Revelation17

An angel reveals to John the judgment of "Babylon the Great," a harlot adorned in luxury, drunken with the blood of saints, sitting upon a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. The angel explains the mystery of the beast, its heads representing mountains and kings, and the ten horns as kings who will initially align with the beast. Ultimately, these ten kings will turn against and destroy the harlot city, though the Lamb will overcome all earthly powers.
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The Judgment of the Great Harlot

1
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: ​
2
With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. ​
3
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ​
4
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5
And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. ​
6
And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. ​

The Mystery of the Beast and the Woman

7
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
8
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. ​
9
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. ​
10
And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. ​
11
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. ​
12
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. ​
13
These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14
These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. ​

The Destruction of Babylon Foretold

15
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. ​
16
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. ​
17
For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. ​

Study Notes for Revelation 17

Verse 1

The angel who poured out one of the seven bowls (Ch. 16) now explains the coming judgment. The 'great whore' is a prophetic symbol for idolatrous and corrupt political or economic power, historically identified with the city of Rome.

Verse 2

Fornication here signifies spiritual and political unfaithfulness to God, where the world's leaders and inhabitants engage in idolatry, immorality, and economic exploitation driven by the Harlot.

Verse 3

The woman riding the Beast symbolizes that the corrupt religious/economic system (the woman) is temporarily supported and controlled by the global political system (the Beast) to fulfill its worldly agenda.

Verse 5

The title 'MYSTERY' indicates this is a symbolic entity, not just a literal city. 'Babylon the Great' represents the spiritual successor to Old Testament Babylon, embodying all human rebellion against God throughout history.

Verse 6

This confirms that the Harlot, representing the oppressive state, is responsible for intense persecution and martyrdom of God's people. John's 'great admiration' signifies his profound shock and awe at the terrifying nature and scope of this evil power.

Verse 8

The Beast’s description ('was, and is not, and yet is') reflects a demonic imitation of Christ, suggesting a power that appears to die and resurrect, mesmerizing the world (cf. Rev. 13:3). It is destined for 'perdition' (eternal destruction).

Verse 9

The 'seven mountains' is a clear historical reference to the city of Rome, which was famously built upon seven hills. This grounds the immediate context of the vision in the Roman Empire of John's time.

Verse 10

This cryptic reference likely refers to a specific chronology of Roman emperors known to John’s readers. The phrase highlights the temporary and unstable nature of all earthly political power compared to God's eternal rule.

Verse 11

The Beast is the 'eighth' king, yet 'is of the seven,' suggesting that the final manifestation of the Beast is a resurrected form or embodiment of the evil forces that characterized the previous seven.

Verse 12

The 'ten horns' symbolize ten kings or political powers who receive temporary, full authority alongside the Beast. They represent the ultimate global political consolidation opposing God.

Verse 14

This verse offers the theological assurance that despite the Beast’s power, the war against the Church is fundamentally a war against Christ. The Lamb’s victory is certain, confirming His identity as ultimate sovereign over all earthly rulers.

Verse 15

The 'waters' are explicitly interpreted as the vast numbers of peoples, nations, and languages over whom the Harlot exerts influence. This confirms the global reach of the anti-God system.

Verse 16

In a shocking twist, the political powers supporting the Harlot (the ten horns and the Beast) turn on her and destroy her. God uses the wickedness of the world systems to execute judgment upon each other.

Verse 18

This final identification confirms that the Woman represents the oppressive political and economic center that dominates the world's kings. In John's day, this was unequivocally the city of Rome.

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