“Revelation 17:1-7”

Saturday, January 13, 2018

“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’ And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly. And the angel said to me, ‘Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”

---End of Scripture verses---

“God’s judgment, as portrayed by the seven bowls of wrath, was poured out against the beast, the false prophet, and those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image (16:2, 10; 14:9-11). It is important to remember this while identifying the harlot, because nothing is presented here to indicate a change of subject from the Roman Empire and its paganism to any other world power, present or future.” (Harkrider) This woman that “one of the seven angels” described as the “great harlot who sits on many waters” (verse 1) is further identified as “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” in verse 18. That she “sits on many waters” links the capital city of Rome to spiritually bankrupt ancient Babylon as portrayed by the “weeping prophet” in Jeremiah 51:12-13, and she is further identified as “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth” in verse 5.

This “woman sitting on a scarlet beast” (verse 3) was quite a spectacle to behold, and even the Apostle John “wondered greatly” (verse 6) at the splendor of this drunken harlot decked out in “purple and scarlet,” and “gold and precious stones and pearls” (verse 3). “While the earth-dwellers were drunk with the wine of her fornication, intoxicated with the enticements of lust, she herself was drunk with the blood of saints and martyrs of Jesus.” (Hailey) There is little doubt that the beast depicted here is the same one representing the Roman Empire that emerged from the sea in Revelation 13:1. The color “scarlet” worn by the harlot and emanating from the beast are symbols of the luxury and magnificence of Rome and her vast kingdom, but scarlet was also the color of her horrendous sins of hedonism and idolatry, and oppression and murder of God’s saints (Isaiah 1:18). Her domain was a “wilderness” of wickedness and she gulped from the “gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality” (verse 4).

Chapter 18 will give us a closer look into the destruction of the “great harlot” and the pouring out of God’s “judgment” against her, but today’s verses demonstrate vividly why His wrath was emptied upon her so thoroughly and stridently. Though she appeared to be glorious, sophisticated and appealing, underneath she was a hideous, idolatrous beast. Although she was a “mystery” (verse 5) producing wonder and amazement in the hearts of those who beheld her glittery exterior, spiritually she was depraved, impure and “the mother of…abominations.” No matter how powerful, prosperous and picturesque a culture may appear to be, when its underpinnings have come unloosed from reverence for God and respect for His righteous will, it is doomed form certain destruction. Robert Harkrider quoted Robert H. Mounce as saying, “Society set free from God is its own worst enemy.” The same is true for any kingdom, nation, province, community or person.

Please read Revelation 17:8-13 for tomorrow.

Have a blessed and safe day!

-Louie Taylor

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