Revelation
17:1-6Babylon the Great
American Journal of Biblical Theology
Copyright © 2008, J.W. Carter Scripture quotes from KJV
Revelation
17:1-6American Journal of Biblical Theology
Fairy tales do not teach children that dragons exist. They already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales teach children that dragons can be killed. (G.K. Chesterton.)
Chapter 17 of the Revelation of John follows immediately behind the dispensation of the bowl judgments of Chapters 15 and 16, and may be understood to be a continuation of them. However, the transition of chapter 16 to 17 also brings a transition in the object of that judgment from those who follow the unholy trinity of satan, the second beast (the principalities of depravity that rule this world under satan’s control), and the antichrist to the judgment of satan, himself. These chapters are meant to encourage Christians to know that satan will ultimately pay for the season of freedom that he is experiencing while exercising his evil influence in this present age. John presents a detailed case that accuses satan of his crimes against God, describes the influence that those crimes have had upon this earth, and the ultimate punishment that he will deservedly receive. As with the rest of this apocalyptic presentation, John accomplishes these three presentations through the vehicle of metaphor and allegory.
More than any other chapters of the Bible, these two have been used by historicists to defend a realized eschatology wherein they argue that the woman of these chapters is the city of Rome. In an effort to draw parallels between historical events and the events of the Revelation, the complexity and the debauchery of the city both provide sufficient data to compare the two favorably. For each of the descriptions of the beast there are historical and political facts that can be favorably compared. For example, these historicists argue that the seven heads, that both Daniel and John do intend to represent worldly government under satanic control, are the seven Caesars. Of course, there are more than seven Caesars, so one is left with the subjective decision of who to include. The woman in the chapter sits on seven “hills,” (more accurately translated “mountains”), and Rome is said to sit on seven hills. Many such parallels have convinced many scholars of John’s intent to describe Rome in these two chapters. However, the historicist method falls short when the chapters are taken into the context of the rest of the revelation. The beast is not limited to any historical period, and is set free to exercise a final battle before the end times. Historicists are forced to argue that Rome will rise again in order to fulfill that prophesy. Other challenges for the historicist viewpoint include the statement that the woman is the mother of all idolatry, without regard to historical period. Because of this and many other similar shortcomings of the historicist viewpoint, that viewpoint is rejected by this author in favor of John’s presentation of the Revelation as a theological treatise, not a historical one. If we do this, the theology and the application of the metaphors is consistent with both the internal evidence from the Revelation and the apocalyptic and traditional descriptions of idolatry throughout the Old Testament.
Though chapter 17 is a theological continuation of chapter 16, we do recognize that this is a transitional point in the literature where John paints yet another vivid picture that represents a foundation of theological truth.
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 on many waters.
The identification of the angel links this passage with the previous chapters that described the dispensation of the bowl judgments. We can understand chapters 17 and 18 as an extension of the bowl judgments as John more clearly describes the nature of one specific recipient of that judgment: satan, himself. As an extension of the bowl judgments, we can again be reminded that this vignette started at the beginning of chapter 15 with the saints gathered securely around the throne, praising God. This imagery describes a scenario where the redeemed are protected and separated from the circumstances and experiences of the final judgments, and consequently that truth remains.
It is also instructive to be reminded that the Revelation of John is not a treatise of political activism against the political powers of the first century, but rather a theological treatise of God’s sovereignty. John’s is not an historical narrative, but a theological one. We are always tempted to draw parallels between the images of the Revelation and actual historical events, peoples, and nations, but such attempts will always become frustrated when efforts to apply those parallels require additional and unreasonable assumptions and interpolations. We encounter this error in chapter 17 by a school of thought that identifies the great prostitute as the political power that is first-century Rome. This is a simple assumption when we attempt to historicize the Revelation and we clearly recognize that first-century Jews and Christians considered Rome to be the villain of their culture, often referring to the city as their modern Babylon. Where it is easy to draw parallels between the godless idolatry of Rome and the nature of the great prostitute in chapter 18, those parallels break down in chapter 18 where John more clearly describes the meaning of his imagery.
