The Harlot Exposed: Revelation 17’s Terrifying Vision of False Religion

We're in Revelation chapter 17 tonight. We're back in that chapter tonight.

Revelation 17 · chapter mention

We're going to look again, focus again, verses 1 through 6, and then verse 15 tonight.

And just to pick up where we left off when we were here the last time on this

book, in the end times, we talked about that false religion will come back to where it started.

The devil who actually deceived the people at Babel, if you remember,

the Tower of Babel, and from there launched false

religion all over the earth will deceive the

world once again and we said that the final rebellion

depicted as a harlot that we started looking at here in this chapter is the

theme of this vision which records the exposure of the harlot which we're definitely

going to look at tonight to start with the explanation of the harlot and then

the extermination of the harlot.

So here we are tonight on the exposure of the harlot.

Revelation 17, beginning with verse 1. It says, Then 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 harlot who sits on many

waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality.

And those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.

And he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness.

And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names,

having seven heads and 10 horns.

The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious

stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of

the unclean things of her immorality.

And on her forehead, a name was written, a mystery, Babylon the Great,

the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth.

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.

When I saw her, I wondered greatly.

And then verse 15, he said, and he said to me, the waters which you saw where

the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

Tongues, and that's verses one through six and verse 15.

And as you know, last time we were together, we did the big overview.

Tonight, we're going to start going deeper into each of these.

So that it was one of the seven angels, as we saw here tonight, who had the seven bowls,

who came and spoke with John, connects this judgment of the harlot with the

seven last plagues that we just got through studying in chapter 16.

And as we noted before, So chronology here halts for a little bit in chapter

17 and 18 as the scenes actually shifting from God's judgments to Antichrist world empire,

the target of those judgments.

And so the great harlot here that will be judged, and I know you probably know

this already looking at the scripture, is not an actual prostitute.

The term harlot is just a metaphor for false religion, spiritual defection,

idolatry, and religious apostasy.

And besides Babylon, several cities in scripture, by the way,

are designated harlot cities because of their idolatry and their pursuit of false religion.

I don't know if you have any that come to your mind. One of them,

O Jonah was told to go to, and you remember that one?

Nineveh talks about that in Nahum chapter three. Tyre is another one and talks about in Isaiah.

And sadly, Jerusalem and Isaiah 1 are examples of cities that committed spiritual fornication.

And John's vision here exposes several aspects of the harlot city of Babylon,

her authority, her alliances, apparel, her abominations that he brings forth, and accusation.

Now, we're probably not going to get through every aspect. We might.

Those may go a little quickly tonight, but we're going to start with the authority

of the harlot there look at verse 1 again the second half of verse 1 in chapter

17 he says who sits on many waters.

And then also verse 15 that we looked at, and he said to me,

the waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

So the harlot in John's vision here in Revelation 17 actually sits in a position

of authority and sovereignty like a king on his throne or beside many waters.

And cities, if you know, in ancient times, they were usually located near a source of water,

either the ocean a river a lake or

a spring and that was true of Babylon by the way

which was located on the Euphrates River and

Jeremiah 51 chapter 51 I believe

verse 13 somewhere around in there addresses ancient

Babylon as you who dwell by many waters and the same phrase applied in this

passage tonight that we're looking at to her future counterpart and just as

the proud capital of the Babylonian empire took her seat beside many waters.

So also with the Babylonian harlot city of the future, which we'll talk about

later, what Babylon is in this passage referring to.

But the phrase many waters does

not, however, refer to the harlot's geographical location, so to speak.

Instead, the angel actually says in verse 15, the waters which you saw where

the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.

So the metaphor here is really a fitting one since a city situated in a commanding

position on a great waterway would be highly influential, right?

And the harlot will not merely influence, but will actually dominate all the

unredeemed peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues of the earth, as he talks about here.

And in fact, the harlot's authority will be universal.

The entire world, in other words, don't forget this, the entire world will be

committed to the false worship of the Babylonian system rather than the true God.

