This is yet another interesting bible study of the book of Revelation. I have titled it, Revelation chapter 17 Commentary: Great Harlot. Who is this harlot that found herself in the bible.
Please click here for the previous study on Revelation 16 Commentary: Seven Last Plagues.
Revelation Chapter 17 Commentary: Great Harlot
Revelation 17:1-5: Then 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 harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 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 filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written:
MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND
OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is not to give us exact knowledge of every little detail of future events. Some things we shall not understand clearly until the final events unfold before us. Our priority now is not to try to pinpoint each item of chronology, but to proclaim the gospel of salvation.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). Jesus told His disciples the reason why He had given them some information about future events: “And now I have told you before it comes to pass, that when it does come to pass, you may believe” (John 14:29).
But there are many details in this chapter that we can know now:
(1) John is given this view of the final judgment of Babylon as it will come during the seven last plagues. One of the angels having the vials of wrath is sent to explain it all to him. The angel reviews Babylon’s historical background and links it with the prophecy of Daniel.
(2) Because in prophecy a woman is a symbol of a church, a pure woman being a pure church and an evil woman an evil church, the “harlot” pictured here is a symbol of a church which has professed to be Christian but has been untrue to Christ (See Jeremiah 6:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 12:1,17).
(3) Not only one church is represented by the harlot woman Babylon, but the term includes her “daughters”—churches which were once a part of her but which have come out of her. The creed of Pope Pius IV says, “I acknowledge the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Roman Church for the mother and mistress of all churches.” The word “Babylon” means confusion (see remarks on Revelation 14:8). “Babylon the Great” therefore is a term God applies to the ecumenical union of all those churches of the world which share a common apostasy from the truth of God, and which will eventually unite together for the purpose of putting pressure on the nations to join in rebellion against God’s truth, and to oppress His people. It will be a re-enactment of the persecutions of the Dark Ages.
(4) The “waters” on which the harlot woman “sits” are declared in verse 15 to be “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” The word “multitudes” indicates that there will be great crowds of people in the last days supporting Babylon’s rebellion against God. “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision” (Joel 3:14). The majority choose the side of rebellion against God.
(5) A change has come over these multitudes of people since the second angel proclaimed his message, “Babylon is fallen… because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (Revelation 14:8). Now, the angel tells John, the “inhabitants of the earth were made drunk” with that evil wine. The preaching of the pure, true gospel of Jesus Christ gives wisdom and good judgment to the nations. In the light of God’s truth, they can make progress. But false doctrines taught by Babylon open the door to the most confusing lies sent by Satan himself. When the seven plagues begin to fall, the Holy Spirit has been driven away by those who have so long resisted Him. They are left without their normal good sense, as a drunken man does not know what he is doing.
(6) In prophecy a “beast” is a symbol of a nation or kingdom (see Daniel 7:17, 23). The seven heads and ten horns apparently identify this beast with the dragon of Revelation 12, the leopard beast of Revelation 13, and the fourth beast of Daniel 7. The nations of this world are not in themselves evil. God “has made from one blood every nation of men . . . and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord” (Acts 17:16, 27).
He approves of law and order and prosperity. But Revelation 17 indicates that the time is coming when the nations of the world, symbolized by the scarlet-colored beast, will renounce the principle of separation of church and state which has brought progress to most nations, and support the harlot “woman.” They will use the power of the state to enforce her untrue religious practices. Thus the union of church and state will be so close that the symbol of the harlot riding upon the beast will apply. This desperate measure will doubtless be taken in an effort to solve the problems of crime, drug abuse, and general corruption.
Notice the contrast in the manner of dress of the harlot “woman” and that of the true church of Christ. The “woman” of Revelation 12:1 is God’s true church, and is dressed in plain white garments. Many see in the manner of dress of some religious leaders a striking similarity to the way the harlot woman arrays herself in John’s vision. The followers of Christ will dress in a simple, plain manner, without gold, or silver, or jewels (see 1 Timothy 2:9,10; 1 Peter. 3:3-5).
Revelation 17 Commentary: Woman Drunk with Blood of Saints
Revelation 17:6, 7: And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”
The “blood of the saints” may be that which was shed during her 1,260 years of papal supremacy between A.D. 538 and 1798, when millions of Christ’s followers were slain for their faith. Or it may be the blood which Babylon will in future seek to shed of those who refuse to receive the mark of the beast. God cannot permit His people to be slain for their faith after the seven last plagues begin, because their example as martyrs could not serve to encourage future generations as was the case with the martyrs of the past. His promise is: “The Lord is your keeper … The Lord shall preserve you from all evil” (Psalm 121:5-7).
But even though Babylon the Great may not be permitted actually to slay the righteous as she desires, God will hold her accountable because of her determined purpose to do so (See 1 John 3:15). John marvelled that the whole world could blindly repeat the sin of the Jews in their rejection and crucifixion of Christ in that they will seek to do to His followers what they did to Him.
Revelation 17:8-11: “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.”
John sees this “beast” or civil power united with the “harlot” or apostate church. For 1,260 years, this was how Babylon controlled the nations of Europe. The angel could explain that “the beast. . . was” during the Dark Ages. But just before the end of the 1260 years a rebellion occurred against the papacy in the French Revolution. John saw that mysterious terrorism symbolized as “the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit” (Revelation 11:7). The same expression is in chapter 9:2, speaking of the cruel terrorism of the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
Terrorism has become the dark shadow that looms over much of human life today. International terrorism, whether Communist, capitalist, Irish, Muslim, Arab, Nazi, Israeli, racial or religious, thrives on secrecy and intrigue, Satan’s principles. Fear is his principal motivation. Love is God’s principal motivation.
The Book of Revelation lifts the curtain to show us the real origin of this modern phenomenon of terrorism: the French Revolution of the 1790’s. Modern terrorism is identical in many ways: ruthless, brutal, blasphemes religion, considers people as slaves to be exploited, and operates in secrecy.
Revelation 17 is a continuation of chapter 16, a close-up as when a TV camera zooms its lens to bring us nearer. Its climax is verse 14, the “war with the Lamb.” Sad but true, apostate Christianity will at last unite with the “beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit.” To reject the pure gospel of Christ is at last to cooperate with the principles of the French Revolution.
The number seven in prophecy is an emblem of completeness. The “seven kings” are probably symbolic of all the nations of the world which have supported apostasy from God. If the angel’s explanation is understood to refer to the time when he explained the vision to John, we could gather that the “five . . . fallen” kingdoms were Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The “one is” would then be pagan Rome under which John lived contemporaneously; and the “other, not yet come” would be the papacy, which was to continue for a time that could be considered “short” in comparison to the over-all history of the world. The “eighth” is not actually a separate kingdom, but “is of the seven,” and is thus the real root and authority behind the “seven” through all history—Satan standing in the shadows behind them. He will come out of the woodwork in the last days, developing consummate skill, openly impersonating Jesus Christ.
When the future unrolls before our eyes, we shall be able better to understand the details. This harlot “woman” is the “mother” of all rebellions in the world. Our duty now is to see that our names “written in the Book of life” are retained there, so that we may be saved from the sin of “marveling” after the “beast” and the harlot “woman” and joining in their rebellion against the Lamb.
Revelation 17:12, 13: “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.”
It may be that these “ten kings” are identical to the ten divisions of the old Roman Empire which formed the kingdoms of Europe during the time of papal Rome’s supremacy. This motif of the ten horns is often repeated from Daniel 7. In the time of John they had “received no kingdom as yet,” but they did “receive authority as kings” together with the beast in the Dark Ages, and were united to it for much of that time. (The expression “one hour” in Greek can mean an indefinite space of time). Modern nations all over the world which are seeking “progress” are in many ways beneath the surface related to those original “ten kingdoms” of ancient Europe.
