Revelation 17

Revelation 17:1-6

SECTION FOUR

 

BABYLON AND HER FALL

MORE FULLY

 

Revelation 17:1 to 19:21

 

1. THE CHURCH THE

“MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS”

Revelation 17:1-6

 

1 And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls, and spake with me,–The angel here being one of the seven whose work is described in the preceding chapter identifies this further revelation as directly connected with that in some way.. As the three chapters of this section describe the fall and desolation of Babylon in detail, the only conclusion that seems appropriate is that they explain what was said to have occurred when the seventh angel poured out the seventh plague. (Revelation 16:17-21.) It may, therefore, be considered an extended symbolic view of what will take place when the last plague falls upon men. The language is in the past tense, but the incidents were then future–will not happen till Jesus comes again. Another example of the “prophetic past.”

 

saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; –The words “Come hither” represent one Greek word–an adverb; the meaning is that John was to give attention while he was shown the judgment that was to be inflicted upon the apostate church, here represented as a great harlot. In verse 15 the “many waters” are explained to be “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Since the apostate church is also called “Babylon the great,” the image may have been drawn from the fact that the ancient city was situated upon the Euphrates and encompassed with many canals. (Jeremiah 51:13.) These waters sustained the city; the city controlled the waters. In like manner the nations supported the apostate church, and the papacy ruled the nations.

 

2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication.–A pure woman is a symbol of the true church–God’s faithful people–as the following texts will show: Galatians 4:22-26; Ephesians 5:22-24; Ephesians 5:31-33. An obedient wife to a loving husband is Paul’s figurative description of the church as being true to Christ her head. An unfaithful wife typically represents an apostate church–those once God’s people, but who have corrupted themselves with idolatry and human doctrines. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah were both called a backsliding people, and charged with having “committed adultery with stones and with stocks.” (Jeremiah 36-10; Ezekiel 23:37.) Because of their idolatry God allowed both kingdoms to be carried into bondage. The reason for the final rejection of the corrupt church is its idolatry and perversion of the truth. It is appropriately described, like the same sin among ancient Israel, as harlotry.

This horrid sin is the disgusting symbol by which unfaithfulness to God is presented. Expositors generally agree that the word in the Bible refers to doctrinal corruption in most of its occurrences.

 

Kings here, doubtless, are to be taken literally, meaning that the rulers, representing the nations, were influenced and made the mediums through whom the perpetuation of these false doctrines could be made effective. To “commit fornication” means to practice the false teachings, and such people were affected by these practices as a drunk man is by wine. Intoxication by false doctrines is more deadly than that by wine. It not only dulls the senses, but closes one’s eyes to the truth.

 

3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness –In a vision the great city’s fall (16:19) is now to be explained, and a change of scene is necessary. By the Spirit John’s mind was transported to other symbols which give a detailed description of that fall. The event, of course, was future when John wrote, and is still future. Why these visions appeared in a wilderness is not stated. That the word wilderness, if any symbolic significance is intended, indicates the desolation that was to come upon the city seems the most probable view.

 

and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. –Unquestionably this woman is to be contrasted with the woman of 12:1. The true and false churches are described by a variety of symbols. The former is called a temple, a city (Jerusalem), a household, a kingdom, and a true and pure wife. (1 Corinthians 3:16; Hebrews 12:22; Galatians 6:10; Matthew 16:18 ; Ephesians 5:22-32.) The latter John pictures as a beast, a city (Babylon), and an impure and faithless wife. (Revelation 13:11; Revelation 18:2; Revelation 17:5). A drunken harlot with all the abominable wickedness that goes with such crimes is the disgusting view here given of the apostate church. John sees the woman sitting “upon many waters” (verse 1), and “upon a scarlet-colored beast” (verse 3). These are two views of the same woman. See next paragraph for an explanation of the beast.

 

4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls,–Scarlet color is a significant characteristic of royal apparel; rich jewels of gold, pearls, and precious stones are the natural adornment of earthly rulers. When enemies wished to ridicule the claim of Jesus that he was a king, they placed a scarlet robe upon him. (Matthew 27:28.) Some think the red color in this symbol finds fulfillment in the Catholic Church’s use of it in such things as the cardinal’s red hats. Perhaps the harlot being so gorgeously decked and robed was only intended to indicate her claim of royal authority–the divine right to rule the world. No picture could more appropriately portray her false claim, for the dignitaries of no other church have been so gorgeously arrayed and richly decked.

