Here are my notes from this past Sunday. I tried to unpack the following symbols, concepts, and/or characters that pertain to chapter 17 in particular.
Evil
Three things should be mentioned about the nature of evil. First, evil is the privation (or lack) of good. Although evil is a willful and malevolent reality, it has no validity. The devil has no legitimacy or acceptable place in God’s good creation. Second, evil is chaotic. When it goes full circle, it turns upon itself, and self-destructs. Third, it is in the nature of evil to deceive (Jn 8:44; 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Cor. 11:3). In sum, evil exists as darkness to light, chaos to order, and as lie to the truth (Nigel Goring Wright, A Theology of the Dark Side, 42).
Lex Talionis (Roman legal principle of the law of retribution) (2:23; 18:6, 20)
The law of retribution is this: “what you do to others God will do to you” (Osborne, 40). “I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (2:23). He allows sin to come full circle and consume itself. (cf. Lam. 3:64; Ps. 28:4; 61:13; 62:12; Prov. 24:12; Isa. 3:11; Jer. 17:10; Hos. 12:2; Mt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6; 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 11:15; 2 Tim. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 11:18; 14:13; 18:6; 20:12-13; 22:12)
Drink the Wine of God’s Wrath (14:10; 17:2, 6; 18:3, 6)
In 14:10 we are given a picture of God enacting the law of retribution. This is God’s wrath: He turns people over to the evil that will consume them (cf. Rom. 1:18-32). In short, God’s judgment is to ensure that the evil people participate in comes full circle. The imagery is of someone drinking undiluted wine so that they fall down drunk never to rise again (Jer. 25:15-18, 27-28). The wages of sin is death (6:23).
In 17:2 and 18:3, 6 we again find this imagery of drinking judgment (the wine of God’s wrath) for participating in the sins of the great prostitute/Babylon the great, which is described as idolatry (spiritual adultery), immorality, self-centered luxurious living, and persecuting the saints (Osborne, 540, 636).
Typology
This refers to the way patterns in the Old Testament are used by the inspired New Testament authors to enable Christians to understand their own situation. A type is “an actual historical event or person that in some ways symbolizes or anticipates a later occurrence; particularly, an Old Testament foreshadowing of a New Testament event” (Millard Erickson).
Unholy Trinity
Great Red Dragon (12:3-17; esp. vv. 3, 9; also 20:2)
The “great red dragon” is “that ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.”(cf. Gen. 3:1-15; Isa. 27:1). Notice that it is Michael and his angels that fight against the dragon (12:7). In short, Satan (the adversary) is not God’s equal.
Beast Rising Out of the Sea/Antichrist (13:1-10)
This beast is described almost exactly like the dragon/Satan is in 12:3. In other words, the beast is made in the image of Satan. This beast is called the Antichrist because he is diametrically opposed to Jesus and he is a parody of Jesus in at least two significant ways. First, the dragon empowered the beast just as God empowered Jesus. To state it bluntly, he is “the satanic incarnation of idolatrous power” (Alan F. Johnson, 557). And second, the beast seemed to have a mortal wound that was healed, which imitates the resurrection of Jesus and inspires the world to worship and follow him.
Another Beast Rising Out of the Earth/False Prophet (13:11-18)
This second beast is also referred to as the false prophet (16:13; 19:20) and is a parody of the Holy Spirit (the Antispirit). Similar to the Holy Spirit this beast performs miraculous signs; however, unlike the Holy Spirit, which is the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:17), the false prophet works through demonic deception. This is an evil power that is inherently deceptive. Jesus recognized that the devil has been a liar from the beginning (Jn 8:44).
Mark of the Beast
This is a parody of the seal of God (cf. Ex. 28:36-38; Ezek. 9:4; Eph. 1:13; 4:30).
The name on the forehead is mentioned four times for the followers of the beast (13:16; 14:9; 17:5; 20:4) and four times for the people of God (7:3; 9:4; 14:1; 22:4). The mark symbolizes ownership, or spiritual control. A person’s behavior demonstrates who they belong to and serve. Notice that there is no middle ground, no third option: a person either follows God or the beast.
Great Prostitute/Woman Sitting on a Scarlet Beast (17:1-6)
There is an intentional contrast between the great prostitute and the bride of the Lamb (the church): the prostitute is going to her destruction, the bride is going to her wedding reception (19:9).
