The Lord gave the revelation of the divine destruction of the religious system identified with Babylon to enable the readers to understand God's plans for this system more exactly.
17:1 The fact that this chapter describes the judgment of Babylon referred to in 14:8 and 16:19 seems clear. It was one of the angels who poured out the bowl judgments who served as John's guide as he viewed these events in his vision. The "great harlot"(Gr. pornes tes megales) is Babylon (v. 5).552She is the personification of spiritual fornication or idolatry (cf. Isa. 23:15-17; Jer. 2:20-31; 13:27; Ezek. 16:17-19; Hos. 2:5; Nah. 3:4).553
"In OT prophetic discourse the imagery of the harlot is commonly used to denote religious apostasy."554
It is probably better to translate epias "beside"rather than "on"many waters since she sits astride the beast (v. v. 3). Evidently the beast and she were on the shore in John's vision (cf. John 21:1). The "many waters"represent humankind (v. 15), not a specific geographical site. This fact indicates that it is Babylon as a symbol that is in view here rather than the physical city. Babylon dominates humankind. It is also true, however, that literal Babylon stood beside many waters; it was built on a network of canals (Jer. 51:13). This helps to make the identification more certain.
"She leads the world in the pursuit of false religion whether it be paganism or perverted revealed religion. She is the symbol for a system that reaches back to the tower of Babel (Gen. 10:9-10; 11:1-9) and extends into the future when it will peak under the regime of the beast."555
There is similarity between this angel's invitation to John and the one in 21:9. This is the first of many clues that the New Jerusalem (21:9-22:5) is the divine counterpart of humanistic Babylon.556
17:2 The "kings of the earth"are world leaders who personify kingdoms (16:14; et al.). They committed immorality (fornication) with Babylon by uniting with the system she symbolizes.
"Religious compromise necessitated in this kind of association is totally incompatible with the worship of the one true God, and so amounts to spiritual prostitution."557
This system made all earth-dwellers, not just kings, "drunk,"that is, it had a controlling influence on them. When people reject the truth, they will believe lies (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10-11). Obviously this harlot is different from the woman in chapter 12 and the bride in chapters 19, 21, and 22.
17:3 The angel carried John away in the Spirit to a wilderness area (cf. 1:10; 4:1; 21:10). This wilderness may refer to the desert near literal Babylon,558or it may anticipate the desolate condition of the harlot.559There he saw a woman, the harlot of verse 1, sitting on a beast.560The description of this animal is exactly the same as Antichrist in 13:1 except that it is scarlet here, probably symbolizing luxury and splendor ( cf. 14:8-11; Isa. 1:18; Matt. 27:28-29). She sat in a position of control over Antichrist, and he supported her.
17:4 The woman's clothing was purple, symbolic of royalty, and scarlet, representing luxury (v. 3; cf. Matt. 27:28; Mark 15:17, 20; John 19:2, 5). Her ornaments included gold, precious stones, and pearls, jewelry that made her look like a queen.561The cup in her hand added to her royal appearance, but it contained idolatrous abominations (cf. Deut. 18:9; 29:17; 32:16; Jer. 51:7; et al.), namely, unclean things connected with her spiritual immorality. The harlot wore expensive, attractive garments and accessories that made her externally appealing, but she is a counterfeit beauty. What is inside her is unclean.
17:5 It was customary in John's day for Roman prostitutes to wear their names on their headbands.562However, it is not clear whether this woman's name was on a headband or on her forehead (cf. 7:3; 9:4; 13:16-18; 14:1; Jer. 3:3). Her name was a "mystery,"namely, something not previously revealed but now made clear. A name in Scripture represents everything about the person who bears it, often the person's reputation. The content of the mystery about this Babylonian system is what John revealed here, especially the new revelation about its evil character and judgment (vv. 17-18).563The harlot represents Babylon that is a "mother of harlots,"not just one herself but the fountainhead of many other evil religious systems and everything anti-Christian (cf. Gen. 10:9-10; 11:1-9).564God attributed all kinds of abominations to her.
"In our day the ecumenical church has faced a lot of problems. It seems that they have recognized psychological differences in people and that it is impossible to water down theologies and practices to suit everyone. So each group will come into this great world ecumenical system but retain some of its peculiarities. For example, those who want to immerse will immerse. Those who want to sprinkle will sprinkle. Those who want elaborate ritual will have it, and those who want no ritual will have that. You see,there is going to be more than the mother harlot--there will be a whole lot of harlots, a regular brothel."565
Many writers have traced the religiously apostate system of worship begun in Babylon and carried on through history through Roman Catholicism and the modern Christian ecumenical movement.566However, this description of Babylonianism encompasses all forms of paganism including perversions of Christianity and non-Christian religions.
