Chapter 17 reveals the spiritual identity of Babylon as a prostitute who sits upon many waters. According to Shincheonji doctrine, this woman represents a betraying pastor—specifically Mr. Tak, the former leader of the Tabernacle Temple. The “beast with seven heads and ten horns” is interpreted as the seven pastors and ten evangelists of the Christian Stewardship Training Center (SEC/CSTC). These were once part of the first tabernacle but betrayed their calling and allied with the destroyers (Satan’s group).
New John (Lee Man-hee) is said to be astonished upon realizing the identity of this prostitute, whom he originally saw as a beast in Revelation 13. Only after witnessing the fulfillment in real life did he understand that Mr. Tak was the woman riding the beast in Revelation 17.
The angel then explains that the beast once existed, now is not, and yet will come again. Shincheonji applies this to the fluctuating influence of the betraying group—once prominent, then dissolved, but returning in another form. This chapter emphasizes that only the one who sees the actual reality of the events (New John) can testify to them, asserting his exclusive authority over this testimony.
Chapter 18 continues with the judgment of Babylon—the corrupt religious system associated with the prostitute. It is called a “habitation of devils” and a “prison of every unclean spirit”. The merchants mentioned are interpreted as the pastors and religious leaders who profited from this false religious system.
The chapter focuses on God’s command: “Come out of her, my people” (Rev 18:4). Shincheonji teaches this as a literal call to separate from traditional Christianity and join the “New Heaven New Earth”—the new tabernacle established by New John.
Shincheonji teaches that this judgment is still in process. While the former Tabernacle Temple (Babylon) has already fallen in a limited sense, the complete global judgment of the greater Babylon (representing all traditional churches not aligned with SCJ) is yet to be fulfilled. The destruction of Babylon will be by “fire”—symbolizing complete spiritual judgment and disbandment.
This is an ongoing series, and changes may occur until its completion. Additional articles will be added over time as they become available.
Revelation Chapters 17–18: The Judgment of Babylon and the Collapse of the Great City
The Fall of the Great Prostitute, the Cry of the Kings, and the Call to Come Out — Testified by the Overcomer, Lee Man-hee (이만희)
The Great Prostitute on Many Waters
One of the seven angels approached New John and said with gravity in his voice, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters” (Revelation 17:1). As New John turned his gaze, a vision unfolded—vivid and weighty. Before him appeared a woman robed in power, seated not just on any throne, but on many waters. She was not a literal prostitute, yet she had sold herself.
According to the revelation received, the angel began to explain. This woman is Babylon, the spiritual entity that rose to prominence through betrayal. She represents a false pastor or church—one who has received the seed and doctrines of Satan rather than the Word of God. Her seat upon many waters is not physical—it symbolizes her authority and influence over peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages (v.15). The many waters are the global reach of false religion, believers across the world who unknowingly aligned with the beast of seven heads and ten horns.
New John, as he beheld her, recalled the flood in Noah’s day. Likewise, the tabernacle was flooded—not with water, but with deception. This woman—Babylon—rose in power during the destruction of the Tabernacle Temple. Though she was not from God, she held hands with the beast—Gentile pastors and denominations empowered by the Christian Stewardship Training Center (SEC/CSTC). Her spiritual adultery was not hidden—it was institutional. “With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries” (v.2).
The angel continued, explaining that her wine is not literal. It is false commentary, the doctrine of the beast. This wine dulls spiritual senses, numbing the conscience and blinding the spirit. It is the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, served in a golden cup—attractive in form, deadly in content. That golden cup is none other than the commentary Bible, a compilation of man-made thoughts which replaced God’s Word. With each sip, she killed the spirit of her congregation, who, trusting her, were fed poison disguised as truth.
The Scarlet Beast and the Woman
New John’s eyes then shifted as the vision expanded. “I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names…” (v.3). The woman—Babylon—was not riding alone. She was seated atop a scarlet beast, its surface etched with the names of mockery. This scene was not symbolic alone—it was revealing a union.
The angel revealed that this beast represents pastors and their group, born of Satan’s seed, having emerged from the woman herself. These are the ones who invaded the tabernacle of heaven, forcibly branding its members with the mark of the beast, 666, on their right hands and foreheads. These were not outsiders; they were destroyers, standing in what was once sacred.
