| Scripture |
Additional Comments |
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| 1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: |
One of the seven angels – The seventh, Pastor Russell.
I will show thee the judgment of the great whore – And he did show us in Volume II Study IX.
Many waters – We are not left in doubt as to the meaning of this expression but are told explicitly in vs. 15. |
| 2 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. |
Kings of the earth – The Kings of organized society under religious restraint.
Committed fornication with her – These kings (of Europe) joined with the whore (false church) in an illicit union of church and state. In so doing they (eventually) formed Christendom ("Christ's Kingdom" - falsely so-called).
It is called fornication because the church is supposed to be a chaste virgin waiting for the return of her Lord and Bridegroom. Instead they (the false church) said: "I am tired of waiting for the true Christ, my true king to come. I want to rule now. I will marry the kings of the earth and that way I will be exalted to glory now."
The inhabitants of the earth – See EarthDwellers
Those who live in and buy into the ideas promulgated by this false arrangement, i.e., organized society under religious restraint. These accept the idea that to go contrary to the church or contrary to the king is to go contrary to God. They believe in the Divine Right of Kings and the Divine Authority of the Clergy and these consider it their responsibility to be subservient to these as being from God.
Made drunk with the wine of her fornication – Intoxicated with the false doctrine of her (the false church) being united with the kings of the earth and calling this arrangement The Kingdom of Christ - Christendom. |
| 3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. |
He – One of the seven angels, the seventh, Pastor Russell.
Carried me away – The John class, the church in the flesh during our Lord's parousia. The reason the John class has to be carried away is because they are not living during the time of the events about to be shown to them by this 7th angel.
Into the wilderness – The wilderness condition which the church found itself during the 1260 days (years) of Papacy's power ot suppress.
The wilderness is a place of separation from society. What is being indicated here is that by following he teachings of the Lord as presented by the seventh messenger we are given a perspective that is different from that of organized society under religious restraint. From this standpoint of separation we can more clearly see the identity of this great whore.
I – The John class, the church in the flesh during the time of our Lord's 2nd presence.
A woman – A church.
Sit upon – In a position of control, as one who sits upon or rides a horse controls the horse.
Scarlet colored – One reason this is described as being scarlet or red in appearance is to allow us to make the connection to the red beast described in Rev. 12:3. There it is a specific kind of beast, a red dragon. That red dragon pictured Rome (especially the Civil Power.)
Beast – Man-made or worldly Government. In Dan. 7 the 4 universal empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are described as beasts. - This beast would be Rome.
Having seven heads – Seven different heads or forms of government. See Seven Heads of Rome.
The first head of the beast (or form of government) is described as "consular." When looking at roman-empire.net we find that this period is referred to as the "Late Republic." It makes more sense to refer to the first head as the Republic head. This will make more sense when we get to verse 11.
1. Republic (Consular)
2. Imperial
3. Gothic
4. Papal
5. Napoleon
6. Papacy Restored
7. Monarch
Ten horns – Horns are symbols of power. This indicates ten divisions of power. Compare with Dan. 2:44.
See Ten horns – Rev. 12:3 |
| 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: |
Woman – A woman pictures a church. It can be either the true church, waiting as a chaste virgin for her heavenly bridegroom's return, or it can picture a false church. Here the woman pictures the Catholic church.
Arrayed in purple – The traditional color of royalty. This is not the true church which is clothed in fine linen.
Scarlet color – The traditional color associated with the clothing of harlots. - Cardinals' garments.
Isa. 1:18
Decked with gold – The usurped divine promises.
Along with the precious stones and pearls - this fits the trappings of wealth. For generations the Catholic church was the richest institution in the world.
Having a golden cup – R5092:4
In her hand – She was very active (hand) in wielding her power against the saints.
Full of abominations – This would seem to directly tie the woman (the Church of Rome) with "the abomination that maketh desolate."
Filthiness of her fornication – This is contained within the golden cup she is holding. This indicates that she is claiming her illicit union with the kings of the earth is sanctioned by the word of God (as indicated by the golden cup.) |
| 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. |
Upon her forehead – Her intellect. Note how often the Lord has made use of this symbol of the forehead. It denotes one's beliefs, that upon which people act. This is where the seal of the living God is placed on the saints (Rev. 7:3; 14:1). This is also where the mark of the beast is placed (Rev. 13:16).
