Babylon the Great Harlot and the Mystery Explained (2024)

REVELATION CHAPTER 17

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"....and the peace of God which is beyond ourunderstanding will guard your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

"Their corpses lie in the main street of the greatcity known by the symbolic names Sodom and Egypt, in which their Lord wascrucified." Revelation 11:8

"At the end of the Passover meal after everyone hasreceived the wine of the Cup of Acceptance, the host announces the completionof the meal and the recommitment to the Covenant by calling out 'teltelestai'which means "it is finished" or "it is fulfilled." Christ in the Passover

"A jar full of sour wine stood there; so putting asponge soaked in the wine on a hyssop stick, they held it up to his mouth.After Jesus had taken the wine he said, "it is fulfilled'; and bowing his headhe gave up his spirit." John 19:30

"The 7^th angel emptied his bowl into theair, and a great voice boomed out from the sanctuary, 'The end has come (IT IS FULFILLED)." Revelation 16:17

*Old Testament reference: "The Great Harlot" Ezekiel chapters 16 & 23

In Revelation 11:8 the "Great City" was identified symbolically as both Egypt and Sodom. After the sacrificial"pouring out" of the 7 chalices by the 7 angel/ministers of the Heavenly Temple it should be clear why this "Great City" is identified as both Egypt and Sodom.

Question: Why is this "Great City" identified with Egypt after the Chalice judgments? See Rev. 11:8.

Answer: Egypt because of the "plagues" contained in thechalices, which correspond to the plagues of Egypt (see the Chart comparing theChalice and Trumpet judgments to the Plagues of Egypt).

Question: Why is this "Great City" also identified with Sodom (see Rev. 11:8). Hint: What happened to Sodom?

Answer: The "Great City" is like Sodom because Sodom was destroyed by fire and like Sodom, the destruction will be complete! After 31/2months of the Roman siege and the intense suffering of the population, the cityof Jerusalem was destroyed by fire on the 9^th of Ab 70AD the sameday Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon was destroyed in 586(7)BC.

The "Great City" where Christ was crucified (Rev. 11:8) had become a "false prophet" in her testimony tothe world that Jesus was not the Messiah, and in her apostasy she hadbecome a "great harlot" and a "false bride." This "Great City" that will bedestroyed by fire and who has become a "False Bride" identifies both Biblicallyand historically with the city "once full of fair judgment," the city of Jerusalem. In this chapter the "Great City" will be symbolically identifiedas "Babylon." The city of Babylon, whose name means, "gate of heaven," had atone time received the blessings of God only to reject Him in favor ofstate-worship and false gods. God brought judgment on Babylon and the Persiansdestroyed the city in the 6^th century BC. Jerusalem was meant to bethe true "gate of heaven"; God's holy witness to the nations of the world. But Jerusalem, whose name means "will provide peace" rejected God and the "peaceof God which is beyond our understanding" when she rejected Jesus, theMessiah, God come in the flesh. "The faithful city, what a harlot she hasbecome: Zion, once full of fair judgment, where saving justice used to dwell,but now assassins!" Isaiah 1:21 (circa 740BC)

Please read Ezekielchapter 16

Ezekiel 16:35-36 (Yahweh to Jerusalem) "Very well, whore, hear the word of Yahweh! The Lord Yahweh says this: Forhaving squandered your money (literally "poured out [ekcheo] yourbronze" [meaning "lust"]) and let yourself be seen naked while whoring withyour lovers and all the foul idols of your loathsome practices and for givingthem your children's blood for this I shall assemble all the lovers to whomyou have given pleasure,... (v.58) "You have brought this on yourself, with yourlewdness and your loathsome practices" declares the Lord Yahweh. (Yahweh'smessage to Ezekiel 5 years before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586(7)BC)

Please read Revelation 17:1-7 Babylon the Great Harlot; the False Bride

Revelation 17: 1-2 "One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls cameto speak to me and said, 'Come here and I will show you the punishment of thegreat prostitute (harlot) who isenthroned beside abundant waters, with whom all the kings of the earth haveprostituted themselves, and who has made all the population of the world (thosewho dwell on the land) drunk with the wine of her adultery.'" This isthe 11^th time the phrase "those who dwell on the land" is used in Revelation.As you will recall, I have mentioned that this phrase is symbolic for apostate Israel and is used 12 times in Revelation; once for each of the 12 tribes of Israel: Rev. 3:10; 6:10; 8:13; 11:10 [twice]; 13:8, 12, 14 [twice]; 14:6; 17:2,8).

Question: In what verses was "the city" symbolized as Babylon in previous chapters and what was the judgment prophesized for "the city"? Hintchapters 14 and 16.

