To me, it is quite remarkable that John didn't see apostate Judaism (Jerusalem) if that was what was being revealed especially when he heard it earlier from the mouth of Jesus in Matthew 23 and the beginning of Matthew 24. I honestly can't explain why his "aha" moment didn't occur or wasn't documented if it did occur. What I can offer is that John as well as the others often didn't get things that seem obvious to us. Take for example the countless times Jesus told them about His death and resurrection and them still being dumbfounded when it occured as He explained. I say all this to say that just because john didn't immediately get it didn't change what was being conveyed.
Now, let's take a look at Ezekiel 16.
Quote:
1 And the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 ‘O son of man; To Jerusalem now testify, about all of her lawless deeds! 3 Tell them that thus Jehovah: Your roots and your birth are in CanaAn. An Amorite man was your father, and your mother a Hittite. 4 And concerning your birth and the day you were born: Your naval wasn’t cut nor were you bathed; no one [cleansed] you with salt; and you weren’t wrapped tightly with [belly] bands.
5 ‘My eye did not feel enough sorrpw for you, to do these things or [show concern], so you were thrown out in the fields. For your life was deformed since the day you were born.
6 ‘Then I came and saw you defiled in your blood, and I said to you amidst all your blood: Now come to life! It was I who said to you in your blood, Now come to life… become many!
7 ‘I made you like [plants] that grow in a field, then you became many and great, and you entered the city of cities. Thereafter, your breasts and your hair both grew full, but you were still naked and indecent.
8 ‘And then I came and beheld you, and look… it was your time, a time for your rest. So, I opened and spread out My wings over you, and your indecency [and shame] I then covered. Then I swore to you with an oath, and entered a Sacred Agreement with you, says Jehovah, and that’s when you became Mine. 9 ‘Then I bathed you in water and washed off your blood, and oil I used to anoint you. 10 In colored clothes I then dressed you; I tied a blue cloth around you; then in linen I wrapped you, and placed a braided belt [on your hips]. 11 I decked you with ornamentation; I put bracelets around [both] your [wrists], and a necklace I put ‘round your neck. 12 I gave you a ring for your nose, as well as disks for your ears, and a crown of boasting for your head. 13 ‘You were adorned in silver and gold; your wraps were the finest of linen, as were your braids and colored clothes. You ate the finest of flour, as well as honey and olive oil. So, you became exceedingly [great], and you prospered as though you’re a [queen]. 14 A among the nations, your name became famous, and this was true of your beauty, for I had made your beauty complete… it was I who ordered it for you, says Jehovah.
15 ‘And on your beauty you then relied, and you gave away [sex] because of your name… to him you poured it out on the roads. 16 You [ripped] your clothes to make strings, to tie all your idols together, and then you did immoral things with them. So, there’s no way that you may [return], nor should you ever do so. 17 ‘Then you took the things about which you boast, including the gold and the silver I gave you, and with it made idols with whom you had sex. 18 Then you dressed them in your colored clothes, and set My oil and incense before them. 19 ‘You took the bread loaves I gave you – the fine flour, olive oil, and honey that I fed you – and before their faces you set them, as a pleasing scent and aroma. Yes, thus it was so, says Jehovah. 20 ‘Then you took the sons and the daughters you bore, and sacrificed these to [your gods], until [they all] were consumed, and immoral you continued to be. 21 Yes, to pacify [idols] you killed them… to them you gave all your children. 22 And this is even much worse, than your disgusting things and your being immoral.
‘You forgot the days of your youth, when you were indecent and naked, and you lived befouled in your blood. 23 And now that you’ve done all your evil, woe, woe upon you, says Jehovah! 24 ‘For, you’ve built a whorehouse for yourself, and posted signs in the squares. 25 You’ve built them on every corner, and in these you’ve wasted your beauty. Between your legs you’ve led all who would pass. Then made your immorality much worse, 26 for you’ve also had sex with the sons of Egyptians… with the flesh of those who live next door! And these many ways that you’ve been immoral, were so you could lead Me into a rage. 27 ‘So, {Look!} against you I’ll stretch My hand, and I’ll lift away all your Laws, and give you to those who detest you… to the daughters of the Philistines… those who turned you to your godless ways. 28 ‘With Assyrias’s sons You also had sex, but this brought you no satisfaction… yes, you had sex, but it wasn’t enough. 29 So, with the land of CanaAn you had sex, as well as with the Chaldeans, but with them you found no satisfaction. 30 ‘O what will I do to your heart, asks Jehovah, as you are doing these bad things… the works of a woman who’s known as a whore? Why, you’ve even had sex with your daughters! 31 ‘In every square you’ve built your whorehouses, but you don’t act as the madam! 32 An adulterous wife is what you are like; one whose husband acts as her pimp! 33 ‘Why, you pay those to whom you offer you sex… you’ve paid wages to all of your lovers, as inducements for them to stay near, and engage in all of your whoring! 34 ‘Your perversions are worse than [all] other women, for in whoring you’ve had sex with other whores. Why, you paid them (they didn’t pay you), so what you have done is perversion! 35 ‘Because of this, O you whore; Hear the word of Jehovah! 36 [He] says: Because you paid them with your copper coins, your shame will soon be uncovered… your whoring with all of your lovers, as well as your evil thoughts… your lawless deeds and your children’s blood, which you offered to them. 37 ‘Because of this; Look! I will gather your lovers against you, and mix among them all whom you’ve hated. Together I’ll bring them against you, until they have you surrounded. I’ll uncover your evils before them, and then they’ll all see your shame. 38 ‘I’ll punish you with what’s due an adulteress, for I will pour out your blood. In [My] rage and zeal I’ll appoint you for blood, 39 and then to them, I’ll then hand you over… and they’ll cut your whorehouses to the ground. They’ll demolish your base and rip off your clothes… they’ll take all the things that you boast of, and leave you indecent and naked. 40 ‘Against you they will lead mobs, who’ll stone you with rocks and stab you with swords. 41 Then they’ll burn your whorehouses with fire… they will wreak vengeance upon you, there before crowds of other women.