The woman’s clothing—purple and scarlet—signified power, wealth, and the authority of the red dragon. Her heart was dressed in Satan’s teachings. The precious stones that adorned her were not gifts from heaven, but laws and doctrines of Satan, glittering with pride and deception.
Then New John saw her forehead:
“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (v.5).
This was her identity—no longer hidden. She once belonged to God. Her title had been religious. Her sanctuary had once been filled with light. But now, only a shell remained. She had become a vessel of destruction, her outward beauty hiding a spirit that had long abandoned the covenant.
The Blood of the Saints
New John felt the sorrow deepen in his heart. As he looked upon the woman, he saw she was drunk—not with wine, but with the blood of the saints (v.6). The angel clarified, “She did not physically murder them, but she deceived them, leading to spiritual death.” The commentary she poured into their hearts replaced the Word of God, and the cost was their very lives. In her was found the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people, of all who had been spiritually slain through deception.
The Beast and Its Ten Horns
Then the angel explained, “The beast… once was, now is not, and yet will come up…” (v.8). New John understood this was the same Gentile pastoral system from Revelation 13—those who had once risen from the sea.
Now, ten horns appeared—not animals, but pastors and leaders. For a single hour, these were given power to wage war against the Lamb. Their physical entity was made known: ten elders chosen by Nicholas, representing the seven Gentile heads. These ten horns were the Nicolaitans of Revelation 2, also known as the beast from the earth in Revelation 13.
The angel revealed that the ten horns initially stood in unity with the prostitute. But in time, they turned against her. The beast and the horns burned her with fire—not in loyalty to truth, but to seize her authority for themselves. This calls for wisdom—a spiritual mind that sees beyond appearances.
Yet, amid this conflict, a promise arose:
“But the Lamb will triumph… and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers.” (v.14)
New John, standing with the Lamb and the sealed 144,000, was not defeated. The destroyers had risen, but the Lamb overcame—not by the sword, but through the testimony of truth.
Babylon Collapses
The angel’s voice turned somber as New John’s vision darkened. Then came the pronouncement—a voice echoing like thunder across the heavens:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!” (Revelation 18:2)
New John stood transfixed. The city that once stood in splendor now lay in ruin. Babylon—the institutional church, the former Tabernacle Temple, now spiritually collapsed—had become a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every impure spirit. The temple that once bore God’s name was now filled with unclean spirits, their shadows lurking in the corners of what used to be holy ground.
As the angel continued, New John’s spirit trembled—not out of fear, but out of awe for the justice of God now being revealed. The sins of Babylon had ascended like smoke before heaven, and now, God would return her cup to her, full of the wrath she had poured into others.
“Give her back as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done.” (Revelation 18:6)
The golden cup she once used to deceive the nations, once filled with false doctrines and commentaries, was now being returned—to her lips. But this time, it would contain not deception, but judgment. This was divine justice—exact, mirrored, and multiplied.
The Lament of the Kings and Merchants
Then came the cries. New John saw the kings of the earth—the religious leaders who had once allied with her—standing at a distance, watching Babylon burn. Their faces were not filled with repentance, but with grief over their own loss.
“In one hour her doom has come!” (Revelation 18:10)
These kings were denominational leaders—presidents, theologians, and pastors—those who had once basked in Babylon’s power. Now they wept, not for her sins, but for their lost wealth, their reputation, and their following. Their lament echoed:
“Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, precious stones and pearls.” (Revelation 18:16)
Her outward beauty, her titles and institutions, could not save her. As the smoke of her destruction rose, the kings watched helplessly—like merchants mourning a collapsed empire.
New John also saw another class of mourners—the merchants of the earth, the evangelists and religious profiteers who sold commentaries, doctrines, and religious goods. Their trade was now worthless. Their marketplace had collapsed. Their voices cracked in despair as they cried out:
“Cargos of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth…”
It wasn’t just cloth they had traded. These items were symbols of their doctrines, their theological interpretations, their polished but dead teachings. One pastor, struck with the reality of judgment, confessed with trembling:
“I have studied the commentaries very hard and taught them. I am so doomed. Where am I going to find a place to give my sermons? It was such a successful business and I have done so much. I have done so well.”
But success in the world was not success before God. The doctrines of Babylon were no longer purchased, and so her merchants wept and mourned—not out of repentance, but because their influence had ended.
“All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.”
The sea, New John realized, was not literal. The sea represented the world. The ships were the churches. The captains were the pastors. The sailors were the religious workers, and the passengers were the congregation members.