 

having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication,–John sees the symbolic woman with a golden cup in her hand, which means she was appealing to all to drink of its contents. This is a figurative expression that means the apostate church was using every device possible to get all men to practice her false doctrines. The cup contained corrupt and false teaching, fittingly represented by harlotry, and was therefore an abomination to God. The text calls them “unclean things,” comparable to the unfaithfulness of a wife to her husband. There could be no stronger condemnation of a corrupt and perverted worship than such pretended honor to God.

 

5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE OF THE EARTH.–The name written upon the forehead could be distinctly seen, and it enabled John to understand the character of the woman instantly. Doubtless the reason for its appearing in the symbol was to prevent anyone’s misunderstanding the corrupt institution represented. Expositors are not agreed about the import of the word “Mystery.” Some consider it a part of the name; others think it an introductory word by John himself, meaning that a mysterious name was written. This would imply that the name was to be taken figuratively –literal Babylon being taken symbolically to represent spiritual Babylon, the apostate Roman Church. In either view the true meaning would have to be found by learning the import of the symbol.

 

Concerning ancient Babylon Jeremiah said: “Babylon bath been a golden cup in Jehovah’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” (Jeremiah 51:7.) God permitted Babylon t o punish Israel because of their sins, but promised that Babylon would be destroyed for her own sins. See verses 8, 9. This shows she was typical of the false church as our next verse indicates.

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 a great wonder.–John next sees the symbolic woman plainly drunk, not with wine, but with the blood of the saints. The word “saints” here must he taken literally. The general statement “blood of the saints” is more particularly described as “blood of the martyrs”–that is, those who were slain because of their witnessing for the truth. The word “martyr” literally means a witness. The picture is that of victorious warriors inflaming their minds by drinking the blood of their victims.

The meaning is, that the church that had become apostate through perverting Christianity with the commandments of men was so gloating over her persecutions of faithful saints that she was positively drunk mentally. John sees this abominable institution as the “Mother of the Harlots”–that is, the source from which would arise all churches that mingle the divine truth with human speculations.

 

Commentators have suggested many reasons why John wondered, but the simplest, and one that accords best with the angel’s explanation in the next paragraph, seems to be this: he wondered what was signified by a drunken woman sitting upon a vicious wild beast.

Revelation 17:7-14

2. THE MYSTERY OF THE BEAST

Revelation 17:7-14

 

7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell thee of the mystery of the woman, and of thebeast that carrieth her,–The angel’s question shows he knew what was in John’s mind, and his promise to explain is assurance that we are to receive a correct application of the symbol, as it applies to both the woman and the beast.

 

which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.–See notes on verses 10-12.

 

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition.–The language here means that the wicked power represented by the .beast John saw had existed, did not exist, but would come into existence again. This thought is repeated at the close of this verse and is referred to in verse 11. See notes on verse 10 for full explanation. The word “abyss” refers to the abode of Satan (see Revelation 9:1-2), and here the thought is that, when the beast returned in a new form, its power and presence should be attributed to Satan–that is, he would be the cause of its existence and the source of its power. The encouraging fact is here stated that this beast power would be destroyed, but when is not mentioned. On that point 2 Thessalonians 2:8 shows it will be at the Lord’s coming.

 

And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come.–The events described would be so remarkable as to create surprise, challenge admiration. and lead to belief in the beast’s power, except by those written in the book of life. Those who were faithful servants of Christ and worthy of everlasting life would not be deceived. See notes on Revelation 13:8. The text indicates that the thing which would cause men to wonder was the fact that a power once formidable had become practically extinct, and yet was revived with terrific strength.

 

9 Here is the mind that hath wisdom.–This may mean either of the following: here is a symbol that will require wisdom to explain, or the explanation here given is a matter of divine wisdom. “Here is a meaning which compriseth wisdom,” is the way Moses Stuart renders the expression. This implies that the explanation given by the angel might be understood some time.

 

The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth:–This language continues the description of the beast mentioned in verse 3. The similarity of the description here with that of the first beast in chapter thirteen (verses 1-10) seems to render it certain that the same power is meant in both passages. The difference in the visions of the two chapters is this: the second beast (Revelation 13:11-18) represents papal Rome or the apostate church; in chapter 17 this church is represented by the drunken woman. In the former case two beasts appear in the vision; in the latter, one beast and a woman. The beast shows the rapacious nature of the church ; the woman indicates the wiles with which the ignorant would be deceived. The visions vary; the facts are the same.

