Chapter Eighteen

God’s Judgment of Rome: Judgment of Babylon

18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.

John has now finished talking with the angel that we saw in the last chapter. Now John sees another angel come down from Heaven. This angel is said to possess “great power.” Furthermore, we are also told that “the earth was lightened with his glory.” These things suggest that he is an important angel, and this would lead us to believe that his message will correspond to his importance.

18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

The angel now makes a proclamation with “a strong voice” which shows his power and the emphasis he is placing on his message. It is something that he is undoubtedly elated over, and therefore he is going about “shouting it from the rooftops.” His message is that Babylon has fallen. We have seen previously that Babylon is just another name used to refer to spiritual Rome, the papacy. So the wonderful message that the angel wishes to proclaim is that the wicked city of Rome has fallen. It appeared in 476 as if Rome had fallen when Odoacer seized power. But little more than half a century later the glory of Rome was rekindled by the growing power of the papacy which was centered in the Eternal City. The “deadly wound” was healed, and Rome lived again. But now, well over a thousand years later, God has dealt the true death blow to Rome. This time there will be no sudden resurrection. The great whore is gone forever. This is cause for great celebration by all the servants of God.

Rome is pictured as an empty and desolate place, as though it lay in ruins. And when compared to its former glory it might just as well be in ruins. Rome can no longer even hold a candle to the glory and power it once held. It may still exist, but it is little more than just another city. Its sad condition is illustrated by saying that it “is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” A deserted city will return to the wild animals that lived there before the city was built. The same thing is said about the destruction of the real Babylon. “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged” (Isaiah 13:19-22).

A city requires constant attention and work to keep it fit for habitation by men. If the city is not maintained it will soon be fit only for wild animals. Then people who pass through the area would see everything overgrown with vegetation and over run with wild beasts. Symbolically, Rome is in this condition. Rome has fallen from its pinnacle of glory and has been humbled before all nations.

In reality, Rome today is a thriving city of over two-million people. But when compared to what it once was, the ruler of the greatest Empire the world has ever seen, the seat of power which dominated the world for over two-thousand years, you could say that it is a boom town gone bust. It has lost the luster and allure that it held for seemingly endless centuries. For over two-thousand years, that’s one-third of the entire time the earth has been in existence, Rome, the Eternal City, was the most powerful and influential city on earth. But the balloon finally burst, leaving her desolate and empty. One man could have $100 in his pocket and feel rich. Another could have one-thousand dollars in his pocket and feel poor. It’s all what you are accustomed to. And Rome is accustomed to being on top, anything less is unbearable. To them, being just another large city seems like utter desolation.

18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

“The wine of the wrath of her fornication” was first mentioned in the previous chapter. There it said the inhabitants of the earth had been made drunk with it. The general population had been deceived as though they were drunk and did not have full control of their faculties. Here we find further that “all nations have drunk” of it. Every kingdom has become entangled in the evil web which the papacy has spun. “The kings of the earth committed fornication with her.” This shows corruption on the highest levels. The kings were willing pawns in Satan’s evil games, and led their subjects with them. They consented and gave their power unto the beast for a time as chapter seventeen pointed out.

“The merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.” People were drawn to Rome from all parts of Europe during the Renaissance. Rome was a leading center of the arts and of economic activity in Europe during this time.

“The entry of Pope Martin V (a member of the Colonna family) into Rome in 1420 marked the beginning of the papacy’s absolute rule over Rome, which lasted until 1870. Martin also laid the political foundations for the conversion of Rome into the capital of a Renaissance state. The commune was transformed into a unit of authoritarian papal rule, and the Papal States, which covered much of central Italy, came increasingly under the control of church officials. The apostolic vice chamberlain, as governor of Rome, controlled municipal offices, communal finances, and the statutes of the city.

During the 15th century pontificates of the humanist Nicholas V and Sixtus IV, the narrow, squalid streets of medieval Rome were widened and paved. Buildings in the new style of the Renaissance replaced crumbling structures.

