“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT

THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES

AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF EARTH

I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” – Revelation 17:5-6

If we are to understand the prophecies provided by Christ in Revelation, it is obligatory that we appeal to the proclamations he made throughout his ministry. These statements not only provide parallels through which to interpret latter prophecies, but also identify the individuals to whom latter prophecies pertain. 

Perhaps the greatest evidence that the Harlot of Revelation, who was “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people”, can be identified as first-century Jerusalem, is that in Luke 11:47-51, Christ addresses the city by stating, “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your fathers killed. So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ so that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation.” 

In Matthew’s account of this interaction, Christ continues, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-38). 

If Christ addressed Jerusalem and stated that the generation he spoke to would be held responsible for all the bloodshed from Abel to the Prophets and Apostles, then the Harlot of Revelation, who was “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people”, must be Jerusalem.

In our naivety, we believe the sins of our own to be uniquely hefty and deserving of judgement, but what greater toll could one surmount over those who murdered the Prophets, sentenced Christ to crucifixion, and martyred his Saints? There is no greater toll that one could incur, and thus, the ultimate price was laid upon first-century Jerusalem. 

Consider that Revelation was written and addressed to seven ancient churches in Anatolia, not 21st century Christians. When Christ gave Revelation to these seven churches, he told them that these prophecies “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1), that “the time is near” (Revelation 1:3), that what John saw was “what is now and what will take place later” (Revelation 1:19), and that “those who pierced him” would see him “coming with the clouds” (Revelation 1:7). If I send you a letter and state that I will “soon” visit you, that does not mean I will visit your descendants 2000 years after you die. Rather, a short while after receiving my letter you will be visited; at the very most, within your lifetime. Christ meant what he said, and the Great tribulation was fulfilled in the first-century AD, with its target being the Harlot Jerusalem.

This is evident through the Olivet Discourse, as Christ prophecies of the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21) and lists off all its aspects: the destruction of the Second Temple, false prophets, wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution, lawlessness, and invasion. Yet, after listing all aspects of this tribulation, he states, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:32, Luke 21:32, Mark 13:30). Through this claim, Christ made it clear that the people he spoke to would incur the Great Tribulation. 

Additionally, Christ makes it clear that the Great Tribulation was pertinent to Judaea and its capital city, rather than the entirety of Earth. In Luke 21:20-22, he states, “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.” 

The motif of desolation in this passage serves to parallel the Harlots desolation in Revelation 17:16-17, “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.”

Ultimately, if the Harlot is drunk with the blood of the Saints and is eventually left desolate by the beast she rides, then the Harlot must be first-century Jerusalem, as Christ told Jerusalem that it would be held responsible for all the bloodshed from Abel to the Prophets and Apostles, and that it would be left desolate within a generation of these proclamations. 

That Jerusalem is the Harlot is further proven by the application of this metaphor throughout the Bible, as Jerusalem is the only city consistently referred to as a harlot, whore, or a prostitute. This is evident through passages such as:

⁃ Isaiah 1:1/20, “The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz concerning Judah and Jerusalem, which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah… How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice!”

⁃ Jeremiah 2:1/20/3:1, “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, This is what the Lord says… For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your restraints; but you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill And under every leafy tree you have lain down as a prostitute… If a husband divorces his wife and she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife, will he return to her again? Would that land not be completely defiled? But you are a prostitute with many lovers; yet you turn to Me,’ declares the Lord.”

⁃ Ezekiel 16:1-3/15, “Again the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem… you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his… O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy.’”

Yet, aside from Jerusalem, there are two other cities referred to as a harlot, whore, or prostitute—Nineveh and Tyre. 

As evident through Jonah 3:5-10 and Matthew 12:41, Ninevah once repented and worshipped YHWH. Likewise, Tyre was once occupied by YHWH-worshipping Zebulonites, as Genesis 49:13 tells that they occupied the shoreline as far north as Sidon. Moreover, 1 Kings 7:13-14 explains how King Solomon sought a Naphtalite brass-worker from Tyre named Hiram, while 1 Kings 5:1-12 explains how the King of Tyre, also named Hiram, provided materials for King Solomon to use in the construction of the temple. 

Thus, Ninevah and Tyre both worshipped YHWH at some point, but later apostatized and fell astray. This indicates that the metaphor of a “Harlot” is reserved for nations that once worshipped YHWH, but later committed idolatry—in other words, nations that were once married to YHWH, but committed fornication with false deities and supposed God-Kings, thus deeming them a spiritual harlot or whore. 

