Revelation 17

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

1 Then ¹one of the seven angels who had ²the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of ³the great prostitute ⁴who is seated on many waters,

2 ⁵with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and ⁶with the wine of whose sexual immorality ⁷the dwellers on earth have become drunk."

3 And ⁸he carried me away in the Spirit ⁹into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on ¹⁰a scarlet beast that was full of ¹¹blasphemous names, and ¹²it had seven heads and ten horns.

4 The woman ¹³was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned ¹⁴with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand ¹⁵a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

5 And on her forehead was written a name of ¹⁶mystery: ¹⁷"Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."

6 And I saw the woman, drunk ¹⁸with the blood of the saints, the blood of ¹⁹the martyrs of Jesus.^[a]When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

7 But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you ²⁰the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

8 The beast that you saw ²¹was, and is not, and ²²is about to rise from ²³the bottomless pit^[b] and ²⁴go to destruction. And ²⁵the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in ²⁶the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because ²⁷it was and is not and is to come.

9 ²⁸This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated;

10 they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while.

11 As for the beast ²⁹that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction.

12 And ³⁰the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings ³¹for one hour, together with the beast.

13 These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast.

14 They ³²will make war on the Lamb, and ³³the Lamb will conquer them, for he is ³⁴Lord of lords and ³⁵King of kings, and those with him are ³⁶called and chosen and faithful."

15 And the angel^[c] said to me, ³⁷"The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.

16 And ³⁸the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast ³⁹will hate the prostitute. They will make her ⁴⁰desolate and ⁴¹naked, and ⁴²devour her flesh and ⁴³burn her up with fire,

17 for ⁴⁴God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and ⁴⁵handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.

18 And the woman that you saw is ⁴⁶the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth."

Revelation 17 Commentary

Chapter 17

One of the angels who had the vials, explains the meaning of the former vision of the antichristian beast that was to reign 1260 years, and then to be destroyed. (1-6) And interprets the mystery of the woman, and the beast that had seven heads and ten horns. (7-18)

Verses 1-6 Rome clearly appears to be meant in this chapter. Pagan Rome subdued and ruled with military power, not by art and flatteries. She left the nations in general to their ancient usages and worship. But it is well known that by crafty and politic management, with all kinds of deceit of unrighteousness, papal Rome has obtained and kept her rule over kings and nations. Here were allurements of worldly honour and riches, pomp and pride, suited to sensual and worldly minds. Prosperity, pomp, and splendour, feed the pride and lusts of the human heart, but are no security against the Divine vengeance. The golden cup represents the allurements, and delusions, by which this mystical Babylon has obtained and kept her influence, and seduced others to join her abominations. She is named, from her infamous practices, a mother of harlots; training them up to idolatry and all sorts of wickedness. She filled herself with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. She intoxicated herself with it; and it was so pleasant to her, that she never was satisfied. We cannot but wonder at the oceans of Christian blood shed by men called Christians; yet when we consider these prophecies, these awful deeds testify to the truth of the gospel. And let all beware of a splendid, gainful, or fashionable religion. Let us avoid the mysteries of iniquity, and study diligently the great mystery of godliness, that we may learn humility and gratitude from the example of Christ. The more we seek to resemble him, the less we shall be liable to be deceived by antichrist.

Verses 7-14 The beast on which the woman sat was, and is not, and yet is. It was a seat of idolatry and persecution, and is not; not in the ancient form, which was pagan: yet it is; it is truly the seat of idolatry and tyranny, though of another sort and form. It would deceive into stupid and blind submission all the inhabitants of the earth within its influence, except the remnant of the elect. This beast was seven heads, seven mountains, the seven hills on which Rome stands; and seven kings, seven sorts of government. Five were gone by when this prophecy was written; one was then in being; the other was yet to come. This beast, directed by the papacy, makes an eighth governor, and sets up idolatry again. It had ten horns, which are said to be ten kings who had as yet no kingdoms; they should not rise up till the Roman empire was broken; but should for a time be very zealous in her interest. Christ must reign till all enemies be put under his feet. The reason of the victory is, that he is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He has supreme dominion and power over all things; all the powers of earth and hell are subject to his control. His followers are called to this warfare, are fitted for it, and will be faithful in it.

Verses 15-18 God so ruled the hearts of these kings, by his power over them, and by his providence, that they did those things, without intending it, which he purposed and foretold. They shall see their folly, and how they have been bewitched and enslaved by the harlot, and be made instruments in her destruction. She was that great city which reigned over the kings of the earth, when John had this vision; and every one knows Rome to be that city. Believers will be received to the glory of the Lord, when wicked men will be destroyed in a most awful manner; their joining together in sin, will be turned to hatred and rage, and they will eagerly assist in tormenting each other. But the Lord's portion is his people; his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure, to his glory, and the happiness of all his servants.

