Ch 17: Babylon the whore.
Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992.
Click here to visit her "Revelation Illustrated"
site.
1. The woman on the beast (17:1).
17:1 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. 2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 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. 5 This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 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.
Chapter 16 describes the punishment of those who worship the beast, Chapters 17-18 describes the destruction of Babylon, chapter 19 describes the destruction of the beast and false prophet and chapter 20 describes the end of Satan. cf. Heb 10:12-13 in which Christ waits for his enemies to become his footstool.
The key to reading this passage in Revelation, chapters 17-18, for the first time is to understand that John is referring to Rome as the woman and the emperor (or empire) as the beast. The Roman empire extended over a great area geographically and had conquered many kingdoms, these kingdoms had to extend their loyalty to Rome. The emperor lived extravagantly as did most of Rome and huge quantities of luxurious items and slaves were imported into Rome, hence the mourning over her doom by the merchants and shipmasters who had lost their trade. By then there was great immorality within Rome and this had spread to surrounding provinces, for example, Corinth. The letters to the Corinthians were written to correct many of the problems this involved. We find in Revelation the woman Jezebel given as an example of this within the church at Thyatira (2:20). Rome also persecuted the saints which is mentioned in this chapter, remember that John was on Patmos for his faith. Remember also that empire and emperor can be interchangeable. So Rome and its empire are his model for these chapters. However there is a deeper meaning because John is using the general term Babylon and not specifically Rome so it does not just apply to those times but extends forward in time to cover all future ungodly empires of which the Roman is his current example, but reaching its climax with the empire of the antichrist.
The woman is the personification of that earthly city which is to be seen in contrast to the heavenly city the new Jerusalem. She is an earthly counterfeit of that heavenly city, she is covered in precious jewels, pearls and gold as is also the new Jerusalem. She is to be contrasted to the woman in chapter 12, who represents God's elect and who is clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She is the earthly copy of God's heavenly society which is His church, she is the world that is human society organised independently and in defiance of God. We see her in Cain who murdered his brother and went out from the presence of the Lord to found a city (Gen 4:16-17). We see her in Babel in which mankind, in rebellion to God, conspired together to make a tower so that they could reach heaven (Gen 11:4), a religion of works. We see that the woman and the city is a composite city; Egypt, Sodom and earthly Jerusalem (11:8) being one example, she represents false or apostate religion as represented by earthly Jerusalem who persecuted the prophets and crucified our Lord. She also represents the world with its the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does (1 John 2:16). She represents the world's power, the world's riches, the world's trade, the world's religions and the world's commerce and culture. Her destruction occurs with the seventh bowl, 16:17, in which a tremendous earthquake causes the great cities of the nations to collapse, the great city Babylon is split into three parts. At Babel they began building a city with a tower that reached into the heavens in order to make a name for themselves but God scattered them around the world, and even today all the worlds major cities are competing to build skyscrapers taller than each other. One only has to think of Manhattan with its great skyscrapers, the twin towers of the world trade centre, which are monuments to mankind's achievements, when they are destroyed commerce will be destroyed and those who used it to become rich will mourn her passing. Hailey comments that she is the third of Satan's three methods of destroying the church after the two beasts who represent political power and false religion or false doctrine. She represents the world of lust, all that appeals to the flesh or the mind and entices and seduces us away from God, just as she successfully enticed the kings and inhabitants of the earth away from God. This can be seen by the image of her destruction in which she is a great millstone being hurled into the sea; thus she represents the temptations of the world causing believers to be tempted into sin (Mat 18:6).
In considering the identity of the woman the following points need to be considered:
- She is described as the prostitute who is to be contrasted with the bride (the church).
- Babylon the earthly city is to be contrasted to the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem.
- The great city is described figuratively as 'Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified' (11:8).
- She sits on many waters which are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
- She is to be distinguished from the beast upon whom she sits and who destroys her.
- She is the city of power, excessive luxury and great wealth.
- She persecuted the saints.
- She rules over the kings of the earth.
- She is associated with music, trade, farming, marriage, merchants and persecution.
