Apocalipsis 17:1-11

1 La gran prostituta
Uno de los siete ángeles que derramaron las siete copas se acercó y me dijo: «Ven conmigo, y te mostraré la sentencia que recibirá la gran prostituta, que gobierna
sobre muchas aguas.

2 Los reyes del mundo cometieron adulterio con ella, y los que pertenecen a este mundo se emborracharon con el vino de su inmoralidad».

3 Entonces el ángel me llevó en el Espíritu
al desierto. Allí vi a una mujer sentada sobre una bestia de color escarlata que tenía siete cabezas y diez cuernos, y estaba llena de blasfemias escritas contra Dios.

4 La mujer estaba vestida de púrpura y escarlata y llevaba puestas hermosas joyas de oro, piedras preciosas y perlas. En la mano tenía una copa de oro llena de obscenidades y de las inmundicias de su inmoralidad.

5 Tenía escrito en la frente un nombre misterioso: Babilonia la grande, madre de todas las prostitutas y obscenidades del mundo.

6 Pude ver que ella estaba borracha, borracha de la sangre del pueblo santo de Dios, es decir los que testificaron de Jesús. Me quedé mirándola totalmente asombrado.

7 «¿Por qué te asombras tanto? —preguntó el ángel—. Te explicaré el misterio de esta mujer y de la bestia con siete cabezas y diez cuernos sobre la que ella está sentada.

8 La bestia que viste, antes vivía pero ya no. Sin embargo, pronto subirá del abismo sin fondo
e irá a la destrucción eterna. Los que pertenecen a este mundo cuyos nombres no fueron escritos en el libro de la vida antes de la creación del mundo, se asombrarán al ver la reaparición de esta bestia, que había muerto.

9 »Aquí se requiere una mente con entendimiento: las siete cabezas de la bestia representan las siete colinas donde la mujer gobierna. También representan siete reyes:

10 cinco reyes ya han caído, el sexto reina actualmente, y el séptimo todavía no ha llegado pero su reino será breve.

11 »La bestia escarlata que existía pero que ya no existe es el octavo rey. Este rey es como los otros siete, y él también va rumbo a la destrucción.

Apocalipsis 17:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 17

This chapter contains a vision of a beast, and a woman on it, and the interpretation of it; one of the seven angels that had the seven vials proposes to John to show him the whore of Babylon, the Jezabel before spoken of, who sits on many waters, with whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth have committed fornication, being intoxicated by her, Re 17:1,2 in order to which he carries him into the wilderness, and there he sees a woman, who is described by the beast she sat on, of a scarlet colour, full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns; by her array, in purple and scarlet, decked with gold, pearls, and precious stones; by a cup she had in her hand, full of abominable filth; by a name written on her forehead, given at large, and by the condition she was in, drunk with the blood of the saints; which sight filled John with great wonder and admiration, Re 17:3-6 wherefore, to remove his astonishment, the angel proposes to explain to him the mystery of the woman, and the beast she sat on, Re 17:7 and first the mystery of the beast is explained, by its several states, past, present, and to come; by its original and end, ascending out of the bottomless pit, and going into perdition; by the veneration it would be had in by the reprobate part of the world, Re 17:8 its seven heads are interpreted of the seven mountains on which the city of Rome, designed by the woman, stood, and of seven kings, or forms of government, five of which had ceased, and one was in being in John's time, another was to come, which should not continue long, and the beast would be an eighth, Re 17:9-11 its ten horns are explained of ten kings, described by their kingdom they had not as yet received, and which they should have one hour with the beast; by their agreement in mind and conduct; and by their war with the Lamb, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and those that are with him, the called, chosen, and faithful, and the issue of it, Re 17:12-14 the waters on which the whore sat are interpreted of a multitude of people, nations, and tongues, Re 17:15 the hatred and destruction of her by the ten kings, and the manner of it, are declared, Re 17:16 which is owing to the will of God, who put it into their hearts to agree to give their kingdom to the beast till the prophecies and promises were fulfilled respecting this matter, and now to destroy the whore that sat upon it, Re 17:17 which woman is explained of the great city of Rome, that reigns over the kings of the earth, Re 17:18.