## Introduction
Greetings, everyone. Today we continue our study of Revelation, Chapter 17. I suspect many of you felt completely baffled after reading it, unsure of what it was trying to convey. But I thank God! I moved from total confusion to spotting a clear thread, and finally grasped its underlying meaning. Now, I shall share it with you.
I had previously taught on Revelation 17, but to be frank, that was absolute rubbish. I must admit when I am wrong. Back then, I simply spoke based on the limited knowledge I had. This time, we re-examine it under the theme: "The Punishment of the Great Prostitute."
## What is the Great Prostitute?
**"The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18)**
**Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages." (Revelation 17:15)**
**Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. (Revelation 17:3-4)**
Let me explain clearly what this "Great Prostitute" represents. If a woman falls in love with a man, whatever they do cannot be labeled a prostitute. But if she takes his money—even under the guise of marriage—and her sole motive is his wealth rather than genuine love, then she is a prostitute.
She goes to whoever has money; whoever feeds her becomes her master. Anyone willing to sell out everything for cold, hard cash is a Great Prostitute. She lives a life holding a golden cup, adorned with gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls.
Look at our modern society today. You see women who marry one wealthy man after another, each richer than the last. How do they command such influence? People look at them with amazement.
Now, what does it mean that this Great Prostitute rules over the great city that controls the kings of the earth? It means she controls the economy of this great city. Do not be naive enough to think political rulers have total sway! Kings and rulers are inextricably tied to the economy. Make no mistake: if a ruler cannot manage the economy and generate wealth, his position is tenuous at best.
Observe how the world works. If a president wrecks the economy, his downfall is imminent. Why? Because governance, political power, and money are deeply intertwined. The core doctrine governing this world is precisely this Great Prostitute: doing whatever it takes, sacrificing every principle, for money.
Is wealth intrinsically good or bad? Most people think it is a great good. Otherwise, how many people and pursuits are not driven by money? The world turns on money. It operates in bizarre ways—some become rich overnight; others fall into poverty just as suddenly.
We stand astonished. We think someone who makes a sudden fortune is remarkably capable, when in truth, even he does not know how he earned it. Conversely, when someone goes broke overnight, he is equally clueless. Wealth is deeply spiritual. Those who observe this Great Prostitute are awed by her power. Thus, on her forehead is written:
**A name was written on her forehead: "MYSTERY: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:5)**
## The Theory of the Great Prostitute
A few days ago, I spoke with a friend who is a professor of economics, specializing in economic research and theories. Economics consists of theoretical frameworks, and these theories are presented as deep mysteries. This friend—a respected academic—admitted candidly to us: "In truth, much of it is mere bluffing!"
You must realize that economic theories work sometimes, and fail at other times. Economics is treated as a profound mystery, incomprehensible to the ordinary mind. Even an economics professor knows that despite his expertise, he cannot truly control or manage the economy. Let me tell you straight: many of these outcomes are dictated by spiritual forces, regardless of whether his academic theories hold water.
Therefore, the theory of this Great Prostitute is called "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT!" What is the connection between this Babylon and the Tower of Babel? There is a direct connection—at the very least, they share the same geographical footprint.
Where is this Great Prostitute, this Babylon the Great located? At the site of the Tower of Babel. What does the Tower of Babel signify? A relentless pursuit to ascend higher and expand wealth. Look at certain commercial hubs in our country—people flock there not to wage wars, but to make money. War is foolish and useless, isn't it?
This is a mystery: "On her forehead was written a name: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." This system of thought is the doctrine governing the world—the worldly logical system.
## The Theory of the Great Prostitute
The people of this world operate strictly under this theoretical framework. What then is this Great Prostitute? She sits on many waters, which represent the peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages of the earth! Do you see? This worldly logic has penetrated deep into human hearts, ruling over the great city that governs the kings of the earth.
