Revelation Chapter 17 Quiz CommentaryUntitled Sermon (11)

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Revelation Chapter 17 Quiz Commentary

The Harlot and the Beast

📷This chapter (as well as the next) concerns the judgment of Babylon. In this, John is given the details surrounding the destruction of BABYLON THE GREAT – the ungodly “religious” system that reaches its apex during the Tribulation.

v.1-2 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.”

It is one of the angels who deployed the bowl judgments in the last chapter who comes to John. So we can conclude that this “judgment of the great harlot” occurs during the discourse those judgments during the second half of the Tribulation.
It will help your study, dear ones, to understand that Babylon represents three entities that will be judged and fall as the angel declared earlier (Rev.14:8):
A religious system (this chapter)A world system (next chapter)A literal city (next chapter)
She is called “the great harlot” because she is a spiritual fornicator that serves and worships gods other than Jehovah God. The term “harlot” speaks of idolatry (see—Jer.3:6-9; Ez.16:30; Hosea).
She is said to be one who “sits on many waters” because she holds power, authority, and influence over many people, nations, and tongues (see v.15).
She is the one “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication” because she has caused world leaders to join with her in her idolatry, spiritual wickedness, and contempt for God and His people. It is interesting that the kings are not accused of committing adultery with her because that would imply marriage. Pagans, however, never considered themselves married to their gods, so they are characterized as fornicating with the harlot.
She is the one who has made the earth “drunk with the wine of her fornication” because she has caused the inhabitants of the earth to become intoxicated (deranged) because of her many idols, and in so doing multitudes have been led away from the truth of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ because of her influence.
This has been the indictment against the “great harlot” over the centuries, and shall be particularly true in the global “religious system” that she becomes during the Tribulation.

v.3-5 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 the 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 angel carries John away to the “wilderness” (or a “lonely and desolate” place) that some suggest might be some remote area of the earth, or even the earth itself. We don’t know. But it’s not where John was, and it’s clearly far removed from the other activities in heaven.
Okay, let’s examine John’s eyewitness account of the woman, beginning with her name.
“MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”
How she came to earn this name is explained in her history.
Babylon first appears in the Bible as a kingdom named “Babel” (Gen.10:10) which means “confusion” due to God’s confusion-of-tongues judgment upon the rebellious who lived there (Gen.11:9). Following the great flood God instructed man to disperse and “fill the earth” in order to replenish it with humanity (Gen.9:1). In blatant disobedience to the will of God, however, a descendent of Cush called Nimrod rallied the people to built a city whose tower “may reach unto heaven” to gain “a name” for themselves lest they “be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen.11:3-4). As a result, God changed their languages to prevent them from communicating amongst themselves and thus forced them to disperse (Gen.11:5-8).
But not before Satan impregnated them with a taste and irresistible desire for a commercial and pagan “world-system” in defiance of God (which they in turn carried away with them to every region of the planet). The self-same God-less system of materialism, vain philosophy, and malignant religious practices known as “the world” which has opposed God in every generation since (Jas.4:4) and hence given breath to the spirit of Babylon in all ages, including our present age.
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So at the same time she is the literal city of Babylon she is also the “mystery” reality beyond geography—she is the “mother” of what Satan devised in opposition to God.
Now let’s consider the rest of her.
She is “sitting on a scarlet beast, which is full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”  The beast is the final ruler of the final kingdom of men known to us as the Antichrist (v.8). The fact that she seats upon the beast means the beast is carrying her and implies that she is in control of the beast. And seemingly she shall maintain that control during the first half of the Tribulation into some portion of the second half of the Tribulation until God’s purpose for her is fulfilled and she is destroyed by the kingdom of the beast (v.16-17).
And she “was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of the abominations and the filthiness of her fornication”. This speaks of her as both prominent and influentially wicked. With the prominence of a queen she has openly enticed man to drink from her cup of abominations and filthiness (check—Rev.18:3, 7).

v.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.”

