Revelation 17
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” 15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
Empires never last. World powers always fall. In his book, Revealed, John McCallum writes:
The Roman Empire lasted for centuries, but it didn’t last forever.
Hitler’s Third Reich was supposed to last a thousand years. It lasted about 12.
The Soviet Union was supposed to be a never-ending socialist utopia. It didn’t even make it 80 years.
And the list of empires that we must now speak of in the past tense is much longer than this. James Paul of the Global Policy Forum has put forward this list:
Ancient Period (BC)
Egyptian Empire (3100BC to 30 BC)
Norte Chico Empire (3000-1800 BC)
Indus Valley: Empires: Harappa and Mohenjo-Darro (2550-1550 BC)
Akkadian Empire (2500-2000 BC)
Babylonian Empire (1792-1595 BC)
Ancient Chinese Empires: Shang (1751-1111 BC), Chou (1000-800 BC), etc.
Hittite Empire (1500-1200 BC)
Assyrian Empire (1244-612 BC)
Persian Empires (550 BC to 637 AD) including Achemenid Empire (550-330 BC), Sassanian Empire (224 BC-651 AD)
Carthaginian Empire (ca. 475-146 BC)
Athenian Empire (461-440 BC, 362-355 BC)
Macedonian Empire (359-323 BC)
Roman Empire (264 BC to 476 AD)
Parthian Empire (247 BC- 224 AD)
Pre-Modern Period (to 1500)
African Empires: Ethiopian Empire (ca. 50-1974), Mali Empire (ca. 1210-1490), Songhai Empire (1468-1590), Fulani Empire (ca. 1800-1903)
Mesoamerican Empires esp. Maya Empire (ca. 300-900) Teotihuacan Empire (ca. 500-750), Aztec Empire (1325-ca. 1500)
Byzantine Empire (330-1453)
Andean Empires: Huari Empire (600-800); Inca Empire (1438-1525)
Chinese Pre-Modern Empires: including T’ang Dynasty (618-906), Sung Dynasty (906-1278)
Islamic Empires esp. Umayyid/Abbasid (661-1258), Almohad (1140-1250), Almoravid (1050-1140)
Carolingian Empire (ca. 700-810)
Bulgarian Empire (802-827, 1197-1241)
Southeast Asian Empires: Khmer Empire (877-1431), Burmese Empire (1057-1287)
Novogorod Empire (882-1054)
Medieval German Empire (962-1250)
Danish Empire (1014-1035)
Indian Empires, including Chola Empire (11th cent), Empire of Mahmud of Ghazni (998-1039 AD), Mughal Empire (1526-1805)
Mongol Empire (1206-1405)
Mamluk Empire (1250-1517)
Holy Roman Empire (1254-1835)
Habsburg Empire (1452-1806)
Ottoman Empire (1453-1923)
Modern Period (after 1500)
Portuguese Empire (ca. 1450-1975)
Spanish Empire (1492-1898)
Russian Empire/USSR (1552-1991)
Swedish Empire (1560-1660)
Dutch Empire (1660-1962)
British Empire (1607-ca. 1980)
French Empire (ca. 1611- ca. 1980)
Modern Chinese Empire: esp. Ch’ing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Austrian/Austro-Hungarian Empire (ca. 1700-1918) [see also Habsburg Empire]
Brazilian Empire (1822-1889)
German Empire (1871-1918, 1939-1945)
Japanese Empire (1871-1945)
Italian Empire (1889-1942)[1]
There is one more entry in Paul’s list and it stops us in our tracks. It reads:
US Empire (1776-present)
Hear me and hear me well: on this side of heaven, the powers never last. Earthly powers are doomed to fall. This has been the case. This is the case. And according to Revelation 17 this will be the case.
The Great Prostitute Described
Revelation 17 is going back to the end of Revelation 16 to give us more detail on the fall of Babylon. Babylon is depicted as “a great prostitute.” This description is unsettling to say the least!
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”
What we are shown here is the judgment of the great prostitute, Babylon, in greater detail than that provided in Revelation 16:19. Babylon, in our chapter, is depicted as “the great prostitute,” by which is meant that the wickedness of sin is present in her to a maximal degree. She has sinned with “the kings of the earth” and indeed with “the dwellers on earth.” So we are speaking here of a great worldly power that has tremendous influence and uses it for hellish pursuits. Beginning in verse 3 we are told even more about the great prostitute.
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”
In verses 3-5 we are told of her opulence and her sensuality. First, note that she is riding “a scarlet beast.” That is, her power and influence truly are satanic. Verse 1 says she is “seated on many waters” and verse 3 that she is “sitting on a scarlet beast.” This is likely, then, the beast from the sea, the Antichrist. He is undergirding her and giving her power and strength. She has the colors of royalty: “purple and scarlet.” She has the signs of wealth: “gold and jewels and pearls.” And she is immoral in the extreme: “a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.” It is telling and should be noted how prevalently sexual immorality is referenced throughout Revelation and especially in this chapter. One of the marks of being far from God is unrestrained sexual license. The great prostitute exemplifies this kind of lustful wickedness. But these descriptions do not exhaust her resume of sinfulness. John continues:
6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.
This “woman” is “drunk with the blood of the saints.” What a terrifying scene this is! She is drunk with “the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” This is a picture of a profligate, wicked, carnal, violent, lustful, unrestrained, satanic power. And John, upon seeing her, “marveled greatly” at the spectacle of her.
7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.
Here we have an angelic explanation. First, we are told that the beast experiences a kind of resurrection in verse 8. The beast “was, and is not, and is about to rise.” And while the beast will ultimately “go to destruction,” it remains the case that lost humanity “marvels” at the beast.
