& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 19 & & & Quarantine Day 68. Tuesday. Georgia is going back to work. Much of the NE USA and Calif. are still on lockdown but few deaths.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & & Revelation 19 New International Version Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall 19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
"'Hallelujah'' chorus, from Händel's Messiah - Mormon Tabernacle Choir “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!” 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” 10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
The Heavenly Warrior Defeats the Beast 11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.”[a] He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. Footnotes Revelation 19:15 Psalm 2:9
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo Bible Project Revelation 12-22 & & & A Great Multitude Praises God It is in this chapter of Revelation that most of the words used in Handel's Hallelujah! Chorus are found. Verses 1-3 1After these things I heard a great voice of many people in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation, glory, honour, and power to the Lord our God, 2for true and righteous are his judgments, for he has judged the great whore which corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” 3And again they said, “Alleluia!” And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. Messiah Handel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Handel)
Commentary: Alleluia literally means “praise Yhwh” and is used only in the Old Testament, with the exception of this chapter of Revelation. This is one of several signs throughout the book that John was a Jewish Christian. The following verses present those worshipping God, beginning with the 4 creatures and 24 elders we first met in chapter 4. Beyond this inner group is the multitude, most likely referring to the inhabitants of earth. While it may seem strange to the modern reader to follow such dramatic violence with songs, God is being praised and worshipped for the righteous judgment he exacted on Rome. Judgment and worship go together. [1] Verse 4 4And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen. Alleluia.” Commentary: These 24 elders and 4 creatures is a second group of praise and worship. This group has appeared throughout Revelation. They appear whenever hymnody is involved--if there is worshipping to be done, they are there to do it. “Amen! Hallelujah!” is seen in Chapter 5 verse 14 by the same group. Verse 5 5And a voice came out of the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all of you his servants and you that fear him, both small and great.” Commentary: This voice’s true identity is not known. But the voice must be a worshiper of God as it indicates “our God”. The voice calls the servants to action. But where these servants are, heaven or earth is not known; they could be hiding on earth, but it is more likely that they are in heaven. Many believe that they are in heaven. The terms small and great refer to the status of the servants. (See also Chapter 11:18 and Matthew 25:14-30) Verse 6 6And I heard the sound of a great multitude, and the sound of many waters, and the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns!" Commentary: People are rejoicing because God reigns. The sound of this rejoicement sounds like great rushing waters. This shows the power of God and how he ultimately wins in the end and the people who are saved rejoice! The people are rejoicing because God has demonstrated his power by destroying the great harlot and the beast. His fulfillment of his promises have left his followers to give endless praise and this praise will last for eternity. The Marriage of the Lamb Verses 7-8 7"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready.” 8To her it was granted that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Commentary: Paul grouped the coming of Christ together with the Resurrection and the Rapture[1 Thess 4:16-17] (see commentary on 20:4-5). After Christ meets his followers “in the air,” the marriage of the Lamb takes place. There is clear symbolism here. Christ is represented throughout Revelation as “the Lamb,” symbolizing the giving of his life as an atoning sacrifice for the people of the world, just as lambs were sacrificed on the altar for the sins of Israel. Jesus' wife is the holy Christian church and the Communion of Saints, the people who remained faithful to Christ throughout the many plagues and trials. The linens in which the bride is clothed in are clean and white representing purity, this could be symbolizing salvation. Without Christ's salvation, we are clothed in rags. This marriage is worthy of celebration and praise because it is during this marriage that God's people will become united for eternity. The people will wear the linens of salvation and be saved and never tempted by the devil again because they will be in the Lord's embrace in Heaven.