This is certainly the case for Jerusalem, as Jeremiah 3:8 states: “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.” 

Though this passage is pertinent to Jerusalem in the 7th-6th centuries BC, the imagery of divorce displays how YHWH had a covenantal relationship with Israel and Judah, which was broken by their idolatry and faithlessness. Thus, in Revelation 17, the Harlot’s fornication and judgment reflect a continued pattern of spiritual rebellion and betrayal of their covenant with YHWH. 

This Harlot, representing apostate Jerusalem in the first-century AD, contrasts the faithful bride mentioned in Revelation 21:2, the New Jerusalem: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” 

Unbeknownst to many, the Hebrew name for Jerusalem is Yerushalayim, and in Hebrew, “-im” is a plural suffix. This is because there is a faithful heavenly Jerusalem, and an earthly harlot Jerusalem. The former chose Christ, while the latter chose Rome: “Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He [Pontius Pilate] said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him, away with him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified” (John 19:14-16).

This fornication with Rome provides a contextual basis for interpreting Revelation 17:1-2, “One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, ‘Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.’”

The waters upon which the Harlot sits represent “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages” (Revelation 17:15), alluding to the Roman Empire, which spanned three continents, consisted of 44 provinces, and encompassed 5 million square kilometers of land. Of course, by proclaiming Caesar as their King and condemning Christ to crucifixion, Jerusalem committed adultery with an Empire that spanned across the entire known world (the “oikouménē”). Through this relationship, Jerusalem also fraternized with other imperial provinces, thus fornicating with the nations by assimilating into the pagan gentile world. 

The leadership of these gentile provinces may represent the “kings of the earth” in Revelation 17:1-2. However, another interpretation would not require such as expansive network, as the term translated as “earth” is Strong’s 1093: γῆς (gēs), which more accurately denotes a specific “land” or “region”. Accordingly, the land or region in reference is Judaea, and the “kings of the land” may represent the Edomite Herodian Dynasty. The progenitor of this Dynasty, Herod the Great, ruled as King of Judaea from 37-1 BC. However, Herod and his descendants solely served as client kings, and were vassals of the Roman Empire. Thus, the “kings of the land” were responsible for leading the Harlot Jerusalem into an idolatrous relationship with the beast, which was Rome. 

Furthermore, “the inhabitants of the land”, being Judaea, were certainly “intoxicated” with the wine of Jerusalem’s adultery. As Pastor Bruce Gore states: “Jerusalem was supposed to be, in a sense, the religious capital of the world. Jerusalem was where you would go to find a house of prayer for the nations. Jerusalem was the place that was supposed to be heralding the truth of God to the nations and calling them to recognize the true God of Israel. She was a priest nation, a pastor nation; that was her job. And thus, in some deep sense, she had a strong and important influence and authority with respect to the rest of the nations. But… she turned her back on that, and thus, the positive influence she should have had became a very negative influence. It happened many times through history; it happened in a more powerful way than at any other time in the days of Jesus. The Apostle Paul commenting on this in Romans chapter two says, concerning the Jewish nation at that point, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’ (Romans 2:24).”

As for the next evidential factor in identifying the Harlot, Revelation 17:3 states, “And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.” 

So, in order to identify the Harlot of Revelation, also referred to as Mystery Babylon, we must first identify the Beast of Revelation, as the Harlot rides this Beast and is subsequently set ablaze by the beast’s horns. As previously stated, this Beast is first-century Rome, which crucified the Messiah and left Jerusalem desolate in 70 AD, killing approximately 1.1 million Judaeans and sending another 97,000 into captivity. 

As evident through Revelation 13:1, the ten horns of the Beast each have a diadem or crown, indicating that they represent rulers. Thus, the ten horns described in Daniel 7, Revelation 12, and Revelation 13, represent ten specific Roman leaders, as well as the ten major provinces of Rome. 

As for the Roman leaders, there are two interpretations as to who the ten horns are:

Interpretation one)

The first ten Caesars:

1. Julius Caesar (49-44 BC) – Progenitor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty
2. Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD)
3. Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD)
4. Caligula Caesar (37-41 AD)
5. Claudius Caesar (41-54 AD)
6. Nero Caesar (54-68 AD)
7. Galba Caesar (68-69 AD)
8. Otho Caesar (69 AD)
9. Vitellius Caesar (AD 69)
10. Vespasian Caesar (AD 69-79): Daniel 7:8 states, “I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.” Vespasian was the horn that uproots three others, as he was last in line during the Year of Four Emperors. Those he uprooted were Galba (68-69 AD), Otho (69 AD), and Vitellius (69 AD).