In verse 9 we are told that “the seven heads” of the beast “are seven mountains on which the woman is seated.” It is very possible that this is a reference to the seven hills upon which Rome was situated. And this brings us to a key point: it seems most likely that the Babylon of John’s day was the Rome of two millennia ago. The description certainly fits. I agree very much with Eugene Boring who wrote:
There can be no doubt that the harlot city of John’s vision is Rome, “the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth” (17:18)…For many Romans, the Great Mother goddess common in the ancient Near East had become the goddess Roma, giver of all blessings, just as she had previously become Athena for the Greeks. Archaeology has documented the presence of temples to the goddess Roma in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum (cf. 2:1, 8, 12), but all the churches to whom John wrote recognized the reversal of imagery his revelation asserts: Roma is not great mother but whore![2]
After the enigmatic reference to seven kings (which many try to identify as Roman emperors) in verse 10 you have references to other vassal kings in the ten horns of verse 12. These ten kings will receive temporary power and will, for their short moment on the stage, advance the interests of the great prostitute and the beast. These would be the lesser powers established by Rome throughout her empire.
It is certainly the case that Rome would have been viewed as being drunk on the blood of the martyrs by the early church. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote this of the great fire of Rome in Nero’s reign:
But all the endeavours of men, all the emperor’s largesse and the propitiations of the gods, did not suffice to allay the scandal or banish the belief that the fire had been ordered. And so, to get rid of this rumor, Nero set up as the culprits and punished with the utmost refinement of cruelty a class hated for their abominations, who are commonly called Christians…Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beasts and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed.[3]
These persecutions and those of Domitian are likely being referenced here. Rome was indeed drunk on the blood of believers. Rome did indeed revel in her pomp and wealth and power. Rome was indeed sexually debauched, so much so that they marveled at the sexual restraint of the early Christians. Rome was indeed a kind of Antichrist.
Scott Duvall, writing about those unusual verses 10 and 11 (“they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.”) observed that while they could indeed be references to various Roman emperors, there could be another way to view this.
A better option is to consider the symbolic significance of the numbers in the passage. Seven represents the fullness or completeness of the beast’s power (cf. 12:3; 13:1–2). The final manifestation of these wicked kingdoms, personified in an individual wicked leader, is described as an “eighth king” (17:11). Since 888 is the number of Jesus, and since Jesus was resurrected on the eighth day (counting the full week from the previous Sunday), the beast is a counterfeit christ or messiah, boasting of a counterfeit resurrection (13:3, 12, 14; 17:8).[4]
It is an intriguing possibility. Regardless, it is certainly the case that the devil was ultimately at work in and through the wickedness of Rome and her persecutions of the people of God and her unrestrained debauchery.
But here is the point: if this is a reference to Rome at the time of its writings (and I think there are good reasons to think it is), then we must conclude that Rome, while being the great prostitute for that day, was anticipating the final great prostitute to come. In other words, each age would seem to have types of the great prostitute just as each age has types of Antichrist (note what John writes in 1 John 2:18—Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.”) John McCallum writes:
Fallen Babylon exists in every era. She exists in our era. And the angel’s mention of the king “who has not yet come” (17:10) may indicate one final beast who will yet arise in the very last days of the earth.[5]
This should stir us to watchfulness, yes, but not to paralyzing fear or unrestrained speculation.
The Great Prostitute Destroyed
And it certainly must not move us to despair, for, once again, we are shown that the Lamb is greater even than the great prostitute. Watch:
14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”
Verse 14 is looking forward to the great final battle and vanquishing of evil, but what I am most intrigued by is the blunt finality of the wording: “the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.” In other words, there is no real contest! This will not be difficult for Jesus!
Interestingly, one of the ways that the great prostitute will fall will be inwardly as her hellish paramours turn on her!
15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
Verse 17 is very important: “for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose…” Even this cannibalism of itself by the powers of evil is prompted by God and His ultimate victory. The great prostitute falls from the outside and from the inside and her collapse is complete.
The Great Choice
We are left once again with a great choice. Will we align ourselves with the Lamb or with the coalition of darkness that is doomed for judgment? And if you think that is too stark and dramatic a way to phrase it, I would simply disagree. In fact, we would do well to remember this: in the countless ways that seem to us to be “little” in which we have to decide who we will follow, what we will be like, and how we will conduct our lives, these are the stark spiritual realities behind the scenes: either the Kingdom of the Lamb or Babylon.
With whom are we aligned?
Who is our King?
Again, it is no overstatement to say that we either follow the Lamb or we follow the beast.
Imagine how our lives would change if we could see this reality at play day by day by day!
In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul says something truly arresting:
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Yes, there is indeed a choice to be made, and it is a stark one in the extreme.
I fear that we have lost our revulsion at Babylon. I fear that we want to sing praises to the Lamb while giggling irreverently at the blasphemies of Babylon. May I remind us that this ought not be? May I remind us that the way of the Lamb and of His Kingdom is the way of light and life and joy and righteousness? May I remind us that the Lamb has called us to another way, a better way?
And may I go even further? May I say to you who are at ease in Babylon that you should flee her gates and flee quickly? On the basis of God’s word, flee Babylon! Fire is coming, and it is righteous and thorough.
Come into the Kingdom of the Lamb. Flee the beast and run to Jesus!
[1] https://archive.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/155-history/25992-empires-in-world-history.html
[2] Boring, M. Eugene. Revelation: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (p. 179). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
[3] Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation (Teach the Text Commentary Series) (p. 236). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
[4] Duvall, J. Scott, p. 240.
[5] McCallum, John. Revealed: The Sweeping Story of Revelation (p. 101). Kindle Edition.