In the previous chapters you were exposed to the true identity of the 4th and 5th kingdoms of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.  This chapter largely deals with those same two kingdoms; the Ottoman Empire which suffered the wound to the head, and the revived Babylonian Empire whose king is cast out of the grave like an abominable branch.

In Revelation 13 the identity of the Beast with 7 heads, 10 horns and 10 crowns was revealed as well as the identity of the Beast that came up out of the earth.  In this chapter we once again run into a beast with 7 heads, but this beast is different than the beast we saw in Revelation 13.  The beast of Revelation 13 had 10 horns and 10 crowns, and the beast in this chapter appears to be exactly the same if you are not paying close attention.  However, upon taking a closer look at this beast you will notice the crowns are missing.

You will also be introduced to a mystery woman whose identity will both add to and further confirm what you have learned in previous chapters.  This woman is also connected to the 8th and final kingdom that will appear just before our Lord’s return.  At the time of this writing, this last kingdom has already appeared, but its leader was forced to give up his domain just as the King of ancient  Babylon. This kingdom appeared when and where the Bible said it would; it endured the same amount of time our Lord told us it would, and its destruction occurred in the very same way our Lord informed us it would.

It should also be noted that in this chapter we are given a riddle.  The solution you already know, but the riddle itself gives a complete picture of all the beasts that ruled the land that God promised to the seed of Abraham.

Revelation 17:1 (KJV)

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:

This chapter begins with one of the angels that had the seven vials asking John to come near and see the the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.  Since this angel has already received one of the seven golden vials which is filled with the wrath of God, the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters takes place between Revelation chapters 15 and 16.  The golden vials full of the wrath of God are passed out at the end of chapter 15, and the angels pour them out in chapter 16.

This chapter is filled with metaphors, so in order to understand this verse we are going to need to know just what is meant by:

  1. “Woman”
  2. “Great Whore”
  3. “Sitteth upon”
  4. “Many waters”

WOMAN

Although the word woman is not used in this verse, it is included here in order to better define a whore.  We must first understand what a woman signifies in the word of God before we can define what a whore is.  It is the metaphor of the great whore that tells us what kind of woman we are dealing with in this verse.

GREAT WHORE

All through the Bible God uses the analogy of a bride and groom when speaking of those that He loves and those that love Him.  Those that love Him and keep His commandments are His bride and He is their groom.  They love and trust him just as a bride loves and trusts her husband.  From what we have learned in our study of the Bible it may seem like just an analogy to many, but with God it’s much more than that, it’s an actuality.

To further clarify this analogy, let’s say you are worshiping or have another god other than the one true God.  In God’s eye you are committing adultery.  God want’s and deserves our love and our praises for everything He has done and is going to do for us, but if we are giving the love and praises that rightfully belong to God to another, in God’s eyes we are committing adultery.  This is the same thing that happens when a man that is married commits adultery with another woman by giving her all the praise and love that rightfully belongs to the wife who has loved, cared, and provided for him.  God takes this analogy quite seriously; in fact He took it so seriously that when Israel turned her back on Him, He actually divorced her.

Jeremiah 3:8(a) (KJV)

And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce;

In God’s sight, this would make anyone that worships a false god of a false religion or gives their love and praises that rightfully belong to Him to someone else a whore.  Since this is a great whore it must be a false god or religion that has deceived a great many into committing adultery; so this great whore (false god) is guilty of taking a lot of the love and praises that rightfully belong to God.

Since we are looking for a great whore there really can only be one answer to this, and that would be the false religion of Islam.   Islam is the 2nd largest religion in the world.  This finding is totally consistent with everything else we have learned so far.  It is now a world-wide religion with followers located in almost every country of the world.  Muslims do not worship the one true God, the Holy One of Israel.

SITTETH UPON

The only clue we are given in this verse thus far is that this great whore is sitting upon many waters. After reviewing the original Greek words for sitteth upon, the best definition one could come up with would be resides over.  Resides over singles out Islam better than any other religion in the world today because Islam is religion, language, customs and law all rolled into one.  Islam both resides and rules over every aspect of its member’s existence.  Just as the weight of a woman who is seated on a man’s shoulders with her legs tightly wrapped around his neck.

MANY WATERS

Here again as in all metaphors God uses in His Word, we need to know what many waters the angel is referring to.  Waters in the Bible is a symbol used in many different ways so you must first consider the context in which it is used.  All throughout the Bible and especially in Bible Prophecy it is used as a metaphor for people or populations.  In this case the many waters would be many people.  Later on in verse 15 of this same chapter the angel tells John that the waters he saw “are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”  This is verifying great whore to be a false god or religion that is comprised of many different people from many different ethnic backgrounds and nations that speak many different languages.  In other words it’s a very large worldwide false religion.

Note: They speak many different languages, but Allah can only be worshiped in Arabic.  At the time of the first Babylon God split up mankind and gave him many different languages.  It is only natural that Satan would try to undo what God has done by requiring his worship be carried out in only one language.  This just adds to the proof as to the true identity of the REAL antichrist of the end time’s prophecy.

Please keep in mind as we go through this chapter that the main subject of verse one is the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.  This chapter reveals the identity of this great whore and the very first verse of this chapter verifies there will be a separate judgment for those that take on the mark of this beast.