Throughout biblical history there has been no shortage of cities that have been referred to as prostitutes and harlots, including not only Babylon but Nineveh, Sodom and Gomorrah, and even Jerusalem itself. If we use the godlessness and idolatry of these historical cities and combine them with all such centers of godless vice, we will begin to see what John is referring to as “great” in his description of this prostitute.
As she sits on many waters, this great prostitute is not limited to any one city, any one people, or any one government. Ancient civilizations were often defined and identified by the waterway upon which they were situated. Babylon was on the River Euphrates, Rome on the Mediterranean Sea. Jerusalem was identified with the Jordan River. This prostitute covers them all. This prostitute is so great that her immensity and the power of her godlessness astonishes even John who is familiar with the historical centers of idolatry.
The great prostitute is the mother of all idolatry. She is the personification of the spirit of godlessness that pervades the entire world. If we can free ourselves from the attempt to declare any one government (such as Rome) as the singular object of John’s narrative, the meaning of the next verses require little rationalization or speculation.
Finally, the angel proclaims to John that what is to follow will be the revelation of the punishment that is to be served upon the great prostitute. Where the bowls were poured out upon the followers of the beast, the prophesy to follow is given in regards to the beast and his spirit of godless depravity, personified as that great prostitute.
With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
We are certainly not ignorant of the overt expression of sin that so characterizes this wicked world, and we see its application all around us. The ancients often saw it concentrated in the cities, and virtually every city was known for its debauchery. We may even remember how Corinth and Ephesus were considered as capitals of sin in Paul’s day, a period that is contemporary with John. As John refers to the kings and the inhabitants of the earth, he is describing the entire wicked world, not simply the government of Rome.
When we think of kings, we often think of the great kings of the great nations with their palaces and their power over large domains. Even biblical historical narratives describe the events surrounding the lives of the kings of the greater nations of the middle-east. However, the use of the word is not limited to those few key leaders in the region. A first-century king refers to any individual who has reign over an area of land, and that property can be anything from a vast domain to a small valley. A king owns his land, and so a landowner is a king. Ancients drew very little distinction between the titles of king and lord. With this idea in mind we may realize that every square foot of civilized property was owned by someone, and everyone else who did not own land was living on it somewhere. Consequently, John is painting a picture using very wide brush strokes as he is including every worldly influence and everyone who is under those influences.
What is the nature of this worldly network of influence? They are intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries. Intoxication is literally the ingestion of a toxin. The intoxication that John describes is characterized by giving up one’s self control to that toxin. When one comes intoxicated with alcohol, one loses self-control as their senses and thoughts are numbed by that toxic chemical. There are many forces that vie for our control including our lusts for the sensual pleasures of this world, whether they be physical, emotional, or amoral. John describes the leaders and followers of this world as being intoxicated by the godless lusts of idolatries. The great prostitute has duped those who have rejected God into thinking that they are better off immersing themselves in their own base desires, experiencing the banal rewards of their debauchery. Idolatry is simply replacing the authority of God with something else, and the great prostitute has provided a plethora of substitutes.
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert.
Up to this point, the vision has been filled with scenes of dense population and events that imply a scale of violence and activity. Where the cities, like those of Sodom and Gomorrah immerse one in the depths of their idolatries, the desert is a place that has far fewer distractions, and one is able to focus more on what is real and true. We may recall that Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness following His baptism, time spent in preparation. Also, Paul spent three years in the desert wilderness following his conversion to the faith. We may also see an allusion to this distraction by the account of Lot, the nephew of Abraham when he pitched his tents in the desert, “towards Sodom.” This clearly identifies his attraction to the idolatry of the city, an attraction that eventually drew him and his family within its walls. Here we have the idea that John is freed from that distraction and is able to see clearly what God is revealing to him.
There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
We have met this seven-headed beast in Daniel 7, Rev. 12, and Rev. 13. Seated on the beast is now a woman who is to be described in the next verses. There is no such reference to this woman in the other prophecies. The description of this beast is given in detail in Revelation 13, and is revealed to be satan, himself. In the 12th chapter, the beast is described as red, and here he is described as scarlet.
