Revelation 17, The Harlot and the Beast

In this chapter, John gets a more detailed look at BABYLON THE GREAT and the beast that God uses to destroy her.

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.'

With the judgments of God complete, one of the angels used in the deployment of the judgments comes to show John the judgment of the “great harlot.” Which we come to see is the city of Babylon (v.18), and thus the fulfillment of the flying angel’s prophecy that Babylon would fall (Rev.14:8).

She is "the great harlot” because she is a spiritual fornicator that serves and worships gods other than Jehovah God.

She "sits on many waters" because she holds power, authority, and influence over many people, nations, and tongues.

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.

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 has led multitudes away from the truth of God and the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

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 as the word implies, a “lonely and desolate” place) that is not identified. Some have suggested that this wilderness place speaks of some remote area of the earth, and others suggest that it might even be 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 (which is not explained).

Okay, let’s examine John’s eyewitness account of the woman, but for our purposes, in the reverse order, beginning with her name.

She is 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), a word that means “confusion” because of 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 descendant of Cush called Nimrod rallied the people to built a city whose tower “may reach unto heaven” to gain “a name” for themselves, and 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 given breath to the spirit of “Babylon” in all ages.

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’s identity is interpreted for us later so allow me to defer a comment about this to another passage (v.15).

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.”

When the Godless world-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, through the ages, so many multitudes of true believers have shed their blood in the cause of Christ and during the Tribulation so many more, that John sees 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.” It’s uncertain whether John was bewildered by the image of the woman as in dumbfounded, or, merely surprised to see Babylon anywhere in the future. Especially in a place of prominence, for the glory Babylon had during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar had long since vanished many hundreds of years before the time of John.

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.

This repeated thought that the beast “was…was not…was again” corresponds with what we read earlier about the Antichrist (see notes—Rev.13:3-4).

That at the height of his political notoriety he is struck down by an assassin, appears to die, then “miraculously” recovers to the awe of the world, or as this passage declares, “those who dwell on the earth will marvel…when they see the beast.” In other words, Antichrist "was" (a living person), "was not" (appeared dead), and "was again" (appeared resurrected back to life).

And the 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.

And the beast will “go to perdition.” His reign of terror will be temporary, however. After three and a half years, God will judge him, remove him from this planet, and cast him, along with the false prophet, into eternal damnation (Rev.19:20).

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.

Some commentators interpret these seven heads that are "seven mountains” to mean the literal city of Rome because it sits upon seven hills; leading them to suggest that the woman in the image is the Catholic Church, because the Vatican is located in Rome. But I don’t agree with that interpretation.

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 “seven kings”, making it more logical to consider these as mountains of kingdoms, and not literal mountains.

At the time of John, five large and influential kingdoms had indeed fallen: Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Media-Persia, and Greece. Rome, a sixth kingdom, was presently in power. And 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 when he comes, he must continue a short time.” This speaks of the seventh king, the man Antichrist. His reign will be a “short time” when compared to all other kingdoms that existed before him, lasting a mere three and a half years.

"And the beast…is himself also the eight." The idea that Antichrist, who is the seventh king, would also become the eighth king seems redundant. After all, if he were already king of an empire, why would he supplant himself?

The answer is that during the first half of the Tribulation, Antichrist is king over a confederation of European states only, not king over the entire world. He is a man, and his kingdom is of man. During the second half of Tribulation, however, having been possessed by Satan with his full authority and power, he will become the beastly eight king as the incarnation of Satan. And will rule, not as a man, but as the devil over the entire world.

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”, become an empire that mutually shares in the “hour” of power allotted to Antichrist—perhaps like a United Nations.

The prophet Daniel tells us more about these nations along with the origin of the Antichrist inside two of his visions.

In one, Daniel saw 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 being the ten toes of iron mingled with clay (Daniel 2).

In a subsequent vision, 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 dreadful and terrible 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,” Daniel writes (Dan.7).

This has lead some commentators to conclude that Antichrist’s kingdom and origin consists of a conglomerate of ten nations once a part of the old Roman Empire; comprising a revived form of that 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, and for Satan to “resurrect” inside him to become their king.

“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." There will be no other power on earth but the kingdom of Satan during the second half of the Tribulation. And only the Lamb, the Lord of Lords, can overcome it.

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.' "

This chapter ends with additional information about Mystery Babylon: She is a city, and she is destroyed by the government of Antichrist.

We’ve discussed how the harlot Babylon characterizes the corrupt world-system of false religion and commercialism diabolically opposed to God. That she is "seated upon" the beast (v. 3-4) to show her authority and influence over the beast and the masses of people influenced by the corrupt world system she personifies.

We haven't yet considered, however, that she is also a literal city. Nor have we reconciled how a literal city might subject Antichrist, cause people in every nation, culture, and ethnic background to surrender sovereignty, or why Antichrist would destroy it.

Let’s start with a prophecy that concerns the ancient city of Babylon’s destruction.