Wow. I mean, that's how thorough it's going to be.

In fact, as we see this, the alliances of the harlot here, listen to this,

with whom the kings of the earth, we read this earlier, committed acts of immorality,

and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality,

and he carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting

on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.

That's in verses two and three.

Her association here with the kings of the earth reveals really the scope of

the harlot's influence, and it's going to be immense.

Those at the highest levels of power, in other words, and influence will commit

spiritual fornication with her.

And the phrase here, committed acts of immorality, actually it translates a

form of the Greek verb pornoia, which you know that to commit sexual immorality.

And that's where we get our word pornography and those type things, right?

And it aptly describes the harlot's interaction with the kings of the earth.

The symbolism, don't miss this, the symbolism, I told you this is not an actual

harlot, but the symbolism of spiritual adultery used in the Old Testament.

I want to make this clear to describe Israel's apostasy from Jehovah's.

It's inappropriate here. This is not, these people here are not redeemed,

okay, according to the passage here.

It's not talking about that as being like those who are in Christ being unfaithful

and committing spiritual adultery in that sense.

This here is talking about the unredeemed rulers and the nations they represent.

They do not know God and are never pictured as his wife, like the bride of Christ

is, right? So the rulers from around the world will become obsessed,

if you will, with the Babylonian harlot, deceived by the false prophet.

Think about it for a minute, what's actually happening here in Revelation.

They're deceived by the false prophet, Antichrist, and Satan and his demon host

in the tribulation here.

And they'll become enamored with the false world religion.

And all who dwell on the earth, it says, will worship Antichrist.

Everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in

the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain, it says back in chapter 13, verse 8. Wow.

But having joined themselves here to the harlot, here's how they're going to join.

Remember, they're sitting a real harlot. they're going to

join this false religion this harlot economically

socially militarily politically and

religiously they'll share her disastrous fate as well though the harlot will

not be allied just with the rulers and influential people of the world it says

here again all those who dwell on the earth and that's just a technical term

here revelation for all unbelievers,

were made drunk, it says, with the wine of her immorality.

All the unredeemed will be caught up in the final false religion, if you will.

This false religion that the world will gravel to, will gravitate to.

And so they'll be caught up in that. They'll give their hearts,

in other words, their souls to the abominable Babylonian harlot,

that false religious system.

The angel here is not describing people, again, who are physically drunk with

literal wine, committing sexual immorality, although that may be happening too during all this.

Instead, he's talking about those who are passionately intoxicated with Antichrist's

illicit false world religion.

Because if you think about it for a minute, this imagery, it actually derives

from Jeremiah 51 verse 7, which says this of ancient Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:7

It says, Babylon has been a golden cup, it says, in the hand of the Lord,

intoxicating all the earth The nations have drunk of her wine Therefore the nations are going mad.

You see, before the next alliance of the harlot is revealed here,

the scene of John's vision in this passage actually changes.

The angel with whom John had been speaking actually carried him away in the

spirit into a wilderness, it says.

And wilderness just translates Eremos, which describes basically just a deserted,

desolate wasteland, like the region where modern Babylon is located, really.

And in that place, John saw a woman in his vision and the Babylonian harlot

whom the angel had just described. We just read about it in verses 1 and 2.

And she was actually sitting on a beast. But what kind of beast?

How does he describe the beast?

A scarlet beast whose description identifies him as Antichrist.

And that the woman was actually sitting on the scarlet beast,

I think, signifies too in scriptures. as we look here, that he was supporting

her, supporting what's going on here.

The initial unifying and controlling factor here of Antichrist's kingdom will

be, according to Scripture, religion.

But it will be a false religion. And with the heavens and the earth being ravaged,

think about it, by God's judgments, and think about the world's political,

economic, and military might crumbling,

people will turn in desperation.

You know where they're going to turn? To the supernatural.

The beast and the woman will coexist, it tells us in scripture, for a while.

