There is only one city that can Fulfill this prophecy.
And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world. Revelation 17:18. NLT
There is only one city that has ever done that.
The image of the “great city” clearly has universal application. It is called Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon (Rev 11:8; 14:8). It is still a factor in the world at the end of history (Revelation 17). So, it is likely that early readers of Revelation would have identified this image with Rome. The great city “has rulership” (present tense) over the kings of the earth. The beast the woman rides is also seven mountains, which would probably remind first-century readers of the Seven Hills of Rome. First-century Jews and Christians often referred to Rome symbolically (in order to not incur the wrath of Rome) as Babylon. There may be a lesson for us in this identification. Around the time Revelation was written, the legal standing of Christians in the Empire was coming under threat. Jews were taking action to isolate Christians from the synagogue. Judaism was the only religion that exempted people from Roman religious’ law. To be seen as separate from Jews, therefore, put Christians in real peril.
A second problem that Christians began to face was accusations from their Gentile neighbours. As Gentiles came to see a distinction between Christian faith and Judaism, they often examined Christianity with hostile contempt. Public events in Asia Minor were saturated with pagan rituals and rhetoric. Christians, therefore, usually avoided them so as not to compromise their faith. Not a good look!
The general population, on the other hand, took a smorgasbord approach to religion. They felt free to pick and choose among a variety of ideas. Much like today, they did not appreciate people who thought they were right and everybody else was wrong. They accused Christians of “atheism” because they would not worship any god but their own. Christians would not accept the state gods as objects of worship. Christians were also accused of “cannibalism.” Because of the Lord’s supper and even child sacrifice. The combined effect of all these accusations was an insecure world for Christians to live in.
This insecurity was changed by the conversion of the emperor Constantine (debatable as that may be.) One thing he achieved was to move the capitol of the empire from Rome to a city re-named in his honour – Constantinople (Istanbul today). It is now the largest city in Europe. However, this shift left the Bishop of Rome in a very powerful position as latter centuries would play out. This aided the emergence of the beast. However, what is important is that the whole evil union of religious and political power, with its shifting and untrustworthy alliances – the beast, the woman and all the paraphernalia of heads, horns, jewels, robes – is all going to destruction!
Different interpretations have been offered regarding the identities of the ten kings who render obedience to the beast. However, Revelation does not tell us who they are. All we can derive from the text is that they are a short-lived political confederacy appearing right before the end and supporting the harlot. Their number signifies that the world powers will render total, unwavering allegiance to the beast. Revelation 17:13, 14 reiterates in a nutshell the battle of Armageddon—introduced in Revelation 16:12–16. Induced by miracle working demonic powers in conjunction with the dragon, the sea beast, and the false prophet, the worldwide political confederacy will make war with the Lamb. In other words, the battle of Armageddon is not a military battle in the Middle East but the final conflict of the Second Coming in which satan and his confederacy fight against Christ and His angelic host.
Filled with hatred, the ten horns, which are the successor powers to the divided nations of Europe, suddenly turn against the harlot Babylon (the end-time manifestation of the papacy), making her desolate and naked; they symbolically will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. In writing about what will happen to the harlot Babylon, John employs language like what God said would happen to adulterous Jerusalem (Jer. 4:30). Burning by fire was the punishment for a priest’s daughter who was involved in sexual immorality (Lev. 21:9). The deceived political powers have become disillusioned because of the inability of Babylon to protect them from the plagues. They feel deceived and, in hostility, attack her. This end-time apostate religious system, together with all those who choose to identify themselves with it, experiences the fullness of divine judgment.
Ross, I didn’t understand why this should be so: “ However, this shift left the Bishop of Rome in a very powerful position as latter centuries would play out.” No rush for your explanation. Many thanks for your insights; God is surely blessing you and, thus, us all.
When Constantine shifted his capital to Constantinople and away from Rome it left the Bishop of Rome in control of Rome. This gave the church power that increased as the decades rolled by