## The Great Prostitute Sitting on the Seven-Headed, Ten-Horned Beast
This beast with seven heads and ten horns is indisputably a spiritual entity. Scripture describes it vividly:
**Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (Revelation 17:3)**
Do you understand what blasphemous names mean? These blasphemous concepts are commonplace today, such as the notion that "man can conquer nature." People ask: where is God? Where are the spirits? They believe none of it exists! That very mindset is blasphemy. How can they arrogantly claim God does not exist simply because they say so?
Regarding the realm of spirits: the more infested a place is with demonic spirits, the more vehemently people deny their existence. In truth, these spirits are vast and powerful. Do you understand the mystery of this woman and the seven-headed, ten-horned beast carrying her?
**"The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come." (Revelation 17:8)**
**"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while." (Revelation 17:9-10)**
**"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast." (Revelation 17:12)**
Reading this, you may feel thoroughly perplexed. What are these "seven mountains"? They represent seven grand, sophisticated theoretical frameworks! These grandiose theories tower like mountains, forming complete systems. There are seven such mountains—seven powerful ideological frameworks.
And who are the seven kings? They are the originators of these theories. Do you understand? The theory of the Great Prostitute—the seven mountains—are essentially seven Towers of Babel. Then come the kings: "once was, now is not, and yet will come." This indicates that we are dealing with a deeply spiritual reality.
The exact same theory works at certain times and fails at others. Why are people deceived? When the beast is chained in the abyss, the theory fails. Behind economic realities lies a direct connection to the spiritual realm.
The Great Prostitute sits atop this seven-headed, ten-horned beast. What is this beast? It represents these seven kings and ten kings. I am explaining this as plainly and directly as I can; grasp as much as you are able. The essence is clear: this worldly system is the Great Prostitute, and her theory is the theory of the Tower of Babel.
The Great Prostitute rests upon a seven-headed, ten-horned beast—a formidable spiritual force. While her ideology appears to be purely secular and earthly, it is fundamentally driven by spiritual powers. Why did God descend to inspect man building the Tower of Babel? Because behind it stood the spiritual entity of the seven-headed, ten-horned beast!
## The Great Prostitute Drunk with the Blood of the Saints
Who killed Jesus Christ? Ask yourselves this question. Let me tell you directly: He was executed by the worldly system of logic. This worldly logic operated not only within the Roman Empire, but also among the Pharisees in Jerusalem. Governing a nation requires a system of thought, and that system is the theory of the Great Prostitute.
To the Great Prostitute, the saints on earth are utterly intolerable. Why? Because she thinks: "How dare you preach a hope focused on eternity? Nonsense! There is no God, no spirits, only money!" That is the Great Prostitute—deeply deceptive and enticing.
When Scripture speaks of her being drunk with the blood of the saints, do not assume it was merely the Roman Empire persecuting Christians. It was driven by this seven-headed, ten-horned beast, this Great Prostitute. Why? Because she cannot tolerate the proclamation of eternal hope, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, or the power of the Gospel. If you preach these truths, she will seek to eliminate you. That is the hard reality of this world.
Do not harbor the delusion that the High Priest was separate from her camp; he too was controlled by this worldly logic. We must recognize that the dark powers controlling this world of darkness reside behind the theory of the Great Prostitute. Do you understand?
**"in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." (Ephesians 2:2)**
As the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians, following the ways of this world and submitting to the ruler of the kingdom of the air leads to utter corruption. Who shed the blood of the saints? It was this worldly logic—this Great Prostitute! This is why so few kings of Israel were righteous; whenever they conformed to worldly logic, they inevitably opposed God's prophets.
## Those Who See the Great Prostitute Are Greatly Astonished
**"I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished." (Revelation 17:6)**
When John the Elder saw this, he was deeply astonished. Then in verse eight, he reiterates:
**"The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come." (Revelation 17:8)**

