Revelation Chapter 17

Revelation 17:1

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

Over the next two chapters we will explore the destruction of Babylon, the great prostitute, and her relationship with God, the beast, Christians and the rest of the world. To put things in context, the major portion of the destruction of Babylon has already taken place before the the seventh bowl was poured out and most likely took place in the early parts if not before the trumpets were being sounded. The amazing thing about the destruction of the great prostitute is that it has been a long time coming. The prostitute has taken different forms over the years and we will look at some of the more popular theories of whom scholars say that Babylon is by the time of her destruction. What shocked me as I’ve studied up to this moment is the amount of contempt all the players of her destruction had toward her. It would be easy to say that because God has decreed her destruction that she would be a part of everything evil and that she would be in cahoots with the beast and Satan himself but that is simply not the case. Prepare to witness the judgment of Babylon.

Revelation 17:2

with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”

The prostitute is seated by the many kings of whom have been sexually immoral with her. This is important in showing how influential the kingdom or spirit of the prostitute has become by this time. The kingdoms of the earth usher in the sexual immorality and the wine can’t help but make their kingdoms drunk with immorality. This sexual immorality can take a few different forms and in these forms is where we may get caught up in who this prostitute may be. By far the prevailing idea is that the prostitute is the Roman Catholic Church, specifically Vatican City in Rome. While I do concede that the prophecies do seem to point toward this being the truth, many things have happened since John saw the Revelation vision that allows us to make an educated correction on the identity of the prostitute. That being said, we do not know when Jesus will return and so it is entirely possible that her identity may be revealed to be something else entirely. I say that because since the day He left, every generation has believed that He will return in their day; and we are no different. While it does look very much like His return is sooner than later, God’s timeline is very different than ours and the prophecies will play out exactly as they were predicted, whether now or later. So as we look into the identity of “Babylon”, we will break down and focus primarily on these two prevailing theories: that she may be the Roman Catholic Church or possibly the U.S.A., primarily being New York City. This will not be the main goal of the study as much as just looking at what scripture reveals, but it is something that even most casual Christians want an answer to. As we do this we will try our best to be sensitive to the fact that most Catholics, no matter any disputed doctrines they believe, hold the same faith in Jesus Christ being their savior as the protestant church does. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ unless it is revealed otherwise. Continue to pray that God may reveal Himself and His plan to us. God bless.

Revelation 17:3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns.

It is a strange relationship that the woman and beast have. Here we see the woman sitting on the scarlet beast. This beast is not the great red dragon who we saw earlier in heaven who swept the stars out of the sky, but is rather the beast that rises out of the sea. We know this because that beast is also seen with 7 heads and 10 horns and has blasphemous names. We get an explanation of the heads and horns later but I want to touch on the seven heads for a moment. “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings.” The seven are basically kingdoms of which the prostitute rules with or at least are involved with in some manner. The interesting connection here is that though they are associated with the woman, the heads are seen as a part of the beast. Now that would make sense to most because we know Babylon is evil and we know the beast is evil so it stands to reason that they are some sort of ally. What I want you to hold in the back of your head is that this is not or at least will not be the case. It seems the beast has no desire to share his kingdom with that of the prostitute and are, or at least will be enemies. I say this because once the beast receives the authority of the ten horns, scripture states that they and he will hate the prostitute and devote her to destruction in order that God’s word be fulfilled. So while it seems that the woman and the beast have motives that are aligned, God has another plan in play of which the beast and ten horns will fulfill his word.

Revelation 17:4

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

The woman holds a golden cup in her hand full of abominations along with the impurities of her sexual immorality. First definition of abomination is something that is detestable or disgusting. So when God uses abomination, He is saying it is a disgusting thing. We can contrast that with the offerings he ordered the people to give as a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord. So to be sure let’s take some time looking at what God has called abominable.

“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.”

“You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them (idols) or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God...You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.”

“If you hear in one of your cities...that certain worthless fellows have gone out among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods,’ which you have not known...if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you.”