Revelation 17:2 (KJV)

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.

“With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication”  If you have read your Bible you know that it primarily deals with the land area we call the Middle East or what is also referred to as the area of the Levant. Yes, there are places such as Rome, Spain, Ethiopia, and a few others mentioned a few times, but one has to admit that it overwhelmingly concerns the Middle East and the place where our Lord chose to place His name.  From the interpretation of the previous verse we know the false god or religion (woman, whore) that resides over or is practiced by many people, (many waters) is Islam.  Verse 2 tells us the kings of the earth (Middle East) have committed fornication with her (great whore or false religion) and the inhabitants (people under the kings) have been made drunk with the “wine” of her fornication.  Simply stated, the Kings of this area are all Muslim and therefore they have committed fornication by giving glory and love to a false god that does not deserve it.  It is conceivable that the kings of the earth could be interpreted as the leaders of this world since the overwhelming majority, if not all the world leaders, do not give our Lord the love and praises He deserves; and almost all of them have welcomed Islam into their countries.  However, the next phrase of this verse helps to clarify this.

“And the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk” One could not find an analogy that fits better than the analogy our Lord is using to describe Islam in this verse.  As you probably know, it takes a lot of wine to make someone drunk, especially when you take into consideration that the alcoholic content in the wine of that day was even lower.  Since this verse states that the inhabitants were made drunk with this wine, it’s saying this wine was literally forced down their throats.  It definitely was not ingested of their own free will.  This would make the wine spoken of here the false teachings or false doctrines of this false religion called Islam.  As most people are aware, one of two things usually happen when people become intoxicated.  First, the most common thing that happens to intoxicated people is the lowering of their inhibitions causing them to do things they normally would or should not do.   Secondly, there are those that become violent and do terrible things to others, going as far as rape and murder.

“With the wine of her fornication” In the Bible wine is a metaphor for doctrine or teaching.  It is this wine (false teaching) of Islam that has been forced upon the multitudes of the Middle-East.  Most of those that have had the wine of Islam forced upon them have lost their inhibitions and are doing things they should not do.  This verse when read as a whole is saying it is the doctrines of Islam that causes Muslims to behave in the terrible ways that they do.  As was mentioned earlier, the teachings or doctrine of Islam is totally opposite the teachings of Christ.  Lying, rape murder, theft, fornication, can all be justified in Islam, but they are all sins according to the Word of God.

The others that have had the false doctrine (wine) of Islam forced down their throats are the ones that are currently trying to force it down the throats of others.  You should easily be able to recognize these people as the jihadist’s of today.  These are the violent people that are drunk with the false teaching (wine) of the Quran and are out killing and raping innocent people.  They do this because these wise and innocent people will not swallow this bad wine (false teaching) that Islam is trying to force down their throats.

What we have here is a textbook description of how Islam was spread throughout the Middle East and how it continues to be spread today.  When Mohamed began spreading his false religion, he did it with the power of the sword.  He conquered the tribes of Saudi Arabia and forced their leaders to pledge allegiance to him and his new false god.  The leaders agreed and their subjects in turn were forced to accept these new teachings of this new god or become a slave or die.   After Arabia was conquered the Islamic forces went out conquering other lands for Allah; forcing the inhabitants of those lands to drink the wine of Islam or die.  Islam requires you to speak and worship Allah in Arabic and live under Sharia law.  Islam was forced on its followers with the sword and its followers remain under that same threat of the sword should they ever choose to leave Islam.  Can you name another religion that practices these doctrines such as these? 

Revelation 17:3 (KJV)

So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

The angel now carries John away (in the spirit) to the wilderness.  The wilderness in the Bible is a little different than how Westerners picture it.  It is not an unexplored area with lots of trees and mountains and river creeks good for camping trips.  It refers to a dry, warm area that is probably closer to our term desert, except there can be rocks along with the sand; it is an uncultivated land with very few inhabitants.  The actual Greek word being used here is “ereamos” meaning a land or region that is desolate as in desert or wilderness.

“And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast” It is here that John first sees this woman that is the great whore sitting upon a scarlet colored beast.  As we stated earlier the woman represents a false religion, and since she is sitting upon the beast, she is the one that is in total control of this beast, meaning we are looking at the woman (false religion) that is currently in control of this beast.  That the beast is scarlet in color would suggest there has been much blood shed either in or by this kingdom.  This information is important because there is only one religion in the world today that is known for the amount of blood it has shed, and it is the same religion where religion and government are one and the same.  It is the religion called Islam.  No other group in history, political or religious, is responsible for the death of so many people.  Only in Islam does the religion control every aspect of one’s life, controlling the government, (Sharia Law) as well as your personal life.  This fact is spelled out in verse 2 where we see that both the kings (government) and the inhabitants (many waters) have committed fornication with her. (Given Islam the love and praise that only the Holy One of Israel deserves)

In verse 1 the great whore (woman) was sitting upon many waters: (people) and in verse 3 this woman (great whore) is sitting on a scarlet colored beast. (Region or land she governs that has shed much blood.)

Since a beast is a man, group of men, or a kingdom (empire) without the love of God in their heart, this has to be speaking to one of the three. Since these verses mention king’s in the plural and many waters, it has to be referring to an empire or kingdom that is known for its idolatry and false god or gods.  The having seven heads means this beast is the seventh of 7 different kingdoms.  If it were not, it could not be said to have seven heads.