The popes attracted scholars and artists from Florence and across Italy, so that by the end of the 15th century Rome was the principal center of Renaissance culture. The high point was reached under the Medici Pope Leo X (reigned 1513-1521), with his plans for a new St. Peter’s and his patronage of such artists as Michelangelo and Raphael. Rome also flourished economically. Banking and the exploitation of alum deposits near Civitavecchia by the popes (with the help of the Medici family of Florence) stimulated the flow of capital into the city. Rome had again become a great consumer of imported luxuries.

By 1600, Rome was again a prosperous cosmopolitan city. Drawn by employment opportunities in the papal bureaucracy and in related service industries, people flocked to Rome, swelling its population to about 110,000. Much of the big business of the city was carried on by foreigners, however, for the Roman nobility preferred to base their wealth and status on land and ecclesiastical officeholding.”[1]

A very large portion of medieval Rome’s economy was either directly or indirectly related to the papacy. The papacy was a large complicated bureaucratic machine. It required many people and a lot of money to make it run. Vast sums of money flowed from the local churches around Europe into Rome which supplied the necessary funds. As the above article pointed out much of the business in Rome was run by outsiders. And many people were flocking into Rome seeking employment. There was a lot of money to go around in Rome and many people came to seek their share. People all over Europe were benefiting from the luxurious living of the papacy.

“Delicacies” is from the Greek “strenos,” which Strong’s defines as “(figuratively) luxury (voluptuousness):-delicacy.”[2] Thayer adds “wantonness” to this definition.[3] The intended meaning here is luxury or wasteful living. The above article mentioned that “Rome had again become a great consumer of imported luxuries.” Because of the luxurious and extravagant way in which the papacy operated, many businessmen in Rome, and elsewhere in Europe for that matter, were quite successful. The Catholics are renowned for their charitable ways, but considering how much more money they waste, they could do so much more in the way of charity. They spend exorbitant sums of money building and decorating huge and very unnecessary cathedrals. They always buy the best and most expensive for themselves, with no thought to those who are in need who could be helped with the money. Verses twelve and thirteen of this chapter list many of the delicacies on which Rome spent untold fortunes.

18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

John now hears another voice which appears to be that of either God or Christ. The reason for saying this is that the voice speaks of “my people.” Angels would not make a statement like this since we have previously seen that they are considered the brethren of men. The Lord directs His people to separate themselves from the Catholic Church and not to take part in its evil deeds, lest they also suffer the wrath of God. How could they be God’s people if they were joined to the whore? Certainly, the strong would never allow themselves to become mixed up with the abominations of the papacy, but the weak, because of fear of persecution, could easily become entangled with the Catholics. God is exhorting these people to repent and separate themselves from the papacy so that they will not have to suffer the things to come. “Her plagues” refers to the judgments God is about to bring against Rome.

18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

Although we are not told who is speaking here, it is obviously not still the Lord. If God said this then He did so in the third person, and He usually uses the first person. So this is likely the voice of an angel speaking here and in the following verses.

“Her sins have reached unto heaven.” Earlier we saw that the prayers of the saints are like sweet odors which ascend up to the Lord and are very pleasing to Him. But here we are looking at something quite different. The stench of Rome’s sin and unrighteousness has reached all the way to Heaven, and God is going to do something about it. It’s just like a dead rat behind your refrigerator. After a couple of days you will begin to detect a faint, but very unpleasant odor. At first you might wish you could just ignore it and it would go away. Eventually, however, the smell will begin to fill the house and you will be forced to take action and remove the source of the awful stench, regardless of how much work is required. Likewise, God had put up with the vile odors of the Catholic’s abominations as long as He could stand it. Now He is going to remove the source of the stink which has defiled the entire earth.

18:6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.