“You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.”

“There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.”

“A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God.”

“You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.”

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man's wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord.”

“You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.”

A sampling of His list and with quite an array of actions are seen in these abominations. As Christians we are quick to point out the homosexual sin but neglect the others that some of us are guilty of. The one that sticks out as unusual (especially in western culture) is “A woman shall not wear a man's garment, nor shall a man put on a woman's cloak.” In its essence this is not necessarily speaking about cross dressing (although that is implicated); but rather our roles as men and women. A more correct translation would say a woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man, specifically articles or utensils of use such as weapons of war, and articles or tools of labor. If Jesus showed up today preaching this message in America, it would not be well received. We have fostered a community of people who are told that women can do anything a man can do and ought to be able to perform these tasks, and yet God views this as an abomination, disturbing and disgusting. It ought to be disturbing to us as well to send our women into battle, to die alongside men. It was also given to men that they are to toil with the earth and work hard in order to survive all the days of his life. Scripture doesn’t say women can’t do these things but rather they shouldn’t do them. It is not a matter of being capable but instead obedience. I would love to take time to dive into the rest of these abominations but would ask that you personally look into them in relationship to your own lives to ensure that you might remain blameless.

ref: Leviticus 20:13; Deuteronomy 7:25-25, 13:12-14; 17:1-4; 18:10-12; 22:5; 23:18; 24:1-4; 25:13-16; 32:16

Revelation 17:5

And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.

This is one of the few times in Revelation, where John spells out clearly what is taking place and yet even that has some mystery involved. It is made know that the identity of the prostitute is Babylon the Great; Mystery, Babylon the Great. Early on in this study we had discussed Jezebel in relationship to her being tolerated by the church of Thyatira. We talked about how this is likely the exact same spirit of Jezebel that Israelites encountered in the old testament. So now we have Mystery Babylon on the scene, even though there hasn’t been a Babylonian kingdom in quite some time; which leads us to believe that this is something like the spirit of the Kingdom playing out in our time. When she falls this is the same Babylon Israel will finally get to taunt as was prophesied by the prophet. ““How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God. I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” We have already seen this woman sitting on Leviathan, of whom Satan has given his power to; and the prophet revealed that she wanted to ascend above the angels of God, including Satan. This gives insight into why the beast and the kings of the earth are said to hate her, because she exalts herself and lays the nations low. Her arrogance and abominations and the riding on the backs of those who were created greater than her are stopped in their tracks once the beast is revealed. I mean even the Father spoke of the beast in this way, “On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear.” For a period of time, the kingdoms of the earth will indeed unite in order that Babylon be destroyed and God’s words be fulfilled.

Isaiah 14:3-23

Revelation 17:6

And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

It’s one thing for the woman to ride on the back of the beast. It’s another for her to be holding the cup full of abomination; but now we see something truly disturbing. I find it interesting that this act is not necessarily a part of the golden cup that she is holding, but we find her already drunk with the blood of saints and the martyrs of Jesus. Apparently this woman has spent a great deal of enjoying the slaughter of the people belonging to God. This begs the question of why God would allow this for such an extended period of time. I mean surely God is powerful enough that He could easily and swiftly wipe her out to prevent the murder of His children. While the answer to this is a resounding yes, he chooses not to act just yet because of something that is difficult for us comprehend. Once again God chooses to show mercy upon the earth, giving her time to repent rather than outright destroying her, even to the detriment of His servants. It is difficult to comprehend God letting these events drag on, and was even the cause of the plea of the people we saw below the altar. They inquired of God when the time would come when they would be finally avenged. It seems they too failed to comprehend the deep complexity of the mercy of God. This also seems to have gripped John as well. When he saw this drunken woman he marveled greatly. This same word, marveled, is what Jesus experienced when He saw the faith of the centurion regarding the healing of his servant. John was no doubt amazed with a hint of confusion about how such a thing is happening or allowed to exist in the face of the evil that is emanating from the woman. But she is allowed to continue for a season in order to test our resolve and faith in Jesus. As the writer said, “but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” This painful lesson of death at the hands of a drunken woman later yields the fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.

