Revelation 17 Babylon as a Philosophy

BACKGROUND: Last chapter finished God's wrath and the period of tribulation. The next two chapters describe the detail surrounding the last two judgments against Babylon.

This is a very difficult passage. It is clearly symbolic (as we will see in the language and similes) and is called a mystery in a couple of parts. So, we will do our best, but some of this may be hard to decipher.

Rev 17 (ESV) -- Read entire chapter first

[OPTIONAL] Satan and Babylon in history

• King of Tyre story (Antichrist and Satan description)
• Ezek 28:1-10 - possibly Antichrist (death by foreigner could be original death)
• Prince of Tyre
• Vs 10 death of circumcised would be a shameful death
• Vs 10 hand of foreigners (could reference his actual death in the first half of the tribulation)
• Ezek 28:11-19 - Satan indwelling the Antichrist in the last half
• King of Tyre
• Babel (Great disagreement among scholars on where Babel was originally; good argument that it was in the city of Babylon) (Gen 10:10; 11:9) Nimrod leads a revolt to storm heaven
• First nation to defeat Israel and destroy Jerusalem (Babylon)

17:1 (ESV) 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,

• One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls
• The vision concerns the second half of the tribulation
• "Come and I will show" suggests that this section is in a vision
• Many waters (see verse 15) - every tribe and language - all the people of the earth
• "Great prostitute"
• A prostitute is a way of physically enjoying yourself without a covenantal relationship (no commitment or sense of responsibility, except a payment of cash)
• A prostitute is a way of getting around God's law (and creation) to satisfy one's sexual desire
• Israel was called a prostitute because she forsook God and worshipped idols (overwhelming number of scriptures describe idol worship as harlotry)
• She gave up her responsibilities to do what God's law required
• She controlled God when she made him into an idol (the image of God that she created)
• THEREFORE: The great prostitute wants to pull us away from commitment to God, his rules of life, to pursue our own satisfaction, and to control our own destinies (by controlling our image of God)
• Phrase: "… my God is not like that …" to scripture that is not understood
• Any religion or idea that opposes God's true rule and law
• APPLICATION: What things are idols in our life? Modern society has just as many idols. They are all man-made objects that require our devotion

17:2 (ESV)  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."

• Kings of the earth
• political leaders have drank her wine (philosophy) to the point of drunkenness
• Also the "elites" who think they know what is best for you
• Drunk
• You can't think straight (irrational)
• "When people reject the truth, they will believe lies …"Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Re 17:2). Galaxie Software.
• You allow your baser emotions to control your life (live for pleasure)

17:3 (ESV) 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.

• Vision (carried into a wilderness)
• Woman on a scarlet beast
• Woman in scripture, when used symbolically, describe a religion or a nation
• The woman encapsulates any worldview that opposes the worship of the one true God
• Possibly a world religion is established early in the tribulation period to pull all religious beliefs together
• Scarlet (beast)
• Scarlet is seen as a good thing, mostly. Scarlet is used often when vivid color is desired. Scarlet is associated with wealth. Scarlet is used in the tabernacle covering, clothing, and as a color for lips
• Scarlet is used by Rahab first in scripture to identify her house
• Scarlet is used negatively first in Isa 1:18 "… though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; …"
• Jer 4:30 uses it negatively to describe a woman who covers her desolation with clothing and makeup
• Jesus is dressed in a scarlet robe for the soldiers to mock him (Matt 27:28)
• Beast is the description of Antichrist and the false prophet (Rev 13)
• THEREFORE: Scarlet beast can represent religion, wealth, standing out in the crowd, and also sin
• Blasphemous names
• Discussed earlier. Possibly atheistic. Man is the god of his world, but it could be any religious system that is opposed to the true God
• Babel, historically, is a two-fold picture:
1. What man can create
2. Man tries to storm heaven and conquer God
• Seven heads (Rulers of the world) and Ten horns (regions) describes both Satan and the Antichrist. The diadems are not mentioned, but Satan had seven diadems (probably seven because he wants to be like God) and the Antichrist had all ten horns (he controls all the regions)
• Again, I think the Antichrist, by this point, is essentially Satan living through the man's flesh

17:4 (ESV) 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.

• Woman is wealthy
• Purple and scarlet is also religious
• Woman is corrupt
• Abominations would be things that displease God and are unlawful
• Sexual immorality has been a key attacking point Satan has used to draw people away from God (Example of article about living together. Used opinion regarding divorce which is the opposite of the actual statistics)

17:5 (ESV) And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."

• Babylon is a mystery
• Babylon represents more than just a city
• Babylon is the mother of prostitutes (she births new idol worship) and abominations on the earth (she births new ways to sin)
• Everything that is counter to the worship of God
• Everything that exists to satisfy self above obedience to God
• It could very well be a new worldwide religion

17:6 (ESV) And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. // 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 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.

• Not only is it a religion (could include atheism since that is also a religion), it fights against everything that is Christian (drunk with the blood of the saints)
• I believe that the Antichrist will go after religion, specifically Christianity, in order to cleanse the world of the "evil"
• Why does John marvel?
• Interesting question. Foolishness of the world or desirability of her wares
• We seem to get ruder, more selfish, more sinful, and we think we are progressing
• Beast (previous depiction of was, is not, and about to rise) -- this is the Antichrist indwelt by Satan
• He fools the dwellers on earth by his resurrection occurring around the midpoint of tribulation
• "The beast once was (in the form of Antiochus IV “Epiphanes”), now is not in such an evil form, and will come as the anti-Messiah—as explained in 13:1–8" (Stern, D. H. (1996). Jewish New Testament Commentary : a companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed., Re 17:8). Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications.)
• It could also be the resuscitation of a once-dead nation (such as the Roman Empire)
• Seven heads
• Seven mountains which seat the woman (upon which the woman gets her authority)
• The 7 mountains could be literal: Jerusalem -- doesn't make sense; Rome -- as the continuation of Babylon (but that doesn't fit as well with the drying up of the Euphrates or as the historical origin of Babylon)
• Seven mountains could be symbolic of authority (used that way in scripture, example: Dan 2)
• Seven heads are ALSO (double meaning is permitted here because the passage permits its use--notice the phrase "they are also") rulers/natons
• 5 (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece) have died, 1 living (Rome), and 1 to come (Antichrist) -- these are historical powers who have attacked and imprisoned Israel
• Ten horns - are the ten rulers (who for one hour of power, give the antichrist control or seven regions) who give the Antichrist his rule and authority

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 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."

• … "the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven …" - this is the Antichrist
• One commentator suggested Antiochus IV Epiphanes (would have to be someone like him)
• The ten kings - the rulers of the ten regions who cede power to the Beast. Three are subdued, but seven become vassals
• One hour could also be translated, "one time" (Adam Clarke's Commentary)
• They make war on the Lamb - the whole second half of the tribulation is a war on believers and Jews
• With the seventh seal judgment, Jesus comes to Bosrah and leads a battle against the Antichrist, resulting in his death, and the defeat of the enemy's forces

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."

• The waters are the peoples of the world
• The woman is mystery Babylon, she is also called the great city that controls the earth
• The outcome of the woman:
• The ten horns, representing the ten regions and the beast (Antichrist) hate the woman, this new religion
• The destruction of the mystery Babylon by the ten kings and the Antichrist would occur during the second half (my opinion) of the tribulation, possibly during his attack on Christians (the hate might start in the middle of the tribulation)
• APPLICATION: