Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

And I saw three unclean spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet.

“The dragon acts the part of God the Father, assigning his authority to his representative the beast, as the Father assigns His to the Son.”

And they assembled the kings in the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

“Megiddo comes from a root, gadad, "cut off," and means slaughter. Compare Joe 3:2, 12, 14, where "the valley of Jehoshaphat" (meaning in Hebrew, "judgment of God") is mentioned as the scene of God's final vengeance on the God-opposing foe.”

Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”

“But A and B, "upon" (Greek, "epi"). great--so B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and ANDREAS. But A omits. of heaven--so B and ANDREAS But A, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic omit. It is done--"It is come to pass."”

The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed.

“In Re 11:13 only a tenth of Jerusalem falls whereas here the city (Babylon) "became (Greek) into three parts" by the earthquake. cities of the nations--other great cities in league with spiritual Babylon. great . . .”

Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.

“Plainly parallel to Re 6:14-17, and by anticipation descriptive of the last judgment. the mountains--rather as Greek, "there were found no mountains."”

Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many…

“But B, "the many waters" (Jer 51:13); Re 17:15, below, explains the sense. The whore is the apostate Church, just as "the woman" (Re 12:1-6) is the Church while faithful.”

The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

“The woman (Re 12:1) is the congregation of God in its purity under the Old and New Testament, and appears again as the Bride of the Lamb, the transfigured Church prepared for the marriage feast.”

And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had…

“As the dragon is fiery-red, so the beast is blood-red in color; implying its blood-guiltiness, and also deep-dyed sin. The scarlet is also the symbol of kingly authority.”

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls.

“The Lord alone by His coming can make the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. The "purple" is the badge of empire; even as in mockery it was put on our Lord. decked--literally, "gilded." stones--Greek, "stone."”

And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

“The correspondence of syllables and accents in Greek is striking; "He porne kai to therion; He numphe kai to arnion." "The whore and the beast; the Bride and the Lamb." of harlots--Greek, "of the harlots and of the abominations."”

I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.

“"Corruptio optimi pessima"; when the Church falls, she sinks lower than the godless world, in proportion as her right place is higher than the world.”

The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction.

“But A, B, Syriac, and Coptic read the singular, "name is." written in--Greek, "upon." which--rather, "when they behold the beast that it was," &c. So Vulgate.”

This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

“The seven heads can hardly be at once seven kings or kingdoms (Re 17:10), and seven geographical mountains. The true connection is, as the head is the prominent part of the body, so the mountain is prominent in the land.”

There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.

“The emphasis palpably is on "a short space," which therefore comes first in the Greek, not on "he must continue," as if his continuance for some [considerable] time were implied, as ALFORD wrongly thinks.”

The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.

“Compare Da 2:34, 44, "the stone smote the image upon his feet," that is, upon the ten toes, which are, in Da 2:41-44, interpreted to be "kings."”

They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by…

“This shall not be till after they have first executed judgment on the harlot (Re 17:15, 16). Lord of lords, &c.--anticipating Re 19:16. are--not in the Greek.”

Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

“The "tongues" remind us of the original Babel, the confusion of tongues, the beginning of Babylon, and the first commencement of idolatrous apostasy after the flood, as the tower was doubtless dedicated to the deified heavens. Thus, Babylon is the appropriate name of the harlot.”

And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute.

“As Jerusalem used the world power to crucify her Saviour, and then was destroyed by that very power, Rome; so the Church, having apostatized to the world, shall have judgment executed on her first by the world power, the beast and his allies; and these…”

For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

“Greek, "hoi logoi," in A, B, and ANDREAS. English Version reading is Greek, "ta rhemata," which is not well supported. No mere articulate utterances, but the efficient words of Him who is the Word: Greek, "logos." fulfilled-- (Re 10:7).”

After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.

“And--so Vulgate and ANDREAS. But A, B, Syriac, and Coptic omit "And." power--Greek, "authority." lightened--"illumined." with--Greek, "owing to."”

All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality.

“Babylon, the whore, is destroyed before the beast slays the two witnesses (Re 11:7), and then the beast himself is destroyed. the wine--so B, Syriac, and Coptic. But A, C, and Vulgate omit. abundance--literally, "power." delicacies--Greek, "luxury."”

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.

“The first justification of the woman is in her being called out of Babylon the harlot, as the culminating stage of the latter's sin, when judgment is about to fall: for apostate Christendom, Babylon, is not to be converted, but to be destroyed.”

Give back to her as she has done to others; pay her back double for what she has done; mix her a double portion in her own cup.

“Addressed to the executioners of God's wrath. Reward--Greek, "repay." she rewarded--English Version reading adds "you" with none of the oldest manuscripts.”

Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

“"Strong" is the meaning of God's Hebrew name, "EL." judgeth--But A, B, and C read the past tense (Greek, "krinas"), "who hath judged her": the prophetical past for the future: the charge in Re 18:4 to God's people to come out of her implies that…”

In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon!

“God's judgments inspire fear even in the worldly, but it is of short duration, for the kings and great men soon attach themselves to the beast in its last and worst shape, as open Antichrist, claiming all that the harlot had claimed in blasphemous pretensions…”