That is the religion will be

separate from the kingdom of antichrist at first in

fact eventually though the beast as

we will learn will hate the harlot and will

make her desolate and naked it says in scripture

and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire that's

in verse 16 and it'll be at that point

that the false prophet will make the

whole world worship who antichrist and

that's talked about in chapter 13 that we covered and everything will be one

in the beast universal and comprehensive rule here and it by the way scarlet

is the color associated with what anybody know some things that's associated with in scripture.

What okay yeah and also what else royalty luxury splendor it's also the color

associated with something else in isaiah 1 18,

Sin. Remember, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.

And also the hue of blood, right? Antichrist will be a splendorous,

royal, sinful, bloody beast full of blasphemous names, it says.

And in his arrogant, his self-deification, so to speak, Antichrist will take

for himself the names and the titles that belong to who?

To God Almighty. and he will not only blaspheme God by what he claims,

but also by what he says that comes out of his mouth.

And Antichrist, it actually says, will speak out against the most high and will

speak monstrous things against the God of gods.

Tells us that in Daniel chapter seven and 11 as it's prophesying of this here in the tribulation.

Wow, think about this for a moment. This demonic scarlet beast is actually further

described as having how many heads?

Seven heads and how many horns? Ten horns.

Showing the extent there of the alliances.

As we'll see in just a little bit, when we look at verses 9 and 10,

the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.

And there are seven kings.

Five have fallen, it says. One is, the other has yet to come,

and when he comes, he must remain a little while, it says in verse 9 and 10.

And they represent seven mountains, seven past, present, and future governments.

The ten horns represent ten kings who will rule as subordinates to who?

Antichrist. So the harlots' alliances will be comprehensive.

Her deadly embrace here will just encompass all of the unredeemed.

From kings and rulers to common people, all will worship and submit to her religion.

This false religion. And far from being separated here at this point in time

in the tribulation, church and state will be united as never before in human history.

And so we move now, look at verse 4 of chapter 17, the first part of that,

to the apparel of the harlot.

Let's look at that deeper. It says, The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet

and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. You know,

prostitutes usually dress so as to attract attention to themselves.

And metaphorically here, the harlot Babylon will be no different, right?

This false world system, this false religion.

John, it says, saw her clothed in purple and scarlet. And again,

we talked about the colors of royalty, prosperity, nobility, and even wealth.

And that she's adorned with gold. Did you see that description?

And precious stones and pearls, all that,

really portrays her as a prostitute who is both attractive, but also has pushed

her trade to successfully become extremely wealthy.

Okay? So that's what we see there. And then we see the abominations of this harlot.

And it says, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean

things of her immorality.

And on her forehead, a name was written, a mystery, Babylon the Great,

the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth.

Again, as further indications of her wealth, the harlot had in her hand a gold cup.

And like prostitutes who want to take everything their victims have,

she will make her victims drink and

be drunk right as did ancient Babylon this

is not like real wine here again we're talking this is metaphorically speaking

Babylon if you remember the passage I quoted earlier Babylon has been a golden

cup in the hand of the Lord intoxicating all the earth the nations have drunk

of her wine therefore the nations are going mad that's in Jeremiah 51, verse 7.

Jeremiah 51:7

So the harlot's gold cup was full of abominations here and of the unclean things of her immorality.

Well, I mean...

There's one of the commentators, I believe his name was Donald Gray.

He wrote this, and I wanted to share it with you. I've got this note here.

He said, It is also highly significant that the abominations and filthiness

should be spoken of as coming from a golden cup.

And then he quotes the passage that I quoted to you.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand that made all the earth drunken.

The nations have drunken of her wine, therefore the nations are mad.

He goes on to say, to those who are acquainted with the history of ancient religions,

this significance is highlighted by comparisons with the rights of the pagan religious mysteries.

He said a French scholar, Saverte, was writing in the occult sciences.

He says he tells the story of the drinking in connection with these demon ceremonies.

