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: (Revelation 17:1)
We come to another parenthesis in John’s record. The seven-bowl judgments have been poured out, and the end of the Tribulation has come. While we focused on the terrors of the seven bowl judgments, other things were happening on Earth that John explains in the next two chapters. These details help us to understand the purpose behind all these judgments. They also help us to see what is taking place around us right now which will prepare us for what is coming.
One of the angels which had one of the seven vials (we are not told which one) takes John aside to show him “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” To me, a “whore” is a promiscuous woman (to put it nicely) who engages in indiscriminate sex with whoever comes along. However, the word translated as “whore” here is the Greek word “pornē” from which we get our English words “pornography” and “pornographic.” As used here, the word refers to a prostitute; a woman who sells herself for sexual favors. That she “sitteth upon many waters” refers to people. Often, when we see “the sea” mentioned in Revelation, it refers to the Mediterranean Sea where most of these events take place, and the people that dwell in those areas. So, when we read, “I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1, emphasis mine), it refers to the area around the Mediterranean Sea and the people from that area. Thus, we conclude that the Antichrist, the Beast, will rise up out of the people around the Mediterranean Sea, i.e., the revived Roman Empire. This also agrees with the Prophet Daniel’s account that “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26, emphasis mine). The “people” that destroyed “the city and the sanctuary,” were the Romans in AD 70, and “the prince that shall come” from those people is the Antichrist. However, this “harlot” sits on “many waters,” so her influence spans all the people of all the world.
As we will see later on, the woman represents a world religion. She is portrayed as a woman because the Bible views “religion” as feminine. For example, in the Old Testament (OT), God looked at Israel as His unfaithful wife.[1] The entire prophecy of Hosea is an allegory of an unfaithful wife that prostitutes herself, yet her faithful husband (Hosea) goes and buys her back out of prostitution. The allegory is of Israel, the unfaithful wife who goes into idolatry (i.e., prostituting herself), and God, the faithful husband, who redeems her out of that idolatry. In the New Testament (NT), the Church is called “the Bride of Christ.”[2] Likewise, this prostitute represents a worldwide, idolatrous, false religion that is supported (she “sits upon”) by all the people of the world.
“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” (Revelation 17:1-2, emphasis mine). The world leaders have “used” this religion in order to subdue and control the masses of the earth.
“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” (Revelation 17:3). The beast upon which the prostitute rides is the Antichrist. That he is scarlet (red) in color represents sin,[3] wealth,[4] and power.[5] He is “full of the names of blasphemy.”[6] This description of the Beast concurs with that given in Revelation 13:1-10 which I addressed in a previous article.[7]
“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” (Revelation 17:4-5). Through the years, many scholars of end-times prophecy attributed the moniker to the Roman Catholic Church (RCC); however, I think there is more to it than that. From the time of the Reformation (16th Century) until relatively recent history, the RCC was the only religion that fit that description. Without question, the RCC with its headquarters in the Vatican possesses more wealth than most countries on earth. I recall visiting a Catholic Church in San Juan de las Colchas, Michoacán, Mexico. The small village, at that time, was immersed in poverty. There was not even one paved street in the tiny town, but the church edifice was beautiful beyond the apparent means of the people. The interior was even more incredible. It was elaborately trimmed in solid gold. Many of the images were of solid gold. I could not help but think of how all that wealth could be used to benefit the poverty-stricken people of the town. (I know, I’m kind of sounding like Judas.)[8] The point I want to make is that the RCC is incredibly rich. In keeping with that theme, the Pope, in his priestly regalia, dresses in “purple and scarlet” and priceless jewels like a king.
This harlot is called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. Beginning with the rebellion at the Tower of Babel, Babylon originated all the pagan religions of the earth. Many of them follow a similar theme that mimics the virgin birth of Christ and His death and resurrection. The “Queen of Heaven”[9] went by many names beginning with Astarte or Ashtoreth[10] and later Aphrodite (Greek) and Venus (Roman). “The ‘Queen of Heaven’ is mentioned in the Bible and has been associated with a number of different goddesses by different scholars, including: Anat, Astarte or Ishtar, Ashtoreth, or as a composite figure. The worship of a ‘Queen of Heaven’ (Hebrew: מלכת השמים, Malkath haShamayim) is recorded in the Book of Jeremiah, in the context of the Prophet condemning such religious worship and it being the cause of God declaring that He would remove His people from the land.”[11] Here is another reason why early end-times students associated the RCC with “Mystery Babylon.” They took the pagan title “Queen of Heaven” and applied it Mary the mother of Jesus and attributed divine attributes to her.
Mystery Babylon is the “mother of harlots.” In other words, she gave birth to a whole host of false religions and the RCC fits perfectly in that mold. However, there is more to Mystery Babylon because it also includes “Gaia” (or earth) worship.[12] Up until maybe 40 or 50 years ago, the worship of the planet was unheard of. However, the whole world wants to “save the planet” (save the trees, save the whales, save the polar bears, save the sharks, save the air, etc.) as if there is anything man can do to alter the course of God’s creation. Of course, the proponents of this movement (the UN, WEF, et al) would not call it a religion, but they certainly promote it religiously. One of the major supporters of the “climate change” agenda is the RCC with the Pope leading the way. The RCC also puts forth great efforts to unite all the religions of the world behind the cause. The Pope is also willing to bring our “space brothers” into the “fold” by baptizing aliens![13] This is “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT.” Add to this transhumanism and all that goes along with that, and it is not difficult to see that we are approaching the day of Christ’s return. There is also another control system creeping in called Environmental, Social, and Business Governance (ESG).[14] It is a system of social control based on a “credit scoring” system that grades the individual on how he measures up to environmental rules/laws; how he stacks up on social issues (human rights issues, pro-choice, acceptance of the LGBTQ+ agenda, etc.), and how he complies with matters of “equity, diversity, and inclusion.” We see this creeping into our society by how businesses are pushing the “gay agenda,” regardless of loss in profits. Their end goal is to increase their ESG score, which will keep them viable when the full force of the system impacts everyone.