- With her the kings of the earth commit adultery and the inhabitants are intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries
- In view of the emphasis of the book that only God is to be worshipped she should be viewed as the temptress who tempts men away from God.
v1 - 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. - This starts another new scene, the destruction of the great city has already been mentioned in the seventh bowl (16:19). This is now expanded upon in these two chapters. One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues showed John the punishment of the great prostitute, compare this with the same angel who showed John the bride, the wife of the Lamb, one is punished the other becomes the wife of the Lamb, see 21:9. The Greek word for punishment (krima) is elsewhere translated as judged (18:20 cf. 20:4). The great prostitute is clearly to be contrasted with the bride, the wife of the Lamb, the New Jerusalem and she could therefore be the apostate church although there does not seem to be much of a religious aspect to her, the apostate church would more likely be called an adulterer. There are various references to people prostituting themselves, some are about the heathen, Exo 34:15, but others concern God's people, Deu 31:16, Ezek 16:15. The root of the prostitution referred here is idolatry, that is greed, Col 3:5, she is exceedingly wealthy. A prostitute sells her body for money, Babylon sell her soul for wealth and power over the kings of the earth who are her lovers. One is reminded of the words of Jesus in Mat 16:26 'What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul'? She is called the 'great' prostitute, compare this with the expression Babylon the great. However a veiled reference to Babylon is given in Rev 11:8 where the great city is where the bodies of the two witnesses lie (the church) and the great city is described as 'figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified'. Here is a reference to earthly Jerusalem the home of the Pharisees who Jesus castigates in no uncertain terms. Babylon is also closely associated with the beast who has both political and ecclesiastical power as shown in Ch. 13. Thus the great prostitute is the great city which is Babylon, it represents the world system which includes the apostate church which is so worldly it is part of the world. She sits on many waters which are later explained as 'peoples, multitudes, nations and languages' (17:15), this four-fold expression signifies that she rules the whole world.
In the bible other cities are described as prostitutes, Nineveh because of her barbarity, Nah 3:4, and Tyre for her worldliness which involved trade with all nations, Isa 23:15-17 (Caird). Jerusalem is condemned for her injustice, Isa 1:21-23, 'she who was once faithful has become a harlot'. Worshipping other gods is likened to prostitution, Exo 34:14-17, Lev 17:6-7. Idolatry is also prostitution, Lev 17:6-7, Ezek 16:17, 23:49. Most of the references in the OT to prostitution refer to the spiritual apostasy in idol worship of Israel or Jerusalem, see Ezek 16:1 ff., Lev 20:4-6, Deu 31:16, 2 Chr 21:11, Jer 2:19-21, Jer 3:1-3, Ezek 23:49, Hosea 9:1. In Num 15:38-39 the Israelites were told to obey God's commands and not prostitute themselves by going after the lusts of their own hearts and eyes.
As with the other figurative description of the great city as Egypt, Sodom and Jerusalem (16:19), Babylon is a compound city as Nineveh, Tyre and Jerusalem above indicate. The dirges of mourning over the destruction of Babylon in the next chapter are mainly taken from the doom songs over Tyre, Nineveh and Babylon in the OT. There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that Babylon is the apostate church, this idea is more likely to have come from the historicist school during reformation times who saw the Roman Catholic church as Babylon. Although she should certainly be contrasted with the new Jerusalem (the church). Walvoord says that Ch. 17 concerns ecclesiastical Babylon and Ch. 18 political Babylon, his main argument is that she is sitting on the beast who represents political power and that she therefore must represent ecclesiastical power. That she rides the beast suggests that she is supported by the beast and that on the other hand she is in the dominant role at least outwardly. There have also been suggestions that Babylon is the false prophet or the second beast who is no longer required to sustain the power of the first beast. This would make sense of the plot but there is no substantial evidence to support this view. That the apostate church is part of Babylon is true however, the Egypt, Sodom, Jerusalem model indicates this as well as apostate Jerusalem being called a harlot along with Nineveh and Tyre. The church when it is apostate is indistinguishable from the world.