17:6 She had drunk the blood of believers, the saints generally and witnesses to Jesus Christ specifically (cf. 11:10; 13:7, 15). This system had destroyed true believers and rejoiced in their deaths. This revelation amazed John. A system purporting to honor God was killing His faithful followers!567In his day the Roman Empire was the great manifestation of Babylonianism.
17:7 The angel promised to interpret these revelations that were so baffling to John, particularly the mystery concerning the woman and the beast. More information about the beast follows in verses 7-14 and more about the woman in verses 15-18. The beast supplied the woman's power and purpose. He had seven heads and 10 horns, which the angel explained later (vv. 9-10).
17:8 The beast, as we have already seen, is Antichrist (13:1-3). Here the angel referred to his resuscitation of a formerly dead nation (cf. 13:3, 12, 14).568Evidently this resuscitation will happen at the middle of the Tribulation.569The beast comes out of the abyss, the home of Satan (11:7) and the hold of his demons (9:1-2, 11), when he revives this nation. This suggests that Satan will give him supernatural powers when he does this. Finally Jesus Christ will destroy him forever (19:20).
The beast's resuscitation of this nation will greatly impress earth-dwellers (i.e., unbelievers; cf. 13:3). They will conclude that he is a divine savior, but really he will be a demonic slaughterer. He will deceive everyone but the elect (i.e., believers; cf. 13:8; Matt. 24:24; Mark 13:22).
17:9 The angel prefaced his identification of the beast's seven heads with a statement that understanding this part of the revelation requires wisdom (cf. 13:18). Evidently many would incorrectly identify these seven heads. Indeed various writers have suggested a multitude of different interpretations. The most popular of these include seven Roman emperors,570the seven hills of Rome,571and various non-literal views, such as the following.
"By his use of seven, he indicates completeness or wholeness. The seven heads of the beast symbolize fullness of blasphemy and evil. It is much like our English idiom the seven seas,' i.e., all the seas of the world."572
Verses 9-11 are an exposition or clarification of verse 8. The text is always its own best interpreter. The seven heads are "seven kings"(v. 10). They are the heads and personifications of seven empires (cf. Dan. 7:17, 23). The angel also referred to them as "mountains"(v. 9). In the Bible a mountain is a symbol of a prominent government (cf. Ps. 30:7; 68:15-16; Isa. 2:2; 41:15; Jer. 51:25; Dan. 2:35, 44; Hab. 3:6, 10; Zech. 4:7).
"The call for special wisdom in v. 9a probably has in view the ability to grasp this double meaning of the mountains [i.e., as individuals and kingdoms]."573
The woman sits over the seven rulers and empires, but she is not one of them. She exercises authority over them.
17:10 The seven kings are rulers over seven kingdoms. The prominent one in John's day that "is"was certainly the Roman Empire. The five most prominent world powers preceding Rome that had fallen are probably Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece.574The Old Babylonian Empire may have been the first (Gen. 10:8-10). The seventh kingdom that was yet to come and would remain a little while is the beast's kingdom (13:3; 17:8).575All of these kingdoms have persecuted or will persecute God's people (cf. Ezek. 29-30; Nah. 3:1-19; Isa. 21:9; Jer. 50-51; Dan. 10:13; 11:2-4). Another common view is that the number seven is symbolic and stands for the power of the Roman Empire as a whole.576
17:11 Evidently the beast is one of the seven in the sense that his first kingdom is on a par with the seven major empires just mentioned. He is the eighth in that he establishes an eighth major empire with a worldwide government after he revives a previously dead nation having received supernatural powers from Satan. This explanation views the beast's kingdom before his revival as the seventh kingdom and his kingdom after these events as the eighth.577A variation of this view sees the seventh kingdom as the revived Roman Empire and the eighth as the beast's kingdom, which comprises the revived Roman Empire and all other nations.578
Jesus Christ will destroy the beast and his (eighth) kingdom when He returns to the earth. It will not just "fall"as the other major empires did.
17:12 The specific identity of the 10 horns (other kings but without kingdoms when John wrote) is not yet clear.579They will be allies of the beast and serve under him in his worldwide government during the Great Tribulation (Dan. 7:23-24). Each of them will rule a kingdom simultaneously with one another and with the beast (cf. Dan. 7:7-8, 24).580They will have authority to rule "for one hour,"only very briefly during the Great Tribulation (cf. 18:10, 17, 19). Evidently their short, independent rule will immediately precede the return of Jesus Christ to the earth (v. 14). The beast will give them their authority, but God will permit him to do so.
