Wednesday Bible Study Fellowship,
“What Do You Think?”
Revelation 17
- The Great Prostitute (NIV) / Whore (KJV) = porne “a woman who sells her body” (17:1)
- The kings of the earth have committed adultery (NIV) / fornication (KJV) = porneuo “to prostitute one’s body…” (17:2). The word drunk is methuo meaning drunken from methe meaning intoxication.
- The inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her fornication (KJV) / adulteries (NIV) = porneia “adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism…” (17:2)
- Notice the prostitute “sits on many waters” (17:1). The waters are defined as “…peoples, multitudes, nations and languages” (15). The word prostitute (NIV) / whore (KJV) = porne in verse 15.
- A woman (3-6) is sitting on a scarlet beast. The beast is covered with blasphemous (blasphemy KJV) names. The Greek is blasphemia which comes from blasphemos. This is made from two words blapto meaning to hurt, harm or inquire plus pheme meaning fame or report. Thus it means to say that which is harmful or hurtful.
A. The beast has:
a. seven heads (3) – seven hills on which the woman sits (9) and seven kings (10)
b. ten horns (3) – ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom (12)
B. The woman:
a. was dressed in purple and scarlet
b. glitters with gold, precious stones and pearls
c. holds a golden cup filled with [Note Jer.51:7]
1. abominable things (bdelugma)
2. filth of her adulteries (NIV) / fornication (KJV) is porneia
d. has a title:
1. Mystery
2. The Mother of Prostitutes (NIV) / Harlots (KJV) = pornon
3. And of the Abominations (Greek bdelugmaton from bdelugma a foul/detestable things; from bdelusso meaning abhor/foul, which comes from bdeo meaning to stink). This is the mother of the abominations of the earth.
e. is drunk with the blood of the saints, those who bore testimony to Jesus! (6) Drunk is methuo.
- The mystery of the beast which the woman rides (8)
- “once was” – this is a description of 13:3, 14 and
- “now is not” – refers to the anti-Christ who dies and is resurrected
- will come out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. KJV is “bottomless pit” which is the Greek abussos meaning immeasurable depth. He goes to destruction (NIV) / perdition (KJV) (8). Perdition is the Greek apoleia which means “utter destruction, ruin, perishing.” The same word is in verse 11.
- The lost in the world will be astonished (8). The KJV has “they shall wonder.” The Greek is thaumazo meaning “to wonder, marvel.” It is from the word thauma meaning “admiration, wonderful thing, wonder exceedingly.”
- The mind of wisdom “sophia” is necessary (9).
- Lord, give us wisdom!
A. Seven heads = seven hills on which the woman sits (9).
B. Seven heads = seven kings (10)
1. Five have fallen
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2. One is
3. The seventh has not yet come! When he comes he must remain a little while. This will be the revived
C. The beast that once was, now is not, will be an 8th king! (11)
1. He belongs to the seven.
2. He is going to his destruction.
3. This will be the world empire at the end of the tribulation period, dominated by the anti-Christ. This refers to the anti-Christ and his world dominion after he is raised from the dead.
D. The ten horns are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom (12)
1. Will receive authority for one hour along with the beast. These are the future leaders of the revived
2. They have one purpose (KJV- one mind)
a. will give power to the beast
b. will give authority to the beast
c. will make war against the Lamb [The Battle of Armageddon, chapter 19]
E. The beast and the ten horns turn against the prostitute (KJV- whore) Greek word is porne (16).
1. The time of this event is the mid-point of the tribulation.
2. During the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation the apostate church (woman/prostitute, etc) will flourish!
3. Jews will be allowed to sacrifice (Dan.9:27)
4. This is the description of chapter 17. A world-wide religion system with all its pomp and the world rulers all bowing down to it!
5. Suddenly everything changes! The ant-Christ becomes the world ruler, not just a part of the 10 nation confederacy. He destroys the false church and demands that he be worshipped (13:8) (Adapted from Walvoord, pg.256)
F. Who is this great city? (18). Babylon- rebuilt! (my idea). Note a few reasons taken from The Second Coming of Babylon, Hitchcock, pg.104-116.
1. “It must be stressed again that Revelation means ‘unveiling’ not ‘veiling’. In the absence of any statement in the context to the contrary, therefore we must assume that the term Babylon applies to the real city of Babylon…” (Quoting Morris)
2. The woman, that is Babylon, was in the desert (NIV) / wilderness (KJV). The Greek is eremos meaning wilderness, desert, lonely place. In Isaiah 21:1 we read about “the wilderness of the sea” and Babylon which has fallen (21:9). “The wilderness of the sea is a reference to the sandy waste or sea country in the Persian Gulf area outside of Babylon on the Euphrates” (Hitchcock, pg.105).
3. Since Babylon is the second most mentioned city in the Bible, only behind Jerusalem, and since it is Satan’s city doesn’t it make sense that if this is where the first organized rebellion against God begins (Gen.11:1-11) and since it was the capital of the first world ruler, Nimrod, (Gen.10:8-10; 11:9) that a literal Babylon would be the place of the last world ruler and his revolt against God?
4. Doesn’t the location of chapter 18 speak of an oil-rich land with plenty of water? Where better than Iraq? Have you noticed the River Euphrates is mentioned twice in Revelation (9:14; 16:12)
5. Babylon was never completely destroyed as prophesied (Is.13-14 and Jer.50-51). Couldn’t the city of Revelation 17-18 be the destroyed city? Note the parallels: [Taken from Hitchcock, Second Coming of Babylon, pg.112]
Jeremiah 50-51 Revelation 17-18
a. Golden Cup 51:7 17:3-4; 18:6
b. Many Waters 51:13 17:1
c. Involved w/nations 51:7 17:2
d. Same Name 50:1 18:10
e. Sudden Destruction 51:8 18:8
f. Destroyed by Fire 51:30 17:16
g. Never to be inhabited 50:39 18:21
h. Punished according to works 50:29 18:6
i. Illustrated Fall 51:63-64 18:21
j. God’s People Flee 51:6, 45 18:4
k. Heaven Rejoices 51:48 18:20
6. Do you remember the vision from Zechariah 5:5-11?
A. Do you recall the purpose of the basket? It is a measuring basket, an ephah. It was used for measuring grain. It was about 10 gallons. The ephah would then be a symbol for commerce and economy. Isn’t Revelation 18 all about commerce and economy? (18:13)
B. Inside the basket was a woman who personified wickedness (7, 8). What does the woman in Revelation 17 personify- “Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the earth”?
C. The basket of evil will be set in Babylon “when it is ready” (11). Doesn’t the Bible teach that today the Holy Spirit is restraining evil until God is ready for His church to be removed (II Thess.2:3-8)?
D. A house is built for the woman (11). Could this be indicative of a house of worship that generates all the false worship of Revelation 17?
E. “The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (18) What is the city?
1. The destruction of a city occurs in Revelation 18. What is the city?
2. Where is the basket being taken? (Zech 5:10-11)
Bible commentators have various opinions on this issue of Babylon. However, since September 11, 2001 there has certainly been a world focus on radical Islam. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein there has been a lot of focus on Iraq. Maybe we should be looking for a rebuilt Babylon and realizing that time may be very short until the return of the Lord Jesus! I think Zechariah 12:2-3 is definitely true, don’t you?