As was explained previously the horns refer to strength as in a leader or person with power.   The fact that this beast has many heads (kingdoms) tells us we are looking at an area of land over a broad amount of time, as you can’t have seven different kingdoms ruling the same land mass at the same time.

This beast being scarlet colored implies it is a beast that has seen much bloodshed or death. This is further verification that the woman here represents false religion.  The false religion implied here does not necessarily mean Islam only.  While it is true that Islam is responsible for more death (physical and spiritual) than any other entity in human history, it does not mean that the other previous 6 beasts were not guilty of the same thing.  Remember, the land area being considered here is responsible for the creation and worship of many, many false gods.  Don’t forget that Babylon is known for its false religions and don’t forget there was a King of Babylon named Nebuchadnezzar that built a golden image of himself and killed anyone that would not bow to it.

There is another plausible connection here and it is in connection with scarlet colored. Scarlet is red and the Hebrew word for red is “Edom” which is derived from the name Esau.  Esau was the brother of Jacob. (Israel) He married 2 Canaanite women.  He became the father of many of the mixed peoples which by all account are Arabs (mixed) which today are predominantly Muslims.

“Having seven heads and ten horns” In Revelation 13:1 we saw a similar beast, but there is something different about this beast that sets this beast apart from the previous beast.  The beast of Revelation 13 had 10 horns and 10 crowns, or as it is worded “and upon his horns ten crowns.”  As explained previously, a crown is a further description of the horn, meaning the horn (leader) can only be a king, a dictator, or someone who has the absolute final say in any matter; as opposed to another leader that is subject to other powers in government.  The fact that the crowns are missing from these horns tells us the ten horns on the beast of Revelation 17:3 have undergone some sort of change since we were first introduced to them in Revelation 13.  It suggests this beast is now subject to another authority, which means this beast has been united under one entity that now has total control.  Remember, it is a woman riding this beast, which tells  us something has changed within this religion that is in charge of this beast.  This is telling us the wound to the head of this 7th head of beast has been healed.  A Caliph is now in charge.  The crowns have been eliminated and what were once crowns have been downgraded to horns.  According to Islamic law the Khalifa is a position of absolute power, because the Khalifa is the “substitute for Allah on Earth.”  This means the heads of these Islamic states no longer rule with the power they once did.  Once a Khalifa has been appointed, by Islamic law the previous kings (crowns) are now subject to the authority of the Khalifa.  This causes the ten crowns to disappear.

The diagrams to the upper right show the Beasts of Revelation 13:1 in chronological order.  The seven heads represent the seven kingdoms / mountains.  The Horns represent the leaders of the kingdoms that at one time controlled this geographical area, and the Crowns tell us that all these leaders had complete power over these kingdoms.  They had the final say in any matter.   As revealed in the previous chapter, the Greek Empire is given four horns because Alexander the Great died very early in life and his Kingdom was split into four kingdoms, just as the Bible predicted in Daniel 8:8.

The beast of Revelation 17:3 reveals who, and what land area and what period of time we are looking at.  It does this by using the heads, the horns, and the crowns.  Remember you were told that a beast in the Bible is a person, group of people or even a very large group of people that do not have the love of God in them.  Since a beast can be a very large group of people it can also be a Mountain, which is a Middle-Eastern metaphor for Kingdom or Empire.  You also know that a horn is symbolic of a leader, and if a Crown is present it tells us this leader is a king which has final say in most any matter.  However, there is one other very important piece of information needed that was revealed to you previously, and that information is a real game changer.  Because all the heads on this beast controlled areas that are now Islamic, you must take into consideration what you know about the highest ruler in Islam, the Khalifa.  The Khalifa is the substitute for Allah on Earth; which to a Muslim makes him Allah (god) in the flesh.  He is above ALL and all Muslims must pledge allegiance to him.  This means any ruler that may have been a king before the Khalifa took control, is no longer a king and would necessarily lose his crown when the Khalifa began his reign.

Since both these beasts have seven heads we know we are looking at the area of the Ottoman Empire because the Ottoman / Islamic Empire is the 7th and last head.  (If it only had 6 heads we would be looking at the Roman Empire.)  Since the crowns was present on the Beast of Revelation 13, it is the Ottoman / Islamic Empire after March 8th 1924 when the position of Khalifa was abolished.  The Beast of Revelation 17:3 has lost the crowns meaning it has suffered a “wound to the head.”   Just because this beast suffered a wound to the head does not mean that it was killed.  This whole area is still Islamic meaning Arabic is spoken, the customs are Islamic and the law is still Sharia; and most importantly the god is still Allah.

Being this beast is full of names of blasphemy means this beast did not and does not give God the love and praise and credit He deserves.  Names is plural indicating that this beast is truly “anti” Christ and stands for all things that go against Christ.  If you look at the domain of this beast it becomes apparent this beast has a long history of false gods and false teachings which makes it full of names of blasphemy to God.  This is the home of the 1st Babylon where the people sought to make a name for themselves as well as the 2nd Babylon which had a king that made himself out to be a God to be worshiped.  This area is also home to the 3rd and last Babylon whose identity is being unveiled.  The statement full of names of blasphemy could also indicate that God’s patience has reached its limit with this beast and at this point His judgment of this beast is not very far off.

