Neville Goddard on Revelation 17:1-18 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Revelation 17 in context

Scripture Focus

1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

3So 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.

4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

10And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

12And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

Revelation 17:1-18

Biblical Context

The passage portrays a symbolic city and a seductive power that can captivate the world. It signals that judgment begins within, guiding one away from external idols toward the true worship of the Kingdom of God.

Neville's Inner Vision

Beloved, the great whore and the beast are not 'out there' but a rent in your own consciousness where the old tapes of power and acclaim have run long enough to appear as the world. The waters on which she sits are your thoughts in motion—collective beliefs, social conclusions, the sense that value comes from external rulers rather than the I AM within. The 'seven heads' and 'ten horns' are recurring patterns in your mind, the cycles of seeking authority and control. When you observe from the wilderness of true awareness, you begin to see that the beast was, and is not, and that the Lamb within is Lord of lords and King of kings, the one who reigns in your own heart. The words 'God hath put in their hearts' show that even apparent upheaval serves the divine script: your inner alignment is the real event. The judgment is not vengeance but a shift of attention from externals to the indwelling Presence. In this moment, you awaken to the kingdom that cannot be moved by markets or power.

Practice This Now

For five minutes, sit quietly and declare to yourself, I AM the ruler of my inner waters; revise any craving for outer power by affirming: the kingdom within is my single reality. Then feel the truth as you envision yourself standing as the Lamb and the King, watching the old Babylon melt away into light.