Still Alluring
In the first verse of Revelation Chapter 17, the Apostle John informs his readers that one of the 7 angels tasked with dispensing divine wrath upon Earth has called him to come and witness an impending judgment of epic proportions.
He is immediately made aware that the one who is to suffer this divine punishment will be a prostitute – a “lady” of the night. A few verses later, John records what he sees written upon her forehead; “Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, harlots have used their beauty and charms to captivate their suitors. They dress to allure and speak to entrap. They artfully forge their subtle enticements into weapons of seduction.
They practice their trade for profit. It is for them a business. It’s “pay as you go.” And the fact that they destroy families, scar bodies, corrupt society, and sin against a holy God is of no consequence to them.
But the specific harlot of whom John speaks is infinitely more dangerous than all others who have worked within her trade. She’s smart. She’s scheming. She’s seductive, and she’s sinister. She’s been around a very long time and is experienced at her craft. You would think that, after all the years, she would appear weathered and unattractive.
But paradoxically, she is still a pleasure to the eyes, and alluring to the senses. Time has neither diminished her appeal nor her zeal for her work. She is arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious jewels. In her hand is a golden chalice.
To understand the fuller context of John’s vision of this mysterious harlot, we must look back to the previous chapter. In Revelation 16, John describes the final outpouring of God’s wrath in the form of 7 bowl judgments. As each bowl is poured out, another judgment impacts Earth. The purpose of these judgments is to purge and cleanse Earth of all things which have defiled it since the fall of Adam and Eve.
This purging of the planet is in preparation for Christ’s 1,000-year reign over Earth. Only after the planet has been cleansed, will Jesus Christ establish His Millennial (1,000-year) Kingdom and take His rightful place as King of the earth on His throne in Jerusalem.
In conjunction with the 7th bowl judgment, John recorded, “Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (Revelation 16:19). Great Babylon, or “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots” (Revelation 17:5) will not escape judgment as God purges Earth of all which has defiled it. Her judgment will be swift and severe and is the principal subject of Revelation 17.
But a burning question must be raised; “Who is she – this lady of the night, this mother of harlots? Let’s take a closer look at the details that provide some clues to her identity.
In the first verse of Revelation Chapter 17, the Apostle John informs his readers that one of the 7 angels tasked with dispensing divine wrath upon Earth has called him to come and witness an impending judgment of epic proportions.
He is immediately made aware that the one who is to suffer this divine punishment will be a prostitute – a “lady” of the night. A few verses later, John records what he sees written upon her forehead; “Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth.”
Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, harlots have used their beauty and charms to captivate their suitors. They dress to allure and speak to entrap. They artfully forge their subtle enticements into weapons of seduction.
They practice their trade for profit. It is for them a business. It’s “pay as you go.” And the fact that they destroy families, scar bodies, corrupt society, and sin against a holy God is of no consequence to them.
But the specific harlot of whom John speaks is infinitely more dangerous than all others who have worked within her trade. She’s smart. She’s scheming. She’s seductive, and she’s sinister. She’s been around a very long time and is experienced at her craft. You would think that, after all the years, she would appear weathered and unattractive.
But paradoxically, she is still a pleasure to the eyes, and alluring to the senses. Time has neither diminished her appeal nor her zeal for her work. She is arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious jewels. In her hand is a golden chalice.
To understand the fuller context of John’s vision of this mysterious harlot, we must look back to the previous chapter. In Revelation 16, John describes the final outpouring of God’s wrath in the form of 7 bowl judgments. As each bowl is poured out, another judgment impacts Earth. The purpose of these judgments is to purge and cleanse Earth of all things which have defiled it since the fall of Adam and Eve.
This purging of the planet is in preparation for Christ’s 1,000-year reign over Earth. Only after the planet has been cleansed, will Jesus Christ establish His Millennial (1,000-year) Kingdom and take His rightful place as King of the earth on His throne in Jerusalem.
