770. The Roman Catholic religion is called a mighty city because it had well fortified itself. For it had fortified itself not only by the multitude of nations and peoples acknowledging it, but also by many other means, as by the number of its monasteries and the armies of monks in them (we say armies because they call their ministry warfare); by their rich possessions beyond any measure or sufficiency; also by their Inquisition; and moreover by threats and terrors, especially those of purgatory, into which they say everyone comes; by extinguishing the light of the Gospel and people's consequent blindness in spiritual matters, which they accomplish by prohibiting and obstructing their reading of the Word; by masses said in a language that the common people do not know; by various outward shows of sanctity; by inculcating in the common people a worship of the dead and images of the dead, by which the people are kept in ignorance regarding God; and by various splendors in outward displays: all this to the end that people may be kept physically in believing in the sanctity of all the tenets of that religion.

[2] As a result, people are completely unaware of what lies hidden at the heart of that religion, even though that religion is altogether as described in these words explained above:

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 licentiousness. (Revelation 17:4)

But although Babylon had so well fortified itself, even in the spiritual world as well, as described in no. 772 below, still at the time of the Last Judgment it was completely destroyed.

Its destruction was prophesied by Jeremiah thus:

If Babylon mounted up to heaven, and if she fortified the height of her strength, yet from Me plunderers would come to her... (Jeremiah 51:53)

The mighty men of Babylon... sit in their strongholds; their might is forgotten... They have burned her dwelling places, the bars of her gate are broken... ...(the) city is captured from one end to the other... The wall of Babylon has also fallen. (Jeremiah 51:30-31, 44)

Babylon has suddenly fallen and been broken. Wail over her! Take balm for her pain; perhaps she will be healed. (Jeremiah 51:8)