Revelation 17
Revelation 17 is a part of a vision about symbolic figures and powers that appear at the end times, beginning with a description of ‘Babylon the Great,’ a ‘great harlot’ that symbolizes a specific city, power, and corrupt religious influence. This chapter can be divided into four main parts.
- Verses 1-6: the vision of the great harlot sitting on the beast, along with her splendor and the depiction of the evil she has done.
- Verses 7-14: an angel interprets the meaning of the vision and explains the harlot, the seven heads, and the beast with ten horns.
- Verses 15-18: the beast and the ten horns hate the harlot and destroy her, along with a warning of the coming downfall of Babylon the Great, the great city she represents.
1verseOne of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2versewith whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.”
3verseHe carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4verseThe woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.
5verseAnd on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
6verseI saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7verseThe angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? 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.
8verseThe beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9verseHere is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
10verseThey are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.
11verseThe beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
12verseThe ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13verseThese have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14verseThese will war against 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.”
15verseHe said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16verseThe ten horns which you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute, will make her desolate, will strip her naked, will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
17verseFor God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18verseThe woman whom you saw is the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
The Symbolism of the Great Harlot and the Beast
In this chapter, the ‘great harlot’ symbolizes idolatry and moral and religious corruption. Her striking gold cups and finery, along with her association with kings, symbolically represent a religion or institution that has aligned itself with worldly power. The beast is an image representing an anti-Christ power and secular political power that appeared in the earlier chapter. In other words, it implies that the combination of these two forces brings corruption, exploitation, and persecution of the saints.
Babylon’s Downfall and God’s Judgment
Babylon, that is, ‘the great city’ (17:18), symbolizes a powerful city of that time and a power that reigns over all nations. Yet even worldly power will eventually destroy itself through deception and schemes, showing that God’s sovereignty and judgment will bring down this unjust coalition. God uses the powers of the world for a common purpose, and in the end, has them be used to remove evil from their own ranks (17:17).
Meditation Points
- Reflect on the allure of the world’s splendor and power—especially the temptation of worldly power that has allied itself with religion or faith—by looking to yourself.
- Through the ‘harlot’ and her downfall, recognize that God’s judgment is something that cannot be avoided, and meditate on what true values and holiness are.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Take a look at what in your life is tempting or misleading you, and check whether you are living according to God’s standards rather than the values of the world.
- Pray so that, as one called to be a saint, you can live a life of faithfulness to God—not ‘a faith that colludes with an unjust power.’