In conjunction with the 7th bowl judgment, John recorded, “Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath” (Revelation 16:19). Great Babylon, or “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots” (Revelation 17:5) will not escape judgment as God purges Earth of all which has defiled it. Her judgment will be swift and severe and is the principal subject of Revelation 17.
But a burning question must be raised; “Who is she – this lady of the night, this mother of harlots? Let’s take a closer look at the details that provide some clues to her identity.
The Lady of the Night: Her Lovers
“And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication” (Revelation 17:1-2).
In verse 1, John is summoned to witness the “judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” In Scripture, the terms “harlot” and “whore” are often used to describe spiritual unfaithfulness, debauched worship, idolatry, and false devotion.
She is said to “sit on many waters,” a strange expression the meaning of which is not subject to debate. John is told by the angel that “the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:15). In other words, this lady of the night is busy and effective. Her harlotry has seduced the world.
She is supremely wealthy, and her decadence knows no bounds. In fact, she skillfully uses her unparalleled wealth to intoxicate the people and nations of Earth. She sees herself as royal – an unrivaled queen of luxury, power, and prestige (Revelation 18:7), but there is no level of debauchery to which she will not stoop. She is the ultimate seductress – luring kings and commoners into fornicating with her (Rev. 17:2).
Princes and prime ministers surrender to her embrace for political benefit. “And the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Revelation 18:3) Jeremiah prophetically wrote of her:
She is said to “sit on many waters,” a strange expression the meaning of which is not subject to debate. John is told by the angel that “the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Rev. 17:15). In other words, this lady of the night is busy and effective. Her harlotry has seduced the world.
She is supremely wealthy, and her decadence knows no bounds. In fact, she skillfully uses her unparalleled wealth to intoxicate the people and nations of Earth. She sees herself as royal – an unrivaled queen of luxury, power, and prestige (Revelation 18:7), but there is no level of debauchery to which she will not stoop. She is the ultimate seductress – luring kings and commoners into fornicating with her (Rev. 17:2).
Princes and prime ministers surrender to her embrace for political benefit. “And the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Revelation 18:3) Jeremiah prophetically wrote of her:
“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad” (Jeremiah 51:7).
The Lady of the Night: Her Cohort
“So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Revelation 17:3).
Twice in the Book of Revelation John is said to be “in the spirit” (1:10, 4:2), and twice John says an angel “carried me away in the spirit” (17:3, 21:10). The idea is that he was put into a prophetic mindset, and while in that condition he was permitted to record his visionary experience.
John is carried into the wilderness, and as his vision begins to unfold, he immediately sees that the harlot does not work alone. She has a powerful companion. She is seated upon a scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. That she is riding the beast is indicative of the fact there is mutual benefit in this cooperative arrangement. The beast aids the harlot who rides on its back, and the harlot assists the beast that carries her.
The fact that John is taken to a specific place – the wilderness – to witness this diabolic duo should not be overlooked. This locale provides a vital clue in our quest to ascertain the identity of the harlot. We’ll discuss this in more detail at a later time.
John is carried into the wilderness, and as his vision begins to unfold, he immediately sees that the harlot does not work alone. She has a powerful companion. She is seated upon a scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. That she is riding the beast is indicative of the fact there is mutual benefit in this cooperative arrangement. The beast aids the harlot who rides on its back, and the harlot assists the beast that carries her.
The fact that John is taken to a specific place – the wilderness – to witness this diabolic duo should not be overlooked. This locale provides a vital clue in our quest to ascertain the identity of the harlot. We’ll discuss this in more detail at a later time.
At this point, the inclusion of a beast that has 7 heads and 10 horns is of great importance. Obviously, John mentions the beast here in Revelation 17 because he sees it in his vision and because of its association with the harlot who is riding on its back and about to be judged.
But who, or what is this beast with 7 heads? Determining the identity of this gruesome, scarlet-colored creature is also essential for us to correctly identify its mysterious female rider.
Several chapters earlier, in Revelation chapter 12, we are first introduced to this hideous red beast when John describes another vision he was given – this one of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and 12 stars upon her head.
