Revelation - Lesson 09
Rev.17:1-19:10
Presented by Ryan Laden
A Tale of Two Women
In the Book of Proverbs we hear about the two ways
that a man can choose to live his life.
These two ways are available to all of mankind and
are personified in two very different kinds of women
that a man could pursue.
Sophia - Wisdom.
The first nine chapters of Proverbs describe the life
built on the wisdom of God and the following of
God’s words as being like seeking out a beautiful
woman to be your wife.
Those who seek her will be rewarded without fail:
Proverbs 4:5-13
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my
words or swerve from them. 6 Do not forsake
wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she
will watch over you.
7 Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
8 Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her,
and she will honor you. 9 She will set a garland of
grace on your head and present you with a crown
of splendor.”
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years
of your life will be many. 11 I guide you in the way
of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. 12
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Hold on to
instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is
your life.
The Other Woman
But there is always another woman waiting for the
curious and the wayward . . .
The Adulteress
Proverbs 5:3-6
3 For the lips of an adulteress
drip honey, and her speech is
smoother than oil; 4 but in the
end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged
sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead
straight to the grave. 6 She gives no thought to the
way of life; her paths are crooked, but she knows it
not.
Point
The point in this presentation of these two women is to
help all people understand that there are two ways to live
life.
#1
One way brings health, happiness, and wisdom but
will require hard work and diligence.
#2
The other way is easy to into, is filled with good
times, and is very seductive for all who have not
made the decision to seek God’s ways and wisdom.
Revelation 17
Revelation 17 describes this same two ways of life but
from a bigger, more global perspective.
John’s revelation turns toward describing how
the Adulteress of Proverbs has become an
irresistible force drawing men away from God
all over the globe.
Revelation 17:1-4
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.
The Great Prostitute
This woman is the opposite of the woman seen giving
birth to the Messiah in ch. 12.
The first woman was the symbol of the faithful
community of believers in God who were expectantly
awaiting the Messiah and who were now hated and
hunted by the Dragon who could not destroy the child
being born (Jesus).
• This woman is the exact opposite.
• She is the personified image of Proverbs.
Sits on Many Waters
This description makes sense once we read Revelation
Revelation 17:15 Then the angel said to me, “The
waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are
peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
This woman is everywhere and affects everyone.
She is not a government or a city, or a particular
time and place.
Seduces Kings
The woman is called a prostitute or a harlot - not an
adulteress. She is not committing adultery against God
but is willingly offering herself to the people of power
and wealth in the world.
Intoxicates the
People of the World
The inhabitants of the entire earth - of all time - are
drawn to her. She is like the woman of Proverbs,
sweet, sexy, easy, and deadly.
Carried into the desert
This is the wilderness into which the faithful woman
flew when being pursued by the Dragon:
Revelation 12:14 The woman was given the two
wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the
place prepared for her in the desert, where she
would be taken care of for a time, times and half a
time, out of the serpent’s reach.
clothing dyes that were severely labor intensive to
produce and therefore very expensive.
Most people wore natural fibers and looked
sort of boring compared to this woman.
The Beautiful Cup of Filth
Not PG at all. What was in the cup was the product of all
the adultery and sexual promiscuity that this woman
engaged in with the inhabitants of the world. Drinking
from her cup looks good but only brings sickness!
Revelation 17:5-6a
5 This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF
PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH. 6 I saw that the woman was drunk
with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who
bore testimony to Jesus.
Written on her forehead
Roman temple prostitutes wore a headband or an amulet
on their foreheads that had either their name on it or the
name of the god / goddess they served. Here we see a
familiar image.
The Name:
Mystery
The name is not open to understanding. It is a Mystery
and as such should not be tied to a particular event or
place in human history.
Babylon the Great
1 Peter 5:13 has Peter conclude his letter from the city of
Babylon, but he was clearly in Rome, under arrest,
awaiting his death.
Babylon was the great city of the Empire that wiped out
Israel and Judah in 586 BC (c.f. 2 Kings 25). The
connection was that the new Babylon - assumed to be
Rome - was the new Empire that would seek to destroy
the new Israel (the Church of Jesus Christ).
The Mother of Prostitutes
Riding a Scarlet Beast
The image of riding on the beast is more than a free
ride. It is intimate. It is settled. The way this should
read may not be rated PG. The woman and the Scarlet
Beast / Dragon are one in purpose.