Verse 9 9And he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” Commentary: This is one of seven blessings in the book of Revelation. This is a forewshadowing or an introduction to the next chapter of the book, which is about the Great Supper of God. This shows the true bliss of this section. This is interesting because it is referring to the guest of the marriage. God is saying that this event is also by invitation only. The Lamb refers to Jesus and this wedding imagergy and the marriage supper has strong ties to the Jewish Wedding traditions.During the wedding customs a marriage contract was signed by the bride's parents and the bridegroom. The bride's parents would also give a dowry to the groom and/or his parents, in a period familiar to us: engagement. The second phase of this tradition would occur approximately a calendar year later. The groom would go to the house of the bride, accompanied by groom's men in a parade-like ceremony. The bride, cognizant of this event, would be ready along with the bride's maids and the bridal party would venture to the groom's household. The last phase was the marriage supper that could continue on for several days. John's vision speaks of the third phase. Symbolically the first phase may have been the church's faith in Christ and the acknowledgement of Jesus being their Lord and Savior. The Lamb or groom is Jesus and His bride is the church. The second phase or dowry may be symbolic of Jesus's blood shed on the cross at Calvary. The preparatory state and expectance of the Bridgegroom arriving could be symbolic of Christ's Second Coming and the Rapture of the Church going to Heaven. This invitation only event not only includes the Church, but also the martyred saints during the tribulation and the saints mentioned in the Old Testament. The celebration is a joyous occasion of all those who have placed their faith in Christ. Verse 10 10And I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “See that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” , Commentary: John, awestruck, by what the angel revealed to him fell at the angel's feet to worship him. This verse emphasizes an important point: that no one and nothing other than God should be worshiped. However, John himself makes the same mistake that many have made which points to the idea that most of the people previously punished for worshiping the Beast could have easily been forgiven by God had they repented. This could also mean that John recognized the worship of angels by fellow Christians during his time and wished to prevent the practice from happening further. The beast demanded the worship, but the angels in Heaven would not permit anyone worshipping them, but the worship was redirected to God. For a Protestant, this passage is very interesting. As stated above, this passage very clearly demonstrates that God, and God alone is to be worshiped. As the Catholic tradition developed, it became and still is common practice to pray to and venerate the Virgin Mary, saints, and angels. While these actions may not necessarily constitute actual worship, but for many Protestants now, and those who began the reform movements, it is very similar and is not to be tolerated. As a result of these religious tensions, this passage is often pointed to when Protestants are constructing arguments against the veneration of the virgin, saints, or angels. The Heavenly Army Verse 11 11And I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse, and he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. Commentary: We now see Christ, not as a lamb, but as a warrior, ready to make war against the forces of evil. There is a passage in Zechariah —- sometimes called the apocalypse of the Old Testament —- that foretells this event: “I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem. The city will be taken, the houses looted, and the women ravaged. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations… Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you.”[Zech 14:2-5] In Matthew, Jesus says, "The sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."[Mt 24:30] Isaiah also speaks of such a battle: "The Lord will come with fire and with his chariots, like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword the Lord will judge all flesh, and the slain of the Lord will be many."[Is 66:15-16] Many have speculated about the nature of this fire, whether it is a nuclear holocaust, a huge meteor, something supernatural, or merely symbolic. The image of the sword is used symbolically in Revelation, where the “Lamb” judges by the sword which proceeds from his mouth, i.e., his words are the standard by which people are judged. It may be that the fire and the sword of Isaiah are also symbolic. Regardless, the prophet Zephaniah says ominously, "All the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy."[Zeph 3:8] Verses 12-13 12His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no one knew, except he himself. 13He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God. Commentary: Note that Verse 12 states the rider of this white horse is said to wear many crowns or diadems. John is likely making a direct contrast to the diadems that the dragon wore (Revelation 12:3). This verse also reveals that no one knows the rider's name except the rider himself. As scholars have discussed, a name stands for a person and knowledge of a name confers power over the person. That his name is known only to himself implies that the rider's power is sovereign and unlimited. Verse 13 states that the rider' garment is dipped in blood. While there are many ways to interpret this passage, two interpretations are dominant with Biblical scholars. First, this blood is that of Christ's enemies. This interpretation draws from Isaiah 63:1-6 in which the garment is stained with blood from walking in the winepress (i.e., God's judgement). The obvious problem with this interpretation is that Armageddon has not yet been fought. The second dominant interpretation is that this is Jesus' own blood. This interpretation draws off the image of Jesus being the sacrificial lamb. Verse 14 14The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Commentary: The army of heaven is described in similar terms as the resurrected and raptured believers. They are clothed in fine linen, white and clean.The army could be angelic hosts or saints. It should be noted that the seven bowl carrying angels from earlier were also clothed this way. It