Answer: John has already been told that "the city" issymbolized as Babylon by the second of the three sets of angels of the Templein Revelation 14:8 "a second angel followed him (the first angel), calling,'Babylon has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen, Babylon which gave the wholeworld the wine of retribution to drink.'" And again he was told inRev. 16:18c-19 "The Great City was split into three parts and the cities ofthe world collapsed; Babylon the Great was not forgotten: God made her drinkthe full winecup of his retribution." The original city of Babylon no longer existed in the 1^st century. It had been the site of thebuilding of the infamous tower of Babel in the land of Shinar (modern Iraq) and had become the capital city of the Babylonian Empire, the world power that had destroyed Judah and Jerusalem in 586(7) BC. But John's city is not the original Babylon, instead ancient Babylon is a symbolic image of this city. The clue lies in the description that this citysits or "is enthroned" beside "abundant waters." This phrase canalso be translated "many waters." It is polus hydra in the Greek. Thisis an image of the prophet Jeremiah's description of Babylon in his greatoracle judgment against the city in Jeremiah chapters 50-51. "Enthronedbeside abundant waters, rich in treasures, you now meet your end, the finish ofyour pillaging." (Jeremiah 51:13). John's first century readerswould have immediately made the connection to this judgment passage on Babylon. The literal reference to "abundant waters" or "many waters" in Jeremiah 51:13 isthe Euphrates River, which ran through the middle of the great city and to thecanals which surrounded the city. But ultimately the term "many waters"is used Biblically to refer to the abundant blessings that God bestows on Hispeople. Yahweh even gave His blessing to Babylon but she prostituted thoseblessings for her own glory and rejected Yahweh. Later in Rev. 17:15 we willtold of an important aspect of the symbolic meaning of the term "manywaters" but in this verse the point is the identification of the Harlot citywith the ancient city Babylon who accepted God's blessings but turned fromHim.

Question: So what is the connection between 'blessings' and Babylon and Jerusalem?

Answer: No other city in the world received more of God'sblessings than the city of Jerusalem, but like Babylon she turned from Yahweh,prostituted herself and rejected God the Messiah and in doing this Israel(Judah) the Old Covenant Church and her priests have led "those who dwell onthe Land" astray and into adultery. They became "drunk with the wine ofher adultery"; they become seduced into such a spiritual stupor that theydid not even recognize their own Messiah and therefore have forfeited God'smany blessings.

Let's look at the Biblicaluse of the words "many waters" or "abundant waters" and its significance inScripture. Biblically this expression is set within God's Covenantrelationships reflected in His "abundant" blessings and in His liturgicalinteraction with His people. In all the passages the Greek is the same "polushydra" (Greek translation of Old Testament and Greek New Testament).Examples:

1.Jeremiah 51:13: Babylon's abundance granted by God: "Enthronedbeside

abundantwaters, rich in treasures, you now meet your end, the finish of yourpillaging."

2.Ezekiel 1:24: the voice from the Glory-Cloud sounds like many orabundant

watersand is produced by the innumerable angels in the heavenly council: "I alsoheard the noise of their wings; when they moved, it was like the noise offlood-waters [polus hydra], like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of astorm, like the noise of an armed camp.."

3.Revelation 1:15: God's voice from heaven "as the sound of manywaters" as His voice is similarly described in Ezek. 43:2 "likethe sound of the ocean" (literally "many waters" polus hydra)and Rev. 14:2 "like the sound of the ocean" (literallymany waters polus hydra)

4. Revelation17:1 "the great prostitute who is enthroned beside abundant waters"(polus hydra); the "city" to whom God has given many blessings.

5. Rev.19:5-6 "Then a voice came from the throne; it said, 'Praise our God, youservants of his and those who fear him, small and great alike.' And I heardwhat seemed to be the voices of a huge crowd, like the sound of the ocean(many waters/ polus hydra) or the great roar of thunder, answering,'alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God Almighty has begun.." = Liturgicalpraise.

Given the Biblical background and context of the phrase"many waters" or "abundant waters" (polus hydra) it would be no surpriseto John's readers that the Bride of Yahweh would be seen seated on "manywaters"; the surprise is that she is a whore! This Bride has receivedGod's blessings and has prostituted them. (I refer you again to Ezekielchapter 16 in which Yahweh condemns Israel in a long allegory as a faithlesswife, a "whore" of alien gods, and Romans 2:17-24 (verse 23-24 "If, whileyou are boasting of the Law, you disobey it, then you are bringing God intocontempt. As scripture says: It is your fault that the name of God is held incontempt among the nations." )

I should mention that anumber of commentators identify the "harlot city" as Rome, the geographiccenter of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. John's 1^st centuryreaders certainly would not have accepted this interpretation. Martin Lutherchampioned this interpretation when he was excommunicated from the Church inthe 16^th century. Luther saw the Church of Rome as the Harlot Brideand the Pope as the Antichrist. Interestingly enough, Pope Leo X in turn sawLuther as the Antichrist! But the Church, which is founded by Christ throughPeter, His Vicar, stands on the promise that Jesus made in Matthew 16:16 that "thegates of Hades will not prevail against her" because she is the True andHoly Bride of Christ. The Church of Jesus Christ is full of sinners yet she isthe sinless Bride.

Question: But is there a warning for us in the 21^stcentury Church? Did the Old Covenant Church believe that judgment could leadto destruction of their Temple and the transformation of their Covenant?

Answer: Even though the True Bride, New Covenant Church has the promise of Christ's protection we should never become so overlycomfortable that we fall into complacency and therefore fall into the danger ofunfaithfulness through unorthodox belief. We have so many blessings but howmany Catholics truly understand their faith? How many Catholics carry theirBibles to Mass. How many parishes offer adult studies in the doctrine of theChurch or Biblical study programs? It is only through ignorance that we loseCatholics to other denominations. After all, if one truly believed in the RealPresence of Christ in the Eucharist how could one leave Him? And yet, everyyear thousands of Catholics leave Mother Church.

