Revelation 17: The Great Prostitute
John sees Babylon as a prostitute riding the beast, drunk on the blood of the saints, yet doomed to war against the Lamb.
Revelation 17 (WEB)
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality.”
3 He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.
5 And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7 The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9 Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10 They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.
11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 These will war against the Lamb, and 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.”
15 He said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16 The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
17 For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
Revelation 17 (KJV)
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:
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.
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.
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:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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.
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.
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.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
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.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
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.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
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 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.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Revelation 17 (ASV)
1 And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls, and spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters;
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication.
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication,
5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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 a great wonder.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come.
9 Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth:
10 and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast.
14 These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they also shall overcome that are with him, called and chosen and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire.
17 For God did put in their hearts to do his mind, and to come to one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18 And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Summary
One of the angels with the bowls invites John to see the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed immorality. Carried into the wilderness in the Spirit, John sees a woman seated on a scarlet beast covered with blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. She is dressed in purple and scarlet, decked with gold and jewels, holding a golden cup full of abominations, and on her forehead is written a name, mystery, Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes. She is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus, and John marvels. The angel explains the mystery: the beast was and is not and will rise from the abyss to destruction; the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings; the ten horns are kings who give their power to the beast. Together they will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called, chosen, and faithful. Then, in a turn of God's providence, the beast and the ten horns will turn on the prostitute herself, stripping and destroying her, for God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose until his words are fulfilled.
Key Figures
- The great prostitute, Babylon — The seductive city seated on the beast, adorned in luxury yet drunk with the blood of the saints, destined for judgment and destruction.
- The scarlet beast — The blasphemous beast that carries the prostitute, with seven heads and ten horns, that rises from the abyss and goes to destruction.
- The Lamb — Jesus Christ, Lord of lords and King of kings, who conquers the beast and its allies, with those who are called, chosen, and faithful at his side.
Key Verse
Revelation 17:14 (WEB)
These will war against the Lamb, and 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.
Lessons Learned
- Worldly power and luxury can mask a system that is hostile to God and his people.
- Babylon's allure is seductive, but it is drunk with the blood of the saints.
- The Lamb is Lord of lords and King of kings who conquers every power arrayed against him.
- Even the enemies of God unwittingly accomplish his purposes in the end.
- Evil can look glamorous. The woman is “dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones” (Revelation 17:4, WEB), yet her cup is full of abominations. Sin often dazzles before it destroys.
- The Lamb is supreme. “The Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings” (Revelation 17:14, WEB). No coalition of powers can defeat him.
- His people are called and faithful. Those with the Lamb are “called, chosen, and faithful” (Revelation 17:14, WEB). To belong to him is to share his certain victory.
- God rules even his enemies. “God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind” (Revelation 17:17, WEB). He bends even wicked powers to fulfill his word.
- How does the image of Babylon as a richly dressed prostitute expose the true nature of worldly power?
- What does it mean that the woman is drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus?
- Why is it reassuring that the Lamb is described as Lord of lords and King of kings in the midst of this vision?
- How does God use even the beast and the kings to accomplish his own purposes?
- Where do you see the seductive glamour of Babylon at work today, and how can you stay faithful to the Lamb?
- Babylon's finery hides a cup of abominations and a system soaked in the blood of the saints (17:4-6). Help the group see how worldly power and wealth can disguise hostility to God, calling for discernment beneath the surface dazzle.
- The prostitute's drunkenness on the blood of the martyrs reveals that the world's opposition to God is ultimately violent toward his people (17:6). Discuss how the church has always faced a system that persecutes faithful witness.
- In the midst of the beast's apparent strength, the Lamb is declared Lord of lords and King of kings who will overcome (17:14). This title assures the church that no earthly power, however vast, can prevail against Christ.
- God so governs history that even the beast and its allies serve his ends, turning on Babylon to fulfill his word (17:16-17). His sovereignty extends over his enemies, who unwittingly carry out his purposes.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name the alluring but corrupting powers of our age and to consider how to remain called, chosen, and faithful. As leader, encourage allegiance to the Lamb over the glittering claims of Babylon.