19:1-5 Who is the great whore referred to here?
19:1-5 Who is the great whore referred to here?
The great whore referred to here is Babylon the literal city. All nations have drunk of the wine of her fornications, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her also (cp Rev 18:1-3
(see also comments on Rev 17:18 and 18:1-3)).
The rejoicing in heaven over the fall of Babylon in Rev 19:1 is in response to the command to heaven to rejoice in 18:20 (cp Re 18:20 with Re 19:1). Many in the church believe the great whore referred to in Rev 19:2 is Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth, of Rev 17, but that is incorrect because that great whore, who symbolizes an apostate religious system, will be destroyed by men, not by God (cp Rev 17:12-17).
An apostate religious system cannot be destroyed by an earthquake and fire, like a literal city. "... and her smoke rose up for ever and ever" applies to the city, not the apostate religious system (cp Isa 13:19-22; Jer 51:5-8, 25-26; Rev 14:8; 18:5, 8-9, 17-19; 19:3).
Furthermore, as we learned in our study on Rev 17:7-17, the apostate religious system, symbolized by Babylon the great whore, will be destroyed by the ten kings in the middle of the tribulation, while the destruction of Babylon the literal city, will occur under the seventh vial judgment at the end of the tribulation, just prior to Christ's second coming and the battle of Armageddon (cp Rev 16:17-19).
See also comments on Rev 17:1-6 and 17:7-17.