The Great Whore

Line By Line - Revelation 17:1-6
Part 1
post 160

For the purpose of helping you see the meaning of the passages as you read them, I will tell you now; I submit the Whore to be the City of ancient Babylon revived, and the Beast to be the Caliphate of Islam.
If you are fully persuaded that Rome is this whore, as most modern Christians are, I ask that you simply set that understanding to the side for the moment and walk through this with me accepting my interpretation as a viable plausibility. When we are done, you will be free to make your own evaluation and return to your theory if you like. Just don’t allow your present theory to blind you to what you might not see if you keep that theory before your minds eye.
I believe the truth as revealed by our present global events will more than convince the open minded. Not all at once of course, but by a compilation of many factors.

* * *

Unfortunately this chapter break between 16 and 17 was placed in the middle of a concept. It must be remembered that this concept begins as the seventh angel pours out his vial of God’s wrath in 16:17-21. We are later told in 17:18 that the woman we are about to observe is this City Babylon which has come into remembrance before God for all her wickedness. (16:19)

Revelation 17:1 “And there came out 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:"

Starting right off we try to place this mystery of Babylon in a chronological timeline.
Backing up, we see in 16:2 that the mark of the beast has already been distributed, and an apparent allergic reaction takes place. Therefore the city Babylon has been well established before Chapter 16 begins.
The wording of 16:19, which comes at the end of the vials, describes Babylon coming into remembrance as the cities of the nations fell. This suggests that the falling of the nations cities was reason to be reminded that Babylon also needed to fall. This interpretation is supported by Revelation 18:5

I submit the unspecified angel came to give John detail regarding the end of this city he saw brought to memory in 16:19b "...and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."


So although we will see many interesting things in this chapter section, the topic is the great whore Babylon, and her judgment.
Now to get your mind in the timeframe, I am writing about this at this time in my blog because this city is one of the two great power players in the last days. She is an unavoidable significant force on the earth at that time. I will eventually show that this city is even today rising, not metaphorically but actually!
This is about to be current events!

Hint: “Waters” when used prophetically, is the representation of nations of people, with the focus on the volume of people rather than the nations. (Rev 17:15)

So this city called the great whore is supported by the people of many nations.
The colon at the end of verse 1 tells us a description of detail is coming regarding the reason of her judgment.

Revelation 17:2 “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.”

Here we see the topic is her fornication, and it is divided into two categories;
Kings of the earth actually commit fornication with her, but the volume of “little people” of the earth are described as participating in a different way; they are drunk with the wine of her fornication, not with her fornication directly.
The wine is the produce of her fornication. Being a city of harlots, the by-product of this business and not the business itself is what the masses are intoxicated by. The Woman in the Ephah Nov.15, 2010 post.

Hint: Let me state here; fulfilled prophecy always amazes me how realistic the prophecy turns out to be. What was thought to be metaphorical *1 most often turns out to be a very accurate description of the real event.
So I encourage you to read prophecy with the understanding that the imagery may be representational, but the concept given is not usually metaphorical.

Revelation 17:3 “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, 988 having seven heads and ten horns.”

Hint: It is important to remember never to jump past the obvious to reach the stimulating.
The location is important, and we see these events take place in the wilderness.
I remind you that Rome is not in the wilderness but the ancient city of Babylon is.

And in the wilderness we see a woman now sitting on a beast, and this beast is partly described.
"But I thought the angel said she was sitting on the waters; i.e. masses of many nations?" (17:1b, 15)
She is! This is a clue for interpretation. The beast is also made up of nations of people. This beast is a specific entity with a life of its own upon which the city is supported. How? By selling the wine of her fornication to the people of the beast.
I will show that this beast is an empire on which the city sits.

blasphemy 988 blasphemia; from 989; vilification (especially against God)
989 blasphemous; from a derivative of 984 and 5345; scurrilous, i.e. calumnious (against man) or (specifically) impious (against God)

Calumny; [from calvi, to deceive] False accusation of a crime or offense, maliciously reported to injure another; slander. (Webster's)

Therefore:
Names of vilification against God.
Calumnious names that intentionally make God the villain.
This is a trademark of Islam.