v1 - "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. - The angel wants to show John her punishment and destruction which is described in verse 16 and in the seventh plague 16:19 and in 18:8. We find here in chapter 17 and 18 both a description and the punishment of one of the enemies of the church. The destruction and punishment of the rest of her enemies are dealt with later. She must not be confused with the woman of Rev 12. The woman is the city Babylon, see v18. She is insolent, proud and idolatrous, she calls herself the eternal queen (Is 47:7). See also the description of Tyre in Ezek 27, 28, Tyre is also a type of Babylon, a lament over the fall of Tyre is used as the basis for the mourning of the merchants and sea captains in Rev 18:11-19. Babylon indicates the world of industry, commerce, art, culture which seek to entice and seduce the believer away from God. The description of the king of Tyre in Ezek 28:12 is frequently thought to describe Satan's origin, see also Is 47:7-13 for a description of Babylon and Is 23 especially v17 where Tyre 'will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth'. She is explained in Rev 17:18, as the 'great city that rules over the kings of the earth', in John's time she would be Rome that had conquered many nations. As a prostitute she seduces people away from God and makes them unfaithful, just as a prostitute seduces men from their wives, she multiplies the unfaithful among men (Prov 23:28). The waters are explained in Rev 17:15, as 'peoples, multitudes, nations and languages' notice this four fold description, indicating that her reign extends over the four corners of the world. However the many waters is probably also a reference to the irrigation canals of ancient Babylon, Jer 51:13. She also sits on the beast out of the sea (many waters) who has authority over every tribe, people, language and nation, 13:7.
v2 - With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." - The adultery here is her spiritual adultery, that is following after idols and the lusts of their own hearts rather than obeying the commandments of God. Greed is also referred to as idolatry (Col 3:5), as is the materialism of the modern world. The woman prostituted herself in defiance of God and the kings and nations follow her in disobeying God's commandments, in doing so they become intoxicated as with wine and do not understand their own actions. An example of the prostitute is the trade of Tyre, Isa 23:17 'She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth', whose basic sin is materialism. The kings of the earth join in with the woman in her sins and in doing so are unfaithful to their Creator. The kings join Rome in seeking wealth and power. Swete speaks of the of the kings of the earth as the rulers of territories which have been absorbed into the Empire or were allied to it, and promoted its ends. The adultery of which these kings were guilty consisted in purchasing the favour of Rome by accepting her suzerainty and with it her vices and idolatries. If Rome was the temptress, the nations and their rulers had shown themselves ready to comply. Few such kings remained within the Empire; but John is speaking of the past. He could remember e.g. the princes of the Herod family. The kings have joined her in her sins as does the rest of the world who follow the example of the kings. Twice more in Rev 18:3 and 18:9 there are references to the kings of the earth committing adultery with her, in both there are references to her luxuries, i.e. her materialism. Jesus warns his disciples to be on their guard against all kinds of greed, and that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15).
v2 - the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries." - Not only the kings but inhabitants of the earth are drunk with her wine. The inhabitants of the earth add this to their sins, they are drunk with her wine, just as they persecute the saints (6:10), gloat over their death (11:10), worship the beast (13:8) and in 17:8 they are those whose names are not in the Lambs book of life. In 14:8 we have already heard the description of Babylon as the city which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. See Jeremiah's description of her doom in Jer 50:7 'Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord's hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad'. The world is seduced by her splendour and the gold cup in her hand which is filled abominable things. In Eph 5:18 we are reminded that drunkenness leads to debauchery (unrestrained sin). In Nahum 3:1-7 Nineveh is condemned because she 'enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft', she was a 'city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims', she is described as having the 'the wanton lust of a harlot, alluring, the mistress of sorceries', we can see from this where John gets some of his language from. Hughes comments that even a great city that was once faithful (Jerusalem) can become a harlot (Isa 1:21); hence the distinction between the old Jerusalem which has become the city of this fallen world, in bondage to earthly passions, which even stones the prophets and the new Jerusalem, the city of God, from above which is free and pure (Gal 4:25; Heb 11:10, 16, 12:22, 13:14; Rev 3:12, 21:2). The fornication or harlotry intended here is simply unfaithfulness to God, which comes to expression in the unholy pride and ambition of human self-centredness, in hatred and violence, in vice and immorality, and in every form of idolatry, which, whether it be the worship of images or of money or of worldly power, is the worship of the creature rather than the Creator (Hughes). In simple terms we can say that the world is worldly: it has given itself over to the things of this world rather than the things of God (1 John 2:15 ff., Col 3:2), the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things come and distract a person from God (Mark 4:19).
