And as John begins to bring this epic showdown to a close, we find the villain entering on cue. Revelation 17:
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.”
Babylon, the image driving the end of this apocalyptic vision from John, is often pictured in the prophets as a prostitute who lures the nations into her adultery. One would think of Isaiah 23 or Jeremiah 51 as direct references that would have particular relevance to this conversation. Babylon becomes the apocalyptic image for kingdoms of evil. Just as Babylon terrorized the people of the Old Testament and fell into disrepair, so would every kingdom spoken of in apocalyptic imagery. The fall of Babylon becomes a foreshadowing of what happens to empire in every form.
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The name written on her forehead was a mystery:
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
It’s hard to miss the parallel John is drawing between the old stories and prophecies against Babylon and her first-century counterpart — Rome. Her fall is inevitable, and she is far from a metaphor. The people of God have felt her cruelty; she is drunk on the blood of the martyrs.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. Then the angel said to me: “Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
“This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while. The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.”
This is one of those paragraphs that people will interpret many different ways. We have to try to identify the heads and the horns and make sense out of the passage above using past kingdoms, Roman emperors, or other ideas. Some will use this passage to make the case for an earlier date (or even a later date) for Revelation. Some will immediately jump to the future (or modern day) and start making sense out of it all. I’m not going to try to make sense out of it here, as I’m still working on it myself. I simply don’t have any answers at this point in my study, but I can say with confidence, after what we have looked at, that I want to use a consistent hermeneutic — not assume that this is speaking of the future.
And yet the one thing that cannot be denied is John’s point that this beast represents Satan and his relationship with Rome. Rome was known far and wide (as well as throughout history) as the “city on seven hills.” By saying that this beast’s seven heads are seven hills on which the harlot sits is a clear identification of Rome. So even though we may have some questions about the details, the big picture is easy to work with.
“The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”
Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
However, Satan will ruin this harlot. He will leave her destroyed, for that is what the beast does — even to those who swear their allegiance to the beast.
There are a few things we know for sure, but John presents at least two clear points. First, the Lamb will triumph. Though the beast wages war and the battle looks lopsided, there will be no contest, for the Lamb is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He wins, John says, period. Second, the harlot will be ruined by the beast. Empire will always lead to the same end; evil cannot sustain itself. It does not belong in God’s created order. The great city (i.e., Rome) that rules over the earth, though it looks to be unstoppable, is part of a system that cannot last. It will come tumbling down.
The jury is back. The verdict is in. While the buzzer hasn’t sounded yet, the outcome is clear.
John invites God’s persecuted people to believe it — and overcome.
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