Revelation 17 Study Notes

17:1-19:5 This section is a postscript to the bowls of wrath, expanding the reader’s understanding of Babylon the Great, her relationship with the beast, and the scope of her just and final judgment.

17:1-2 On the seven angels and seven bowls, see note at 15:1. The notorious prostitute is Babylon the Great, who in v. 5 is called “the Mother of Prostitutes,” apparently underlining the long existence of this Babylon. The many waters in v. 15 are explained as “peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.” Babylon has essentially the same relationship of sexual immorality with the kings of the earth and the “earth dwellers” (v. 2) as “Jezebel” did with the sinners in the church at Thyatira (2:20).

17:3-6 On in the Spirit, see note at 1:10. The woman, Babylon, also has a very close relationship with the beast (on the blasphemous names . . . seven heads and ten horns, see note at 13:1-3). To the casual outward observer, Babylon has all the trappings of wealth and royalty, but in actuality, she is characterized by everything detestable and the impurities of her prostitution. The name on her forehead may imply that Babylon serves the beast (see note at 13:16-18), though it is not the name or number of the beast. The wider mystery (name) of Babylon has to do with her being the source of harlotry (Mother of Prostitutes) and moral abominations (the detestable things of the earth), and killing throughout history.

17:7-8 Another aspect of the mystery of Babylon (the woman) and the beast is their hold on the “earth dwellers.” It is because their names were not . . . written in the book of life (see note at 13:8). On the seven heads and the ten horns, see note at 13:1-3. It is not clear when the beast could have been manifest before in human history.

17:9-10 The seven heads of the beast (vv. 3,7) are seven mountains (or hills, the Gk can mean either). This seems to be a reference to Rome, which was known in antiquity as “the city on seven hills.” But since the woman (Babylon) is seated on the seven mountains, and the seven heads are identified as seven kings (v. 10), it is unwise to be dogmatic on this point. The identity of the seven kings is highly disputed. Some interpreters understand this to refer to seven historic Roman emperors, but more hold that it refers to seven successive world empires (e.g., Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and a yet future empire). The phrase a little while would refer to the beast’s unrivaled reign of “forty-two months” (13:5).

17:11 On the beast that was and is not, see note at vv. 7-8. The phrase that the beast is an eighth king yet belongs to the seven is difficult to interpret. Some in the early church thought this referred to Nero coming back to life. The best explanation, though, seems to be that, even though the physical body remains the same, the beast is two different personalities at “before-and-after” points in his career. This dramatic change could happen either: (1) when the beast initially comes to prominence by killing the two witnesses (11:7), or (2) after its “resurrection” from a presumed fatal wound (13:3,12,14). That the beast is going to destruction refers to eternal torment in the lake of fire (19:20; 20:10).

17:12-13 The ten horns of Dn 7:7,20,24 (see Rv 17:3,7) are ten kings who will rule alongside the beast during his unrivaled reign of forty-two months (13:5). This period is referred to here as one hour, much as the tribulation period is called “the hour of testing” (3:10).

17:14 The battle here takes place at the second coming of Christ (the Lamb . . . Lord of lords and King of kings; note the reversed wording from “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” 19:16). This verse clarifies that the armies following the Lamb in 19:14 are believers since the combined terms called, chosen, and faithful are never used of angels.

17:15-17 The prostitute (Babylon the Great) has ingratiated herself to the remaining world population (peoples . . . languages). The irony here is that, in the end, the very rulers (the ten horns . . . and the beast) with which the pseudo-queen (v. 4; 18:7) Babylon the Great has acted immorally (17:2), will turn on her and destroy her. Most amazing is that, ultimately, this will take place according to God’s purpose and sovereign plan.

17:18-18:3 The woman (Babylon the Great, 17:5) is now pictured as the great city (see note at 16:17-21), which has secured political influence over the kings of the earth (17:18) by sexual immorality (17:2). Babylon could include an actual city in the end times, but the “lament” in Rv 18 is modeled after Jr 51, which says that the Babylonian Empire and the city of Babylon will “never rise again” (Jr 51:64). It is thus more likely that Babylon the Great (18:2) is the world system (1Jn 2:15-17) organized in arrogant rebellion against God throughout history, with the tower of Babel, the Babylonian Empire, Rome—and even Jerusalem (Rv 11:8)—being classic expressions of this rebellion.