Skip to content Interpreting Babylon's Symbolism: Revelation 17-18 Dec 19 · 18 min ...more
Interpreting Babylon's Symbolism: Revelation 17-18
December 19, 2025 · 18 min
Explore the meaning behind the harlot, Babylon and how it fits into Revelation's prophecy.
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Unveiling the Great Harlot and the Beast 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to stand on the word. Thanks for joining me this morning. Alright. Are you ready for this? Revelation chapters 17 and 18, verse 5 of chapter 17. And on her forehead, a0:21 name was written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth. Let me give this disclaimer upfront, save some of you some time from emailing me and0:33 saying you disagree. I am not gonna be dogmatic about presenting a particular view of these intensely challenging but very enlightening chapters. So chapter 17 and 18 function0:45 as an explanatory interlude to chapter 16. In the bowl judgments, especially the seventh bowl, Babylon's judgment is announced. Look over in chapter, 16 verse 19. Then beginning0:57 here in chapter 17, an angel unpacks the announcement by showing John who Babylon is and what her fall looks like. So chapter 16 is really kind of the headline, and chapter 17 and 18 is1:09 the full story. Now we're introduced to a new, person in a new figure in this narrative in chapter 17, the great harlot. So who is the harlot? Well, we're gonna look at that in just a1:21 moment. But just so that we can keep this cast of characters straight, let's review here for a moment. We'll talk about the unholy trinity that we've seen before. The dragon, that is1:33 Satan. The beast, that's the antichrist. The false prophet, that's the antichrist right hand man and the religious leader. So at the outset of Revelation, we read that Jesus is described1:44 as the 1 who is and who was and who is to come. Now that description doesn't just identify Christ. I think it sets the framework for the book itself.1:57 Revelation speaks to what was, what is, and what is yet to come. In that sense, the past, present, and future all belong to this book, and that2:09 really kinda helping helps explain why there are different interpretive lenses used to look at the book of Revelation. You have the, petro Petarist. You have2:21 the historic the historical view. You have the idealist. You have the futurist. Now each capture a part of this book's meaning. I think you combine all of them2:32 together. So in addition to that, each generation's interpretation of revelation has been influenced and and filtered through what they saw2:44 around them. Right? I mean, you when you look at technology today, revelation looks a lot different today than it did even when I remember reading it when I was in high school in 19 eighties. So2:56 this is, I mean, this is natural. Right? This is natural. John, in writing Revelation, uses these descriptives that we listed at the beginning of the book where he says like, as, as3:08 it were. He was using commonly recognized things of that day to describe what he was seeing so that people could relate to it and kind of get an image, a picture. So let's start,3:20 and, I'll explain more, along the way. And remember, this is not an exhaustive study. I am, I'm the guide on this journey. The Holy Spirit is our3:31 teacher. So let's start, verse 1 of, of, chapter I got my pages mixed up here. Chapter 17. Let's start with, verse3:43 1. Then 1 of the 7 angels who had the 7 bowls came and talked with me saying to me, come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot3:55 who sits on many waters. We're gonna see the definition of that in a moment. With whom the kings of the earth commit fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Now4:06 I'll just tell you, when I and we'll this will make a little more sense in a moment, but I'll just point it out right here. When I see this and this this is well, let me just hold that for a minute. I'll come back to it.4:16 Verse 3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, which was full of names of blasphemy, having 7 heads and 10 horns. Now we've seen that4:28 description before. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her4:40 head, a name was written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth. I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I4:51 saw her, I marveled with great amazement. But the angel said to me, why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which5:03 has the 7 heads and the 10 horns. So he said, John, you seem puzzled by this. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna give you the explanation. So a few key aspects to look at in these first 7 verses. We we have 3. Alright? The5:15 great harlot, the scarlet beast, and Babylon the great. Who is the harlot? Ready? The harlot most likely represents a unifying political,5:28 religious, and economic system. Okay? This is the the world system that is opposed to God's plans and purposes, which ties into Babylon the Great. Okay?5:39 Babylon is a type. It was the first recorded illustration that we have of man's attempt at a 1 world system. Let's go back to Genesis chapter 11,5:51 which we're actually gonna be in, just a couple of weeks. Genesis 11 4, and they said, come. Let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top is in the heavens. Let us make a name for ourselves,6:03 lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the earth. So there have been other embodiments of this kind of 1 world order that is opposed to God, Rome being 1 of them.6:15 That is, I think, 1 of the reasons that many scholars, have seen, a revived Rome as factoring into the last days. You know, Rome was a political, economic, and religious world6:27 center. Now it only really fills the ladder with the the the church being there in Rome, the Catholic church. I personally do not see literal Rome as the epicenter6:39 of what will play out in the final fulfillment of these prophecies in Revelation. I believe Rome is another type. Alright? I don't have time to go into all of this,6:52 but that's my view. I'll I'll unpack it a little bit more in just a moment. The scarlet beast is the, the antichrist. Okay? The beast that you saw verse 8. The beast that you7:04 saw was and is not and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition, that is destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel whose names are not written in the book of life from7:16 the foundation of the world when they see the beast that was and is not and yet is. So just a a comment on on verse 8 here is in the and those who dwell on the earth will marvel whose names were not written in the book7:27 of life from the foundation of the world. Those on the earth at the time will marvel because they're not enlightened by the Holy Spirit to see and understand what is unfolding. The church as a whole7:39 will not be there. Maybe some believers that have come to acknowledge the Messiah, but the church will not be there. We actually will be about to come back with the Lord for the final confrontation. Verse 9.7:51 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The 7 heads are 7 mountains on which the woman sits. There are also 7 kings. 5 have fallen, 1 is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must8:03 continue a short time. The beast that was and is not is is himself also the eighth and is of the seventh and is going to perdition. Now sounds like a riddle. Sounds like 1 of those8:15 questions you have on the ACT about this, this, and this. What does this equal to? You know, just so there are many interpretations of this passage. Okay? The 7 mountains that are8:26 referenced here are used to support the view that this is speaking about Rome because of the 7 hills, 7 mountains of Rome. Rome was a world empire. It is not, and some say it comes8:38 back. Now, again, I'm not gonna go into all that here. I'll just mention what I think is plausible. Okay? And, again, I'm looking at this from from what's happening in the world today.8:50 I'm looking through the lens of today's geopolitical landscape. Islamic scholar and author Joel Richardson has written extensively about Islamic eschatology,9:02 and he's overlaid it with, biblical eschatology. And it is quite amazing that it's almost a mere image in in terms of it fits like hand and glove. So here's, what he9:14 suggests, and and I was actually arriving this at this, apart from his reading, but when I read it, it makes a lot of sense. Could the eighth world power that rises9:26 from the seventh and and and you gotta go into the world powers of the world at that time when John was writing this. It was really not Rome. It was when you look back historically,9:38 it was over in the east. So is it possible that the eighth world power that rises from the seventh be a revived Ottoman Empire? There9:50 is an effort to do that right now. The president of Turkey is working hard to reestablish the Ottoman Empire that was dissolved after World War 1. Islam is a religious, political,10:03 and economic system. I mean, this is just some it's something to consider. Again, looking at it through the lenses of today's geopolitical landscape. And this is where I I go back to, to verse 1.10:15 I started to say something earlier, but it talks about the the king's committing fornication and the inhabitants of the land were made drunk, with the wine of her fornication. And, you know, you think10:27 about the the power and the impact that oil has had on the world and even on our country and how it has really driven, political10:38 decisions. A lot of political decisions have been based upon war. I mean, based upon oil, even going to war. So it's it's had an intoxicating effect. And10:50 if we're looking at the Middle East as more the epicenter of the unfolding of revelation, it it makes sense. Again, just just something to consider. Verse 12, the11:02 10 horns which you saw are 10 kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for 1 hour as kings with beast. These are of 1 mind. They will give their power and authority to the11:14 beast. These will make war with the lamb. The lamb will overcome them for he is lord of lords and king of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful. Then he said to me, the waters which you saw11:25 where the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. So this talks about the global aspect of the harlot. And the 10 horns which you saw are on the beast, these11:36 will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. So how do we interpret this? The antichrist, will turn on the the nation, the state11:48 that is the hub of the world system. Alright. Verse 1 of chapter 18 moving on. After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with hisThe Fall of Babylon and Call to Separation 12:00 glory. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of12:12 her luxury. So fornication is most I mean, we think about it. We think about sexual fornication. The the the fornication means unfaithfulness. Okay? As we saw that described in of Israel in the Old12:24 Testament. God is the creator, okay, of mankind. But as Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1, they did not glorify him nor were they thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were12:36 darkened. So the fornication here is that they rejected God, the creator, and went after a counterfeit Satan system is what they were pursuing. And and what is at the center12:48 of this really sounds like materialism. I mean and and by the way, have have you noticed and this is not just the current administration, not the last administration. It's been most of the administrations in my lifetime13:00 is that almost every political decision coming out of our nation's capital is viewed from the impact upon what? The economy. Not the family, not the moral and spiritual13:11 fabric of our nation, but the economy. Verse 4, and I heard another voice from heaven saying, come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.13:24 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Now this warning could pertain to those who, as I mentioned earlier, come to faith in the Messiah. There will be people saved during the13:34 tribulation. They they come to know Jesus. But I also think it's a principle here speaking to Christians across the ages. As I said, I think Revelation speaks to us from13:45 the beginning to the end. It's a picture, both of what was, what is, and what shall be. But it it talks about what Paul, I think, says in in Romans 12, and do not be conformed to this13:57 world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is a good and acceptable perfect will of God. We're in the world, but not of the world. Now it could also speak to the the14:09 rapture of of of that happened previously where God took us out of that. Verse 9, the kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for14:21 her when they see the smoke of her burning. They're not they're not weeping for their sin. They're not weeping the fact that they've rejected the creator. They're re weeping because of the consequences of the14:32 destruction, not what brought the destruction about. Standing at a distance for fear of her torment saying, alas, alas, the great city Babylon, the mighty city, for in 1 hour, your judgment has come, and the merchants14:44 of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no 1 buys their merchandise anymore. So here's what it is. The the hopes and world system,14:57 well, they're going up in flames. But those whose hopes are are in the saint or in the the the promises of God, well, those promises are about to come down15:09 here as we, continue in our journey through revelation. Father, thank you for your word. Word. And and, lord, this is, this is challenging.15:21 I and I I thank you for the holy spirit that enlightens us and helps us to understand your word. And so we pray We pray for the Holy Spirit to open our understanding.15:33 And and, Lord, I I'm confident that we're not to be anxious, but that these things are recorded for us so that we would not be anxious, but rather we would be confident when we see these things unfolding15:45 that we know our salvation draweth nigh. So continue to guide us on this journey, and I pray a blessing upon each 1 who is and has been on this journey and those who will15:56 be in the journey to come. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. A couple of, quick announcements or reminders. If you've been on this journey from the beginning, I I wanna commend16:08 you. Also wanna remind you that if you would like it, especially for, the younger people, or because I know there's a lot of families doing this. We have at the website f r c dot o r g slash bible. If it's not16:20 there, it'll be there. A downloadable certificate that you can sign and frame for your journey through the bible. Also, we're really encouraging people to sign up16:32 so you'll have access to all the resources. So text bible to 6 7 7 4 2. Bible to 6 7 7 4 2. And, again, I know I've said this before, but sometimes you16:44 gotta repeat yourself. I would really like you to do me a favor. If you have been if if God has blessed you on this journey, I want you to prayerfully consider who you could invite to join16:56 you on this journey this next time. So text the word invite, that's invite, to 6 7 7 4 2, and I'll send you it's actually it's pretty neat. It's17:08 electronic invitation. You can fill it out and and send it, and it's a little, digital card that someone, whoever you send it to will get it to invite them on this journey. So, again, text invite to 6 717:20 7 4 2. Until next time, keep standing on the word.17:26 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you17:38 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.In this video 0:00 Unveiling the Great Harlot and the Beast11:51 The Fall of Babylon and Call to Separation
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