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. 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: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Decadence and Death Are Her Dress

The Woman located. Revelation 17:18, tells us, “the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”

The statement is very straightforward without any explanation, meaning that John would clearly understand what city this was. In John’s time the city that reigns over the kings of the earth, was Rome. Vs. 9 tells us the seven heads are seven hills. Rome is situated on seven hills and when Revelation was written, Rome was reigning over the kings of the earth. Will the revived Roman Empire’s one world religion have its headquarters at Rome? Possibly, the Roman Catholic popes since the 1970s have opened up dialogue and forged relationships with most of the world’s religions. It may be another city that is in view, where the final version of one-world religion will be situated but it will be like the Rome John knew. It will be corrupt; it will be immoral and it will be locked in intercourse with the powers of the world.

Her Appearance - 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:

Her dress shows that she is rich and wrapped in this world’s luxury. If you ever wonder why so many Bible scholars of the past have identified the Great Harlot with The Roman Catholic Church all you have to do is look at the Vatican or any large Catholic church with gold crucifixes, gold covered altars and the vestments of the popes, bishops and priest made from the finest silks and fabrics the world can offer. If you wonder how churches of the future will so easily join in this adulterous religious system all you have to do is look at the houses, cars, clothes and property of todays health and wealth preachers. They are in it for the money and that will only be the case when the true church is taken in the rapture.
Her Title. Revelation 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Her Killings – Revelation 17:6 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. (wonder and astonishment)
 

This Title is the most important element of identifying and understanding the Harlot and what she represents. And it takes us back all the way to the book of Genesis.


Her Heritage - Look at Genesis 10:6-14 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. … And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel…

Nimrod, the mighty hunter, the mighty champion, the mighty predator, establishes the first empire after the flood, the kingdom of Babel, later Babylon. He is more than just a king because he controls several cities in a region, cities that will still be in existence and antagonist of God’s people for centuries to come.

What happens at Babel, probably under the influence and power of Nimrod is in Genesis 11:1-4 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Pay attention to what they said, perhaps this is what Nimrod said as their king. “let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name.” Now this wasn’t just a high tower, no this was a tower that may reach to heaven. Not so much by its height but by what took place on that high tower. Throughout the ancient world we see examples of these towers sometime called ziggurats. They are step pyramids, and we see them in ancient Babylon, ancient Egypt and even ancient Mexico and central and south America. They built these towers to reach into the heavens by the practice of paganism and human sacrifice. They sought to get the attention of the gods that they had now turned to by doing acts of such devotion that their gods of sun, moon, rain and harvest would have to take notice and bless them. It seems likely that this systematic form of paganism may have arisen with Nimrod and the tower of Babel. It was the final culmination of Cain’s rebellion away from the one true God to many gods. Away from true worship to the most gruesome kinds of human sacrifice.

The Great Harlot Is Paganism, the Mystery Religion began in Babylon and has existed since that time and for most of our history has been the most dominate form of religion on the earth. It flourished under the Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, the Incas, the Aztecs. Today it still holds the great power in places like India under the Hindus, Tibet as Buddhism and Japan as Shintoism. Neo-Paganism is even today, growing in influence among the enlightened people of countries like the United State, and Europe. Those who have rejected God and true Christianity but still need to believe in something, just like the did in Nimrod’s day. It is opposed to God and to truth and it is always filled if not dominated by female deities. Names like Tammuz, Ishtar, Astarte, Hera, Juno and Mary fill the same role and find their ultimate personification in the purple and scarlet woman of Revelation.

What happens in Revelation 17 and 18 is the final chapter of the story that begin with Cain, was strengthened and codified by Nimrod and has claimed billions and billions of souls before the Lord’s truth could reach them.

One-eighth of the entire book of Revelation is devoted to the subject of judgment upon Babylon, around 50 verses. Chapter 17 and 18 aren’t just incidental events they are central to the judgment of God that is the core of the Book of Revelation. The merciless retribution against the woman arrayed in purple and scarlet is the just reward for those billions of lives and souls, destroyed, corrupted and lost for eternity by Mystery, Babylon, the Mother of Harlots and the abominations of the earth.

It also must be noted that John, in vs. 6 “saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” This Harlot has martyred God’s people throughout time, but it especially has delighted in killing the saints of Jesus Christ. The influence of the Harlot within the city of Rome both during its pagan Emperors and its Popes, has led to the deaths of million and millions of the Lord’s true church. Entire cities, entire regions of countries have been slaughtered like vermin while the Harlot of Rome urged the kings of the earth on to victory. It goes on still today and will become even more inescapable during the Tribulation for those who turn to Jesus Christ even after the church is gone.


Lets go back to her description. The Beast. John sees the woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, This is the same Beast, that was the rider on the white horse in Chapter 6 and is also described in chapter 13, this is the Antichrist. In verse 8 we read that the beast seemingly comes back to life. He arises from the bottomless pit, the abyss. The Beast is scarlet-colored, showing his relationship with the Great Dragon, Satan. He also has seven heads and ten horns like Satan.

The Heads and Kings Verse 10 tells us that the seven heads are seven kings and v. 12 explains that the ten horns are ten more kings. The “seven kings” of v. 10 could also be translated “seven kingdoms.”

The seven heads. Revelation 17:9-13 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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. 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.

The five kingdoms that had fallen were Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome and then the Revived Roman Empire of the 10 Kings, where the Anti-Christ arises to power.
Remember we read in Revelation 13:3 it says, “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death…”

The Beast receives a wound unto death and during this time when he seemingly dies, the woman who once rode on the back of the beast, now takes his power and reigns.