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Rev. 17
1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed [acts of] immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality."
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and upon her forehead a name [was] written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.
7 And the angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 "The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,
10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
11 "And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is [one] of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
12 "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 "These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him [are the] called and chosen and faithful."
15 And he said to me, "The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 "And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire.
17 "For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled.
18 "And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."

Rev. 17:16

"And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. [NASB]

My Translation
[my translatio]
Greek
καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα ἃ εἶδες καὶ τὸ θηρίον οὗτοι μισήσουσιν τὴν πόρνην καὶ ἠρημωμένην ποιήσουσιν αὐτὴν καὶ γυμνήν καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῆς φάγονται καὶ αὐτὴν κατακαύσουσιν ἐν πυρί
Hebrew
[hebrew]

Comments

They hate the harlot --

There are many theories as to who the harlot is:

  • Apostate Israel
  • Apostate church
  • Islam
  • Economic Center Based on Commerce alone, without a moral base- Everything is for sale for a price, even lives.
  • All the above combined

Reading between the lines, I assume that the Harlot is a combination of Humanism and Spiritualism. She stands in direct opposition to God. She lusts for the things of this world: money, pleasure, luxury, pride, arrogance, and power. She thinks that she deserves it and has the right to obtain it even if she has to lie, cheat, steal, or murder to get it. The Bible is clear that those things are contrary to God. They are the essence of this fallen worldly system that is the Harlot:

1 John 2:15-16 (Berean Study Bible)

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

(by William Bell - - March 24, 2022, 11:57 a.m.
The beast hates the harlot --

Who is this harlot? We have looked at various ideas. Here is what I think it is: Humanism. The harlot represents mankind who exalt themselves and seek self-fulfillment. We see this more clearly in chapter 18. In that chapter, John describes all that is lost when Babylon is destroyed. This paints a very clear picture of the harlot:

  1. immorality without limits: sexual pleasure whenever and however they want it (including rape, homosexuality, necrophilia, and bestiality).
  2. wealth, as a means of getting whatever they desire, including power over others and immunity from the consequences of their actions.
  3. pleasure
  4. indulgence
  5. "It's all about me!"
  6. "I deserve this. I deserve to be happy. (and happiness means getting what I want, when I want it, and don't stand in my way of getting it.
  7. music and dancing
  8. fine food and precious spices
  9. fine clothing
  10. luxuries of every kind
  11. entertainment
  12. All that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.

That is why the harlot hates God and his people: They stand between her and achieving her desires. So, she persecutes the saints and kills them. It says she is drunk with the blood of the saints.

But the devil hates all mankind. Not just Christians. The harlot was just a useful tool. She led the masses into worldliness and sin. She used her influence to pave the way for the Antichrist to come to power. The devil totally hates those who follow Jesus. But he also hates the entire human race, including those who follow the harlot. They used the harlot to gain power. But once they achieved their goal, they turned on her and destroyed her.

(by William Bell - - May 15, 2022, 11:35 a.m.

NASB:  New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org