I don’t know that writing my thoughts on this chapter are worthy of publishing, but I found the entire chapter interesting – mostly because I’ve read it before, and this morning it seemed to be with more clarity, or at least with different questions. Usually, once I write my first sentence, I get thoughts that are profound. I don't know that's the case today.
I love the language of this chapter. In the first verse, I could almost visualize a “friend” relationship between John and the angel who was showing him around. He said, “Come hither; . . .” I could see the angel beckoning to him, “Come here, John. I want to show you something.” It means nothing; just what I envisioned.
The “whore” is obviously anyone or anything, kingdom, creed, etc., that fights against the kingdom of the Lord, Jesus Christ. I get this information from reading 1 Nephi 22:13-16 and 1 Nephi 14:11.
The woman in verse 3, who is sitting upon a scarlet colored beast, represents the wicked rulers and nations of the world. They are rich and full of filth. Sounds pretty descriptive of what we see in some parts of the world today. The woman is drunken with the blood of the saints. You see it in so many ways in the history of the world.
In verse 8, it says “the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” I’m wondering if that is referencing the fact that Satan (the beast) was all-powerful and known throughout the world and then “is not”. Does that mean he disappears, as we have been told he will not have power during the millennium? And then it goes on to say “and yet is”. We know he exists, but he isn’t in the world during this time. I have no answer. These were just my thoughts.
I want to jump quickly to verse 9 though. That is the verse that caused me to pause this morning. I’m not certain why I’ve never noticed it before, yet it isn’t a leap. “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. (In other words, if you’re smart you’ll get this.) The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” Are the seven mountains the seven continents of the world? It could have multiple meanings. We know that seven in the scriptures can be replaced with perfect, finished, or complete. At least that’s what I’ve been told. So, “complete world?” “Perfect world?”, or is it “Finished world?” I just thought it interesting.
My grandson has me reading the Percy Jackson books. Although it’s not my favorite kind of reading, it has been interesting to see some of the similarities between the adventures of Percy and the prophecies of John in Revelations. There seems to be lots of “beasts” with multiple heads, horns and moving/flying about the world freely in both accounts. This too means nothing. Just my thoughts as I was reading.
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