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The following post is a really simple explanation of Revelation 17 and also of how Revelation unfolds. It is so basic, yet it is not what is popularly understood about Revelation. I think if you just follow what Revelation is trying to say, and not impose your own understanding of what you want it to say, it can show us a lot.
There are three falls of Babylon listed in Revelation and this will tell us how to understand the narrative of events in it.
Babylon falls the first time at the 2nd Trumpet:
We know that the ‘burning mountain’ is a symbol of Babylon as evidenced by Jer 51:24-25:
Also, note that the destruction of a third of the ships at the 2nd Trumpet alludes to the mourning shipmasters in Revelation 18
When it says, ‘great city’, we know that this is Babylon: in Revelation 18
Then it will fall for a second time. When we see 'Babylon has fallen, fallen' at Rev 14:8 and Rev 18:2 it indicates a second time – ‘fallen, fallen’.
Then it falls a third time at 7th bowl of wrath,
Then the millstone finalizes the judgement in Rev 18:2
These three ‘Alas, alas’ with the mourning kings of Rev 18:9-10, 18:16, 18:19 correspond respectively to each of these fallings of Babylon:
So, Revelation 8:8’s burning mountain
corresponds to
The second falling of Babylon occurring in Rev 14:8 & Rev 18:2 corresponds to the second, ‘Alas, alas’ in Rev 18:16.
and
The third ‘Alas, alas’ here in Rev 18:19 corresponds to Rev 16:19’s 7th bowl of wrath.
and
These three fallings of Babylon explain Rev 17:10
The reason there is a statement of the seven heads being seven mountains just means that it forms a sort of placeholder for the 6th king, the ‘one that is’. The beast has six heads at the beginning, but it has ‘seven mountains’ so as to fulfill the woman sitting on ‘seven heads’ (because it is ‘seven mountains’ here). The 7th king, the one that ‘must remain only a little while’, arrives when the 'one that is', the 6th king, dies at the 2nd Trumpet, ushering in the 7th king. This is indicated by ‘7 heads, 7 crowns’ in Rev 12:3:
Where else does a ‘third of the stars of heaven’ occur in Revelation? At the 4th Trumpet:
So, at the 2nd Trumpet, the 6th king, the ‘one that is’ of Rev 17:10 has died, and then the 7th king arrives immediately afterwards. This 7th king is the ‘mighty angel’ of Revelation 10:1 which I will delve into later. When the 7th king dies, this is indicated by the phrase, ‘Babylon has fallen, fallen’ (Rev 14:8, 18:2). This is when the 7th king is given the mortal head wound that he recovers from (Rev 13:3) and becomes the 8th king. Whereas Rev 17:11 says the ‘beast that was, and is not, it is an eighth’, this echoes the resurrection of Jesus in Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
At the second falling of Babylon, we have the resurrection of the 7th king, the ‘antichrist’, when the 10 horns will be given power to reign as kings for ‘one hour’ with the beast (Rev 17:12) (meaning that the ’42 months’ of Rev 13:5 is shortened to this much smaller timeframe). Here, the beast at Revelation 13:1 has 7 heads, 10 horns, and 10 crowns (not 7 crowns anymore).
And strictly speaking, here is where the false prophet and mark of the beast occurs:
Now we can go to Rev 14
There are three falls of Babylon listed in Revelation and this will tell us how to understand the narrative of events in it.
Babylon falls the first time at the 2nd Trumpet:
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Rev 8:8
We know that the ‘burning mountain’ is a symbol of Babylon as evidenced by Jer 51:24-25:
Jer 51:24 “I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the Lord. 25 “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, declares the LORD, which destroys the whole earth; I will stretch out my hand against you, and roll you down from the crags, and make you a burnt mountain.
Also, note that the destruction of a third of the ships at the 2nd Trumpet alludes to the mourning shipmasters in Revelation 18
16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18 and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, “What city was like the great city?”
When it says, ‘great city’, we know that this is Babylon: in Revelation 18
21 Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
Then it will fall for a second time. When we see 'Babylon has fallen, fallen' at Rev 14:8 and Rev 18:2 it indicates a second time – ‘fallen, fallen’.
Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” Rev 14:8
And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. Rev 18:2
Then it falls a third time at 7th bowl of wrath,
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. Rev 16:19
Then the millstone finalizes the judgement in Rev 18:2
Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
These three ‘Alas, alas’ with the mourning kings of Rev 18:9-10, 18:16, 18:19 correspond respectively to each of these fallings of Babylon:
So, Revelation 8:8’s burning mountain
The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 9 A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
corresponds to
Rev 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, “Alas! Alas! You great city, you mighty city, Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”
The second falling of Babylon occurring in Rev 14:8 & Rev 18:2 corresponds to the second, ‘Alas, alas’ in Rev 18:16.
Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.” Rev 14:8
And he called out with a mighty voice, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast. Rev 18:2
and
Rev 18:16 “Alas, alas, for the great city that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, with jewels, and with pearls! 17 For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.”
The third ‘Alas, alas’ here in Rev 18:19 corresponds to Rev 16:19’s 7th bowl of wrath.
And they threw dust on their heads as they wept and mourned, crying out, “Alas, alas, for the great city where all who had ships at sea grew rich by her wealth! For in a single hour she has been laid waste.
and
The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered Babylon the great, to make her drain the cup of the wine of the fury of his wrath. Rev 16:19
These three fallings of Babylon explain Rev 17:10
4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. […]
9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
The reason there is a statement of the seven heads being seven mountains just means that it forms a sort of placeholder for the 6th king, the ‘one that is’. The beast has six heads at the beginning, but it has ‘seven mountains’ so as to fulfill the woman sitting on ‘seven heads’ (because it is ‘seven mountains’ here). The 7th king, the one that ‘must remain only a little while’, arrives when the 'one that is', the 6th king, dies at the 2nd Trumpet, ushering in the 7th king. This is indicated by ‘7 heads, 7 crowns’ in Rev 12:3:
3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Where else does a ‘third of the stars of heaven’ occur in Revelation? At the 4th Trumpet:
The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. Rev 8:12
So, at the 2nd Trumpet, the 6th king, the ‘one that is’ of Rev 17:10 has died, and then the 7th king arrives immediately afterwards. This 7th king is the ‘mighty angel’ of Revelation 10:1 which I will delve into later. When the 7th king dies, this is indicated by the phrase, ‘Babylon has fallen, fallen’ (Rev 14:8, 18:2). This is when the 7th king is given the mortal head wound that he recovers from (Rev 13:3) and becomes the 8th king. Whereas Rev 17:11 says the ‘beast that was, and is not, it is an eighth’, this echoes the resurrection of Jesus in Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
At the second falling of Babylon, we have the resurrection of the 7th king, the ‘antichrist’, when the 10 horns will be given power to reign as kings for ‘one hour’ with the beast (Rev 17:12) (meaning that the ’42 months’ of Rev 13:5 is shortened to this much smaller timeframe). Here, the beast at Revelation 13:1 has 7 heads, 10 horns, and 10 crowns (not 7 crowns anymore).
And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. Rev 13:1
And strictly speaking, here is where the false prophet and mark of the beast occurs:
Rev 13:16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
Now we can go to Rev 14
1 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. […] 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless.
6 Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 Another angel, a second, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality.”
9 And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
When Babylon has 'fallen, fallen' (the 2nd time), then the mark is offered because the angel is warning people not to take it.
