Mystery Babylon: The City
Chapter 17 opens with a dissertation on who the Great Harlot, Mystery Babylon, is and how it is the Antichrist who is used by God to destroy her.
- “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with 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.” Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:9–18)
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This passage is a key designator for helping identify the makeup of the ten-kingdom federation, as well as identifying what will likely be the city that is represented as the great spiritual harlot of the world. We are told that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, meaning great nations/empires that existed. Seven of the final ten kings of the earth will come from these nations. But who are they? Scripture tells us. Five have fallen. One was still there at the time, and one will come after.
Many prophecy scholars have argued that the first five are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece, with Rome being the one that was currently there. My list is only slightly different, replacing Assyria with Syria. The reason for this is because Assyria, though a major empire, never controlled Jerusalem. Syria did on multiple occasions but most notably under the Seleucids. Most people then claim the last kingdom is the seventh. But it cannot be because the Antichrist is the final kingdom, and the Scripture clearly teaches that he is “the eighth.” The only other great empire that ever controlled Jerusalem after Rome was the Islamic caliphate. It had three capitols in its three iterations: Damascus, Baghdad, and Istanbul. The last was when the Ottoman Turkish Empire was controlling the third caliphate.
The seven heads then are Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Caliphate. Their modern equivalents would be Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Greece, Italy, and Turkey.
Who are the ten? We have seven already. If you look through history, there are in fact three other nations who controlled Jerusalem even though in a minor capacity and not as part of a major empire—Great Britain, when they controlled Jerusalem after WWII; France, following the conquests of the First Crusade; and Germany, following the Fifth Crusade. These nations provide us then with the ten-nation federation.
The Great Harlot (Mystery Babylon) is riding on the beast that represents the final kingdom. She is also sitting upon seven mountains. Later, she is described as a city. So, this can be understood as saying that this city is on seven hills. There are plenty of ancient cities that were built on seven hills. Rome was. However, the old Roman city does not qualify for this city as we shall see later. The other city, and the most likely candidate, considering the geographic location of our final kingdom, is Constantinople. In fact, Istanbul is called Yedi tepeli şehir in Turkish, which means “city on the seven hills.” This is because it was built on seven hills by Emperor Constantine to model the city of ancient Rome.
This city was where Christendom took a decidedly pagan turn as many pagan practices of the ancient Roman culture were weaved into Christian practice. Constantinople also fits the physical descriptions of the city that is named in many other ways. At its location, it can truly be said to be on the “waters of the nations” situated as it is across the land bridge between Europe and Asia. As such, it has always been a vital trade route between the two land masses. It is also a port city, which Revelation 18:11–18 says it must be.