Babylon was an ancient city built on the Euphrates river in what is now southern Iraq. It once was the capital of a great empire which at one point conquered the land of Judah as mentioned in the second book of Kings and in Daniel. But the river changed its course and the city was abandoned long ago. Both the historic city in Mesopotamia and the parable city with its tower, mentioned in Genesis, represent the same thing, a worship that appears holy in externals, while the internals are profane. This representation expands to mean a church whose leaders use this kind of worship to gain dominion over others for their own gain and for the gain and power of the church. The city itself is the doctrinal structure that supports this kind of worship and dominion.

(सन्दर्भ: Apocalypse Explained 1029; Arcana Coelestia 1283, 1302, 1304, 1310, 1311)

773. APOCALYPSE. CHAPTER 13.

1. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads a name of blasphemy.

2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

3. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been wounded to death; and the stroke of his death was healed; and the whole earth wondered after the beast.

4. And they worshipped the dragon which gave authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given unto him authority to work forty-two months.

6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven.

7. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and there was given to him authority over every tribe and tongue and nation.

8. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

9. If anyone hath an ear let him hear.

10. If anyone shall lead into captivity he shall go into captivity; if anyone shall kill with the sword he must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

11. And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.

12. And all the authority of the first beast he exerciseth before him; and he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose stroke of his death was healed.

13. And he doeth great signs, so that he even maketh fire to come down from heaven unto the earth before men;

14. And he seduceth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs that were given him to do before the beast; saying to them that dwell on earth that they should make an image to the beast which hath the stroke of the sword and did live.

15. And it was given unto him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast may both speak, and may cause that as many as do not worship the image of the beast be killed.

16. And he causeth all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the bond, that there be given them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads;

17. And that no one be able to buy or to sell if he hath not the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18. Here is wisdom. He that hath intelligence let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six.

EXPOSITION

Verse 1. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads a name of blasphemy.

1. "And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea," signifies reasonings from the natural man confirming the separation of faith from life n. 774; "having seven heads," signifies knowledge [scientia] of holy things, which are falsified and adulterated n. 775; "and ten horns," signifies much power n. 776; "and upon his horns ¹ ten diadems," signifies power from the appearances of truth in abundance (n. 777); "and upon his heads a name of blasphemy," signifies the falsifications of the Word n. 778.

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