She is not only a practitioner but a teacher and
encourager of sinfulness and rebellion against God. She
lovingly cares for those who seek to bring down faith in
Christ.
The Mother of all Abominations of the Earth
Dressed in Scarlet / Purple
The image here is that of a wealthy woman able to
afford the best of everything. Purple and Scarlet were
Not a great thing to be known as. If it is filthy, harmful to
your health and wellbeing, if it is sinful and seductive,
then she is involved.
Who is this Woman?
She is Dame Civilization. She is the conglomerated
image of man’s lust, greed, desire for power, and will
to do anything to get what is next / better / new.
This woman is the pull away from a life of godly
wisdom and prudence. She is what we see on full
display in our materially lusting and our sexually
indulgent society.
The Beast and the kingdoms
Revelation 17:6b-8
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 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.
Astonished?
Obviously what John saw, a beautiful woman dressed
in fine clothes and adorned with gold and jewels was
not what John expected when he was taken to see the
great enemy of the people of God.
The Once(ler)
The one who was once / now is not / and will come is
called the Beast. This is the same Beast of AntiChrist
fame and who waged war in the previous chapter.
This beast is said to have been mortally wounded in
the head with a sword. But he was able to revive
himself and go one to win over even more people to
the worship of the Great Dragon (Satan).
The Dragon came from the sea and the Anti-Christ
came from the land. This beast (if not the same as the
Anti-Christ) is said to come from the Abyss.
In the end, this does not matter. The beast is
“explained” in the following verses to be more than a
single entity anyway.
Revelation 17:9-11
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.
Three Ways to Read this Text
#1 - Rome is Rome
The Seven heads sit on seven hills, the home of the
Prostitute Babylon. This is a reference to Rome which
was founded on seven hills and which has previously
been associated with being the new Babylon.
This places the locus of meaning in the Roman system of
power and leadership. This view takes all the heads and
horns to be references to the rulers of Rome.
The five that have been are five of the Roman Emperors.
These are most commonly listed as Augustus, Tiberius,
Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. (this view omits three short
reigns by Galba, Otho, and Vitellius).
The eighth king is to be the Anti-Christ king. This view
holds that Domitian would be a good candidate thanks to
date and temperament as he was also a bloodthirsty
Megalomaniac.
#2 - Empires not Romans
A second view holds out Daniel 7:17-25 which talks
about a similar set of beasts which are explained to be
kingdoms or empires. One of these has 10 horns which
are ten kings from among that empire. Then the final
empire or world-wide force will come and we hear a
similar set of events:
Daniel 7:21-25
21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the
saints and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of
Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the
saints of the Most High, and the time came when they
possessed the kingdom.
23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘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. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will
come from this kingdom. After them another king will
arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue
three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High
and oppress his saints and try to change the set times
and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him
for a time, times and half a time.
Empires:
The idea is that the same should hold true in Revelation.
The 7 kings are really seven empires.
• Five have been and are no more:
Old Babylonian, Assyrian, New Babylonian, MedoPersian, Greco-Macedonian.
• The one that is currently in power is Roman.
• The seventh is a future world empire or all empires
between John and the Anti-Christ.
• The Eighth Empire will be the one led by the AntiChrist and the one that sends out the 200 Million
man army.
#3 - Symbolic Symbols
This view says that nothing is explained clearly and that
all through John’s writing we have seen the use of
numbers to be symbolic and not literal.
Why start now? John’s day is in the day of the 6th ruler.
The 7th is next and then it is time for the end.
This is another call to be vigilant and make the most of
the day.
Revelation 17:12-14
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.”
10 Satanic Rulers
These 10 are not the same as the kings of the earth. The
Kings of the earth are the ones who mourn over the
destruction of civilization, wealth, luxury and power as
seen in the woman Babylon.
Revelation 18:9 “When the kings of the earth who
committed adultery with her and shared her luxury
see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and
mourn over her.
One Direction? (not the band.)
These 10 rulers are from the beast, for the
beast, and are designed to rule the
world together for one hour - short
time - and after this they will unify the
people of the earth against God and
against the Lamb of God.
These ten will eventually turn against the Great
Prostitute and destroy civilization, wealth, commerce,
and all the goods and services
that man has lusted after.
They are agents of chaos and
destruction.
