babylon the great - constantinople
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no other city has all these characteristics
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-seven hills
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In revelation, I am leaning toward non-literal 7 hills.
With Revelation, it is a dance done between symbolic and literal, and as readers we have to navigate that dance correctly. It's also important to know all symbolism in the bible, always references something which is totally real spiritually or physically. The symbolism just serves as a way to describe a real thing.
For example, we might think "many waters" refers to oceans:
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by
many waters. - Revelation 17:1
But later we learn what the many waters are:
Then the angel said to me, "
The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. - Revelation 17:15
So then, if water is a non-literal water, referencing the nations of the world then:
This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads
are seven hills on which the woman sits. - Revelation 17:19
But just like the water she was sitting on, these hills are non-literal hills but symbolic hills. The hills are very likely referencing symbolic hills found throughout the OT:
Proverbs 6:16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea,
seven are an abomination unto him:
17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
Furthermore, there were 7 Nations in the Promise land, representing the kingdoms of darkness:
When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations--the
Hittites,
Girgashites,
Amorites,
Canaanites,
Perizzites,
Hivites and
Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you-- - Deuteronomy 7:1
I have never studied it, but I wager we would learn each nation had one of those 7 sins associated with it.
So back to Revelation ... when it says:
The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and
every mountain and island was removed from its place. - Revelation 6:14
It's not talking literal mountains or islands. It's symbolic mountains and islands, just like the waters are symbolic, and the hills are symbolic.
"Mystery Babylon" is really not a place, but symbolic of a world system of behavior and governance.