Seven Mountains of Rome?
Revelation 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.... 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.... 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
- In verse 4, the woman is identified as BABYLON. The seven mountains, on which she sits is often thought to be the city of Rome, which is said to be built on seven mountains. But is it true, according to the Bible, that the seven mountains in verse 9 symbolizes the city of Rome? I thought so, but the Bible raises some problems with that idea:
Revelation 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns.... 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed...
- If the seven mountains of Rev17:9 symbolize the seven mountains that Rome was built on, then how could one of those literal mountains be wounded to death and later healed?
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
- Notice in Rev13:1 that there are crowns on seven heads(mountains). How could the seven literal mountains of Rome have crowns on them?
Revelation 17:9 ... The seven heads are seven mountains... 10 And [they] are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come...
- According to Rev17:10, it seems these seven mountains(kings) are successive -- each following the previous. How could the seven literal mountains of Rome be successive?
- Uriah Smith cites these problems and others in his comments on Rev14:6-11. However, the three problems cited above seem to be enough evidence against the seven mountains of Rev17:9 being the literal seven mountains that Rome was built on.
So, what are these successive "seven heads"? Apparently, they are 7 forms of government, or phases that Rome went through. According to John in verse 10, he was living under the 6th phase of the Roman government and the 7th "is not yet come". It is generally accepted that John wrote this in the late 1st-century AD and the transition to the 7th form(papal) of the Roman government was completed nearly 500 years later, in the mid-6th century(538AD), when the first pope was setup. However, there is some disagreement of the precise types of the first six "heads". Here is Uriah Smith's view on the "seven heads" => http://sidnash.org/DaR/Rev/17/#8-11.2
Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah (Deut8:3; Matt4:4)
-Sid Nash: 09/12/2023. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/docs/7Mountains.html