To drink of mysterious beverages, he says, was indispensable on the part of

all who sought initiation in these mysteries.

These mysterious beverages were composed of wine, honey, water,

and flour with various other ingredients used locally.

From the nature of the ingredients avowedly used and from the nature of others

not avowed, but certainly used, there can be no doubt that they were an intoxicating nature.

He's telling this story here. And he says, until the aspirants had come under their power,

till their understandings have been dimmed and their passions excited by the

medicated drought, they were not duly prepared for what they were either to hear or to see.

So all idolatry, y'all, is abominably wicked, right? It's abominable to God, all of it.

And again, y'all help me out tonight. What is idolatry?

Anything you put before God. Yeah, and as I said, this is not a real harlot, right?

This is symbolic, but she symbolizes this false religion because it's like all

it takes is just, you know,

spiritual adultery in this sense is like turning your back on the real God of

heaven and going for this false world religion, right?

This false religion here that is full of idolatry, that's just made a God in their own image.

That's like, you know, when we think of that, we think of the Ten Commandments, right?

I mean, it's anything we put before God, including ourself.

I mean, idolatry truly y'all is the oldest sin in the book it really is and

we stop and we think about it the idolatry is so serious to god.

And the gross idolatry of Antichrist false religion here is going to be the worst ever.

No wonder Babylon's sins will be piled up high as heaven, it says in chapter 18, verse 5.

We haven't got there yet. Bringing her destruction.

So as was customary, though, for prostitutes to identify themselves in the Roman

world, by the way, the harlot Babylon, who had a name written on her forehead,

it talks about this all the way back in Jeremiah as well.

It's prophesied about what we're reading tonight in Jeremiah 3.3.

The name that John saw was this. Look at it again.

Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth.

And I just want to point out the word mystery should be rendered as part of her title.

The harlot is called Mystery Babylon.

Don't miss this. to indicate that Babylon in this context that we're studying

tonight in Revelation, it does not refer to a geographical location.

This is not ancient Babylon.

The Babylon of John's day here, or the rebuilt city of Babylon in the end times

here, the details of this vision here, they can't be applied to any actual city.

Because here is a previously undisclosed Babylon, if you will,

a secret reality to be revealed in the end times.

Because this Babylon that's spoken of here in Revelation is the symbol of all

worldly resistance to God. So you could say today, we're living in Babylon,

so to speak, right, as well.

It's described as the great here because of this far-reaching influence.

It's far-reaching influence to all the earth, to all the unredeemed.

And in fact, it's so great will be its influence, it's called the mother of

harlots and of the abominations of the earth.

Babylon will be the source of all the false, idolatrous, blasphemous worship in the end times.

Her designation, again, as mother of harlots, it's appropriate.

Since harlotry in Scripture often symbolizes idolatry. Did you know that?

It really does. In fact, Judges, it talks about that. Chronicles, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.

So Babylon, the city that actually spawned the system, all the way back Tower

of Babel, remember that?

They actually spawned the system that corrupted the world with false religion

because you remember God spread them all over the earth. supernaturally, right?

Gave them different tongues, right? Different languages.

They'll do so again in this respect.

So we have the accusation here of the harlot. So let's look at that briefly in verse six.

He says, and I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and with the

blood of the witnesses of Jesus.

When I saw her, I wondered greatly. Well, like many harlots,

this woman was drunk, but not from drinking alcoholic beverages.

In fact, in a totally graphic indictment here of her murderous persecution,

if you will, of God's people, the Babylonian harlot that's talked about here is pictured what?

As drunk with the blood of what? Who? The saints.

And with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.

And if you stop and look at this, that vivid expression here was commonly used

in the ancient world, by the way, to depict a murderous lust for violence.

When you say drunk with blood, right? Bloodthirsty, right?

Some commentators actually see the saints and the witnesses of Jesus as two

distinct groups. That's how they view it. Some of them do.

The former being the Old Testament saints and the latter being the New Testament saints.

