Tuesday, December 23, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Revelation 17

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, ² with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were 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 sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. ⁵ And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY,

BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH

⁶ I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. 

(Revelation 17:1–6, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• After the initial appearance of the Woman and the Beast in the last chapter, John records the judgment of the woman and the beast, identifying them with the conceptual city of Babylon.
• One of the seven angels who poured out the seven bowls invited John to come and observe the judgment of the “great harlot who sits on many waters.” The “many waters” is thought to be the myriad people groups over whom the woman rules. The kings of the earth have committed harlotry or adultery with her, and their nations have become drunk with her philosophies and organizational structures. Rather than actually being physical Babylon, this appearance of the woman is more closely related to Rome, the political and governmental center of the world at this time. All the world has followed in behind Rome and the antichrist’s one-world government. This system has fouled the earth and hardened it against the true Christ, convincing many to take the mark of the beast, and make alliances with kings and leaders from around the world.
• This stark picture shows the woman sitting on a scarlet beast. Scarlet is often associated with the color of blood. The beast upon which she sat was somehow associated with the red dragon, thus the scarlet color. The beast had seven heads and ten horns. These heads and horns “symbolize the power of the empire which supports the harlot.”* Some felt at one time that this ten-horn reference referred to a ten-member multi-national alliance that would support the harlot Babylon, and pointed to the European Union as a possibility.
• Once that organization grew far beyond ten members, however, that theory lost some credibility. These numbers (seven and ten) are commonly-used numbers to describe the complete number or the perfect number. Perhaps the reference here is not to actually seven or ten, but rather that the exact number foreknown to follow the woman was now in place, and the time for their demise was at hand. The blasphemous names all over the beast most likely represents the ungodly claims of the woman and the beast, and the vitriol which was poured out against God, His church, and His people.
• The woman is portrayed here as having an opulent appearance, with purple and scarlet clothing, adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, and holding a golden cup. In the golden cup was the wine of her abominations and fornication. Her filthiness is apparent to all, and she is allied with lovers from everywhere in the world. Her name is “Mystery, Babylon the Great,” and she is further identified as the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. The final piece of the picture of her brazen image is the fact that she was drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Her appearance was puzzling, shocking, even amazing. John marveled at the depth of her sin and the flagrancy of her fornication. She epitomized the rebellious kingdom that had been crafted together over a seven-year period of godlessness. She led a people that were once divided and diverse into a united kingdom of sin. Babylon the Great was the personification of the human deception by the antichrist that led the peoples of the world to stand together, intoxicated by the fleshly nature of this new kingdom, appealing to their baser urges and promising them freedom from guilt and the pursuit of their sinful desires. This woman symbolizes the hedonism of a godless society that will be judged by God.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

⁷ But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? 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 will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

⁹ “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. ¹⁰ There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. ¹¹ The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

¹² “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. ¹³ These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ These will make war with 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 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. ¹⁶ And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. ¹⁷ For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. ¹⁸ And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” 

(Revelation 17:7–18, NKJV)

Points to Ponder:

• The last passage of Scripture discussed the appearance and description of the harlot Babylon and the scarlet beast. Today’s passage will unravel some of the deeper meaning of this picture.
• While this explanation is rather cryptic and does not specifically identify the players in the picture, it does begin to outline where they came from. The beast represents a demonic figure that comes out of the bottomless pit, considered a hellish source of demonic power. He has a limited time period in which to work. The people of the earth marvel at the beasts abilities, and are deceived into taking the mark and worshipping the beast. This is most likely the beast who will be worshipped, and is also likely the demonic influence that brings the seven mountains, or seven kings, into alliance to support the woman, Babylon, in her deceptive cause. This wisdom or understanding helps those who read this revelation to understand how things will unfold in the Great Tribulation. This beast upon whom the woman sits, is a being who was, who is, and who will be. He is destined for destruction (perdition) and yet will continue to exist, as he is sent back into the bottomless pit.
• This alternate picture of the kings or emperors of Rome discusses those who have served and are now fallen, one who now serves, and another that is yet to come. At the time of the writing of this book of Revelation, this was the current situation. Five great emperors were fallen, and one was serving, with another to come. However, this number seven again has significance as the number of design and completeness, perhaps relating to the number designed to serve during the Tribulation in this one-world government. This would again fulfill the “immediate and later” nature and implications of practically all prophetic utterances in the Bible. While those reading the Revelation at the time of its writing may be stirred to piety by the similarity to the Roman Empire of their day, those who live in modern times would be likely to see patterns in today’s world that would inspire us to be ready for the coming of Christ. This will ultimately be fulfilled during the Tribulation for all to see who will see. The most telling meaning of this is the fact that the world systems observed throughout history are the basis upon which the beast and the harlot will build their worldwide power and influence. Yet there will be kings who reign with the antichrist during the Great Tribulation for a time that represent the ten horns, which will be discussed in the next passage. The deposement of the the harlot Babylon is coming in the next several passages, and will be utterly devastating. Christ always wins.
• After the fate of the woman and the beast are determined, and the seven heads are identified as the kings of seven mountains, the narrator of the vision moves on to describe the ten horns.
• The ten horns are described as ten kings who have not had a kingdom yet. They are not contemporaries of John, and have no names as of the time of the Revelation. It is described that they would receive a kingdom for an hour as kings with the beast. While unnamed, and without a kingdom at the time, there was a bloody civil strife between the governors of the chief provinces of the Roman empire for one year, from A.D. 68 to A.D. 69. These ten governors fought against the power of the emperor and could have wrecked the economy and the civilization they undergird. This is considered an anti-Christian force, and they induce their own retribution from God. This group of governors are symbolic of the ten kings who will rule with the antichrist for a time, and then will be overcome in a moment by Jesus Christ. In their reign, they are of one mind, making them formidable, and they submit their authority to the beast, following him into battle. They enter into war with the Lamb, and the Lamb definitely will overcome them.
• Here the Lord is described as “Lord of lords and King of kings.” This statement is the strongest statement of the power and authority of Jesus Christ anywhere. His authority is bound up in the Lord title, and the fact that He is not just a lord, but the Lord of all lords, above and beyond every Lord. His Kingship is not just over a human or earthly kingdom, but over the entire earth, so that every king is subject to Him as well. This is the ultimate leader of the earth and the heavens, and there is none like Him anywhere. Those who are with Him are “called, chosen, and faithful.” Those who follow Christ, especially during this final conflict, are safe and allied with Christ. They are His children, and are protected and destined for heavenly bliss.
• Again, the waters on which the harlot sits represent the people over whom the harlot reigns. The ten horns, or kings, will hate the harlot, and will cause her to become desolate, naked, burned, and decimated. God moved upon the kings to work against Rome, and to give their allegiance and their kingdoms to the beast. This action will fulfill the purpose of God, which is to overthrow that great city, Rome (Babylon), which reigns over the kings of the earth. This unholy alliance begins to unravel, as the Lord takes authority and works His purpose to dissolve the kingdom of the beast.

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All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page. Another blog will be posted each weekday at 6:00 a.m.