The name written on her forehead was a mystery:  BABYLON THE GREAT — THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES — AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth

Revelation 17:5, 18

The great harlot of Revelation 17 is a point of conjecture and debate by students of Eschatology.  Despite its strong symbolism and ties to the city of Rome, being the most notable “city on seven hills” of its day, many have attempted to lay claim that it refers instead to either Jerusalem, or, a some-day-to-be-rebuilt Babylon. Yet, as we study out this passage, it becomes apparent that this part of the vision of John is about Rome, but not just the city, but about something else.

When we refer to “Rome”, we may in fact be referencing more than one thing, and it is necessary to identify to what this name can refer to.  First of all, Rome was a world-ruling empire that dominated the entire “known-world”.  Second, Rome was a city, which was the capitol of the empire with the same name.  Additionally, however, Rome was ALSO the name of the the goddess that personified the city, Rome, or Roma.  This third entity called Rome, or Roma, it is said, “…has been seen as a goddess, a whore, … and as the symbol of civilization itself”.

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A look at the End Times from a largely fulfilled perspective begins, primarily, with the book of Daniel.  Daniel sets the scene from the foundation of the enemies empire, Babylon, with Daniel’s interpretation of the king’s dream.  Daniel 2 sets the case for Rome being Babylon, and is the best case for a mostly-fulfilled End Time paradigm.  Plainly put, we see a kingdom/statue beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar, with that king as the head.  It ruled over the entire Earth and, although it changed identities (metal) three times, four in all, it was a continuous one-world government from the time of that king until the Kingdom of God broke it, probably circa 313AD, when it’s emperor was converted.  As we saw war and conflict from each subsequent kingdom, but the entire statue remained, so we see that it’s actual destruction was not a war in on the Earth, but a spiritual overthrow of the power of that kingdom in the spiritual realm, in which it was spiritually defeated, crushed, and overthrown.  When the spiritual power (beast) of Rome was destroyed, its physical and nationalist elements could then no longer be maintained, and, quite literally, the wind scattered the pieces, being the “Decline of Rome”.

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The Dream

Daniel 7:1-3

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

This is understood as the parallel to Daniel 2.  Daniel 2 was Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, this is Daniel’s.  While Nebuchadnezzar saw the kingdoms, Daniel apparently sees the spirits of the kingdoms.  The four winds church the great sea, and four distinct beasts came up out of it.

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In particular, Daniel 2:31-45.

The Dream

Daniel 2:31-35

You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

This was the substance of the dream of the king.  Some of the major points of what the king saw are:

• A large statue.  Enormous, Dazzling, Awesome
• Head of pure gold
• Chest and arms of silver
• Belly and thighs of bronze
• Legs of iron, feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay

The entire statue exists at the time of Nebuchadnezzar seeing it.  It has four parts, and they all comprise the same statue.

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