17:13 The single purpose of these end-time kingdoms is to rule the world (v. 14). The 10 rulers will submit to the Antichrist's leadership to achieve this end. Evidently he will have to put down three of them who revolt against him (Dan. 7:24; cf. Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:3).
17:14 At the very end of the Tribulation these kings will fight against Jesus Christ as He returns to earth (cf. 16:14, 16; 19:19-21). The Lamb will defeat them and will prove to be Lord of lords and King of kings (19:16), the title Antichrist seeks to claim in his worldwide empire.
Those with Christ accompany Him from heaven (cf. 19:14). They are the called, the elect, and the faithful. These are probably three terms for the same group, namely, believers, rather than three different groups of believers. The three terms become progressively more specific. Those chosen for salvation are elected by the Father (cf. Eph. 1:4-5). They are the same ones who then respond to God's grace by faithfully believing on Him. These believers who accompany Christ from heaven will be Christians and Tribulation martyrs.
17:15 The angel next helped John understand the identity of the waters (v. 1). Water is a common symbol for people in the Old Testament (e.g., Ps. 18:4, 16; 124:4; Isa. 8:7; Jer. 47:2). The harlot exercises a controlling influence over the population of the world, both the faithful (cf. 5:9; 7:9) and the rebellious (cf. 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6). There will be one religious system that will encompass all nations and peoples during the Tribulation (cf. vv. 1-2).
17:16 The beast and his allies will eventually throw off the harlot and thoroughly destroy her. They will plunder her wealth, expose her corruption, and utterly consume her, as dogs ate Jezebel's flesh (1 Kings 21:23-24; 2 Kings 9:30-37; cf. Ps. 27:2; Jer. 10:25; Mic. 3:3; Zeph. 3:3). They will completely desecrate her, as the Israelites burned the bodies of people who committed detestable fornication (cf. Lev. 20:14; 21:9; Josh. 7:15, 25). This will probably occur in the middle of the Tribulation when Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and demands that everyone on earth worship him or die (Dan. 9:27; 11:26-38; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:8, 15). Satan's kingdom will divide and turn against itself, the sure sign that it cannot endure (cf. Mark 3:23-26).581
17:17 The ultimate cause of this action is God's sovereign purpose. God has used the forces of evil for His own purposes before (cf. 16:13-14, 16; Judg. 7:22; 1 Sam. 14:20; 2 Chron. 20:23; Jer. 25:9-11; Ezek. 38:21; Hag. 2:2; Zech. 14:14). Nevertheless the sinner is always responsible for his or her actions.
"This verse denies the existence of any ultimate dualism in the world. In the final analysis the powers of evil serve the purposes of God."582
The "common purpose"in view in this verse is world domination (v. 13). The allied kings will submit to the beast's leadership because this will help them achieve their goal of attaining universal power and resisting God. This situation will continue until the end of the age, until all God's words about rebellion against Him in the Tribulation have come to fulfillment (cf. 10:7).
17:18 The woman represents "the great city."In the context this undoubtedly refers to Babylon. It is the only city referred to specifically in this chapter (v. 5; cf. 16:18; 14:8). As a system of apostate religion, which Babylon originated (Gen. 10-11) and symbolizes, it reigned over the leaders and kingdoms of the world. Though religion has always guided the decisions of political rulers, this is very clear during the Middle Ages in Europe. Then the popes wielded great influence over the political leaders of the Holy Roman Empire. The influence of Jezebel over King Ahab is a striking parallel in biblical history.
The focus of the revelation in this chapter is the age-old apostate religious system and its relation to government during the seven-year Tribulation period. During the first half of the Tribulation it will be an ecumenical, worldwide body that will stand above government and will be aggressively hostile to true believers in God. At the end of the Great Tribulation, Antichrist will terminate it and demand universal worship of himself.
"In view of the fact that there does not seem to be any religious opposition to the woman, and her sway seems to be complete except for individual saints whom she persecutes, the evidence seems to support the fact that the woman represents an ecumenical or worldwide church embracing all of Christianity religiously, and therefore including not only the Roman Catholic Church but Protestant and Greek Orthodox as well. . . .
"The final form of world religion will not even be Christian in name, and will actually be an atheistic, humanistic, satanic system which denies everything related to the true God, and is the persecutor of all who fail to worship the political ruler."583