Revelation 17:7

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

Sometimes it is the simple verses in scripture that ought to make us stop and wonder how it is we intend to remain saved from the wonders of this world. John has seen this woman sitting on top of the beast, drunk with blood and holding the cup of abominations in her hand; so he did what I imagine would be common to most of us, he marveled...greatly. The angel seeing this in John asks him a simple question, why do you marvel? This would be an amazing sight to behold; two different forms of evil personified and before our eyes, it’s hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t be amazed at this. The angel who brings forth the question knows something about this state of thinking that we are not yet aware of but brings it to John’s attention. In the next sentences he says, “the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast.” Can you imagine being John at this moment? In the midst of his marveling, it is made known that those who marvel to see the beast do not have their names written in the book of life. That should make our heart stop. Not only did he marvel but marveled greatly and then is told that those who do that are not in the book of life. Now it seems that marveling was not the prerequisite for not being written but rather those who aren’t written will marvel, but either way this puts John in a very uncomfortable position. It’s at this point we utter the words of Abraham, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” What if what he finds just is to condemn John for his actions? I don’t know and don’t really want to assume much at this time but at the very least this should make each of us do some soul searching in order to determine if we are doing our best to prepare ourselves to be found blameless. The implications of John’s actions may be eternal or may not be but it is definitely something that would draw our attention to what it means to fully put our faith in God. I trust that God will do what is right; but I also believe Him when he said that His ways are not my ways, nor His thoughts my thoughts.

Revelation 17:8

The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.

To reiterate, the beast once was, is not now, and is about to be again. If you have not followed from the beginning of these lessons we talked fairly significantly about the identity of the beast, according to scripture; and have even identified him by name. Leviathan is the name God has given him. Scripture has pointed out that he once was and was punished. He very much at this time is not, because we would notice a creature such as this but he is going to rise as the word declares and will go to destruction. In fact he is one of the first to experience the eternal destruction that we often associate the word “hell” with. For the difficult part of this lesson we see that those whose names are not written in the book of life will marvel to see the beast. I know when I was first exploring the idea that the beast is in fact a sea monster as described to us by the Father, it was just a silly kind of idea. It wasn’t until the facts started piling up in his favor that this truth became mind-blowing. I think the difficult part of this to grasp is that the beast is really a beast somehow and yet holds a kingdom; and upon a further look into scripture I don’t know why we grasp to the concept that the beast has to be a man because the alternative is too far fetched. Let’s look at the case. We believe that there is a God, who has a Spirit (that is seven), and a Son. Out of nothing the Father created everything that would ever be through this Son. He is so awesome that we are not able to look upon him. He is able to control everything from His throne and has set up an entire universe that proclaims His glory. A woman (which was made from a piece of a man) listened to a talking serpent (who is later revealed to be an angel from heaven); therefore she sinned. When man followed in disobeying God, death was decreed. Instead of punishing us eternally for this act, our God was pleased to crush His only Son in order that the way into the Most Holy place of a tent in heaven could be opened up. We believe all these things but somehow have trouble believing that a long time ago He created a great being to live in the sea that would later rise up to deceive the world. I wonder how much less marveling would go on if we actually taught this in our churches. What is actually more unbelievable than that is that this generation, the one we live in, would ever marvel at something as meaningless as a one government world, or the pope being the beast, or any other explanation of who the beast is. This world couldn't care less about any government or man in that government that might rise to power. They would be taking to facebook and calling the pope all sorts of names or digging up dirt on whoever might be named the beast. There is even a large sect of people who actually believe that this is actually Obama and yet still to the vast majority of the world, marveling is the last thing that would happen to the office of the president. Wake up Christian and strengthen what remains and is about to die.