Though there may not be a lot of distinction between red and scarlet. The use of scarlet is consistent with the description of that which is attractive to the world, as opposed to red, which for millennia of pagan religious thought has been linked directly to the presentation of evil. A good and fast scarlet dye was rare and expensive, reserving that which was scarlet for the rich and powerful. People who lust for the finer things in life would look upon scarlet cloth with desire, much like those today who also lust for the rarer and finer possessions. The change of color from red to scarlet may be a metaphor for how the true, red evil of satan is seen by those who exercise their depraved lusts. Rather than seeing the beast as evil, they see him as rare and attractive. This metaphor is also consistent with the description of the woman.
The woman is seated on the beast. Nothing of her character is yet known, but will be revealed in the following verses. Our first impression may be that as a rider on a horse, one who is skilled at the equestrian arts, and controls the beast through the use of a bit in its mouth, reins, ropes and the other tools used to guide the horse to the rider’s destination. There have been examples of literature and recent films that illustrate a rider who drives a dragon in such a manner. However, as we follow the narrative to come, we will see that this rider is not in control of the beast in any way. This rider is fooled into thinking that she is the one in control, when all of the power is actually exercised by beast in a manner that will bring her ultimate downfall. She is in for a wild ride.
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.
We see the woman is dressed in the scarlet that identifies the beast, himself. Again, the scarlet is a metaphor for that which attracts the base desires. In addition, she is clothed in purple, a commonly accepted metaphor is very specific royalty and power. Her attractiveness and her power is complemented by gold, precious stones, and pearls.
There are few individuals on this earth who would not be significantly impressed and impacted if they were presented with a horde of gold, precious stones and pearls and given the opportunity to assume possession. We see this lust expressed in the hearts of many who take part in the lottery systems that promise the possibility of winning millions of dollars in prizes. It is easy to dream of how one would exploit such riches, and by so doing become just as intoxicated in their lust as they would to any other toxic influence. The gold, stones, and pearls all glitter, giving the appearance of something to be greatly desired, and once owned providing great reward.
In her hand is a golden cup. The hand is a metaphor for action. One holds something in their hand with the purpose of using it. To hold a sword in the hand implies a preparation to use violence. A cup contains something that is to be consumed, or to be poured out. From the appearances that we are given so far, the woman is the image of great beauty, attractiveness, and desire. However, what she holds in the cup, veiled by her appearance, belies her true purpose and nature. The Greek word used for abominable things is the same word used by Jesus to describe the “abomination that causes desolation in Mark 13:14, a reference to Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. It is a direct reference to the idolatry that separates people from saving faith. The metaphor of a prostitute is appropriate both practically in that much of the idolatry that was so detested by the faithful was expressed through cult prostitution, and it is appropriate spiritually in that idolatry is the practice of putting the authority of worldly things above the authority of God.
We see in the woman a metaphor for the idolatry that this perverse world lusts after. As she pours out the contents of her cup, it destroys the everlasting lives of all of those who partake of it. This is the purpose and intent of the beast upon which she rides. Alone, the beast has little power to draw people into its treachery, and no power against the Holy Spirit. However, by presenting the woman to the people rather than himself, he draws people by the power of their uncontrolled lusts to their ultimate destruction, the destruction that has already been described in the dispensation of the seven bowls.
This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Most women are probably not known for wearing a title on their forehead. When symbolic literature refers to the forehead, it refers to the obvious characteristics of an individual that can be perceived by the testimony of the way they see their world and interact with it. This metaphor goes a step further. From historical writings we are aware that it was the practice of ancient Roman cult prostitutes to wear their names on the front of their headdress. Perhaps the purpose for this was to enable their clients to identify them for additional future services. However, this image is one that is symbolic, so the name that is written on the forehead of the woman is not a given name, but rather a name in the true sense of the word. To the ancients, a name was used to represent the character of the one named. So, in this example, the names written on the head of the woman defines her character.
We first encounter the word, mystery, the first of her names in this list. It would be no surprise that the word in the Greek, mysterion, would be so translated. When we think of a mystery, we think of something that is occult, and remains hidden. However, this Greek word has quite the opposite meaning. Used in this context, a mysterion is a secret that has been completely revealed. Paul refers to the gospel by this same word. Preceding the description of the character of the woman, mysterion states that what you are about to see is a secret no longer.
