Revelation 17:18 says, “The woman whom you saw is the great city, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.” Verse 9 says, “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are the seven mountains where the woman sits.” Who is this woman? God shows us through John that this woman is the great city which rules over the kings of the earth. This city is built upon seven hills. The woman is sitting upon these hills. There is only one city in the whole world which bears the name The City of Seven Hills—Rome. Often great cities of the earth have more than one name. For example, Canton is also known as “Sui,” and Shanghai is known as “Hu.” The city of Rome has another name—The City of Seven Hills. Throughout the ages, there have always been many sporting competitions in the city of Rome. The medals won by the champions, be they silver or gold, were all engraved with seven hills in the background. The coins which Caesar issued had the same engravings. They had the image of Caesar on one side and seven hills on the other side. Keep in mind that The City of Seven Hills is another name for the city of Rome. Revelation 17 shows us that this woman sits on seven hills. She is the great city which rules over the kings of the earth and which is built upon seven hills. This shows us clearly that this woman is Rome.
It is clear that this woman is Rome. But the question is which Rome is she. Is she the political Rome or the religious Rome? There are two different Romes. Is this woman the Rome of Catholicism or the imperial Rome? We will find the answer to this after we consider the following explanations.
Revelation 17:3-4 says, “He carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication.”
Here are two things before us: One is a woman and the other is a beast. The woman is sitting upon the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads upon the beast are seven kings, and the ten horns are ten kings. The seven kings are the great kings, while the ten kings are the small kings. The two kinds of kings are different in the Greek text. One is a big king, while the other is a small king. Most Bible readers know that the beast is the Rome of the Roman Empire. If the beast is the imperial Rome, which includes seven kings and ten kings, the woman has to be the religious Rome. There are only two Romes—imperial Rome and religious Rome. One is the political Rome, whereas the other is the ecclesiastical Rome. The woman is sitting upon the beast, which means that the church is sitting upon the Empire. If the beast is the Roman Empire, clearly the woman is the religious Rome.
While the Spirit of God shows us Rome’s past, how is she today and how will she be in the future? God’s Word provides a clear answer to these questions.
Revelation 17:4 says, “The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet.” Purple is the color of royalty. The pope has always claimed to be the king. At the same time, everyone who has ever visited Rome knows that scarlet is the color of Rome. What are the cardinals called? In Chinese they are known as the “Scarlet Robe” cardinals. Their robes, inner garments, and even socks, are all scarlet in color. The pope’s carriage is scarlet as well. Three-quarters of his guards are dressed in scarlet. His carpets are scarlet. Wherever the pope travels, scarlet carpet is rolled out along the way. Rome is full of scarlet. On the one hand, the clothing is in purple. On the other hand, no other country has as much scarlet as Rome.