REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 17.1

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

 

Chapter Seventeen

The Great Tribulation

Parenthesis

Mystery Babylon

 

 

Introduction

Prophecy in Scripture has a method whereby a premise is presented, then repeated in detail intended toward a conclusion. For example, The Genesis 1 account of Creation is subsequently exposited in Genesis 2 and the following. Revelation 17 is an expanded account of 14:8 - The religious system of Babylon, whereas Revelation 18 is an elaboration of 16:19 – The political-economic system of Babylon.

 

Various aspects of prophetical events other than chronological are likewise revealed by God to John the Apostle. So, a lengthy parenthesis is inserted between the conclusion of the bowl judgments and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to particularize the fall of a global false religious system sponsored by the Antichrist.

Revelation 14:8 - And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

 

The influence of Babylon, the seat of Antichrist’s headquarters during the final weeks, had infected and imbibed all the nations of the world. In retrospect, Revelation Chapters 17 and 18 thus depict not the judgment, but what is being destroyed by the judgment.

 

Two Babylons Compared

A. Revelation 17 – Religious Babylon

B. Revelation 18 – Political Babylon

 

A. Revelation 17 – One world religion

B. Revelation 18 – One world government

 

A. Revelation 17 – The destruction of ecclesiastical Babylon

B. Revelation 18 – The destruction of political Babylon

 

The events of both chapters do not occur at the same time. Religious Babylon begins at the middle of Tribulation and Political Babylon will fall at the end, before Christ's Second Advent.  And, even though the two chapters indicate there being two distinct Babylons, the former merges with the latter when Antichrist establishes himself as a god.

 

OUTLINE

1. The definition of the harlot (Vv. 1-6)

2. The description of the beast (Vv. 7-14)

3. The destruction of the harlot (Vv. 16-18)

 

1. The Definition of the Harlot

(Verse 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.

 

As the scene opens, John recognizes an angel who poured out one of the seven bowl judgments. As the angel approaches, he says to John, “Come here, I want to show you something.” This will be the second of three times in Revelation John is summoned to come hither:

Revelation 4:1b - The first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

 

Revelation 17:1 - …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…

 

Revelation 21:1 - …one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

 

John is taken not bodily, but in the spirit and given a new vision.

I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.

 

About to be revealed to John, God shifts from the wrath on Antichrist’s earthly world empire to the judgments upon the great whore. The terminology does not refer to a human prostitute but the word whore is used metaphorically for the following:

1. False religion

2. Idolatry

3. Apostasy

 

This great prostitute is seen sitting upon many waters. Being seated indicates her highly influential position of authority and power. Many waters in prophetic language are synonymous with masses of people from many nations whom she has influenced over. The world is embraced and controlled by Antichrist’s false religious system – Babylon. Verse 15 verifies her committing intercourse with the world:

Revelation 17:15 - And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

 

The Great Whore

Pornē is the Greek rendering for whore or harlot, the feminine form of pornos, meaning prostitute, male or female, from which the word pornography serves as its derivative. It is representative of anyone committing spiritual fornication (porneuō), i.e., indulging in any unlawful sexual behavior, namely idolatry. Subsequently, the great whore is the apostate church and Antichrist’s false religious system during Tribulation.

 

Additionally, any city that prostitutes itself in like manner is considered a harlot. Following are others mentioned in Scripture:

1. Nineveh was depicted as a harlot city (cf. Nahum 3:1, 4)

2. Tyre was labeled a harlot city (cf. Isaiah 23:15-17)

3. Jerusalem (Zion) is described as a harlot city (cf. Isaiah 1:21)

 

Contrast

Two entities are contrasted: If the true Church is the Bride of Christ, then the false church is the great whore.

A. The Great Harlot – The false church, full of abomination and the filthiness of her fornication, is portrayed as a prostitute.

 

B. The Bride of Christ – The true Church which has been cleansed from the stain of sin by the shed blood of the Bridegroom.