Revelation 17:4 (KJV)

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, 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 the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color” This verse gives further details and clues as to the identity of this woman (great whore) that is in charge of this beast kingdom.  Purple is considered the color of royalty and the color of the robes that royalty wore.  Scarlet again would indicate there is much blood shed in and by this kingdom.

“Decked with gold and precious stones and pearls” The fact that she is decked with gold and precious stones and pearls shows the pride and high regard she has for herself.  Her worldly wealth is very great and she makes sure the rest of the world knows it.  This describes Islam itself as well as being very descriptive of the outcome of Islamic teachings.

Islam believes itself superior to all other religions in a way the Holy One of Israel despises.  They are full of pride and are taught to look down on those that are not Muslim.  In Islam, if you are not a Muslim you have no standing, meaning it is open season on you.  Muslims believe they are superior to all others.  There is one set of rules for them, and a very different set of rules for infidels.  Stealing from another Muslim is forbidden but stealing from an infidel is not stealing.   If a Muslim lies to you, it is not a sin.  If a Muslim kills you, it is not murder.  Non-Muslims are considered infidels and therefore are placed in a lower class which is below that of a Muslim.

Muslims place a very high value on worldly things.  They love jewelry, gold, women, power, and all the other things that men lust after, which is contrary to Biblical teaching.  So it is with the rest of Sharia Law.  According to Islamic law even an Islamic woman is considered to be half the value of a man.

“Having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” is further verification of what we just mentioned.  Everything about Islam is antichrist.  There is not one of God’s Ten Commandments that Islam adheres to.  Romans 12:18 tells us that as much as possible, we are to live peaceably with all men.  Islam on the other hand, has spent the last 1400 years trying to conquer and destroy all men and anything else that does not fit in with the Islamic religion.  The Word of God teaches us to be humble and meek while Islam teaches they are superior to everyone else.  Our Lord taught us to love our enemies and to pray for them while Muslims are taught to hate their enemies and to kill them if they will not accept the teachings of Allah.  After the killing of their enemy Muslims celebrate the death of their enemy by passing out candies and cupcakes and dancing in the streets.  In Islam, Muslim men are allowed 4 wives, and any servant woman that might be serving them is also considered fair game.  Thus they live in a constant state of adultery in both the physical and spiritual sense of the word.  Again, the cup being full is an indication that God’s patience is about to expire and judgment is very near.   The teachings and practices listed here fit Islam perfectly, just as the rest of end times Bible prophecy does.

Revelation 17:5 (KJV)

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

These are further clues which will allow us to seal the deal as to who this woman is, the great whore that is about to receive judgment from God.

“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY” The original Greek word used here is “mystērion” and it means “to shut the mouth.”  According to the Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Bible Commentary it “implies a spiritual fact heretofore hidden, and incapable of discovery by mere reason, but now revealed.”  Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words states that it means “primarily that which is known to the initiated.” (from myeō, “to initiate into the mysteries;”)  Here again is a very accurate description of Islam.  Islam is a religion that non Islamic people know next to nothing about; and the little they think they know is very far from the truth.  Islam is very secretive.  Most Muslims are born or forced into Islam, but those that are converts have no idea what they are getting into until after the fact.  Muslims will quote the Quran to combat any negative accusations made against Islam, but what they won’t tell you is the real meaning of the verse as is found in the Hadith, a book that explains how the verses in the Quran are to be interpreted.  Many of these interpretations are quite different than the interpretation one would make by just taking the Quran verse at face value.

To become a Muslim one must simply state the Shahada: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohamed is his messenger.”  If people understood Islam and really understood who Allah is, they would be doing everything within their power to stop it.  However this does not happen for a number of reasons.

  1. People are lazy, the overwhelming majority of people will not research anything, even if some Islamic terrorist just killed a relative or blew up the building next door. They will not lift a finger to find out what drove this individual or group to do it. They will just take the word of some newscaster or what somebody tells them.
  2. The Word of God tells us you cannot serve two masters. So if you are not serving God, you are serving Satan.  So in reality, the overwhelming majority of this world is serving Satan, who the Word of God tells us is Allah.  This should tell you that most of the world is going to side with Islam because they both serve the same master.  They would rather make excuses for the Muslim population, then to look for the truth because of what they may find.
  3. The world has almost totally ignored the knowledge, wisdom and prophecy our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has provided us; hence Islam is making large gains everywhere.  There is seldom a discussion or searching out of scripture for the meanings of Bible prophecy in our churches.  Sadly, the subject seldom ever comes up except when the Minister or Pastor stands up and tells us what he was taught in Bible seminary.  This is a good part of the reason why we have almost no understanding of the Book of Revelation, and why we are not able to discern like we should the events that are happening now.
  4. The few that do research Bible Prophecy have totally misinterpreted it.  One of the reasons for this is because they harbor so many false pretenses. Instead of going back and starting at square one with their research, they accept certain assumptions that take them down the wrong road.  Accepting things like Rome is the 4th empire of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, therefore the Pope must be the antichrist or man of sin.  If they would lose some of these assumptions and do some deep digging, they would see that all end time’s prophecy points to Islam as being the antichrist.

“BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH:” There are multiple meanings that can be drawn from this phrase, and each of them will hold up under further examination.

  1. Remember the first Babylon where they thought they would build a stairway to the heavens and make a great name for themselves?  The Middle Eastern land area east of the Euphrates River was once known as Babylon.  It has been the birthplace to many of the major false religions of the Bible.  Since the word mother is connected with giving birth one could consider this area called Babylon the Mother of Harlots, meaning mother of false religion.  The second Babylon was also the hub of false religion, but when the Persians and Medes invaded Babylon the Babylonian priests escaped and moved their religion and false gods to the city of Pergamos in Turkey.  The word Pergamos means married to the tower as in the Tower of Babel.  This is why Christ mentions in Revelation 2:13 to the church in Pergamos “where Satan’s seat is” and “where Satan dwelleth.” However, we are dealing with a third and newer false religion that covers the same area as the old Babylonian domain; where the religion is Islam.
  2. During the Iraq war, Americans and the rest of the world were continually bombarded with Saddam Hussein saying mother of all battles or mother of all wars.  Everything was mother of this and mother of that.  We learned that in Middle East speak this is like saying the greatest of all battles or the greatest of all wars. If we take and apply this to verse 5 it would say “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE GREATEST OF ALL HARLOTS AND GREATEST OF ALL ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” The total number of followers of Islam over the centuries is somewhere in the billions, as there are around 2 billion in the world today.  This makes Islam the greatest whore of all time; meaning mother of all harlots and mother of all abominations.

However, this is not just about a religion; it is also about a region or land mass that this woman rules.  MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT is the place this chapter is all about, and it’s the identity of this place we must unlock to help us understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Because we have been speaking so much about Islam, one might conclude that this passage refers to Saudi Arabia because one could make the point that Islam was born in Saudi Arabia making it the Mother of Islam.  However, this cannot be for a number of reasons.

  1. If you pay close attention to how the verse is worded, it says “MOTHER OF HARLOTS.”  The word HARLOTS is in the plural, meaning we are not speaking of just one religion when it comes to identifying who this beast is.
  2. The Bible reads “MOTHER OF ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  ABOMINATIONS is what god called the altars or buildings built on top of hills where pagans worshiped their false gods. The word ABOMINATIONS is in the plural and Saudi Arabia is totally associated with Islam.  While it is true that during the time of Mohamed Saudi Arabia had a different god for every day of the year; Muslims will differ with you and tell you that Islam has always been.
  3. This portion of scripture is dealing with beast kingdoms.  Once again, Babylon was known as the creator or “mother” of the false religions in the Bible.  Saudi Arabia belongs to the land mass which makes up the beast which has seven heads in verse 3. Saudi Arabia is actually part of the Kingdom of Babylon.

Revelation 17:6 (KJV)

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.

“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints” Hopefully this is starting to make sense to you.  We are still dealing with the same woman (false religion) here, but she is riding a slightly different beast than the beast that was mentioned in Revelation 13:1.  All the previous descriptions still apply, but now this beast has taken on a scarlet color and the woman riding the scarlet beast is drunken with the blood of the saints; meaning she is killing God’s people in great numbers.  This is not just random killing as this verse mentions the martyrs of Jesus.  This infers that these people are being killed because of their refusal to convert to Islam and because they refuse to deny Jesus Christ is the Son of God, their personal savior.  It also infers that this woman in charge of the beast will not tolerate the existence and worship of any other god.  This is also a characteristic which can be seen in any person, group, political movement, or religion that is evil.  They will not tolerate any opinion or belief that differs with theirs.  This is also extremely evident in Islam where they hate to the point of killing their own when they disagree. (Example: Sunni vs. Shiite)

This verse also allows us to better pinpoint the identity of this woman because it mentions Jesus which drastically narrows down the timeline in which we need to look. Because it names Jesus we know it can only be speaking of a kingdom that was in existence since the time of Jesus Christ.  This eliminates the first five kingdoms and leaves us with the Roman Beast, the Ottoman (Muslim) Beast, and this Mystery or 8th Beast.  It cannot be the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire was not drunken with the blood of the saints.  Yes, Rome was definitely guilty of persecuting the saints and even killing some of them; but Christianity was made the official religion of Rome under Emperor Constantine, so there is no comparison when compared to the acts to which Islam is guilty.

With Rome eliminated, it can only be the Ottoman / Islamic Empire or the Mystery or 8th Beast.  And it makes little difference which one it is because they both were married to the same woman.  There is no need to tell you there is only one woman (religion) on this planet that is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.  In fact the blood of the saints was being shed in large quantities in the Middle East less than two years ago.  It was occurring in the exact same area as the first two Babylon’s; but the world pretty much ignored it.  We’re now speaking of a third Babylon (8th Beast) which is Islamic, and was controlled by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the head of ISIS, the Man of Sin, and last Khalifa of Islam.

“And when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration” When John said he “saw her,” and “wondered with great admiration” it is not that he admired this woman that was drunken with the blood of the saints, but rather he was astonished, as the whole world should have been (but was not) at all of Christ’s saints being crucified and killed in the most horrific ways in this part of the world.

Revelation 17:7 (KJV)

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. 