* * *
Hint: When used prophetically and together, "Heads" represent seats of power, such as kingdoms
And "Horns" represent the power itself, such as a king. But when used individually, kings and kingdoms can be confusingly blended as indistinguishably inseparable.

This beast entity made up of nations of people, is composed of 7 kingdoms and 10 kings.
And don’t miss that this beast is scarlet in color, I suggest representing blood.

Revelation 17:4 “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:”

The beast is scarlet, and the woman is clothed in scarlet.
Scarlet is a deep red that can easily represent blood.
But the woman is also clothed in purple, a color of royalty or wealth.
If these colors were not significant, the scripture would not have included them. They are describing the nature of these two entities; the woman and the beast, though this section of chapter is specifically regarding the woman.(17:1b)

We see also the woman is decked out in great and various wealth. (is “decked” a slang term we came up with? No!)
And in her hand is a wonderfully rich and refined and beautiful cup… full of great wickedness. (more on this later)
And the colon tells us a description follows.

Revelation 17:5 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Here we are told the name on her forehead, Babylon… No, Mystery Babylon... No, Mystery Babylon The Great... No, Mystery Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations... No, add to that OF THE EARTH. "Ya, that should do it."
Each of these words is further defining who this city is in magnitude.
Because this description followed the colon as explaining her wickedness, we can conclude she is proud to wear this description boldly on her forehead as a badge of the greatness of her conduct.

There once was an ancient city called Babylon in the wilderness of Iraq, along the Euphrates river, and it was indeed great in its day.
But this Babylon is THE great, and there is MYSTERY regarding this Babylon. And then she is further identified by two specifics; THE mother of harlots, and also THE mother of abominations of the earth.
Harlotry pretty much fits with fornication, and we begin to see this is not just a city with prostitution problems, it is THE city of prostitution, and THE city of every abomination the earth has ever known.
We use the same vernacular to mean significance when we say; "The mother of all wars."
Doesn't it seem strange how the ancient text speaks to us in our own way?
I submit it is because her name is given in our day, in our vernacular, she will rise in our day!

Revelation 17:6 “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, 40 and with the blood of the martyrs 3144 of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 2295”

Again we need to remind ourselves; the topic of this chapter is showing the judgment of this city. Part of her judgment is due to prostitution, part of it is due to Abominations, and now we see part of it is due to the blood on her hands.

Notice here too we see a division of categories;
dead saints,
and martyred church.
(Scripture calls the faithful of God the “saints”, and it calls the faithful of Jesus the “Church”.)
So how can there be a distinction? If they are not the faithful of Jesus, how can they be saints? Is this redundancy? No.

Saints 40 hagios; Greek...; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)
Martyrs 3144 martus; of uncertain affinity; a witness (literally [judicially] or figuratively [genitive]; by analogy a “martyr”.

Although most of the Jews today are actually nearly Godless in their daily lives, there are Jews who are quite faithful to God though they have rejected Jesus as the Messiah. These are those who desire greatly to sacrifice for their failings, and they will sacrifice once their temple is built. These Jews who sacrifice in obedience and love of God are called saints. *2

But God here makes a clear distinction between two groups of the murdered; Jews and Christians.
Why?
Because there will be two distinct groups murdered. And God is clearly claiming attachment to both these groups.
But this distinction also identifies two reasons for the death; while the Christians are killed because they represent Christ, the faithful Jews are killed because they are Jews.
The Jews will die as a genocide like they always have, the Christians will die for a hatred of their faith in Jesus, but both groups die in their rejection of the Mahdi (Islam's Messiah, our Antichrist).

Do I need to identify here that Islam has two self-declared enemies? The Jews and the Christians. (America being the present namesake of the Christians and focus of this half of their hatred, but once conquered, that hatred will be focused directly at Christians world wide.)
Note that while the saints are simply murdered, the killed of Jesus are called martyrs.
Why?

