Deep to the Core

 Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

As John has witnessed judgment after judgment, he is now taken off the beaten track to the home, the capital of wickedness, the hub of immorality and idolatry in the world.  Here is the source of not only the sin of the world, but the persecution of the saints.  At this point John marvels. He has seen much evil, but this astounds him.  From this harlot flow waterways taking wickedness to all the nations of the world. Ultimately in their wickedness the nations and their leaders will turn on the harlot and this "world", deep to the core with sin, will implode. In this midst of all this evil, John is given an encouraging reminder: 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”