Because the inhabitants of the earth will be “drunk” with the wine of Babylon’s fornication, they will have lost their good judgment and will again “give their power and authority” to Babylon, and thus commit “fornication” with her. It has not been God’s plan that civil government join with the churches, to oppress the conscience.
Revelation 17:14-18: “These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him are called, chosen, and faithful.” And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Here we are brought back again to the Battle of Armageddon, when the world in apostasy will actually “make war with the Lamb.” The Lamb died on the cross to reconcile the world to God. The message of the New Testament is, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. … We implore you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:19, 20).
But Paul says that “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7); and all human beings are born into the world with that same carnal mind, which means that unless we are converted, we will at last be driven by our own sinful nature to join in this war against the Lamb. The Book of Revelation is a profound disclosure of the history of the world which is encapsulated in each one of us individually.
Those whose names are written in the Book of life are those who have welcomed the new birth, and who have become the sons of God (see John 1:12, 13). They have yielded their hearts to be reconciled to God, and their enmity has been changed to reconciliation with the Lamb who died for them.
But those who have refused the cross of Christ have set themselves in a path of resistance to the Holy Spirit. This will drive them to be fully reconciled to Satan’s ways, and thus to “make war with the Lamb.” Oh, what a terrible end the lost will face! The shame of it, fighting against the world’s Saviour! Sin is madness.
Christ will overcome them, not in the capacity of a fierce lion, but in His character of a Lamb. He has never conquered by force. In the last great meeting with the lost when God gathers all the inhabitants of the world before His throne, He will cause to pass before their eyes as in a giant cinema the scenes of Christ’s life on earth, His loving ministry, His miracles of healing, His rejection by those He came to save, and His crucifixion on the tree.
Every lost soul will then see that he has in fact taken a mysterious but very real part in the murder of the Lamb of God. The cross will be seen as an event of timeless meaning. Men and women will see that by their choice to live a life of sin, they have joined in driving the nails through His hands and feet. Each one will then understand the true nature of his life-long rebellion against the Lamb. He will see that by a life devoted to self, he has prepared himself at last to go to war against the Lamb and against the righteous government of God.
The sight of the cross of Christ in its true meaning will bring a sharp pain of conviction to the lost. They will condemn themselves. They cannot bring themselves to look into the face of the Redeemer whom they have spurned and rejected, and will cry to the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them “from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). The punishment that Love inflicts upon its rejecters is the most painful that there can be!
Without exception, everyone has been “called.” God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It depends on how we respond to the call as to whether we are “chosen.” Christ has chosen all who will choose Him. Our “election” is not a mysterious accident which depends on the whim or fancy of God.
A wise old man said once that God is voting for us, and Satan is voting against us, and it thus depends on our own vote which way “the election” goes. Those who simply choose Christ will be enabled by His grace to be faithful to the end.
If you knew positively that a certain thief was determined tonight to break into your house and steal your goods, you would be very wise to hide yourself in the house and permit him to break in, so that you could catch him in the very act. No one would ever doubt then that the thief is guilty.
God has known for a long time that the wicked are determined to make war against Him. During the time of the seven last plagues He simply gives them the opportunity to fulfil their evil purpose, and then catches them in the act. The universe of God will never doubt God’s justice, or the full guilt of the wicked. It is in this way that God has “put it into their hearts to fulfil His purpose . . . until the words of God are fulfilled.”
For a detailed, well researched and easy to read commentary on the book of Revelation I urge to buy a copy of Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation This verse-by-verse commentary offers a text-focused and Christ-centered approach to the book of Revelation.
Ranko Stefanovic is professor of New Testament at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Andrews University and is a well-loved teacher, popular speaker, and author of scholarly articles.
Please click here for the next study on Revelation 18: The Fall of Babylon Like a Millstone.
Revelation 17 Commentary Video
In the video below, Pastor Kenneth Cox preaches on Revelation 17.
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