1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.” 3He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth. 5And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while. 11The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction. 12The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him are called, chosen, and faithful.” 15He said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. 16The ten horns which you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute, will make her desolate, will strip her naked, will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire. 17For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished. 18The woman whom you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation 13 describes a book into which people from the beginning of the world had already been written. This idea causes unease to some who are concerned with a doctrine of foreordination. What must be remembered is that God's knowledge is of two sorts. First, He knows all that will happen in the universe He has created. No new information comes to Him. Secondly, however, God knows experientially what happens in this world and causes or permits all that occurs. This is His infinite knowledge being acted out in which He Who knows all things, becomes a participant in the outworking of His knowledge. An Old Testament example might help. Yahweh knew, from all eternity, that faithful Abraham would attempt to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God's command. At the same time, Yahweh knew that He would interfere with Abraham's obedience to test him, and at that point, He said to Abraham that now He knew that Abraham would be obedient. The word for "know" in Genesis 22:12 is "know by experience." God knows all things in His omniscient mind but even He must experience what He knows. Similarly, God knew that Jesus would die for all those people who come to embrace Jesus as Savior from all eternity (Rev 17:8), and this certain knowledge has been recorded. It is necessary, however, that all of these people believe the Gospel to be redeemed by His blood spilled in time past.