Cross References

• 1. Revelation 21:9
• 2. Revelation 15:7
• 3. Revelation 19:2; Nahum 3:4; [Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20]
• 4. ver. 15; [Jeremiah 51:13]
• 5. Revelation 18:3, 9; [Isaiah 23:17]
• 6. Revelation 14:8; Jeremiah 51:7
• 7. See Revelation 3:10
• 8. Revelation 21:10
• 9. Revelation 12:6, 14
• 10. [Revelation 12:3]
• 11. Revelation 13:1
• 12. ver. 7, 9, 12
• 13. Revelation 18:16
• 14. Daniel 11:38
• 15. Jeremiah 51:7; [Revelation 18:6]
• 16. ver. 7; 2 Thessalonians 2:7
• 17. See Revelation 14:8
• 18. Revelation 16:6; [Revelation 13:15]
• 19. Revelation 2:13
• 20. ver. 5
• 21. ver. 11; [Revelation 1:4; Revelation 13:3]
• 22. Revelation 11:7
• 23. See Revelation 9:1
• 24. Revelation 13:10
• 25. See Revelation 3:10
• 26. See Revelation 3:5
• 27. ver. 11; [Revelation 1:4; Revelation 13:3]
• 28. [Revelation 13:18]
• 29. ver. 8; [Revelation 11:17]
• 30. ver. 16; Daniel 7:24; [Revelation 13:1; Zechariah 1:18-21]
• 31. [Revelation 18:10, 17, 19]
• 32. See Revelation 16:14
• 33. See Revelation 3:21
• 34. Revelation 19:16; Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 136:3; Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15; [Revelation 1:5; Matthew 28:18; Acts 10:36]
• 35. Revelation 19:16; Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 136:3; Daniel 2:47; 1 Timothy 6:15; [Revelation 1:5; Matthew 28:18; Acts 10:36]
• 36. See Revelation 2:10; Luke 18:7(Gk.); Romans 1:6
• 37. ver. 1; [Isaiah 8:7]
• 38. See ver. 12
• 39. [Jeremiah 50:41, 42]
• 40. Revelation 18:17, 19
• 41. Ezekiel 16:37, 39
• 42. [Revelation 19:18]
• 43. Revelation 18:8; [Leviticus 21:9]
• 44. 2 Corinthians 8:16
• 45. [2 Thessalonians 2:11]
• 46. Revelation 16:19

Footnotes

• [a]. Greek the witnesses to Jesus
• [b]. Greek the abyss
• [c]. Greek he

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 17

This chapter contains a vision of a beast, and a woman on it, and the interpretation of it; one of the seven angels that had the seven vials proposes to John to show him the whore of Babylon, the Jezabel before spoken of, who sits on many waters, with whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth have committed fornication, being intoxicated by her, Re 17:1,2 in order to which he carries him into the wilderness, and there he sees a woman, who is described by the beast she sat on, of a scarlet colour, full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns; by her array, in purple and scarlet, decked with gold, pearls, and precious stones; by a cup she had in her hand, full of abominable filth; by a name written on her forehead, given at large, and by the condition she was in, drunk with the blood of the saints; which sight filled John with great wonder and admiration, Re 17:3-6 wherefore, to remove his astonishment, the angel proposes to explain to him the mystery of the woman, and the beast she sat on, Re 17:7 and first the mystery of the beast is explained, by its several states, past, present, and to come; by its original and end, ascending out of the bottomless pit, and going into perdition; by the veneration it would be had in by the reprobate part of the world, Re 17:8 its seven heads are interpreted of the seven mountains on which the city of Rome, designed by the woman, stood, and of seven kings, or forms of government, five of which had ceased, and one was in being in John's time, another was to come, which should not continue long, and the beast would be an eighth, Re 17:9-11 its ten horns are explained of ten kings, described by their kingdom they had not as yet received, and which they should have one hour with the beast; by their agreement in mind and conduct; and by their war with the Lamb, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and those that are with him, the called, chosen, and faithful, and the issue of it, Re 17:12-14 the waters on which the whore sat are interpreted of a multitude of people, nations, and tongues, Re 17:15 the hatred and destruction of her by the ten kings, and the manner of it, are declared, Re 17:16 which is owing to the will of God, who put it into their hearts to agree to give their kingdom to the beast till the prophecies and promises were fulfilled respecting this matter, and now to destroy the whore that sat upon it, Re 17:17 which woman is explained of the great city of Rome, that reigns over the kings of the earth, Re 17:18.