Biblically the imagery of the"False Bride" is a familiar image. In Biblical symbolism the motif of theBride falling into adultery and harlotry identifies God's Covenant peoplefalling into apostasy. To go after false gods and to abandon the sacredCovenant is equaled with adultery and harlotry. This metaphor of harlotry isexclusively used in the Old Testament for a city or a nation that has abandonedGod's holy Covenant and rejected God. This imagery is always used forfaithless Israel, "Bride of Yahweh" with only 2 exceptions:

1.The Phoenician city of Tyre and

2.the Assyrian capital city Nineveh.

These are the 2 cities,outside of Israel, that had both been in covenant with God. See 1Kings 5:1-12;9:13; Is. 23:17; and Amos 1:9.

The city of Tyre wasconverted to the worship of Yahweh during King David's reign in the early 11century BC and her king contracted a covenant with Solomon (David's son) andassisted in the building of God's Holy Temple on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem. The passage in Revelation 17:2"with whom all the kings of the earth have prostitutedthemselves.." is taken from Isaiah's prophecy against Tyre where itprimarily refers to her international commerce through which her influence andbeliefs spread (Isaiah 23:15-17). The other city is Nineveh, the capital ofthe Assyrian Empire. The city of Nineveh was converted through the work ofGod's prophet Jonah and her king declared Yahweh the true God. See Jonah3:5-10. Later the apostasy of these 2 cities would be considered unfaithfulnessto Yahweh expressed as harlotry. Pagan Rome of the 1^st centurynever entered into such a covenant relationship.

The other important point inthe identification of the "False Bride" city is that she will be identified in contrastto another city.

Question: What is the second city that is described in contrastto the Great City identified as the Harlot, the False Bride? Hint: see Rev.21:1-2.

Answer: the "True Bride", the Church of the New Covenantfounded by Christ, the "New" Jerusalem. The identification of the "FalseBride" as opposed to the "True Bride" only makes sense if the "New" Jerusalem is in contrast to the "Old" Jerusalem that has rejected Christ as her bridegroomand has become a False, Harlot Bride! She has become like the builders of the tower of Babel that was built on the site of the city of Babylon. Babel literally meant, "gateof God," but in rejecting Yahweh He judged them, cast down their tower andscattered the nations and confused their tongues.

Question: What was the reversal of the "confusion of tongues" atthe Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9? Hint: see Acts chapter 2.

Answer: The second great Pentecost was the reversal of the Tower of Babel. God the Holy Spirit came in "tongues of fire" and all the people presentunderstood one language and the one message of salvation which would once againunite all nations in a Holy Covenant that would open the gates of Heaventhrough Christ the Savior, the Bridegroom of the New Covenant, universal Churchand once again God's blessing would flow as "many waters;" Rev. 22:1 "Thenthe angel showed me the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of theLamb and flowing crystal-clear."

Revelation 17: 3-4 "He took me inspirit to a desert, and there I saw a woman riding a scarlet beast which hadseven heads and ten horns and had blasphemous titles written all over it. Thewoman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels andpearls, and she was holding a gold winecup filled with the disgusting filth ofher prostitution..."

This woman is in a "spiritualdesert," an abode of demons (Matt 12:34 Jesus said: "When an unclean spiritgoes out of someone it wanders through waterless country looking for a place torest, and cannot find one.") In chapter 12 we saw the Woman, the TrueBride, being forced to flee from the Dragon into the desert for a time whereGod protected her. But to the False Bride, the wilderness is her element whereshe chooses to remain instead of accepting the Messiah and following Him to herinheritance: the Promised Land. Therefore, the "wilderness" becomes herdestiny and her heritage (see Num ch 13-14; Zech 5:5-11).

Question: If we can agree that Judea/Jerusalem is "the FalseBride" what does the beast on which she rides symbolize and what is theconnection in past Revelation passages? Hint: carefully read Rev. 12:3 and13:1 looking for differences and similarities. The New American translationhas the correct order of horns and heads but the New Jerusalem translation isin error:

• New American translation: Revelation 12:3 "Then another sign appeared in the sky: it was a huge dragon, flaming red, with seven heads and ten horns; on his heads were seven diadems."
• New American translation: Rev. 13:1 "Then I saw a wild beast come out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads; on its horns were ten diadems and on its head blasphemous names."

In the description of theBeast from the Sea the horns and heads should be in reverse order: Dragon = 7heads and 10 horns; Beast = 10 heads and 7 horns. This reverse order isimportant! The Dragon and the beast are not the same but one (the beast) is inthe image of the other (the Dragon).

Answer: The Beast on which the Woman rides is the Red Dragonof Rev. 12:3 because this beast also has 7 heads and 10 horns in the same orderas the Red Dragon/Satan. But then there is also a connection to Rome, the Sea Beast, to whom Judah is tired politically and economically because it isfull of "blasphemous names/titles." Therefore the imagery points toboth Satan and Rome. It is a reference to Jerusalem's apostate intimacy withboth Satan (in rejecting Christ she chose Satan) and the Roman Empire which wasthe devil's reigning political incarnation. The two, Satan and Rome, are represented as one image.

This passage and itsSatan/Rome imagery is another indication that the "Great Harlot City" can't be Rome because she is clearly distinct from it. She is seated or enthroned on theBeast: supported and maintained by the Breast who is Rome, the Empire thatsupported, maintained and controlled (empowered) Jerusalem.

Question: What other evidence do we have that this Red Beast is Rome? Hint: see Rev. 17:9.

Answer: The 7 heads of the Beast represent 7 hills. Jerusalem does not have 7 hills. The city is built on 3 mountain ridges but Rome is famous for her 7 hills.

