Revelatioion 17:4-12

Verse 4 “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, 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 woman is dressed in purple and scarlet. In Bible times purple was an expensive commodity as it was difficult to obtain. (Lydia [Acts 16:14] was a seller of purple cloth.) So she is dressed in colors that are expensive. She is decked out with gold and jewels and has a golden cup in her hand. This lady is rich…filthy rich. If we are looking for a wealthy entity that describes one country in particular in this day and age we don't have to look far. In spite of the fact that our national debt is beyond ever dealing with, we live as the richest people on the planet. The cup the whore holds is full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornications. Yes, I think that pretty much describes America. Our media industry alone is filthy beyond belief, whether movies, TV, games, music, books, or magazines. You cannot leave your home without being assaulted by filth, in fact it infiltrates your home if you so much as let the world enter in any respect. Even the mail brings unsolicited filth. Our country's morality is at an all time low and it lusts after those things which feed that depravity.

Verse 5 “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

She has a name branded upon her forehead. It announces who she is, just like the scarlet letter "A" in the novel of the same name. She is Babylon the Great, the queen of her kind. Not only is she the queen of harlots, she is the mother of all harlots and abominations. She has a multitude of progeny.

Verse 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.”

She is guilty of killing the saints and martyrs of Jesus. She has been killing God’s people right from the start and has filled her cup so full that she is actually drunk from drinking their blood. John wonders at the sight of her. He is in awe of her for she is an awesome creature. Not in a good way, but you can be in awe of something that is so wondrous, whether it is bad or good. I think it would be better to say that John is incredulous. At first glance it would seem that he admires her from the way it is stated, but it is not that kind of admiration. There are times when you can appreciate an enemy’s abilities while not approving them. You wonder at their ability to do what they have done. For instance, Satan is a remarkable adversary. He is a master of deceit, the best there is. I can give credit to him for being the master of his craft, but I do not approve of his craft. Likewise, Babylon has been unbelievably good at leading people astray from God and killing those who follow Him. She is a master of her craft and is covered with the glory of her abilities and deceptions. It is probably safe to say that she was beautiful to behold also, as if she were hideous, people would not flock after her. Is not sin always tempting to behold?

Verse 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.”

The angel asks John why he is so amazed at her. He should actually be familiar with her, as this woman has been worshiped since Noah’s day, but John apparently does not immediately recognize her or understand the symbolism of the beast which carries her. The angel tells John that he will explain her and the beast. Again, we see that God explains symbolic devices that He uses in Scripture, so that we do not have to guess as to what they mean. This also lets you know that when this occurs, it is not meant to be taken literally, thereby by implication saying that everything else should be taken literally.

Verse 8-12 “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. And here is the mind which has wisdom. the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 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.”

These verses were discussed when we covered the history of the beast in chapter 13, so it is not necessary to repeat that information here.