 

As a point of reference:

A. Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Husband of Israel

Isaiah 54:5 - For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

 

Jeremiah 3:14 - Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.

 

B. The Church as a virgin bride is joined to her Husband

2 Corinthians 11:21 - For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

 

Israel and the Church were given a dire warning against spiritual adultery. Applying to both:

James 4:4 - Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Her authority is universal. The great whore has in her grasp world leaders and provokes them to commit fornication. Showing an unholy alliance between church and state, they outwardly appear joined to God but inwardly they serve and worship false gods. Accordingly, spiritual adultery becomes analogous to Christians embracing the world and its system. Drunkenness and sexual sins are earmarks of satanic influence over religion. This practice was prominent in many pagan religions and will filter into the Tribulation Period.

 

Metaphors

A. The kings of the earth – World leaders become obsessed with the false religious system commandeered by Antichrist

 

B. Committing fornication – The world is universally worshiping idols and false gods rather than the one true God  

 

C. The inhabitants of the earth – About unbelievers

 

D. Drunk with the wine of her fornication – Idolatrous people

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

Next, the scene moves to a barren wilderness where the same angel of verse 1 permits John to observe. He perceives a great whore seated upon a scarlet-coloured beast, scarlet being Satan’s colour. The beast is reminiscent of the same in Revelation 12:3; 12:9; and 13:1. Being atop the political power of the beast, she advertently exudes a religious ecclesiastical authoritative position.                                                 

 

Full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns

One of the main features of this duo is the demeanor of the beast. Unlike Revelation 13:1 where the name of blasphemy was upon the seven-headed, ten-horned beast, this beast is full of names of blasphemy, thus fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy:

Daniel 7:25a - And he shall speak (out) great words against the most High.

 

The seven heads reference future rulers of the one-world government. And, the ten horns are ten kings which have received no kingdom as of yet but who will pledge their allegiance to the beast (cf. Revelation 17:12). These ten kings which have received no kingdom as of yet pledge their allegiance to the beast (cf. Revelation 17:12). They are revealed in verse 16 as those who shall rule as subordinates to Antichrist in the new world order

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

The evil whorish woman symbolizes the false religious system perpetuated by Antichrist. Notice the focus of her attention is on her outward appearance rather than inward. Her clothing and jewelry embellishments were worn by two groups of people during the Roman Empire to bring attention to themselves.

A. The aristocratic class elites

B. The sophisticated prostitutes

 

Purple and Scarlet

Scarlet and purple colours in Scripture are emblematic of luxury, prosperity, and splendor. They are colours associated with royalty and nobility. And, through the course of history, they were also descriptive of ecclesiastical pomp. The picture indicates the church amalgamated with the world in the physical sense and the epitome of idolatry in the spiritual.

 

Jewelry

Designed to make her more appealing, three decorative adornments are worn by the prostitute to enhance her beauty, and wealth and bring confidence to herself:

1. Gold

2. Precious stones

3. Pearls

 

Adding ornaments to her apparel distracts from her deceptive character. Contrariwise, the Roman system, and apostate Protestantism are proportionate to her wealth and fraudulence.

 

Having a golden cup (drinking vessel, chalice) in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication

 

Golden Cup

Another interesting symbolism of the world’s false religious system is the golden cup she holds in her hand. But out of it emerges abominations and unclean things of her immorality. One writer describes, “This cup makes the world drunk with a false gospel intoxicating the earth,” thus causing men to be degraded, robbed of their senses, and tempted into spiritual immorality.

Jeremiah presents a vivid example concerning Babylon’s religious system:

Jeremiah 51:7 - Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

 

In the next verse, the secrets and origination of Mystery Babylon are uncovered in the following study.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   Identify the two systems of Babylon.

2.   What does one of the seven angels shew John?

3.   What does the word whore represent in Chapter 17?

4.   What does the whore do concerning the world?

5.   What is the second vision given for John to observe?

6.   Name the apparel and ornaments worn by the woman.

7.   Describe the symbolism of the golden cup.

 

 

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