Revelation 17:9

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

Wisdom indeed. The woman is a kingdom, the prostitute Babylon. The beast is a kingdom, possibly the next to last kingdom (at least for a while). The beast hates Babylon but the seven heads that are seen on the beast are seven mountains on which the prostitute sits. No wonder he hates her, she is claiming dominion over what is essentially his territory and his birthright so to speak. This may be the whole earth but in this verse is specifically concerned about the land rather than the rulers of that land, of which we will see in the following verses. Most scholars point to the seven hills as being Rome itself, specifically Vatican city due to Rome being called the city on seven hills. This is interesting because those same scholars up to this point have conceded that every time seven has been mentioned beforehand it was in relationship to completeness or perfection and yet in this instance it suddenly is talking about something very specific. It may very well end up talking about Rome specifically but seems more in line with the rule (or at least the desire to rule) over the entire globe.

Revelation 17:10

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.

While the seven heads are lands on which the woman is seated, they are also seven kings. Here John gives us a little bit of help in explaining what is going on due to him referencing something in real time. He explains that five kings or perhaps kingdoms, have fallen. Scholars almost unanimously agree that these kingdoms are those of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. Then John says one is. If we remember John has been exiled to Patmos by the Roman government. So that explains that the one who is at that time is Rome. The seventh however has not yet come, but when he does he remains only a little while. This is the point I don’t necessarily agree with most Revelation scholars. Most concede that this seventh king is the apostate church and more specifically for some, the Roman Catholic church. This theory presents all kinds of problems. The first problem is that many that believe that also believe that the Roman Catholic church is also the beast even though in the next verses scripture clearly states that the beast is an eighth king. Another problem with this is an issue of time and what we believe John was trying to convey. He said when this king comes he must remain for a little while, with the word actually meaning a small or short time. Simply put, this has not been the case for the Catholic church. Even if we made an argument about it being a small time in relationship to God’s time, it seems like an odd placement of words considering at this point the church has been around 2-3 times longer than many of the empires that are believed to be the other kings. That being said, I’m afraid I can’t or won’t speculate as to who this seventh king is. What I believe is being conveyed by John is the fact that once this king arises then it will be a fairly short time, comparatively speaking until the rise of the eighth king.

Revelation 17:11

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. (KJV)

This beast is not represented by the seven heads but he is an eighth king. I decided to use the KJV here mainly for one specific word that conveys a different type of existence than does the words used in other translations. It is said that the beast is OF the seven (kings). Many translations say the beast belongs to the seven but this may give a false sense of what is happening. The word in greek is ek and denotes something that has exited out or as a separation from something which there has been a close connection. So it seems the beast doesn’t necessarily belong to the other seven but has somehow come from them and is separated from them. He is separated from them in that he is going to his destruction. Leviathan, this eighth king; is among the first, if not the first, that will be thrown into the lake of fire by Jesus when He returns.

Revelation 17:12

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

Now this act is not something you see as being very important among end time theologians, or at least it is not discussed with much time or passion. What I mean is that much time and even speculation are given to trying to discover the beast and the prostitute, while this verse is widely neglected. The ten horns are ten kings, who have no kingdom but will be given one, in one hour as this verse says. The term “one hour” is not necessarily one hour but is meant to convey a very specific length of time. There are a few instances where it is used to define a season of time but is most often used as almost an instant time in a day. In the gospels it is used several times when Jesus healed someone and it was found that in that very hour they were healed. So it’s not as if they will only have their kingdoms for just one hour but more along the lines that they will receive authority as kings in the same time frame as the beast has. Now that time frame may be short lived as we will see in the next verses but we’ll tackle that later. The beast receives (at least partly), his authority from Satan himself; so it should make us wonder if Satan also gives authority to these ten kings as well. They are given kingly authority together with the beast, and while it certainly looks as if this authority has come from the fallen Satan himself, scripture also talks very plainly about all authority being given from God, apparently though Satan if God so chooses. Now this is somewhat controversial since we like to think that Satan has no real power but I don’t believe he was exaggerating when speaking of the kingdoms of the earth, he told Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” The kingdoms were his to hand over if he so chooses. Keep this in the back of your mind as we travel through the next several lessons.

