Chronologically, 19th chapter of Revelation should follow chapter 16.
However, John is taken aside to get this vision of the false church. It is placed between the fact that Babylon will be destroyed-literal (Rev 16:17-21) and the actual description of the destruction (18:1-24). The parenthetical passage will contrast the literal verses the mythical Babylons. Verses 17:1-18 will explain the mystery of the great whore and the beast that she is carried on.
The 10 kings have given their power to the beast by now.
Let's get started:
1Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters,2with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk."3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.
Who is the Prostitute or Whore:
A Whore is in the Bible is symbolic language and it refers to fornication and idolatry. See Isa. 23:17; 57:3-7 Hos 4:12-19 Nah. 3:4...just as a few.
More than one have had sex with her (it says Kings, plural). This would mean there were many nations involved in the idolatry practices.
She is not mentioned in the kings so, she is not involved politically powerful.
She merely entices the kings to be drunk with wine of her sexual immorality. The sexual immorality is her using her influence through religious harlotry.
So, the whore is a religion of sorts, causing the people to be fooled.
There are some that say the beast the woman rides is the 8th kingdom, or The old Roman Empire territory. It is actually the people who make up the territory (the waters listed above). The whore is the woman (religion) controlling the kingdom until she is destroyed. This is where the Anti-Christ is to come from. Since we will not know until time is to come, it is a plausible theory.
Recall our prior discussion about this beast or return and read what was said about chapter 13. We have explained the horns, heads and crowns. In addition, we have mentioned the blasphemous names.
Notice this time the crowns are gone. One theory is that all the power has been given to the beast at this time and it will turn and destroy the prostitute. Which will occur soon.
There are some that say the beast the woman rides is the 8th kingdom, or The old Roman Empire territory. It is actually the people who make up the territory (the waters listed above). The whore is the woman (religion) controlling the kingdom until she is destroyed. This is where the Anti-Christ is to come from. Since we will not know until time is to come, it is a plausible theory.
Recall our prior discussion about this beast or return and read what was said about chapter 13. We have explained the horns, heads and crowns. In addition, we have mentioned the blasphemous names.
Notice this time the crowns are gone. One theory is that all the power has been given to the beast at this time and it will turn and destroy the prostitute. Which will occur soon.
Next blog will discuss
Let's stop here for review purposes and catch up.
Blessing on all !!
Calabash
Blessing on all !!
Calabash