Interpretation two)

Pompey and the Julio-Claudian Dynasty:

1. Pompey the Great (70–48 BC) – While Julius Caesar practically acted as a King, he was only 1/3 of the First Triumvirate and ruled alongside Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Of these two figures, Pompey the Great fits best into the ten horns, as he was the first Roman to initiate conflict with Judaea. In 63 BC, Pompey intervened in a civil war within Hasmonean Judaea. This strife was the result of a power-dispute between two Hasmonean nobles, Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, who both appealed to Pompey for support. Eventually, Aristobulus II dissented against Pompey, which prompted him to siege Jerusalem, capture the city, and install Hyrcanus II as High Priest. From the perspective of contemporary Judaeans, Pompey was the first Roman leader to afflict them and assert his authority over the land, and being equal in power to Julius Caesar, there is a strong case to make that Pompey is the first horn.

2. Julius Caesar (49-44 BC) – Progenitor of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty

3. Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD)

4. Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD)

5. Caligula Caesar (37-41 AD)

6. Claudius Caesar (41-54 AD)

7. Nero Caesar (54-68 AD) – Ruled at the time Revelation was written (66 AD), hence the Mark of the Beast equalling 666, the gematria of Nero Caesar.

8. Galba Caesar (68-69 AD)

9. Otho Caesar (69 AD)

10. Vitellius Caesar (69 AD)

In this case, the 11th horn (or “little horn” of Daniel 7:7-8/24-25) is Vespasian Caesar (69-79 AD). For one, he was last in line during the Year of Four Emperors, hence Daniel’s claim that the 11th horn “put down” three of the prior horns: Galba (68-69 AD), Otho (69 AD), and Vitellius (69 AD). Secondly, Vespasian fits the caricature of a “little horn”, as he was the first Roman Emperor from an equestrian family and rose to the senatorial rank late in his life. With modest origins of little significance, Vespasian contrasted previous horns who came from patrician bloodlines.

Of course, one may argue that if the 11th horn is “different from the former ones” (Daniel 7:24-25), then Pompey the Great must be taken off the list, as he was also from an equestrian family and did not belong to the Caesar gens. This may be refuted by the fact that Pompey married into the Caesar gens by wedding Julia, the daughter of Julius Caesar. Essentially, while both Pompey and Vespasian descended from Equestrian families, Pompey was part of a Patrician family, served as Consul, and ruled alongside Julius Caesar. Conversely, Vespasian bore no lineal connection to nobility and served as a general until usurping the genetic heirs of Julius Caesar.

Now, if Vespasian is the 11th horn, it makes sense why only 11 horns are listed. Reason being, Vespasian was ruling when the Abomination of Desolation was fulfilled in 70 AD, and it was his son Titus who led Roman forces into Jerusalem. As shown in my essay on the Harlot of Revelation, Revelation 11:7-14 pertains to the destruction of Jerusalem; this desolation marks the seventh trumpet, which finalizes the Great Tribulation and announces Christ’s victory and rulership. So, if the 11th horn, being Vespasian, was ruling at the time of the final trumpet, then it makes sense for the beast to have just 11 horns.

In regard to the secondary meaning of the ten horns, being the ten major provinces of the Roman Empire, these are:

1. Italia
2. Gallia
3. Britannia
4. Hispania Tarraconensis
5. Germania
6. Aegyptus
7. Syria
8. Judaea
9. Asia
10. Africa Proconsularis

In regard to the seven heads of the beast, we are given more detail within Revelation 17:9-12, “This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.”

