Contents
VI. The Judgement of the World (17:1-20:3)
A. Setting: An angel issuing from the sanctuary (17:1-2)
B. The Unfolding of the 7 Plagues (17:3-20:3)
| 17:1 | 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: | VI. The Judgement of the
World (17:1-20:3) Introduction and Setting
A. The Setting: 17:1-2 Vs. 1: That it is one of the 7 plague-bowl angels who shows John the passing of the sentence of death is further indication that what is to be seen is a detail of the 7th plague not seen in heaven. "the great whore" who she is will be clear in a moment. "the many waters" = the same term that refers to the bottomless pit of 9:2 (abyss), and a reference to the home of the Beast of the Sea. |
| 17:2 | 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. | Vs. 2: We now know who the whore is: She is the symbol of all the idolatries to which the people of the earth have chosen to give their allegiance rather than God. "Adultery and fornication" are of the spiritual types in as much as the Kings of the earth (the nations) have chosen to love and worship anything other than God. |
| 17:3 | 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. | B. The Unfolding of the
7 Plagues
Scene 1: "The harlot on the scarlet beast (17:3-5) "a scarlet beast" = the red dragon (Satan) "Blasphemous names" = those things that are not God but which are worshipped and called gods (especially the Roman Emperor of course). "7 heads and 10 horns -- it was Rome (the Beast from the sea) that had 7 heads and 10 horns. Here the utterly demonic nature of the Roman Empire is obvious as it is now seen in the shape of "the red dragon" it serves. |
| 17:4 | And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: | Vs. 4: Although she is a whore, the woman is
clothed beautifully.
purple and scarlet = the colors of royalty. gold, precious stones pearls - the sign of grandeur Point: Evil is often beautiful and seductive to the eye. "a gold cup of abominations and impurities" = a description of the true horror of idolatry. |
| 17:5 | And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. | Vs. 5: The name on her forehead labels her as all worldly powers and the gods served by people who will not worship God, especially the Roman Empire. |
| 17:6 | And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. | Vs. 6: In this verse we once again see why this woman is identified so closely with the Roman Empire above all other worldly powers. a) Rome has spread her idolatry throughout the world; b) Rome has persecuted those who fail to join in this idolatry. |
| 17:7 | And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. | Scene 2: The Beast at
War with the Woman (17:6-18)
Vs. 7: "marvel" - to look in great wonder, to be entranced, to gape after. John describes his own conduct in terms not much different from those he used to describe the whole world gaping after the monster (13:3). The angel says "don't be entranced" and then goes on to explain the beast and the woman. |
| 17:8 | The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. | Vs. 8: In a nutshell the beast is Satan;
its title (was, is not, and is to come) is a parody of God's title: is,
was, and is coming (see 1:4).
"it will come when it ascends from the pit" - (see 11:7) |
| 17:9 | And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. | Vs. 9: "7 heads are 7 hills" = This beast
is the demonic force behind Rome, the city of the 7 hills.
"the woman seated on the beast" = Rome (11:18) |
| 17:10 | And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. | Vs. 10: "7 heads are 7 Kings" = this
beast is also the demonic force behind the Emperors and their claim to
be divine.
"7 Kings, 5 of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes" his stay will be short. These Kings are not emperors. |
| 17:11 | And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. | Vs. 11: "10 horns = 10 Kings" - Remember
way back in the companion where you were told that the 10 horns show that
this beast is all 4 of Daniel's beasts rolled into one? (And so therefore
the epitome of the corruption of the world power.)
These "10 Kings" are as symbolic as the "7 emperors". The 10 Kings are not the emperors (the horns are the emperors). The 10 Kings could symbolize the complete number of the Kings of the East who come across the Euphrates for the Armageddon (Rev 16:12) because these kings are part of the monster itself, as are the horns. But in any case, we know the horns are a way that the monster is shown to be a caricature of the Christ who is shown to be the real King of Kings. |
| 17:12 | And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. | * |
| 17:13 | These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. | Vs. 13-14: The 10 horns/Kings are the worldly powers opposed to Christ who will make war on the Lamb (but be defeated). |
| 17:14 | These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. | * |
| 17:15 | And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. | Vs. 15-18: The worldly powers will also come
to hate the harlot and kill her.