‘But I’ll turn you away from your whoring, and from the wages you paid your lovers… 42 I will slacken My rage against you, and remove the zeal that I once had for you… I will rest and be anxious no more. 43 ‘Because you forgot the days of your youth, and caused me to fret over such things, {Look!} I’ll bring them down on your head, says Jehovah, and then you’ll no longer be godless. 44 ‘Against you, they have said this: As is the mother, so is the daughter; 45 and you are truly your mother’s daughter… she who’s divorced from her husband, and she who abandoned her children (all of your sisters and brothers)… those whom she pushed away, along with their husbands and children. ‘For, an Amorite was your father, and your mother a Hittite; 46 your older sister is Samaria, whose daughters have lived to your left. Your younger sister who lives on your right (along with all of her daughters), is Sodom. 47 In their ways you have followed, and all their lawless deeds you have done, so their ways are now better than yours! 48 ‘As I live, says Jehovah; Has your sister Sodom (she and her daughters) acted like you and your daughters? 49 The sin of Sodom your sister was pride. For, though she had plenty of bread (and she and her daughters had more than enough), this thing [was true] among them: They offered no aid to the needy and poor. 50 They bragged and broke laws before Me. And as you saw, I removed them! 51 ‘Yet, Samaria didn’t sin with half of your sins, for you’re now more lawless she; and all the lawless things that you’ve done, declare your sisters more righteous. 52 ‘So, you must carry your torment! For, you’ve corrupted your sisters with your sins… with lawlessness that is worse than even theirs, making them look much better than you. So, be ashamed and accept your dishonor, for it’s you who made your sisters look better. 53 ‘So I’ll remove from them their rejection – the rejection of Sodom and her daughters – and I’ll remove the rejection of Samaria, as well as that of her daughters, and I’ll remove you from their midst. 54 For you must carry your torment and disgrace, for all you did to provoke Me to rage. 55 ‘And your sister Sodom and her daughters, will be restored as they were at the first. And Samaria and her daughters will too be restored, as they were at the beginning. Your daughters will also be restored, as they were [long ago]. 56 ‘Wasn’t Sodom your sister a reason to boast, in the days of your pride, 57 before your evils were uncovered, and for which you’re are now scorned, by Syria’s daughters, as well as those round about… the daughters of Philistines who live around you? 58 ‘As for all the irreverence, and the lawless deeds that you’ve carried, says Jehovah, 59 I’ll do among you as you’ve done… for you’ve disgraced your sacred oath, by breaking My Sacred Agreement. 60 ‘But, I will remember My Sacred Agreement (the one that I made in the days of your youth), and remake My Agreement with you through the age. 61 Then you’ll remember the way [you should go], but for following in the ways of your sisters (both the younger and older), you will now be despised. But I’ll give them to you so you can teach them… but not of your Sacred Agreement. 62 For, My Sacred Agreement will just be with you, and then you will know that I am Jehovah. 63 ‘Then you should remember and be ashamed, and not open your mouth, because of the dishonor upon your face, since it was Me who had to atone, for all the bad things you did, says Jehovah.’
- Ezekiel's account of Jerusalem calls her a whore and identified her as a prostitute as well who happenned to also be mother who's family was guilty of the same sins as she.
- According to Ezekiel she is adorned as a Queen with jewels and riches.
- The filth of her adulteries is described by Ezekiel.
- In Ezekiel, no title written on her forehead, but she is described in a way fitting The Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.
- The passage in Ezekiel doesn't really touch Jesus or the prophets, though it does call her a murderer. We have Jesus Himself in Matthew telling us that Jerusalem is the killer of prophets and we see that it was the Jews who had Jesus and many of the saints in the 1st century killed starting with Stephen in Acts 7.
She sits on seven hills.
- could that denote the Jewish relationship to the Roman Empire? I need to do more research before attempting to address this properly
The seven hills are also seven kings. And "the beast who once was, and now is not, is an 8th king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction."
- the Beast seems to be a reference to the Roman Empire as beasts in the Bible were always national, political world powers like Babylon, Greece, Medo-Persia, and Rome.