v3 - Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.- John was carried away in the Spirit see also 1:10, 4:2, 21:10. In the desert where there are no worldly distractions and he is safe from her, he sees her as she really is (xxxx), he sees her sitting on a beast, the same as the beast from the sea, 13:1. The closeness of the woman and the beast indicating a close connection between the two. The beast is covered with blasphemous names, (cf. 13:1, 5), indicating its contempt of God and his people whom the woman persecutes, 17:6. The woman is seated on the first beast out of the sea, that is she is supported by the political power of the beast and thereby by Satan. That she is seated on the beast would indicate that she is in control of the beast but this is illusory. There is clearly a close relationship between the woman and the beast, because the woman sits on the beast. She is drunk with the blood of the saints, see verse 6, and the beast also makes war against the saints Rev 13:7, both persecute the church, they act together.
Some see this as the alliance of false church and state, the ecclesiastical woman rides the beast and is in control of the beast or the state. However I think that the two beasts of Rev 13 are a much clearer symbol of the alliance of false religion and the state. She symbolises the wealth and luxury that political power brings with it.
v4 - 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 - Purple and scarlet cloth was very expensive and would only be worn by the rich (see the rich man in Lk 16:19). Her wealth was also indicated by the fact that she glittered with gold and precious stones and pearls, see also the description of Tyre in Ezek 27:22. The merchants in Rev 18:16 describe the great city as 'dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.' It should be noted that she was 'glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls' and therefore has some similarity with the New Jerusalem who is also described as being made of pure gold, decorated with every kind of precious stone and pearls (21:18-21) she is therefore an earthly copy of the new Jerusalem the city of God, she is a counterfeit, Satan copies what God creates (xxxx). In 17:18 the woman is described as the great city that rules over the kings of the earth which is an allusion to the Rome of John's day. The Rome of the day was very wealthy and extravagant. Pearls were especially liked and to show off their wealth people would dissolve a very precious pearl in wine and then drink it (Barclay).
In verse 2 we found that 'the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries' now we see the gold cup in her hand from which the people drank which was 'filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries'. The woman has the allure of being attractive but her golden cup is full of filth, Jer 51:7. The gold cup looks attractive from the outside and succeeds in enticing men away from God, who thereby become filthy. John is describing the spirit of the world and 'all that glitters'. He sees her as God sees her, as she really is. The world and its allure are described by John in 1 John 2:16 'For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world'. Some also point out that purple and scarlet is the ecclesiastical dress of the Roman Church, which on occasions also involves glittering jewel and of course the gold cup. The ecclesiastical side to the whore is also found in verse 6 where she is drunk with the blood of the saints. In her hand is a golden cup, another symbol of luxury and wealth, from which one would expect a pure and delightful drink. But instead it is 'full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornications'(xxxx). 'These summarise the detestable things of her idol worship, her vices and corruptions which the world offers and by which it would seduce mankind. The world may serve its drink in a golden cup, but what it offers is abominable in the sight of God, and leads to degradation and death (Prov 9:13-18). It contains all that appeals to he lust of the flash, lust of the eyes, pride of life, but it results in base and filthy consequences. Although Babylon offers the cup to the world, in turn she becomes a golden cup in the hand of God to madden the nations (Jer 51:7). She holds in her hand the cup of her own self-destruction as the consequences of her sins are turned back upon her (cf. v. 16)', (see Hailey). The root of her abominations is idolatry (Deu 7:25, 2 Pet 4:3). A contemporary example of the cup of the world's filth is the television which shows many things which in God's eyes are an abomination; 'what is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight' (Luke 16:15).