Here we see that the seven heads represent both seven mountains and seven kings: 

Mountains) The term translated as mountains is Strong’s 3735, ὄρη (orē): a mountain, a hill. Accordingly, the seven mountains (hills) allude to Rome, which was universally referred to as the “City of 7 Hills”: 

1. Capitoline Hill

2. Palatine Hill

3. Aventine Hill

4. Caelian Hill

5. Esquiline Hill

6. Viminal Hill

7. Quirinal Hill

The Harlot of Revelation (Apostate Jerusalem) symbolically sits on these hills (Revelation 17:7), representing Judaea’s allegiance to Rome. One passage showcasing this is John 19:14-15, “It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. ‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered.” Harlot Jerusalem rode securely on this beast (Rome) until its horns (Caesar and his Legions) turned on her and burned her to the ground in 70 AD. This ultimately fulfilled Revelation 17:16, “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire…”

Kings) The seven Kings are seven rulers of the beast, which is Rome. “Five have fallen”, meaning five had already died prior to the writing of Revelation:

1. Julius Caesar (49-44 BC)

2. Augustus Caesar (27 BC-14 AD)

3. Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD)

4. Caligula Caesar (37-41 AD)

5. Claudius Caesar (41-54 AD)

“One is”, meaning one was ruling at the time Revelation was written:

6. Nero Caesar (54-68 AD)

And “one will last a short while”, meaning his reign will be short-lived:

7. Galba Caesar (68-69 AD; 7 month reign) 

Yet, there is also “an eighth” king (not necessarily the eighth consecutive king), who is not an eighth head but is part of the seven. He is referred to as “the beast that was and is not”, which alludes to the head of the beast that was mortally wounded in Revelation 13:3. This wounded head represents the suicide of Nero Caesar in 68 AD, which plunged the Roman Empire into a state of instability. Thus, if the eighth king is part of the seven heads but does not comprise an eight head, he may represent the resurrection of the beast’s sixth head, which is Nero. This is not to say that the spirit of Nero possessed the eighth king, but that the spirit which possessed Nero also possessed the eighth king. This spirit seems to have been Apollo (Apollyon: Revelation 9), as Nero believed himself to be Apollo-incarnate and even minted coins depicting himself in the likeness of Apollo. Accordingly, the eighth king is Titus, who led the Legion of Apollo into Jerusalem and burned down the temple in 70 AD (my essay on the “Great Tribulation Fulfilled” explains how Apollyon and the locusts represent the Roman Legions).

Now again, the ten horns represent both Roman leaders and imperial provinces. Thus, the ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but receive authority as kings for one hour with the beast, seem to be the “Legatus Augusti pro praetore” of the ten imperial provinces (governors of imperial provinces who assume both administrative and militaristic responsibilities). 

These ten imperial provinces provided military-aged males who would receive placements among the various legions that razed Jerusalem in 70 AD. Again, this fulfilled Revelation 17:16, which states, “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire…” Essentially, soldiers from across the beast empire would destroy and burn the prostitute. If the beast is Rome, then the prostitute is evidently apostate Jerusalem. 

Aside from the seven heads and ten horns, Revelation 13:2 allows us to see that the beast of Revelation retains the animalistic features of the beasts that preceded Rome: “And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth.” Evidently, the leopard represents the third beast which was Alexander’s empire (Daniel 7:6), the bear represents the second beast which was Medo-Persia (Daniel 7:5), and the lion represents the first beast which was Babylon (Daniel 7:4). Thus, the fourth and final beast, which encompasses all those that preceded it, is the Roman Empire, which at the time was the largest empire to ever exist.

Lastly, Revelation 17:3 states that this beast is scarlet in colour, which provides more evidence that it represents Rome. Scarlet has a deep association with Roman power, wealth, and military dominance, and was notably prominent in Roman society for several reasons:

⁃ Roman battle ensigns, known as vexillum, were often dyed red. 

⁃ Roman soldiers, particularly centurions and officers, often wore red cloaks, tunics, and plumes.

⁃ Scarlet dye was relatively expensive, and thus denoted luxury and prestige in the Roman Empire. For this reason, it was often worn by emperors, aristocrats, and high-ranking officials.

Considering all the aforementioned evidence, the Harlot of Revelation had to be contemporary to first-century Rome, had to ally itself with Rome, and had to be burned to oblivion by Rome. The only city that could possibly fit this criterion is Jerusalem.

That first-century Jerusalem is the Harlot of Revelation is further attested to by Revelation 17:4, “The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.”

For one, purple and scarlet were specifically used for the priestly garments and the tabernacle. This is evident through Exodus 28:5-6, “They shall receive gold, blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.” Accordingly, the application of these colours in Revelation 17:4 symbolizes the bastardization of the priestly role and their shortcomings in guiding the people of God; this in turn parallels the Harlot intoxicating the inhabitants of the earth with her adulteries.

