And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Applied by Christ (Matthew 23:35) to apostate Jerusalem, which proves that not merely literal Rome, and the Romish Church (though the chief representative), but the WHOLE faithless church of both Old and New Testament is Babylon the harlot; just as the whole Church is 'the woman' (Revelation 12:1). Aringhus in Bengel says, Pagan Rome was the general shambles for slaying Jesus' sheep. Frederick Seyler calculates that papal Rome, between 1540 and 1580 A.D., killed more than 900,000 Protestants. Three reasons for the harlot's downfall are given:
(1) The worldly greatness of her merchants, due to traffic in spiritual things. (1) The worldly greatness of her merchants, due to traffic in spiritual things.
(2) Her sorceries, or juggling tricks, in which the false prophet, ministering to the beast in its last form, shall exceed her. Compare "sorcerers" (Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15), specially doomed to the lake of fire.
(3) Her persecution of (Old Testament) "prophets" and (New Testament) "saint."