The Apocalypse is a tough nut to crack. St. John was a mystic after all; and the visions were compiled, in my opinion at least, over his years on Patmos. Not a big, overnight extravaganza as some seem to think. Separate visions... spread out over years.
So, what's metaphorical, and what's literal? The Whore of Babylon in my view MUST be Jewry. But even there we find issues. The Whore is first described as sitting "on the waters". Then, in the next paragraph she is described as sitting on a great, scarlet beast.
And the angel tells St. John that he is going to show him the judgement of the Whore... then doesn't. Leaving that for another angel. Who again describes her as sitting "on the waters". "Waters", in the accepted Biblical sense means "peoples". Why? Who knows?
So, it's clear to me that the Whore represents institutional Jewry, aka the Synagogue of Satan, writ large; and that the beast she rides on represents a planet sized Babylon.
Babylon was a lot more than just a kingdom. It was a kingdom, and a city and an empire. It was also a culture, a system and a civilization. Some say that fractional reserve banking began there. If you'd like to know what life there was like, just look around you.
And if you'd like an idea of what life was like in ancient Viking, Roman, Egyptian, Mongol, Assyrian, etc. times... look around you. The fundamentals haven't changed.
There's a city on Long Island, only a few miles from New York City, named Babylon. Which is kind of kind of interesting.
Once upon a time there was enough Christianity in the World to keep Satan (somewhat) at bay. Never enough to defeat him for long, but enough to make him think twice about things. Now? Not so much.
So, to wrap this brief series up, fully understanding The Apocalypse is above our pay grade. Few things in it are clear. But the people living in the end times will understand. And the good will profit from it.
As always, pray and fast, friends. For where there is no prayer and fasting there are the demons.
Fitz