Secondly, precious materials such as gold, jewels, and pearls were draped across the tabernacle, the temple, and the priestly garments (Exodus 25:3, Exodus 26:1, Exodus 28:2 Exodus 28:17, 1 Kings 6:20). In Ezekiel 16:1/10-17, these items are explicitly mentioned in relation to Jerusalem and her harlotry: “Again the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations…’ I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord God. you trusted in your beauty and played the whore because of your renown and lavished your whorings on any passerby; your beauty became his. You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful shrines, and on them played the whore.”

Lastly, the golden cup represents an outward appearance of cleanliness and beauty, yet its contents are filthy and abominable. This parallels Christ’s description of Jerusalem and its leadership in Matthew 23:25-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

That said, the golden cup of abominations also serves as a blatant allusion to Babylon, as Jeremiah 51:7 states, “Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunken; the nations drank of her wine; therefore the nations went mad.”

This leads to the next verse pertaining to the Harlot: “And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations’” (Revelation 17:5). 

First and foremost, the reference to Jerusalem as Babylon is symbolic of her adultery with the nations, as ancient Babylon was likewise described as sitting by many waters (representing “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages”): “Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon; make the watch strong; set up watchmen; prepare the ambushes; for the Lord has both planned and done what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon. O you who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut” (Jeremiah 51:12-13). 

However, first-century Jerusalem is also referred to as Mystery Babylon because it comprised of Judahites whose ancestors returned from Babylon post-exile, bearing a remnant of Babylonian culture and practices. For instance, in Ezekiel 8:14-16, the Prophet Ezekiel witnesses idol worship in the temple, including the veneration of Tammuz, a Babylonian deity; this indicates an infiltration of Babylonian practices into Judaean worship, even after the return from exile. Similarly, Zechariah 5:5-11 presents a vision of “wickedness” being taken to the land of Shinar (Babylon), symbolizing the continuing influence of Babylonian idolatry among Judaeans. 

Yet, there is one more reason as to why Jerusalem is referred to as Mystery Babylon. The name Babylon translates to “Gate of God”, and Jerusalem was initially intended to act as a Gate of God on Earth. Thus, by referring to apostate Jerusalem as “Mystery Babylon”, the shortcomings of Jerusalem are put on display. 

With the convergence of these characteristics, being purple and scarlet garments, precious materials such as gold, jewels and pearls, and a golden cup, we are provided with a bastardization of “the high priest on the Day of Atonement wearing the vestments specially reserved for that occasion and holding the libation offering. However, instead of the sacred name upon his brow, the priest-harlot bears the name of ‘Babylon, mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth’, a title illustrating Ezekiel 16:43-45, where YHWH speaks of the lewdness of Jerusalem” (Josephine Massyngberde Ford). 

As stated here, the name of Mystery Babylon upon the Harlots forehead is a bastardization of the High Priest, who would bind the name of YHWH to his head in ritual: “You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord (YHWH).’ And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue; it shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, and Aaron shall bear any guilt from the holy things that the people of Israel consecrate as their holy gifts. It shall regularly be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord (YHWH)” (Exodus 28:36-38).

Furthermore, the motif of a harlot’s forehead is used in the Old Testament as a symbol of shameless rebellion. For example, Jeremiah 3:3 states, “Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed.” Of course, this passage also pertains to the disobedient Israelites, so it further attests to Jerusalem being the Harlot of Revelation.

In regard to the Harlot being called the “mother of prostitutes and of the earth’s abominations” (Revelation 17:5), scripture only attests to one city fitting this description. 

Ezekiel 16:1-3/44-51 states, “Again the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem… Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’ You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children; and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. And your elder sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; and your younger sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters. Not only did you walk in their ways and do according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways. As I live, declares the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it. Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they, and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.’”

As for the next verse regarding this Harlot, Revelation 17:6 states, “And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.” 

As stated earlier, Luke 11:47-51 and Matthew 23:37-39 prove that first-century Jerusalem was held responsible for all the blood of these saints and martyrs, and that the city would be left desolate within a generation of these prophetic declarations. But to expound, the Romans were not the first to persecute early Christians, as the religious establishment in Judaea took precedence (Acts 12:1-3, Acts 13:49-50, Acts 14:1-2, Acts 17:1-7, Acts 18:12-13, Acts 20:18-21, Acts 21:27-31, Acts 23:12-16, Acts 24:1-5, Acts 24:27, Acts 25:9). This persecution was suffered at the hands of the Synagogue of Satan mentioned in Revelation 2:9 and Revelation 3:9; first they killed John the Baptist, then they killed Christ, and afterwards they sought out the Church of Christ, of which thousands of others were martyred. 