In other words, Rome will be destroyed by outside armies (something we glimpsed in 16:16 at Armageddon). In John's day "the city which has dominion over the Kings of the earth" is Rome. |
| 17:16 | And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. | * |
| 17:17 | For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. | * |
| 17:18 | And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. | * |
| 18:1 | And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. | Scene 3: The Final Cosmic
Oratorio (18:1-19:10)
18:1-10 The aftermath of Armageddon as seen in Rome. This entire scene is an expansion of 14:6-8. 18:1-3 = 14:6-8(The announcement from God that worldly power is crushed.) |
| 18:2 | And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. | * |
| 18:3 | For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. | * |
| 18:4 | And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. | 18:4-8 = 14:6-8 (The call to God's people to repent; this is a call to all the earth; and a final call, at that.) |
| 18:5 | For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. | * |
| 18:6 | Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. | * |
| 18:7 | How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. | * |
| 18:8 | Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. | * |
| 18:9 | And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, | 18:9-20 -- The Kings of the beast were to rule for "one hour" (17:12) and in that hour of rule they destroyed Rome - but instead of repenting, the people can only weep over the death of the scarlet woman. |
| 18:10 | Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. | * |
| 18:11 | And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: | * |
| 18:12 | The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, | * |
| 18:13 | And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. | * |
| 18:14 | And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. | * |
| 18:15 | The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, | * |
| 18:16 | And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! | * |
| 18:17 | For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, | * |
| 18:18 | And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city! | * |
| 18:19 | And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. | * |
| 18:20 | Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. | Vs. 20: It can now be seen that worldly power
is a farce and the God has brought all world power to an end.
(All world power is ended because the Kings were to rule "one hour" but the destruction of Rome at Armageddon took "one hour" so their time of rule is also over.) |
| 18:21 | And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. | The Judgement of Babylon: (18:21-19:4)
Vs. 21: Here we see the third angel John calls "mighty". Remember for a minute the importance of what the first two did (5:2 and 10:1). 1) The first called for someone to open the Great Scroll. (Reveal God's purpose for history.) 2) The second called for the 7 thunders and gave John the little scroll. (God's message to the Church giving another perspective on his purposes in history which John was forbidden to write down so even the Church wouldn't think it has God's plans all figured out.) 3) This one throws down the millstone, into the sea. This is the destruction of everything that is told of in greater detail than ever before - but which will be seen completely in 19:11-21. (See Jer 51:60-63 and Lk 17:2) But first, before we see this in detail, a word from our sponsor: 19:1-10. |
| 18:22 | And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; | * |
| 18:23 | And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. | * |
| 18:24 | And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. | * |
| 19:1 | And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: | The Saints in Eternity (19:1-10)
19:1-5: The Saints are praising God for having already fulfilled his plan. The Old Age has been ended completely. This is what seems to happen in Revelation all the time. No sooner do we catch a glimpse of the end of the age than we are shown the bliss of the saint in heaven. * There is a reason for this. Revelation is not intended to "scare the hell out of God's enemies" but to reassure his persecuted children. |
| 19:2 | For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. | * |
| 19:3 | And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. | * |
| 19:4 | And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. | * |
| 19:5 | And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. | * |
| 19:6 | And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. | 19:6-10: Something new is added to this vision of the saints in heaven: the Church is about to be wedded to the Lamb and the perfect eternal union of Christ and his people is to be accomplished. We will see this happen in 21:1-22:5. |
| 19:7 | Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. | * |
| 19:8 | And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. | Vs. 8: The fine deeds are the fine linen in which the Church is clothed. These fine deeds are the deaths of the martyrs. Remember: it was because they were martyred that they were given white robes. |
| 19:9 | And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. | * |
| 19:10 | And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. | Vs. 10: For the second time John falls down
to worship an angel -- and is told not to do that. The point here is how
easily human beings fall into idolatry. We must always be sure that we
worship God himself and not mistake the signs that point to Him
(angels, Scripture, the Church) for He Himself.
