Jeffro:
He's not listening. The lights are on but no-one's at home. He's so busy with his wannabe-Elder head stuck up his @ss that he can't see the city for the G/g-reat pile of poo-poo that he's wading through
He doesn't want to discuss stuff, he wants to teach others and get a following, only this pied piper is trying to attract people back to the WTS with vinegar instead of honey. Fortunately he well typifies the kind of love to be found on the inside of his chosen harlot...
Schizm:
The persona that you present on this site isn't particularly likeable. You seem to revel in causing accrimony. Fortunately your dislikability doesn't preclude us loving you. I, for one, genuinely wish you would reform, though I confess that it's as likely as the harlot that gives suck to you doing so.
The harlot bears the titles, which are a mystery in and of their own right. The beast is being ridden, not necessarily worshipped, by the harlot. As for your attempt to use capital letters as an argument, it's a red-herrring as they aren't used in that manner in the Greek (though you confess that you don't know Greek, so maybe this elluded you). It's simply a title qualifying the Babylon being spoken of.
Rev.13:
- v1 - the beast is introduced as coming out of the sea
- v4 - people worship the beast and it's creator the dragon
- v11 - second beast, false lamb out of the earth, that encourages worship of the first beast
- v14 - second beast encourages people to make an image of the first beast and worship
- v16 - second beast gives people the mark of the first beast
- v17 - to buy or sell the mark or name or number of the beast is required
- v18 - the number of the beast is revealed as the number of a man
Rev.14:
- v8 - angel declares that Babylon has fallen, the great city and fornicatrix
- v9-11 - those who worship the beast and have it's mark will be tormented forever
Rev. 17:
- v1 - the whore that sits on many waters
- v2 - fornicatrix of kings
- v3 - john is shown her, sitting on a beast
- v5 - a name and mystery is revealed that is written in her forehead
- v7 - the mystery is to be revealed by the following explanation
- v14 - the beast has ten horns that represent kings that will war with the lamb
- v15 - the waters that she sits upon are people
- v16 - the ten horns hate the whore and turn on her, burning her
- v17 - the horns give their power to the beast
- v18 - the woman is the great city
Rev.18:
- v2, 3 - Babylon the G/great - fornicatrix of kings, beguiler of merchants.
- v4 - come out of her - hence it is shown that she represents a group, society, organisation, or real city
- v9, 10 - she is bewailed by kings, as a city, in the midst of her burning
- v15 - she is bewailed of merchants, who call her "the great city"
- v18, 19 - she is bewailed of sailors, as a burning city
- v20, 21 - the heavens are to delight in the casting down of this city
Rev.19:
- v19 - the beast and the kings are gathered to make war
- v20 - the beast and the prophet (second beast) are cast alive into fire
As an interlude, later we find in Rev.21:1-3, 10 that there are a new heavens and a new earth and a great holy city - Jerusalem. We also have in Rev.19:16 another name written "King of Kings and Lord of Lords". Does the name belong to the one upon whose garments it is written?
IMHO the most satisfying answers, to the questions the passage poses, are to be found in a first century explanation. The beast is a man who was worshipped and idolised, supported by a second man/prophet. The Harlot is a city representing false worship, that is burned by kings that support the beast. The horns support the beast and burn the woman. The city was known as a martyr-maker, and so it's a fitting reward. The beast is finally tormented.
And finally to the name of Rev.17:5 - it cannot be the name of the beast for the beast is not the harlot and the harlot is distinct from the beast. Nonetheless, the beast does have a name, and a number, and a mark, but we are only given the number.
LT, of the "preterist" class