Revelation 17:15-18
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.”
God’s will?
This destruction is part of the judgement of the earth
willed by God. These rulers will think they are
serving the beast and that they are hurting the Lord
but in the end, they are carrying out God’s final
judgements.
Poetic Recap
The next chapter is a long proclamation of all that has
happened in the fall of Babylon (Dame Civilization).
Revelation 18:1-20
1 After this I saw another angel coming down from
heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was
illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he
shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has
become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil
spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine
of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed
adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew
rich from her excessive luxuries.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come
out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her
sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; 5
for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has
remembered her crimes.
6 Give back to her as she has given; pay her back
double for what she has done. Mix her a double
portion from her own cup. 7 Give her as much torture
and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her
heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I
will never mourn.’
8 Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:
death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by
fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
9 “When the kings of the earth who committed adultery
with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her
burning, they will weep and mourn over her.
10 Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and
cry: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of
power! In one hour your doom has come!’
The imagery is clear
A universal collapse of wealth, commerce, trade, power,
government . . . This sounds like the end of the bowls of
wrath when all the cities of the earth were destroyed in
one cataclysm.
The Martyrs are finally seeing the justice they desired.
More of the end
Revelation 18:21-24
21 Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a
large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With
such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown
down, never to be found again.
22 The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and
trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No
workman of any trade will ever be found in you again.
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn
over her because no one buys their cargoes any more — The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you
again.
12 cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls;
fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of
23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The
citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory,
voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you
costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; 13 cargoes of
cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By
of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and your magic spell all the nations were led astray.
sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of
24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of the
men.
saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth.”
14 “They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone
End of the world - Again
from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished,
This is another view of the same event described in
never to be recovered.’ 15 The merchants who sold
these things and gained their wealth from her will stand Revelation 16 during the bowls of God’s wrath. The end
of mankind and all civilization is worth a bit of literary
far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and
mourn 16 and cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed pomp and circumstance.
in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold,
Revelation 19:1-7a
precious stones and pearls!
1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a
17 In one hour such great wealth has been brought to
great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah!
ruin!’
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2
for true and just are his judgments.
“Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the
sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will
He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted
stand far off. 18 When they see the smoke of her
the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the
burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like
blood of his servants.”
this great city?’
19 They will throw dust on their heads, and with
weeping and mourning cry out: “‘Woe! Woe, O great
city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich
through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to
ruin! 20 Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and
apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way
she treated you.’”
3 And again they shouted: “Hallelujah! The smoke
from her goes up for ever and ever.” 4 The twentyfour elders and the four living creatures fell down and
worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And
they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise
our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both
small and great!”
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,
like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of
thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God
Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and
give him glory!
Revelation 19:10 At this I fell at his feet to worship
him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow
servant with you and with your brothers who hold
to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the
testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Hallelujah - Praise Yah (Jah) - Praise God (Yahweh!)
Angel Worship
Side Note: German Composer George Frederich Handel
wrote his oratorio, Messiah, in 1741. His most famous
section of this work has to be the Hallelujah Chorus,
which his friend Charles Jennens wrote based on the
song of triumph found in Revelation 19.
Wedding of the Lamb
Revelation 19:7b-9
7b For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his
bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright
and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands
for the righteous acts of the saints.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are
those who are invited to the wedding supper of the
Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of
God.”
Jewish Weddings
There are three parts to a Jewish marriage:
1. Betrothal - The two are joined in a common
commitment and call one another husband and wife
but do not live together.
2. Wedding - the husband goes and gathers his wife and
her retinue and brings them to his house and they are
presented as husband and wife.
3. Party - A wedding is a time to rejoice and celebrate
so long as the two involved have kept themselves pure
and are able to be presented without stain . . .
The Apostle Paul refers to the church as being united to
Christ as a bride to her husband:
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make
her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water
through the word, 27 and to present her to himself
as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any
other blemish, but holy and blameless.
The church is given fine linen - not the colorful guilded
dress of the Great Harlot.
John bows before the angel is reminded that this is not
good. Angels serve God just like we do!
Colossians 2:18 references those who were fond of
worshiping or paying homage to angels in the early
church. This has been a problem in the Christian
church throughout the ages and should be pushed back
wherever it is found.
Next:
The Victorious Christ
The End of Evil
All Things Made New