signifies their purity and righteousness as believers of God. It is interesting to think this is an army that never fights, and go into "battle" wearing ceremonial garments rather than armor or gear for battle. Verse 15 15Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. Commentary: The army does not ride through the winepress, but mearly are witnesses as God executes his judgment. We can imagine that the sword in the rider's mouth is not a typical weapon, but the Word of God as weapon. We have seen in many other places in Revelation and the Bible where a sword if symbolically used as the word of God. In any case, it slaughters at least as competently as any other weapon of destruction. The word is used to "smite the nations" and destroy those who do not follow or believe in God with the "rod of iron", which we have seen in previous chapters of Revelation to he Jesus. Verse 16 16And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Commentary: For a while, Satan's victory seemed to be complete, but it is short-lived. He barely has time to establish his authority before Christ appears, no longer the sacrificial lamb, but “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” He rides forth to do battle with Satan in a final showdown between the forces of good and evil. The Beast and His Army Are Defeated Verses 17-18 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of the sky, “Come and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God, 18that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty ones, and the flesh of horses and those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, both free and bond, both small and great.” Commentary: The call for the carrion to feast on the corpses is, according to Beasley-Murray, a reversal of the sacrificial feast when humans typically feasted on animals. Verse 19 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. Commentary: Verse 20 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that performed miracles in his presence, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. Commentary:It's interesting to note that the battle never really happens. Armies are assembled, and conflict presumably occurs, yet none of the actual fighting is shown. This reflects the absolutely overwhelming power that God holds. His might is so great that not even the strongest forces of evil assembled together are a non-threat to him. This reflects that a powerful force of evil isn't just a threat to God, it would be a threat to monotheism. If the forces of evil were really a challenge to God, then perhaps he would by definition not be all powerful. This can be used to explain why the battle isn't shown; if God is all powerful then there would not be a need for a battle because he could bind evil before it could do anything against him. Just as Christ is described by Paul as “the firstfruits of the resurrection” (1 Cor 15:20), the Antichrist and the false prophet are the firstfruits of the lake of fire, for they are sent there in the first judgment at the end of this age. In Revelation, no one else goes there until the last judgment, at the end of the world. Satan and the followers of the Antichrist do not go there at this time, but are imprisoned in the abyss, or bottomless pit, for a thousand years (the "Millennium"). That the beast and his false prophet are cast living into the fire suggests to Witherington that hell is not a place of annihilation, but of punishment. Verse 21 21The remainder were slain with the sword of him who sat upon the horse, which proceeded out of his mouth, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. Commentary: Witherington suggests that we are to consider this battle not a battle at all, but a judgment on supernatural evil because the armies are not "thrown into the lake of fire." But in this verse we see that the followers of the beast are indeed massacred. & & &
& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 18 & & & Quarantine Day 68. Tuesday. Georgia is going back to work. Much of the NE USA and Calif. are still on lockdown but few deaths.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & & Revelation 18 New International Version Lament Over Fallen Babylon 18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a] She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. 3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment 4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “‘Come out of her, my people,’[b] so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. 6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Pour her a double portion from her own cup. 7 Give her as much torment and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, ‘I sit enthroned as queen. I am not a widow;[c] I will never mourn.’ 8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. Threefold Woe Over Babylon’s Fall 9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, you mighty city of Babylon! In one hour your doom has come!’ 11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. 14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn 16 and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! 17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ “Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ 19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe to you, great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ 20 “Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
The Finality of Babylon’s Doom 21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. 22 The music of harpists and musicians, pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No worker of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s important people. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. 24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.” Footnotes Revelation 18:2 Isaiah 21:9 8 And the lookout[a] shouted, “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 9 Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’” 10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel. Revelation 18:4 Jer. 51:45 “Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord. Revelation 18:7 See Isaiah 47:7,8. You said, ‘I am forever— the eternal queen!’ But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen. & & &
& & & Teaching Notes Book of Revelation - Chapter 17 & & & Quarantine Day 67. Monday. Georgia is going back to work. Much of the NE USA and Calif. are still on lockdown but few deaths.