But I think more likely the two descriptions here actually refer to the same

group and they just describe God's people throughout history.

And the important point here, and I don't want us to miss this tonight,

is that false religion, false religion represented here by the harlot is a murderer.

It has killed, don't miss this, church, it has killed millions of believers over the century.

The history of the church has demonstrated that apostate Christianity is relentless

in its persecution of those who hold to true faith in Jesus Christ. Do you hear me?

And we can see that happening all over.

You take a look at what's happening, the Christians being slaughtered in the

different parts of the world, right? Right.

And you got to realize while the world becomes drunk with lust for her,

the harlot becomes drunk with the blood of God's people.

This vision, I know you're thinking it too. This vision here is so appalling

that that when John saw her, that's why it says he wondered greatly. Right.

Expressing that he was confused. He was shocked. He was astonished at this,

and he was frightened possibly here by the ghastly vision of such a contrastingly

magnificent figure here of the woman and such a deadly intent that was there

in this false world religion.

Well, that brings us to the explanation of the harlot going a little bit deeper. It's 534.

You want me to go a little deeper? Do you want me to say no more for tonight?

A little deeper? All right, here we go. And 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 ten horns.

The beast that you saw and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction,

and those who dwell on the earth whose name has not

been written in the book of life from the foundation of the

world will wonder when they see the beast that

he was and is not and will come here is

the mind which has wisdom the seven heads

are seven mountains on which the woman sits

and they are seven kings five have fallen

one is the other one has not

yet come and when he comes he

must remain a little while the beast which

was and is not is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven and he goes

to destruction the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received

a kingdom but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour short-lived right?

These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

These will wage war against the Lamb, that's Jesus,

and the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings,

and those who are with him are the called and chosen and faithful.

You know who's going to be with him?

We are. You ever ridden a white horse?

I'm just saying. Come on. The woman whom you saw, he said, is the great city

which reigns over the kings of the earth.

So that's verse 7 through 14 of chapter 17 and verse 18.

So in response to John's confusion and amazement here, the angel actually said

to him rhetorically, why do you wonder?

There was no need, in other words, for John to remain puzzled here by the relation

of the beast to this beautiful yet blood, bloody woman, right?

Who was after all this slaughter and in the vision.

In fact, the angel was about to explain to him the mystery of the woman.

In verse 18, and of the beast that carried her. And the apostle understood here that the woman, again,

represented a false religious system, and that the beast was the Antichrist

as the reference to his seven heads, obviously, as we talked about a little

bit earlier, and ten horns here indicate, right?

What he didn't understand was the connection between the two.

And it had been revealed to John in a previous vision that the whole world,

would worship antichrist. We saw that back in chapter 13.

And that may have been what raised the question in his mind,

possibly, as to how the woman fits into the picture.

Because some of us tonight, even though we're studying this,

sometimes we look at this and we scratch our head, how does this all fit together now?

Particularly, how is it that the beast carries her? He's wondering all this.

And skipping for the moment, the angel's digression here in verses 8 through 14 describes the beast.

Verse 18 identifies the woman here whom John saw as the great city,

which reigns over the kings of the earth, right?

In fact, again, some commentators deny that the great city is a literal city,

preferring to see it as a symbol of the religious aspect of Antichrist's empire.

Some of those who view the great city as an actual city identify it as Rome, others as Jerusalem.

And so, but the angel quite literally here, and repeatedly, by the way,

refers to Babylon on the Euphrates throughout chapter 17 and 18.

And those if you think about it that illusion

those illusions can be seen by comparing if we

look at these chapters and you may want to do this this

week when you get or tonight or whenever but chapter 17

if you compare that verse 1 with jeremiah 51 verse 13 jeremiah 17 verse 2 and

Jeremiah 51:13 Jeremiah 17:2

if you compare verse 4 with jeremiah 51 7 and 18 7 and there's so many others

that you can look at and compare what it's talking about,

the description of Babylon's destruction.

