\\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\\.