(Photo above is by Br-jsosa Posted in Babylon the Great
In verse one, John again speaks of the seven angels with the seven bowls, as he mentions that one of these angels talked to him.
This links Chapter 17 (and 18), to the bowl judgments of Chapter 16. These two chapter focus on one aspect of those judgments and the angel tells us what that is.
It is “the judgment of the great harlot” – Babylon. In John MacArthur’s study guide, which I am using to help our understanding of this book, he notes that in Revelation Babylon “refers to the entire worldwide political, economic, and religious kingdom of Antichrist, not to a real city in John’s time.”
Thus, the next two chapters will describe for us God’s final judgment upon this idolatrous world system.
1-7
When the Holy Spirit carries John away to the wilderness, he sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, having seven head and ten horns.
The woman is Babylon, the idolatrous world system, the beast is the Anti-christ, who supports the world system for a while and uses it to bring about world peace.
We see a perfect analogy given as Babylon is compared to a harlot. Just as a harlot seduces her prey into sexual sin, so this powerful world system of Babylon seduces the great leaders of the world into idolatry.
Just as men can be swayed over the edge of temptation with alcohol, so will the people of the world be swept up into the intoxication and sin of Babylon’s false system of religion.
She is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. It is certain that false religion has slain many a believer in its efforts to stifle truth.
John admits, he was astonished when he saw this woman on her beast, but the angel assures him that he will explain the mystery of how the beast – the antichrist- will help the harlot – Babylon- and together they will rule the world – for a time.
8-13
He then begins his explanation. He tells him that the beast is, in fact, the antichrist and makes reference to how he will create a false death and resurrection of himself.
All those who have rejected Christ will be deceived by this drama and wooed into worshipping the antichrist.
He explains that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains or “hills” on which the harlot sits, referring to seven kingdoms.
There are also seven kings. MacArthur notes that at the time of John’s writing, the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek empires had ceased to exist. Rome still existed, and the Antichrist’s empire had yet to come. This would account for the “five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come.”
The Antichrist is said to be the seventh and eighth kingdom due to his supposed death and “resurrection.”
The ten horns are ten kings, or actually ten sub-rulers under the Antichrist’s kingdom. They will reign only for the brief final 3 1/2 years of the tribulation.
The kings are all of one mind, all yielding power to the Antichrist.
14-18
The angel then foretells the Battle of Armageddon in which these kings, along with their ruler, will make war with the Lamb of God. Christ will over come them along with those who have remained faithful to Him.
The angel then foretells, how the Antichrist and his kingdom will turn on Babylon, the false religious system it has used to gain its power.They will plunder and destroy Babylon and seize all power for themselves.
All of this, is part of God’s plan, for He has put it in to their hearts to do such a thing.
This will be the fate of the woman who once seemed so powerful.
Final Thoughts
Power- to those who don’t know Christ, and even to some who do, it is one of the most valued commodities of this world. Some people would turn on their flesh and blood just to have just a little taste of power. But a taste of it, is never enough.
And so it will be with the Antichrist. Powered by Satan himself, the Antichrist will become the most powerful man in the world. Yet, just like all those before him who set the same goal, his unquenchable thirst for power will be his downfall.
In the end, he, just like the idolatrous world system he created, will be destroyed, and all power will be rightfully returned back to the only one worthy of it – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Oh, what a day that will be!!!