The appearance of a drunken harlot sitting on the beast was to show the close relationship of the religious and political powers, and indicates that the apostate church was controlling the state, and operating through the means it supplied. This fact is evident from 13:12 where it is stated that the second beast “exerciseth all the authority of the first beast,” and required men to worship an image of the first beast. That the papacy claims the right to exercise or direct both religious and secular power, and did so during the time indicated by this symbol, is a matter of common knowledge that will hardly be denied. Elliott’s commentary (Vol. III, p. 131) quotes the following from Flavio Blondus, a papal writer of the fifteenth century

 

“The princes of the world now adore and worship as perpetual dictator the successor, no: of Caesar, but of the fisherman, Peter ; that is, the supreme Pontiff, the substitute of the afore-mentioned Emperor.”

 

The Encyclopedia Britannica says the fourth Lateral council (A.D. 1215), presided over by Pope Innocent III, passed the following law against heretics

 

“It was there decreed that all rulers should promise to tolerate no heretics within their dominions, and that any prince who should refuse to comply with an injunction of the church to purge his dominions of heresy was to be punished with excommunication, and in case of contumacy to be deposed, if necessary by force by arms.” (Vol. 13, p. 84, ninth edition.)

 

In November, 1302, Boniface VIII enunciated the doctrine of “papal supremacy,” affirming “that the temporal sword wielded by the monarch was borne only at the will and by the permission of the Pontiff.” (Ibid., Vol. 19, p. 501.) This is enough to show that the apostate church claims the divine right to control and direct state rulers. Hence, it fits this phase of the symbol.

 

Since the beast here refers to imperial or political Rome, it is not improbable that the seven hills upon which the city was built may have suggested the idea of representing the seven heads as seven mountains. The mountains could hardly Ise taken literally for the reason that the next verse says five have fallen and one was yet to come. This could not be true of literal mountains. Isaiah (Isaiah 2:2) described the kingdom Christ would establish as the “mountain of Jehovah’s house” ; Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51:25) represented Babylon as a “destroying mountain.” Kingdoms or governments, then, are called mountains, but the Lord’s mountain (kingdom) is superior to all earthly governments. The language, therefore, means seven different forms of government. On the surface the words seem to say that the woman was sitting upon all seven heads at one time, but verse 10 precludes this idea by saying that five had fallen when John saw the vision.

The only sense in which she could have sat on all the heads at once was that following consecutively the last one included elements of all the preceding. In this sense, of course, it was a fact.

 

10 and they are seven kings; –This means that the seven heads also represent seven kings–that is, they are symbolical of kings as well as mountains. But Daniel 7:17; Daniel 7:23 shows that prophetically king and kingdom mean the same. The king as supreme ruler represents the kingdom. This would be another way of saying the heads are emblems of seven kinds of royal governments.

 

the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come;–Expositors present the widest variation of views on this verse; we have not space even to state them all. We mention three that appear to have received the most endorsements. (1) The beast is considered as the Satanic spirit of opposition as manifested in wicked kingdoms, beginning with Egypt, which was the first nation to persecute God’s people. With some variation of opinion the others are thought to be Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and Rome reconstituted after its fall. (2) Others take it literally and apply to the emperors individually. The same persons are not put in the list by all expositors who accept this theory. (3) Others think the heads mean different forms of the Roman government. Regardless of which theory may be accepted, those represented by the seven heads persecuted God’s people and were instigated to do so by Satan. If the “woman” represents the papal apostate church, the position here taken, then it seems that the imagery applies to Rome in its various forms.

This will eliminate the second theory, for this theory applies the seven heads to the imperial form exclusively. On the whole the third position seems most likely to be the correct view. There are two reasons that may be assigned for this: one is, that the imagery presents the struggle of the church against opposing powers, and Rome was in existence when the church was established; the other is that the picture of a beast with seven heads naturally signifies the same nation under different forms rather than different nations. 

 

The different forms of the Roman government from its beginning till the establishment of the church are these: Kings, Consuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, Military Tribunes, and Emperors. The first five had passed away when John wrote; the imperial form, the sixth, was then in existence. This harmonizes perfectly with the language of the text; and, being the facts concerning the Roman nation, would easily be so understood by John’s contemporaries.