Hugh C. Wood, Atlanta, Georgia & & & Revelation 17 New International Version Babylon, the Prostitute on the Beast 17 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5 The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7 Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. 12 “The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” 15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpnIrbq2bKo Bible Project Revelation 12-22 & & & Babylon the Great Verses 1-2 1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great whore that sits upon many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Commentary: The phrase, "Many waters," may be a reference to images of the city, Babylon, which had extensive irrigation systems. Others who believe that this chapter of the Book of Revelation refers Rome, believe that this phrase could in fact refer to various ethnic groups of people, who were subjected to Rome's rule. From Rome's founding, the city, the Republic, the Empire has organized a variety of people. The first groups to be included were the Romans themselves, the neighboring Latins and Etruscans, then Greeks, Germans, Franks, Celts, and Jews. Additionally, Rome's legal tradition supports this idea because at various point in Roman history, citizenship was extended to yet another group of people under Roman influence. If the image of water is then taken one step further to say that water represent the life of this city, then the comparison to Rome and its diverse citizenship still makes logical sense. The Romans, though very traditional with respect to the fact that they would retain practices and offices that were superfluous and relatively defunct, were adept at gleaning useful cultural aspects from any group they encountered. One such example would be the way in which Rome adopted the Greek Pantheon and Egyptian gods like Isis into the Roman religion. IN this way, it is possible to say that the various ethnic groups over which Rome presided kept Rome alive culturally. Harlot is a common Old Testament term to apply to cities, including Jerusalem when the people were idolatrous. It is no coincidence that Babylon is used as an example, since it was the ruling power in the book of Daniel, which also features apocalyptic literature. The language of whoring and unfaithfulness is also used in other Old Testament prophetic books such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Some make the argument that other kings’ patronage to Rome was like “getting into bed with” her, while others see this reference as purely referring to idolatry, specifically emperor worship. This also would include the worship of Roma, which was the goddess of the city of Rome. The image of Rome as a woman sitting on seven hills may come from a coin originally minted by Vespasian in which Rome was depicted as a goddess sitting on seven hills. Here it has been distorted in order to decry the mythical status of the Roman Emperor. [1] Verse 3 3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, and having seven heads and ten horns. Commentary: The beast from the sea in Chapter 13 and the dragon of Chapter 12 are also described as having seven heads and ten horns, which implies that these three (Satan, the Antichrist, and Babylon) are connected. As noted in chapter 12, it may be that Satan is the spiritual driving force, the Antichrist is the emperor, and Babylon is the empire. The scarlet color of the Beast may be to represent royalty since scarlets, purples, and reds were colors used often by weathly and royalty people in Rome. These colors were also worn by prostitutes. Alternatively the scarlet color might be meant to refer back to the color of the dragon referred to in Revelation 12:3. Witherington argues that John has not been carried away into the desert, and that he has not literally traveled to the desert, but that this wording symbolizes an ecstatic experience. Witherington considers verious origins for the witch of Babylon: that it is a reference to the chaos monster Tiamat, a female Babylonian deity; that it reflects the worship of Magna Mater; or that Cybele, the Roman form of Magna Mater whose cult holydays were sordid affairs; or that it reflects the worship of Rome as the goddess Roma. Verses 4-5 4And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, and had a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5And upon her forehead was a name written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Commentary: The woman's name is revealed in this verse as Babylon. Babylon is the "great city" that was split into three parts. It represents sin and persecution. By her being named Babylon, she is associated with all these things. She is the mother of prostitutes as her offspring has the same characterization of her. The name Babylon comes from the Greek word "Babal." The Hebrew form of Babel, Balal, means "to confuse." The woman is depicted with expensive jewelry. These jewels are likely to represent the riches of the world. She also has a golden cup in her hand filled with all the filthy acts she had done. This cup is the very dangerous because it is filled with acts derived by Satan. This woman is trying to deceive others. Roman patricians and office holders typically wore scarlet or purple robes. Expensive whores did too, and the whores also wore headbands with their names written across the forehead of them. Verse 6 6And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, and when I saw her, I wondered with great amazement. Commentary: Not only is she herself drunk, but she makes other drunk. It is said that to be drunk off the blood of saints is to hunger and thirst for violence and peril. She sits upon the beast while he wages war against the saints. John is not to be interpreted here as being amazed by the woman's beauty, but is astonished by the immorality of Roman culture. A second option takes a more figurative approach to this passage. Perhaps the woman is not actually drunk in the sense of our modern-day understanding of the term, but drunk, meaning satiated. It could be a reference to the prophetic book of Ezekiel, passage 39:18-19, where God says the birds will be drunk on blood. It actually means that they will drink blood until