Bible Study with Jairus - Revelation 17 (Part 1) God Judges Babylon the Great by Taking Away Her Power

Bible Study with Jairus - Revelation 17 (Part 1)

God Judges Babylon the Great by Taking Away Her Power

 

Revelation 17 presents a spiritual picture of the punishment of Babylon the Great, the great prostitute. This prostitute sits on many waters, which represent various nations and peoples (17:1, 15). This woman is “the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth” (17:18). This verse refers to the spiritual domination of evil forces over the nations. In the book of Daniel, the evil prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood an angel and kept him from delivering a message to Daniel. In the same way, there are various evil spirits exerting influence over many nations. This creates a network of spiritual traps, woven by evil spirits, which dominates people and leads them into sin. Babylon the Great represents this web of evil, and it leads kings and nations to commit sexual immorality (18:9). Today, this web of evil is seen in the entertainment industry. It is well known that some Hollywood actors engage in Satanism, thus participating in spiritual adultery. In this way, they cooperate with the evil spirits that hover over Hollywood and participate in the evil of Babylon the Great. 

 

The prostitute not only exercises dominion over the kings of the earth, but she also rides on a beast with seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads represent seven kings (17:10) and the ten horns also represent ten kings (17:12). God has put it into the hearts of these kings to turn against the prostitute and to make war with her, “to make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire” (17:16-17). What does this mean? It signifies that God causes Babylon and the beast to turn against each other. Why do they turn against each other? Because Satan’s kingdom does not have a firm foundation. It is built on sand, not on the solid rock.

 

God’s final judgment uses a strategy the Chinese refer to as “removing the firewood from under the cauldron.” In other words, God has removed her chief assets, or “stolen her thunder.” He has attacked her indirectly. He has removed her ability to fight.[i] In the end, God judges Satan (chapter 20); but before that, He judges the beast and the false prophet (chapter 19); prior to that, He defeats Babylon the Great (chapters 17-18); and even earlier, He judges those who worshiped the beast’s image on earth (chapters 14-16).

 

God destroys Satan’s forces incrementally, as if cutting down a great tree. Those who worship the beast are the leaves, Babylon the Great is the branches, the beast and the false prophet are the trunk, and Satan is the root. God deals with them step by step. Satan’s regime was fueled by the worship of the men who bowed to the beast. The evil spirits gained power from people’s worship, which they then offered to the false prophet and the beast, and they in turn offered to Satan. By removing the worshipers, God stripped Satan’s kingdom of its power.

 

This strategy reveals the spiritual structure of Satan’s kingdom.  All of Satan’s power comes from human worship, which he gains by deception. If God removes the faithful believers from Babylon—those who would rather be martyred than worship the beast—and then judges those who bear the mark of the beast, then Babylon will have no foundation. God has given the earth to humanity, and if people no longer hand over their power to evil spirits through worship, Babylon the Great will lose its strength. Ultimately, this will lead to its collapse.

 

This is why God incites the kings to attack Babylon the Great. If the beast and the false prophet cannot receive worship from Babylon, they will turn against her. This is the reason for their infighting: God has cut off their source of power. After Babylon the Great falls, God will throw the beast and the false prophet into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19). When Satan loses his backing and support base, his day of reckoning will come (Revelation 20). God will thoroughly judge those who worship the beast, Babylon, the false prophet, and Satan by "removing the firewood from under the cauldron."

 

This chapter reminds us we must strike sin at its root. In the Book of Daniel, God gives Daniel a vision of a statue whose feet of iron and clay are crushed by a stone cut out without hands. The mixture of iron and clay symbolizes the mingling of sinners and evil spirits. God’s final judgment takes place when the angel hurls the great stone down and pronounces the destruction of Babylon (Revelation 18:21). Once these foundations are torn down, the entire kingdom of Satan will collapse. As Christians, we must work against spiritual adultery, which gives power to evil spirits. We must oppose the worship of Satan which forms the foundation of his kingdom. We must shatter this foundation in order to defeat the kingdom of Satan.

 

The Great Prostitute Sitting on Many Waters

 

God’s judgment of Babylon the Great is built on the foundation of His past achievements. God says that all things work together for good to those who love God, including negative things such as evil spirits and the great prostitute Babylon (Romans 8:28). God uses suffering and persecution to mature the body of Christ (His Bride). These sufferings serve as scaffolding, and once God’s construction is completed, they will be dismantled. With these thoughts in mind, let us examine some details in Chapter 16.