Here the angel, or whoever is speaking, continues his comments which began in the previous verse. The stench of the sins of Rome have reached God and now he is asked by the speaker to take great vengeance upon her. “Reward her even as she rewarded you.” The papacy seemingly did everything in its power to fight against God. They perverted and polluted the simplicity of Christianity. The papacy has usurped for itself the power and authority of God Himself. She has mercilessly persecuted His people, and has even attempted to exterminate them as heretics. Here God is asked to give Rome a “dose of her own medicine.” To treat her as she treated God and His people. “Double unto her double according to her works.” God is exhorted to give Rome twice as much misery and contempt as she has given Him. And certainly she deserves every bit of it. She has blasphemed and attacked the God of Heaven. Anything He chooses to do to her in return will be warranted.

“In the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” The cup referred to here is the one first seen in chapter seventeen. “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” This cup is filled with the sins and evil deeds that the papacy has committed. These things have not harmed the papacy but have often been devastating to others. The idea expressed in this verse is that God should take this cup, double its contents, and then pour it upon her head. He will be doing unto her as she has done unto Him.

18:7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

“How much she hath glorified herself.” The papacy has definitely glorified and exalted herself. “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (II Thessalonians 2:4). Throughout history the papacy has claimed for itself the right to rule over the kings of the earth, and that it possesses a higher source of authority than anyone else.

Deliciously is from the Greek word “streniao,” which Thayer defines as “to be wanton, to live luxuriously.”[4] “Lived deliciously” describes the way in which the popes and other high ranking officials lived. They lived very wicked lives which revolved entirely around wealth, power, and sensual pleasure, as the following passage shows quite vividly.

“Corruption in the medieval Catholic hierarchy was infamous. Pope John XII openly had love affairs, gave church treasure to a mistress, castrated one opponent, blinded another, and donned armor to lead an army. Benedict IX sold the papacy to a successor for 1,500 pounds of gold. Urban VI tortured and murdered his cardinals. Innocent VIII proudly acknowledged his illegitimate children and loaded them with church riches. Pope Boniface VII, whose name is omitted from official church listings, murdered two rival popes in the 10th century. Sergius III likewise killed two rivals for the papal throne. Benedict V dishonored a young girl and fled with the Vatican treasury. Clement VI sported his mistresses on ermine bed-linens. Boniface VIII sent troops to kill every resident of Palestrina and raze the city. Clement VII, while a papal legate, similarly ordered the slaughter of Cesena’s 8,000 people, including the children. A previous pope John XXIII (not the reformer of the 1950s) was deposed by a council in 1414—and Edward Gibbon drily recorded in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: ‘The most serious charges were suppressed; the Vicar of Christ was accused only of piracy, murder, rape, sodomy, and incest.’ Alexander VI bought the papacy by bribing cardinals to elect him—then hosted sex orgies attended by his illegitimate children, Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia.

Regarding Alexander, scholar Barbara Tuchman recounted in The March of Folly: ‘The pope presided over a banquet given by Cesare in the Vatican, famous in the annuls of pornography as the Ballet of the Chestnuts. Soberly recorded by Buchard, 50 courtesans danced after dinner with the guests, “at first clothed, then naked.” Chestnuts were then scattered among candelabra placed on the floor, “which the courtesans, crawling on hands and knees among the candelabra, picked up, while the Pope, Cesare, and his sister Lucrezia looked on.” Coupling of guests and courtesans followed, with prizes in the form of fine silken tunics and cloaks offered “for those who could perform the act most often with the courtesans.”’