Question: Do you see any contrast between the Throne of God(Rev. 4:6-8) and the throne of the Harlot?

Answer: The Throne of God is supported by the LivingCreatures who are "full of eyes" and who are full of singing God's praises inRev. 4:6-8 and the Harlot Queen whose throne is supported by a Beast who isfull of blasphemous names.

Some commentators point outthat the Red Dragon of Revelation chapter 12 is connected by the same color tothe Red Beast of Revelation chapter 17 but the Greek does not indicate the samecolor. Instead the color of the Beast in chapter 17 (Gr. kokkinon) matchesthe woman's own dress in verse 4 whereas the the Red Dragon in Revelation 12:3is the color of fire (Gr. purros). Kokkinon is crimson blended withdark blue (see Isaiah 1:18). It was a color used to attract attention ( forexample, the scarlet thread attached to the first twin of Tamar in Genesis38:28 and to the home of Rahab in Joshua 2:18).

Question: What is significant about the way the Harlot isclothed?

Answer: Some commentators suggest the color is an indicationof ungodly conduct (for example Isaiah 1:18 "sin like scarlet" andPsalms 51:5) and that the color stands in sharp contrast to the white garmentsof the elect. But other commentators suggest that she is not dressed as aprostitute. Please see Gen. 2:11-12; Ex. 3:22; Proverbs 31:21-22; Isa54:11-12; 60:5-11; Ezek 16:11-14; Ezek 28:9-29; Rev. 4:3-4; Rev. 21:18-21. Inthese passages the description of her clothing is in keeping with the Biblicaldescriptions of the glorious "City of God" in Isaiah and Revelation. There isalso a connection to the pattern of the jewels that covered the high priest'sgarments in Exodus chapter 28 and the Throne of God in Rev. 4:3-4. Exodus,Ezekiel and Proverbs all describe the dress of a Bride with such finery. Inother words, it is possible that to first century readers that this woman isdressed as a "righteous woman", as a Bride. She is adorned in the beautifulgarments of the Church. If this interpretation is correct, the Harlot Bride isstill carrying the outward adornments of the chaste Old Covenant Brideof Yahweh!

Revelation 17:4 "she was holding a gold winecup.."

Question: What is the wine of her fornication and what contrastor parody is there to the winecup of Holy Eucharist? See Revelation 17:6

Answer: The wine of her fornication is the blood of theSaints and the blood of the witnesses (martyrs) of Jesus it is in contrast tothe holy and pure golden cup of Christ's blood that He offers those of theCovenant who are in a state of grace.

Question: But how is the blood of the saints and martyrs ofChrist connected with Jerusalem or as some suggest, with Rome?

Answer: many commentators who prefer Rome as the "GreatHarlot" enumerate Rome's acts of violence against the Saints of the Church butwhile it is true that Rome became a great persecutor of the Church, Jerusalemwas the preeminent persecutor of God's holy people as Jesus testified, from theblood of Abel onwards (Matthew 23:33-36). This passage also reminds me ofLeviticus chapter 11 and chapters 20:22-26 with images of unclean food andunclean marriage. There is also probably a connection to Jeremiah 51:7 wherethe original Babylon is described as " a golden cup in the hand of Yahewh,intoxicating all the earth." Old Covenant Jerusalem still has the goldenchalice of the Covenant, but the communion she offers leads mankind to deathand destruction. Her cup is full of "disgusting filth" or as othertranslations read "full of abominations," a word used Biblically to symbolizethe worship of false gods.

Revelation 17: 5-7 "..on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name:"Babylon the Great, the mother of all prostitutes and all the filthy practiceson the earth.' I saw that she was drunk, drunk with the blood of the saints,and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her I was completelymystified. The angel said to me, 'Do you not understand? I will tell you themeaning of this woman, and of the beast she is riding, with the seven heads andten horns.'"

Question: What are two characteristics of the woman? Hint: seeverse 4 and verse and 5. Answer: she is holding a gold winecup (v.4)and she has a mysterious name on her forehead. By this time you should befamiliar with writing on the forehead.

Question: Where have we read about this familiar image of a namein Revelation and what did it signify? See Revelation 3:12; 7:3; 14:1 and13:16-17.

Answer: We have seen it on the foreheads of Saints, and onthe followers of the Beast.

Question: Can you think of any Old Testament connection? Hint:See Exodus 28:36-39.

Answer: The name on her forehead could be a parody of theHigh Priest's golden band worn on his forehead and labeled "consecrated to Yahweh."

Question: But what is different about this name that the womanhas written on her forehead?

Answer: it is amystery, a cryptic name.

Question: What is significant about the title of her name andwhat is the connection to the winecup?

Answer: Her name is symbolic as the namesake of the ancientcity that was the epitome of rebellion against God in Gen. 11:1-9 = the Tower of Babel, and Jeremiah chapters 50 & 51 = Babylon who had rejected God and his manyblessings. Now she had become identified with bestiality and confusion. Thewoman is now the "Mother of Harlots," an expression reminiscent of the HarlotQueen of Israel, Jezebel and her "children" which Jesus spoke of in Rev.2:20-23 and the prophet Ezekiel's description of Jerusalem as " a mother ofharlots: in Ezekiel 16:44-48.