Her next name is Babylon the Great. Taken out of context, this name has been used by the practitioners of historicist hermeneutics to argue that the woman is intended to represent the city of Rome. This is not a difficult assessment to make when one considers the parallels between the appearance of the woman and the dragon, and the structure of the Roman Empire. The historicists claim that the seven heads of the dragon are seven dynasties of Roman emperors, though one has to select which of the dynasties to include in this list. The most commonly accepted list includes those from Augustus to Domitian. Others argue that Rome was built on seven hills (Rev. 17:9), represented by the seven heads. Still yet, they ascribe the ten horns to ten lesser rulers in the regions controlled by Rome, defensible when Daniel himself states that the horns represent worldly authorities that are empowered by the beast. Finally, the ancients applied the name of Babylon to any large center of godlessness, and Rome certainly deserved that name. Very well-respected theologians still hold firmly to these assessments.
However, to limit John’s revelation to the historicist viewpoint causes the interpreter to rationalize away many other references to the beast that do not fit the parallel so well. They find themselves searching for people and places to identify with the various presentations of the Revelation. This viewpoint also lessens the identity of the beast and the woman to a single city in a single historical period when John’s Revelation is presenting a theological treatise that is timeless. This Babylon is not limited to any one city or any one time. This is the one Great Babylon that is described in her next two names.
As the mother of prostitutes, the woman clearly represents something far broader than any one worldly political regime. The woman represents the very source from which all idolatry is spawned. This is the ageless influence of sin that has drawn every city from Babel, to Babylon, to Rome, and every other civilization of mankind to its idolatry. The woman is not Rome, but she is the mother of that which made the godlessness of Rome, or Corinth, or Ephesus, or Las Vagas for that matter.
Finally, she is also the mother of all of the abominations of the earth. The prostitutes of the previous name refer to the agents of sin, those who whether in the guise of community culture or in the actions of the individual seek to promote practices of abominations. She is also the mother of those abominations that the prostitutes promote. She is the mother of every ungodly practice and of every sin that separates people from God.
We see in the beast and the woman, the dragon and its rider, a metaphor for the process by which satan lures and deceives this world into rejecting God. Satan feeds upon the natural lusts of man, offering to him that which satiates their desires in return for their rejection of God.
I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
Have the martyrs died for nothing? Have those who have been persecuted died in vain? These are appropriate questions for those who have not had the opportunity to see the eternal impact of their service to the LORD. Those who persecute the saints do so at the direction of the beast, whose work is personified in the woman who he carries. Her guilt cannot be hidden. She is so immersed in her bloodlust that she is showing the characteristics of a drunk: one who is under the influence of the toxin. The one who is actually controlling the bloodbath of persecution is the beast upon which she rides.
John’s readers, can be encouraged to know that Rome is not the primary source of their persecution, but rather that spirit of depravity that is promoted by satan himself, the beast who will be judged once and for all for his bloodlust. It would seem that Rome, Babylon, or any other city that they identify with bloodthirsty persecution of the saints will ever be judged for their sin. Cities simply rise and fall as their populations rise and fall. However, the woman is not the intangible remains of a human city, but rather a personal and powerful being who has been exercising his freedom to persecute the spirits of people since God breathed life into Adam.
When John came to understand the true nature of idolatry and its influence on mankind across the ages, he was astonished, or struck with great awe. When we look at the evil in this world, we first focus on the people who practice it. We are the first to pass judgment upon people and attribute to their own souls the source motivation for their depravity. Using this world-view we see the wickedness of this world expressed through a world full of evil people, an army of depravity against which the faithful have no ultimate weapon or recourse. However, it is as though the LORD lifted a cover off of the evil of this world to reveal to John the true source of its depravity, and he was presented with a vision of the real Babylon, the mother of all of its depravity through the ages. Babylon is not a city that can be won in military conflict. Babylon is not those people he sees every day who despise people of faith and continue to live in sin. Babylon is the ageless great prostitute of idolatry itself, a tool used by satan to lure and defeat the human race.