Revelation 17:1–18

17:1 History has ended with the seventh bowl, but John, as he does so often in Revelation, shakes the kaleidoscope again. Now he looks at the end of history by considering the fate of Babylon, the great harlot. One of the seven angels with the seven bowls summons John to come, and he will be shown the judgment of the great harlot sitting on many waters. Later, one of the same angels invites John to come and see “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb” (21:9). The contrast between two women dominates the next few chapters, but the focus is on the harlot in chapters 17–18. She is called a prostitute because of her spiritual adultery and worship of false gods (cf. 19:2; cf. also Jer. 2:20; Nah. 3:4), not because of her sexual deviance, although the former clearly leads to the latter (cf. Rom. 1:18–27). The waters are identified in Revelation 17:15 as “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” Babylon’s sitting on the waters signifies her sovereignty and rule over them (cf. 18:7).

17:2 The kings of the earth have committed sexual sin with Babylon (cf. 17:18; 18:3, 9; cf. also Isa. 23:17). Again, the language symbolically denotes spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness. And it is not as if the citizens are free of guilt (cf. Rev. 18:3; cf. also Nah. 3:4). The “dwellers on earth,” a technical term in Revelation for unbelievers (cf. comment on Rev. 3:10), have happily joined the orgy. They too have loved the delicious wine of the harlot’s sexual deviance (14:8)—her rejection of the one true God—and have become drunk (cf. Jer. 51:7). Hosea indicts Israel for similar sins (Hos. 4:11–12), for “whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.” The language of sexual immorality, as we see also in Hosea, is not literal; John means that the city of man has loved and served other gods. In particular, they have participated in idolatry because of its economic benefits, just as Tyre profited by playing the harlot—Tyre “will prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth” (Isa. 23:17).

17:3 John is carried away in the Spirit to the wilderness. The reference to the Spirit means that the spirit of prophecy was upon him and he was inspired to speak the word of the Lord (cf. comment on 1:10). The parallel with 21:10 is especially significant, for there John is carried by the Spirit to see the descent of the new Jerusalem, where the new Jerusalem and the bride, the wife of the Lamb, stand in vivid contrast to the harlot Babylon. The wilderness can be a place of salvation (cf. 12:6, 14) or of judgment (1 Sam. 4:8; Isa. 21:1; Jer. 50:12; Lam. 4:19; 5:9); here it is clearly a place of judgment for Babylon. John sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, the beast described in chapter 13. The woman, which is clearly Rome (cf. comments on 17:5; 17:9–11; 17:18), is supported by the empire and its armies. The beast has seven heads and ten horns, demonstrating its authority and strength (cf. comment on 13:1). The beast should use its strength for humane and righteous purposes, but it resists truth and goodness, using its strength to revile and blaspheme the one true God.

17:4 At first glance, the woman is beautiful; her clothes and jewelry are stunning (cf. 18:16; cf. also Ezek. 28:13): her clothing is purple and scarlet, and she is decked out with gold, jewels, and pearls. She holds a golden cup in her hand, but something is horribly wrong, for the cup is full of what is abominable and unclean. Her beauty has been defaced because she has given herself to evil and to false gods. She has enriched herself by giving her allegiance to others and has devoted herself to material wealth instead of the one true God. We think of what Daniel says about Antiochus IV Epiphanes: “He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts” (Dan. 11:38).

17:5 The woman has something inscribed on her forehead, and what is written is a mystery. Typically in Scripture, a mystery is something previously hidden that is now revealed. Here the true nature and character of Rome is unveiled so that believers will not give their affection to the city of man. The woman, the city of Rome, is identified as Babylon the great (cf. Dan. 4:30), the mother of harlots and the abominations polluting the earth. John likely uses the word “mystery” because the historical Babylon that played such a central role in OT history—the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision (Dan. 2:37–38) and the lion among the kingdoms in Daniel’s vision (Dan. 7:4)—pointed beyond itself to the city of man in general, to human culture and society insofar as it is opposed to and hates the living God. Historical Babylon no longer existed when John wrote, but the manifestation of evil in the city of man emerged in John’s day in the city of Rome. Hence, those with eyes to see would realize that Babylon was revived in the city of Rome. And, throughout history, “Babylon” has arisen again and again. What Augustine called the “city of man” has given birth to ideologies and regimes that repudiate God.

