The Harlot of the Revelation was Israel in Apostasy

The Harlot of the Revelation represented the Jews who had broken their marriage covenant to Jehovah

There have been many speculations about the identity of the Harlot of the Revelation, who or what does she signify? The identity of this woman is only a mystery to those who ignore the Time Frame given by God for the events of the Revelation.

The author of the Revelation, the apostle John, wrote: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants the things which must take-place quickly… for the time is near.” Revelation 1:1,3

According to the author of the book, the time was already near. The events of that vision were about to be fulfilled. We must remember, that the timing of biblical events is not reckoned from the time we read it. It is to be reckoned from the time it was written. The events of the Revelation were near to the apostles’ time, and were to occur speedily in that time. Any narrative which places the fulfillment of these events thousands of years later, and even into our future in the 21st century, is obviously false. It means also that the people, systems, organizations and nations portrayed in the Revelation were also all contemporary to the time of the apostles.

The description of the Harlot matches the corrupt High Priests which had religious power in Jerusalem

In his vision, John was shown a Harlot dressed in the colors of the High Priests at the Jerusalem temple. “And the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet arrayed with gold and precious stone and pearls…” (Rev 17:4)

These colors and materials are shown in the Old Testament to be of the garments and adornment of the Temple High Priests.

According to the requirements given to Moses, the High Priests’ garments were to be “gold, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen.” (Exod 28:5)

The high priests wore a breastplate adorned with “four rows of stones: the first row shall be a ruby, a topaz, and a carbuncle…
...the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond.
…the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst.
…the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their settings.” (Exod 28:17-20)

In John’s vision, one color was missing from the Harlot of the Revelation, the color blue

The color blue symbolized obedience to the commandments of God. The Lord told Israel to “make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a thread of blue…” (Num 15:38)

The Missing Blue indicated a Spiritual Harlot

This reason for this thread of blue was: “that all of you may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that all of you seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which all of you use to go a whoring.” (Num 15:39)

Notice, if Israel forgot to do all the commandments of God, they would go ‘a whoring.’ Thus apostate Israel would be spiritually a Harlot. This is exactly what is depicted in Revelation 17.

Israel had become apostate in the time of Jesus, thus she was spiritually a harlot. Jesus rebuked the Jews concerning their hypocrisy, for they focused on some laws, while neglecting others. He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.” (Mark 7:9)

The Harlot of the Revelation was responsible for killing the Old Testament Saints, and the Martyrs of Jesus

The Revelation indicated that the Harlot was “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus…” (Rev 17:6). This harlot existed both in the Old and New Testaments, for she killed both saints of both periods.

According to Jesus, Israel was the only nation to have murdered the prophets of old, and would also murder the apostles of Jesus. He said to them, “all of you are the children of them which killed the prophets.” (Matt 23:31)

He went on to say to them, “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them all of you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall all of you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city…” (Matt 23:34)

Stephen, the very first Martyr of Jesus was killed by the Jews

He was brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin and stoned to death for his belief in Jesus Christ as Lord. According to the narrative, the Jews, “having suddenly-come-upon him, they seized him and brought him to the Sanhedrin.” (Acts 6:12)

After he had testified to them that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God, they began “stoning Stephen while he was calling upon Jesus and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”. (Acts 7:59)

The Harlot of the Revelation was Israel in their last manifestation of apostasy against God’s Son and His Church

It was Israel who had killed the prophets of old. Israel killed the martyrs of Jesus. It was the Harlot of the Revelation, drunken with the blood of the saints and of the martyrs of Jesus.