“I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her…” (Revelation 17:6-18, NASB)

In the 50’s, there was an old TV show called “What’s My Line?” Celebrities appeared on the show without the participants’ knowledge, and each participant, being blindfolded, was asked questions to identify the guest. Today’s reading reminded me of this show, as I felt like being asked, “What’s my line? Won’t you guess my name?” Many people have sought to identify the Great Harlot and the Beast in Revelation. This is not easy, as the Bible does not identify the names of these two entities. First of all, it’s not easy to do so because of the many signs, visions, and symbols. Second, it can be precarious to equate a particular person, city, or nation with these mystical figures in Revelation, for at the end of the day, they are interpretations, opinions, and assumptions. The most popular interpretation for the Great Harlot is the Pope or the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church. Some interpret it as Jerusalem. Others see it as the Mecca, the European Union, or even the United States and its leaders. These interpretations seem fascinating but faulty because they are based on people’s own ideas, partial biblical data, or overthinking of biblical data. Today’s reading provides the clearest clues about who and what these entities represent. It says,

“And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly. And the angel said to me, ‘Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.’ And he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.’”

Do these explanations about the Beast and the Great Harlot point to their identification? Does it say that the Great Harlot is the Pope, Jerusalem, Mecca, the European Union, or the United States? In order for any of these interpretations to work, they must align with what the angel said about this Great Harlot and the Beast.

First, regarding the identity of the Beast, the angel explained that it is both an individual and the system that Satan will use to exercise his power. The beast is an individual being, in that it emerged from the abyss as the king of the demonic army, bearing the names Abaddon or Apollyon (Rev.9:11). It is also a kingdom or government system, in that it has seven heads and ten horns. According to the angel’s words, seven heads are “seven mountains,” which are also “seven kings.” Of the seven kingdoms, “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come.” In other words, five are in the past, one is present, and one is in the future. Since the author is John, we must arrange these kingdoms in order according to his timeline. The kingdom described as “one is” is the Roman Empire. As to the identities of the five kingdoms that have “fallen,” we can look to the prophecies of Daniel. At least four are identified in the book of Daniel: the Babylonians, the Medes and the Persians, the Greeks, and the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:31-45).

The phrase “the other has not yet come” refers to the future kingdom of the Antichrist. It says that the Antichrist is the “eighth and is one of the seven.” The “ten horns” are ten kings, who will “receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.” In other words, the future antichrist’s seventh-eighth kingdom alliance will form a ten-king alliance whose sole purpose is to “give their power and authority to the beast.” Thus, the kingdom of the antichrist is made up of seven kingdoms—five have already come and gone, the sixth one was existing at the time of John, the seventh one was soon coming, and finally, the antichrist’s kingdom would be the eighth.

Second, regarding the identity of the Harlot, the angel explained that it is a major city (Rev.17:18), where the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality and became drunk with the wine of immorality and drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus (Rev.17:2, 6). The angel also stated that the waters on which the woman was sitting were “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues,” suggesting great influence over the peoples of the world. Since this city, Babylon the Great, is described as sitting on the beast influencing the world’s people, it describes a city with a long history of harlotry alongside the beast’s seven kingdoms. It will fully manifest itself during the Tribulation as the city where the Antichrist will rule from and will reign over the kings of the earth. In other words, this great city has endured and existed from the first of the beast’s seven kingdoms and will continue to exist until the beast’s eighth and final kingdom. Do you know any “great city” that fits this description? Do you know any “kings” or “kingdoms” that fit the “seven mountains” description? Do cities such as the Vatican, Jerusalem, Mecca, the European Union, and the United States fit these descriptions?

• How does the angel’s explanation of the Great Harlot and the Beast help you understand their identities?
• How does it point to and reinforce the mission of the Church today?