PART VI SECTION III. The great Harlot, or Babylon. 1. Καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς ἐκ τῶν ἁπλὰ ἀγγέλων τῶν ἐχόντων τὰς ἑπτὰ φιάλας, καὶ ἐλάλησε με ἐμᾶς λέγων Δεύρο, δείξω σου τὸ κρίμα τῆς πόρο της της μεγάλης τῆς καθημένης ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων τῶν 2 πολλών Μεθ ̓ ἧς ἐπόρνευσαν οἱ βασ σιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐμεθύσθησαν ἐκ το οἴνα τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς οἱ καλοικων3 τες τὴν γῆν. Καὶ ἀπήνεκέ με εἰς ἔρη μον ἐν πνεύματι και εἶδον γυναῖκα καθη μένην ἐπὶ θηρίον κόκκινον, γέμον ὀνο μάτων βλασφημία ας, ἔχον κεφαλὰς ἁπλὰ καὶ κέρατα δέκα. 4 Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἦν περι βεβλημένη πορφυρόν καὶ κοκκίνου, καὶ κει χρυσωμένη χρυσῷ καὶ λίθω τιμίῳ καὶ μαργαρίταις, ἔχε CHAPTER XVII. 1 And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven vials, and spake with me, saying ; “Come hither; "I will shew thee the "judgement of the great harlot, who "sitteth upon the 2 " many waters; With "whom the kings of “ the earth have com"mitted fornication; "and the inhabitants "of the earth have "been made drunken "with the wine of her "fornication." And he carried me away into a wilderness in the Spirit. And I saw a woman seated upon a scarlet-coloured wildbeast, which was full of names of blasphehaving seven my; 3 heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and richly ad 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 judgement of the great whore, that sitteth upon many 2 waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her forni3 cation. So he care ried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit scarletupon a coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads, 4 and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple, and scarlet-colour, and decked with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, τα χρυσόν ποτήριον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῆς, γέμον βδελυγμάτων καὶ τὰ ἀκαθάρια τῆς Η πορνείας αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐπὶ το μέτωπον αΰτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμ μένου" Μυστήριον Βα βυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτης τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυμάτ 6 των τῆς γῆς. Καὶ εἶδον τὴν γυναῖκα μεθύσσαν ἐκ τῶ απ μαλα τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ ἐκ τῶ αἵκαὶ τῶν μας. τύρων Ἰησῆ καὶ ἐθαύμασα, ἰδὼν αὐτ τὴν, θαῦμα μέγα. 7 Καὶ εἶπέ μοι ὁ ἄγω γελα. Διατί ἐθαύ μασας ; ἐγώ σοι ἐξῶ τὸ μυςήριον τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ τῷ βα τάζονθ αὐτὴν, το ἔχοντα. τὰς ἁπλὰ κεφαλὰς καὶ τὰ δέκα 8 κεραία. Τὸ θηρίον, ὃ εἶδες, ἦν, καὶ ἐκ ἔσι νειν ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσα, orned with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, having a gold en cup in her hand, full of abominations and the impurities of 5 her fornication; And upon her forehead a name written, A mystery, THE GREAT BA BYLON THE MOTHER 6 THE EARTH! And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the wit7 nesses of Jesus. And I wondered, beholding her, with great astonishment. And the angel said unto me, "Wherefore dost thou “ wonder? I will tell "thee the mystery of "the woman, and of σε him that carrieth "her, which hath the "seven heads and the ten horns. The wild"beast which thou be« holdest, was, and is not, and is about to “ ascend from the bot"tomless deep, and to go into destruction. "And the inhabitants « of the earth shall "wonder, (they whose “ na pes are not written having a golden cup in her hand, full of 6 And I saw the woman hath the seven heads beast that thou sawest, into perdition: and wide imegav, [x] | 9" Herein is the mind dis in, i äm ἔπω ἦλθε καὶ ὅταν ἔλθῃ, ὀλίγον αὐτόν 11 δεῖ μεῖναι. Καὶ τὸ Supice, inv, x ex ἔςι, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑγδούς ἔσι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ ἔσι, καὶ εἰς ἀπώλειαν 12 ἐπάγει. Καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα, είδες, δέκα βασι λεῖς εἰσιν, οἵτινες βασιλείαν ἔπω έλαβον, ἀλλ ̓ ἐξεσίαν, ὡς βασιλεῖς, μίαν ὥραν λαμβάνεσι 13 μετὰ τὸ θηρίο. Οιτοι μίαν γνώμην ἔχεσι, καὶ τὴν δύνα μιν καὶ τὴν ἐξεσίαν ἑαυτῶν τῷ θηρίω 14 διδόασιν. Οὗτοι μετὰ τὰ ἀρνία που λεμήσεσι, καὶ τὸ αρνίον νικήσει αὐτὲς, ὅτι Κύριον κυρίων ἐςὶ καὶ Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων· καὶ οἱ μὲ αὐτῶ, κληθοὶ, καὶ ἐκλεκτοί, καὶ πιςοί. 15 Καὶ λέγει μοι· Τὰ vala, à aides, ἡ πόρνη κάθηται, 9 yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the 10 woman sitteth. 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 14 unto the beast. 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 15 faithful. And he saith war with the Lamb: unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and λαοὶ καὶ ὄχλοι εἰσὶ, καὶ ἔθνη καὶ γλῶσσαι. 16 Καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα, ἃ εἶδες καὶ τὸ θηρίον, ὗτοι μισήσεσι τὴν πόρνην, καὶ ἐξημα μένην ποιήσεσιν αὐτ τὴν καὶ γυμνὴν, καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῆς φάγονται, καὶ αὐτὴν καλακαύσεσιν ἐν που 17ρί. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς ἔδω κεν εἰς τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν γνώμην αὑτῷ, καὶ ποι ῆσαι μίαν γνώμην, καὶ δῆναι τὴν βασι λείαν αὑτῶν τῷ θη ρίῳ, ἄχρι τελεσθή σονται οἱ λόγοι τε 18 Θεῦ. Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ, ἂν εἶδες, ἔσιν ἡ πόλις ἡ μεγάλη ἡ ἔχεσα βασιλείαν ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέων τῆς γῆς. "and the Lamb shall "overcome them, (for "he is Lord of lords, "and King of kings); "and they who are "with him, called, " and chosen, and 15" faithful.” And he saith unto me; "The "waters which thou "didst see, where the "harlot is seated, are peoples, and multi"tudes, and nations, 16" and languages: And "the ten horns which "thou didst see, and "the wild-beast, these “shall hate the harlot, "and shall make her "desolate and naked; 17" And shall eat her "flesh, and burn her "utterly with fire: for, "God hath put into their hearts to per"form his counsel, and "to perform one coun"sel, and to give their "dominion to the "beast,until the words "of God shall be ac multitudes, and na tions, and tongues. 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 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 18 shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest, is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Ver. 1. One of the secen angels; &c.] This vision seems in some measure to be detached and separated from the rest. The scene is changed to a wilderness, for the purpose of its exhibition; and it appears like a sort of episode. Yet the matter of it will be found. to be of high importance; it will be found to explain many passages in the preceding prophecy, but especially those of ch. xvi. 19, where Babylon is mentioned as "remembered." To exhibit this connection, the angel, who attends upon the prophet and explains this vision, is one of the seven who had been employed to pour out the Vials. This separate vision is therefore intitled by the angel, "the judgment of "the great harlot," who appears in the fifth verse of this chapter to have the name of Babylon. So, this Section, taken together with its continuation in ch. xviii. and xix. 1-11, will be found to contain the Vial or plague upon Babylon: but first, she is described. She is called "the great harlot," and "the great "city*." These two names, in prophetical language, have the same meaning. A city, or kingdom, is frequently represented under the symbol of a woman. Babylon, ancient Babylon, is so represented t. And when it is the object of the prophecy to express the idolatry and corruptive wickedness of the city, she then appears as an harlot . All the imagery belonging to this form of speech, may be seen in complete allegory, in the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel; where a forlorn female infant, under the fostering hand of Providence, grows up, and becomes “exceeding beautiful," and “ pro"spers into a kingdom;" but afterwards degenerates into an "idolatress and harlot §." The same imagery + Isa. xlvii. 1—6. Isa. i. 21. • Ver. 18. appears |