She is described as pregnant and crying out in pain as she is about to give birth. In this same vision, John also beheld a great red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns that stood ready to devour her Child at the moment of His birth.
In the context of Revelation 12, the pregnant woman symbolizes the nation of Israel who gave birth to the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ. And John makes it clear that the great red dragon who was ready to kill her offspring is “Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).
So as we move back to the issue at hand in Revelation 17 (which is to determine the identity of the scarlet beast the harlot is riding) one important fact becomes clear. The harlot’s wicked, 7n-headed accomplice is none other than Satan himself.
With this understood, the question then arises as to the significance of the scarlet beast’s (Satan’s) 7 heads and 10 horns. Why is Satan depicted as having these heads and horns? In verse 9, the answer is given: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [the harlot] sitteth.”
Within Scripture, mountains are often used to symbolize a city, a kingdom, or an empire (Psalm 48:1,2; Jeremiah 51:25). Clearly, this is what is in view in the context of Revelation 17 in John’s description of the 7 heads on the scarlet-colored beast.
The 7 heads represent 7 Gentile world empires Satan has used through history in his effort to thwart God’s plan for the ultimate redemption of Earth. One after the other, these 7 “Beast Empires” were willing pawns used by Satan in his attempt to accomplish two things:
First, Satan used them in his effort to assimilate the nation of Israel into other cultures so that God’s chosen people would lose their religious distinctives and would cease to be an identifiable people group.
Second, Satan sought to use their marching armies to attack and utterly annihilate the Jews; thereby wiping them from Earth forever.
Satan’s Strategy
The question then arises, “Why has Satan’s strategy been to either assimilate or annihilate the Jews during the course of human history? The answer is that Satan’s purpose has been to prevent the Promised Seed (Jesus Christ) from entering the world.
But who, or what is this beast with 7 heads? Determining the identity of this gruesome, scarlet-colored creature is also essential for us to correctly identify its mysterious female rider.
Several chapters earlier, in Revelation chapter 12, we are first introduced to this hideous red beast when John describes another vision he was given – this one of a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and 12 stars upon her head.
She is described as pregnant and crying out in pain as she is about to give birth. In this same vision, John also beheld a great red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns that stood ready to devour her Child at the moment of His birth.
In the context of Revelation 12, the pregnant woman symbolizes the nation of Israel who gave birth to the Promised Seed, Jesus Christ. And John makes it clear that the great red dragon who was ready to kill her offspring is “Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).
So as we move back to the issue at hand in Revelation 17 (which is to determine the identity of the scarlet beast the harlot is riding) one important fact becomes clear. The harlot’s wicked, 7n-headed accomplice is none other than Satan himself.
With this understood, the question then arises as to the significance of the scarlet beast’s (Satan’s) 7 heads and 10 horns. Why is Satan depicted as having these heads and horns? In verse 9, the answer is given: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [the harlot] sitteth.”
Within Scripture, mountains are often used to symbolize a city, a kingdom, or an empire (Psalm 48:1,2; Jeremiah 51:25). Clearly, this is what is in view in the context of Revelation 17 in John’s description of the 7 heads on the scarlet-colored beast.
The 7 heads represent 7 Gentile world empires Satan has used through history in his effort to thwart God’s plan for the ultimate redemption of Earth. One after the other, these 7 “Beast Empires” were willing pawns used by Satan in his attempt to accomplish two things:
First, Satan used them in his effort to assimilate the nation of Israel into other cultures so that God’s chosen people would lose their religious distinctives and would cease to be an identifiable people group.
Second, Satan sought to use their marching armies to attack and utterly annihilate the Jews; thereby wiping them from Earth forever.
Satan’s Strategy
The question then arises, “Why has Satan’s strategy been to either assimilate or annihilate the Jews during the course of human history? The answer is that Satan’s purpose has been to prevent the Promised Seed (Jesus Christ) from entering the world.
At the dawn of human history, Satan was successful in his attempt to solicit Adam and Eve to rebel against God and His command not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the garden.