Jesus used the metaphor of a cup to describe the Pharisees who looked righteous from the outside (they cleaned the outside of the cup) but inside they were full of greed and self-indulgence (Mat 23:25). He also used the metaphor of a cup to describe his own suffering in which he had to drink from the cup that God gave him (Mat 26:39, John 18:11), in communion we also drink from a cup to remind ourselves of his suffering when he drank the Fathers cup to the full (1 Cor 11:25) so that we might not have to drink the cup of God's wrath.
The gold cup contains those things which seduce and entice men away from God, the cup promises pleasure, power and riches but drinking from her cup results in destruction. God's way is to drink the cup of self denial and its drink results in eternal life. The use of a cup here filled with filth also contrasts with the cup of the wine of the fury of his (God's) wrath which he gave Babylon the great (16:19). In 18:6 the angel says that God will 'Mix her a double portion from her own cup'. In 14:10 the same metaphor is used in which those who worship the beast will also drink from the cup of the wine of God's wrath. Just as she offered the world to drink from the cup of her filth and abominations so she and those who drink of her cup will drink from the cup of God's wrath. Both those who sin and those who cause sin will likewise be punished (Mat 18:7).
v5 - This title was written on her forehead MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. - Her name reveals her true character. This introduces the woman as Babylon, that great city. Babylon has already been mentioned by the second angel in 14:8 and in the seventh bowl in which a great earth quake split the great city (Babylon) in three parts, Babylon the great is then introduced. Babylon is also mentioned more figuratively as 'Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified' (Rev 11:8). There we find a definition of Babylon consisting of immorality, cruelty and persecution. Cities concentrate all that is worse among humanity. Babylon is identified as the great city in 18:10 and she is described as the city of power. The woman is also clearly identified by the angel as the great city in 17:18 'The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth'. In 18:17 she is described as having great wealth. She is called the mother of prostitutes, she spawns and multiplies those who are unfaithful to God (Prov 23:27). A mother produces more of her kind. A prostitute will sell her body for money, Babylon sold its soul for wealth and power, (Mat 16:26 'What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?'). The word mystery should not be part of the name. Mystery in the biblical sense means something unknown to the uninitiated but will be obvious to those who are initiated. The mystery is revealed by the angel later starting in verse 7. Other groups have names on their forehead, those who have the mark of the beast, 13:16, 14:9, the 144,000 who have their Father's name written on their forehead, 14:1, 22:4. A number of authors point out that Roman prostitutes wore on their brows labels inscribed with their names (Morris).
According to Horton the name 'Babylon' is the Greek form of the Hebrew Babel, which is derived from the Hebrew balal, 'to confuse', which produced the noun Balbel, which evolved so that the first l was assimilated into the second b (see Gen 11:9). The Greeks typically added endings on names, so they changed it to Babylon. Babylon was built on the site of Babel, they wanted to build a city with a tower, Gen 11:4, the tower represents mans religion of self effort. It also represents the union of politics and religion. Milligan points out that Babylon means 'the city of confusion', see Gen 11:9. The woman should be seen as the city of the beast which is Babylon. The first city was founded by a murderer, Cain, who did not understand the principles of true religion which Abel did, Gen 4:17, Abel recognised that sacrifice was required to please God. There is also the link with the woman 'wickedness' from Zech 5:6-11 who was transported in a measuring basket to the land of Babylonia where a house would be built for her there, the implication being that Babylonia is where all wickedness dwells. In the verse being studied Babylon the Great is the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth. In 18:23 she is described as the city who by her magic spell she led all the nations astray. In 14:8 she made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries. When the languages of people of Babel were confused all their wickedness was spread around the world so that all her religions and idolatry were also spread around the world. The kingdom of the beast exercises political and religious power as shown in chapter 13, the beast from the sea (political) and the beast out of the land (religious power), the original tower of Babel was also a political and religious project. So the beast is attempting to finish this project and create a kingdom that God said should not happen. In order to do this the beast uses religion (the image of the beast) to unify the world whereas formerly the world was unified by one language.
