Revelation 17:7-18 (The Scarlet Beast)

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 17

7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. 12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

Two weeks ago we looked at the great prostitute, the harlot, Babylon the great, and her fornication with Rome. This week we turn to look more closely at the scarlet beast on whom she was seated, the Roman Empire. In verses 7-18 John spends most of his time describing this beast in greater detail utilizing apocalyptic symbolism.

Now, we’ve discussed this repeatedly before, but it’s worth mentioning it again. The word apocalypse simply means “uncovering” or “revelation”, hence the name of this book, Revelation, or John’s Apocalypse. Now, while the symbolism can often feel cryptic and hard to understand, apocalyptic literature is actually intended to reveal or uncover what’s hidden. In other words, John’s use of apocalyptic language is intended to reveal the true nature of the events it describes, or to reveal the true nature of reality. This is why Jerusalem is depicted as beast, a false prophet, and a harlot, because on the surface, to the naked eye, Jerusalem appeared innocent, as a true prophet, and faithful. However, John’s Apocalypse reveals otherwise. This is how apocalyptic literature is meant to function, and why John’s Apocalypse is usually referred to as the Book of Revelation.

And so it is here with Rome, who’s also repeatedly described in John’s Apocalypse as a beast. At first, in chapter 13 as a beast who arose out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, then again here in chapter 17 as a scarlet beast who turns on the great prostitute and devours her. And it’s these two chapters that provide the most extensive descriptions of Rome in John’s Apocalypse.

Chapter 13 parallels

So, before before we look at the beast described in chapter 17 let’s look briefly at the beast’s description back in chapter 13. If you weren’t here when we were in chapter 13 you can find those messages on the website, but the beast is one of the clearest symbols depicted within John’s Apocalypse, which provides us with an interpretive anchor from which to rely upon as we seek to understand the other characters of the book, almost every other interpretive camp understands this beast to be Rome, even the futurists who believe Revelation is describing events yet in our future, they foresee a future revived Roman Empire.

So, turn with me back to chapter 13, and let’s start reading from verse 17 of chapter 12,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

The First Beast

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. 4 And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

Satan and the beast

This beast is Satan’s primary agent employed against Christ and his church, the Roman Empire is Satan’s primary operative in the world. This is why John says that “the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority” to the beast. You see, the beast is the devil’s representative, it embodies him. This is also why the beast is described like the dragon. In chapter 12 the dragon is described as having seven heads and ten horns, just like the beast is here in chapter 13, and just like the beast is in chapter 17. This defining characteristic of the beast, as having seven heads and ten horns, is seen in both chapters 13 and 17. In fact, John describes the beast in this way three times in chapter 17.

The beast’s power

The beast is also described as immensely powerful and dangerous. Notice that John describes it like a leopard, a bear, and a lion. And what John is doing is combining the imagery of the four beasts described in the Book of Daniel to describe the Roman Empire. You see, in Daniel’s vision he described the Babylonian empire like a lion, the Persian Empire like a bear, and ancient Greece like a leopard. The point, is that Rome, who is the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision, possesses the combined attributes of all three beasts that came before it.

They marvel at the beast

John also tells us in chapter 13, starting in verse 3, that one of the beast’s heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but that it’s mortal wound was healed, and that the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” In other words, not only is this beast equivalent to the combined threat of a leopard, a bear, and a lion, but this beast will suffer what appears to be a mortal wound, and yet still live! And what does this cause the inhabitants of the earth to do? It causes them to marvel. It causes them to worship the beast. And they exclaim, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

This passage is particularly significant, because it connects the imagery of chapter 13 with the imagery of chapter 17. So, let’s turn back to chapter 17, beginning in verse 8,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

7 But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

Now, at this point, what I want you to notice is the parallel between chapters 13 and 17, that John is describing again the Roman Empire. That many will marvel at Rome’s power, because a time will come when the Empire will receive what appears to be a mortal wound, and yet still live, and that the the invincibility of the Empire will become solidified in the minds of many, and that they’ll therefore worship and follow the beast.