Martyrdom: “…and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6

Only the death caused for their witness of Jesus the Messiah in this very specific time, will be classed by God as martyrdom with this promise attached. This class has a very special place with God! which makes the martyrdom actually desirable because of its reward!
Now don’t get crazy with the idea, this is very much as Christians today are eager to be with Christ in the hereafter, but that does not mean we want to go today!
Of course the believers in that day will not be crazy about dying either, but this promise of reward will give them great comfort if they find themselves in that place.
We are all going to die, so would you rather live out the remainder of your life in this present evil world for say another 30 years, or die now for the privilege of living 1000 years in a world run by Jesus?!
To be honest? Where do I put my neck?

Speaking of necks, what modern nation would even dream of decapitating people?
That is barbaric. and until we recently became familiar with Islam, we Christians simply could not see this verse meaning anything but allegorical.
Today? no problem, we can see this means exactly what it says!
Islam will be the authority doing the chopping.

* * *

Now lets back up to the first part of verse 6, remembering verse 2, and notice that although the people of the world are drunk by the wine (fruit) of her fornication, She is drunk by the blood of God’s people.
Her scarlet cloths then represent her immersion in the blood of these people, to the point of intoxication by it. And while she is murdering the faithful and God’s people, the people of the world are drunk with the fruit of her fornication.
Two very different activates, two very different lives lived supporting this city. (the murderers in the back allies and the partiers in the beautiful streets.)
But remember, both the woman and the beast she rode were scarlet, but only the woman also wore the purple finery of royalty or wealth.
She presents herself in elegant beauty and the writer wondered with great admiration.

Admiration 2295 thauma, Greek; from a form of 2300; wonder (properly concrete; but by implication abstract.)
2300 theaomai; a prolonged form of a prime verb; to look closely at, i.e. (by implication) to perceive (literally or figuratively)

Today we would say; I wondered with great curious fascination… no, amazement… no, bewilderment… no... you see the word admiration as defined in the original text is the correct word.
The next verse confirms this definition;

* * *

Revelation 17:7 “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.”

Now the topic changes, but lets keep that for the next time.


* * * * * * *
*1 metaphor: Use of a word or idea in place of another by way of suggesting a likeness or analogy between them. (Webster's)

*2 Jewish Saints:
Dispensationalism says God acts differently at one point in time, than he does at another.

Dispensation: act of dispensing or dealing out; especially theological. (Webster’s)

And so the Church age is determined wrongly to be dispensational.
But nothing has actually changed.
The Jews had laws they could not actually keep, and so were given the animal sacrifice as a means of atonement when they failed.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:11
All serious Jews know this truth, though they don’t like to think about it now.
This is why they are so distraught over not having a temple in which to sacrifice.
Their very souls are in danger of judgment without this atoning sacrifice.
But for the Christian, we have our sacrifice when we fail, in Jesus our Messiah;
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28
Jesus the Son of God willingly laid down his life as our sacrifice, once and for all.
Nothing then has changed.
The very spirit of God’s intent remains.
This is why the Jews who will soon be able to again sacrifice (in the third temple yet to be constructed, Revelation 11:1) will be acceptable to God, even though they reject Jesus the Christ.
They will be obeying the command of blood sacrifice for remission of sins. And because there is no dispensation, the Law of blood has not changed.
But after 2000 years of no sacrifice, they need a primer to again become familiar with the idea so that when their sacrifice is taken away 3-1/2 years later, they will be mentally prepared to accept Jesus as their sacrifice! *3
Now of course we know that the animal sacrifice only carried the Jews until the Son of God fulfilled that role, but regardless whether they know it or not, His blood covers their sins in their animal sacrifice of tomorrow just as it did before He died.
These sacrificing Jews are the saints who will be killed not because they are Christians, but because they are Jews. This is not martyrdom, this is still Genocide.
But the Jews who turn to Jesus as their Messiah? They will be martyrs if killed for the faith!

*3 But the Jews do not accept or read the New Testament, so how will they know to turn to Jesus when their sacrifice is taken away?
Revelation 11:3-12 describes the two witnesses.
These will be Jews, they will do the miracles of Elijah and they will be killed and dead for 3 days representing Jesus, then raised from the dead at the public voice of God and taken to heaven in sight of everyone.
So what do they preach during their 1260 day ministry? They are witnesses. They will show Jesus in the Jewish scripture!
*