Chapter 17

This chapter starts a new vision, the third contained in Revelation which concerns the end of the world. This vision includes information that is more detailed than the previous visions, and is more tightly focused on the events surrounding the end of the world.

Here we get a fuller description of 'Babylon' which makes it clear that, like the term 'the beast', it refers to the United States. The first reference is this, "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters" (Revelation 17:1). This is explained in part at Revelation 17:15 by "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" and at Revelation 17:18 by "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth". Thus, the waters represent the diverse ethnic backgrounds of the people of the United States. The role of the United States as the world's only remaining superpower secures its position as reigning over all the Earth. The image of a woman on the water is appropriate as a symbol for the United States, because the US has embraced such a symbol which proclaims a welcome for the downtrodden of all nations, the Statue of Liberty. Thus we see that 'sitteth' is a coded indication of the Statue of Liberty's position, as she stands on the waters.

Statue of Liberty

The excesses of the United States have affected all countries, "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:  With 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" (Revelation 17:1-2). Here, 'fornication' does not only refer to sexual excess, but any kind of illicit dealings, especially in trade. Unbridled capitalism, which the United States has often championed, especially outside its boarders, is a heartless and cruel system that causes much suffering.

Next we are shown another icon of the United States: " So he carried me away in the spirit into the desert: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 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:  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.  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" (Revelation 17:3-6). The desert is the Nevada Desert and the woman is the city of Las Vegas. The beast she sits on represents the United States. The extravagance of her dress is exactly appropriate to the showgirls of Las Vegas, "the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls", but is also appropriate to the flashy appearance of the city itself. She has "a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication", this represents the city's historic ties to organized crime and its overt involvement with gambling and prostitution. The city has also make a joke out of marriage and disregards true religion, "I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus".

The angel explains the vision in terms which need explaining themselves. The angel expresses the convoluted time relation between himself and St. John. The angel looks upon the United States from the point of view of his Heavenly existence and says, "The beast that thou sawest was" (Revelation 17:8); then, looking at it from both his own viewpoint and that of St. John, he says, "and is not" (Revelation 17:8) for it does not exist in what either one of them regard as the present; and then, looking at it from St. John's viewpoint, he says, "and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8); and finally, he looks at it from the viewpoint of its contemporaries, "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 (from my angelic point of view), and is not (from your point of view, St. John), and yet is (from their point of view)" (Revelation 17:8).

The angle tells us more about the beast "The seven heads are seven mountains" (Revelation 17:9). This may again refer to the seven articles of the constitution, but the "seven mountains" suggests a foundational underpinning. We might look to the seven self-evident truths enumerated in the Declaration of Independence:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, (1) that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are (2) Life, (3) Liberty, and (4) the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, (5) Governments are
 instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the (6) Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and (7) to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
However, the angel has a deeper foundation in mind. The seven mountains recall the seven hills of ancient Rome and this points us to the seven worldwide civilizations that have preceded the United States.

We are told of "seven kings" (Revelation 17:10). These are great empires. Of the seven, "five are fallen" (Revelation 17:10) at the time of St. John: Babylonian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian and Greek. At the same time, "one is" (Revelation 17:10), this is Rome. The next great worldwide power will be England with its empire upon which the Sun never sets, from St. John's view this one "is not yet come" (Revelation 17:10) but its time will be brief, "and when he cometh, he must continue a short space" (Revelation 17:10). The United States is the next solitary world power "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth" (Revelation 17:11). The United States was originally a British colony and is founded upon many of the principles that underpinned the Empires of Rome and Greece, which were modeled upon and formed from the earlier empires. The architecture of the monuments in Washington D.C. and throughout the country confirms the connection to England, Rome, Greece and Egypt. This lineage is indicated by "he is the eighth, and is of the seven" (Revelation 17:11). The fate of the United States is stated plainly, it "goeth into perdition" (Revelation 17:11).

The angel also provides an additional interpretation of the horns of the beast. They are contemporary allies of the United States, "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 have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast" (Revelation 17:12-13). Together with the US they will resist the Kingdom of God, "These shall make war with the Lamb" (Revelation 17:14), but there are signs of dissension among the ranks, an animosity towards the United States, perhaps fueled by envy "And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore" (Revelation 17:16), and signs of complicity with God against the United States, "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled" (Revelation 17:16). The result is certain, "the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings" (Revelation 17:14) and the allies share in the victory, "the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire" (Revelation 17:16).