Verse 1-5) “AND THERE came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show 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.” The destruction of Babylon the whore takes place during the Wrath of God when the seven vials are poured out. Some people believe that Babylon the whore is New York City, or the United Sates, which are components of Babylon the whore. We talked about Babylon in Revelation Chapter 16:16-21, which is ultimately fulfilled in Jerusalem at the time of the Anti-christ reign. “the Great City Babylon spiritually called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified,” (Revelation 11:8b). This verse is obviously referring to Jerusalem. The Great Whore sitting on many waters is symbolic of the masses of peoples of the world who are oppressed by the Great Whore. ( Revelation 17:15).The kings and inhabitants of the earth are spiritually drunk from the wine of her spiritual fornication and their worship of false gods and idolatry. The scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns show that the whore has been around for a long time. The seven heads are the seven world empires and the ten horns are the end time nations that join with the anti-christ. We studied this in Daniel Chapters 2,7,8,& 11 and also Revelation Chapter 13. Mystery Babylon is a good name for her because it seems that most people don’t understand who she is. She is the whore decked with fine gold and precious stones and pearls that the world runs after in their pursuit of spiritual fornication and Idol worship symbolized by the golden cup full of abominations and spiritual filthiness. The scarlet color is symbolic of sin. “ Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” ( Isaiah 1: 18). This is the way God sees things spiritually. The Great Whore Babylon is all of the cities of man through out time that people gather at to work for and worship their idols and commit spiritual fornication. The great whore the mother of harlots (Cities) is ultimately fulfilled in Jerusalem at the time of the anti-christ’s reign. So Memphis (Egypt), Babylon, Athens (Greece), Rome (Italy), New York, etc, etc. All of the major cities of man through out time beginning when Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and built a city, have been a whore in the eyes of God where the peoples of the world go to commit spiritual fornication. Jerusalem becomes the mother of harlots when the abomination of desolation is placed, and the devil possessed anti- christ rules from the Temple.“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” (Matthew 24:15) “How is the faithful city become an harlot!” (Isaiah 1:21a). “and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.” (Jeremiah 3: 3b).
Verse 6,7) “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. 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.” The spiritual whore Babylon has been responsible for killing God’s people through out all time, especially Jerusalem. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23: 37). Jesus Christ, The Son of God was even killed in Jerusalem.
Verse 8) “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.” The beast is the devil that rules the kingdoms of men “And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil, said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” ( Luke 4: 5,6), “and he ascends out of the bottomless pit” (Revelation Chapter 20: 1-3,7,8), this is talking about the devil. “He was, and is not” (this is referring to the fall of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece) “and yet is,” is referring to the Roman Empire which was in power at the time that this vision was given to John. Beasts and kingdoms are used to represent the same thing in the scriptures ( Daniel Chapters 7,8). Their ruler is the devil, the ultimate beast.
Verse 9) “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” Mountains are also used in the scriptures to represent kingdoms. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” (Psalm 48:1,2). Ask the Lord for wisdom to understand the scriptures. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, and it shall be given him.”( James 1:5). The seven heads ,and mountains refer to the seven world empires of man’s history, and their seven main leaders.They are; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia,Greece, Rome, and the Empire of the anti-christ.
Verse10) “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.” The seven kings are the seven major rulers of the seven Empires. Five are fallen, this refers to Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo- Persia, and Greece. These five Empires had fallen away at the time of Rome when this prophecy was written. The “one is” is talking about Rome. And “the other is not yet come”, the anti-christ World Empire. When he comes he and his Empire will only last a short time or space of 3 ½ years, or 42 months, or 1,260 days.( in the Hebrew Calendar consisting of twelve 30 day months).
Verse 11) “And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” This is talking about the devil who will possess the anti-christ’s body and bring him back to life from a deadly wound. Making him the eighth beast. The anti-christ will be the main leader or beast of the seventh World Empire. When the devil possess his dead body and raises him back to life he will be the eighth. “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.”(Revelation 13:3)
Verse 12,13) “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. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” The ten horns on the seven heads on the beast that the whore rides upon in verse 3 of this chapter are the last ten major leaders that join forces with the anti-christ to make up his kingdom, they are all in unity and it only takes them one hour to make up their minds to join forces with the anti-christ. These ten kings and kingdoms are also mentioned in Daniel 2:41,42( as the ten toes of the great image that Daniel saw),“And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.” and Daniel 7:20, 24( as ten horns),“and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.” and Revelation 13:1( as ten horns) “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.” So you see the book of Daniel and Revelation go together like a great puzzle that needs to be carefully put together to truly understand it.
Verse 14) “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.” These anti-christ forces will make war with Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. This verse jumps us to the battle of Armageddon after the Rapture when Jesus comes with his army of the called, and chosen, and faithful to take over the world. Also it is talking about the anti-christ forces persecuting the Christian Church of Revelation Chapter 12. Jesus said, “if they have done it unto the least of these my brethren they have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Verse 15) “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This verse refers to verse 1 in this chapter. The waters are the multitudes of people.
Verse 16) “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.” This verse is referring to the last ten rulers that join forces with the anti-christ. There will be many wars against the anti-christ and he will fight against whole nations (Daniel Chapter 11), perhaps even some of the ten that joined with him when he proclaims himself God and forces the world to worship him, they might turn on him. Making the whore desolate and naked and eating her flesh and burning her with fire, could be the result of nuclear war. Some people believe that the United States of America is the Whore. The ten nations that side with the anti-christ may also make war with America. How ever Babylon the whore is ultimately fulfilled in Jerusalem when the devil possessed anti-christ rules from the temple there. At present the Lord has left the fulfillment of this scripture open, perhaps it depends upon the people’s attitude towards Jesus Christ. A wicked people deserve, and get a wicked ruler. Sometimes God will raise up a good ruler because of his mercy and grace, but if the people reject God’s grace and mercy, and love, then there is nothing left for them but God’s wrath.
Verse 17) “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.” This verse shows how God is ultimately in control and will only let man and the devil go so far in order to fulfill his word and his will.
Verse 18) “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” Jerusalem that great city, where our Lord was crucified also.” (Revelation 11:8b). Babylon the great whore will reign over the kings of the earth when the devil possessed anti-christ rules, and occupies the Temple at Jerusalem. This verse makes it clear what the great whore, the mother of harlots, is. It is not just New York City, or the United States, or Rome, Moscow, Beijing, etc., these are components of the great whore, world wide city systems of man ultimately controlled by the devil. IT WILL BE ULTIMATELY FULFILLED IN JERUSALEM AT THE TIME OF THE ANTI-CHRIST REIGN ! ! !
Say this prayer to be saved: Jesus, I want to know you, and to live forever in Heaven, I know I have made mistakes and done bad things- and I am sorry. Please forgive me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I accept your love and I accept you as my Saviour. I believe you died on the cross for my sins ,and rose from the dead. Please come into my heart and life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me your peace. Amen.