Harlot and the Beast
The Second Half of Daniel's Week: The Triumph of Mystery Babylon and Her Ultimate Fall
Grace and Peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
To the church of God, sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, scattered across the nations: grace to you and peace from Him who is, who was, and who is to come. I, the Watchman, a servant of the Most High and a witness to His Word, write to you with the burden of the Spirit.
The Whore of Babylon: Mystery Babylon as Earthly Jerusalem
The identity of Mystery Babylon, the great harlot who rides the beast (Revelation 17:1-6), finds its most compelling fulfilment in earthly Jerusalem during the second half of Daniel’s 70th week. The Old Testament consistently portrays Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, as a spiritual harlot, betraying her covenant with God to align with earthly powers. This betrayal is exemplified in Ezekiel 16:35-37:
"Therefore, you prostitute, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you poured out your lust and exposed your naked body in your promiscuity with your lovers and because of all your detestable idols, and because you gave them your children’s blood, therefore I am going to gather all your lovers, with whom you found pleasure, those you loved as well as those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and will strip you in front of them, and they will see you stark naked."
Galatians 4:25 establishes a contrast between earthly Jerusalem, symbolized as Hagar, a slave woman, and the free, heavenly Jerusalem:
“Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother” (Galatians 4:25-26).
Earthly Jerusalem’s role as Mystery Babylon is further cemented by its location atop seven hills, as Revelation 17:9 declares:
"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits."
Historically, Jerusalem has been associated with seven hills, mirroring this description. Jesus Himself lamented over the city’s apostasy in Matthew 23:37-38:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate.”
Jeremiah’s Rebuke: The Forehead of a Prostitute
The prophet Jeremiah delivers one of the most piercing indictments against Israel and Judah, accusing them of unrepentant spiritual adultery. This imagery of infidelity and obstinacy is vividly captured in Jeremiah 3:3:
"Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame."
The phrase “the brazen look of a prostitute”—or more literally, “a forehead of a prostitute”—depicts a hardened disposition, an unyielding and shameless persistence in sin. The forehead, symbolic of the seat of will and determination, illustrates their refusal to acknowledge guilt or repent despite repeated warnings and judgments from God. This obstinacy stands in stark contrast to the humility and contrition God seeks from His people. When Rev 18:5 is read, the connection to Jeremiah 3:3 is clear:
Revelation 18:5
The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
babylon the great
the mother of prostitutes
and of the abominations of the earth.
The Spiritual Prostitution of Israel and Judah
Jeremiah’s accusations are rooted in the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where God is the faithful husband, and Israel is portrayed as the unfaithful wife. The imagery of prostitution underscores Israel’s idolatry and alliances with foreign nations, as highlighted in Jeremiah 2:20:
"Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, 'I will not serve you!' Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute."
Israel’s idolatry, likened to prostitution, is a deliberate betrayal of the covenant. By worshiping other gods and seeking political alliances with Egypt and Assyria, they abandoned their divine protector and provider. Jeremiah 2:27-28 exposes the futility of their actions:
"They say to wood, 'You are my father,' and to stone, 'You gave me birth.' They have turned their backs to me and not their faces; yet when they are in trouble, they say, 'Come and save us!' Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble!"
The Warning of Judgment and Call to Repentance
Despite their obstinacy, God does not abandon His people without hope. Through Jeremiah, He offers a path to redemption, calling them to repentance. Jeremiah 3:12-13 pleads:
"Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord, I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful, declares the Lord, I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt—you have rebelled against the Lord your God, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree, and have not obeyed me, declares the Lord."
This call to repentance reflects God’s enduring mercy and desire for restoration, even in the face of persistent rebellion.
Prophetic Fulfillment and Eschatological Implications
The metaphor of the “forehead of a prostitute” transcends the immediate context of Jeremiah’s day, finding echoes in Revelation’s depiction of Mystery Babylon. Revelation 17:5 describes the harlot who sits on many waters:
"The name written on her forehead was a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth."
