12.26.2014 New Testament: Rev 17.9

To read the Bible in a year, read Revelation 17 on December 26, In the year of our Lord 2014

By Don Ruhl

John saw the woman—representing God’s people, first as Israel, then as the church—fly into the wilderness (Revelation 12). Later, he saw the woman, but she had changed. She rode a beast, and she was dressed as a harlot. The beast had seven heads, and John learned the meaning of the heads,

“Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits” (Revelation 17.9). 

When you read the Book of Revelation, and when you learn of the church’s early history, you discover that one of her most ferocious enemies was Rome. Later, Rome and the church became friends, and that is what Revelation 17 shows. The city of Rome was built on seven hills, and the Lord showed that to John in this part of the vision.