Now the angel is going to tell John (us) how to solve the mystery of the woman (false religion) and the beast (group of ungodly people) she is riding (in control of) that has the seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:8 (KJV)

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 beast that thou sawest was, and is not” The beast (kingdom or empire) that John saw was, and is not.  This kingdom existed but now it does not so it has to be one of the first 5 beast empires that existed before John was given this vision.  And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit sounds a lot like what we find in Isaiah 14 and Revelation 11.  So let’s search the scriptures and find where it speaks of a beast that shall ascend out of the bottomless pit.

Isaiah 14:15 (KJV)  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

(This speaks of the King of Babylon whose domain would naturally be called Babylon which is one of the first 5 kingdoms or mountains)

Isaiah 14:15 tells us it is the King of Babylon that will be brought down to Hell, (The bottomless pit) but only to the sides of the pit.  Why would he only be brought down to the sides of the pit?  This is a clear indication that he is going to escape back out of the pit at some point in the future.  We know this to be absolutely correct because we only have to read down to verse 19 to find the information that details his escape from the pit.

Isaiah 14:19A (KJV)  

But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch,

This passage of Scripture reveals to us in plain words the identity of the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit.  He will be cast out of the grave like an abominable branch. The Bible uses names of trees as metaphors for nations so if the King of Babylon is like an abominable branch it means this new King of Babylon will be a detestable offshoot or branch of the people that make up Babylon’s tree.  According to Webster’s 1913 Dictionary’s definition of “abominable” means; odious to the utmost degree; very hateful; detestable; loathsome; execrable.  Since the tree Babylon already has had two previous versions that were unsavory to our Lord, this third one must really be odious to the utmost degree.

In this portion of scripture there are descriptions of the religion and king (Khalifa) that resided in Babylon until October of 2017.  Islam is the religion; the woman that rides the beast that was, and is not, of Revelation 17.  ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq & Syria is the return of the Babylonian King that was cast out of the pit.  It does not fit the false picture of greatness that we have built in our minds, but it does fit every description our Lord has given us in His Word.  Daniel refers to the antichrist and Satan in the flesh as a little horn, which does not exactly bring on visions of grandeur.  However, it would tend to indicate the leader of a small group or area, but most of Christendom is looking for a great ruler that will rise to power out of the European Union.  He will sign a peace deal with Israel and after 3½ years he will break the treaty.  Nothing (or almost nothing) could be further from the truth!

Revelation 11:7 (KJV)

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

This verse ties it all together.  And when they shall have finished their testimony tells us this is speaking about His saints.  The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit we have connected to the King of Babylon meaning the Babylonian Kingdom which is the 8th Beast which shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.  This describes exactly what we saw with the formation of ISIS and all the ruthless and senseless killings they committed.  

“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.  This is already a fulfilled prophecy as the whole world wondered when this beast (ISIS) came into being.  This new Babylon was kept secret by the press and world leaders until it controlled large portions of Syria and Iraq.  Obama called them the “JV Team;” meaning they were of no real threat.  That was until they started cutting off heads on you-tube and carrying out terrorist attacks in countries all over the world.

Notice that it is only they that dwell on the earth and those whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world that wondered.  Those that are saved are not said to dwell on the earth.  The word dwell used here means “to house permanently.”  This is also suggesting that if your name is written in the book of life you should know this because our Lord warned us about all these things to come two millenniums ago.  He then warned us to watch so we would be aware of these things as soon as they begin to occur.  If you know what to look for there is nothing to wonder about when you see them occur.  As you can see from the information He provided us, He is extremely accurate.

Revelation 17:9 (KJV)

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

“And here is the mind which hath wisdom.”  If you fear God and are a disciple of Jesus Christ who studies His Word (hears His voice) you have the wisdom to understand this.

“The seven heads are seven mountains, (kingdoms) on which the woman sitteth.”  In Middle East speak a mountain is a kingdom, just as a horn is a leader.  These two analogies are mentioned many places in the Bible and their meanings have not changed since ancient Biblical times.  Since we know they are kingdoms, we know you can’t have seven different kingdoms controlling the same area at the same time, this must be speaking of seven kingdoms that have controlled portions of the same area over an extended period of time.  Thus, this seventh kingdom is ruling all or a significant portion of land that was ruled by the previous six kingdoms because the woman is sitting on them. (In control of them)  With that being the case this woman (false religion) must be the controlling force behind this seventh kingdom.  As you saw in our previous diagram the seventh kingdom (7th head) is the Ottoman (Muslim) Empire, which means the Islamic religion was the controlling force of the empire. (Woman riding the beast) The people, leaders, laws, and the religion are all Islamic.

Revelation 17:10 (KJV)

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.

“And there are seven kings” This states there are seven kings; so there can only be one king for each mountain.  Instead of crediting the Greek empire with 4 horns and crowns, for this riddle we will only count the Greek kingdom as having one king.

“Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come;” The first five of these kingdoms are fallen and non-existent at the time John was given Revelation.  The one which “is,” is the Roman Empire, which was in power all during John’s lifetime.  5 + 1 = 6 empires which means there is still one empire yet to come.

“And when he cometh, he must continue a short space.” This phrase is not saying that the length of time the 7th kingdom will be in power will only be a short time; but rather it’s saying it will only be a short space of time after the 6th kingdom goes away that the 7th kingdom will come into being.  By our historical recordings the Ottoman Empire is given the dates of 1299 A.D. to 1924 A.D.

