Dear Doves,

Who is the Great Prostitute described in Revelations 17?

We are told the "great prostitute", " sits on many waters", "committed acts of sexual immorality' with the kings of the earth", and made "those who live on the earth drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality".

We are also told the great prostitute sits, "..on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns."

We are told the "woman" is "clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and the unclean things of her sexual immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

We are told the apostle "saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus."

The angel then in Revelations verse 17:18 tells us, "The woman whom you saw is the great city, which ^[m]reigns over the kings of the earth.”

The angel also tells us who the scarlet beast the woman is riding saying,  “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and ^[h]go to destruction."  He further identifies the features of the beast as," The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, ¹⁰ and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. ¹¹ The beast which was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. ¹² The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. ¹³ These have one ^[j]purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Ultimately, the angel tells us, "The waters which you saw where the prostitute sits are peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His ^[k]purpose ^[l]by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled."

The beast and the ten horns which are ten kings who give their power and authority to the beast hate the prostitute.  Because of that, they cooperate to "make her desolate and naked", "will eat her flesh" and "will burn her up with fire."

So, is the great prostitute literally a "great city"?  If so, which city would be said to "reign over the kings of the earth?"

New York? London? Washington DC?  Or does the great prostitute represent a nation?  The U.S.? Saudi Arabia? Israel?

Wouldn't "make her desolate and naked" mean to impoverish and crash "her" economy?  

--Is this what is happening now in the U.S. and many of the nations of the western world? 

--Is the Covid-19 pandemic an intentional attack to "make her/us (the U.S. and western nations) "desolate and naked"?

--Does this possibly identify China as part of the "beast" alliance or system?

The only things I know that can "eat flesh" are cannibals/animals, bacteria or disease, fire (consume) and starvation.

--Of those, since fire is listed as another affliction after this one, and you can't easily weaponize cannibal or animal attacks, wouldn't "eat her flesh" most likely mean to starve?

--Are the supply issues and growing lines at food banks now beginning to show up in parts of the U.S. an indicator of the starvation planned for her/us?

Finally, "burn her up with fire" seems to equate with a nuclear attack/fire since it is an intentional attack with fire being spoken of.

--Or, would widespread arson fires also fill this description?

--Is this where the prophecy indicates we are headed?

I thank you all in advance for your thoughts and responses.

God bless you John and all of you for your encouragement and faithfulness, in Jesus name.

Monty