1 Thessalonians 2:13-16 states, “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own [Jewish] countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of thew sins; but wrath is coming upon them to the uttermost.” Not only does this passage attest to the domestic martyrdom of Christians in the first-century AD, but also proves that YHWH’s wrath came upon that generation. 

The earliest Christian martyr to be named in scripture is Stephen, who testified against the synagogues and was martyred for doing so. Acts 7:55 tells that while testifying against the Pharisees, he was “full of the Holy Spirit”. This was a partial-fulfillment of both Matthew 10:17-19 & Luke 12:11-12, in which Christ instructs his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour” (Matthew 10:17-19); “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Luke 12:11-12).

Thus, while Christ’s words are certainly profitable for instruction today (2 Timothy 3:16-17), they primarily applied to his disciples who would be handed over to the synagogues and martyred.

This could only have been fulfilled prior to 70 AD, as prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, synagogues held jurisdictional authority which granted them the ability to resolve internal matters, including imposing fines, sentences, and even death penalties. This sovereignty was stripped after 70 AD, and the Judeans experienced a significant decline in status throughout the Roman Empire. The only time Christians were ever brought before synagogues was before the Second Temple’s destruction in 70 AD.

The desolation of Jerusalem’s Second Temple ultimately marked the fulfillment of Revelation 17:16-17, “And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” 

The Harlot (Jerusalem) rode securely on this Beast (Rome), until its horns (Caesar and his Legions) turned on her and burned her to the ground in 70 AD. This is proven by an Old Testament parallel in Ezekiel 16:1-3/35-43, “Again the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations, and say, Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem… O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: Thus says the Lord God, Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your whorings with your lovers, and with all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them, therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from every side and will uncover your nakedness to them, that they may see all your nakedness. And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged, and bring upon you the blood of wrath and jealousy. And I will give you into their hands, and they shall throw down your vaulted chamber and break down your lofty places. They shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful jewels and leave you naked and bare. They shall bring up a crowd against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords. And they shall burn your houses and execute judgments upon you in the sight of many women. I will make you stop playing the whore, and you shall also give payment no more. So will I satisfy my wrath on you, and my jealousy shall depart from you. I will be calm and will no more be angry. Because you have not remembered the days of your youth, but have enraged me with all these things, therefore, behold, I have returned your deeds upon your head, declares the Lord God. Have you not committed lewdness in addition to all your abominations?”

This passage definitively proves that the abominable Harlot of Revelation is the adulterous Jerusalem, which cheated against its covenant with YHWH and was responsible for the blood of Christ and his Saints.

Yet, the final verse concerning this Harlot is the one that garners most contention towards the Partial-Preterist view. Revelation 17:18 states, “And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.” 

Adherents to Pre-Tribulation eschatology assert that this verse debunks the idea of Jerusalem being the Harlot, as it did not hold dominion over the kings of the earth at the time of its desolation. However, the dominion referenced in this verse is spiritual rather than physical. Consider how Ezekiel 5:5 states, “Thus says the Lord God: This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her.” As passages like Deuteronomy 4:6-7 reveal, Israel was intended to be an example for the nations to follow, and thus, with the gradual secularization of monotheisms only stronghold, the idolatrous ways of the pagans were reinforced. In this way, Jerusalem exercised a form of spiritual dominion over the earth—whether negatively through the earthly harlot Jerusalem, or positively through the faithful heavenly Jerusalem.

In conclusion, the Bible interprets itself, providing clear and sufficient answers to all essential questions. When we compare the exegetical evidence presented here with the assertions of those who claim Revelation remains unfulfilled, we see a distinct contrast. Such claims rely heavily on baseless speculations about modern events, lacking a firm foundation in scripture. In contrast, those who adhere to Post-Tribulation eschatology can extensively draw from scripture to construct a rigorous and compelling case for the identity of the Harlot. 

To reject the conclusion that first-century Jerusalem is the Harlot is to dismiss the teachings of Christ and the prophets he sent to precede his arrival. The only interpretation that honors the unified testimony of scripture, rooted in the voices of the Law, the Prophets, and the words of Christ himself, is the Post-Tribulation Partial-Preterist view.