17:6b–7 The mystery of Babylon leads to the second section of the chapter (17:6b–12), in which mysteries are disclosed to John. John is shocked and probably fearful upon seeing the woman drunk with the saints’ blood, and the angel asks John why he is so astonished. Clearly this is a literary device to underscore how startling and shocking it was for John to see a scheming witch instead of a beautiful woman. Furthermore, John may be full of astonishment, for so far the vision has disclosed not the judgment of the woman but her triumph. The angel informs John that there is a mystery concerning the woman, and we have already seen one facet of the mystery in verse 5. But here the mystery relates not only to the woman but also to the beast with seven heads and ten horns who carries her.

17:8 The mystery in this case is quite puzzling and tantalizing, and interpreters continue to be vexed by what John writes. Here we come face to face with one of the most difficult texts in the entire book. John says the beast was, is not now, but will be raised from the abyss. It is quite puzzling how John says the beast “is not” twice in this verse, for if the beast refers to the Roman Empire—active while John wrote—how can he say it “is not”? Perhaps John thinks of a particular emperor, such as Nero, whose rule has ended, which could possibly explain what he means by saying there is no ruler presently. Some have speculated that John wrote these words in the interval between Nero (54–68 AD) and Vespasian (69–79 AD), in which Galba, Otho, and Vitellius all took power for a short time. One could say Rome lacked a ruler in this unstable period, which ended when Vitellius was defeated by Vespasian’s forces and the latter began his reign (see the list of “Roman Emperors,” which italicizes the three short reigns following Nero):

1. Roman Emperors
2. Augustus 27 BC–14 AD
3. Tiberius 14–37 AD
4. Caligula 37–41
5. Claudius 41–54
6. Nero 54–68
7. Galba 68–69
8. Otho 69
9. Vitellius 69
10. Vespasian 69–79
11. Titus 79–81
12. Domitian 81–96

No solution is completely satisfactory, but I will suggest another option shortly, for it seems unlikely that we can restrict what John writes here to the one-year interval between Nero and Vespasian. It is more satisfying to say that John reflects on the empire as a whole. In other words, it will go through periods of flourishing followed by periods of decline. What John says about Rome is true also of human history generally. There are periods of history when totalitarian rule seems a thing of the past, but history keeps rolling along, and totalitarian power returns with all its ferocity and cruelty. Believers must not think that evil has been defeated permanently in the periods of relative peace.

Those who dwell on earth (again, a technical reference to unbelievers; cf. comment on 3:10) are amazed at the beast, for it will seem as if the beast’s power has ended, only for the beast to rise again, parodying Christ’s resurrection. The inhabitants of the earth will give their allegiance to the beast, since it appears that he has conquered death. The inhabitants of the earth are morally responsible for their allegiance to the beast, and yet at the same time their unbelief was destined from the beginning of history. Before the world was created, their names were not inscribed in the book of life. Such a statement does not mean people are either justified or condemned before they are born, nor does it indicate our choices do not matter. It signifies, rather, that God is sovereign over all of history. He knows and ordains whose names will be in the book of life. Nothing takes him by surprise or deters him from accomplishing his purpose. The book of life (cf. comment on 3:5) is often mentioned in Revelation, referring to the book containing the names of those who will enter the new Jerusalem and will escape the second death and the lake of fire. Those who give themselves to the beast will most certainly be excluded from the book of life.

17:9–11 These three verses are among the most difficult to interpret in the book, as the mystery of the woman and the beast continues to be disclosed to John. Hence, any interpretation must be adopted only tentatively. We are reminded of 13:18, where John also employs numbers and calls the readers to exercise wisdom. The seven heads of the beast are identified with the seven mountains on which the woman is seated. The seven mountains are almost certainly those on which the city of Rome was founded.

John goes on to say that the seven heads of the beast also stand for seven kings. We are then given a chronology: five of the kings have fallen and are no more. One king is now, and hence his rule continues to be exercised. Still, the rule of the present king is not the end, for another king will succeed the sixth one, though his reign will be limited. He will rule only a short time. I suggest that the short period of time designates the entire period between Jesus’ first and second coming. The same term was used to designate the Devil’s time on earth after being expelled from heaven by virtue of the cross of Christ (12:12). The apostle Peter also remarks that the trials and sufferings afflicting believers occur for only a short time (1 Pet. 1:6; 5:10), meaning they last until Jesus returns.

