility and duty to worship God. It is the Fourth Commandment and it starts off by saying, Remember.

To worship God on Sunday is to worship the beast or recognize an authority above God.

Exodus 20:8-11 KJV

v.8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

v.9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

v.10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

v.11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Therefore to worship God on Sunday as the day of rest is not accepted by God. Some people say, "I worship God everyday." Really? Do you refrain from labor every day? Is every day the day of rest?

The Fourth Commandment specifically states NOT to labor on the Sabbath. It is the day of rest, the 7th day of the week. It also commands us TO labor the other six days. God does not support indolence, but sets aside the 7th day as the ONLY day exclusive for worship of Himself as the Creator by having man refrain from work [resting] and focusing on spiritual themes. Praise God!

Does Sunday have any significance in the Bible?

Besides being a common work day, Sunday was the day Christ rose from the dead.

The Bible says the resurrection of Christ is commemorated by baptism NOT worship.

It commemorates our new life in Christ when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

Romans 6:3-6 KJV

v.3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

v.4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

v.5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

v.6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Then why do most Christians attend church on Sunday?

Most Christians attend church on Sunday out of tradition. This was instituted over many hundreds of years by the Catholic Church. [Roman Catholic and Protestant Confessions about Sunday]

Therefore, to set aside Sunday as the day of worship and rest is yielding homage and authority to the Roman Catholic Church who thought "...to change times and laws" Daniel 7:25 KJV.

To "worship the beast" is to yield and consent to Roman Catholic teachings, including Sunday observance, that are contrary to God's Holy Word.

What does it mean to "worship... his image"?

The image of the beast is church and state combined in America. Protestant Christians in the United States will enforce religious principles through civil laws. To worship is to yield consent to this union.

Revelation 14:9 KJV

v.9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand...

An image is a replica. It is someone or something that imitates someone or something else.

In Revelation 13:11-12, we read about a new beast [nation or civil power] that imitates [creates an image to] the first beast [The church/state union once formed by the Catholic Church and Pagan Rome under Emperor Justinian] and again replicated in our day.

Revelation 13:11-12 KJV

v.11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

v.12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The beast that arises out of the earth with lamb-like horns and speaks as a dragon [Satan] is the United States of America. This lamb-like beast superpower [United States] will cause "the earth and them which dwell therein to worship [follow Sunday observance urged by the authority of] the first beast [Roman Catholicism], whose deadly wound was healed."

The United States will do this by creating a church/state union or image of the church/state union that once existed under the Roman Empire. This image [church/state union] is urged on by the leading Christian churches of America [The False Prophet] joining hands with Roman Catholicism [The First Beast] under the influence of Spiritualism (devils) [The Dragon] Revelation 16:13.

This image [church/state union] will ultimately lead to civil penalties and persecution of God's people who keep all of God's commandments, especially the Fourth Commandment to keep holy the seventh day Sabbath.

Revelation 13:15 KJV

v.15 And he [United States] had power to give life unto the image of the beast [church/state union], that the image of the beast should both speak [persecute through laws], and cause that as many as would not worship [consent to Sunday observance by yielding to the authority of] the image of the beast [church/state union in America] should be killed.

To "worship... his image" is to yield and consent to the church/state union formed by the leading Protestant churches of America enforced by civil laws in America and then enjoined on the world. This union will join hands with the Catholic Church and urge Sunday observance contrary to the Fourth Commandment of God.

What does it mean to "receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand"?

To receive the mark of the beast in the forehead or hand is to yield to the authority of church and state combined against Bible truth.

Revelation 14:9 KJV

v.9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

A mark is an identification. In this context, a mark identifies the person who pledges himself and shows his allegiance to the beast power.

The forehead represents a person's mind or intellect. The hand represents a willingness to be led.

Some will believe the false teachings of Sunday observance promoted by the Catholic Church and receive the mark in their foreheads. Others will accept the false teachings of Sunday observance to avoid financial loss and accept the mark in their hand.

Hence, Sunday observance is the mark of the beast; it is the mark of the Roman Catholic Church. To obey is to receive the plagues of God.

Those who one day yield to the authority of the church/state union in America and observe Sunday rather than obey God by worshipping on the 7th day Sabbath will betray their Creator and identify themselves under the Beast power of Roman Catholicism and receive the mark of the beast.

The Sabbath is God's seal. Keeping all of God's commandments identifies God's children. Do you want God's approval? Keep His Commandments. Follow His Law. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.

Do you want to obey God by keeping all His commands including keeping the Sabbath holy?