Revelation 17:13

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

The ten kings have one mind or one purpose as some translations say. The next verse says that they will make war against the Lamb, so one might think that this is their purpose. No, their collective wills are to hand over their authority to the beast. This is amazing. God gave these ten kings power and authority for the sole purpose of handing it over to Leviathan. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the “why” to this action. Leviathan is already established to be one of the most powerful beings in all of God’s creation. Combine that with the fallen Satan giving him his power, throne and great authority and it seems like this is not a king we would want to defy. Now this new element is thrown into the equation and it either seems like overkill or a waste of time. What could these kings possibly offer to the beast that he was lacking? I don’t have an answer to this mystery other than to say that since the authority comes from God Himself, His efforts will not be in vain. God has a plan to accomplish for this group of kings that will end in their destruction at the hands of His Son. The details of that plan will be coming soon.

Revelation 17:14

These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

Notice the ten kings are neither destroyed or completely spent of their power and kingdom. They, along with the beast will make war on the Lamb. Now I do want to remind you that the last description of the Lamb that we got was as if He had been slain, which implied that He seemed to be in a weakened state. Then in the next line we read something that is so profound and yet leaves us with a great deal of awe and speculation. The Lamb will conquer them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings. For a few chapters we have been discussing the dragon and his power, the beasts and their power and now seven and ten kings and their respective powers and authority. Now we see their downfall in a sentence with the explanation being simply that He is Lord and He is King. For Jesus, that’s enough and it ought to give us great fear. He defeats the most powerful beings in creation simply because He is who He said He is just as His Father testified. Don’t get me wrong, this is great news and very comforting but does make us wonder; how does He do it? Nevertheless, some will see it happen.

Those that are with Him; the called, chosen, and faithful. At first glance this looks to be a description of one type of people but these actually came from two previous groups; group one: the called, group two the chosen and group three the faithful. The faithful are the final group of servants who were sifted out of the other two, much larger groups. The same Jesus who is the Lamb described the sifting process in His description of the kingdom of Heaven. There was found among the guests at the banquet a man that was not properly dressed for the event. The King ordered him to be thrown into outer darkness with this explanation; many are called but few are chosen. The king had called on many to come into this banquet but most had an excuse as to why they couldn’t come, but there were some who got in, and though they had been called in, they were not chosen so they were thrown to the place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. To be called isn’t enough, you must be chosen. To be chosen is key and indeed very necessary but in turn we must be found faithful. Now this will stir up some of our followers but in chapters two and three Jesus spoke in detail about what the consequences of being found faithful verses being unfaithful. You’ll notice in those chapters that He is speaking to His churches, the called and chosen; but He does give us conditions upon which we must meet in order to have the opportunity to be found in this group who gets to witness the destruction of foreign kingdoms.

ref: Matthew 22:1-14

Revelation 17:15

He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.

Back in 17:1 we saw the prostitute sitting on many waters and skimmed by it. Finally we see the waters brought up again and may give insight to who this prostitute is. The waters, are explained not to be waters at all but rather people. She is seated on many people, multitudes, nations and languages. It is difficult to imagine that this depiction of Babylon here can be anyone else than the United States at this current moment. Now things may change and she may be revealed to be someone different but if she was revealed now it would seem to be the US. What other country in the world has such a diversity of peoples, numbers, nations and languages than the US? Now a little research shows that we may not have the most peoples, or multitudes, or nations or languages, but when you add those components together along with the power it displays later, it would rank at the top of the list. Even if you pay closer attention to the way the rest of the world views us, many times we are not looked at favorably. However, we are Americans and when we see how disliked we are among the nations we write it off as their loss but it is something we need to keep a close eye on because in the next few verses we see how that will end for us.

Revelation 17:16

The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.

