by Keith Pratt

Created on: March 17, 2009

Revelation 17

OVERVIEW

The last cycle of 7 destructions is finished and John is shown the judgment of a woman clothed in purple and scarlet sitting on a scarlet beast. The beast has 7 heads and 10 horns. The woman has a message written on her forehead reading: "Mystery, Babylon
the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth". While John marvels at this site an angel explains the meaning of the woman, the 7 heads and the 10 horns (verses 7 thru 18).

As described in the article Reflections: Reading the Book of Revelation Today, there are 4 major ways to interpret Revelation. Briefly they are:

Historic Revelation is a recording of events unfolding throughout history from the time of its writing to the present. Almost always pointing to the Roman Catholic Church.

Preterist Revelation was written primarily for the times it was originally penned.

Futurist Revelation was written with an eye to the future. We are currently living in the final stages.

Symbolic or Spiritual Revelation is not limited to any given time period. Rather it has spiritual truths which apply to all generations.

As will be shown, there is disagreement even among those who are in the same group. The intent is to show how the 4 different viewpoints interpret Chapter 17. A final decision on which interpretation to follow is up to the reader.

HISTORIC

For the people of the Historic school woman / harlot is the Papacy. Her rich clothing of scarlet and purple refers to the colorful garments worn by leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. Verse 6 describes her as being drunk with the blood of saints. This is in reference to the various persecutions by the Roman Catholic Church through the centuries.

The 7 headed beast is symbolic of Rome
as it is known as "the city of 7 hills". The 7 headed beast also represents 7 kings and the beast is an 8th king (verses 10 & 11). The 7 kings represent the 7 forms of government in the Roman Empire. The first 6 are Kings, Consuls, Dictators,
Decemvirs, and Military Tribunes, and Caesars [at the time Revelation was written]. The 7th may refer to Christian emperors from Constantine
to Augustulus or may refer to emperors Diocletian to Theodesius. Regardless, there is agreement the 8th
king is the Papacy.

The 10 kings are actually 10 kingdoms which were allied with
Rome in the 6th
century. Those kingdoms are Anglo-Saxon, Franks, Alleman-Franks, Burgundic-Franks, Visigoths, Suevi, Vandals,
Ostrogoths, Bavarians, and Lombards. That these 10 kings burn the harlot

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