Cardinals, archbishops, abbots, bishops, priests, and monks kept concubines, pocketed church wealth, waged armed vendettas, and grew rich through simony, the selling of church offices and acts. Pope Innocent III ranted against his clergy: ‘All of them, from the highest to the lowest, do as it is said in the prophets: They are enthralled to avarice, love presents, and seek rewards; for the sake of bribes they pronounce the godless righteous....’”[5]

“The influence of two sister prostitutes, Marozia and Theodora, was founded on their wealth and beauty, their political and amorous intrigues: the most strenuous of their lovers were rewarded with the Roman mitre, and their reign may have suggested to the darker ages the fable of a female pope. The bastard son, the grandson, and the great-grandson of Marozia, a rare genealogy, were seated in the chair of St. Peter, and it was at the age of nineteen years that the second of these became the head of the Latin church. His youth and manhood were of a suitable complexion; and the nations of pilgrims could bear testimony to the charges that were urged against him in a Roman synod, and in the presence of Otho the Great. As John XII had renounced the dress and decencies of his profession, the soldier may not perhaps be dishonored by the wine which he drank, the blood that he spilt, the flames that he kindled, or the licentious pursuits of gaming and hunting. His open simony might be the consequence of distress; and his blasphemous invocation of Jupiter and Venus, if it be true, could not possibly be serious. But we read, with some surprise, that the worthy grandson of Marozia lived in public adultery with the matrons of Rome; that the Lateran palace was turned into a school for prostitution, and that his rapes of virgins and widows had deterred the female pilgrims from visiting the tomb of St. Peter, lest, in the devout act, they should be violated by his successor.”[6]

We can now clearly see how many of the medieval popes and clergymen lived “deliciously.” Because of the wicked way in which these people have lived, while at the same time brutally persecuting true Christians, the speaker asks God to give them “much torment and sorrow.”

The papacy is said here to see herself as a queen. A queen would have no worries or anxieties about a single thing. She would sit in wealth and authority, all of her needs would be taken care of. A widow, on the other hand, would worry about how she would take care of herself. The idea is that to Rome everything seemed to be in wonderful shape, she was well taken care of. She did not think that she would ever see any sorrow.

18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

“Therefore” lets us know that what is about to happen is a direct result of what we have just learned. The plagues that are about to befall Rome will be brought about by God because of her “delicious” lifestyle. “Plague” is from the Greek word “plege,” which Thayer defines as “a public calamity, heavy affliction (now tormenting now destroying the bodies of men, and sent by God as a punishment.)”[7]

The papacy is to be wounded by a great calamity which will come upon her “in one day.” This does not mean that it will literally begin and end in a twenty-four hour period of time. The idea is that it will occur in a very short period of time. While the storm could be seen on the horizon for several decades, no one could have anticipated its ferocity. It took only a couple of years from the first overtones of dissention during the French Revolution, until Catholicism had been exterminated in France. And from that time forward the papacy continued to suffer a very sharp decline. All of this was an amazingly quick and unexpected occurrence even to the enemies of the papacy. And considering the papacy’s attitude, she sat as a queen with no fears or worries, the coming of her destruction must have seemed to come from nowhere. It probably did seem as if they came “in one day.”

“Death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire” indicates the position of the papacy when the Lord’s judgment begins to descend upon her. These circumstances are both literal and figurative. From the many religious wars fought all across Europe, to the French Revolution and beyond, many Catholics were harmed or killed.

Certainly there was much “mourning” on the part of the Catholics throughout all of this. And there is little doubt that the circumstance often caused some to suffer from hunger and deprivation of other necessities. Many homes, businesses, and churches of Catholics were burned at various times throughout the several centuries of revolt against Catholicism. But this especially refers to the overall situation of Catholicism by the early 1800’s. It was as if a voracious fire had been started and was now out of control, rapidly devouring the Catholic Empire.

The reason that these punishments were so severe and devastating is because of who they came from. “For strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.” There is always a chance to escape punishment except when it comes from the great God of Heaven, who has the ability to crush and destroy any wicked opponent at the drop of a hat.