 

The seventh head to rise in the future from John’s day is not so easily located. If the woman (papacy) is to be distinguished from the beast upon which she sat (and the imagery seems to require it), then the seventh and eighth heads should both be forms of political Rome.

 

and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.–The sixth head being the imperial form of Rome, the seventh could not arise till that fell. This occurred when pagan Rome ended in A.D. 476. The eighth head would necessarily have to be so-called Christianized Rome dominated by the apostate church. We have already seen that the papacy became a fully established institution in the sixth century. See notes on 11:4. Whatever form of government controlled the Roman nations between A.D. 476 and the time the papal church began to dominate the political rulers was the time of the seventh head.

Barnes’ commentary (p. 430) applies the seventh head to the Dukedom under the Exarchate of Ravenna, and quotes Gibbon as saying that during this period “eighteen successive exarchs were invested in the decline of the empire with the full remains of civil, of military, and even of ecclesiastical power.” Whether this be true or not, whatever form of government existed at that time would fit the demands of the symbol. Such a form continued only a little while as compared with the preceding forms or that represented by the eighth head. Here is agreement again.

 

11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.–The thought here seems to be that the eighth head represents another form of government which prolonged the Roman world. Being “of the seven” means a head of the same beast of which the seven had been heads. Under the first six heads the beast had been different forms of paganism. In that form the beast ended in A.D. 476. After the “little while” of the seventh form of government, the Roman Empire was restored, being dominated by the papacy–hence, a politico-ecclesiastical power. On this point Elliott (Vol. III, p. 131) quotes Augustin Steucus, a Catholic writer, as follows

 

“The empire having been overthrown, unless God has raised up the Pontificate, Rome, resuscitated and restored by none, would have become uninhabitable, and been a most foul habitation thenceforward of cattle. But in the Pontificate it revived as with a second birth, its empire being in magnitude indeed not equal to the old one, but in kind not very dissimilar; because all nations, from the east to west, venerate the Pope not otherwise than they before obeyed the emperor.”

 

Surely a true picture of the woman directing the beast. The “mystery of lawlessness” that led to the “man of sin” in the sixth century began in Paul’s day; the religious power that was finally so perverted as to create that apostasy began its open influence on the Roman Empire in the time of Constantine in the fourth century.

 

The promise that the eighth head form would go to perdition may mean either that it would be finally destroyed or that it would lose much of its power when nations supporting it turned from it. The latter has already occurred through the Reformation work; the former will happen when the Lord comes.

 

12 And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; –As the text defines “horns” to mean kings, this explanation must be accepted. The word king, as shown in Daniel 7:17; Daniel 7:23, sometimes is used in the sense of kingdom–the ruler standing for the whole institution. Doubtless that is the sense of the word here, and means that minor kingdoms would come under subjection to the Roman power. These kingdoms had not come into that subjection when John wrote, for the reason that the papacy and the eighth head form of Rome had neither come into existence.

 

As usual expositors disagree on what kingdoms are meant here. Several accept the list made out by Sir Isaac Newton as follows: The Vandals, the Visigoths, the Suevi, the Allans, the Burgundians, the Franks, the Britons, the Huns, the Lombards, and the kingdom of Ravenna. Others accept the idea that “ten” is here a symbolic number–definite for an indefinite–meaning completeness and signifies the extensive and full sway which Rome would exercise over subordinate nations. This is probably the meaning. If so, it is unnecessary to find just ten kingdoms. Those mentioned, however, might be in the list; others also might be; or there might be more.

 

but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.–This means that in their operation as kingdoms they were subject to the papal Roman Empire, received their authority from it. “One hour,” of course, cannot be taken literally in such connection. As a symbol it indicates a short time and is similar to the “little while” in verse 10. This is a common use of the Greek word for hour. See 2 Corinthians 7:8; Galatians 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 2:17. It is a short time in comparison with the whole existence of the Roman kingdom, and indicates further that the beast power over these nations must end.

 

13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast.–Having one mind shows that whatever differences may have existed among these ten-horn nations, however they may have warred against each other, they were all Roman Catholics, and recognized her spiritual authority as the supreme power of government. The papacy received their endorsement and support.

 

14 These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them,–This shows that when these nations combined their power with Rome they would be fighting against the Lamb–that is, Christ. This, of course, was done in opposing Christ’s true teaching, and persecuting his followers. The “Lamb shall overcome them” means that he will ultimately win a victory over them. This, in a measure was accomplished when these nations turned away from Rome through the Protestant Reformation; it will be fully completed when the Lord comes, at which time the “man of sin” will be destroyed. (2 Thessalonians 2:8.)