The connection to the winecupis subtler. If the name on the forehead of the harlot is a parody of thesacred name of God on the high priest's miter, perhaps the winecup is a parodyof the blood of the sacrifice poured out by the high priest in his priestlyfunction. On the Day of Atonement the high priest, wearing the vestmentsespecially reserved for that Sacred Feast, wearing the sacred name of Yahweh,and holding the golden cup of sacrifice makes offerings to Yahweh for the sinsof the people. Now the priest-harlot bears the same of Babylon, mother ofharlots and pours of the blood of the saints and this is the sin of Israel!

Please read Revelation 17:8-18: The Mystery Explained

Revelation 17: 8 "'The beast you have seen was once alive and is aliveno longer; it is yet to come up from the Abyss, but only to go to itsdestruction. And the people of the world (those who dwell on the land), whose names have not been writtensince the beginning of the world in the book of life, will be astonished whenthey see how the beast was once alive and is alive no longer, and it still tocome.'" Note: "And the people of the world" should read " and thosewho dwell on the land". This is the 12^th use of this phrase in Revelation,and the reference is to apostate Israel.

The angel begins to explain the mystery by speaking aboutthe composite Beast (remember this Beast is both Rome and Satan as we saw inverse 3. The Beast appears in human history described in words that are aparody of the words the angel used for God in Revelation 16:5 "He who is, Hewho was, the Holy One.".

Question: Do you remember how Romans expressed theconnection between the Empire and the Emperor?

Answer: "Rome is Caesar and Caesar is Rome!"

Question: the words "he was alive and is aliveno longer" are a parody of what passages referring to God in Revelation?

Answer: in Revelation 16:5 and 11:17 "He whois, He who was."

Unraveling this passage is very tricky. The key is in thehistory of Rome as an Empire and which began with Julius Caesar who wasassassinated by men who wanted to keep Rome from becoming an empire instead ofremaining a republic. But the attempt to abort the empire was in vain becauseJulius Caesar was succeeded by his great-nephew, Octavian, who became the firstruling emperor of Rome in 29AD. (This event may even be a reference to Rev.13:12; with Julius Caesar's death the empire seemed dead but was revived in hisgreat-nephew, Octavian). In turn, Octavian (Augustus Caesar) was succeeded byfamily members until the death of Nero, the last of his line, in 68AD. Nerowas surely under the influence of the Beast from the Abyss and hisidentification will become apparent as we continue. Remember we have alreadyseen Nero and Rome identified in the number of the Beast in chapter 13.

Please consult the chart onthe Roman emperors:

"This calls for a mind withwisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They arealso seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; butwhen he does come, he must remain for a little while. The beast who once was,and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to hisdestruction."

-Revelation 17:9-11

LIST OF ROMAN EMPERORS

The Roman Historian Tacitusin his history, The Annals, begins his list of Roman emperors withAugustus Caesar (Octavian), but the Roman Historian Suetonius begins his listof Roman Emperors in Lives of the Twelve Caesars with Julius Caesar asthe first of the Roman Emperors as does Dio Cassius in his Roman Historyand Josephus in his Antiquities of the Jews. There were, therefore, twoofficial lists in use in the first century AD. In the two official lists,Otho is the eighth name in one list and the seventh name in the other list as it says in Revelation 17:9.

LIST OF 10 IMPERIAL PROVINCES

Italy

Achaia

Asia

Syria/Judea

Egypt

Africa

Spain

Gaul

Britain

Germany

LIST OF THE HERODIAN RULERS

Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2000 Agape BibleStudy. Permissions All Rights Reserved.

Revelation 17: 9-11 " 'This calls for shrewdness. The seven heads are theseven hills, on which the woman is sitting. The seven heads are also sevenemperors. Five of them have already gone, one is here now, and one is yet tocome; once here, he must stay for a short while. The beast, who was alive andis alive no longer, is at the same time the eighth and one of the seven, and heis going to his destruction.'"

This verse clearly identifiesthe Beast on whom the woman is sitting as Rome the city of the 7 hills;remember Jerusalem is built on 3 ridges. Some have tired to make the argumentthat this 7 is symbolic for the perfection of Jerusalem but it is unlikelysince Jerusalem was far from spiritual perfection at this time, and it willbecome more clear as we continue that Rome is intended in this passage.

"The seven heads are 7emperors." Judea had 3 Herodiankings but the others could only loosely be referred to as "kings" since theydid not "rule" but governed on behalf of Rome in positions that more typified agovernor of a district (ie. The tetrarch Herod Antipas "ruled" Galilee and Perea). An emperor rules over more than one "kingdom." According to the Romanhistorian Suetonius' list of Roman Emperors, there were 7 emperors from JuliusCaesar (d.AD44) to Galba (d. AD69).

"Five of them have alreadygone, one is here now, and one is yet to come; once here he must stay for ashort while." This passage gives usmore information. The difficulty is, there were two official lists ofRoman Emperors. The Roman historian Suetonius began his list with JuliusCaesar who first conceived of the Roman Empire, while the Roman historianTacitus began his list with the actual first emperor, Augustus Caesar (Octavian).

Question: What position of the lists does Nero hold?

Answer: On Suetonius' list Nero, the last of Julius Caesar'sline, is #6 and on Tacitus's list he is #5. But, we do have more informationin these Revelation chapter 17 passages to help us identify which emperor wascurrently in power? With Nero's suicide came what Roman historians called "theyear of the 4 Emperors." Following Nero's death in June of 68AD Galba, Otho,and Vitellius, who all died violently, briefly occupied the throne. The line "thebeast who was alive and is alive no longer, is at the same time the 8^thand one of the 7.." tells us that both lists of Emperors are in use here.

