COMMENTARY ON REVELATION 17:9

Revelation 17:9

This verse is a ‘key verse’ for revealing to us the ‘true identity’ of the ‘Harlot Woman’ (“Mystery, Babylon the Great”) in Revelation 17. The verse reads…

(9a) And here is the understanding that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth: (Rev. 17:9, DRCB)

(9) Narito ang pagiisip na may karunungan. Ang pitong ulo ay pitong bundok na kinauupuan ng babae: (Rev. 17:9, TCB)

(9) And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Rev. 17:9, KJB)

For centuries, ROME has been known as the “city of seven hills”. – So, the "Harlot Woman" is the city of Rome . . . and Vatican City is part of the city of Rome. The Vatican City is an “enclave” of the city of Rome. An “enclave” is defined as … “A tract of land or a territory enclosed within another territory of which it is independent.” ^[1]The following is a quote from Wikipedia …

[BEGIN QUOTE] Vatican City . . . . officially the Vatican City State (Italian: Stato della Città del Vaticano; Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae), is landlocked sovereign country, city-state, microstate, and enclave within Rome, Italy. It became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, and it is a distinct territory under "full ownership, exclusive dominion, and sovereign authority and jurisdiction" of the Holy See[the Holy See is viewed as the central government of the Catholic Church and Vatican City]. . . . .

With an area of 49 hectares (121 acres) and as of 2023 a population of about 764, it is the smallest state in the world both by area and by population. It is also the second-least populated capital in the world. As governed by the Holy See, Vatican City State is an ecclesiastical . . . . state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. . . .

The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see, which has approximately 1.329 billion baptized Catholics in the world as of 2018 in the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.

The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of an absolute elective monarchy and being governed by the Holy See, in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City. [END QUOTE] ^[2]

[BEGIN NEW QUOTE] On April 6, 1964, the Holy See [Vatican government] became a 'Permanent Observer to the United Nations' and established its Mission in New York City. -- The Holy See enjoys by its own choice the status of Permanent Observer at the United Nations, rather than of a full Member. This is due primarily to the desire of the Holy See to maintain absolute neutrality in specific political problems. [END QUOTE] ^[3]

Roman Catholic theologians, by their very own words, admit to the fact that the Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17 of the Catholic Bible points directly to Rome. . .

Sylvester J. Hunter, a Jesuit, in his “Outline of Dogmatic Theology” (Vol I, p. 410) said: “There is no room for doubt that by the Babylon of the Apocalypse [Revelation] is meant the city of Rome. And down to the time of the Reformation it was the unanimous judgment of all writers… that the Babylon of St. Peter’s Epistle [1 Peter 5:13] is the same Rome.”

Cardinal Baronius, who lived from 1538-1607, said: “By Babylon is to be understood Rome.” “Rome is signified by Babylon; it is confessed of all.” (“Annals,” sec xvi, p. 344) [Rev 17]

Cardinal Bellarmine, who was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation, said; “John, in the Apocalypse [Book of Revelation], calls Rome Babylon.” (“De Rom. Pont..” c. iii, 2, Preterea, Tome I, p 232, Colon 1615)

Cardinal Newman, who was originally an evangelical Oxford academic and priest in the Church of England, before he joined the church of Rome, described the city of Rome as **“a doomed city,” “amid the obscurities of the fearful Apocalypse.”** ^[4]

The earliest extant Commentary on the Apocalypse is by a Bishop and Martyr of Pannonia, Victorinus, in the third century. He says, "the city of Babylon, that is, Rome; the City on seven hills, that is, Rome; and the Kings of the Earth will hate the Harlot, that is, Rome." ^[5]

Given the description of Babylon in Revelation 17:3, that it is “drunk with the blood of the saints,” and, understanding that Rome is indeed “the city on seven hills,” this cannot be ancient Babylon in Iraq … this qualifies Rome to be the Babylon in Revelation 17. —Even more specifically, that this Babylon in Revelation 17:3 is “drunk with the blood of the saints,” reveals that this Babylon is the Vatican (the Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church) in Rome. This is the city that s prophesied to be destroyed (“burned with fire”) by the ten nations that are subject to Antichrist, and that are instilled by God “to do that that pleases Him” in Revelation 17:16-17.

