after re-reading the 17th chapter, i came up with this.
the woman is religion
the beast is the iron beast (4th)of Daniel
1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters:
2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
religion
3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
the woman = religion, sitting on the world wide political iron beast
4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
future corrupted Rome possibly? or future corrupted Israel?
who else is responsible for the blood of the Saints and the martyrs of Jesus?
i can't see it being communism or marxism
7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
this is the leader of the poiltical beast, Satan himself. no doubt.
he goeth into perdition and folks wonder about him...
so this "beast" is not speaking of the political "beast".
see Rev9 for more about this bottomless pit
and who leads those that come out of it
9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
the woman is global...not limited to one city.
7 political divisions
10And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
all represent Satan over time, in my opinion
5 past by John's writing,
1 was in the days of John's writing, and still is today.
1 was/is still to come
11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
at the end of the millennium, Satan is released for his last "time" (8th)
and then goes into perdition
12And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kingsone hour with the beast.
so this does not seem to be current day rome,
because they get their kingdom only in the final hour...
they had no kingdom in John's day...
so it can't be the rome of the then or even of current day RCC, can it?
13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
elect/sons of zadok Ez44.
15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
people...over the whole world
16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
the future 10 horns = kings that reign for only the final "hour"
shall eat her (false religion) flesh and burn her with fire..
what do you guys think that means?