Question: Looking at the two lists of the emperors, whichemperor is both the 8^th on one list and the 7^th on theother? This is assuming that the number 7 is not a symbolic number; which somecommentators believe. I suspect in this case if the number 5 is not symbolicthen neither are #s 7 & 8 symbolic.

Answer: Otho is # 7 and #8. Marcus Otho lasted only 95days on Rome's Imperial throne before being replaced, violently, by Aulus Vitelliuswho was slain by Vespasian's soldiers in December of AD69. It is possible thatVitellius was "the one who would stay for a short time" to be followedby Vespasian who is "the one to come" being declared the Roman Emperorin December AD69. It would be Vespasian's Roman legions under the command ofhis very able son, Titus, who would destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. It wouldbe Vespasian who would also restore an Empire that had seemed destined fordestruction. The Beast was still alive!

There are various theoriesput forward by various commentators. Father Edward Siegman made a helpful listof the emperors and the main lines of interpretation and you may want to usehis list, along with my Chart, to help you unravel this riddle (p. 289,J.Massynbgberde Ford; The Anchor Bible: Revelation).

EMPERORSHEADS

I IIIII IV

As you can see in column I of"Heads" some commentators start with Seutonius' List with Julius Caesar as thefirst emperor but reject #s 7 and 8 mentioned in Rev. 17:11 on the grounds thatthey are "symbolic numbers." Commentators in column II use Tacitus' List butignore the three Emperors who died in AD69 in order to manipulate the list toinclude Domitian (these are scholars who place a later date on the book ofRevelation). Other commentators who favor a later date begin the list withNero or count Otho and Vitellius as one in order to extend the list into theperiod of Trajan (Heads III & IV). You will notice that on my Chart ofRoman Emperors that I counted Galba, Otho, and Vitellius and so did the Romanhistorians Suetonius and Tacitus, and the Jewish historian Josephus! I thinkthat to leave them out is manipulating the list.

Question: Given this information would you care to make a guessat dating John's vision and his letters to the 7 churches?

Answer: My best guess is that John received his visionsometime between the late summer or fall of AD69. That would make it a littleless than a year until the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in JulyAD70.

Revelation 17: 12-14 " 'The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who havenot yet been given their royal power but will have royal authority only for asingle hour and in association with the beast. They are all of one mind inputting their strength and their powers at the beast's disposal, and they willgo to war against the Lamb; but because the Lamb is Lord of lords and King ofkings, he will defeat them, he and his followers, the called, the chosen, thetrustworthy.'"

The number 10 in the Bible, as we have noted, is relatedto the concept of perfection of order or of numerical fullness. There may alsobe a reference to Daniel 7:24.

Question: How are these "kings" associated with theBeast?

Answer: These "kings" in v. 12 are associated withthe Beast because they adorn his heads as "crowns," but they are subjected tothe Beast because they have authority not through their own power but only fromthe Beast. Please refer to my chart listing the Roman Provinces where you willsee that Rome ruled 10 imperial provinces. There may also have been 10governors in the Provinces of Judea-Syria-Perea, etc. who supported the Romanassault on Judea or even 10 legates of the Roman legions. Whether this numberis literal or symbolic really doesn't matter. Rome's soldiers came from allover the empire and every provincial ruler was responsible for providing theman-power for Rome's legions and for supporting Rome's aims and ambitions.

All the Roman provinces madewar on the Lamb and His followers. We have the accounts of Christians beingpersecuted with Rome's approval in all parts of the Roman Empire from 64AD to312AD; until the Church conquered the Roman Empire! This is a relatively shorttime in comparison with the history of mankind.

Question: How are the followers of Christ characterized?

Answer: 1) the called; 2) the chosen; 3) the trustworthy.There may be a parallel here to the parody of the Beast's name with the name ofYahweh (see Rev. 16:6 and 17:8). The Beast and his followers are predestinedto damnation (Rev. 17:8) and Christ's elect who are predestined for eternallife (17:14).

Revelation 17:15-17 "The angel continued, 'The waters you saw, besidewhich the prostitute was sitting, are all the peoples, the populations, thenations and the languages. But the ten horns and the beast will turn againstthe prostitute, and tear off her clothes and leave her stark naked; then theywill eat her flesh and burn the remains in the fire. In fact, God hasinfluenced their minds to do what he intends, to agree together to put their royalpowers at the beast's disposal until the time when God's words shall befulfilled.'"

Now John receives theexplanation of the waters in 17:1.

Question: What 4 fold designation is given for the waters andwhat does this designation signify? See verse 15

Answer: 1.peoples, 2. populations, 3. nations, and 4.languages = the entire world.

The truth is Jerusalem andthe Jews had great influence in all parts of the Roman Empire before theRebellion of 66AD. Their synagogues were in every city and because the Jewswere so universally educated they held positions of power and influence.

Question: Where in the New Testament is the wide influence ofthe Jews in the Roman world mentioned? Hint: See the book of Acts of Apostles.

Answer: The discussion of the "Day of Pentecost" in Acts 2:5tell us that "there were Jews staying in Jerusalem, devout men, from everynation under heaven."

Question: In the first image the Harlot was enthrone and incooperation with the Beast but how does that relationship change and is therean historical connection?

Answer: The Beastattacks the Harlot. In AD66 Judah revolted against Rome and the result was thedestruction of Judah/Judea by the armies of the Roman Beast.

Question: How was this action of the Beast/Rome part of God'splan and how in the past did God use another world power in the same way?

