English Back to Greek Revelation 17:3

   So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 

   The most interesting area of study of Revelation 17 and 18 are translating the English  interpretations back into the original Greek, and breaking down the meaning behind those words. Some of the English translations were poorly chosen. 

   John chose his words very carefully when drafting his account, detailing specifics that are not found in the English translations. Studying the Greek which John used gives us a clearer picture of what John was witnessing while in the spirit. 

   In verse 7 the angel tells John that he will tell him the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her. The angel begins to explain a succession of events surrounding the beast, who carries the woman upon his seven heads. The angel begins with the beast with the mortal wound in verse 8, but does not give John much more information about the woman. We find that the woman has an international reach, sitting on many waters: nations,  multitudes of peoples and tongues. Then the angel discloses that the woman who John saw was that great (μεγας) city (πολις) which reigns over the kings of the earth, in the last days. The last verse in the chapter, transitions the narrative back to the woman and continues into the following chapter where John discovers that the woman is not only a great city, but she is also a merchant port.

   In the Greek, μεγας, mega translates into English as great, huge, enormous by volume, overtly large by physical size, covering vast amounts of territory. 

   πολις or, polis for city is defined in the Greek as a walled city, mother city, magistrate city, that dominates well defined territory.. So now we know that the woman is a metaphor for a extremely large city. 

Babylon Through The Ages

     Babylon the Great, a city of mystery and intrigue, antiquities and abandonment. An ancient city named after a great kingdom that ruled the middle east from the heart of the Iraqi desert. The city of the desert now lies barren, deserted and desolate; the result of God's divine judgement, fulfilling multiple prophecies of the fall of Babylon. The old Babylon city will remain desolate and barren and all who pass by will hiss at all of her plagues. That was the judgement of the first Babylon - the golden lion - the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar. 

   Bible prophecy tells of a future Babylon, a fourth Babylon kingdom that will rise, in the end of days, to fulfill the prophecies found in Revelation 13, 17 and 18.  As of today, Babylon is patiently waiting for the economic boom that will revitalize her, one last time. 

   Both history and science back the Biblical claim that the Fertile Crescent, which runs through the heart of the Mesopotamia was the birth place of man, the birth of civilization. 

   The Mesopotamia is the land mass that extends from the base of the Nile, up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, then east through Israel. The Mesopotamian crescent continues through modern day Syria into Nineveh before taking a sharp downward turn into Iraq, by way of the Euphrates and Tigris River to the Persian Gulf.

   This area, believed by many is the location of two of the four rivers that flowed from the Garden of Eden and the birthplace of man. Some debate that the original location of the Garden of Eden was in Israel, but the great flood changed the geophysical landscape in such a way, that neither claim can be substantiated.

   Southern Iraq is also the area of the Plains of Shinar or more commonly known as the Land of Shinar: the land between two rivers, the Tigris, and the Euphrates. The Bible mentions Shinar 8 times; each reference pointing to Shinar as the location of Babel, the land of Nimrod, the Babylonian kingdom and the city of Babylon.

   The Book of Daniel gives us a tiny glimpse into the ancient Babylon kingdom, as a land of military might, merchants, sorcerers, necromancers, enchanters and idol worshippers.

Seven Heads of the Beast Revelation 13

   1) "And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast (kingdom) rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2) And the beast that I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat (throne) and great authority. 3) And I saw one of his heads as it were (slain) wounded to death,(εσφαγμενην), and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." 

   John is instructed to record a series of events: the things which he had seen, the things that are, and the things which shall be hereafter: Revelation 1:19. After the seven letters to the seven churches, a door opens in heaven and John is taken up in the spirit. The large majority of the things recorded in Revelation consists of futuristic events, that extend far beyond John's world, to the end of the age. These events transpire during the last seven years of human history and move the reader forward, into the the time of the end and, the second coming of Yeshua HaMashiach. 

  We are told that Revelation is full of prophetic symbolic imagery and it's hard to understand so, we expect to be confounded and confused. We were told how scripture should be interpreted and now, we hold onto centuries-old interpretations for dear life and pass them on, conditioning future generations with several flawed interpretations. One of these flawed interpretations is the theory, that the seven heads of the beast, are the seven hills of Rome, moving the fourth beast, the antichrist-tribulation kingdom back in time - and, into Europe. 

English Back to Greek Revelation 17:1

   And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will show you the judgment of the great whore πόρνης that sits upon many waters. Revelation 17:1

   The most interesting area of study of Revelation 17 and 18 are translating the English  interpretations back into the original Greek and breaking down the meaning behind those words. Some of the English translations (in my opinion) were poorly chosen. 

   John chose his words very carefully when drafting his account detailing specifics that are not found in the English translations. Studying the Greek which John used offers a clearer picture of what John was witnessing, while in the spirit. 

   For example the Greek word translated into the English as great (megas) 'prostitute' is  πόρνης which means commercially corrupt one, to export or sell products or commodities immorally for profit or gain. This is generally defined or translated into English by its root πόρνη which is simply pornēs, prostitute, prostitution, playing the harlot. This is where the term harlot, wh0re or, prostitute originated from; the root of πόρνης.