The Woman on the Beast

1Then there came one of the seuen Angels, which had the seuen vials, and talked with me, saying vnto me, Come: I will shewe thee the damnation of the great whore that sitteth vpon many waters, 2With whom haue committed fornication the Kings of the earth, and the inhabitants of the earth are drunken with the wine of her fornication. 3So he caried me away into the wildernesse in the Spirit, and I sawe a woman sit vpon a skarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemie, which had seuen heads, and tenne hornes. 4And the woman was arayed in purple & skarlet, and gilded with golde, and precious stones, and pearles, and had a cup of gold in her hand, full of abominations, and filthines of her fornication. 5And in her forehead was a name written, A mysterie, that great Babylon, that mother of whoredomes, and abominations of the earth.

The Mystery Explained

6And I sawe ye woman drunken with the blood of Saintes, and with the blood of the Martyrs of Iesvs: and when I sawe her, I wondred with great marueile.

7Then the Angel saide vnto me, Wherefore marueilest thou? I will shewe thee the misterie of that woman, and of that beast, that beareth her, which hath seuen heads, and tenne hornes.

8The beast that thou hast seene, was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the bottomles pit, and shall goe into perdition, and they that dwell on the earth, shall wonder (whose names are not written in the booke of life from the foundation of ye world) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 9Here is the mind that hath wisdome. The seuen heads, are seuen mountaines, whereon the woman sitteth: they are also seuen Kings. 10Fiue are fallen, and one is, and another is not yet come: and when he commeth, he must continue a short space. 11And the beast that was, and is not, is euen the eight, and is one of the seuen, and shall goe into destruction. 12And the tenne hornes which thou sawest, are tenne Kings, which yet haue not receiued a kingdome, but shall receiue power, as Kings at one houre with the beast. 13These haue one minde, and shall giue their power, and authoritie vnto the beast.

The Victory of the Lamb

14These shall fight with the Lambe, and the Lambe shall ouercome them: for he is Lorde of Lordes, and King of Kings: and they that are on his side, called, and chosen, and faithfull.

15And he said vnto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16And the tenne hornes which thou sawest vpon the beast, are they that shall hate the whore, and shal make her desolate and naked, & shall eate her flesh, and burne her with fire. 17For God hath put in their heartes to fulfill his will, and to doe with one consent for to giue their kingdome vnto the beast, vntill the wordes of God be fulfilled. 18And that woman which thou sawest, is that great citie, which reigneth ouer the kings of ye earth.