The whore Babylon and the beast from the abyss
Rev. 17,3 And 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. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.1 When I saw her, I marveled greatly.
Rev.17,8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit2 and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.
Who is the whore?
The woman depicted „Babylon the Great“ is a religious system. This is made clear by the name whore and fornication. If Israel was unfaithful, this was equated with fornication. Jeremiah writes, for example:
Jer 13:27 I have seen your abominations, your adulteries and neighings, your lewd whorings, on the hills in the field. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will it be before you are made clean?”
Rev.18,4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues;
In the beginning of Christianity, it was the Jewish communities, then the big Christian communities, that persecuted and murdered true Christians. In the already described
3 1/2 years, these religious organizations will play a major role in seducing true Christians.
This they will do in connection with the animal that comes out of the abyss.
The animal from the abyss
The abyss is the prison of the demons. The demons are released as described in Chapter 9.2 of the Revelation. By being similar to the beast of Revelation 13 and Satan of Revelation 12, it has a political function.
Rev.17,9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.
From the Bible book of Daniel, we know that demons were each above the rulers of the empires.
Dan 10:13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
Dan 10:20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
The first five kings who have already fallen were empires that had to do with Israel. These goods; Egypt; Assyria; Babylon; Persia; and Greece. The empire of Rome was in power at the time of the apostle John. The 7th head will appear when this animal is released from the abyss. The entire animal is an eighth king, as it will coexist with the animal of chapter 13. His special interest will be the Christians, because together with the whore Babylon they will want to lead people away from God.
Rev.17,13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
At the end of the 3 1/2 years this animal will kill the Christians represented by the 2 witnesses.
Rev.11,7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit1 will make war on them and conquer them and kill them,
When this is accomplished, this animal will no longer need and kill the whore Babylon.
Rev.17,16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