During the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Babylon was at the height of its glory as the capital city of the vast and formidable Babylonian empire. After God brought judgment against her, however, she was over thrown and destroyed. But according to Jeremiah, God's judgment stated that nothing would remain of her, not even a stone to build a foundation (Jer.50:26; 51:26).

Yet, as one commentator points out, stones from Babylon were found in a rock quarry in the 1800’s, suggesting that the prophecy against the city has not yet been fulfilled. Moreover, beginning in 1970 Saddam Hussein spent millions rebuilding Babylon, thus seeming to contradict God’s proclamation to make Babylon “desolate forever” (Jer.51:26). The notion is that God intended to fulfill the prophecy at a future time, and would ultimately destroy the literal city of Babylon during the Tribulation.

Okay, now let's see how a city might influence the people and the beast.

Sometime during the first half of Tribulation, I believe that some event will bring about a consolidated Arab alliance that unites their people and causes them to make Babylon 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 it’s at least conceivable that a merger of these economic and spiritual blocks of powers could give Babylon influential control over the world, including the European government of Antichrist. Yes, such an amalgamation seems unlikely currently because the Arab oil cartels are fractured by greed and Islam is divided. But we can’t deny the ability of spiritual forces to arrange it.

Finally, let’s consider why a composite of nations as civilized as the Europeans would agree to wage war against the Arabs at a literal city of Babylon, and for that matter, why Satan would want to eliminate the world-system (characterized by Babylon) that has long been his virtual "stronghold" of evil throughout the ages.

The answer to the first part is given to us. "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.” It's straightforward: God motivates the decision-makers to give their kingdom to Antichrist, and in turn to hate and subsequently destroy any power on earth that controls him, or would prevent him from achieving absolute worship from all men.

As for the second part, I believe the reason why Satan destroys the Babylon-ish world-system of commercialism and false religion is to subject all men to him by the elimination of entrepreneurial and moral freedom. Between the mark of the beast and his image, and no other available choice, all men will be required to seek, serve, and worship him alone.

Revelation 16, The Full Wrath of God is Delivered

In this chapter, John watches seven chosen angels pour out the seven last bowls of judgment filled with the full wrath of God onto the earth during the last half of Tribulation.

v.1 "Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, 'Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth.' "

This marks the beginning of what will be the most horrific period in the history of man. Regarding this time, Jesus said, “For then will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt.24:21). Other prophets call it the “day of the Lord”; when God’s wrath and fierce anger come as destruction, with darkness and gloominess, causing devastation, desolation, and distress upon men.

"Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it" (Isa.13:9).

"Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand: it shall come as destruction from the Almighty…a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness…" (Joel 1:15; 2:2).

“That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse” (Zeph.1:15-17).

As we read the judgments, pay close attention to the striking resemblance many bear to those God imposed on Egypt in the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Pharaoh (Ex.8-11). Moreover, not unlike those judgments in Egypt, which broke an oppressive kingdom and delivered Israel from slavery, by these judgments the kingdom of Satan will be destroyed; Satan himself will be immobilized; and the nation of Israel will once again be delivered from bondage forever. “For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance,” Isaiah says, “the year of recompense for the cause of Zion” (Isa.34:8).

Also, keep in mind that the period covered by these plagues is three and a half years. So I would assume at least some of the judgments evolve in intensity during that time and therefore don’t reach their absolute and deadliest worst until the end, just before the Coming of Christ.

v.2 "So the first went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast, and those who worshiped his image."

This "first judgment" is appropriately poured upon the earth, which is the kingdom of Satan.

As a result, those who had taken the mark of the beast and worshiped his image, break out in a “foul and loathsome” sore. But this is no mere skin blemish; the thought conveyed is a “diseased and malignant” sore that is both highly repulsive and agonizingly painful to those who are afflicted by it. The cause is unknown, though one commentator speculates that the sore could be the result of a lithium leak from the computer chip implanted under ones skin, and another, that it might be form of cancer resulting from the fourth judgment upon the sun (vs. 8-9).

v.3 "Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man; and every living creature in the sea died."

This "second judgment" is poured out upon the sea.

As a result, the oceans become blood, in turn killing every fish, mammal, and organism in every ocean in the world. This will not only contribute to famine, but considering the valuable food chain that the oceans supply, will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on the world's economy as well.

v.4 "Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood."

This "third judgment" is poured out upon the rivers and springs.

This causes all the fresh water both above and below ground to become blood; thereby eliminating the presence of all drinking water, and further reducing the availability of food generally provided by fresh water lakes and streams.

v.5-7 "And I heard the angel of the waters saying: 'You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.' And I heard another from the altar saying, 'Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.' "

This is heaven’s reassurance that God’s judgments are purposeful and just.

Note how incessantly ready the angel is for them to finally occur and how genuinely righteous the angel acknowledges them to be, and who better, but an angel, could give testimony to such things. For angels know the whole story of man’s rebellion, and have remained astute witnesses to the bloodshed of God’s saints from the very beginning.

