Rev 17:3

“"And I saw the woman herself sitting upon the scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy." But to sit upon the scarlet beast, the author of murders, is the image of the devil. Where also is treated of his captivity, concerning which we have fully considered. I remember, indeed, that this is called Babylon also in the Apocalypse, on account of confusion; and in Isaiah also; and Ezekiel called it Sodom. In fine, if you compare what is said against Sodom, and what Isaiah says against Babylon, and what the Apocalypse says, you will find that they are all one.”

“In the beast the whole people who are evil is recognized, and in the woman its corruption is revealed. It says that the woman sits [on the beast] in the desert, because she sits on the impious, those who are dead in their souls and those who are deserted by God. [He was led] in the spirit, it says, because a desertion [by God] of this kind cannot be seen except in the spirit.”

“The desert refers to the absence of God, for his presence is paradise. [He was led] in the spirit, because these realities can [only] be seen in the spirit. In whose image does the divine word most depict her, if not the image of the woman "from whom is the beginning of sin, and because of her," as it is written, "we all die." She is said to sit on a beast, since from it she is raised up high by the pride of presumption. [The beast is] scarlet, since it is a bloody beast, as we said, and it is a body arrayed against the Lamb. At times we are to recognize the devil in this beast, at other times the head which appears as though slain, at other times the people of the beast, which is the whole of Babylon, that is, confusion. And so, it is scarlet because it is bloody in its impiety, and it was drunk by its corruptions as though they were blood. "It was full of blasphemous names." Although it is worse to perform blasphemy by way of deeds than to be called blasphemous, here he nevertheless says that it fully abounds with names so that it might not be thought that it is lacking in any excess. And because it is one thing to sin before God and another thing to sin against God, he who blasphemes against God is guilty of the greater offense.”

“The prophecy of holy Daniel says that as the final persecution approaches, there will be ten kings. This book often symbolizes them in the seven heads and ten horns of the beast, as it does here. Earlier it is said that diadems are worn by them, for when all the kingdoms have been overthrown, they only will reign in the whole world. Indeed, the diadems are signs of the conquered kingdoms, which are displayed as trophies upon the arrogant heads [of these kings]. Therefore, through a mind of wisdom [this book] also says that the seven heads must be understood to be seven hills, so that it might signify Rome, which sits upon seven hills. For since Rome once exercised an absolute monarchy in all the world, [this prophecy] has adduced it as a similitude for the kingdom of those [ten rulers], and in the name of Rome symbolizes the power of the entire earthly kingdom. In the number seven this passage intends to indicate the universality of its domination, since from the number three and from the number four, that is, from an odd and an equal number it is seen to consist of diverse members and so its universality is suggested.… In the seven churches we have indicated that [this universality] is indicated in the good sense, since it is foretold that the one church of Christ will possess the whole world. In this passage the same number is used in the contrary sense to refer to those seven heads that are in opposition and in which that universal power is said to have everywhere dominion. For holy Scripture frequently uses the number seven in both a good and in a bad sense. In view of his sevenfold work, the prophet Isaiah testifies that the Holy Spirit is to be regarded as sevenfold, and here seven is used in the good sense. Similarly, however, an evil spirit is often described as sevenfold. Since the monarchy of these kings, which is often placed in opposition to the church of Christ, not only assails the faithful by way of open aggression but also desires to ensnare them by a bogus form of the truth, this passage indicates its manifest power by the ten horns and its fraudulent truth by the seven heads. Therefore, this future persecution is predicted to be violent, during which the practice of this deceiving power is supported and what is lacking to the deceit is supplemented by power. The illusory nature of this fraud was earlier indicated when it was said that "one head of the seven heads seemed to have been wounded unto death, but its mortal wound was healed." That is to say, one head from that universal rule of the worldly kingdom that opposes the church, namely the antichrist, who seeks to be received as though he were the Christ, will claim that he is resurrected, as though he had been dead, for he impiously seeks to separate the incautious from Christ, who really did die and truly did rise again. Concerning this [head] it has already been said that the dragon, that is, the devil, has given to him his own power and throne and authority, and so it says that he is full of blasphemous names, even as it said that "a blasphemous name was upon its head." And there cannot be a more grievous blasphemy than as one who is opposed to Christ, which is what the name antichrist indicates, to wish to be regarded as Christ, so that he might seduce by a skewed truth those whom he was unable to break by violent terrors, and that he might lead those to adopt an imitation of the truth who had refused manifest error.”

“The Lord taught in the Gospel that we should be on our guard for this plague, saying, "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places seeking rest, but he finds none. Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And then he goes and brings with him seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." Did he not speak above of one unclean spirit? Why then did he mention seven others more wicked than himself, unless the unclean spirit is sevenfold in such a way that through his hidden evils he is discovered to be seven times more despicable?And that what we say may be become more plain and clear, it is well that the reader be attentive. The good Spirit is a Spirit of wisdom, to which is opposed the evil spirit who is a spirit of foolishness and who is worse because it feigns wisdom. The good Spirit is a Spirit of understanding, while the evil spirit is a spirit of silliness and is worse because it feigns discipline. The good Spirit is a Spirit of counsel, while the evil spirit is a spirit of imprudence and is worse because it feigns prudence. The good Spirit is a Spirit of fortitude, to which is opposed the evil spirit who is spirit of open cowardliness and who is worse because its weakness deceives by the appearance of strength. The good Spirit is a Spirit of knowledge, to whom the spirit of ignorance stands in opposition and is worse because it steals knowledge [for its own use]. The good Spirit is a Spirit of piety, while the evil spirit is a spirit of impiety and is worse because it is covered with a false piety. The good Spirit is a Spirit of the fear of God, to whom the spirit of recklessness is opposed, and this one is worse because it deceives through a fake religiosity. I have extended a little my discussion of the deception of this adversary, so that this exposition might contribute to our understanding of many passages. The apostle too announced this future persecution, which will be so characterized by force and cunning, when he said, "Then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with every wicked seduction for those who are to perish." By "power" he indicates its violent force, and by "seduction" he means its lying hypocrisy.”

“It is necessary to say what we think concerning the wilderness into which he says he was led in the spirit. We think that in spiritual matters every city or populated place is a "wilderness" that is blameworthy because of a drunkenness of soul and fornication from God and of other such activities. It is also to be noted that in the vision that the spirit gives, the apostle sees the devastation of the harlot, whom he saw as a woman because she was softened for sin and unmanly. She was seated upon a scarlet beast because through evil deeds she reposed on the devil, who is murderous and delights in blood. Through such evil deeds she becomes a co-worker with the apostate in his blasphemies against God. The beast with its scarlet appearance is an indication of its cruelty and savagery and murderous intention.”

“"And", he says, "he carried me away in the Spirit into a desert." The desert foreshadows her coming desolation. "And I saw", he says, "a woman sitting on a scarlet beast." The "beast", he says, is the Devil upon whom it rested, and by whom it was commanded; "scarlet" because it had been stained with the blood of the saints. And the "beast" was "full of blasphemous names"; for the Devil, who is attributed to it, sins against God in the worship due to God. He says it had "seven heads and ten horns." He himself interprets these, calling the "heads" and the "horns" kings, both those who reigned in it and those who were to reign.”