Unmasking the Mystery of Babylon the Great

“On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.’”

—Revelation 17:5

Babylon the Great. The name itself is weighty, but what makes her a mystery?

The book of Revelation doesn’t just portray Babylon as a city—it presents her as a symbol, an enigmatic force that seduces kings, merchants, and even religious leaders. But perhaps what makes her so dangerous isn’t her power, but her disguise. She is hidden in plain sight.

A System, Not a City

Throughout history, Babylon has stood as a symbol of empire—of unchecked power and cultural influence that consumes everything in its path. Revelation’s Babylon is no different. She represents a global system that fuses economic dominance, religious hypocrisy, and political corruption.

But she doesn’t appear overtly evil. That’s the mystery. Babylon wears the garments of royalty and religion. She rides on the beast, yes—but her cup is gold, and her appearance dazzling. She offers prosperity, order, and glory, while her foundation is soaked in the blood of prophets and saints.

In modern terms, Babylon looks like a nation or ideology that cloaks oppression in patriotism… that blends worship with nationalism… that promises prosperity at the cost of conscience. It is a culture so entrenched in daily life that most people don’t even recognize it as dangerous—until it devours them.

Deception Over Domination

What makes Babylon truly terrifying is that she doesn’t conquer by force—she seduces. Revelation says the kings of the earth “committed adultery with her,” and the nations “became drunk with the wine of her adulteries.” That language is intimate. Voluntary. Babylon doesn’t force compliance—she makes people want it.

This is how authoritarianism often rises. Not with jackboots and marching orders at first, but with slogans, revivalist speeches, and promises to restore greatness. It appeals to what people want to believe—that they are on the side of morality, tradition, strength. By the time they realize the cost, they are complicit.

A Counterfeit Bride

In Revelation, Babylon is contrasted with the Bride of Christ—the New Jerusalem. Where the Bride is pure, faithful, and led by the Spirit, Babylon is the counterfeit. She mimics holiness but is driven by idolatry. She claims to bring order and peace, but spreads spiritual corruption and exploitation.

This is part of her mystery: she looks like she’s serving God, but is actually riding the beast.

In the context of rising fascism, this should stop us in our tracks. When religious language is co-opted to enforce authoritarian rule—when institutions built to protect the vulnerable become tools to control them—we are no longer looking at the Bride. We are looking at Babylon in disguise.

The Mystery Revealed

“Mystery” in Scripture doesn’t mean unknowable—it means something that was hidden and is now being revealed. Revelation isn’t just a book about future events; it is a book that pulls back the veil on systems and powers that already exist.

Babylon’s mystery is this: she has convinced the world she is glorious when she is grotesque. She has convinced kings and leaders that she is righteous, even as she makes them drunk with corruption. But in the end, the veil is torn. The beast turns on her. The system devours itself. And God’s justice prevails.

Final Thought

If we are to understand the times we’re living in, we must first recognize Babylon’s disguise. We must ask:

Who are we really pledging allegiance to?

What systems are we empowering with our silence?

What part of Babylon’s wine have we already tasted?

Because the moment we stop seeing her as mysterious—when the illusion fades—is the moment we begin to resist her.

The Clean Lie — Money Laundering, Human Capital, and the Erasure of Black Lineage

We often associate money laundering with organized crime, drug empires, and shady offshore accounts. But what if we reframed our understanding? What if laundering isn’t just about money — but about people? About entire lives, families, and generations being filtered through systems designed to erase their origins, sanitize their suffering, and convert their worth into power for someone else?

This is what happened with the enslavement of Africans in the building of the United States. It wasn’t just labor. It wasn’t just economic exploitation. It was the largest laundering of human capital in world history — a systemic erasure of origin stories, identities, and ancestral lineage, all to benefit an elite class that would later claim their wealth as "earned."

How Money Laundering Works

In simple terms, money laundering is about taking dirty money and making it appear clean:

1. Placement – Introducing illicit wealth into the system.

2. Layering – Obscuring its true origins through layers of transactions.

3. Integration – Reintroducing it into society as legitimate wealth, detached from its criminal beginnings.

We know how this works with drug money and shell companies. But now apply this same structure to people.

The Laundering of Human Beings

1. Placement – Enslaved Africans were forcibly extracted from their homes, stripped of their languages, cultures, and names, and placed into a new system of economic exploitation — as property, as capital.

2. Layering – Their labor was converted into wealth — cotton, tobacco, sugar — which passed through ports, mills, banks, and brokerage houses. Over time, this wealth became buried in railroads, insurance firms, land ownership, Ivy League endowments, and political power.

3. Integration – That wealth now exists in pristine buildings, generational trust funds, powerful family names, and philanthropic institutions. The origin — the human cost — has been erased. The names of those who labored and died for it are lost, but the beneficiaries remain powerful, clean, and "respectable."

Why Laundering Erases Identity

That’s the most devastating part. The point of laundering is not just to cleanse wealth, but to erase history. In traditional laundering, paper trails are destroyed so the money can’t be traced. In the American version, entire ancestries were destroyed, so descendants can’t trace who they were or where they came from.