Mystery – Her ways are mysterious indeed. None is allowed to question her and the Truth is turned from pure doctrine to mysterious "mumbo jumbo" - as, for instance, the doctrine of the trinity.
Remember that the "mystery" that was hid from ages and generations was "Christ in you, the hope of glory." And so it came about that the false church made the claim that she was the only true church, the "mystery" of which Paul spoke of in Col. 1:27.
Babylon – Confusion. The original Babylon called itself "The gateway to God." So here. Mystic Babylon calls herself "The gateway to God." None, so she says, can achieve salvation by any other means than through her.
The great – This implies lesser "Babylons," i.e., the various Protestant systems.
The Mother of harlots – The one from which her daughters come from, i.e., the "mother church," the church of Rome.
Abominations of the earth – Remember, it was the "mother" church, the church of Rome that united itself with the civil power of the Roman empire, beginning in 314 A.D. with the council of Arles.
Why does this begin with the council of Arles? Because this was the first time the head of the civil power (Constantine the Great) called a Church council. This is the beginning of the union of church and state, the beginning of the vine of the earth and the church's harlotry.
We must also remember the worst of all, the abomination that maketh desolate. |
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| 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 marveled with great wonder. |
The woman – The Church of Rome.
Drunken – Intoxicated, addicted.
With the blood of the saints – Compare Rev. 6:9.
"She drank their blood with such greediness that she intoxicated herself with it; it was so pleasant to her that she could not tell when she had had enough of it: she was satiated, but never satisfied." - Matthew Henry
And with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus – Not everyone who was "martyred" was a saint. What this seems to indicate is that the woman is guilty of also of the blood of those who were not saints but were indeed martyred for Jesus.
see R2941:13
I – The John class, the church in the flesh during the time of our Lord's second Presence.
Saw her – Recognized, understood who this woman was and what she had done.
Filled with admiration – "When I saw her I was filled with utter astonishment." - Weymouth |
| 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 – Pastor Russell - or rather the Lord working through Pastor Russell.
I will tell thee the mystery of the woman – In Vol. II Study IX.
It is Pastor Russell (the angel) who reveals unto us the mystery of the woman.
And the beast – The civil power of the Roman empire.
That carrieth her – From one standpoint the woman is riding (controlling) the beast. From another, the beast is carrying her.
Seven heads and ten horns – see Additional Comments vs. 3. |
| 8 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. |
The key to understanding this verse is to discover the correct timing of the verse. This is given to us by comparing vss 1,3 and 7. According to verse 1 the judgement of the harlot is explained by "one of the angels which had the seven vials." This 'angel' or 'messenger' was Pastor Russell. Then in verse 3 he (Pastor Russell) carries the John class (church during our Lord's parousia) into the wilderness. - So, when was the church "in the wilderness?" It was in the wilderness during the 1260 days (literal years) when the woman (church of Rome) was in control of the beast (civil power of the Roman Empire,) i.e., from 539 to 1799 A.D. (Rev. 12:6). In verse 7 we are told again that this same angel will now explain to us (the John class) the mystery of both the woman and the beast. In simple terms then the timing of this verse is from 539-1799 A.D.
The beast – Roman Empire, the Fourth Universal Empire which continued at least until the Smiting of the Image in 1914 when it began to be broken up.
Was – The civil power of the Roman was the dominant force throughout the empire.
Is not – Is no longer the dominant force in the empire. No, at the time of this vision (during the 1260 years from 539-1799) the Church of Rome (the woman) is the dominant force in the empire.
Shall ascend out of the bottomless pit – The beast shall return from this apparent oblivion to once again being the dominant power in the empire. Note: This does not mean that it will be as dominant as it once was.
Please see Bottomless Pit.
And go into perdition – Into destruction, as an empire. Remember, it is this beast, the civil power of Rome that is being spoken of here and not the Church of Rome. The Church of Rome is the woman that is riding the beast.
They who dwell on the earth – Those who accept the teachings of organized society under religious restraint. see Earth Dwellers.
Shall wonder – Be amazed that the civil power of Rome is restored as the dominant power in (what is left of) the empire.
When they – Those who dwell on the symbolic earth.
Behold the beast – Roman Empire, the Fourth Universal Empire (Dan. 2:40).
That was and is not and yet is – see comments at beginning of this verse. |
| 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. |
Mountain normally represents a Kingdom. In this case we think it is the seven forms of government of the Roman Empire. Remember, the woman (the Church of Rome) sits on (is in some degree of control over) the beast.