Interpreting what John says here is quite complex, for the beast that “was” and now “is not” represents an eighth ruler. But, at the same time, he belongs to the seventh. It is puzzling for John to say the beast “is not” when the Roman Empire continued to exert its persecuting influence over believers while John was writing. And to make matters more confusing, in verse 10 he speaks of the sixth king as the one who “is.” There is a sense in which the beast “is not” and a sense in which it “is.” Whatever we make of the details, the end of the story is relayed to us: the beast will go to destruction and ultimately will be destroyed.

Still, we are curious: what should we make of the chronology here? Many scholars have seen Nero as the eighth, who comes from the first seven (so that John forecasts the return of Nero), and thus the reference is to Roman emperors. If we begin with Julius Caesar, the lineup would be: Julius Caesar (44 BC); Augustus (27 BC to AD 14); Tiberius (AD 14–37); Caligula (AD 37–41); Claudius (AD 41–54); and Nero (AD 54–68). The three emperors who reigned from AD 68–69 could be skipped (Galba, Otho, and Vitellius), and then the seventh would be Vepasian (AD 69–79). Against this interpretation, it is not obvious that we should skip three emperors, and Vespasian’s reign does not seem to fit, for it was not short, even though John says that the reign of the seventh would be short. On the other hand, the reign of the three emperors was brief, and perhaps they could be counted as one (though counting three emperors as one is not obvious). Others start with Augustus, but we still have the problem of how the three emperors who reigned in AD 68–69 fit into the scheme. It seems this line of interpretation explains the verses inadequately.

Perhaps it is better to think here of empires that afflicted the people of God. One possibility is that the empires are Assyria, Media, Babylon, Persia, Greece, the old Roman Empire, the new Roman Empire under Constantine, and then the rule of the Antichrist. One wonders if this scheme really works. Why is Egypt left out, and how do we choose which empires to include, for the time of their rule is not always neatly discerned? Furthermore, distinguishing between the old and new Roman Empire is artificial. On what grounds is the Roman Empire split in two? Another scheme posits Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. Then Rome is the sixth in John’s reckoning. But on this scheme, it is unclear how Rome “belongs to the seven” (Rev. 17:11), and thus the solution seems artificial. It is also difficult to grasp what John means when he says the beast (presumably Rome) was and is not, for Rome still exercised its power when John wrote, and it is unconvincing to posit (as some do) that John wrote in the interval when Galba, Otho, and Vitellius were vying for power, for we are again faced with the problem of counting the three as if they were one.

Perhaps the best solution is to interpret what John says symbolically and generally. John reflects on the empires that have afflicted Israel throughout its history, and his point in referring to the sixth is that the end is near. This is comparable to Daniel’s sketch of human history in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the statue (Daniel 2) and Daniel’s vision of the four beasts and the Son of Man (Daniel 7). Throughout history, totalitarian regimes have tilted against the people of God. And there are periods where it looks as if the power of these empires will not return, as if the beast “is not.” But the beast, which refers to totalitarian power, always rises again. It may seem dead, yet the beast rises from the ashes and inflicts misery upon the saints again. This will be the pattern throughout history until the end arrives.

17:12 The ten horns on the beast (cf. 17:3, 7) are now identified as ten kings, and these kings are probably kingly powers outside Rome’s borders. But they also represent all earthly powers and governing authorities opposed to God. Such an identification fits with Daniel’s vision, where the fourth beast has ten horns, representing ten kings (Dan. 7:7, 20, 24), and the fourth beast combines together the hideous and beastly character of all four beasts in Daniel 7. Horns designate strength and rule, and here they stand for political force and strength to subjugate other nations (cf. Zech. 1:18–21). These kings have not yet received their authority, but they will rule with the beast for a limited time before the end of history. The number ten should not be taken literally. It seems that John envisions a period before the end when the beast and the rulers of the world attain power before their judgment.

17:13 The rulers of the world, predisposed to exercise their own power and infamous for their stubbornness and pride, find themselves coming together. They are harmonious in giving their power and authority to the beast. The church should not fear when nation-states conspire together against the people of God, for this is exactly what has been forecasted. Totalitarian rule is frightening and horrendous because of the toll it exacts on those under its rule, but such rule should not surprise the people of God.