The great prostitute is seated on “many waters” (17:1), which means she influences many “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages” (17:15). Here it means she sways the peoples of the world through her religious/cultural/financial dominance. The phrase alludes to Jer. 51:13, which mentions Babylon dwelling by many waters (the image of fertility or prosperity is now converted into one that highlights dominance and exploitation).
The woman is “sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and it had seven heads and ten horns” (17:3). This refers back to the beast from the sea/Antichrist described in 13:1. In short, the woman represents the final evil city/way of life that is opposed to God, which seduces nations with promises of luxury and sensual pleasure of every kind.
The phrase “seven mountains” seems to symbolize the city of Rome as seated on the power of the beast, since mountains often represent power and the ancient city was built on seven hills (Osborne, 617). Thus, this may be a picture of the goddess Roma Aeterna (Eternal Rome) legitimizing the violent power of the Roman empire as well as leading the world into idolatry and immorality (as the capital city it was the religious, cultural, and commercial center of the empire). Rome is the basis for much of the imagery: incredible luxury and moral corruption. Moreover, it was notorious for persecuting and killing Christians. However, the great prostitute really symbolizes all self-centered lifestyles throughout history, particularly the final evil city.
Seven Heads/Seven Mountains/Seven Kings (17:9-11)
I think it is best to understand the seven kings as individuals representing seven kingdoms/empires, with the number seven representing the idea of completion; that is, the world kingdoms are complete. However, I think the main point is to reveal the theological reality behind the manifestations (displays) of worldly power in history, namely, satanic evil that culminates in the beast. As for the description of the beast as “an eighth” king, this may be part of the parody of Christ’s resurrection alluding to the fact that Jesus was raised on the eighth day (the first day of the week). In other words, the beast will imitate the resurrection in order to deceive the nations into believing that he is thriving and into worshiping him as god (Osborne, 621). But the theological truth is that he really is still the seven headed chaos monster who has been decisively defeated (five heads fallen) by the Lamb’s death and is headed for destruction.
Ten Horns (17:12)
The ten horns are ten kings that have the characteristics of client kings (Osborne, 621). The background for this comes from Daniel 7:7-8, 20-25 as well as from the Roman practice of appointing client kings over the territories and provinces that they conquered. The Roman emperor was called “king of kings” because he ruled over all these client/vassal kings, but Jesus is revealed as the true “Lord of lords and King of kings” (17:14) (Osborne, 623).
Civil War: Destruction of the Prostitute (17:15-18)
The beast and the ten kings (the client kings) turn upon the prostitute and destroy her. (These most likely are not the same as the “kings of the earth” who mourn her in 18:9-10.) This is in keeping with the self-destructive nature of evil. In the Gospel accounts we find demons seeking to torture and kill the people under their power (Mark 5:1-20; 9:14-29).
Babylon the Great (14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2, 10)
In 17:18 we find out that the woman/prostitute is the great city/Babylon the great. Babylon, Tyre, and Rome provided the basis for the imagery used to describe the final evil city and its downfall. This is a city (community of people) that greatly profits from the final empire of the beast, at least until the ten horns and the beast devour her. It is a way of life (religious, cultural, economic system) opposed to God that thrives as a result of the beast’s power (political/military support). Indeed, the great city seems to legitimize (or control the perception of) the power of the beast. “It may be said that Babylon represents the total culture of the world apart from God” (Alan F. Johnson, 554). Ultimately, Babylon is judged for four things: idolatry, immorality, luxury, and persecuting believers in Jesus (Osborne, 613).
Tyre (Ezekiel 27)
Tyre was an island city known for its prosperous shipping trade or maritime commerce (merchant ships). The prophet Ezekiel records a lament for its demise. Despite its self-exaltation, pride, and great wealth, Tyre was unable to save itself from ruin. John uses this as a type for the fall of Babylon the great/the final evil city in Revelation 18.
Discussion Question:
Assuming the prevailing way of life in our culture has some qualities in common with Babylon the great (e.g., religious pluralism, sensuality, luxury, self-centered materialism, conspicuous consumption, disdain for believers in Jesus), what does it look like to obey the heavenly command to “come out of her, my people” (18:4)? What does it mean to be faithful to Jesus in such a context?
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