Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness. -Psalm 74:14

In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. -Isaiah 27:1

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration -Revelation 17:1-6

... And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. -Revelation 17:18

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. -Revelation 12

This vision begins with symbols very similar to Joseph's dream in Genesis:

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. -Genesis 37

The connection here is deliberate; on the woman's head is a crown of twelve stars symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel, which parallels the purpose of Joseph's dream. The woman in the vision symbolizes Israel, or God's people - the child is Jesus Christ the Messiah.

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. -Revelation 12

This vision describes the story of Christ's birth, resurrection and the persecution of His church. It also identifies the 1,260 prophetic days wherein the little horn power of Daniel chapter 7 will change the times and the laws of God, speak blasphemies against God and wear out His saints.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. -Matthew 2

The dragon described in Revelation 12 as having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns is personified as King Herod in Matthew 2.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. -Revelation 12

We're told in verse 9 the dragon is that old sepent, called the Devil, and Satan; these symbols correctly identifies the dragon (Satan) with the Roman Empire. which is very appropriate, considering the Roman Empire authorized and carried out the crucifixion of Christ, and was undoubtedly Satan's most effective means of persecuting Christians for centuries to follow as the Holy Roman Empire, which is exactly what the rest of chapter 12 describes:

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. -Revelation 12

Here again we have the same prophetic time period of 1,260 years of persecution. In the next chapter John has a vision of two beasts, or kingdoms; one emerges from the sea and the other from the earth. Remember the parallels between this kingom and the little horn power in Daniel chapter 7 (emphasized):

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. -Revelation 13

Let's closely examine the characteristics of this Mother of Harlots, keeping in mind she is symbolizing an apostate church.

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour... -Revelation 17:4

Cappa Magna: A cloak with a long train and a hooded shoulder cape.....[it] was purple wool for bishops; for cardinals, it was scarlet watered silk (for Advent, Lent, Good Friday, and the conclave, purple wool); and rose watered silk for Gaudete and Laetare Sundays; and for the pope, it was red velvet for Christmas Matins, red serge at other times.

Cassock: The close-fitting, ankle-length robe worn by the Catholic clergy as their official garb.....The color for bishops and other prelates is purple, for cardinals scarlet.

The cappa magna, now worn according to Roman usage by cardinals, bishops, and certain specially privileged prelates on occasions of ceremony, is not strictly a liturgical vestment, but is only a glorified cappa choralis, or choir cope. Its colour for cardinals is ordinarily red, and for bishops violet. It is ample in volume and provided with a long train and a disproportionately large hood, the lining of which last, ermine in winter and silk in summer, is made to show like a tippet across the breast. Further we must note the papal mantum, which differs little from an ordinary cope except that it is red in colour and somewhat longer.

Next we are told the harlot is...

decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication... -Revelation 17:4

The Catholic Church is undoubtedly the most wealthy church in the whole world, but there is an interesting picture drawn here concerning the golden cup, or chalice, in her hand. Its outer appearance is glamorous and enticing, reflecting the elegance of the church to the world while inside it is full of filthy abominations. It's important to note the only church in the world which uses the symbol of a woman with a cup in her hand is the Roman Catholic Church. Examples of this can be found everywhere, including many Vatican coins.

The chalice occupies the first place among sacred vessels, and by a figure of speech the material cup is often used as if it were synonymous with the Precious Blood itself.

Chalice: [It is] the most important of the sacred vessels.....[It] may be of gold or silver, and if the latter, then the inside must be surfaced with gold.

Pectorale: The name of the cross used by the pope, cardinals, bishops, abbots, and other prelates entitled to use the pontifical insignia. It is worn on the breast attached to a chain or silken cord, the color differing, according to the dignity of the wearer, i.e. green, violet, or black. It is made of precious metal, ornamented, more or less, with diamonds, pearls, or similar embellishment, and contains either the relics of some saint, or a particle of the Holy Cross.

The bronze-colored coin shown here depicts Queen Semiramis of Babylon, the queen of heaven, holding the golden chalice in her right hand, the crossed staff in her left (which represents her son Tammuz, for whom the punishment of crucifixion was created), and the seven rays of Mithra (the Roman Tammuz deity) emanating from her head. It's interesting the androgenous statue of liberty (the new Colossus of Rhodes) has the same seven rays of Mithra as well.

In Revelation chapter 12 we read about a righteous woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet with a crown of twelve stars upon her head. Vatican euro coins now show the man of sin with a crown of twelve stars upon his head as well. What's more intriguing is the back of some €2 coins which show a woman riding a beast.

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. -Revelation 17:5

"It must be always clear that the one, holy, catholic and apostolic universal church is not the sister, but the mother of all the churches." -Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Dominus Iesus

And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. -Revelation 17:6

The fact that she is drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus connects this woman to the dragon in Revelation 12, who...

went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. -Revelation 12

The dragon, the woman and the beast she rides are all connected - like an unholy trinity, so to speak.

And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. -Revelation 17:18

In the eleventh and twelfth centuries the immantatio, or bestowal of the mantum on the newly elected pope, was regarded as specially symbolical of investiture with papal authority. "Investio te de-papatu romano ut pr sis urbi et orbi" were the words used in conferring it (I invest thee with the Roman papacy, that thou rule over the city and the world). -Catholic Encyclopedia

"We define that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff holds the primacy over the whole world" -The Most Holy Councils

"All temporal is [the Pope's], the dominion, jurisdiction and government of the whole Earth is his by divine right. All rulers of the Earth are his subjects and must submit to him" -Council of Trent

“We declare it to be altogether necessary to salvation that every human creature should be subject to the Roman Pontiff.” -Pope Boniface VIII

Pope John Paul II with Jimmy Carter	John Paul II with the Clintons
John Paul II with George H.W. Bush	John Paul II with George W. Bush
John Paul II with Ronald Reagan	John Paul II with former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien
John Paul II with Boris Yeltsin	John Paul II with Fidel Castro
John Paul II with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak	John Paul II with former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat