1Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. 4They worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. 6He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and those who dwell in heaven. 7It was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. 8All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed. 9If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10If anyone is to go into captivity, he will go into captivity. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, he must be killed. Here is the endurance and the faith of the saints.
11I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. He makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13He performs great signs, even making fire come down out of the sky to the earth in the sight of people. 14He deceives my own people who dwell on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of the beast, saying to those who dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the sword wound and lived. 15It was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn’t worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads; 17and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.
The vision of the great harlot revealed that she had the name of Babylon and had persecuted the saints while committing acts of immorality with the kings of the earth. It is introduced with one of the seven angels who executed the bowl judgments, taking John to see the vision of the “Great Harlot.” Which of the seven is not stated. Which one is unimportant. They are all just servants of God.
“Harlot” refers to false religion throughout the Old Testament, and so here as well (Jer 2:20; 3:6-10; Ezek 16:33; Hosea 1-2; Rev 2:20-22). It was popular in the past to call it an apostate Christendom embodied in the Catholic Church, united with the World Council of Churches. Thus, Babylon is Rome, and the beast is the revived Roman Empire. However, this need not be so. The practice of beheading the saints points more to a Muslim influence. Though those Roman Catholics who are not believers will not be raptured with the church (the same is true for non-believing Protestants as well), all religions of the world will be absorbed into the Antichrist’s system.
Her identity with “many waters” connects back to the Old Testament promise of Babylon’s destruction (Jer 51:12-13). “The kings of the earth” would refer to world rulers. Sexual immorality points to both physical and spiritual immorality involved in idolatrous worship in the Old Testament and in the beast’s kingdom.
Being “carried away in the spirit” indicates a continuation of John’s vision rather than physical relocation. The wilderness is then a part of the vision where John sees its message played out.
The woman John sees is a picture of the false religious system established by the Antichrist and his false prophet in chapter 13. The cloth and colors of her clothing indicate royalty and wealth. Her drinking from the golden cup shows the pleasure this system takes in immoral conduct that is offensive, an abomination, to God.
The name on her forehead begins with “mystery.” This use of “mystery” implies that Babylon has a secret meaning and may not be intended as a reference to ancient and modern Babylon in Iraq. “Mother of Harlots” indicates that a whole system of false religions is centered there (in Mystery Babylon). The same is true for “the abominations of the earth.” These are sourced in and nurtured by this false religious system.
In their world, a person had to drink a lot of wine to get drunk. The reference to this “woman” being drunk with the blood of the martyrs indicates that this religious system will have a vast number of victims who will die violent deaths. In particular, they will be tribulation saints, loyal to Jesus.
This places the occurrence of Babylon’s destruction chronologically within the period of the seven bowls, likely toward the end, particularly as a part of the devastating earthquake of the seventh bowl. Thus, “Mystery Babylon” will be destroyed last of all, and will continue to function until the end of the Antichrist’s reign. The symbolic language describes something literal.