v6 - I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. - Not only does she make others drunk (14:8, 17:2) but she herself is drunk with the blood of the saints. To be drunk with blood is a figure for lust for violence. The city is figuratively described as Sodom, Egypt and Jerusalem in Rev 11:8. Jerusalem signifies the religion of the Pharisees and Sadducees who kill the prophets and stone those sent to her as well as crucifying our Lord. She persecutes the saints, typified by old Jerusalem which killed the prophets, Mat 23:37, Rev 11:8. Drunk because they do not know what they are doing, Luke 23:34. John probably has especially in mind the high priest and chief priests who crucified Jesus (Rev 11:8 cf. John 19:15), but not only Jesus was crucified but also his followers will be (Mat 23:34). Rome persecuted the saints especially during Nero and Domitian's time and later during the reformation. While it is mostly the wealth and trade of Babylon that is described here there is a religious side to her as well as she persecutes the saints. She persecutes them because they do not drink her wine and through their lives they condemn her. She sits on the beast who himself wages war against the saints (13:7) and in this respect she allies herself to him and carries out his work who is in turn carrying out the work of Satan who is making war against those who obey God's commandments (12:17).
v6 - When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. - John's astonishment is because he sees the woman riding the hideous beast, and he sees the allure of the world as it really is. He was in the Spirit at the time and so he saw the spiritual reality, he saw her as God sees her, may God open our spiritual eyes also. The whole world was astonished by the beast and followed it (13:3, 17:8).
1.1. The mystery of the woman and the beast explained (17:7).
17:7 Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
Rev 17:9 "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
17:12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers."
17:15 Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
v7 - Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. - John is astonished at the woman and the beast, the angel gently rebukes John, and explains the mystery of the woman and beast. This probably raises more problems than it solves. The angel describes the beast at length first because he is more important, the woman's fall is described at length later. The beast is the one from the sea Rev 13:1 and on which the woman sits, Rev 17:3.
v8 - The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. - The description of the beast who 'once was, now is not, and will come' is in contrast to God who is, and who was, and who is to come (Rev 1:4, 1:8, 4:8). The career of the beast parodies that of the lamb for the lamb descends from heaven and returns to heaven while the beast ascends from the Abyss and then descends into it. Therefore he can be regarded as 'an', or 'the', antichrist, anti does not mean against but the antithesis (opposite) or instead of, he is a counterfeit. John defines him as the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22) and Paul says that: 'He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God' (2 Thess 2:4). The beast 'now is not' meaning that he is not currently on the world scene which anticipates his future appearance and is therefore a warning to the church, likewise verse 10 places them in the reign of a sixth king. The beast comes out of the Abyss and goes back to his destruction in the Abyss then hell; this emphasises the Satanic nature of the beast coming as he does from the pit of hell and receiving his authority from Satan (13:2 cf. 9:1, 9:11, 11:7, 20:3). This could be a reference to Nero who once was, now is not (he committed suicide), and will come again, a reference perhaps to renewed persecution under Domitian. It is more likely to refer to the final antichrist or the man of lawlessness who is doomed to destruction (2 Thess 2:3) of which Nero and Domitian would be types. In Rev 13:3 we find that the beast had a fatal wound which had been healed.
v8 - will come up out of the Abyss - See Rev 11:7 when the two witnesses have finished their testimony then the beast that comes out of the Abyss will attack and overpower them. He comes out of the Abyss which is the abode of demons. The fact that he comes out of the Abyss links him to Satan who is the angel of the Abyss, 9:11.
v8 - go to his destruction - He will be thrown into the lake of fire, along with the false prophet and later Satan, see Rev 19:20.
v8 - The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come. - John was astonished when he saw the woman. The world will be astonished when they see the beast, see also Rev 13:3 in which the world was astonished at the fatal wound that had been healed. This could be a reference to the Nero redivivus myth in which Domitian would be seen as Nero resurrected. There is something about the reappearance of the beast that astonishes the world, probably because it will be so unexpected. Just as the second coming of Christ will be unexpected, it will surprise the world who will mourn his coming. But the saints whose names are in the book of life will not be taken in by him, those who know their God will firmly resist him, Dan 11:32.