It’s unclear whether this “angel of the waters” is a specific angel whose duties might include charge over the waters, or the third angel whose bowl turned the waters to blood. As for the answering cry made from the altar, it would seem that that came from the souls of the Tribulation martyrs John saw earlier at the altar crying out for God to avenge them (Rev.6:9-11).

v.8-9 "Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God, who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory."

This "fourth judgment" is poured upon the sun.

This results in men being so severely scorched by fire and great heat that the prophet Malachi refers to it figuratively as an oven that will burn up the wicked like stubble (Mal.4:1).

The cause of this solar event is speculative. Some have suggested a super nova (a process at the end of a star’s life in which it becomes intensely brighter just before it burns out). Others see it as a dramatic depletion in the ozone layer resulting in extremely high levels of ultra violet rays.
Whatever its cause, the hearts of the people in these last days would have become so incurably wicked that even in their suffering, rather than repent, they only grow in their contempt for God. (see also—2Tim.3:13).

v.10-11 "Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain. And they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and did not repent of their deeds."

This "fifth judgment" is poured out upon the throne of the beast himself, causing his kingdom to become absolute and utter darkness.

Any number of catastrophes, including a nuclear blast, forest fires, oil fires, or volcanic eruptions could explain the sudden darkness, and most certainly fits what the prophet Joel describes as pillars of smoke being the cause (Joel 2:30-31). But we don't know.

Nonetheless, for all the turmoil, chaotic despair, and gnawing pain these plagues are causing, the people are so dark spiritually and morally that they continue to blaspheme God and do not repent.

"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" (Isa.60:2)

v.12-15 "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the kings from the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

This "sixth judgment" is poured out upon the Euphrates River.

This causes the river to dry up and in turn prepares “the way” for the kings from the east, or more literally “the kings of the rising sun.” Moreover, in concert with the elimination of the Euphrates, comes the release of three unclean spirits, who, through the performing of signs, awaken the kings of the earth to gather them for battle at Armageddon (see also—Rev.14:17-20).

It should be noted that the final divine promise Jesus makes regarding His Coming "Behold, I am coming as a thief" seems out of place in this passage, having nothing to do with the context before or after it. Moreover, its common use in Scripture regards the need for the Christian to be ready and watchful for the imminent return of Christ. At this point, however, the rapture is already past, so it's not directed to the Church. It's possible that it's a call for repentance to the unbelievers watching this event (check—Zep.2:1-3), or maybe God is engaging the believers alive in this world to prepare for it as He is doing today.

v.16 "And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon."

The word "Armageddon" is a compound of the two Hebrew words, “Har-megiddo”, which means “Mountain of Megiddo.” It lies to the west of Jordan about sixty-eight miles north of Jerusalem near the town of Nazareth in the vast plains of Esdraelon; a Greek modification of the name Jezreel, or “God sorrows,” an area roughly fourteen miles wide and twenty miles long.

Traditionally, the plains of Esdraelon have been a chosen place or encampment and popular battlefield throughout Israel’s history. Including wars against such mortal enemies as the Canaanites, Midianites, Philistines, and Egyptians; and under the command of such notables as Deborah (Judges 4:4-10; 5:19), Gideon (Judges 7:1-25), Saul (1Sam.31:1-3), and Josiah (2Chron.35:22).

Given its capability to be a bivouac area for sizable troops, along with Israel’s historical connection with it, Armageddon seems to explain why God has chosen it as the epicenter to defeat His enemies and those of His people once and for all.

v.17-21 "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, 'It is done!' And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great hail from heaven fell upon men, every hailstone about the weight of a talent. And men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was exceedingly great."

This "seventh judgment" is poured into the air, perhaps because the devil is “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph.2:2). It is the final outpouring of God’s great wrath, and brings to an end the tribulation judgments.

The words “It is done!” are clearly those of God because they are spoken from within the temple where God has remained alone during the judgments (see notes—Rev.15:8). It signifies that the mystery of God has finally been answered, the bowls of wrath have fully been poured, and His judgment work on earth is done.

As a result, there will be a great earthquake of such magnitude that the earth is said to be “violently broken…split open…shaken exceedingly” (Isa.24:19). By it, Jerusalem ("the great city") will divide into three parts, the remains of Babylon will be completely disposed of, cities will be toppled, and virtually every island and mountain range around the globe will be leveled.

Moreover, there will be “hailstones” or a “hail of stones” (the literal Greek meaning) weighing seventy-five pounds that will plummet from heaven “as fruit falling from a fig tree” (Isa.34:2-4) and virtually stone the wicked; as one commentator points out, an appropriate ending to the judgments considering that God has made blasphemy punishable by stoning (Lev.24:11-16).

There is one battle yet remaining. My opinion is that the horrific outcome of this outpouring causes man to make war against Christ Himself at His Second Coming (check—Rev.19:19), ultimately bringing to an end life on this planet as we know it.