The Legacy of “the Woman.”
Revelation 17 indicates that a great end-time church (pictured as a woman) will hold sway over the final Beast power. This church is referred to as the “Mother of Harlots”—a “mother church” that gave birth to daughter churches that have also committed spiritual fornication against God and His true ways.
Over the years, many students of Bible prophecy have connected this “fallen woman” with the Catholic Church. Both history and recent news reports should make it difficult for anyone to believe the Roman Church represents God’s True Church. A newly-released Irish report implicates several orders of monks and nuns in the savage and indecent treatment of children in church-run orphanages. The scathing report details chronic instances of humiliation, beatings, and sexual abuse perpetrated against both girls and boys. So far, the Irish government has paid “12,000 survivors of the schools, orphanages and other church-run residences an average of $90,000 each—on condition they surrender their right to sue either the church or state. About 2,000 more claims are pending” (Associated Press, May 20, 2009).
God used Ezekiel to warn the Israelite-descended nations at the end of the age about irresponsible and self-seeking political and religious shepherds. God condemns these evil shepherds, “The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick… but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field…” (Ezekiel 34:4-5, emphasis ours).
Due to the failure of the leaders of the major “churches” in the Israelite-descended nations, many people including women and children have become food for the beasts of the field—preyed upon by all sorts of false teachers and religions. Religious confusion reigns because the so-called shepherds have failed at their task. However, the True Shepherd is coming who will gather His lost sheep at His return and teach them the one, true way to peace (Jeremiah 31:7-9)!
