drunk with the blood of the saints and with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And I wondered, when I had seen her,
with great admiration.

17:7. And the angel said to me: Why dost thou wonder? I will tell thee
the mystery of the woman and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath
the seven heads and ten horns.

17:8. The beast which thou sawest, was, and is not, and shall come up
out of the bottomless pit and go into destruction. And the inhabitants
on the earth (whose names are not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world) shall wonder, seeing the beast that was and is
not.

The beast which thou sawest... This beast which supports Babylon, may
signify the power of the devil: which was and is not, being much limited
by the coming of Christ, but shall again exert itself under Antichrist.
The seven heads of this beast are seven mountains or empires,
instruments of his tyranny; of which five were then fallen. (See chap.
13.1, and below, ver. 10.) The beast itself is said to be the eighth,
and is of the seven; because they all act under the devil, and by his
instigation, so that his power is in them all, yet so as to make up, as
it were, an eighth empire, distinct from them all.

17:9. And here is the understanding that hath wisdom. The seven heads
are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth: and they are seven
kings.

17:10. Five are fallen, one is, and the other is not yet come: and when
he is come, he must remain a short time.

17:11. And the beast which was and is not: the same also is the eighth,
and is of the seven, and goeth into destruction.

17:12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have not
yet received a kingdom: but shall receive power as kings, one hour after
the beast.

Ten kings... Ten lesser kingdoms, enemies also of the church of Christ:
which, nevertheless, shall be made instruments of the justice of God for
the punishment of Babylon. Some understand this of the Goths, Vandals,
Huns, and other barbarous nations, that destroyed the empire of Rome.

17:13. These have one design: and their strength and power they shall
deliver to the beast.

17:14. These shall fight with the Lamb. And the Lamb shall overcome them
because he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with
him are called and elect and faithful.

17:15. And he said to me: The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot
sitteth, are peoples and nations and tongues.

17:16