For the children of enslaved people, this means trying to reconnect with ancestral lineage is like chasing smoke through a maze of burning paper. Names were changed. Records were never kept or were intentionally destroyed. Families were separated generation after generation. Tribal identities were wiped clean, leaving only vague guesses and genetic fragments.

This is not just a tragedy of identity — it is a systematic theft of historical memory, a laundering of human legacy so that wealth could flow upward, unburdened by its brutal origins.

Compare this to wealthy white American families who can trace their lineage back to Europe for hundreds of years — often through well-kept family records, property deeds, even museum collections. But for the descendants of enslaved people, the trail often ends in auction blocks, plantation ledgers, or a first name scrawled beside a dollar sign.

This wasn’t an accident. It was part of the laundering process — to make the source of that wealth untraceable, to scrub away any reminder of who actually built the country’s economy.

The Legacy That Still Haunts Us

And here we are. The descendants of the laundered live in a society where they are still expected to compete in an economy that was never designed for them. The effects show up in housing gaps, educational disparities, health outcomes, and wealth inequality. The playing field is tilted because the scoreboard was rigged from the start.

Even now, when we talk about reparations, racial equity, or historical accountability, we’re still facing resistance from those who benefited from the laundering and now pretend the money is clean.

But we know better. And more importantly, we must say it out loud.

Final Reflection: Laundering Is the Lie. Lineage Is the Truth.

We must shift how we understand our history. The wealth that surrounds us — the buildings, the trusts, the old family names — many of these are not clean. They are polished products of human laundering. And every time we tell the story of this country without naming that truth, we reinforce the lie.

Money laundering hides the crime. Human laundering hides the people.

It’s time we commit to telling the stories that were erased — not just for truth’s sake, but for the healing of future generations.

Because one day, when we talk about the real value of America, we won’t point to dollar signs.  

We’ll point to the people — even those whose names we’ll never know — who built it all while their identities were scrubbed clean for someone else’s empire.

Did Religious Movements Interrupt Black Political Engagement After Emancipation?

The Intersection of Religion and Politics in Black America

Throughout history, Black Americans have been at the crossroads of faith and politics. The church has been a source of strength, resistance, and survival, yet it has also—at times—been a tool that discouraged direct political engagement. The question we’re exploring is: Did certain religious movements disrupt Black political mobilization at the time of emancipation? And if so, what are the lingering effects today?

The Rise of Religious Movements Post-Emancipation

After the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, Black Americans were thrust into an era of Reconstruction (1865–1877), where newfound political rights, particularly voting and office-holding, were within reach. However, by the late 1800s, systemic racism, Jim Crow laws, and violent backlash from white supremacists led to significant political disenfranchisement.

At the same time, several religious movements were taking root, shaping Black spirituality in profound ways. Some of these movements encouraged active resistance, while others preached withdrawal from worldly concerns, including politics. The latter position may have contributed to the idea—still present in some Black communities today—that political action is either unnecessary or ineffective without divine intervention.

Here’s how four major religious movements—Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Holiness, and Pentecostalism—shaped Black political consciousness:

1. Seventh-day Adventists: The Focus on End Times Over Earthly Justice

The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church, which emerged from the Millerite movement in the 1840s, was heavily focused on biblical prophecy and the imminent return of Christ. This perspective encouraged a detachment from worldly affairs, including politics.

• Impact on Black Political Engagement:

• Early Adventists were abolitionists, but over time, the church became largely apolitical, urging members to focus on spiritual preparation rather than social justice.

• The church did not strongly advocate for civil rights or Black political participation. Instead, it promoted obedience to governmental authority unless it conflicted with religious beliefs.

• Today, many Black Adventists remain deeply spiritual but often see political action as secondary to faith.

2. Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Stance of Political Neutrality

Jehovah’s Witnesses emerged in the late 19th century from Charles Taze Russell’s Bible Student movement. One of their defining beliefs is strict political neutrality—Witnesses refuse to vote, serve in the military, or pledge allegiance to any nation.

• Impact on Black Political Engagement:

• Black Jehovah’s Witnesses were discouraged from participating in the civil rights movement because the church taught that human governments were temporary and only God’s kingdom could bring justice.

• Unlike the AME or Baptist churches, Jehovah’s Witnesses did not provide a platform for Black political leaders or organizers.

• This created a significant alternative path for Black spiritual seekers, one that removed them from direct engagement with political struggles for equality.

3. Holiness Movement: A Retreat into Personal Sanctification

The Holiness movement, which emerged in the mid-1800s from Methodism, emphasized sanctification and personal purity over political activism.

• Impact on Black Political Engagement:

• Many Holiness churches, both white and Black, preached that Christians should separate from the world, including politics.

• The focus was on moral living and obedience rather than challenging systemic injustices.

• While some Black Holiness churches later became active in civil rights efforts, the early movement largely steered members away from direct political involvement.

4. Pentecostalism: Emphasizing Spiritual Gifts Over Political Action

Pentecostalism, which grew out of the Holiness movement in the early 1900s, emphasized spiritual gifts, speaking in tongues, and divine healing. It was electrifying and transformative, especially among Black Americans seeking refuge from racial oppression.