18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,

Rome was not the only one to benefit from the union between the Church and state. The reason that so many kings willing “went to bed” with her is that they too were able to profit from the immoral relationship. The papacy supported the monarch’s claims to absolute power. This seemingly gave divine approval to the kings and made it much easier for them to retain their positions by softening public discontent. Having a national religion was a great unifying force which also worked to the monarch’s advantage. So, although the two often fought and quarreled, the papacy and secular governments had a lot to offer each other, and therefore formed their alliance at the expense of the average citizen. The relationship of the two is here referred to as fornication, because of its illicit and immoral nature. Even though the kings had their differences with Rome, they certainly did not desire her utter destruction. After her demise they will miss the things she had to offer them. It is because of these things which the monarchs will lose that they will bewail and lament the downfall of the papacy.

18:10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come.

The kings will see Rome, here referred to as Babylon, burning but will be unable to lend a helping hand. Although most desired a vast reduction of the papacy’s power, it is probable that few wanted it to go as far as it did. The papacy was reduced to the point where she would no longer be of any use to these kings.

The kings will be resigned to “standing afar off” and watching her burn to the ground. This is referring to the time of the French Revolution and subsequent rise of Napoleon. Napoleon invaded and seized the Papal States, imprisoned two popes, one of them dying in his custody. He made a mockery of the once mighty whore. All of Europe was embroiled in war, and for a time Napoleon held the upper hand, and was poised to take control of the entire continent. It was the most dire times the papacy had seen since her unlawful assumption of power. And the whore’s immoral partners, the Catholic kings, although often at odds with the papacy, were very sorrowful to see her perish. They realized that her passing signaled the end of an era in Europe. The days of the monarchy were numbered, and they knew it. They greatly lamented Rome’s demise, but were powerless to do anything to stop it. And on top of all this, the plague of Protestantism, which, instead of dying, was becoming more prevalent all the time, also threatened the kings by removing the best unifying force they possessed—a national religion that taught allegiance to the king.

18:11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

It has been previously pointed out that the papacy enjoyed a very luxurious lifestyle. The enormous amount of wealth pouring into Rome from all over Europe allowed for the buying of items that were beyond the means of all but the richest of men. With the fall of Rome, those merchants who provided these luxury items would suffer a severe loss of business. Most would probably be forced to abandon their businesses altogether. Besides this, the bureaucracy of the papacy employed tens of thousands. As the papacy lost power and finances, many of these people would lose their positions. This would then result is a smaller work force within the city of Rome. This would mean less people to buy consumer goods, and would force many ordinary merchants out of business. This scenario is common even today. Any time a major employer in a city closes up, the effect on the local economy can be devastating. And many times effects of the closing will be felt over a very large area. Because of the size and extent of the Roman Catholic Church, its demise was felt throughout the entire European continent. These circumstances caused the merchants to mourn because of their losses.

18:12 The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,

18:13 And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

These two verses are merely an expansion of the thought given in verse eleven. This list contains some of the luxury items which Rome had purchased in great quantity in the past, but now they will not be bought any more. And this will cause the merchants to weep and mourn over the loss of their business. By looking at these things it is obvious that most are not necessities of life. Rather they are items which could be purchased only by the rich and powerful. The fall of the papacy will mean that there will be less people around to buy these things. Certainly there will still be people who possess the wealth to obtain them, but the Catholics, who purchased a good portion of this merchandise, will be almost completely removed from the market. Most of the items in the list need no explanation but I will comment on a few of them.

Purple was much more expensive than most other colors. The following passage explains why.

“Purple raiment was costly, and consequently its use was the privilege of the rich exclusively. It was worn by persons of wealth and high official position, and especially by kings. Indeed, it was a sign of royalty, and was put on Jesus in mockery of his claims. Purple dye was obtained from various kinds of shellfish, and was yielded by a thin liquor, called the flower, secreted by a gland in the neck. The amount yielded by each fish was very small, much labor was required to collect it in quantity, and the price was correspondingly great.”[8]

What reason did Rome have for buying such extravagant colors? They clothed themselves in finery with money donated by their subjects, many of whom probably had little better than rags to wear themselves.

The source and work involved in obtaining scarlet also made it a very expensive color.

