DECEMBER26|REVE LATION 17:1-18One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Comewith me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. 2The kings of the world have committed adultery with her,and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.”3So the angel took me in the Spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarletbeast that had seven heads and ten horns, and blasphemies against God were written all over it.4The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and preciousgems and pearls. In her hand she held a gold goblet full of obscenities and the impurities of herimmorality. 5A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the Great, Mother ofAll Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.” 6I could see that she was drunk—drunk with theblood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.7“Why are you so amazed?” the angel asked. “I will tell you the mystery of this woman and ofthe beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits. 8The beast you saw was once alivebut isn’t now. And yet he will soon come up out of the bottomless pit and go to eternal destruction. And the people who belong to this world, whose names were not written in the Book ofLife before the world was made, will be amazed at the reappearance of this beast who had died.9“This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the sevenhills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings. 10Five kings have already fallen,the sixth now reigns, and the seventh is yet to come, but his reign will be brief.11“The scarlet beast that was, but is no longer, is the eighth king. He is like the other seven, andhe, too, is headed for destruction. 12The ten horns of the beast are ten kings who have not yetrisen to power. They will be appointed to their kingdoms for one brief moment to reign withthe beast. 13They will all agree to give him their power and authority. 14Together they will go towar against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King ofall kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”15Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent massesof people of every nation and language. 16The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate theprostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. 17For Godhas put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to givetheir authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled. 18And this womanyou saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”381
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