Revelation 17 New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)

The Doom of Babylon

17 Then one of the seven angels [a figure for Jesus Himself, I believe] who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me [the Apostle John], saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot [the unsaved Jewish nation/people] who sits on many waters [many nations/peoples, see v 15 below], 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on [Israel being carried by] a scarlet beast [Satan, possessing the Jewish Antichrist, at the head of the 10-nation Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), headed by Russia], full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns [7 kings/rulers and 10 nations; 3 rulers will be taken down by the Jewish Antichrist, Daniel 7:8]. 4 The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, 5 and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH [a figure for unregenerate Israel in her captivity to sin and spiritual adultery].” 6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. 7 And the 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.

8 “The beast [Satan] that you [the Apostle John] saw was [was on the earth until he was cast into hell in 70 AD with the demons not active in Noah's day], and is not [is not on the earth now after 70 AD], and is about to come up out of the abyss [about to come up out of hell 120 years before Moses and Elijah appear before the 6000th year, so in 1903/4] and go to destruction [Satan and the demons not active in Noah's day will be cast into hell again for eternity]. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits [the 7 mountains of Jerusalem on which Israel sits], 10 and they are seven kings [in addition to the 7 kings/rulers of the 7 nations of the 10-nation CIS, headed by Russia]; five have fallen [kings/rulers of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece], one is [king/emperor of Rome], the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while [the 2nd to last king/ruler of the CIS, Vladimir Putin]. 11 The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction [Satan, who will resurrect and possess the Jewish Antichrist who will be the last king/ruler of the CIS, who will somehow be killed, Revelation 13:3,12,14]. 12 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 [1 "hour" of a 1000-year "day" is 41 2/3 years; the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, 41 years before the 6000th year; the USSR became the CIS in 1991]. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Victory for the Lamb

14 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.”

15 And he *said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16 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. 17 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 will be fulfilled. 18 The woman whom you saw is the great city [Jerusalem], which reigns over the kings of the earth.”