Just as Israel and Judah’s spiritual harlotry led to judgment, so too does Mystery Babylon’s infidelity result in her ultimate destruction. The forehead inscription symbolizes an identity entrenched in rebellion and unrepentance, mirroring the hardened state Jeremiah lamented.
A Warning and a Promise
Jeremiah’s prophetic rebuke serves as a timeless warning against spiritual adultery and a call to wholehearted fidelity to God. The “forehead of a prostitute” is not merely a historical metaphor but a spiritual diagnosis relevant to every generation. Yet, within the judgment lies the promise of restoration for those who turn back to God. As Jeremiah 29:13 assures:
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
The choice remains—to persist in hardened rebellion or to embrace the transformative mercy of a faithful God.
The Synthetic Beginning: Seal 1 and Israel’s Modern Re-establishment
The prophetic journey toward the culmination of Mystery Babylon’s reign began with Seal 1. Revelation 6:2 describes the rider on a white horse:
“I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
This seal signifies diplomatic conquest, epitomized by the establishment of Israel through UN General Assembly Resolution 181 in 1947. Israel’s creation as a state was dependent on the support of global powers [and the nations in general per UN], rather than a direct act of divine intervention [per exodus from Egypt or prophetic announcement of deliverance per Isaiah naming Cyrus]. Jeremiah 2:18 warns against reliance on foreign nations:
“Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates?”
This dependence mirrors the whore’s reliance on the beast and global systems for survival, rather than God.
The Woman of Heaven: A Stark Contrast
While earthly Jerusalem represents slavery and apostasy, the heavenly Jerusalem is the barren woman who triumphs through divine promise. Hebrews 12:22-23 describes this heavenly city:
“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.”
This woman, seen in Revelation 12, gives birth to a son who is “caught up to God” (Revelation 12:5). Romans 8:19-21 identifies this son as the “revealing of the sons of God”—the glorified Church, raptured and transformed. Revelation 3:21 promises:
“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
The Beast of Revelation 13 and the Demonic Ascendancy
As the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week arrives, Satan and his angels are cast to the earth, vastly increasing demonic activity. Revelation 12:9 describes this:
“The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
This event leads directly to the rise of the beast in Revelation 13, symbolizing the maturation of the global order initiated by Seal 1. The mark of the beast represents ultimate allegiance to Satan, as Revelation 13:16-17 declares:
“It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
The Bowls of Wrath: Final Judgment
The second half of Daniel’s week starts with trumpet number 7 initiating the bowls of wrath (Revelation 16), which represent God’s judgment on the beast, the harlot, and their followers. Revelation 16:2 describes the first bowl:
“The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.”
Each successive bowl escalates the destruction, targeting the sea, rivers, sun, and the kingdom of the beast. Revelation 16:19 declares the fall of Babylon:
“The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.”
This judgment completes the prophetic sequence, demonstrating the sovereignty of God over all powers and preparing the way for the return of Christ.
Conclusion: The Eternal City of God
In the end, the contrast between earthly Jerusalem and heavenly Jerusalem reaches its zenith. Earthly Jerusalem, the harlot, is destroyed, while heavenly Jerusalem descends as the eternal dwelling of God’s after Christ's millennial reign on earth (Revelation 21:2-3):
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”
This fulfilment assures us that God’s redemptive plan, initiated in Christ and culminating in His return, is steadfast and true. The whore and the beast are no more; only the eternal reign of Christ and His faithful remain.
It's easy to see the 7 seals and their consequences as being restricted to Rev 4-7; however the scroll that is opened by the Lord Jesus ultimately reveals the mysteries of God and ultimately is the revelation of Jesus and his reign. With the exception of Jesus' epistles to the 7 Churches of Asia--all of revelation is about what this scroll reveals. I believe I have only been given the "revelation" of what this mysterious book means because the time is at hand--and if you're reading this; you need to know this too.
