"And the woman which thou sawest is the great city, which has kingship over the kings of the earth."   Revelation 17:18

Now comes a troubling aspect.

There is a way to interpret Revelation that could possibly bring both Left and Right together in agreement. I don't even like to think about it.

The "harlot" could easily be describing modern America. Not America in 1776, nor in 1865, nor 1918, nor 1945. Not even 1963 or even 1998. It is upon us even now, and is upon us swiftly.

This parallels the decline of Judah in pre-Christian times. First a gradual decline, a few weak kings. But ultimately, when the end came, it was consummated within a few generations. The Golden Years never last for long.

But the filth of American culture, demonstrated by Hollywood and the lifestyles of our "heroes" certainly qualifies as that of a harlot. And the great city that rules everything? How about New York? And the abominations and wine that makes the nations drunk? It's power, popularity, "coolness," "being on the right side of history," fitting in, etc. It's the appeal to human insecurities, the desire to fit in, or not to draw attention to oneself.

The Beast? Well - we have the harlot in league with the beast while they wage war on the Church. But eventually the harlot herself is cast down by all others. Fill in the blanks. The age-old conflict began when Cain and Abel had their dispute that ended in a brutal murder. Think about it.

For the Left and Right to agree is one thing, but they will have differences over the description of harlotry: money? wealth? greed? destroying the environment? Or is it sexual immorality? Broken homes? Abortion?

Imagine the Christian Right and Left putting their differences aside, and agreeing to collaborate. What if they each embraced the passions of the other? Now that would be a force that neither the Beast nor the Harlot could overcome. But when Christ's Body is broken, it can be killed.