CHAPTER 17
(a)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 judgement of the great (a)whore that sitteth upon many waters:
V.2
(b)With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
(a) Here is detail about to be given of the judgement, by God, of the great whore, mentioned in Chp. 16. The Interlinear translates “harlot,” (Str. No. 4204,) which is the feminine of a group of words from 4202 to 4205, all concerned with pornography (Greek “PORNE,”) and prostitution. This should not be confused with “the woman,” of V.18! Whoredom in its original manifestations at Babylon was rejection of The One True God, by Nimrod and His mother. It developed into many kinds of perversities, but particularly sexual. (See Chp. 13,) which were (and are) used in pagan idol (Satan) worship.
(b) The kings have been (and are) obeisant to this entity. Whenever whoredom is mentioned in Scripture. It is referring to worship of something or someone other than the “One True God.” (2 Chr. 15:3,) (Jer. 10:10,) (John 17:3,) (Acts 17:23,) (1 Thess. 1:9,) (1 John 5:20.)
“The inhabitants of earth made drunk with her wine;” the kings lead the people. The people trust the kings, and shut down their own minds. The idolatry sanctioned by the kings placates/soothes the people (drunk,) and keeps them in order! For kings, read also governments.
V.3
(a)So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a (b)woman sitting upon a (c)scarlet coloured beast, full of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
(a) John here again taken in the Spirit (see Chp. 1:10) to be given explanation.
(b) The woman here and of V.18, is representative of “that great city,” i.e. Babylon, in its original, as the foundation (after the flood) of ALL REBELLION AGAINST GOD ALMIGHTY. (See Chp. 14:1(b),) under the initiative of Nimrod.
(c) “Scarlet;” the colour is startling, attractive, bright, however, in Isa. 1:18, Jehovah God gives the definition as representing SIN. “Beast;” see Chp. 13 and notes.
V.4
(a)And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, (b)having a golden cup in her hand (c)full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.
(a) “The woman arrayed in purple and scarlet colours;” purple representing royalty, scarlet representing sin, here clearly showing royal approval (i.e. kings of earth,) of the sinful way! (i.e. idolatry, and harlotry.
(b) “Golden cup;” represents regal source, i.e. see Chp. 15:7.
(c) “Full of abomination etc;” these the practices and formulations, rituals of idolic and Satanic worship. Also; The "Ecumenical" movement, which denies Acts 4:12, Jesus Christ only, as the only way of Salvation; preaching "many ways to God," is in the same category!
(a)And upon her forehead a name written, Mystery Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.
(a) Bullinger translates; “and upon her forehead she had a name written a secret symbol, (see 13:18 b,) BABYLON THE GREAT, the mother of harlots, (see notes (a) V.1) and of the abominations of the earth.” (Comp.) The name of the woman is therefore a secret sign or symbol of “that great city” which she
personifies (see V.18.)
V.6
(a)And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and of the saints and when I saw her, I wondered with great (b)wonder.
(a) The “woman,” here shown to have drunk to excess the deaths of all who have, and will die for their Lord. See early chapters of Revelation.
(b) This word wrongly translated “admiration,” by A.D. 1611 C. of E. translators; which greatly misleads the understanding!
V.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 carried her, which hath seven heads and ten horns.
(a)The beast which you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into (b)perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the (c)foundation of the world, when they behold (d)the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
(a) See Chp. 13 and notes.
(b) “Perdition:” (Str. 684 = destruction, wasted, from 622 = perish, destroy.)
(c) “Foundation;” (Comp. App. 146.) There are two Greek words used in the New Testament, which the A.D. 1611 translators inconsistently used to arrive at the word “foundation,” clearly to suit their own dogma. In this case, the word “KATABOLLE,” they translated “foundation,” but it should have been, “cast down or overthrow.” The translation then would read, “in the book of life from the overthrow of the world.” The overthrow in point, is that prior to the creation acts of Gen. 1 and 2. “The Body of Christ,” known before the foundation (overthrow) of the world, is clearly not on earth, (Eph. 1:4,) (1 Peter 1:20.) (See Rev. 3:5 (c) .)
(d) Babylon is the candidate for this statement! She had been the great power early in all history after the Flood. She "was not" at the time John wrote; and she is the likely head of the future beast, here described (Chp. 13,) but in essence of the old area, now Iraq.
(a)Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
(a) “Seven heads are seven mountains; (see V.10, 11, 12.)
V.10
(a)And they are seven kings: five are fallen, one is, (b)and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.
(a) Remembering that the criterion in prophecy is when Israel is affected, and not "Lo-Ammi," Daniel 7 gives the likely understanding of the 7 kings listed;
— 1) Babylon, (Lion ) (one king.)
— 2) Medes &Persians, (Bear ) (two kings.)
— 3) Greece, (Leopard ) ( 2 kings,) 330B.C.-167B.C. Ptolemies & Seleucids, 167B.C.-63B.C. Hasmoneans & Maccabees.
— 4) Rev. 17:10, "one is," Rome, (one king.) These up to the time of john's writing.
(b) "The other is not yet come;" this seventh king cannot exist in power until Israel is again "Ammi," in the sense of Divine Prophecy, i.e. at the "covenant" stage!
(a)And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
(a)And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
V.13
(a)These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
V.14
(a)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.”
(a) See chapter 13 and notes. Also Daniel and other O.T. prophecies.
V.15
(a)And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes and nations and tongues.
(a) Self explanatory; all the peoples, religions, and nations are controlled by the whore (see V.1 & notes,) i.e. peoples etc., are holding sacred and sacrosanct, false values, worship, learning, knowledge and standards all of which stem from Satan/Nimrod; which leads them to many alternatives of worship other than the One True Jehovah Zebaoth, and His Christ! (Acts. 4:12.)
(a)And the ten horns you saw on the beast, these will hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
(b)For God had put into their hearts to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
(a) These ten kings will fight against corruption of a kind, and appear to be righteous! They apparently vanquish the world wide evil standards and decimate the whore! If these ten powers are world wide religions, this will be an amazing spectacle. However, V.12 says they are kings.
(b) The power of God here seen in getting the ten powers to clean up the world (in the sense of V.1 and notes,) and amazingly to give their “kingdom” (POWER) to the beast, led by the the Anti- christ!, located in Jerusalem. By this he achieves a sense of false purity, (banning and outlawing prostitution and all its ramifications including child abuse,) and obtains support and “respectability.”
(a)And the woman you saw is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
(a) This “woman and city;” are popularly equated to Rome and the Roman church, as in V. 9 seven mountains are mentioned in her context. Amazingly most commentators agree on that interpretation. However, the writer agrees with (Comp.) that “the whore,”and her principle were active thousands of years prior to Rome’s existence. Rome and the Roman Church, is only an example, and a good one, of pernicious falsehood. As is well known they have placed a “priest,” in-between Christ and the individual, who must take “confession,” interpret Scripture, and deal with any and all human troubles, instead of Christ alone with the individual. In addition, they have added a layer of intercession i.e. “Mary,” whom they say must intercede for the individual with Christ. They ignore conveniently Scripture’s statement (1Tim. 2:5) “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus.” The “woman,” is apparently not the same as the “whore,” mentioned in this chapter. The Greek “GUNE,” (Str. No. 1135,) renders; “a woman,” “specifically a wife.” The two clearly are related in the sense of Revelations dealings, see Chp.18.
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