It is important to remember that the seven heads are here described not only as mountains (kingdoms) but also we are told that the woman is sitting on these heads. Before (vs 3) we were told that the woman is riding on the beast, here it is specifically showing her riding on the 7 heads of the beast.
Rome was known as the "seven hilled city." So we think this is yet another way to identify exactly what this is, i.e., the Roman empire (although this identification seems to be a minor one because it is a literal identification in a symbolic book).
Mind that hath wisdom – See additional comments on Rev. 13:18 - "Here is wisdom."
Seven heads are seven mountains – A mountain is symbolic of a kingdom. So is this seven different kingdoms? If that is the case, then what are the ten horns. Since we have this description also given in Dan. 7 where the fourth beast (Rome) is described as having 10 horns (the ten divisions of power, ten kingdoms, within the Roman empire,) - does this mean that the seven heads are additional kings (thus making the total 17 kings, 10 horns (kings) + 7 heads (kings) = 17?)
Such reasoning simply does not work. We must then look for another explanation that also satisfies the thought that, in some fashion, there are seven kingdoms and there are 10 kings.
We must also remember that in this explanation that while the woman is riding on the beast, she is, at the same time, described as sitting on the seven heads. |
| 10 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. |
There are seven kings – That there are seven kings should be no suprise because there are seven Kingdoms (mountains.)
The real trick in this verse is to determine when this is applicable because it is clearly indicated as being in the time of the sixth king [5 already fallen, one (the 6th) is, and one more to come].
Five are fallen – If we are correct with our identification of the seven kings then this is an easy matter. The five that are fallen would be: 1. Republic (Consular)
2. Imperial
3. Gothic
4. Papal
5. Napoleon
One is – 6. Papacy Restored.
The other is not yet come – 7. Monarch.
He must continue a short space – Remember, when the seventh comes he only contiues for 'a short space.' — This 'short space' is not to be confused with the 'micros chronos' or little season. The word here is Strong's 3754 which is normally translated 'few.' (Rev. 2:14,20; 3:4; 12:12). If our listing of the 7 heads be correct then this continuing "a short space" would seem to fit. It would be short as compared to the fourth head (Papacy) which continued for over 1200 years. |
| 11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. |
The beast – The civil power of the Roman empire.
That was – That formerly had been the dominant power (prior to the rise of Papacy) in the empire.
Is not – That has lost that supreme position in the empire.
He is – The civil power of Rome remained. It may not have been the dominant power in the Roman Empire (whose destruction we witness begins with the smiting of the Image in 1914) but the civil power still remained, thus "he is".
The eighth and is of the seven – To assist us in determining which of the seven heads this might be we list the seven heads again here.
1. Republic (Consular)
2. Imperial
3. Gothic
4. Papal
5. Napoleon
6. Papacy Restored
7. Monarch
To our understanding the present Italian government is the seventh head of the "beast" (Rev. 17:9-11) which has continued "a short space," represented in the present monarch and his father Victor Immanuel. According to this prophecy Rome will never have another head--the eighth condition will be the beast without a head,--either a republic or anarchy. If a republic, we shall shortly expect anarchy, "perdition." - R2062
We see that after the end of World War II the last King of Italy (his reign lasted from July 1900 - May 1946) abdicated his throne just prior to the vote of the Italian people to end the monarchy in favor of a Republic. - (His son was technically the last king of Italy, holding that position for just over one month.) |
| 12 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. |
Ten horns – Horns are always a symbol for power.
Ten kings – The first thought is that these must be the ten divisions of power (10 ruling houses) of Europe. These lasted throughout most of the history of the dark ages and continued into the twentieth century. This grouping is very familiar to Bible students as being associated with the Roman empire. These would be the same as the ten toes of the image of Daniel chapter 2, the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel 7. See also Rev. 12:3; 13:1 as well as vss 3 and 7 of this chapter.In all the above references this refers to these kingdoms of Europe.
Have received no kingdom as yet – These ten kings exist but they are described as having no kingdom yet. But they are kings. The clue comes in the next statement.
Receive power as kings – Before this they were still kings but not completely ruling in the normal manner of kings. Something was different. What was different is that they were under the rule of the woman, the false church. Therefore they are said to not have received their kingdoms yet. When they do receive their kingdoms it is when they are freed from being under the woman, in 1799.