Year of the four emperors

Now, what John is likely referring to here is what historians would later refer to as the year of the four emperors, which included several of Rome’s most significant civil wars. In AD 68 when Nero committed suicide, the empire was plunged into anarchy, and it appeared to be a mortal wound to the empire. The significance of Nero’s death was that he was the last descendent of Julius Caesar, which meant a 100 year dynasty had come to an end. You can imagine the impact this would have had on the psyche of the people. This, therefore, resulted in many wondering whether Rome would collapse.

Tacitus

Furthermore, Rome’s lingering enemies, both within and without, saw Nero’s death as an opportunity to take advantage of Rome’s weakness. Therefore, civil wars broke out as many vied for the throne, resulting in four different emperors rising to power in the span of a single year. The well known Roman historian,Cornelius Tacitus, described the period like this,

“The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors fell by the sword;​ there were three civil wars, more foreign wars, and often both at the same time. There was success in the East, misfortune in the West. Illyricum was disturbed, the Gallic provinces wavering, Britain subdued and immediately let go.​ The Sarmatae and Suebi rose against us; the Dacians won fame by defeats inflicted and suffered; even the Parthians were almost roused to arms through the trickery of a pretended Nero.​ Moreover, Italy was distressed by disasters unknown before or returning after the lapse of ages. Cities on the rich fertile shores of Campania were swallowed up or overwhelmed;​ Rome was devastated by conflagrations, in which her most ancient shrines were consumed and the very Capitol fired by citizens' hands.​ Sacred rites were defiled; there were adulteries in high places. The sea was filled with exiles, its cliffs made foul with the bodies of the dead. In Rome there was more awful cruelty.”

“Besides the manifold misfortunes that befell mankind, there were prodigies in the sky and on the earth, warnings given by thunderbolts, and prophecies of the future, both joyful and gloomy, uncertain and clear. For never was it more fully proved by awful disasters of the Roman people or by indubitable signs that the gods care not for our safety, but for our punishment.”

“This was the condition of the Roman state when  Servius Galba, chosen consul for the second time, and his colleague Titus Vinius entered upon the year that was to be for Galba his last and for the state almost the end.”

Who is like the beast?

It wasn’t until the Roman general, Vespasian, put his seige against Jerusalem on hold and traveled back to Rome that the Empire stabilized. Vespasian took the throne and left his son, Titus, behind in Jerusalem to continue the siege. While the whole world thought Rome had suffered a mortal wound after Nero’s death, to everyone’s surprise the empire recovered, which undoubtedly convinced them that the empire was indeed invincible, echoing Revelation 13:4, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”

So, the warning here to John’s readers (and for us) is that there would be many who would be tempted to think that the state was invincible, that the beast was unconquerable, and as a result follow the beast, but the angel tells John there in verse 8 that while the beast you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit, the beast’s fate is to go to destruction. Again, this will be the significance of the beast being thrown into the lake of fire later in chapter 19.

Do not marvel at the beast

Therefore, the church must not join the world in marveling at the beast, or worshiping the beast. While the beast was formidable and he derived his power and authority from the devil, John reminds the church that he goes to destruction, whereas Jesus says in Revelation 1:17, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Similarly, in our own day, as governments increase in their opposition to the church, and become oppressive, we must always remember, like the beast here in Revelation 17, that they will go on to destruction, that while they may be dangerous and formidable for a time, that they too will go to destruction, and that Christ lives forevermore.

This calls for a mind with wisdom

Now, John goes on in Revelation 17, in verse 9, to describe, in greater detail, the circumstances that would coincide with these events, he writes,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.

Now, notice how he begins there in verse 9, that “this calls for a mind with wisdom,” (some of you might recall that John has used this phrase before), it parallels what John wrote back in chapter 13 when he asked the first century church to “calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.” His point then was for the church to discern the identity of the beast, and particularly a man, who personified the beast, who’s number was 666. We saw then that the number was a cryptogram that spelled Nero Caesar in Hebrew.

And so, again, John intends for his readers to apply their faculties of discernment to what follows. That the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains on which the woman is seated, and that they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one who is, the other who has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only for a little while.

