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| Photo of Jon Tracy, by Jim Tracy |
The great whore is Israel, who made a covenant with God to only serve Him, yet worshiped any and all false gods she could find throughout her history, and ultimately rejected Jesus, her Husband. She committed spiritual adultery. She behaved just like a prostitute.
Remember, we were told in chapter 1 that this vision was to those “who pierced Him,” the Jews.
Jesus repeatedly rebuked and warned this first century generation of Jews, but they wouldn’t listen. Paul also repeatedly rebukes them. Yet they crucified Christ and murdered His followers.
Now, those of following generations of Jewish descent are not held guilty for their ancestor’s sins. God doesn’t do that. He only punishes people for their own sins.
But the Old Covenant is ended. A New Covenant is in place where everyone must come to Jesus on their own account no matter what their bloodlines. Today’s Jew has salvation available just as much as today’s Chinese, Libyan, Argentinian, Frenchman, or Canadian, all through the path of The Cross.
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Israel was supposed to evangelize the world. Instead she encouraged their idolatry.
Also, God had placed Israel so that she was in The Cross roads for world trade. This would have made it much easier to evangelize everyone as everyone had to pass through them to do any trade. They, however, used this position for financial benefit instead.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Israel partnered with Rome, the city on seven hills with ten provinces.
Rome was the center of pagan worship at the time, especially worshiping the emperor. They had no problem with people worshiping Jesus. They had a problem with people worshiping ONLY Jesus.
Scarlet is the color of adultery.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
The Jews made arrangements to have sacrifices for the emperor instead of to the emperor. This was really just semantics. From Rome’s point of view, it was close enough to emperor worship to keep them from being punished as the Christians were. God viewed it the same also.
The colors listed are the ones used on the priests robes in the Temple.
“Golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” beautiful on the outside (Jerusalem was a beautiful city before AD70) and horrid on the inside (full of sinners).
Israel had prospered with the Roman trade through the region. She had also allowed the idolatrous emperors to make sacrifices in her temple.
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, "Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth."
The Jewish high priest wore a plaque with “Holy to the Lord” on his forehead. Here John has changed it to match Israel’s true character.
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.
The Jews killed as many Christians as they could get their hands on instead of accepting their Messiah, to the point that at one time everyone believed all Christians were dead.
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 carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.”
John was puzzled but the angel explains…
8 “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
From John’s perspective, Rome was (since the time of Julius Caesar who ruled from 100BC to 44BC), and yet is not (since this would likely have been written about the time of Nero’s suicide which appeared to have destroyed the empire, and, in fact, ended the Caesarean Dynasty, ushering in two years of civil war and general chaos). And yet, the Empire survived.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
The seven hills of the city of Rome.
The woman is Israel, prospering with the power of Rome.
10 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.
Julius Caesar never called himself an Emperor. That was a title bestowed on him after his death. His adopted son, Augustus was the first to call himself an emperor. So we have:
Julius-dead, but not, technically, an emperor.
1. Augustus-dead
2. Tiberius-dead
3. Caligula-dead
4. Claudius-dead
5. Nero (who committed suicide about the time John wrote this and so is…) dead
6. Galba (who only ruled about six months) the one who “is”
7. Otho (who ruled four months)
8. Vespasian (who continued a short space- about ten years- and was ruler when Jerusalem was destroyed) the one who is to come.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
The beast was Rome, here under Vespasian, the eighth emperor, continuing in the authority of the previous seven, and goes to (brings?) hell.
12 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.
The rulers of the ten Providences of Rome (i.e. Herod of Judea), called kings, but without the real power of kings being subject to the emperor. This set up lasted a short time.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
They commonly sent their armies to help the emperor. They were really just puppets of Rome.
14 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.
Persecution of the Christians was empire-wide.
"…for He is Lord of lords,"- IS- present tense. The Kingdom is now in force.
15 And he saith unto me, “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
All the known gentile world.
16 “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
The entire empire helped in one way or another in the destruction of Judah.
17 “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
God preserved Rome until she had fulfilled His will.
18 “And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
The whore is Israel
The Beast is Rome
This woman is the believing Jews that founded the Christian church, the New Jerusalem who rules the world.