Seeing the Great Harlot sitting on this beast with seven heads and ten horns, one cannot help but be utterly amazed. It looks extraordinary, doesn't it? A mystery indeed! She drank the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus, yet when people see her, they are astonished and shocked, viewing her as some miraculous entity.

What is so miraculous about it? The beast itself appears formidable and imposing—a seemingly miraculous creation. In plain terms, it is remarkably effective at generating wealth. So, my brothers and sisters, if you lean even slightly toward the love of money, let me be frank with you: you will suffer the exact same punishment as the Great Harlot. In truth, the era we live in today is precisely such an age.

Look around us. Certain individuals, for reasons unknown, suddenly become overnight internet sensations and amass vast fortunes, drawing traffic in the millions and tens of millions! And we exclaim: "How amazing!" They themselves think it is extraordinary. Yet, in the end, they are all destined for destruction.

Consider the commercial giants of our day. Take Evergrande—it was once seen as a legendary titan. Do not mistake such a figure for an ordinary businessman. When such a tycoon visited a small county town, his presence far eclipsed that of the local magistrate; local officials bowed and scraped before him. Look at Wanda—local governments everywhere scrambled to invite their investments.

This system holds immense sway. Look at the officials back then: if you wanted to boost a local economy, you had to align yourself with these people. Without them, you could get nothing done, and the local government would have no performance records to show. That is why everyone who saw the Great Harlot and the beast with seven heads and ten horns thought it was a miracle.

They Are All Destined for Destruction

"The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition." (Revelation 17:8)

"The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition." (Revelation 17:11)

This is a most revealing matter! Does it not seem marvelously impressive at first? Yet eventually, you witness its complete collapse. So many entities crumble! Thus, they are all destined for perdition—it was here before, now it is not, but it will emerge again. Do you understand what this means? It means another entity will arise, only to fall into ruin again—one after another, marching blindly toward destruction.

Do you grasp the core reality here? The governing logic of this world revolves entirely around money and economic drive. If your economy fails, the consequences are brutal. Some manage economic growth remarkably well—look at Singapore, a true miracle! Why? Because they operate on a functional theory of wealth creation.

Yet, regardless of how clever these theories seem, they are transient: now they work, now they fail; now they are effective, now they are useless. How do you settle such an account? Ultimately, they are all destined for ruin. When a system works one moment and fails the next, the beast with seven heads and ten horns grows to hate the harlot. This harlot represents a worldly theory of wealth.

The Ten Horns and the Beast Will Hate the Harlot

"And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire." (Revelation 17:16)

Why does it fail? Because God is sovereign! When God permits it to work, it works; when God decrees otherwise, it collapses entirely, leaving the people of the earth utterly baffled and disoriented.

Look at the trajectory of history. Consider the wealthiest individuals in China twenty years ago. Some ended up in prison. They thought they were invincible, and upon their release, they still held onto that delusion. But their underlying framework was already obsolete. They belonged to the era of physical storefronts; by the time they walked out of prison, the world had shifted entirely to e-commerce. Everything had changed. Thus, the beast hates the harlot, devours her flesh, and consumes her with fire.

Make no mistake: this is God executing judgment. What is Revelation Chapter 17 telling us? It describes the state of affairs after the seven bowls of wrath have been poured out onto the earth. Even after such judgment, people remain on earth, living in absolute misery.

It then lays out God's judgment upon the Great Harlot seated on the beast with seven heads and ten horns. This judgment includes the destruction of the beast itself—all are consigned to perdition.

The Kings Will Hand Over Their Power to the Beast

Once the harlot is eliminated, the beast dominates. The kingdoms of the earth hand over their authority and power to the beast with seven heads and ten horns. At this stage, the world is brought almost entirely under its administrative grip. There is no longer any corner that escapes its authority. Wherever you go, everyone becomes a subject of this beast.

After enduring the plagues of the seven bowls, the world unifies under this system. Though the memory of their painful sores and heavy hailstones remains fresh in their minds, the entire global structure capitulates to this framework. Then they wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them.

"These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful." (Revelation 17:14)

These forces will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will decisively defeat them. Earlier, the seven bowls severely battered the inhabitants of the earth. Yet, right before this final battle with the Lamb, these worldly powers still appear formidable. Ultimately, they succumb to the Lamb. The Lamb will overcome them, and all who stand with Him will share in His victory.

What a powerful truth! Those who are called, chosen, and faithful will triumph over the beast with seven heads and ten horns. Whether my interpretation perfectly aligns with the Apostle John's original intent, we must examine and share with conviction and faith.

What then is this Great Harlot? It represents the pragmatic theory of money-making pursued and worshiped by the peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages of this world. And what happens to it? It receives judgment. The realities we witness today reflect this precise narrative.