7 hills, 7 emperors

As I’ve pointed out before, the seven mountains on which the woman is seated are likely a reference to the city of Rome who was (and still is) known for her famous 7 hills. And as I argued in our last time, Jerusalem is pictured as seated on those mountains because of her spiritual infidelity with Rome, that Jerusalem is supported by the Roman Empire, and that she’s in league with the Empire against the church. This is why she’s depicted sitting on a scarlet beast dressed like a prostitute with a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and impurities of her sexual immorality, and drunk with the blood of the saints.

But John says that the symbolism doesn’t stop there, he says that the seven mountains represent seven kings. Now, if John is in fact referring to the Roman Empire and he’s describing the Empire’s first seven emperors, then the five of whom have fallen are Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. The one he says that is, or who’s reigning at the time of John penning his letter, is Nero. Which coincides with the cryptogram 666 back in chapter 13 that spells Nero Caesar. And, finally, the seventh who has not yet come is a future reference to Galba, who reigned immediately after Nero for 6 months at the outset of Rome’s civil wars and the year of the four emperors.

Before Jerusalem fell

This is another reason I believe John wrote his Apocalypse before the destruction of Jerusalem, because it appears here that Nero is still reigning, and Nero was alive until AD 68. Therefore, my guess is that John wrote Revelation between AD 64 and AD 68, after Nero’s persecution of Christians had begun, but before the fall of Jerusalem. So, whenever you’re attempting to date a particular book of the Bible you should always begin with the internal witness of that book. What does the author say? While we can certainly look outside the Bible for corroborating evidence to assist us with the task, we should alway begin with God’s revelation first.

The beast is an eighth

Then John says there in verse 11,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

11 As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

Now, this is probably the most difficult verse to decipher here in chapter 17, but I think John’s point is relatively plain for us to see. What’s most important for us realize on the outset is that when John refers to the beast, he is referring to one of two things, either 1) the beast in a generic sense, the Roman Empire, or 2) the beast in a specific sense, the one who embodies the Roman Empire, it’s Emperor. This is why John can refer to either Nero or the Roman Empire as the beast, because the one personifies the other.

As it relates here to verse 11, when John refers to an eighth that belongs to the seven John isn’t talking about an 8th emperor, or the emperor that came after Galba, but to the beast in a generic sense, that the Roman Empire “that was, and is not, is an eighth.”

However, then we have to ask, if John isn’t talking about an eighth emperor, then what does John mean when he describes the beast as “an eighth”? The language all of a sudden seems very cryptic. Well, first, this verse parallels the beginning of verse 8, when John says, “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.” So, John appears to be reiterating the same point again in verse 11, that the beast was, is not, rises again, but then goes to destruction. But instead of describing the beast as rising from the bottomless pit he describes the beast as “an eighth.”

So, if verse 11 is meant to parallel verse 8 then John must again be describing the beast’s rising from the bottomless pit, or as he put in back in chapter 13, as the beast’s mortal wound being healed. So, does the number 8 symbolize rising from the dead or resurrection? Well, I think you might be surprised. The number 8 may very well signify resurrection in the Bible. Listen to the argument and the various texts that commentator Kenneth Gentry compiles. He writes,

“In the Old Testament the eighth day follows the day of rest, as is the day on which man’s labor begins anew, as a resurrection of sorts. God gives eight people on the ark to “resurrect” the human race. .... in Israel, the leper is not admitted back into the holy community as alive until his eighth day sacrifice. The menstruous woman is unclean because of her blood flow for seven days, then she is cleansed on the eighth day. This cleansing is necessary “unless they die in their uncleanness.” Each of these issues is analogous to resurrection. But most importantly, Christ arises from death on the first / eighth day, which is the first day of the new week." (Gentry, Navigating the Book of Revelation, p. 161)

Beast mimics Christ

So, John is simply repeating what he’s already said in verse 8, and as early as chapter 13, when he described the beast that was, and is not, and is about to rise again, and go to destruction. And the broader point, and what’s most important for us to see, is that the beast was mimicking the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, but that the beast was a counterfeit, that he was ultimately a fake.