 

Before God judges Babylon, a loud voice comes from the throne of God, saying, “It is done” (16:17). God remembers Babylon’s sin and judges the earth with a great earthquake (16:18). Babylon’s time has run out; the “measure of her sin” is full, and judgment is inevitable (1 Thessalonians 2:16). A similar thing happened to the Amorites in the time of the conquest of Canaan. In Genesis 15, the Lord revealed to Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. For the next four centuries, God gave the Amorites a chance to repent, but they did not do so. At that time, judgment was inevitable.

 

There is another parallel between the conquest of Canaan and the final judgment of Babylon. While God was waiting for the Amorites to repent, the Israelite nation was growing from seventy people into a multitude of millions. When God’s chosen people had gained enough strength, He used them to judge the Amorites. In a similar way, God is giving the world time to repent. Meanwhile, the bride of Christ is growing in maturity. When God’s people are fully mature, God will use the body of Christ to execute his great judgment against Babylon.

 

When the body of Christ has matured and those who refuse to worship the beast are taken to God’s heavenly throne room, God will begin to judge the earth and those who worship the image of the beast. These people are in alliance with the Great Prostitute.

 

This chapter explains that the Great Prostitute, Babylon the Great, sits on many waters (17:1) which represent many "peoples and multitudes and nations and languages" (17:15). In other words, humanity collectively engages in sexual immorality with Babylon the Great by worshipping idols. When people worship idols, they abandon the God who created them and worship evil spirits and Satan. Verse 2 explicitly states, "And the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the dwellers on earth have become drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality." Humans are created by God, yet they are tempted by Satan and evil spirits to worship idols.

 

Verses 4-5 describes the Great Prostitute: "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. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: ‘Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.’” This description shows that Babylon the Great, instead of worshiping God, is actually engaging in idol worship.

 

The Great Prostitute (Babylon) not only worships idols, but also kills those who genuinely worship God: "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” (vs. 6). Idol-worshipers use various systems to persecute those who worship God. For instance, King Herod was an idolater who killed John’s brother James in order to please the Jews. The evil system of Babylon killed James through the religious spirit of Judaism and through the evil political leader Herod.

 

This story helps us explain the spiritual imagery in this chapter. The religious spirit of Judaism and the evil Jewish political system are part of Babylon the Great. Babylon encompasses all fallen religious and political systems in the world. Herod is an example of one of the many kings who was in collusion with Babylon.

 

The Great Prostitute Rides on a Beast With Seven Heads and Ten Horns

 

In response to human idolatry, a beast arises. This beast is the Antichrist. He is both a man and a conduit for evil, Satanic spirits. Revelation 17:3 states, “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.” Just as Christ became flesh to identify with human beings, Satan and his evil forces manifested themselves as a human being in order to identify with sinners. The beast (who is a human being) shares many characteristics with Satan. Both are represented by red or scarlet animals, and both have blasphemous names. Satan has been a liar, a murderer, and a blasphemer since the beginning, and these traits are also characteristics of the beast.

 

The beast’s seven heads represent seven kings, as well as the seven mountains on which the woman sits. Some traditional teachings associate the beast with Roman Catholicism, since Rome was built on seven mountains. While this interpretation is possible, I believe that Babylon the Great is much larger than one denomination. It also encompasses the evil elements of fallen Protestantism, Judaism, and other fallen religious systems. (The beast does not represent true believers, but only the fallen religious institutions.) It also encompasses various secular worldly systems. Babylon the Great is an immense snare.

 

The angel says to John, "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 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" (17:8). We know from Revelation 20 that Satan will be imprisoned for 1,000 years, released briefly to deceive the nations, and then finally cast into the Lake of Fire. This beast will share a similar fate.

 

Perhaps the beast is one of the evil beings that Peter refers to in 2 Peter 2:4. Peter writes, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment...” (2 Peter 2:4). These "chains of gloomy darkness" could be detaining many rebellious angels. Perhaps some are even detained in the second heaven. It is possible that the beast was active in the past but was then imprisoned by God in the bottomless pit. Perhaps at some point, this angel (the beast) will be temporarily released to deceive people.

