In the book of Revelation, the apostle John saw a vision of a woman wearing scarlet and riding a beast with seven heads and 10 horns. This woman represents a false religious system responsible for the persecution and murder of God's saints over the last 2,000 years. It will play a major role in world events just before the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.
This particular woman is rightly branded in Revelation as a faithless harlot (prostitute). "And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5).
But what does she symbolize? "And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth" (verse 18). She will be the pride of this world, yet she will also have been the relentless and ruthless persecutor of true Christians. God has clearly stated that this woman is "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (verse 6, emphasis added throughout).
Her influential relationships reach into the highest political and social circles in national governments and the business world: "The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury" (Revelation 18:3). Always remember, however, that our Creator has her lawless activities firmly in mind, knowing that "her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities" (verse 5).