END NOTES

[1] WIKIPEDIA, “Enclave”, Accessed August10, 2024, Web: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enclave_and_exclave

[2] WIKIPEDIA, “Vatican City”, Accessed August10, 2024, Web:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City

[3] WIKIPEDIA, “Holy See and United Nations”, Accessed August10, 2024, Web: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_See_and_the_United_Nations

[4] REVELATION TIMELINE DECODED, David Nikao Wilcoxson, “Revelation 18 – Mystery Babylon Harlot Destroyed”, Accessed August15, 2024, Web: https://revelationtimelinedecoded.com/revelation-18-mystery-babylon-harlot-destroyed/

[5] CHRISTIAN CLASSICS ETHERAL LIBRARY, “ANFO7, Fathers of the Third and Fourth Centuries – From the Seventeenth Chapter (9)”, Accessed September 12, 2024, Web: https://ccel.org/ccel/victorinus/apocalypse/anf07.vi.ii.xvi.html

Revelation 17:9

Revelation 17:9

This verse is a ‘key verse’ for revealing to us the ‘true identity’ of the ‘Harlot Woman’ (“Mystery, Babylon the Great”) in Revelation 17. The verse reads…

(9a) And here is the understanding that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth: (Rev. 17:9, DRCB)

(9) Narito ang pagiisip na may karunungan. Ang pitong ulo ay pitong bundok na kinauupuan ng babae: (Rev. 17:9, TCB)

(9) And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Rev. 17:9, KJB)

The Holy See dates back to early Christianity and is the principal episcopal see, which has approximately 1.329 billion baptized Catholics in the world as of 2018 in the Latin Church and 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.

The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of an absolute elective monarchy and being governed by the Holy See, in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City. [END QUOTE] [2]

Roman Catholic theologians, by their very own words, admit to the fact that the Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17 of the Catholic Bible points directly to Rome. . .

Cardinal Baronius, who lived from 1538-1607, said: “By Babylon is to be understood Rome.” “Rome is signified by Babylon; it is confessed of all.” (“Annals,” sec xvi, p. 344) [Rev 17]

Cardinal Bellarmine, who was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, and one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation, said; “John, in the Apocalypse [Book of Revelation], calls Rome Babylon.” (“De Rom. Pont..” c. iii, 2, Preterea, Tome I, p 232, Colon 1615)

Cardinal Newman, who was originally an evangelical Oxford academic and priest in the Church of England, before he joined the church of Rome, described the city of Rome as “a doomed city,” “amid the obscurities of the fearful Apocalypse.” [4]

The earliest extant Commentary on the Apocalypse is by a Bishop and Martyr of Pannonia, Victorinus, in the third century. He says, "the city of Babylon, that is, Rome; the City on seven hills, that is, Rome; and the Kings of the Earth will hate the Harlot, that is, Rome." [5]

END NOTES

The politics of Vatican City takes place in the context of an absolute elective monarchy and being governed by the Holy See, in which the head of the Catholic Church holds power. The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over the State of Vatican City. [END QUOTE] ^[2]

Cardinal Newman, who was originally an evangelical Oxford academic and priest in the Church of England, before he joined the church of Rome, described the city of Rome as **“a doomed city,” “amid the obscurities of the fearful Apocalypse.”** ^[4]

The earliest extant Commentary on the Apocalypse is by a Bishop and Martyr of Pannonia, Victorinus, in the third century. He says, "the city of Babylon, that is, Rome; the City on seven hills, that is, Rome; and the Kings of the Earth will hate the Harlot, that is, Rome." ^[5]