“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). Beginning with the RCC, false religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) have spilt the blood of many of Jesus’ saints since the Church began. The new world religion will spill much more. Globalists want to reduce Earth’s population to five-hundred million, according to the Georgia Guidestones.[15] (Of course, they would be excluded from the culling.) Christians who believe in the sanctity of life and God’s ownership of the planet will be in their crosshairs.
“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 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” (Revelation 17:7-8). John is just as baffled as we are at the sight. The angel tells John that the Beast “was, and is not.” We learned in Revelation 13:3 that he receives a deadly wound; therefore, he “was and is not.” However, he appears to come back to life to mimic the resurrection of Christ. Here we are told how that happens. He “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit,” which tells me that his body gets possessed by Satan (the Dragon) himself. However, he will “go into perdition,” i.e., Hell.[16] Those who bear the “mark of the beast,” whose names are “not written in the book of life,” will be amazed at the end of the Beast and his False Prophet. “They that see thee [the Dragon/the Beast] shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isaiah 14:16-17). In the end, he is pretty unimpressive.
“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth” (Revelation 17:9). Those that identify the RCC as Mystery Babylon point to the “seven mountains on which the woman” sits as Rome, the “City of Seven Hills,” the seat from which the Pope rules. There are other candidates for the headquarters of Mystery Babylon. Jerusalem supposedly sits on seven hills, and the False Prophet will set up the image of the Beast in the Temple there and demand that the world worship the image and the Beast.[17] Babylon in Iraq, although there are no hills around it, is also a candidate. Upon closer inspection, the “seven mountains” are “the seven heads” which are rulers, so this may not refer to a specific place at all, but rather the seat of government, or the foundation of past governments (see the next paragraph). I will look deeper into that in the next chapter.
“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” (Revelation 17:10). The “seven kings” are world empires. “Five are fallen”: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. “One is”: Rome; Rome is the empire that “was” during John’s time. “The other is not yet come:” this is the revived Roman Empire, the kingdom of the Beast. Daniel saw this kingdom as the feet of iron mixed with clay in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.[18] In the dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone cut out of a mountain that struck the feet of iron and clay and collapsed the entire statue.[19] The dream means that at the end of time, Christ (the stone) would destroy all the kingdoms of the world and He, Himself, will reign forever.
“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 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” (Revelation 17:11-13). There is much speculation on exactly how this will shape up. There is talk that the UN has plans on how to divide the world into 10 regions under a one-world government. Maps are available with a Google search. However, these maps include China and other Asian nations that I do not believe will play along with that scheme. Russia is also included in these maps, and I do not believe that Russia will want to play along either. As I see it (and I can be wrong about this), the Antichrist’s control will be mostly over the Western nations, i.e., nations that were part of the old Roman Empire. Neither China nor Russia (or any of the Asian nations for that matter) were part of the Roman Empire. So, exactly how this will play out is anyone’s guess. In all probability, it will include the nations of the European Union (EU) and possibly the nations of Northern Africa (that were part of the old Roman Empire). However, this works out, there will be ten rulers, three of who will cede their power over to the Antichrist. The others will “have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”
“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” (Revelation 17:14, emphasis mine). We read in Revelation 16:16, when the seventh angel pours out the contents of the seventh bowl, that God draws all the kings, i.e., leaders, to Armageddon for the final battle. Note that the “Lord of lords, and King of kings” does not come alone (albeit, He is the only one that does any fighting); He comes with His saints that are “called, and chosen, and faithful.”[20] This is the Church that was raptured before the Tribulation and the Tribulation saints that were martyred throughout the Tribulation. It will make for a spectacular aerial phenomenon!
“And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 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. 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. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:15-18, emphasis mine).
In the end, just like any whore, Mystery Babylon, the religion of the Beast, will be used for his satisfaction and then cast aside when she is no longer useful to him. And, although the Beast and his henchmen think they are in control, it is really God that is running the show.[21]
We see the one-world religion that the Antichrist will use and abuse to get what he wants rising even now. We see it in the form of ecumenism. We see it in the efforts of “religious” leaders to unite all the religions of the world. We see it in the form of Earth worship. We see it in the form of humanism that places the will of man above that of God. All of that is taking place right now, and if you do not see it, you are not paying attention. Things are falling into place in preparation for the Beast to step in and take over.
How about you, reader? Are you paying attention? If you do not know the Savior, do not wait any longer. The time is short. Please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”
Notes:
[1] Isaiah 54:5-6; 62:5; Jeremiah 3:20; Ezekiel 16:30-33
[2] John 3:39; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 21:9
[7] The Beast and His Mouth | Ernie’s Musings (erniecarrasco.com)
[9] Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-19, 25
[10] 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:13
[11] Queen of Heaven (antiquity) – Wikipedia
[12] GAIA WORSHIP – THE NEW PAGAN RELIGION (environment-ecology.com)
[13] Pope Francis Says He Would Definitely Baptize Aliens If They Asked Him To – The Atlantic
[15] What Did The Georgia Guidestones Say? Mysterious Words On Blown Up Monument (newsweek.com)
Ernie's Musings 