Also suggests here, is where I'm getting, that an actual city is in view here on the destruction.

So maybe a rebuilt city of Babylon will be closely identified with Antichrist's world empire.

Perhaps it's a capital city. That city will be the center, though,

of his kingdom, the extent of which it's going to fill how much of the earth? All of it's universal.

And the Old Testament predictions here of Babylon's total destruction also favor

identifying the great city with Babylon on the Euphrates. I don't know.

That's a great description, right? It's very specific.

And the detailed description that those passages give of Babylon's destruction

and that prophecy was only partially fulfilled, by the way, when the Medes and

Persians actually sacked the ancient city of Babylon.

And as is the case with many Old Testament prophecies, those predictions have

both a near and a far fulfillment.

Henry Morris, another commentator, actually noted this. And let me read to you what he said.

He said, Babylon indeed will be permanently destroyed as recorded in the very

next chapter. He's talking about chapter 18.

But this has not happened yet. The prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah also refer

to this future destruction, not merely to Babylon's present day condition.

As is evident from the following consideration among others. Listen to what he said.

The destruction will take place in the time that the stars and sun are darkened.

It says that in Isaiah 13, it prophesies that in chapter, excuse me,

in verse one, verse nine and verse 10.

And he said, number two, the city will become as desolate as Sodom and Gomorrah,

burn completely with no remains, whatever.

It prophesies that in Isaiah 13, Jeremiah 50.

And then number three, he says, it shall become desolate forever with neither

man nor beast entering anymore.

And that's prophesied in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51.

And he says, number four, it'll be a time of judgment, not only for Babylon, but for all nations.

As was prophesied in Isaiah 13 and Jeremiah 51.

And he says, His destruction will be followed by universal rest and peace.

That's prophesied in Isaiah 14, verse 7 and 8.

Isaiah 14:7

Its destruction is directly associated also with the casting of Lucifer into

Sheol, which is prophesied in Isaiah 14.

And Babylon stones will never be used, he said, in future construction elsewhere,

whereas the present-day ruins of Babylon have been frequently plundered and

reused in later constructions.

So he's talking about this passage. That was his commentating on this particular part of the passage.

So the site of modern Babylon is strategically located, think about it for just

a second, at the crossroads of Asia,

Europe, and Africa, and it's not far from the Persian Gulf.

Is also near the world's richest oil fields and has a virtually unlimited water

supply from the Euphrates.

So those considerations led that famed historian, Arnold Toynbee,

to proclaim that Babylon would be an ideal site for an important political and cultural center.

And in verses 8 through 14, by the way, The angel gives John a lengthy description

of the beast, doesn't he?

He's explaining to John the relationship between the harlot and the beast,

which had mystified the apostle.

But for John to grasp that connection here, the angel needed first to give him

further details about the beast.

And this further describes, y'all, the nature of the beast and his kingdom,

enhancing the description of him that we received back in chapter 13 of Revelation.

So as I wrap this up for tonight, I've got one more portion I'll share.

It's really short. We'll wrap it up and pick up where we left off down the road here.

But as we talked about earlier, the beast that John saw is Antichrist,

the satanic ruler of the last and most powerful empire in human history.

Again, who will serve as Satan's instrument to attack Israel,

persecute believers, conquer the world for Satan and oppose Christ.

And actually scripture portrays him as an intellectual genius.

Did you know that? Daniel 7 verse 8.

Daniel 7:8

An outstanding orator.

Daniel 7 verse 20. A military leader without parallel in human history.

Daniel 7:20

Daniel 7 verse 23.

Daniel 7:23

A shrewd, calculating, manipulating politician, Daniel 8, 25 and 11,

21, and the ultimate religious charlatan.

And that's prophesied even in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 4.

2 Thessalonians 2:4

The angel, y'all, briefly reviews the detailed description of him that we received

all the way back in chapter 13.

That's where we'll pick up next time we're together and talk more about this

description that he gives John of the beast.