The Gospel of Revelation
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast
But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.
The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”
Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Content source: English Standard Version (ESV) of the Holy Bible.
Image source: Our media Team
In this chapter the sentence is detailed, descriptions of the events of 16.17-21 are offered
The great harlot is Babylon that symbolizes ancient Rome, representative of all the idolatrous systems that oppose Christ
The many waters are the human groups submitted by the harlot, Juan is taken to the desert so that he could contemplate the scene from an appropriate perspective, as well as for his protection, the woman is the harlot, identified in verse 18 as the ancient city of Rome
The scarlet beast is the one that came out of the sea, their heads and horns symbolize the power of the empire that sustains the beast.
Sitting on: the anti-Christian civilization is subordinated to an anti-Christian political power
Blasphemy names: divine titles that an emperor has appropriated or the official religion of a state
The striking dress of the woman gives an idea of the richness of her earthly wealth and glory
Abominations: acts of worship to idols and desecration
the woman's purple and scarlet robes describe her wealth and authority. In fact, not only do you wear these colors, but it is also adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls and has a golden chalice in your hand. But, in stark contrast to the awesome beauty of her image, her chalice is filled "with abominations and the filthiness of her fornication" (Revelation 17: 4). In other words, the appearance of the woman is deceptive; She looks beautiful on the outside and has clothes that denote wealth, luxury and authority, but her actions are abominable to God.
no one who confronts the Lord will be able to vein him, he is all powerful, the fall of the great harlot is assailed.