“The coloring matter was obtained by the Israelites from an insect (Coccus ilicis), called kermez by the Arabs, whence the English word crimson is derived. The insect abounds in Palestine on the holm oak. The female alone yields the coloring matter. She attains the form and size of an ordinary pea, is violet-black in color, covered with a whitish powder, and wingless. Filled with eggs containing red matter, she adheres to the leaves and twigs of the oak, and feeds on its juices. The color and the method of obtaining it were early known.”[9]

Thyine wood “is that of the Thuya articulata, Desfont., the Callitris quadrivalvis of present botanists. It is a cone-bearing tree and allied to the pine. This tree was much prized by the ancient Greeks and Romans on account of the beauty of its wood for various ornamental purposes. By the Romans the tree was called citris, the wood citrum. It is a native of Barbary, and grows to a height of 15 to 25 feet.”[10]

The cinnamon referred to here is not simply the spice we are accustomed to today. It is “a fragrant wood. It was an ingredient in the sacred anointing oil used in the consecration of Aaron and his successors. It was used in after times to perfume beds. It is the aromatic bark of a tree, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the laurel order, and cultivated in Ceylon, of which it is a native. The bark of the tree yields an essential oil, which is obtained from it by distillation. It is of golden-yellow color, has an agreeable smell, and is used in perfumery. The tree has been grown in Arabia.”[11]

Frankincense is “a vegetable resin, brittle, glittering, and of a bitter taste, used for the purpose of sacrificial fumigation. It was called frank because of the freeness with which, when burned, it gives forth its odor. It burns for a long time, with a steady flame. It is obtained by successive incisions in the bark of a tree called Arbor thuris. The first incision yields the purest and whitest resin, while the product of the after incisions is spotted with yellow, and loses its whiteness altogether as it becomes old.”[12]

“Slaves, and souls of men” has reference to the physical bodies and immortal souls of men respectively. From its earliest days the papacy had not only condoned slavery, but had also owned slaves. The following passage serves to illustrate this point.

“When, early in the sixteenth century, African slavery was adopted as a system of labor in the New World the Catholic Church had a long established tradition on the subject of human bondage. An integral part of the economic organization of the Roman Empire at the dawn of Christianity, slavery continued as an accepted institution under the Christian order, and the Church through its agents held property in slaves.”[13]

The buying and selling of souls was also conducted by the papacy. It is just as the Apostle Peter prophesied, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not” (II Peter 2:1-3). “Make merchandise” is from the Greek word “emporeuomai,” which Strong’s defines as “to travel in (a country as a peddler), i.e. (by implication) to trade:-buy and sell, make merchandise.[14] For the sake of monetary gain the papacy was willing to sell out the truth for the doctrine of devils. At the same time she sold out the souls of all men who followed her and trusted that she was teaching and practicing the will of God.

As it turns out, the sale of souls was a very big and profitable business for the papacy. This was done through the sale of indulgences and paying the soul of a dead person out of purgatory. Both of these practices are completely unscriptural, and were nothing more than schemes devised to rip off the unlearned masses. The following passage shows this in very clear and often harsh words.

“‘And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand.’ John 10:28. Thus spoke the Shepherd to his sheep as he looked upon them in love, and opened to them the gates of hope. That there might be no mistaking his intent or promise he added the words, ‘My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand.’ Notwithstanding this, Leo XIII had the effrontery, the brazen presumption, the ineffable audacity to oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, and then assumes the power that he can pluck God’s redeemed out of his hand, shut them up in purgatory, keep them there at his will, let them out when he chooses, and the press prints it as if it were truth, and Christian people refuse to oppose him, as if he had claim to respect. Purgatory is the bottom of the bucket of popery’s hellish intent. Take it away and the Church would be bankrupt. Once, I described purgatory as the cap sheaf of popery. A cap sheaf is the crown of a company of sheaves. It covers all, touches each one and holds all together. This the doctrine of purgatory does for Romanism. Give to a company of bandits the rule of the town, let them have the ability to rob, to kill and destroy, and you strike terror into the very soul of the community and take out courage from the heart and strength from the arm. Popery goes one better. It not only robs and destroys here, but it claims to hold the keys to death and hell, and to be able to damn beyond the grave. It comes to the bedside of the dying, kindles its candles, sprinkles its holy water, burns its incense, pours out its oil, mumbles in Latin, stretches out its hand for money and leaves the soul in purgatory, which is ten times hotter than hell. Was there ever presumption like it?

