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Revelation 17

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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:

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

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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.

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And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

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The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

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And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

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And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

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And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

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And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

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These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

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These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

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And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

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And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

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For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

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And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

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Revelation 17

John is carried away in the Spirit to see the great prostitute seated on many waters, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus—the world system embodied in Babylon the great. The scarlet beast bearing the prostitute has seven heads and ten horns, and the woman is arrayed in purple and scarlet with jewels and pearls, a parody of God's bride adorned with human wealth and power. The mystery of the woman and the beast is written on her forehead: Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations, revealing her identity as the culmination of human rebellion against God. The seven heads represent seven mountains on which the woman is seated and seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, and one is to come—cryptic eschatological chronology establishing the woman's dominion over earthly powers. The ten horns represent ten kings who have not yet received royal power but who receive authority with the beast for one hour and together wage war against the Lamb—yet the Lamb conquers them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. The ten horns will hate the prostitute, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire—God's sovereign use of earthly powers to execute judgment upon the world system.

Revelation 17:1

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters' - the angel unveils Babylon, the great prostitute (harlot), the spiritual counterpart to the political beast. The 'many waters' represent her dominion over multiple peoples and nations.

Revelation 17:2

'With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries' - the prostitute seduces the kings and peoples into idolatry and spiritual compromise. The wine of her sexual immorality represents false doctrine and idolatrous religion that intoxicates and blinds.

Revelation 17:3

Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns - the prostitute sits on the scarlet beast (the political power of the empires), and the beast is covered in blasphemies. The seven heads and ten horns signify the multiple kingdoms and demonic powers she manipulates.

Revelation 17:4

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, jewels and pearls; she held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries - Babylon is clothed in luxury and majesty, the outward splendor concealing her spiritual corruption. The golden cup, like the cup offered to Christ in Gethsemane, is full of poison.

Revelation 17:5

This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH - her name on her forehead (like the mark of the beast) identifies her as the source and mother of all spiritual rebellion and idolatry. She is the archetypal harlot from whom all apostasy flows.

Revelation 17:6

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus; and when I saw her, I was greatly astonished - Babylon is drunk with the blood of martyrs; her intoxication is with the murder of believers. Her violence against the faithful reveals her demonic nature beneath her seductive veneer.

Revelation 17:7

Then the angel said to me, 'Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns' - the angel promises to unveil the mystery of Babylon and the beast; the sevenfold and tenfold symbolism will be decoded.

Revelation 17:8

'The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction; the inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come' - the beast has a strange existence: it was, is not, and will be again. This may reflect a historical ruler or the cycle of empires, but the key is that only those not written in the Lamb's book of life will marvel at its reappearance.

Revelation 17:9

'This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits' - the angel appeals for wisdom to interpret the seven heads as seven hills. Rome was the city of seven hills; the symbolism points to Rome as Babylon, the anti-God empire of John's time.

Revelation 17:10

'They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while' - the seven heads are also seven kings or kingdoms: five are already fallen (past empires), one is reigning (Rome in John's time), and one is yet to come (a future empire). The succession of empires shows the transient nature of human power.

Revelation 17:11

'The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction' - the eighth king emerges from and belongs to the seven; he represents the final manifestation of the beast-spirit before its destruction. This eighth figure may represent a final antichrist or the ultimate expression of anti-God empire.

Revelation 17:12

'The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast' - the ten horns are ten kings not yet in power who will rule briefly alongside the beast. Their unified but temporary rule represents the final alliance against God before the kingdom falls.

Revelation 17:13

'They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast' - the ten kings are unified in purpose, pooling their power to serve the beast. Their voluntary submission to the beast represents the ultimate concentration of rebellious earthly power.

Revelation 17:14

'They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers' - the final battle is between the ten kings (and their master the beast) and the Lamb. The Lamb's victory is assured by His nature (Lord of lords, King of kings) and the faithfulness of His called and chosen ones.

Revelation 17:15

'Then the angel said to me, 'The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages' - the many waters represent the diverse populations under Babylon's dominion. She rules over many peoples, but her rule is built on seduction and spiritual prostitution.

Revelation 17:16

'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' - the beast and the ten kings, having used the prostitute for their purposes, turn on her and destroy her. Her nakedness and dismemberment are the shame she earned through her idolatry.

Revelation 17:17

'For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast all their royal authority, until God's words are fulfilled' - even the destruction of Babylon accomplishes God's will; the kings serve God's purposes even in their rebellion. Divine sovereignty overrules human malice.

Revelation 17:18

'The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth' - Babylon is identified as the great city (Rome or any anti-God empire-city) that dominates the world's power structures. Her fall is the collapse of worldly power and spiritual rebellion against God.