17:14 The fearsomeness of the opposition could feel overwhelming. John reminds his readers that the beast and the ten kings are implacably opposed to the Lamb. It is his authority they despise and long to remove from their lives. The rulers make war with the Lamb, manifested in the killing of the saints, for they are identified with and belong to the Lamb. Still, the final victory is sure, for the Lamb will triumph over the rulers opposing him (cf. 19:11–21). The Lamb’s triumph is certain, for he is the Lord of lords and the King of kings (cf. 19:16). No power or sovereignty or majesty can compare with his. The descriptions of the Lamb here suggest his deity, for elsewhere God is identified as the Lord of lords (Deut. 10:17; Ps. 136:3; 1 Tim. 6:15) and King of kings (1 Tim. 6:15; cf. also Dan. 2:47; 3 Macc. 5:35; 1 En. 9:4). Here these titles are given to the Lamb. The saints must persevere, for then they will certainly triumph and conquer with the Lamb.

John pauses to describe those who belong to the Lamb. They are those who are called, elect, and faithful. The first two descriptions emphasize the sovereign grace of God. The saints cannot take credit for belonging to the Lamb, for they have been called by God’s grace. The calling here is effectual: it is a calling that inducts them into the kingdom. In the same way, the saints are elected and chosen by God, and thus are the recipients of his marvelous mercy and grace. The saints do not belong to God ultimately because of their own decision and choice but because of God’s electing grace. Yet such gracious benefits do not preclude the need for a human response. Indeed, they are the basis for such a response, and hence the saints must be faithful. They are to persevere faithfully until the end to obtain the final reward.

17:15 The third section of the chapter now commences (vv. 15–18). We were told in verse 1 that the prostitute sits on many waters (cf. Jer. 47:2), and now the angel reveals to John the meaning and significance of these waters. The waters stand for many people groups and languages. The first three terms roughly overlap, calling attention to the breadth of the harlot’s rule. Her influence is massive and deleterious.

17:16 The ten horns, which are the ten kings (v. 12) ruling alongside the beast, are filled with hatred and animus against the harlot. It seems the rulers of the empire will turn against the economic and religious center of their society. Babylon is a harlot because of her idolatrous devotion to false gods and her rapacious economic system that abuses others. The kings are animated by hatred, and thus they destroy the prostitute, who ends up desolate (cf. Ezek. 26:19) and naked (cf. Ezek. 16:39; 23:29), destroyed by fire (Rev. 18:8; cf. Lev. 21:9; Jer. 34:22). Hatred is irrational and demonic. Evil ultimately implodes upon itself; it is inherently self-destructive. The city of man will collapse under the weight of its own evil and hate.

17:17 John provides a remarkable commentary on God’s designs and purposes in the attack on, and destruction of, the great harlot, carried out by the ten kings. The desire of the ten kings and the beast to destroy the harlot is ultimately from God, and thus they are carrying out his purpose and will (cf. 10:7). The purposes of God in such events do not cancel out the authenticity of human choices and decisions, for the hatred of the ten kings and the beast for the harlot is no charade (17:16). The kings and the beasts are not puppets and marionettes whose strings God pulls. We see the same phenomenon in Isaiah, where Assyria fulfills God’s will while clearly doing what it desires to do (Isa. 10:5–34). So, too, God rules over what the beast and the kings do to the harlot, yet he is not morally blameworthy or indicted for the evil the kings and beast perform. We see elsewhere that God can predestine evil events so that his purposes are fulfilled, while remaining unstained by evil. The supreme example of this is the cross of Christ: Jesus’ death was predestined by God, but those who killed him were held responsible (Acts 2:23; 4:27–28). We are reminded here that God rules over history, that evil empires and kings, though culpable for the horrific evil they carry out, are never outside the hand of God. Nor should they boast as if they accomplish anything apart from his purposes.

17:18 The identity of the woman is now disclosed, and we are told that she represents a city. The reference to the seven hills suggested Rome (v. 9), and now the reference to Rome is confirmed. Rome here represents the city of man opposed to the things of God, which John’s original audience experienced firsthand. At the same time, the moniker “Babylon” suggests that what is said here transcends Rome and represents all other cultures and cities of the world opposed to the things of God.