 

for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; –That Christ is now, in his present position of head of the church, both Lamb and Lord is admitted without question; the Scriptures are too plain to be denied. That he is supreme above all earthly lords is also conceded by all. His present kingship is just as plainly stated and should be admitted. The church figuratively described is the kingdom. If Christ is the head of the body (church), then it must be true to facts to say that he is now a reigning king.

 

and they also shall overcome that are with him, called and chosen and faithful.–Naturally those who overcome will be those with Christ–those willing to suffer and endure as he did. Their success in overcoming will be proof that they have been called by him. Their faithfulness in meeting bitter sorrows and intense persecutions is unquestioned evidence that they were chosen. Jesus said: “If a man love me, he will keep my word.” (John 14:23.)

Revelation 17:15-18

3. THE MYSTERY OF THE HARLOT

Revelation 17:15-18

 

15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.–In verse 3 the woman was represented as sitting on the scarlet-colored beast. That was explained in the preceding paragraph. Verse 1 says she was sitting upon the sea. This paragraph explains that. The waters refer to a multitude of peoples of various nations who supported the papacy.

 

For clearness we again mention the fact that the apostate church is represented by the beast in Revelation 13:11-18, but by the drunken harlot in Revelation 17:1-7. This distinction should be remembered. It is common in scriptural figures for the same thing to be represented by several different symbols. Christ is called both Lamb and Lion to describe different characteristics. Both are appropriate, but must not be confused. So of beast and harlot. The former is an emblem of the persecuting spirit of the apostasy; the latter, the seductive wiles by which people would be led into false religious practices, called a “golden cup full of abominations” and “unclean things of her fornication.” (Verse 4.)

 

16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire.–This language indicates that political Rome (the beast) and the nations subject to it would hate the harlot (apostate church). This refers to a later period, for verses 3 and 14 show that their combined powers were engaged in war against the Lamb; at the time of this verse they were against the papacy, determined to make it desolate. This has been at least partly fulfilled in the fact that nations once subject to papal rule have become Protestant or rejected church rule in matters of state. Being despoiled of such glory and power is appropriately described as being made desolate and naked.

 

Eating her flesh and burning her with fire imply complete destruction, but are not to be taken literally. They probably indicate that when nations refused to be governed by papal authority the end of such rule over them was as complete as if a body had been eaten or a city burned.

 

17 For God did put in their hearts to do his mind, and to come to one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.–This verse shows that in some way God was the moving cause (permitted or allowed) of these nations unitedly supporting the beast until the divine purpose was carried out in certain particulars. Then they became enemies of the harlot in accomplishing other purposes God had in view.

 

18 And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.–In verse 5 the great city is described as Babylon. But this must be understood figuratively as meaning the papal church, which, like its proto-type, ancient Babylon, must finally be destroyed.

 

LESSON 21.

THE WOMAN ON THE SCARLET-COLORED BEAST

Read Rev. 17

 

1. What did one of the seven angels promise to show John? Ans. Revelation 17:1.

2. Whom had this woman caused to sin? Ans. Revelation 17:2.

3. Where did the angel take John? Ans. Revelation 17:3.

4. Describe the beast on which the woman sat. Ans. Revelation 17:3.

5. How was the woman dressed? Ans. Revelation 17:4.

6. What name was written on her forehead? Ans. Revelation 17:5.

7. On what was the woman drunken? Ans. Revelation 17:6.

8. What mystery did the angel say he would reveal to John? Ans. Revelation 17:7.

9. What was there peculiar about this beast’s existence? Ans. Revelation 17:8.

10. Who would wonder at the peculiarity of this beast? Ans. Revelation 17:8.

11. What do the seven heads of the beast represent? Ans. Revelation 17:9.

12. What is said of the seven kings? Ans. Revelation 17:10-11.

13. What do the ten horns represent? Ans. Revelation 17:12-13.

14. Against whom would they wage war? Ans. Revelation 17:14.

15. What will be the result of this war? Ans. Revelation 17:14.

16. What do the waters “where the woman sitteth” represent? Ans. Revelation 17:15.

17. How and by whom will the woman be destroyed? Ans. Revelation 17:16.

18. Who put it in their hearts to do this? Ans. Revelation 17:17.

19. Who is this woman? Ans. Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 17:18; Revelation 18:2; Revelation 18:10.