MYSTERY. See App-193 and App-1 :20. The verse should be read, "And upon her forehead (she had). name written,. secret symbol (musterion), BABYLON THE GREAT, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth". The name of the woman is therefore. secret sign or symbol of "that great city" which she personifies (Revelation 17:18).
HARLOTS. the harlots.
OF THE EARTH. Babylon is the fountain-head of all idolatry and systems of false worship. This is the "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thessalonians 2:7) seen in all the great "religions" of the world. All alike substitute another god for the God of the Bible;. god made either with the hands or with the imagination, but equally made;. religion consisting of human merit and endeavor. The "Reunion of the Churches" of Christendom and the "League of Nations" are two of the most arresting signs of the times.