• Impact on Black Political Engagement:

• The early Pentecostal movement was initially racially integrated, but by the mid-1900s, white leaders distanced themselves from Black Pentecostals.

• Pentecostal churches often prioritized spiritual experiences over political activism, seeing struggles for justice as distractions from the coming Kingdom of God.

• Some Pentecostal teachings encouraged submission to authority, discouraging participation in protests, voting, or direct political action.

The Long-Term Effects: Faith as a Substitute for Political Power

The spread of these religious ideologies left a lasting imprint on Black political consciousness. While Black churches were instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement, many Black believers—especially those in the SDA, Jehovah’s Witness, Holiness, and Pentecostal traditions—were taught that political action was secondary to divine intervention.

This belief still lingers today in some areas:

• The idea that “only God can change our circumstances” leads some to avoid political engagement.

• There is a pervasive skepticism toward human governments, reinforcing voter apathy.

• Some see activism as worldly and corrupt, choosing instead to “pray about it” rather than act.

Rethinking Our Political Place in the World

While faith has been a cornerstone of Black resilience, it’s worth asking: Has our religious focus sometimes come at the expense of direct political empowerment?

Perhaps it’s time to reframe the role of faith in our political lives—not as an escape from struggle, but as a source of power that drives action. We don’t have to choose between faith and politics; we can recognize that justice, civil rights, and economic advancement require both spiritual strength and real-world engagement.

Instead of waiting for divine intervention, we can see ourselves as co-creators of change—using our faith as a tool for empowerment rather than passivity.

Maybe the real question isn’t whether we should look to Jesus, but whether Jesus himself would have told us to sit out of the fight.

Would love to hear your thoughts—how do you see faith shaping political engagement in Black communities today?

Revelation 17 and the Rise of Fascism in America: The Beast and the Ten Horns

Throughout history, the United States has been a leader among nations, shaping global affairs through its political, economic, and military power. But leadership is not inherently righteous; it can be used to uplift or to oppress. In recent years, many have noted the rise of authoritarian tendencies within the country, especially as political movements embrace nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and corporatist control—hallmarks of fascism.

Revelation 17:16-18 speaks of a beast and ten horns that turn against the harlot, ultimately fulfilling God’s purpose. These verses hold a striking resemblance to the dynamics we see unfolding today, particularly as movements like Project 2025 seek to consolidate power in a way that many fear would dismantle democracy itself.

The Beast and Its Alliance: A System That Devours Itself

“The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16)

In biblical prophecy, the “beast” represents a system of worldly power, often linked to empire, authoritarianism, and corruption. The prostitute, often identified as a corrupting influence, is ultimately destroyed by the very system that once empowered her.

If we apply this imagery to modern times, we can see the parallel in how extreme political movements rise. Fascism often claims to defend a nation’s heritage, faith, and morality, but in reality, it consumes the very freedoms and structures that sustain it. In America, movements aligned with Christian nationalism and corporatist power claim to be restoring the country’s “greatness,” but their policies erode democratic foundations and individual liberties.

Programs like Project 2025 envision a future where federal institutions are reshaped to enforce a singular ideological rule. While marketed as a revival of faith and national identity, such projects ultimately empower a government that serves the ambitions of the powerful rather than the people. This mirrors the biblical imagery of the beast, which consolidates authority only to devour its own.

The Ten Horns: Leaders Who Give Power to the Beast

“For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled.” (Revelation 17:17)

The ten horns represent rulers or leaders who willingly give their authority to the beast. They do not resist its rise but instead welcome it, seeing it as a means to fulfill their own ambitions. In America today, we see a similar phenomenon: politicians, corporate leaders, and media figures who align themselves with authoritarian policies because they see it as beneficial to their own power.

History shows that authoritarianism often succeeds not simply because of one strongman leader, but because of an alliance of enablers—those who see an opportunity and seize it, regardless of the long-term consequences. The same pattern plays out in the U.S. today, where many in positions of influence have abandoned principles of democracy in favor of power consolidation.

God’s Sovereignty in the Rise and Fall of Nations

Revelation makes it clear that all of this happens not by accident but as part of a greater divine plan. It is a warning and a reminder: those who empower the beast do so under the illusion that they are in control, but ultimately, they are fulfilling God’s purposes. History is full of nations that rose to power through tyranny, only to be consumed by their own corruption.

For those who recognize the signs, this is a moment to be vigilant. Fascism does not simply arrive overnight—it grows through complacency, through alliances of convenience, and through the slow erosion of resistance. Whether one sees the events of today as a fulfillment of prophecy or simply as a historical pattern repeating itself, the call remains the same: to stand for truth, justice, and the principles that preserve human dignity.

Conclusion: A Warning and a Choice

The rise of fascism, whether in America or elsewhere, follows a predictable path—one that eerily mirrors the biblical description of the beast and its ten horns. But prophecy is not just about predicting doom; it is about understanding the patterns of history and choosing how to respond.

Revelation 17 reminds us that God allows such events to unfold for His purpose, but that does not absolve individuals from responsibility. Those who recognize the dangers must speak, act, and resist. The question for our time is not just whether the beast will rise, but whether we will stand firm in the face of it.