Let us on the wings of faith, like eagles cleaving through the clouds that cap the mountains, shout out today, so that all may hear, Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. He gives eternal life to those that welcome him as King, as Savoir and Ruler, and no pope machine called a church can pluck them out of his hand. Purgatory is the masterpiece of presumption, because as a human invention it challenges the might of Almighty God. The Lord Jesus Christ declares, ‘I give you eternal life.’ Rome boldly says, You do not, until we get our money for masses and consent to the deliverance of the soul from purgatory.

Rome claims the right to hold millions of saints in the flames of purgatory, and God can only get them out through her agency. This blasphemous lie is believed in. Newspapers print it without dissent and become aids in the deception. Here then is a human invention, unsupported by a line of scripture, unknown to the primitive church, a money-making, consciousless scheme, designed and worked to take money from the pockets of the deluded and ensnared, endorsed—at least not opposed, ridiculed and caricatured as it deserves to be. Be not deceived. There is no shame in the harlot of the Tiber, with her pomp of outward show, her gorgeous rites, symbols and forms manipulated by priests and nuns; with her confessional and penance, her mariolatry and canonization of saints, her superstition and error, her willful perversion of truth, her lasciviousness and lewdness enthroning her in the hearts of the vile, so that she may glorify herself and live deliciously, saying in her heart, ‘I sit a queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow.’ Rome presents a terrible theme for contemplation. She holds her subjects with a grasp of iron.

Rome claims our Savior Jesus Christ cannot deliver the soul from punishment except by the help of the Roman Catholic Church. If this be so, then no one is safe, not even Romanists. If no one is safe except those delivered through the intercession of priests, then the priest is enthroned in the place of God and God is dethroned and becomes dependent on the help of man.

Purgatory, or the intermediate state, is said by Faber to be on the brink of hell. Said Tetzel, ‘The very moment that the money clinks against the bottom of the chest, the soul escapes from purgatory and flies to heaven.’ Can imposition go farther?

The pope has established in many churches and monasteries altars on which whoever causes a mass to be said on a certain day, draws such a soul as he chooses from purgatory. To bulls, by which these indulgences are granted, a clause is ordinarily added: ‘These indulgences are for those who will pay for them.’ Can any presumption be more astounding? Christ says, I give eternal life. Rome claims that it can only be obtained through money and through price.

The most dreadful descriptions of the tortures endured in these imaginary regions, founded upon dreams, visions or supernatural revelations, were given by fanatical or designing priests and monks, being calculated to awaken the terror of the superstitious and to induce them to leave no means untried which might shorten their own period of suffering, or, by a better fortune, enable them to avoid altogether the necessity of making a visit to purgatory on their way to heaven.

A single instance of these descriptions will be sufficient to give an idea of the general character of the whole: ‘Behold a valley of vast dimensions. To the left is a vast region covered with roasting furnaces, and to the right icy cold, hail and snow. The whole valley is filled with human souls which a tempest tosses in all directions. The unhappy spirits, unable to bear the violent heat, leap into the shivering cold, which again drives them back to the scorching flames which cannot be extinguished. A numberless multitude of deformed souls are in this manner whirled about and tormented without intermission in the extremes of heat and cold. This, according to Bellarmin, is the place of chastisement for such as defer confession and amendment till the hour of death. All these will, however, at the last day be admitted to heaven; while many through alms, vigils, prayers and especially mass, will be liberated even before judgment.

