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; 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. 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 sewn heads and ten horns. 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, and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY BABLYON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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. Revelation 17:1–6

Read More Than Conquerors, pp. 199–203

THE SCARLET WOMAN, BABYLON, SHOWN

A. SHE IS INTRODUCED, verses 1-3

Have you ever heard the remark, “Satan is the ape of God”? ‘What is meant by it is this: in ever so many ways the devil tries to imitate God. And that is true. Is God a Trinity? Satan, too, established a collective trinity, the trinity of evil, namely, “the beast out of the sea” to destroy your body, “the beast out of the earth,” to poison your mind, and “the harlot, Babylon,” to seduce your heart. Did God become incarnate in Christ? Satan tries to become incarnate also, namely, in his many antichrists, but especially in the final, personal Antichrist. Did Christ create a family and a brotherhood? Satan, too, has a family of which he is the father. Yes, he, too, has produced a brotherhood. Does Christ offer pleasures? Satan, too, offers his attractions. Is there a Radiant Woman (Rev. 12:1) associated with Christ? Well, there is a dazzling woman associated with Satan (Rev. 17:4). And so also, Cod has his city, namely, “the new Jerusalem.” Hence, the dragon must have his city, that is, “the great Babylon.”

You will have noticed, of course, that all of these attempts on the part of Satan to ape God are failures. His trinity is no real Trinity. His incarnation is not a genuine incarnation. His brotherhood lacks the hallmark of self-immolating love. His attractions yield no lasting satisfaction. His dazzling woman is nothing but a harlot, or if you prefer, a whore. His city, though great, is never new.

Besides, whereas Jerusalem the Golden will last forever, Babylon the Great is bound for destruction: “And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls (an angel that knew an about final wrath, therefore), and spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment (the carrying out of the sentence of condemnation, the doom) of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters.” Verse 2 shows us that, being a flirt, this wicked woman intoxicates the world with her charms. And this harlot, as verse 3 indicates, is always sitting on the beast with the seven heads and ten horns, that is, the beast out of the sea. The attempt to destroy the Church physically and to seduce it spiritually ever go hand in hand.

We have already witnessed the fall of the men who had the mark of the beast (chapters 15 and 16). The present section (chapters 17-19) shows us first the fall of the harlot Babylon, then the doom of the beasts. The doom of Satan himself will follow in chapter 20. How wonderfully well-organized is the book of Revelation!

B. HER RAIMENT, verse 4a

This woman, as John sees her in the vision, is not really “pretty” or “charming.” No, she is adorned extravagantly. She is top-heavy with showy gadgets. She is not only “arrayed in purple and scarlet,” but also “gilded with gold,” and covered with precious stones and pearls. John, no doubt, had seen such female exhibitionists in the Roman world of his own day. In fact, though the gaudy harlot is, to be sure, a symbol of the world as center of seductive charms and riches in any day and age, yet the Holy Spirit through the apostle John finds a ready illustration in the literal city on the seven hills, to which without any doubt at all he is pointing his accusing finger (see Rev. 17:9).

Someone living in this very first century A. D. wrote this concerning the wife of a Roman emperor, “I have seen Lollia Paulina covered with emeralds and pearls gleaming all over her head, hair, ears, neck, and fingers, to the value of over a million dollars.”

Let Christians be warned. Let especially our girls and women take to heart the admonitions contained and implied in such passages as Isaiah 3:16–26; I Timothy 2:9; I Peter 3:3,4. Please look them up!

C. HER GOLDEN CUP, verse 4b

This woman is “holding in her hand a golden cup.” But this alluring cup holds nothing but “abominations, the unclean things of her fornication.” The urges, thoughts, imaginations, jokes, pleasures, ambitions, alliances, etc., that are in that “cup” are all of a definitely sinful nature. To be sure, they look so enticing, so absolutely fascinating. But they are deceptive, and will never impart to the soul the peace of God that passes understanding.

D. HER NAME, verse 5

The name of this woman is MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Note the comprehensive character of the name. That should guard us against identifying this woman with anyone particular city. To be sure, she is embodied now in this, then in that city. She is not just an abstraction. She is a concrete reality. But she is “the mother of the harlots and abominations of the earth.” A mother has children, sometimes many children. That is true, too, with respect to this harlot. She reminds us of pleasure-mad, arrogant, presumptuous Babylon of old, of Tyre, of Rome, of New York, London, Paris at their worst. She is all these rolled into one, as it were. She is that entire wicked world, egocentric, rich, proud, seductive, the world of sinful pleasures and treasures. And the implied warning is surely that of II Corinthians 6:11,18.

E. HER MURDEROUS CHARACTER, verse 6

Superficially speaking the world does not appear to be murderous at all. In fact, she seems to be very “nice and friendly.” She even invites you to walk with her:

“Nay, walk with me but a little space,”  Said the world with kindly air; “The road I walk is a pleasant road, And the sun shines always there. Your path is thorny and rough and rude, But mine is broad and plain; My road is paved with Bowers and gems, But yours with tears and pain.” M. C. Edwards

If one follows this advice, he is headed for disillusionment. If one resists the advice, he may have to seal his testimony with his blood. That is very clear from verse 6. But a crown awaits him.

               

Questions

1. Verse 1: where in this chapter is an explanation given of these “many waters”?

2. Verse 4: Is it wrong, then, for a lady to wear real pearls?

3. Verse 5: Why is Babylon called MYSTERY?

4. Are there any passages in I John 2:1–17 of which the harlot, Babylon., reminds you?

5. Why does the book of Revelation devote such a large section to Babylon. and its tall?

6. Which of the three collective allies of Satan (first beast, second beast, harlot) do you consider the greatest enemy of the Christian faith today?

7. What should we do to crush the harlot, Babylon?