John sees the woman “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”. When a Godless religious-system cannot subvert truth by infiltration and false teaching, it will seek to destroy it by persecution. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). As a result, many multitudes of true believers have shed their blood through the ages in the cause of Christ, as will so many more during the Tribulation.
“And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.” It’s uncertain whether John was bewildered by the woman as in dumbfounded by the image itself or merely surprised to see Babylon anywhere in the future—especially in a place of prominence. For though the city existed during the time of John (check—1Peter 5:13) the glory Babylon enjoyed under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar had long since vanished many hundreds of years before the time of John.
In any case the angel asks “Why did you marvel?” and then goes on to tell John in so many words “For I am going to explain it to you”.

v.8 “‘The beast 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’.”

The angel begins by identifying the beast.
Okay, but it will help you to understand the images here and elsewhere in this chapter if you follow who this beast signifies. This is the same beast that John saw at the middle of the Tribulation rising out of the sea (Rev.13). In other words, this is not merely the man Antichrist who gains prominence as a political figure during the first half of the Tribulation, but the man Antichrist who “resurrects” as the devil incarnate and rules as a god during the final three and a half years of the Tribulation until his destruction at the Coming of Christ.
This is the beast which “was…and is not…and yet is” (which is implied twice in this passage). So what does that mean?
At the height of his political notoriety Antichrist will be struck down by an assassin, appear to die, and then appear to “miraculously” recover. So the man Antichrist “was” (he does exist during the first half of Tribulation), then “is not” (he appears to die and exist no longer), and “yet is” (he returns to exist again during the second half of Tribulation).
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This beast “will ascend out of the bottomless pit.” That is, when Antichrist resurrects from “death” he will be bodily possessed by Satan. The man who once ascended from the womb of a woman will now ascend from hell and therein transform from the man that was into the most vile and evil human being that has ever lived.
In due course the beast will “go to perdition” the angel says (corresponding with the ultimate encounter Antichrist faces when Jesus removes him from this planet and casts him into eternal damnation; Rev.19:20). But before that “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”. In other words, there will be a time of deception surrounding this man before his destruction that will be so absolute that every non-believer will stand in awe of him.

v.9-11 “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 eight, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.”

“Here is the mind which has wisdom”. This terminology is similar to that given about the number of the beast (Rev.13:8). Namely, that it is a clue that might not be understood initially but can be discerned upon closer inspection.
The beast has seven heads upon which the woman sits. Some commentators interpret this to be a reference to the literal city of Rome because it sits upon seven hills. This leads them to suggest that the woman in the image is the Catholic Church because the Vatican is located in Rome, and hence (from their interpretation) sitting upon the seven “heads” of the beast.
But I don’t agree with that interpretation.
The prophecy concerns mountains (not hills) and a “mountain” is frequently used in Scripture figuratively to mean a “kingdom”. The kingdom of the Messiah for example is figured by a mountain (Dan.2:35), as is the ancient Babylonian kingdom (Jer.51:25). Moreover, this passage says there are “also seven kings” making it more logical to consider these as “mountains of kingdoms” and not literal mountains.
Okay, let’s consider the kings. But bear in mind that they represent more than large and influential kingdoms, but in particular, kingdoms that did severely persecute Israel.
At the time of John five such kingdoms had indeed fallen: Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece. Rome (a sixth kingdom) was presently in power, whereas a seventh king (the man Antichrist) had “not yet come”. The woman sits upon these seven kingdoms to show her presiding as queen over these kingdoms; each a kingdom full of her abominations and wickedness and opposition to God and His people.
But then we’re told of an eight king that is of the seven but distinct from the seven in that he is described as “the beast” that was, and is not, is himself also the eight, and is going to perdition. As we just saw (v.8) this beast is the Antichrist in his final form—the devil incarnate. The seventh king (the man Antichrist) “must continue a short time” (the first three and a half years of Tribulation). Then as the eight (the devil incarnate) he continues for the second half of the Tribulation.
Okay, but the idea that Antichrist (the seventh king) also becomes the eighth king seems redundant. After all, if he is already the seventh king of an empire why would he supplant himself and become an eight king?
During the first half of the Tribulation Antichrist is king over a confederation of European states only (not over the entire world). Moreover, though revered, he is not worshiped as a god. During the second half of the Tribulation, however, once possessed by Satan and given the full power, authority and seat of Satan, he becomes the eight as the incarnation of Satan who subsequently rules (not merely as a man) but as the devil who will be worshiped as god throughout the entire world.
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v.12-14 “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. 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.”

