The Book of Revelation - Part 24 - The Whore

Revelation 17 describes Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations on the Earth. While many debate even today who this is I think the people in the seven churches would have known very quickly who this is -- it is Rome. Now I am also going to say it is Rome of the time the book was written not necessarily the Catholic church of today as some have interpreted this passage.

The reason I say this vision and perhaps the whole of Revelation needs to be kept in its first century context is that there is no evidence that it should be applied to any other time period. This woman is symbolic of all Rome stood for at the time and the symbolism is obvious:

1. Scarlet and Purple: Religious and Political power.
2. Rich, powerful and drunk with the blood of saints
3. Seven mountains -- seven hill of Rome.
4. Fornication with every nation on earth. Fornication and the idea of idolatry go hand in hand and it is well known that Rome would accept any worship of any god so long as it promoted the prosperity of the Empire.

I could go on but the fact is the vision practically stumbles all over itself in giving us the identity without saying the simple name - Rome.

One of the interesting things I saw was verse 10 where it talks about seven kings: five who were, one who was and one who was to come. The one who was to come was to remain only a little while.

It has been long held by scholars that the book of Revelation was written during the reign of Domitian under which some of the most heavy brutal persecution of Jews and Christians took place. Domitian revived Imperial veneration and unless a person worshiped he Emperor, they would be killed. For both the Jews and Christians this was a losing proposition.

Before Domitian there were indeed five emperors of note: the four emperors in one year (AD 69): Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian. This was caused by the turmoil that followed Nero's death. Vespasian ruled Rome until AD 79 and then his son Titus ruled but was killed in a plague that struck Rome in AD 81. That's when Domitian, who was also the son of Vespasian, took over. When Domitian is assassinated by court officials in AD 96, Nerva takes over but he indeed only 'lasts a little while' and dies in AD 98.

This history fits very well to what is being talked about here in Revelation 17. I suppose other things could fit, but if you look at it from the first century saint's perspective this is a very likely scenario for understanding this vision.

This possibility for the first time offers up an interpretation of Revelation completely grounded in the first century and leads to a possibility that some of these visions are not about future events but symbolic descriptions of past ones.

Another thing this also may do it point to Revelation being a) a prophecy that did not come true because of changing conditions (Nerva's reign is characterized by doing the exact opposite of Domitian and that included an end to persecution of Jews and Christians) or b) does not have the whole world as we understand it as it's focus. Perhaps, only the first century saint's understanding of 'whole world' is meant which would have been the Roman Empire and that which lies just outside it. In any case, this would localize all the plagues of God's wrath and change the interpretation of Revelation entirely.

Next: The Fall of the Whore