The Great Prostitute Revealed
An angel shows John a woman in purple, drunk on the blood of Jesus' witnesses, riding a scarlet beast. John is amazed; the angel explains the heads and horns. In the end the beast and its kings turn on her and burn her, serving our Father's purpose.
17 1One of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and spoke with me: "Come, I'll show you the judgment on the great prostitute who sits on many waters. 2The kings of earth committed sexual sin with her, and earth's people got drunk on the wine of her sin." 3He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast covered with names insulting God, with seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman wore purple and scarlet, decked in gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of detestable things and the impurities of her sexual sin. 5On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's detestable things."
6I saw the woman drunk on the blood of the saints, the blood of Jesus's witnesses. Seeing her, I was greatly amazed.
7The angel asked, "Why are you amazed? I'll tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast carrying her, the one with the seven heads and the ten horns. 8The beast you saw was, is not, and is about to rise from the abyss and go to its destruction. Those living on earth whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast—for it was, is not, and will come.
9This calls for a wise mind: the seven heads are seven mountains the woman sits on, and they are seven kings. 10Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; when he comes, he must stay briefly. 11The beast that was and is not is itself an eighth, yet one of the seven, going to destruction. 12The ten horns you saw are ten kings who haven't yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast. 13These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
14They will fight the Lamb, and the Lamb will defeat them, since he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." 15The angel told me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, crowds, nations, and languages. 16The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her up with fire. 17For our Father put it in their hearts to carry out his purpose, unite in one mind, and hand their kingdom to the beast, until our Father's words are fulfilled. a a v17 Even rebellious kings serving the beast carry out our Father's purpose. He directs history toward the Lamb's victory. 18The woman you saw is the great city that reigns over earth's kings."