The “ten horns” of the beast are ten kings that comprise the kingdom of Antichrist during the first half of Tribulation. None individually rules the world, but collectively “as kings with the beast” they become an empire that mutually shares in the “hour” of power allotted to Antichrist—perhaps like a United Nations.
The prophet Daniel sheds light on these nations and the origin of the Antichrist inside two visions he encountered during his Babylonian captivity.
The first was a dream given to King Nebuchadnezzar that was interpreted by Daniel. The prophet describes a composite image of a man that had a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, belly of brass, legs of iron, and ten toes partly of iron and partly of clay, which he later interprets to be a succession of Gentile empires: Babylon (the head of gold), Media-Persia (the arms of silver), Greece (the belly of brass), Rome (the legs of iron), and an unnamed empire of the last days in the form of the ten toes of iron mingled with clay (Daniel 2).
In a subsequent vision given to Daniel some fifty years later, the prophet saw the same succession of Gentile empires in the form of animals. Babylon was a lion, Media-Persia was a bear, Greece was a leopard, Rome was a creature identified only as a “dreadful and terrible” beast, and the last day’s empire shown merely as ten horns growing from the head of this fourth beast. Then Daniel saw “another horn, a little one” coming up among the ten horns which plucked out three of the first horns. “And there, in this horn, were the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words” (Dan.7).
From both accounts here’s the progression: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Rome, a revised form of Rome, the Antichrist.
This has lead some commentators to conclude that the revised form of Rome from which Antichrist comes and rules consists of a conglomerate of ten nations once a part of the old Roman Empire (see also notes—Rev.13:2).
Some go further. They see the European Union as the fulfillment of this kingdom. Since it was founded in 1951, the EU not only has become one of this world’s most formidable political, economic, and military blocks, but all of the European nations currently in the EU can be traced back to the old Roman Empire. If this is correct, that the EU becomes man’s final kingdom on earth, than we are witnesses, dear ones, to what shall become the body of nations from which Antichrist will one day emerge.
“These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast…” Sovereign nations willing to give up their power and authority to one world leader is already becoming a reality in our present day. We need only to look at NATO, the United Nations, or the EU to see how the global quest for peace has brought nations together with treaties and contractual agreements into a single unified body. So the stage is set. The charismatic Antichrist needs only to surface to win them over and lead them until Satan empowers him to become their king and god.
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“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.” This final kingdom of Satan will rule with absolute power and authority during the second half of the Tribulation in full opposition to Jesus Christ and His people with nothing on earth able to prevent it, and only the Lamb, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, can overcome it (which He will, see–Rev.19:19-20).

v.15-18 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, the angel associates the ungodly “religious system” called “the harlot” with a literal city—which is Babylon (see notes—Rev.18:1-3).
I believe that some event during the first half of Tribulation will bring about a consolidated Arab alliance that unites their people, causes, and religion with Babylon as their capitol. The Arabs currently possess half of this planet’s oil reserves and Islam is the largest, fastest growing, and most influential religion in the world. So a merger of these economic and spiritual blocks of powers could certainly result in Babylon having undo economic control over the world (including the European government of Antichrist) as well seating a global religion (perhaps headed by the False Prophet). We certainly can’t deny the ability of spiritual forces to arrange it.
During the first half of the Tribulation this will be acceptable to Antichrist. For he will co-exist with the harlot, and in fact will probably use their religion (with help from the False prophet) to build his prominence. Things will change during the second half of the Tribulation, however.
“And the ten horns…will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked…and burn her with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast.” Namely, God will motivate the decision-makers to give their kingdom to Antichrist and to hate and subsequently destroy the harlot that controls him. In order to achieve absolute world dominion Antichrist will seize control of the oil reserves, the wealth that goes with it, and will destroy her global religious influence so that all men seek, serve, and worship him as god (and none other).
I believe that Antichrist will make Babylon his capital at this point as a display of power and domination over all that is economic and religious.
[Babylon’s literal destruction is revealed in the next chapter.]

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