We conclude our study of Revelation 17 today by unraveling who the prostitute at the beginning really is. We saw from the chapter yesterday, a description of the great prostitute; her name - Babylon the Great. We also saw her riding on a scarlet beast and we said that beast is the antichrist and she riding on him means they are seen rising into power together. Today we add the fact that she, meaning the prostitute is seen riding the beast and not the white horse the antichrist rode on when the first seal breaks. This information is important because it tells us that the antichrist will not need the prostitute when he emerges as a rider on a white horse, no, his need for her is during the period when he shows himself as the beast. We know that this is during the second half of the Great tribulation. Where the prostitute rules is also given to us in verse 9; “This calls for a mind with understanding: The seven heads of the beast represent the seven hills where the woman rules. They also represent seven kings.
"
Revelation 17:9 NLT. There is only one city that sits on 7 hills, that is the ancient city of Rome. The truth is, in the first century, the code name for Rome was Babylon; "Your sister church here in Babylon sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark.
1 Peter 5:13 NLT. The apostle Peter at this point was writing from Rome. Finally, the chapter tells us the final destination of the prostitute, even though we see her riding the beast at the beginning, her end is destruction because the beast's true intentions were always to use her during the period when he needs the world to accept his one world religion. Aside that, he actually hates her; "The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire.
"
Revelation 17:16 NLT. Finally, tying all of this together; "And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”
Revelation 17:18 NLT. The prostitute, this woman, is a city, the city of Rome and the Vatican city to be more precise. It also stands for the institution she represents and the head of that institution; the Catholic church and the Pope.
