The woman on the scarlet beast 1 And there came one of the seven angels, who had the seven vials, and spoke with me, saying: Come, I will show you the condemnation of the great harlot, who sits upon many waters, 2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication; and they who inhabit the earth, have been made drunk with the whine of her whoredom. 3 And he took me away in spirit into the desert. And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was clothed round about with purple and scarlet, and gilt with gold, and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of the abomination and filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written: A mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of the fornications, and the abominations of the earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And I wondered, when I had seen her, with great admiration. 17:1 great harlot: Some understood this harlot to mean ancient Rome, lying upon seven mountains, the seven heads of the beast which bears her to be the seven most impious kings from Domitian until Diocletian who persecuted the Church. But we, since we are being guided in accordance with the sequence, we would suppose she is either the earthly kingdom in general as appearing in one body or the city which is to rule until the coming of the Antichrist. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) Or because by this woman or harlot is understood the multitude of the wicked who are the more perverted, the more eminent in wickedness, and the more studious to pervert others; and who sometimes by occult means, and sometimes by open, after the manner of a harlot, cause others, both rulers and subjects, to give in their adherence to them; inducing them by teaching, or persuasion, or example, or by other means, to follow with delight their errors or other sins: and this has been done, and is doing, and will also continue to be done especially in the time of Antichrist, by heretics or other perverted persons; and together with these will be damned the others whom they seduce. (St. Thomas Aquinas) many waters: St. Anselm of Canterbury says, that to "sit upon many waters" is to reign over many people; Nicholas of Lyra, to domineer over many people; St. Tirinus, to preside over and command, as mistress and queen; Richard of St. Victor, to have the primacy; Luis of Alcasar, to domineer over many nations and people. 17:2 have committed fornication: spiritually, in worshipping idols; in order that they might be the mystical paramours and rivals of this great harlot. For thus the prophets call idolatry fornication; because in idolatry the soul forsaking God as its spouse, goes away to its idols as to adulterers. (Cornelius a Lapide) Made drunk: by a complete subversion of mind, so that they neither see themselves, nor effectually fear God nor punishment; just as a drunken man has no fear of anything. (St. Thomas Aquinas) Or that is, alienated from all spiritual reason. (Berengaud) 17:3 Into a desert: that is, to contemplate the hearts of the wicked, who have been deserted by divine grace for by the following vision he was enabled to understand the state of the wicked, (St. Thomas Aquinas) What is it for the woman to sit upon the beast, but for the body of the wicked seated upon the Devil and the Antichrist, to boast that they are built together after the likeness of the Church, which is being daily built up upon Christ? (St. Ambrosius Autpertus) 17:4 The woman is arrayed with purple and scarlet, that is, with a regal vestment, because they say that they are kings, in order to deceive; with gold, because those whom she represents will seem to be illuminated with divine wisdom with carbuncle, that is with love, which they say they possess. (Rabanus Maurus) And this 'cup' is said to be 'golden,' because while it shows the beauty of temporal things, it so intoxicates foolish minds with its concupiscence, that they desire temporal display, and despise invisible beauties. (St. Gregory the Great Mor. Job 34.15) Or this woman having a 'golden cup, ' that is, the book of Sacred Scripture; 'in her hand, ' that is, in corrupt expositions; 'full of abominations, ' that is, of errors, falsities; 'and uncleanness of her fornications' both of mind and body. Again 'full of abominations,' that is, of falsities, errors, and expositions which ought to be accounted as abominations; 'full of the uncleanness of fornication,' because their doctrine teaches uncleanness of the flesh and excites to luxury; whence Antichrist will attract many to himself by means of the woman. (Rabanus Maurus) Or A golden cup,' that is, the Scriptures: 'in her hand,' that is, in her Power, because many will know them by heart; or it means in their Power, because they will explain it according to their own will: 'full of abomination,' that is, of pride, or error and falsity. (St. Albert the Great) 17:5 The writing on the forehead shows the shamelessness of the offenders filling up to the measure, and the disturbance of the heart, and the mother means the fact that she is the teacher of soul fornication to the leading cities, giving birth to transgressions loathsome to God. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) To some the works of Babylon are on her forehead; to others they are in a mystery. To the more simple, who cannot see and understand them, they are a mystery; because those things which by the multitude of the wicked are interiorly generated in their own minds, are concealed from them. But to the more perfect her name shows itself upon the forehead, because these know easily the nature of all her works. Her name therefore is upon her forehead, but yet is written in mystery; because to some it is openly shown, to others it is shut up in mystery. (Haimo of Auxerre) When he calls her the mother of fornication choose which you will of the following, ancient Rome, new Rome or Constantinople, or the time of the advent of Antichrist; and you cannot err from the truth. (Arethas of Caesarea) The angel explains the vision 7 And the angel said to me: Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, was, and is not, and shall come up out of the bottomless pit, and go into destruction: and the inhabitants on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast that was, and is not. 17:8 The beast is the devil. This one, having been slain by the cross of Christ, it is said, will again be revived at the end of the world, performing the denial of the Savior in signs and wonders of deception through the Antichrist. Therefore he was because he was exerting his power before the cross. He is not because after the saving passion he had been enfeebled and his power, which he had held over the nations through idolatry, had been displaced. He will come at the end of the world in the manner which we had said rising up out of the abyss, or from where he had been condemned — where the demons cast out had beseeched Christ not to be sent, but instead into the swine — or he will come out of the present life which is figuratively called abyss because of the depth of the indwelling of sin which is blown and tossed about by the winds of the passions. For thereupon, the Antichrist will come carrying Satan in himself, bringing about the ruin of human beings, going to perdition in the future age. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) The beast with seven heads and ten horns 9 And here is the understanding that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sits, and they are seven kings: 10 Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when he comes, he must remain a short time. 11 And the beast which was, and is not: the same also is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction. 12 And the ten horns which you saw, are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but shall receive power as kings one hour after the beast. 13 These have one design: and their strength and power they shall deliver to the beast. 14 These shall fight with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they that are with him are called, and elect, and faithful. 17:9 seven heads: The heads of the beast, he says, are the kings of the world, who through the swelling of pride are said to be like exceeding high mountains, on whom there rests a wanton ungodliness, so that they both oppress by violence, and deceive by fraud. (St. Bede) Or it is, the city of Rome. (St. Victorinus) 17:10 He says seven were specifically responsible for causing the beast to raise up his head against the Christians, by stirring up persecutions against the Church. These were first Nero, second Domition, then Trajan, Severus, after him Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian. When these were the emperors of Rome, they persecuted the Church without restraint, as Eusebius says in the Chronicle. He says that of these seven, five have fallen by death; but that there was still one, that is, Valerian. (Oecumenius) 17:11 The beast is the Antichrist; as the eighth he will be raised up after the seven kings for the purpose of deceiving and desolating the earth. From the seven, since as one of them, he will spring forth. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) 17:12 Daniel also previously saw these ten horns of the Antichrist. After the accursed one has uprooted three he will make the rest subject to him. One hour, it says, is either the shortness of time or the one season of the year, that is to say, a change, clearly three months, after which they will be subjected to the Antichrist as their superior. (St. Andrew of Caesarea) 17:14 Christ will be victor. Evil as they are, He will hand them over to the more evil Antichrist to death. (Oecumenius) Or the Lamb shall overcome them, and subject them to the sweet yoke of the Catholic religion. (Luis of Alcasar) Further explanation of the vision 15 And he said to me: The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you saw in the beast: these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire. 17 For God has given into their hearts to do that which pleases him: that they give their kingdom to the beast, till the words of God be fulfilled. 18 And the woman which you saw, is the great city, which has kingdom over the kings of the earth. 17:16-18 The reason the Anchrist hates the Harlot is because the Great Harlot is made up of non religious secularists, and the Antichrist demands pious worship of him and will despise anyone who does not do so zealously. The Antichrist only unites with the Great Harlot for the power, and the fact that she shares a common interest to persecute the Church, but then he turns against her once he has gained enough support from other kings and nations. The affliction of the Antichrist upon the Harlot is a means of judgment from God. (John Litteral) Key Words 1 angels 3 desert woman names blasphemy 4 precious stones 5 mystery Babylon 6 saints martyrs Jesus 8 bottomless pit 13 Lamb elect 16 hate 17 God |
Home > Revelation > Rev 1 > Rev 2 > Rev 3 > Rev 4 > Rev 5 > Rev 6 > Rev 7 > Rev 8 > Rev 9 > Rev 10 > Rev 11 > Rev 12 > Rev 13 > Rev 14 > Rev 15 > Rev 16 >