Revelation 17 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Revelation 17

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5 And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.¹

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. 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 pit² 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 angel³ 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.”

Footnotes

[1] 17:6 Greek the witnesses to Jesus
[2] 17:8 Greek the abyss
[3] 17:15 Greek he

Commentary

v1-2: The fall of Babylon the great, detailed in chapters 17-18, is referred to in 14.8. It may be that, chronologically these chapters fit in there, preceding the seven bowls. Jer 51.13 describes Babylon as being by many waters.

v3-5: There is a scarlet beast, with the adulterous woman, the great city of Babylon, see v18. Here is false religion, carrying away the inhabitants of the earth, influencing them for evil. She is wealthy, and appears attractive to men, but brings abominable things. See also Ezek 28.1-19, where the prophet describes the city of Tyre in similar terms.

v6: Babylon maintained an attitude of antagonism towards the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Babylon is ‘the embodiment of all entrenched worldly resistance to God' (African Bible Commentary).

We read several times of the presence of believers on the earth; 7.1-8; 9.4; 13.7; 14.1-5, 12-13; 18.4,24; after the church is raptured, Jews are restored to Christ, and many suffer and are killed.

v7-11: The explanation of the woman and the beast. The beast dies, but is revived, and most of the inhabitants of the earth follow it, being astonished at it.

We notice here that there is interpretation of the vision, as is found also in Dan 7-12. The mind needs godly wisdom (v9) to understand these things.

v12-14: The beast has great power and widespread authority, ruling over the ten kings. Yet he is defeated by Christ Himself. However powerful and fearful are these enemies of Christ, they will all be defeated; we need not fear.

v15-18: The kingdom is divided against itself, and cannot stand. The woman, the great city with world-wide domination, will find traitors amongst her friends, and be destroyed by them.