That while the beast would appear to die and rise again, that his resurrection would be a counterfeit. That while the beast is certainly dangerous, that the beast was not invincible, that the beast was not all-powerful, or omnipotent. And, that while the beast had arisen from the bottomless pit and possessed all the power and authority of the devil, John indicates to the church, repeatedly, that the beast would return there, that he would go to destruction. That he would be thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

The beast would not prevail against Christ and the church, and so John goes on there in verse 12 to describe the Lamb’s victory against the beast,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.”

So, these ten horns signify ten kings, or ten rulers, who give their authority to the beast to make war on the Lamb and his saints. Horns typically represent power, and at this time Rome had 10 imperial provinces, but the number may simply be meant to symbolize the completeness of those who handed over their authority to the beast to make war on the Lamb. This is just as we saw back in chapter 14 when John “looked, and … on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.” Now John describes the Lamb as conquering the beast, because he is Lord or lords, and King of kings. And those with him are those called and chosen and faithful.

Look to Christ for deliverance

So, who is the church to look to for deliverance? Do we look to the world? Do we look to governments? Or somewhere else? Or do we look to Christ? The bride, who is the church, ought to look to her husband, who is Christ. While Jerusalem had looked to Rome for her deliverance, the church was instructed to look to Christ for her’s. Therefore, the church was assured of victory and protection, while Jerusalem was left sitting precariously atop a scarlet beast that could turn on her at any moment.

Beast turns on the prostitute

And eventually the beast did, Rome turned on her and devoured her and burned her up with fire. John writes there in verse 15,

English Standard Version Chapter 17

15 And the angel said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. 16 And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

After the beast was unsuccessful at exterminating the church, due to the Lamb standing in his way, he set his sights on the harlot. You see, the relationship between the beast and the harlot was precarious, like the relationship betwen a man a prostitute, there isn’t any substance to their relationship, he’s using her and she’s using him. There’s no marriage covenant to protect the woman and to ensure the man takes responsibility for her and her children, no duty to love one another, no obligation to be faithful to one another, no, instead she’s a whore and he’s a beast. So when Jerusalem had become a liability to Rome he turned on her.

War against Christ

And in AD 66 the Great Jewish Revolt prompted Rome to attack Israel, culminating in the violent destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple in AD 70. However, the historian Sulpicius Severus, wrote that before the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed that Titus and others had discussed whether they should destroy the Temple or not, eventually concluding that it should be, “in order that the religion of the Jews and of the Christians might more thoroughly be subverted; for that these religions, although contrary to each other, had nevertheless proceeded from the same authors; that the Christians had sprung up from among the Jews; and that, if the root were eradicated, the offshoot would speedily perish.” (Sulpicius Severus, The Sacred History of Sulpicius Severus, Vol. II, p. 111)

It was apparent even on the surface that Rome’s war was fundamentally against Christ, that even their destruction of the Temple was not only to put down the Jewish rebellion but to destroy Christianity. And John’s Apocalypse reveals that God had put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose, until all the words of God were fulfilled. That God had put it into the hearts of these wicked men to carry out his purposes against Jerusalem while at the same time protecting the church.

Abomination of Desolation

And so Rome made Jerusalem desolate and naked, devoured her flesh and burned her up with fire. And this his why both Daniel and Jesus described this event as the abomination of desolation. The great prostitute who held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations was made desolate. Or as Luke put in his Gospel, “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." (Lk 21:20)

All of these descriptions of punishment have a connection to the OT. One of the punishments for an adulteress in the ancient world was public humiliation and being stripped naked. The wicked queen Jezebel had her flesh eaten by dogs in 1 Kings 21:23, and prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel who described Jerusalem like a harlot prophesied that the city would be burned with fire. (Ezek. 16, 23)

Conclusion

So, as we wrap up chapter 17 we’re again reminded of the seriousness of spiritual fidelity, reminded of the seriousness of remaining faithful to Christ. It should also remind us as husbands and wives of the seriousness of our covenant with one another, that our marriages are a parable of the love and faithfulness betwen Christ and his church.

We’re also meant to be reminded that it is Christ who lives forevermore! That he has conquered sin and death. That his is our deliverer, that he is our refuge and strong tower against the enemy. That we should run to him.

Prayer