As a result of sin’s entrance into the sphere of human existence, God condemned Satan and foretold that a Seed would one day arise from Eve’s lineage (humanity) that would eventually bruise (crush) Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).
But from where would the Seed come?
God called a man by the name of Abram to be the father of a new and distinct nation. And it was this nation – the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that God sovereignly chose to be the vessel through which the Promised Seed – Jesus Christ – would be born.
He would bring the hope of salvation to a lost world through His death on the cross and resurrection on the third day. This is why Satan’s diabolical strategy has always been to prevent that Seed from being born through the nation of Israel.
For this reason, the Jewish people have been the most persecuted people on the face of the earth. It is for this reason God has miraculously protected His chosen people from both assimilation and annihilation through the centuries. And it is for this reason He wondrously re-established them in their ancient homeland after nearly 2,000 years of worldwide exile.
In light of Satan’s “grand” strategic plan, the symbolism in Revelation 17 that depicts him as a beast with 7 heads is both accurate and revealing. This imagery provides great insight into Satan’s ultimate strategy and also reveals further clues as to the identity of its harlot rider.
The first 6 Gentile world powers represented as heads on the scarlet beast (Satan) are: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Certainly, there have been many other empires that have risen upon the world’s stage and fallen from glory.
However, these 6 pagan world powers are of primary importance in Scripture due to their impact on the nation of Israel and the role they have played in the war between God and Satan over who will ultimately rule Earth.
The battle lines have been drawn. On the one side is Satan and his wicked seed – the Antichrist. On the other is God and his holy Seed – Jesus Christ. He alone has the right, power, and credentials to rule Earth, redeem God’s creation, and bring history to a proper consummation.
However, there is one additional head on the beast (the 7th) that we have not identified to this point. There are also 10 horns that collectively symbolize a climactic 8th and final world empire.
The identity of these, along with the elusive identification of Babylon, Mother of Harlots, requires a fuller explanation. The Lord willing, this will be our focus in next few posts.
As a result of sin’s entrance into the sphere of human existence, God condemned Satan and foretold that a Seed would one day arise from Eve’s lineage (humanity) that would eventually bruise (crush) Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).
But from where would the Seed come?
God called a man by the name of Abram to be the father of a new and distinct nation. And it was this nation – the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that God sovereignly chose to be the vessel through which the Promised Seed – Jesus Christ – would be born.
He would bring the hope of salvation to a lost world through His death on the cross and resurrection on the third day. This is why Satan’s diabolical strategy has always been to prevent that Seed from being born through the nation of Israel.
For this reason, the Jewish people have been the most persecuted people on the face of the earth. It is for this reason God has miraculously protected His chosen people from both assimilation and annihilation through the centuries. And it is for this reason He wondrously re-established them in their ancient homeland after nearly 2,000 years of worldwide exile.
In light of Satan’s “grand” strategic plan, the symbolism in Revelation 17 that depicts him as a beast with 7 heads is both accurate and revealing. This imagery provides great insight into Satan’s ultimate strategy and also reveals further clues as to the identity of its harlot rider.
The first 6 Gentile world powers represented as heads on the scarlet beast (Satan) are: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. Certainly, there have been many other empires that have risen upon the world’s stage and fallen from glory.
However, these 6 pagan world powers are of primary importance in Scripture due to their impact on the nation of Israel and the role they have played in the war between God and Satan over who will ultimately rule Earth.
The battle lines have been drawn. On the one side is Satan and his wicked seed – the Antichrist. On the other is God and his holy Seed – Jesus Christ. He alone has the right, power, and credentials to rule Earth, redeem God’s creation, and bring history to a proper consummation.
However, there is one additional head on the beast (the 7th) that we have not identified to this point. There are also 10 horns that collectively symbolize a climactic 8th and final world empire.
The identity of these, along with the elusive identification of Babylon, Mother of Harlots, requires a fuller explanation. The Lord willing, this will be our focus in next few posts.
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