The 10 kings and the beast will hate the prostitute. We haven’t really discussed much about the attributes that make Babylon a whore. The simple definition of the greek word is any woman who sells her body for sexual uses or one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain. I think we would be shocked to how often we take on the role of a harlot. What exactly would we do for the right amount of money? Scripture does not say that Babylon is a cheap prostitute so it may be that she sells herself for quite a bit more than many Christians would. I mean we jump on all types of bandwagons on social media sites and in politics, selling our votes and allegiances for what amounts to nothing; with no real knowledge of what it will cost us in return. Then we go and read about this prostitute and judge her for the bad decisions she makes; not realizing that she may very well be our very own government of which we follow. It’s at this point that many will blame Obama and his followers for the mess the country is in, but realistically the Republicans fare no better. I read all kinds of stories and message boards where politicians call out this administration and its evils; some demanding that he be impeached and replaced immediately...and yet no one does anything. Even the most staunch Republicans sit by and so far no charges or actions against this “evil”. The reason for this is that they are a part of the same prostitute. Both parties sell themselves for gain, the same gain. Both parties are almost completely corrupt. There is no true outrage over the evil being done in the land because that would cause their evils to be exposed as well. But there will be a time where the kingdoms of the world will unite against her. Make no mistake, these kingdoms are evil as well but they will grow tired of her prostitution and will leave her naked and desolate. They will devour her flesh and burn her with fire. She is a disgusting woman who has defiled herself and the nations of people she has control over. After her desolation, there will be no more signs she existed for she will be totally consumed, having gained nothing for all her harlotry. As Christians we must pay the most careful attention to our own actions so that we may not share in her destruction.

Revelation 17:17

For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished.

The sovereignty of God turns up in any situation in life if we allow ourselves to see it. I wonder what it was that John saw that made him realize this. He sees one of the most prominent forces of evil rising up in the world and he makes sure that we know that it is God who has put a word into the king’s hearts. It appears that they are very clear about their purpose on this earth, even though we sometimes get it confused. We think their purpose is to make war on the Lamb and to be conquered, which will no doubt happen. But their actual purpose is to hand their kingdoms over to Leviathan until God’s words are accomplished. It seems Jesus wants Babylon destroyed before He returns. While Babylon is evil and a force to be reckoned with, Jesus will only have to deal with the greater evil, the beasts and these kings. What is not made clear to us is why all of this had to happen. We have explored the power and authority of both Satan and the beast(s), they seem perfectly capable of taking care of Babylon without the help of these kingdoms but nevertheless God has instructed each of them in this matter. This is the beauty of God’s word. While He could very easily move His will from point A to point B; instead He let’s things play out in a way that can allow us to glorify Him. In the next chapter we will see the evils of Babylon and explore a little about our role in her destruction, allowing God to be glorified in all the earth.

Revelation 17:18

And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth.”

Babylon is known as a prostitute and the mother of prostitutes as well as a kingdom, sitting by many waters. Now we see her in a far more specific way, as the great city. We had previously discussed how if she is revealed in our time she looks shockingly similar to America. If she does turn out to be the U.S. then we narrow her down to the great city, more specifically New York City. We don’t have to look further than her most readily available symbol, the statue of liberty or “Liberty Enlightening the World”. There is a lot of theory about what her various symbols imply but we don’t have to go past her official name. At first glance it appears that it is everything we could want. But a closer look at what absolute liberty means is the state of being free from oppressive restrictions by an authority over one’s life or more simply, to act as one pleases. Now if scripture is true and the heart is desperately wicked, then being free from restrictions and acting as one pleases is not necessarily a good things. In fact having the liberty to do exactly what we please would only yield a cup filled with abominable things, of which this woman has been seen holding. She is indeed the mother of all the vile things of the earth, all those things of which our Father in Heaven finds disgusting and she flaunts them in front of the whole earth. She dangles them in front of us in the name of freedom, trying to get us to turn away from the law of our “oppressive” Father. She holds an empire over the kings of all the earth but much to her downfall our Father has a Son who is King over all kings.