"the spirit of prophecy" = "The testimony of Jesus is what inspires prophecy." With this anticipatory vision of what the reader will see more fully later, John finally shows "the harvest and the winepress" in detail. |
| 19:11 | And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. | Scene 4: (19:11-16)
The Word of God on the White Horse
This scene is a detailed picture of 14:14-16 (Christ arriving to begin the harvest). Vs. 11: "heaven opened" heaven now holds no more secrets for the seer "a white horse"- This is not the first horseman of the apocalypse of 6:1-2. That rider was part of a four-fold scourge active only through the divine permission. This rider is Christ. "Faithful and True" - we know this is Christ from 3:14 where he is called the faithful and true witness "judges and makes war - here again we see the two edges of the sword of Rev. 1:16. |
| 19:12 | His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. | Vs. 12: "eyes flamed like fire" - as
in 1:14 and 2:18
"many diadems" = many crowns This is a contrast with the 10 horned beast: Christ's royalty far surpasses any earthly royalty. "a name which no one knows but himself" means that even after dying in Christ (14:13), after being entrusted with His new name (3:12) after learning the victory song in heaven (14:3), there are depths to Christ's being which even the Church Triumphant cannot comprehend fully. |
| 19:13 | And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. | Vs. 13: "a rob dipped in blood" a reference
to Christ's own martyrdom.
"the Word of God" = it is Christ Himself who is the word of God. |
| 19:14 | And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. | Vs. 14: "the armies of heaven in white robes" - the martyrs |
| 19:15 | And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. | Vs. 15: Christ is enthroned with his martyrs who will share his rule (still following Christ wherever he leads). His only weapon is the words he will speak (all God used to create the world). |
| 19:16 | And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. | Vs. 16: These titles are written on his robe
and on his thigh.
-- on his blood stained robe because it was through the crucifixion and resurrection that Christ was enthroned. -- on his thigh because (as everyone in the ancient world known) the thigh was the place where one's sword hung. Christ needs no sword: his enthronement as the King of Kings is weapon enough. He will need no weapon because He is the powerful Word of God by which all things were created. |
| 19:17 | And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; | Scene 5: The Angel Standing
in the Sun (19:17-18)
Vs. 17-18: The summons to the birds is significant in 2 ways: a) They are invited to God's great (and grisly) feast, as opposed to the Lamb's wedding feast. b) These birds are called the birds of "mid heaven" namely: the eagles and vultures (the carrion eaters). Remember the screech of the 3 woes from the eagle? Remember you never saw the third woe? The verses that follow pick up where the third screech of woe left off and give us a new perspective on the Armageddon. |
| 19:18 | That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. | * |
| 19:19 | And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. | Scene 6: The Battle
of Armageddon revisited (19:19-21)
Vs. 19: Who are these Kings with their armies gathered together with the beast? These are the folks of 16:12-16 gathering to go to war with each other, but this time the reader sees what they didn't see: that the "sky" is filled with Christ and his martyrs looking on. What the Kings doing battle against each other don't know, is that this is the Last Battle, marking the beginning of the harvest. And while the Kings are doing battle "against each other" led by the beast, they are in fact making war against Christ. This is a profound spiritual truth: so often nations at war forget that at its root, any war is, a war against God. |
| 19:20 | And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. | Vs. 20: Were you expecting a fierce fight between
the forces of good and the forces of evil? There is none. One minute the
Kings are at war, and the next the Beast (the false gods people worship)
and his prophet (the lies that deceive people into worshipping "the Beast")
are cast into Perdition Hell (the lake of fire).
This is what 18:21 is referring to: the stone like a great mill-stone is the false gods and deceits being cast into the lake of fire. This is what is described in 16:18-20: all worldly power built upon false gods crumbles as these idols are "cast into the sea" and destroyed. It is this "sea of fire" which gives the red tint to the sea of glass in Rev 15:2. Once again, God has swallowed up the enemies of his faithful people in a great sea, just as he swallowed up Pharaoh and his chariots during the Exodus. |
| 19:21 | And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. | Vs. 21: This verse shows a glimpse of God's
"winepress" as the followers of "the beast" are thrown into the
sea.
Why were these people thrown into the Perdition Hell? The answer is back in 16:20-21. Even after all false gods were stripped away, these people knew it was God at work, and still they cursed Him. "the sword of him who sits on the Horse, the sword that issues from his mouth" = Christ all-powerful WORD. |
| 20:1 | And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. | Scene 7: (20:1-3) Satan
cast into the Sea & the Millennium
Millennium and The meaning of Millennium |
| 20:2 | And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, | * |
| 20:3 | And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. | Vs. 3: Consequently "the 1000 years" = The Millennium = the period of time between the time of Christ's Resurrection and the beginning of the New Age. |