v9 - "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. - For the second time in the book wisdom is required, just as wisdom is required to calculate the number of the beast, Rev 13:18. The beast has seven heads which are seven hills upon which the woman sits, this identifies her with Rome in John's time but the great city is more than just Rome, but Rome was the supreme example at that time. Her excessive luxury, pride and persecution are well known as are her seven hills. Johnson points out the word here translated hills is elsewhere in Revelation translated as mountain. He also points out that the seven hills refer to the beast and not to the woman. Mountains allegorically refer to world powers in the Prophets (Isa 2:2, Jer 51:25, Dan 2:35, Zec 4:7). The expression in the next verse that they are also seven kings identifies the mountains as seven kings.
v10 - They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. - Wisdom is once more required. The seven heads of the beast are seven hills and also seven kings, they are seven incarnations of the beast, the number seven should be taken symbolically. Five have fallen and one is and another has yet to come. So one of the heads is currently a king, but note, in verse 11 that the beast is not. It is possible that John is projecting himself back to the reign of Vespasian. The five who have been are therefore Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero; the one who 'is' is Vespasian; the one who is to come is Titus (Barclay). There are many other permutations possible and none is satisfactory. The difficulties arise by taking seven kings to be a literal seven rather than meaning completeness, a complete series of emperors. They are living in the time of the sixth king and it is largely a time of quiet, there is only one contemporary martyr (Antipas), and part of the church is asleep. He is placing his readers at the time of the sixth for symbolic reasons: at the sixth trumpet and sixth bowl forces are gathered for the final showdown, while the seventh each depict a short but crucial moment of crisis. If they do not keep awake now, when the crisis comes they will be among the earth-dwellers captivated by the beast - the Antichrist they do not discern (Sweet). The other has not yet come, but when he comes 'He must remain for a little while' this shows God's fore knowledge and will. It is more likely that the king 'who is' is Domitian who is a type of the antichrist who is to come. The seventh king is not the beast who is an eighth king. One should also remember that the kings have kingdoms so that the seven kings can also be interpreted as a succession of (not necessarily seven) empires. In the next verse we find that the beast is an eighth king and he belongs to the seven, therefore the seven kings should be taken to be a series of tyrannical empires who persecute the church, they are proto-beasts, remember that these seven heads are heads of the beast, the eighth king being the antichrist.
v11 - The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. - The beast is not the seventh king who must remain for a little while. But he belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction, his destruction is featured in 19:20 and also in 2 Thess 2:7-8. Notice the repetition from verse 8, 'The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction'. He will reappear in the future from the pit of hell and go to his destruction. Revelation is designed to show us the final victory of good over evil. He is the supreme embodiment of the previous seven kings. Seven stands for completeness not to be taken literally, eight is one more than seven and eight is the number of Christ he is the counterfeit of Christ, see 13:18. The beast belongs to this complete series of seven kings, he once was present in the world, but he is not here now, but he will appear in the future in a new way. There is some validity in the concept that he could appear in a revived Roman empire or even papal empire. The beast is probably to be identified with the fourth beast of Daniel 7:23, 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it'. His destruction is shown in Dan 7:26, see also Dan 11:45.
v12 - "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. - Ten is a symbolic number and the ten kings is a complete number of kings, not necessarily ten, they reign for one hour, a short time as God sees it. The one hour is the last hour mentioned by John in his epistle (1 John 2:18). They will join with the antichrist for the last battle mentioned in verse 14, and also in Rev 16:14, 19:19, they could be the kings of the east, Rev 16:12. The ten kings can also be Daniel's ten kings who come from the kingdom of the forth beast, Dan 7:24. They can also be the kings of the earth mentioned in 19:19. Whoever they are they are 'purely eschatological figures representing the totality of the powers of all nations on the earth which are to be made subservient to antichrist', Beckwith quoted by Mounce. The number ten is symbolic and indicates completeness. It does not point to ten specific kings nor to ten European kingdoms of a revived Roman empire (Mounce).