NOTE: Islam started conquering the world in 634 A.D. when the first Caliph, who also took the name of “Abu Bakr,” attacked Syria which was part of the Byzantine Empire.  They continued to expand rapidly until they met their first real setback at the Battle of Tours in France in October of 732 A.D.  Because of the size of the Empire they had several kings or Caliphates until they were united under one king in 1299 A.D. under the Ottoman Empire.  This is why this book references it as the Ottoman / Islamic Empire.  It really is one beast that dates back to 634 A.D.  It also seems clear that just because this beast suffered a wound to the head, back in 1924, this beast has never gone away.  It lost its Khalifa and the territory under his control, but it is still the same woman that controls it because almost all the populations the Muslims have conquered have remained Muslim.

Revelation 17:11 (KJV)

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

“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,” Because this beast was and is not, it means we are being directed to one of the first five beasts kingdoms.  One of these first five beast kingdoms will be the eighth, the mystery empire.”  We were told that 5 are fallen which means it cannot be the 6th or 7th kingdom.  However, the description does not end there because it says he is of the seven. The word of here is very important because it could be interpreted to mean this eighth kingdom is one of the seven kingdoms or could be interpreted as saying the eighth kingdom is part of the 7th kingdom.  Both of these possibilities are true, but it most likely is geared to this being part of the 7th kingdom, because it narrowed down the possibilities to only being 5 with the phrase “the beast that was, and is not.”

This means that even though this beast is said to be the eighth, he is still not counted as an additional kingdom, (Beast, Head) because this beast is the reincarnation of the Babylonian Empire.  Because he is “of the seven” means there is still another connection here between this eighth and the previous seven. When you consider all the things necessary to bring back an entire kingdom you realize it’s possible to bring back a kingdom that comprises much the same land area as before, but it’s quite another thing to bring back the same religion and King, or is it?  Remember the beast of Revelation 13:3 which had a wound to one of its heads, and the deadly wound was healed?  It had to be the head of the 7th kingdom which was the Ottoman or Islamic Kingdom because the other six kingdoms were long gone.  Here is our answer and it is the same Kingdom that rose up out of the earth in Revelation 13:11.  It is the land area of the old Babylonian Kingdom with its leader being the healed “head,” of the seventh kingdom, the Khalifa of Islam. The Muslims were forced to give up their Khalifa after the end of World War One. Here again, AS ALWAYS, the Bible is as accurate as can be. This wound to the head was healed when Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of ISIS was declared Khalifa of Islam.  Thus the wound to the head is healed.  The area of land he controlled is sitting on the area of the old Babylonian Empire which is the kingdom that was and is not, and yet is.  His religious symbols are the morning star and the crescent moon, the same as the false god’s of the old Babylonian Empire.  He is the King of Babylon and Satan in the flesh, the beast that ascended up out of the bottomless pit (Hell) just as God said.

And goeth into perdition” This is very important, and this has already been fulfilled as of March 20th 2019 when Donald Trump announced that ISIS has lost control of all the land they once held.   The 3½ days of the evil crucifixions of God’s witnesses by ISIS were over September 21st 2017. It was shortly after that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi secretly fled his domain which has gone into perdition exactly as the Word of God predicted.  What does this mean?

The Greek word for perdition used here does not mean to destroy with a total destruction.  It means a “loss of well-being, but not of being.”  This is precisely what has happened to ISIS. Under Barak Hussein Obama the rules of engagement were better described as being the rules for a “wedding engagement.” They permitted ISIS to enjoy a long and blissful honeymoon.  Under President Trump the rules of engagement were changed back to a wartime engagement and the domain dwindled to the point that it no longer controlled any land.  However, ISIS is not completely destroyed as President Trump has made clear on several occasions.  Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi survived and went on plotting attacks on infidels just as the Word of God suggests.

This is a second witness to verify what Daniel tells us about this Satan in the Flesh:

Daniel 7:26 (KJV)

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. 

This expresses the same idea as the Greek word “apōleia” but it uses more words.  “To consume and to destroy it unto the end” is telling us that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s dominion will be and actually has been taken away, and it will still be in the process of being destroyed until the end when Christ returns.

Revelation 17:12 (KJV)

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.

“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet;” As we mentioned previously, the 10 horns of the beast of Revelation 17 are lacking crowns because of the appointment of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as Khalifa of Islam.  Under Islamic law the Khalifa is all powerful.  He has the ultimate power over all Muslims and all Muslims are to pledge allegiance to him and obey him.  This means the 10 crowns on the horns of Revelation 13 no longer exist.  The heads of these Middle-East Muslim countries still exist, but according to Islamic they no longer have the final or ultimate say in anything.  The Woman (Islam) is now in control of this beast.

“But receive power as kings one hour with the beast.”  In Bible prophecy one hour is equal to 15 days.  How do kings that are no longer kings receive power as kings shortly after losing their kingdoms?  Like many things in God’s Word, the answer is found by reading the very next verse.

Revelation 17:13 (KJV)

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

“These have one mind” The one mind these 10 kings have is the mind of Islam.  They all are followers of Allah and they all believe there can be no peace until every knee has bowed to Allah.