One hour – A relatively short period of time (from the historical viewpoint) of unspecified length. In this case, we suggest, it is from 1846 to 1914.
With the beast – Primarily the civil power of the Roman beast, the Fourth Universal Empire which at the time here indicated equates to what the world referred to as Christendom. They still wanted the protection of the Divine Right of Kings, and for that they needed the churches to go along. The difference here is that they are no longer under the dictates of the Pope. |
| 13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. |
These – The ten kings (horns).
Have one mind – Are united in their purpose.
Give their power and strength unto the beast – Note - It does NOT say they give their power and strength to the woman! See Congress of Vienna. This brings the kings together and eventually leads them to be supportive of the Evangalical Alliance of 1846. The kings supported this because they still needed the power of religion in order to maintain the doctrine of "The Divine Right of Kings," which continued until World War I in 1914. |
| 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. |
These – The 10 kings of Europe, united with the churches, i.e., Christendom.
Shall make war with the lamb – They opposed the Truths coming out after our Lord's return because the Truth declared that these kings would lose their power and they should never have united with the churches.
Lamb shall overcome them – Especially beginning in 1914 with the end of The Times of the Gentiles.
He is lord of lords and king of kings – This especially refers to 1914 when the Fourth Universal Empire (Rome) is finally "overturned" and the crown is given "to him whose right it is." At that time, while the 10 kings are still there and our Lord is now the true reigning king, He becomes, in a much more practical way, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
With him – Since 1878.
Called, and chosen, and faithful – Those who not only have heard and answered the call to the high calling, have become the chosen by running the race [the word chosen is the same as elect in 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 Pet. 2:6], but have also proved faithful. This does not say that all the 144,000 are with Him in glory at that time, even though all are considered to be "with Him" from 1881 forward. |
| 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. |
He – The angel, messenger, Pastor Russell.
Saith unto me – The John class, the church in the flesh during the time of our Lord's second presence.
The waters which thou sawest – Referring back to verse 1.
Where the whore sitteth – This reminds us that the woman is sitting on the waters and is also sitting on the beast. This makes a relationship between the waters and the beast. The beast is the fourth universal empire, the Roman Empire. The waters (people, multitudes etc.) make up this empire.
Peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues – A good description of Christendom.
The Woman is described here (and in vs 1) as sitting on the waters. In vs 5 she is described as sitting on the beast. There is a relationship. |
| 16 And 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. |
The ten horns – The ten kings of Europe.
Which thou sawest – The same ones referred to in vss. 3,7,12.
Upon the beast – The civil power of the Roman Empire (fourth univeral empire).
Shall hate the whore – They hate the fact that the Church of Rome had ruled over them during the 1260 years.
Shall make her desolate and naked – Which they did, from the time of Napoleon up to the removal of the last of her temporal power by the Victor Emmanuel government in 1870.
Shall eat her flesh – The removal of all her temporal authority.
Burn her with fire – This was accomplished as a result of The Great War parts I and II. |
| 17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. |
God hath put into their hearts to fulfill His will – Similar in concept to the Lord's Great Army. This army (Joel 2:2-11) is driven to destroy the old order of society because (even though they themselves are not aware of this) they see that society could be so much better, it should be as the Garden of Eden. In their mad scramble to acheive that state they wind up destroying organized society. It is God's will that the old order of society be destroyed.
The same concept applies here to the ten horns (kings). Their desire is to continue and even to expand their power, but in this mad scramble to develop more and more power weapons of war, to flex their military muscle and parade their power, they set themselves on a course which led them inexorably to World War I and to their own demise.
And to agree – This they did during the 19th century, especially when they went along with the Evangalical Alliance of 1846.
And give their kingdom unto the beast – Christendom NOT under the control of the Church of Rome.
Until the words of God should be fulfilled – Until 1914 when the Gentile Times ended and the new King (Christ) took over. |
| 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. |
The woman – The Church of Rome, including its hierarchy.
Which thou sawest – In vs. 3 when the angel took the John class into the wilderness, during the 1260 years.
Is that great city – Christendom under the control of the Church of Rome.
Which reigneth over the kings of the earth – Primarily in Europe. This is not saying that the woman is reigning over the kings of the earth for the entire period of the 17th chapter.
The Wilson's Diaglott rendering of this phrase is "Having kingship over the kings of the earth." This would seem to give good support to the explanation given in verse 12 concerning the 10 kings which had not yet received a kingdom. |