Must we still love money? The love of money invites demonic influence. Wealth cannot save you. Chasing money means falling prey to the logic of the Great Harlot. You may accumulate wealth for a moment and pride yourself on your success, only to see it vanish overnight. You cannot comprehend how it came or how it left; you think you are in control, but in reality, you control nothing.

What kind of people must we be, my brothers and sisters? We must be those who are called, chosen, and faithful. Is that clear? The logic of the Great Harlot and the secular governance of this world are fundamentally rotten!

Recently, someone recommended a book titled The Great Gatsby, written by an author contemporary with Ernest Hemingway. What is The Great Gatsby about? It depicts Gatsby’s desperate struggle to climb into high society, only to end up shot dead in a pool.

Such is human nature. The author exposed a dark truth within the human heart—the blind devotion to the harlot's philosophy. Look at the "Great" Gatsby: in the end, he died a meaningless death. And Hemingway, in The Old Man and the Sea, similarly laid bare the utter futility of human ambition.

If you fail to grasp the truth that life without God is vanity of vanities, what else will you pursue besides money? You will inevitably worship wealth, viewing it as the ultimate end of human endeavor. That is a recipe for disaster.

Brothers and sisters, those who love God cannot love money! Scripture never suggests that you can serve both God and the devil. It explicitly states that those who love money cannot serve God, for no man can serve two masters. If you ask me who the Great Harlot is, it is the entire ideological framework centered on wealth creation. But can money truly resolve life’s ultimate issues?

We have a sister whose husband was exceptionally capable in business. He accumulated vast tracts of land for his family. Yet, two months ago, he succumbed to cancer. Who destroyed him? Reflect on this deeply: he was destroyed by a system under divine judgment—the very penalty levied against the Great Harlot.

Re-examine your priorities. Money may seem critical when you are destitute; having ten or twenty dollars allows you to buy a meal, but it is not the sum of life. The love of money is pernicious, and it guarantees judgment, for God’s wrath upon the Great Harlot will likewise fall upon the peoples, nations, multitudes, and languages of the earth.

Summary

You may not have fully grasped this, so let me provide a concise, pragmatic summary. What is the Great Harlot? It is the overarching ideological system governing this dark world, promoted by the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads represent seven kings, and the ten horns represent ten kings.

This system, endorsed by the beast, controls global operations. Since the world runs on economic mechanics, treating wealth generation as the ultimate goal is precisely what constitutes the Great Harlot, and it will be judged. To secular eyes, the harlot's doctrine appears immense and sophisticated—a profound mystery!

These worldly mysteries seem infinitely complex. Countless people depend on this system for their livelihood, including the machinery of finance, economics, inflation, market crises, and various high-sounding economic theories.

Some brothers and sisters speak eloquently about these subjects. I personally profess no expertise in these complex theories; I simply listen to them as passing talk. Make no mistake: the experts and scholars of this world are all practitioners of this harlot's logic.

People marvel at the Great Harlot’s theories, yet time and again, these theories fail and end in ruin. Seeing that one economic logic after another breaks down, the rulers who attempt to govern the world grow to hate the harlot.

In the end, what will these worldly rulers do? They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them. The curtain is drawing down on this world system, yet people continue obsessing over economic output! They believe money is paramount, giving rise to financial engineering, wealth management, speculative investments, and insurance schemes.

What does it mean to go into perdition? It means absolute ruin—sinking to the bottom without the possibility of resurfacing for air. Do you understand? It means complete and final demise. Ultimately, this world system has no power to prevail against the Lamb.

Therefore, if we who trust in God cannot even rely on Him to resolve our financial needs, can He still be called God? Our God is fully capable of providing for our material needs. I have laid out the facts clearly, and I trust you understand.

Regarding Chapter 17 of Revelation, I hope it has no direct bearing on my personal destiny, as I will no longer be in this world when these events unfold. Whether the Great Harlot is punished then is immaterial to me personally. Why then is this written? It is written as a stark warning for us today.

Do we still harbor this harlot's ideology in our minds? If so, is that not spiritual adultery? Trying to love God while simultaneously loving money, attempting to straddle two boats—what do you expect to gain? You will end up with nothing! If you recognize the hard limits of wealth and turn back to God, may He grant you clarity of mind to comprehend these realities.

We shall conclude our sharing here today. May God bless you all!

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