About Babylon

1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me saying, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits on the many waters,

2with whom the kings of the earth fornicated; and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.”

A woman and a beast

3So he took me away in spirit to a wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

4And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

5And on her forehead a name was written: “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the prostitutes and the abominations of the earth.” ²¹⁵

6And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, even with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And upon seeing her I was tremendously impressed.

The vision explained

7So the angel said to me: “Why are you impressed? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, having the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her.

8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the Abyss ²¹⁶and to go into perdition. And those who dwell upon the earth will be amazed, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, ²¹⁷when they see the beast that was, and is not and will be present.

9Here is the mind that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

10And there are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not come yet. And whenever he comes he must continue a short time.

11And the beast that was and is not; he is actually the eighth, yet he is of the seven, and he is going into perdition.

12And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the Beast for one hour.

13These are of one mind and give their power and authority to the Beast.

14They will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.”

15Then he says to me: “The waters that you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.

16And the ten horns that you saw, also the beast, these will hate the whore and will lay her waste and strip her and eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

17Because God put it into their hearts to perform His purpose, even to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the Beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled. ²¹⁸

18Now the woman whom you saw is the great city ²¹⁹that holds rulership over the kings of the earth.