The Great Harlot Of Rev 17-18 Is Jerusalem, & What That Means.

2 Chron 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

The two mountains not found in scripture, Mt. Acra and Mt. Bezetha, are both mentioned in the Jewish Encyclopedia under the listing for "Jerusalem": http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=242&letter=J

Here is a Psalm about the mountains around Jerusalem, "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever." {Psalms 125:2)

The word in Rev 17:9 is clearly mountains, not hills.

3735 oros {or’-os}

probably from an obsolete oro (to rise or "rear", perhaps akin to 142, cf 3733); TDNT - 5:475,732; n n

AV - mountain 41, mount 21, hill 3; 65

1) a mountain

There is a word for hills in the Greek language, even used in the New Testament, a word that John was aware of, and could have used, if he meant to say hills.

Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

1015 bounos {boo-nos’}

probably of foreign origin;; n m

AV - hill 2; 2

1) a hill, eminence, mound

Therefore, the interpretation that the woman is Rome, a city on seven hills, is not fitting with scripture nearly as much as the interpretation that the woman is Jerusalem, a city on seven mountains.

I suppose it is possible that the seven mountains have another symbolic meaning; in addition to literal mountains or kings. That the seven mountains are the seven continents of the earth: North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Antartica, which would mean that the woman sits on and rules the entire earth. After all, the whore is also said to sit on many waters, which are the people, and multitude and nations of the earth.

Rev 17:1 And 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:

Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

Proof #5.

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Israel is described as a harlot in many texts of the Hebrew Scriptures: Isa. 1:21, Ezek 16, 23, Isaiah 57, Jeremiah 2-3 and Hosea 2

Proof #6.

The woman is wearing red and purple, with a cup of gold in hand. The Israelite priests wear red and purple, and used cups of gold in the temple worship.

Rev 17:4 And 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:

Rev 18:16 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!

God commanded that the priests’ vestments be made with purple and scarlet yarn (Ex. 28:4-8, 15, 33, 39:1-8, 24, 29).