With such horrible material to work upon the fears of the superstitious multitude, ever ready in this as in the dark ages to swallow the grossest absurdities of monkish imposture, and cherishing implicit faith in the almost unbounded power of their spiritual guides, it is no difficult thing to base upon the fiction of purgatory the doctrine of indulgences; first by exciting the fears of the multitude by portraying in vivid colors the torments of one, and then by working upon those fears and inculcating the unlimited power of the pope and the priesthood over these terrible regions, to lay a foundation for the establishment of the other. Purgatory is a scheme devised to get money.

Romanists admit that when the fear of purgatory dies out there is no sale for indulgences. No purgatory, no indulgences. Millions of money left as legacies have been received by the Church in payment for masses for the comfort and release of souls in purgatory. Leo X was bankrupt. The Church of Rome was in dire need. He resorted to indulgences. Millions of money poured into the treasury. St. Peter’s church in Rome was built out of money thus obtained. Vast sums are obtained at the present time in this way. Boxes in churches and monasteries and in the hands of the votaries of the church are accompanied with invitations to give money for the relief and delivery of souls in purgatory.

This is in line with what was done in the past. Said the commissioners of the Archbishop of Mayence, ‘The first benefit we announce is the complete pardon of all sins, and it is not possible to speak of any greater benefit than this, since man who lives in sin is deprived of the divine favor and by this complete pardon he recovers the grace of God.’ This is not, by the pardon of sins through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, but to obtain this, said the commissioners, ‘it is only necessary to purchase an indulgence.’ ‘And to those who desire to deliver souls from purgatory and to procure for them forgiveness of their sins, let them put their money in the chest; but it is not needful that they should feel sorrow of heart or make confession with their lips. Let them only hasten to bring their money, for they will thus do a work most profitable to departed souls and to the building of the Church of St. Peter.’

It was Tetzel who became the exponent of the abhorrent doctrine and excited the ire of Luther. Hear him; ‘Indulgences,’ said he, ‘are the most precious and sublime of God’s gifts. This cross (pointing to the red cross) has as much efficacy as the cross of Jesus Christ. Draw near and I will give you letters duly sealed, by which even the sins you shall hereafter desire to commit shall all be forgiven you. I would not exchange my privileges for those of St. Peter in heaven, for I have saved more souls with my indulgences than he with his sermons. There is no sin so great that the indulgence cannot reach it. Let him only pay largely and it shall be forgiven him. Even repentance is not indispensable.’ What excuse is there for the false statement made on the authority of high officials ‘that an indulgence is not a pardon for sin,’ and that it is not a permission to commit sin?

Look at a Roman Catholic cemetery on an All Saints day. See the women and children lying on the ground, crying and wailing, in hopes of bringing the dead out of the fire, and priests working up the excitement, adding to the misery, the dread forebodings, the pitiless sufferings, that money may be taken from the poor and the deluded for masses. Can there not be punishment for such barbarity?

The fathers of the council “(The council of Aix La Chapelle in 836)” knew nothing of purgatory and left no room for its expiation. But the ages grew dark. The word of God was banished. The people were given up to ignorance and crime. Rome needed money. Then came purgatory and indulgences. These went hand in hand. They go hand in hand now as much as in the days of Tetzel. Every mission held by Romanists is conducted with this end in view. They preach the doctrine of hell for all outside the church and purgatory for all inside, and then appeal to all who love departed friends to give money that they may be delivered.

But for purgatory there is no scripture, no reason, nothing but one wild hunt for money through the aid of a brazen lie, coined in hell, and circulated by the aid of sycophants and time servers of the devil, throughout the world.”[15]

I quoted a very long passage here, but I felt compelled to do so. A couple of paragraphs would have certainly sufficed to illustrate the point at hand, but we saw so much more here. We now have a much clearer understanding of the character of the beast and the whore, which is the papacy.

Rome was a true harlot, willing to do anything for money.