“And shall give their power and strength unto the beast” The kings that have no kingdom can have power as kings by doing what kings do.  Kings have the power to send their citizens and soldiers to war. They give their power and strength to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by sending him troops which he will use to make sure that every knee bows to Allah.  This is exactly what has happened.  It was reported on the news all over the world that Muslims were leaving many countries to go and fight for ISIS.  This was a terrible thing that non-Muslim nations wanted to stop, but this was not a bad thing to Muslims.  Please keep in mind that the previous verse says “one hour” with the beast which means that it was not long after the new Khalifa took over that problems arose between the Khalifa and the horns.

Revelation 17:14 (KJV)

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.

Verse 14 states that He will be bringing with Him those that are His.  Jesus Christ is the Lamb and while it may appear to the ungodly that Abu Bakr and his terrorists are not literally fighting against Jesus Christ right now, in reality they are.  While it may appear to the whole world that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his band of terrorist are winning, in reality they are not.  We know this because of what Christ told us in Matthew 25:

Matthew 25:40 (KJV)

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

However, when Christ returns after the Rapture of His Saints, He will literally fight against all these Muslim nations that have proclaimed He does not exist.  What a way to find out you were wrong!  There is another verse that Abu Bakr al Baghdadi and his partners in crime need to be aware of:

Luke 17:2 (KJV)

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Revelation 17:15 (KJV)

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

Here is another example of our Lord telling us what is meant by the metaphors He uses in Bible prophecy.  These next few examples just happen to be in the same chapter that the metaphors are used.  Usually you will find them in books throughout the Bible.

This is further verification the “great whore that sitteth upon many waters” are “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” that we spoke of way back in verse 1.  What it tells us is true, but not only in this verse, but all throughout God’s Word.  Different kinds of bodies of waters are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.  Seas, rivers, and fountains of waters all refer to different types and gatherings of people.

Revelation 17:16 (KJV)

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.

What caused this sudden change in temperament?  The one hour with the beast is over and now these kings that have no kingdom who were helping the beast have now been turned against him.  The Khalifa of Islam was carrying out terrorist attacks in other Muslim nations and their response was to kill his soldiers and to bomb and take away the territory controlled by ISIS.

This sounds like an ample reason to turn on a fellow Muslim, but this is not the main reason why these nations turned on the beast.  In the verse to follow it says that God put it in their hearts to destroy this beast called ISIS.  Among these motivations He put in their hearts were jealousy and greed. You may not be aware of this because it stems from the doctrine of Islamic prophecy.  The Muslim dictators and rulers of these Middle-eastern Muslim countries are well aware of Islamic prophecy. They know that Muslims are also looking for a messiah.  In Islam he is called the Mahdi which means guided one.  He will be the 12th Imam and Shiite Muslims believe he will come out of Samarra, Iraq.  He will come riding a white horse and carrying a black flag.  He is coming to slaughter all those that will not bow to Allah.  He will first go to Israel and kill all the Jews and then he will set up his headquarters on the Temple Mount.  He will reign for 7 years and he will shatter crosses. (Destroy Christianity)

Muslim leaders have a tendency to envision themselves as being this Muslim Mahdi.  One of the more obvious signs of this can be found in the place where they keep their white horse.  So the covetousness of the wealth, power, and control of the land obtained by ISIS would probably be among the motivations God put in their hearts.

The really ironic part about all this is that just about everything you read in the paragraph on the Mahdi is a perfect fit to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  He was born in Samarra, formed a Caliphate, and slaughtered all Christians and Jews within his domain.  He also killed Jews and Christians all over the world. It seems as though Muslims are in the dark about their eschatology as much as Christians are about theirs! All the prophecy in this chapter to this point has been fulfilled.

Revelation 17:17 (KJV)

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.

This is a very good example of exactly who is in control.  No matter how awful this world seems to be getting, and even though it seems as though evil is winning all the battles, God is still the one in control. We need not worry, because He does exactly as He says He will do.  Even to the point of having people who supposedly worship the same false god destroying each other, even in the birthplace of the religion of peace.

This should also show us that it doesn’t matter whether or not you are good or evil, God can and will use you to fulfill His will.  We were made for His pleasure and it seems quite obvious that He leaves it up to us as to whether we will be used for good, or as in this verse, used for evil.

Revelation 17:18 (KJV)

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

Most non-Muslim people are probably not aware of this, but all Muslims consider themselves to be part of the ummah.  The ummah is the whole community of Muslims bound together by Islam or in other words a one world church. The word ummah means community.  What is a city?  It’s a big community.  Wouldn’t you agree that a city with 1.8 billion people would be considered a great city?  Islam is the actual one world church.

Many have been taught to believe Bible prophecy teaches that churches will be uniting in the last days to form an evil one-world church.  The so called antichrist will be the head of this church.  While the Lawless One and Satan in the Flesh is the head of this one-world community or church, it is not the Christian church of today.  While there may be a few denominations that are coming together, the number of church denominations are actually continuing to grow.  There are many more denominations today than there were 30 years ago.

The woman (false religion) portrayed in this chapter is Islam which has more power than the kings of the earth.  In Revelation the great city refers to Babylon which is Mother of Harlots and birthplace of the false religions of the world.  Babylon is the symbol of man’s rebellion against God.  It is the city of man, the place of evil men that do not want God to have any part in their lives.