v13 - They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast. - Their one purpose is to make war against the Lamb (v14) and in order to do this they give their power and authority to the beast, who is another king. However God's purpose is different to their purpose which is that they destroy Babylon, 17:16-17.
v14 - They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." - The title Lord of lords and King of kings goes back to Deu 10:17 (also Psa 136:3, Dan 2:47, 1 Tim 6:15) and is repeated in Rev 19:16 which is presumably the same battle, in Rev 1:5 He is described as 'the ruler of the kings of the earth' and we find its fulfilment here. Just as the beast makes war against the saints, Rev 13:7, and conquers them now he makes war against the Lamb but loses. This battle is again referred to in Rev 19:19 which is the second coming, the Lamb's called, chosen and faithful followers are called his army (Rev 19:14). This is also the battle of Armageddon from the sixth bowl (16:14), this is clearly the second coming (v15). This must identify the beast as the antichrist who the Lord will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming, 2 Thess 2:7-8. Once again there is reference to the messianic Psalm 2:1-5 here. For his called, chosen and faithful followers see the armies of heaven in 19:14, and the 144,000 of 14:4.
v15 - Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. - Having described the beast the angel now turns his attention to the woman. The waters you saw refers back to verse 1, where he saw the great prostitute who sits on many waters, these are interpreted as the peoples of the world, those who worship the beast, and from whom the beast arises. The beast arises from the sea that is also the nations. Notice the four fold description 'peoples, multitudes, nations and languages' indicating that she rules the four corners of the earth.
v16 - The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. - In their desire for power the beast and the ten kings (ten horns) will destroy the world, its trade and its glitter and so fulfil God's purpose. Nero the emperor actually set fire to Rome, which typifies what is to come, the beast ..... will hate the prostitute.... and burn her flesh with fire. In Lev 21:9 the punishment for being a prostitute was to be burned in the fire. Her end in fire, in which the smoke from her goes up for ever and ever (19:3) also corresponds to the end of the other enemies of God, the devil, the false prophet and the beast who are thrown into the lake of burning sulphur (20:10) and those who worship the beast and his image (14:11, 20:15). These kings eat her flesh just as the birds eat the flesh of kings and generals later in the great supper of God, Rev 19:17. The destruction of Babylon also coincides with the seventh plague, Rev 16:17. The ten kings receive authority for one hour along with the beast and fight the Lamb, Rev 17:14, see also 19:19 places the destruction of Babylon close to the second coming of Christ. If Babylon is taken to be ecclesiastical power then having got what he wants from her, in that she made the world worship the beast, he now destroys her.
Milligan, who sees the woman as false religion, gives an example that John would be familiar with in which the false church and the beast persecute the true church, but later the beast destroys the false church. When they crucified Jesus Pilate said to the Jews "Shall I crucify your king?" and the chief priests answered "We have no king but Caesar," (John 19:15). We have an example of the woman riding or controlling the beast, and yet in AD 70 the Roman armies succeeded in completely destroying Jerusalem and all in her.
v17 - For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. - They, the beast and ten horns, are willing helpers. Their purpose is to make war against Christ and his army, see v14, but God uses them to fulfil his purposes in order to destroy the prostitute.
v18 - The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." - In the OT the two cities listed as 'great city' are Nineveh and Jerusalem, and there is also the 'great Babylon'. The interpretation of the woman as the great city, means Babylon, see Rev 18:2,10, 21 i.e., Babylon the great. In John's day it was Rome, a type of Babylon. Rome represents all that is of the world. Babylon rules over the kings of the earth as did Rome and all other capital cities of the worlds empires. She is probably put last in order to introduce the next section on her destruction. We should see the great city, that is the world, as the counterfeit to the New Jerusalem which is of course the Church. The great city is a composite city we first saw her in 11:8 where the bodies of the two witnesses lie, the city is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. We also know that she is drunk with the blood of the saints, 17:6. The earthly city rules the world the heavenly Jerusalem is ruled by Christ (xxxx).