It is challenging to interpret some parts of the Bible. Martin Luther commented that the Revelation has 'a lot of straw'. It has been said that the book was written with a bit of camouflage coding so the Apostle John would not be immediately executed by the Emperor Nero who may have been negatively referred to by John in writing the little book (Biblos means 'little books').
Some parts of the Bible are prophecy and some of those prophecies were fulfilled back in the day and some are yet to be fulfilled. Those points are points of contention to various Christian, and even Islamic sects. Iranians are primarily Shia'a Muslims and have an eschatology (end times) prophecy criterion remarkably similar to Christian pre-tribulation criteria because the work was probably lifted from the book of Revelation by Muhammad with some changes.
Partial preterist Christians believe that part of the prophecies were fulfilled and others remain. One controversial prophetic section is The Revelation. Readers are left to interpret the meaning for themselves of course, as is the nature of reading. Some of the parameters of the prophecies could be in the process of fulfillment in the MIddle East presently. It is well known however that the perception that some parts of Bible prophecy are being fulfilled is a recurrent phenomenon that occurs several times in every generation.
The Red Dragon that seeks to devour a woman's child, and the great harlot Babylon, could refer to the Persian Gulf, Babylon or just Iraq or Iran etc and the Iranian effort to attack Israel and the United States (possibly a Christian nation where Jesus's kingdom of God remains the strongest). The Red Dragon also refers to Satan who wears something like an evil Santa suit without any white or black on it to lighten the mood from just blood.
Interpreting scripture is challenging when it has many possible dimensions or levels of meaning for so many word strings. One could be correct in an interpretation yet not exhaust the remaining uses for interpretation of the reference that could yet occur in the future or have occurred in the past. And one need be careful not to add anything to the book or all the curses mention would be added unto thee. Muhammed may have violated that admonition long ago compounding Middle East challenges for Iranians.
The harlot of many nations seems closed again. Phonetics for the phenomenon are definitely weird. Ha ha ha means ‘the, the, the’ in Hebrew. A sense of humor seems an underlying theme. Divine humor-how else could one stand the pathos of politics? Charging a toll for opening Hormuz lol, took pimping to a higher level.
From the Revelation...
"The Great Harlot and the Beast
17 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.”
3 Then he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filth of her sexual immorality. 5 On her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."
If China is one of the meanings of the Red Dragon in Revelation 12 it is interesting to note that China has sent a few naval frigates to try to force open the Strait of Hormuz to let her oil tankers with Iranian oil products run through the U.S. naval blockade. It is possible that world War Three could begin with that slight action of Chinese ships fighting with U.S. in the Gulf of Oman.
Plainly one interpretation is that fossil fuels bring the world to the brink with global warming and political corruption. Oil has evolved beyond its useful time to become the 'wine' fueling sexual immorality of politics and machine transported relationships. It could refer to the global oil market and the subversion it does to the integrity of national democracy and political self-determination, ecological economic innovation, livable wages etc.
Alternatively ,Jesus made a parable of ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) keeping their lamps burning with extra oil- five did and five did not and exhausted their supply.
I suppose the ships could be allowed to pass if they first unloaded the oil products somewhere in Oman or onto a waiting empty neutral flagged ship whence the products could be sold to pay for the harm done to allied interests from Iran.