Answer: God used the Roman Empire, as He had used theAssyrian Empire in 722BC to bring judgment on the Northern Kingdom of Israeland He used the Babylonian Empire, to bring judgment on Judah/Judea and Jerusalem in 586(7)BC. Both the Roman historian, Tacitus, and the Jewish historian,Josephus, record the great animosity which the Arab soldiers in the Roman armyfelt against the Jews as well as the bitter hatred of the population in Samaria toward the Jews. There where also wholesale massacres of Jews in many greatcities like Alexandria and Damascus just before the outbreak of total rebellionin 66AD. The entire Jewish population of Caesarea Maritima was massacred in asingle day (Josephus).

It is important to realizethat the Beast/Satan destroyed Jerusalem as part of his war against Christ.God allowed the angel of the Abyss to come out and attack the Church but Satanwas mistaken in thinking that he could destroy the Whore and the Bride at thesame time. That Rome wished to destroy both Judaism and Christianity isevident in the statement of the Roman Christian historian Sulpitius Severus:

"Titus is said, after calling a council, tohave first deliberated whether he should destroy the temple, a structure ofsuch extraordinary work. For it seemed good to some that a sacred edifice,distinguished above all human achievements, ought not to be destroyed, inasmuchas, if preserved, it would furnish an evidence of Roman moderation, but, ifdestroyed, would serve for a perpetual proof of Roman cruelty. But on theopposite side, others and Titus himself thought that the temple ought speciallyto be overthrown, in order that the religion of the Jews and of the Christiansmight more thoroughly be subverted; for that these religions, although contraryto each other, had nevertheless proceeded from the same authors; that theChristians had sprung up from among the Jews; and that, if the root wereextirpated, the offshoot would speedily perish.The Sacred History of Sulpitius Severus, vol 2, p 111.(Nicene and Post-NiceneFathers of the Christian Church). Also supported in reports by Tacitus.

Revelation 17: 17 is rather shocking, that God "put this in theirminds." God is not responsible for sin: Psalms 145:17 "Upright in allhe does, Yahweh acts only in faithful love. He is close to all who call uponhim, all who call on him from the heart."Nothing happens in spite of Him or in opposition to His purpose in His plan forman. The whole purpose for the pagan kings' wrath, for their joining in theconspiracy against both the True Bride and the False Bride, and in surrenderingtheir kingdoms to the Beast is that God has put it into their minds to fulfillHis purpose "until the time when God's words shall be fulfilled." God's announcements to his prophets in the OldTestament and to Christ in His judgment on Jerusalem (Matt. 24, etc) and thecurses of the Covenant were executed on Israel through the Beast and the 10horns. They became the instruments of God's wrath.

Revelation 17:18 " 'The woman you saw is the great city which hasauthority over all the rulers on earth.'"

Question: In what 2 statements is the identity of this city madeclear to John?

Answer: 1) she is "the great city" and she 2)"has authorityover all the rulers on earth.

The woman is now identified for John as "the greatcity" which we have seen used as a term for Jerusalem "the city where the Lordwas crucified" (Rev. 11:8 & 16:9).

This verse,probably more than any other, has caused confusion in the identity of this citybetween Rome and Jerusalem. Proponents for Rome point out that only Rome had this kind of political authority over the know world.

Question: But what kind of authority over all the rulers onearth is really important to God? What was the promise made to Abraham in thisregard and which city truly had that kind of power and why? Hint: see Genesis12:3; 22:18; Exodus 19:5; Deut. 7:6 and 10:14-15.

Answer: The promise made to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 wasthat "all nations on earth will bless themselves by your descendants.." Asimilar promise was made to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7 that Yahweh would makeDavid a "house" = dynasty that would last forever and that David's son shouldbuilt Yahweh's Temple in Jerusalem. And what is Yahweh's position in the Jerusalem Temple. Is He only the God of Israel? Read Psalms 99. Some important passagesare verses 1-2: "Yahweh is king, the peoples tremble; he is enthroned on thewinged creatures, the earth shivers; Yahweh is great in Zion. He is supremeover all nations;" verse 9 "Exalt Yahweh our God, bow down at hisholy mountain; holy is Yahweh our God!" With God's presence in Jerusalem, His Holy Mountain, Jerusalem had power over all the nations of the earth.

Rome's power was only political. Israel and Jerusalem, God's Holy City, had spiritual power and in this regard she did "haveauthority over all the rulers on earth." She did possess a Kingdom thatwas above all the other kingdoms. She had a covenantal power and authorityover the earthly kingdoms because she was a Kingdom of priests of God the greatKing (Ex. 19:6). It was her duty in this regard to exercise ministry,guardianship, instruction, and intercession on behalf of all the nations ofGod's creation. When Israel was in full communion with God, offering upsacrifices for the nations, the world was at peace; when she broke the Covenantshe threw the world into turmoil and chaos (read 1Kings 10:24; Ezra 1:4-7;Romans 2:17-24). The Jewish historian Josephus repeatedly points out in hishistories that the nations of the world had historically recognized thesanctity and important of the Temple in Jerusalem: "This celebratedplace....was esteemed holy by all mankind." (The Jewish War, Book 5.1.3; Book5,9.4; Book 5.12.6). It is interesting that the action of the Jewish rebels inthe summer of 66AD of halting the daily sacrifices for the Roman Emperor, inviolation of their agreement with the Roman government, was the single eventwhich finally precipitated the Roman war against the Jews. And even at thevery end, as Roman General Titus prepared to make the final assault on thecity, he pleaded with the Jewish priests to offer up the sacrifices to Rome!