they are satisfied, symbolizing a great number of deaths. The Angel Explains the Vision Verses 7-8 7And the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition, and those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” Commentary: Verse 7 suggests that John is so amazed by this sight that the angel has to the angels stops to explain exactly what is happening. The Greek word "thauma" suggests that John was flabbergasted, astounded, and even confused. Verse 8 seems to be foreshadowing the upcoming events in Chapter 20. It concludes with the words "[He] was, and is not, and yet is." This suggests that the figure in question existed in the past, does not exist at the time of writing, but will exist again in the future (i.e., he will rise again). The last verb is "parestai" in Greek, which is a form of Parousia, referring to the second coming of Christ. Ben Witherington II suggests that the use of this verb is extremely significant. As he notes, "[John] is suggesting two things: (1) the figure in question obviously had made some sort of claims to divinity, but the joke is that at present "he is not." What kind of deity ceases to exist?; and (2) his second coming, like the real second coming, will mean bad news for many." Some may joke that John is suggesting Nero will one day return, but he is likely just drawing on general ideas of a anti-Christ. Verse 9 9“And here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.” Commentary: The seven heads represent the seven hills of Rome hence the reference to the mountains. To any ancient reader, the reference to seven mountains would have easily been noticed as the hills. They also represent the leaders of the Empire: "five have fallen, one is living, and the other has yet to come." Verse 10 10“And there are seven kings: five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come, and when he comes, he must continue for a short time.” Commentary: The context has led interpreters to associate the seven kings with the seven heads of the beast in the previous passage, but a careful reading of the passage shows that this connection is not explicit, but only assumed. After the description of the heads, the author merely says, "And there are seven kings..." It is left to the interpreter to decide if these constitute a second level of symbolism for the heads of the beast, or if they are, in fact, something else. The next verse (11) suggests the latter, for it speaks of one of the seven coming back as the eighth, and it refers to it as a beast, not as a head of a beast. According to the preterist interpretation, the seven kings are the succession of Roman emperors up to the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There were actually nine emperors during this period, as follows: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. However, if we subtract Galba, Otho, and Vitellius from the list, who all ruled less than a year, we would then be left with a total of six. Some scholars also argue that Julius Caesar was really the first Roman emperor, not Augustus as recorded by the Roman historians.[2] If we add him to the list, we have the required seven. The emperor about whom the author says, "one is," would be Nero, under whose reign a persecution of Christians took place between about 64 and 68 AD. He would be the sixth and current emperor, and if we leave out his three short-term successors, Vespasian would be the seventh who ruled during the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. The only remaining issue is the identity of the eighth emperor of verse 11, "the beast that was, and is not," who "is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven." The quote implies that one of the first seven emperors will also be the eighth, but actually Titus (79-81 AD) ruled after Vespasian, and none of the emperors mentioned above was ever reinstated. Titus was Vespasian's son, however, as was Domitian, who succeeded Titus. According to the historicist and futurist interpretations (the latter ties in with v. 11), the kings are not emperors, but empires. Many scholars believe that Israel is a key to understanding Biblical prophecy. Applying that principle here, we can interpret the kings as representing the seven nations which have ruled over Israel (not the land, but the people) during its history. The empire about which the angel says, “One is,” is Rome, which ruled Israel in John’s time. The angel says, “Five have fallen.” These are the empires which had formerly ruled Israel: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Greece. Together with Rome, these account for six of the seven. At the time of writing, the seventh had “not yet come.” Since then, the Ottoman Empire has ruled over Palestine, but not the people of Israel, who were dispersed among the nations during Ottoman rule. They began to trickle back in the late 19th century, but the trickle turned to a flood after Britain conquered Palestine in WWI. The British ruled Israel from 1917 until Israel's independence in 1948 (see British Mandate of Palestine). True to the prophecy, British rule lasted only “a short time.” It is deeply significant, however, because it means that all seven of the empires have now come and gone. The time is ripe for the eighth empire mentioned in the next verse. Verse 11 11“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.” Commentary: One of the empires mentioned above (see v10) will be revived in some form. This is usually equated with the empire of the Antichrist (see ch 13). The phrase, "goes into perdition," indicates that its end will not be a happy one. Much debate surrounds who the previous seven rulers are and, thus, the identity of the eighth. Starting with Julius Caesar, Nero is the sixth. This interpretation entails that the book was written while Nero was reigning, which Ben Witherington III states is not impossible despite the absence of a "return of Nero" myth during his life. If counting rulers begins with Augustus, the count does not lead up to Domitian. Starting with Nero ends with Domitian as the seventh. Others suggest that the eighth could be an eschatological anti-Christ. Witherington III urges readers to view the number "seven" as symbolic of a full set of rulers.