 

Regardless of how we interpret the exact identity of the beast, we know he represents a union of evil spirits (including fallen angels) and sinful humans. This passage clearly states that “the seven heads are 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” (17:10). Verse 11 continues, “As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction” (17:11). Thus, it is clear that the beast is the eighth king. This king is human, but he is not an ordinary person. He is possessed by the beast from the bottomless pit, making him a fusion of a human spirit and a demonic spirit. Just like true believers are a union between God’s spirit and the human spirit, the beast is a union between Satan, evil spirits, and sinful humanity.

 

This reality should be a challenge to all of us. While true believers will grow increasingly holy, those who are sinful will grow increasingly depraved. We as Christians will be united more and more closely with the Lord so we can eventually sit on his throne and reign with him. However, sinners will grow more and more united with evil spirits and will end up sitting on an evil throne with Satan. However, this so-called throne is only an illusion, and it will not be able to withstand God’s final judgment.

 

Revelation 17:12 says, “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.” These ten kings do not yet possess their kingdoms, but they will rule with the beast for a short time. In a sense, they will share Satan’s "throne," as stated earlier.

 

Revelation 17:13 says, "They are of one mind and hand over their power and authority to the beast." Why do humans have the authority to hand over authority to this evil being? In Genesis, God created humans and gave them the responsibility of governing the earth. Therefore, humans have the authority to determine who holds power. Adam’s initial sin transferred authority to Satan, but Jesus reclaimed it through His crucifixion. However, if sinners refuse Christ’s salvation and instead unite with Satan, they temporarily empower Satan to rule over this world.

 

After the authority has temporarily been transferred to Satan, these evil forces “will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful” (17:14). Christ defeated Satan at the cross, but we as Christ's followers will play a role in Satan’s ultimate defeat. This is the significance of the final battle on the Last Day.

 

The Ten Horns and the Beast Will Hate the Prostitute

 

In Revelation 17:16, the angel tells John that “The ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire” (Revelation 17:16). Why will the ten horns and the beast hate the prostitute? The reason is quite simple. The beast originally deceived people through the Great Prostitute in order to take their worship away from God. The Great Prostitute and Babylon the Great had included many true believers who had been deceived. Satan had used the errors of these misguided believers to persecute other believers.

 

However, by this time, God has exposed and judged the Great Prostitute and called His chosen ones to come out of Babylon the Great (Revelation 18:4). When God judged Babylon the Great and called out all true believers, Babylon’s mask was ripped off. Without the subtle deception of misguided believers within it, the city no longer had any value left for deception and manipulation. This is why the beast becomes very angry.

 

Satan responds in several ways to the fall of Babylon the Great. On the one hand, he hates the prostitute and attacks her. On the other hand, he leaves behind its indirect approach (using Babylon as a mediator) and begins directly possessing people—namely, the last ten kings. The alliance of the ten horns and the beast indicates that Satan no longer deceives people through the Babylonian system but instead directly unites with humanity. Therefore, in the final battle of the end times, Babylon no longer plays a part. Satan and his armies fight directly with the Lamb and His army.

 

John describes this final battle in chapter 19, saying, “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.” As you can see, those who are fighting against the Lamb and His army do not include Babylon or the prostitute; only the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the earth with their armies are present. The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, and the rest are slain by the sword that comes from the mouth of the one sitting on the horse (Revelation 19:20-21).

 

Conclusion

 

God's judgment against Babylon the Great includes the dismantling of the snare that Satan and the evil spirits have set for humanity—Babylon the Great. God rescues groups of true believers from this snare and thoroughly cleanses it. As someone has said, Babylon the Great is like a spider's web that ensnares many true believers. But God's judgment acts like a broom that breaks apart Babylon's web so that true believers can be saved. The true believers who are set free from Babylon may then join God’s army and engage in the final battle against the beast, the false prophet, and the kings of the earth.

 

After winning an ultimate victory, God will judge the beast and the false prophet, throwing them into the lake of fire, thus laying the foundation for the final judgment of Satan (Chapter 20). By the time we get to chapters 21-22, the conclusion of Revelation is imminent. The New Heaven and the New Earth will be created and the New Jerusalem (the Bride and the Lamb's wife, as referenced in 21:1 and 21:9) will descend from heaven. At that time, all pain, sorrow, sin, and betrayal will be wiped away forever.

 

[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Stratagems