To be continued: Next weekthe angel announces the fall of Babylon! Rev. 18:24 "In her was found theblood of prophets and saints, and all the blood that was ever shed on earth."

2.I John 4:1-3: "My dear friends,not every spirit is to be trusted,

but test the spirits to seewhether they are from God, for many false prophets are at large in the world.This is the proof of the spirit of God: any spirit which acknowledges JesusChrist, come in human nature, is from God, and no spirit which fails toacknowledge Jesus is from God; it is the spirit of antichrist, whose coming youhave heard of; he is already at large in the world."

3.II John 1:7-10: "There are many deceivers at large in the world, refusing toacknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in human nature. They are the Deceiver;they are the Antichrist. Watch yourselves, or all our work will be lostand you will forfeit your full reward. If anybody does not remain in thereaching of Christ but goes beyond it, he does not have God with him: onlythose who remain in what he taught can have the Father and the Son with them.If anyone comes to you bringing a different doctrine, you must not receive himinto your house or even give him a greeting."

St. Paul seems to be making a similar reference to a manwho is in opposition to God when he uses the term "lawless one" in his firstletter to the church at Thessalonica written in the winter of AD 50-51, 20years before the destruction of the Temple and the Old Covenant in Jerusalem. 1.2 Thessalonians 2:1-12: "About the coming of our Lord, brothers, and ourbeing gathered to him: please do not be too easily thrown into confusion oralarmed by any manifestation of the Spirit or any statement or any letterclaiming to come from us, suggesting that the Day of the Lord has alreadyarrived. Never let anyone deceive you in any way. It cannot happen until theGreat Revolt has taken place and there has appeared the wicked One, the lostOne, the Enemy, who raises himself above every so called God or object ofworship to enthrone himself in God's sanctuary and flaunts the claim that he isGod. Surely you remember my telling you about this when I was with you? Andyou know, too, what is still holding him back from appearing before hisappointed time. The mystery of wickedness is already at work, but let him whois restraining it once be removed, and the wicked One will appear openly. TheLord will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will annihilate him withhis glorious appearance at his coming. But the coming of the wicked One willbe marked by Satan being at work in all kinds of counterfeit miracles and signsand wonders, and every wicked deception aimed at those who are on the way todestruction because they would not accept the love of the truth and so besaved. And therefore God sends on them a power that deludes people so thatthey believe what is false, and so that those who do not believe the truth taketheir pleasure in wickedness may all be condemned."

The "Great Revolt" that Paul prophesized took place in66AD when Judah-Judea revolted against the Roman Empire. The Lawless One thatPaul is identifying, who was not in authority yet in 50AD must be Nero.The Emperor Claudius married Nero's mother, Colonia Agrippina, in AD49, justthe year before Paul wrote his letter. Agrippina persuaded Claudius tochoose Nero, her son by her first marriage, over Britannicus, his son by aformer marriage, as his heir and then, in AD 54, she poisoned Claudius so thather son could become Emperor. Nero ruled from AD54-68 when he was forced tocommit suicide. During his lifetime he insisted that he be worshipped as a godand had built a statue of himself to be worshipped in the Temple in Jerusalem where daily sacrifices were already being offered to him. The Jews of Judea(Judah) and Jerusalem, the seat of authority of the Old Covenant Church, had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Instead in 66AD three different Jewish leadersemerged, each of whom claimed to be the Messiah. They led Judea into adisastrous revolt against Rome in which the entire country was destroyed, and Jerusalem and the Temple were burned to the ground...Jesus had indeed come injudgment. The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem fulfilled what Paul oranother sacred writer (authorship is disputed....possibly Paul's fellow discipleBarnabas) wrote in Hebrews 9:8 "By this the Holy Spirit means us to see thatas long as the old tent stands, the way into the holy place is notopened up; it is a symbol for this present time." The "old tent" is the Temple in Jerusalem, the center of Old Covenant worship. As long as Old Covenant worshipand sacrifice continues the way for the New Covenant to be fully established isnot opened. The Old Temple must be destroyed to make way for the New Covenantto be fully established.

Paul's passage in Thessalonians also refers to theprophecy of the Old Testament prophet, Joel, a prophecy that St. Peter quotedin his great homily at Pentecost (in Acts chapter 2) when he warned Jerusalemthat the "Day of the Lord" was coming (Acts 2:16-21) and that these were the"Last Days" Joel had prophesized. And then in verse 40 he tells Jerusalem: "Save yourselves from this perverse generation!" It is the samestatement Jesus made in Matthew 17:17a "Faithless and perverse generation!" andin Matthew 23:36 "In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on thisgeneration." What would recoil on that 1^st centurygeneration? The judgment of God for killing God's prophets and rejecting theCovenant and the Messiah. When Judea/Jerusalem rejected Christ they rejectedthe Covenant and became false prophets who denied God had come as a man toredeem mankind. This is the spirit of Antichrist!

St. Augustine believed that before the Second Advent ofChrist the spirit of Antichrist would be manifest in a single human being andthat tribulation for the Church would increase at that time. We do not knowwhen Christ is coming to collect His Bride; we only know that He will come. Itis our duty to be obedient to the Covenant, to be faithful and to be ready!Read Matthew 24:37-44 to see what Jesus had to say about His Second Advent.