Each ship had once prospered under Babylon’s trade. But now, every ship in the sea mourned, for the waves that once carried their success now bore the smoke of their ruin.
New John, as the one who overcomes, did not weep. He stood as a witness to judgment, understanding that this collapse was not tragedy—but prophetic fulfillment.
The Call: “Come Out of Her, My People”
Then came a voice—not from the earth, but from heaven. It was a voice of mercy amid judgment, a call that pierced through the smoke of Babylon’s ruin. The voice belonged to the one who had received the open revelation—New John (Lee Man-hee, 이만희)—the one who had been shown everything by the angel sent from Jesus.
“Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.” (Revelation 18:4)
This was not the cry of condemnation; it was the cry of salvation—spoken by the promised pastor, now testifying to what he had seen and heard. His voice carried urgency. He had witnessed the identity of Babylon. He had seen her spiritual prostitution, her intoxicating wine of adultery, her collusion with the beast, and now—her judgment. And still, God’s love endured. The people still trapped within Babylon were called “My people”—not because they were saved already, but because they were still redeemable.
New John, the Overcomer, shouted through the spiritual wilderness:
“This is not the church of God. If you remain, you will fall with it. Come to the new heaven, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony.”
This call was not figurative; it was real. It was the division between life and death. And people responded—not with indifference, but with trembling questions:
“How can it not be? They said the people who received the seed of the word from the wine of adultery are the sons of the devil. And also, they also said that all nations have drunk the wine of adultery as well.”
A second voice, full of concern, cried out:
“So what should we do now? Doesn’t that mean that we are part of all nations? And the churches of the world, they say that they received salvation, received the Holy Spirit, without even knowing that they have been deceived by Satan all along.”
New John, who had seen the prophecy fulfilled, understood their confusion. They had once believed their churches were alive, that their prayers reached God. But now, through the opened scroll, they learned it had all been a deception.
Light No More
Then came the sentence. As New John watched, the angel declared:
“The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again.” (Revelation 18:23)
This was no poetic line—it was the final spiritual judgment. The doctrine of Satan, once disguised as orthodoxy, would be extinguished. Babylon had become desolate. Her light—once mistaken as truth—was gone. The spirit had departed. The merchants—the evangelists, teachers, and pastors—were silenced. Their pulpits empty. Their glory shattered.
New John knew who they had served. The groom of Babylon was not Christ, but the evil spirit, Satan. And the bride was the false pastor and her congregation. They had believed they were offering service to God. But they had been lifting up prayers to demons. Now, it was over.
“With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.” (Revelation 18:21)
New John’s heart bore the weight of both sorrow and justice. This was not an allegory. This was the reality—the end of those who corrupted God’s word, oppressed His people, and worshiped the image of the beast.
The Testimony Is Fulfilled
As the dust of Babylon settled and the smoke drifted into the heavens, the world of religion stood divided—clearly, finally.
Two groups emerged before the eyes of New John:
- Those who remained in Babylon: They had rejected the testimony. They clung to the doctrines of the beast.
- Those who came out: They heard the voice of the Overcomer and entered the twelve tribes of New Heaven New Earth.
New John’s voice, heavy with solemn conviction, echoed the warning to all who still listened:
“Today, if we haven’t listened to the revealed word, how are we supposed to know that the evil spirits are working in all the churches of the world, not the Holy Spirit?”
This was the crux. The tragedy was not merely the fall of Babylon—it was that the people within never knew they had been deceived. They had claimed salvation, but never checked the seed that had taken root in their hearts.
New John looked back to what had begun this chain of events:
“One time, Tabernacle Temple fell. But now, the group that destroyed the Tabernacle Temple fell.”
The prophecy had come full circle. Betrayal, destruction, and salvation—all had unfolded, not in theory, but in physical reality, according to Scripture.
The vision was complete. The testimony sealed. The angel’s revelation delivered. The judgment of Babylon, declared thousands of years ago to the apostle John, had now been fulfilled and testified to the world—through New John, Lee Man-hee (이만희).
Please take the time to check the Bible verses we’ve provided as references. Use them as a guide for your own understanding and discernment. It’s important to verify and confirm information with external sources, witnesses, and experts to ensure validity and transparency. Additionally, remember to pray for wisdom as you seek to identify any errors and ensure that your understanding aligns with biblical teachings.