Revelation

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Revelation 17 – Skeptic's Annotated Bible answered

A response and reply to the notes on Revelation 17 in the Skeptic's Annotated Bible (SAB).

King James Version

SAB comment

My comment

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 shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

(17:1-7) "The great whore that sitteth upon many waters"
The great whore has "committed fornication" with all the kings on earth. Everyone else is "drunk with the wine of her fornication." She sits on a scarlet colored beast with the usual 7 heads and 10 horns. She carries a cup full of the "filthiness of her abominations" and has a big sign on her forehead saying: "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth." You'll know her when you see her.
BOM: 1 Nephi 14:11

This is the sixth scene and it describes the fall of the allies of the dragon, the harlot and of the beasts, all introduced in previous scene. The fall of the dragon himself is in the last scene.
When John asks what this woman symbolises, he is answered that it is the great city which reigned over the kings of this earth, see verse 18. In my opinion this whore indicates every kind of false religion. Tyrannical rulers have been ruled and influenced by and sought this whore. Note that false religion can come under many disguises, for example it can come under the guise of science, falsely so called. The ‘science’ of evolution has guided many in our days for example.

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.

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.

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:

5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

(17:5) "The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth."
BOM: 1 Nephi 14:10

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 wondered with great admiration.

(17:6) "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs."

The reason why she is punished is because she is drunken with the blood of the saints. Why this is foul language according to the author of the SAB I do not understand.
Why this is woman unfriendly I do not understand either. Yes, a woman symbolises here the opposition to God, but a woman is also used as a symbol of the Church of God. Why doesn't the author of the SAB not call the latter woman-friendly?

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.

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.

(17:8) "The beast that was, and is not, and yet is."
The Watchtower says that "the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" referred to in this verse is the United Nations. It was the League of Nations which disappeared, only to once again rise as the UN. (See Pay Attention to Daniel's Prophecy, p. 269)

The Watchtower is in the habit of perverting Scripture for their own purposes. They may defend themselves.
The beast that was, and is not, and yet is, are earthly governments: they come and go. In the form of a beast they are persecuting tyrannical governments, not protecting their citizens and unborn, but killing them and allowing them to be killed.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

(17:9-13) "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth..."
This ia a mind on acid.

The greatest false religion is the Roman Catholic Church. She has over 1 billion followers, and she truly has been drunken with the blood of the saints. She sits on the seven hills of Rome.

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.

11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

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.

13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

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.

(17:14) "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for ... they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
Christians will fight in the war between Jesus and those allied with the beast.

It's not the Christians who will make war as the author of the SAB asserts, it's the harlot and the beasts who will make war! And they will make war with Christ. This does not describe some future physical war, but it describes history and present: their is currently a war going on, a war between the vainglory and desires and religions of this world against Christ.

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

(17:15) "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

Waters in Revelations, and elsewhere in the Bible, are often symbols of multitudes of people, so they should not be taken literally as the author of the SAB sometimes does.

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.

(17:16-17) "They shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire."
(Are they going to eat her first and then burn her?)

The they in this verse are the horns, not Christians as the author of the SAB seems to think. Horns don't eat obviously, so this is obviously symbolic. The horns are earthly governments, see verse 12, the whore is false religion, in particular the Roman Catholic Church. This appears to be a description of a time when worldly powers will rise up against the Roman Catholic Church and reject her.

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.

18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.