Purple, Scarlet & a Cup of Gold

REV 17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

NOTE TO BEGIN WITH

Many of the commentaries consider the “great harlot” to be the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The Scriptures fit, especially those in Revelation 17! (However, there are also true believers in the RCC but they need to be educated about the Scriptures and about history.)

These commentaries include: Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Benson Commentary, Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, Matthew Poole’s Commentary, Meyer’s NT Commentary, and Pulpit Commentary. (See Commentaries beginning with REV 17:1.)

Also,

Matthew Poole’s Commentary: “The Babylon here mentioned, is by all agreed to be the seat of antichrist …The generality agree it to be Rome. Amongst the ancients, Tertullian, Jerome, Ambrose, Cecumenius, Augustine, Eusebius: of later writers, Beda, Aquinas, Salmeron, Pererius, Bellarmine, Lapide, Ribera … besides a multitude of protestant writers.”

It seems not so popular to go against this apostate “church” of Rome. Maybe because people want to be tolerant and want to be unified, but how can we be unified with an entity that is against the truth? (See For & Against Unity)

THE COLORS

I wear purple and scarlet often. Traditionally, it is the color of royalty. And we, as Christians, are the sons of God. Just because one wears these vibrant colors does not make one the great harlot. But it is one more description in Revelation 17. It just adds to the portrait of that harlot:

REV 17:4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet …

Cardinals in purple and scarlet.

This was a costly process that produced the dyes of purple and scarlet in Biblical times. Roman Emperors clothed themselves in this rich color purple, which was the most expensive dye. It denoted royalty, wealth, and authority. Scarlet, also, symbolized wealth and power. Today, cardinals and bishops in the Roman Catholic Church are donned in these colors.

GEMS

REV 17:4 The woman was … adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls …

Tiara of a pope

We were in a museum in Esztergom, Hungary more than twenty-years ago. Maybe it was a temporary exhibit but there we were in a room filled with marvelous garments. They were papal vestments and they were covered with gems. We were flabbergasted! The cost of these jewels was beyond belief! I remember a tourist that spoke in passing something like “they [the Roman Catholic hierarchy] could feed the world with these jewels!”

Is that not what Christians are called to do?

ISA 58:6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen … 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry …

BENSON COMMENTARY: “And who can sufficiently describe the pride, and grandeur, and magnificence of the Church of Rome in her vestments and ornaments of all kinds? One remarkable instance of this we have in Paul II., whose mitre was set with diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, chrysolites, jaspers, and all kinds of precious stones: and another conspicuous instance is in the lady of Loretto; the riches of whose holy image, and house, and treasury are far beyond the reach of description. There silver can hardly find an admission, and gold itself looks but poorly among such an incredible number of precious stones.”

Many Catholics around the world are extremely poor such as those in Central and South America, India, and Africa. Yet this rich “church” is followed, leading people in the error of her ways. Some calculate the assets of the Vatican are around $2.9 billion, that’s BILLION, as of 2023. That does not include priceless art, land, and other ventures. Also, the RCC, according to sources, owns 177 million acres of land across this earth. This is more land than the country of France. Churches, schools, farmland and forest are included in these statistics.

On October 31, 1517, in Thesis 86, Martin Luther expressed: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus [thought to be the richest man in Rome at that time], build the basilica of St. Peter with the money of poor believers rather than with his own money?”

Good question!

THE GOLDEN CUP

REV 17:4 The woman … [had] in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

In these Scriptures, notice the parallel between Babylon and the great harlot:

JER 51:7 Babylon was a golden cup in the LORD’s hand, That made all the earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; Therefore the nations are deranged.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible: “Full of abominations – Of abominable things; of things suited to excite abhorrence and disgust; things unlawful and forbidden. The word, in the Scriptures, is commonly used to denote the impurities and abominations of idolatry. … The meaning here is, that it seemed to be a cup filled with wine, but it was in fact a cup full of all abominable drugs, leading to all kinds of corruption…. And filthiness of her fornication – The image here is that of papal Rome, represented as an abandoned woman in gorgeous attire, alluring by her arts the nations of the earth, and seducing them into all kinds of pollution and abomination. It is a most remarkable fact that the papacy, as if designing to furnish a fulfillment of this prophecy, has chosen to represent itself almost precisely in this manner – as a female extending an alluring cup to passers by ….”

This is a medal commissioned by Pope Leo XII (1825) that shows a lady with a golden cup. The inscription reads Sedit Super Universum. Translation: “she sat above the universe” or another translation “the whole world is her seat.” (See On Many Waters)