Babylon the Great Prostitute
1Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and spoke to me: “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 3Then he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality, 5and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.” 6And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I was utterly astounded.
The Meaning of the Beast and the Woman
7Then the angel said to me, “Why are you so astounded? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8The beast you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who dwell on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astounded when they see the beast, because it was, and is not, and yet will come. 9This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman is seated, 10and they are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain only a little while. 11And the beast that was, and is not, is itself an eighth king; it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who will receive authority as kings for a single hour, together with the beast. 13These kings are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful.” 15Then he said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16The ten horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire, 17for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by agreeing to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18And the woman you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
