Revelation 17 – The Great Prostitute and the Scarlet Beast pt. 1

I. The Great Prostitute

Angel’s description of the Great Prostitute.

1) The Great Prostitute sits on many waters (vs.1).

b) Prostitute/Woman - the great city that reigns (has a kingdom, lit.) over the kings of the earth (vs.18)

c) Waters - peoples, nations, multitudes, nations, and tongues (vs. 15)

Knowing that, what does that tell you about what the Prostitute is?

Powerful city rules over the earth.

2) a. The rulers of the earth committed sinful, immoral acts with her.
Seduced by her (vs. 2)
b. People of the earth drink her immorality/sin . Seduced by her (vs.2)

John is taken by the Spirit into a wilderness where he sees the Great Prostitute for himself.

What does John see?

A woman sitting on a scarlet beast. Beast has seven heads and ten horns.

Focus on Prostitute:

vs. 4 What description does John give of the woman/harlot?

The woman is clothed in purple and scarlet and wearing gold, precious stones, and pearls. Holding a gold cup full of sin. On her forehead is written, as John put it a mystery, her name - Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth. John saw that she was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus.

John (like us) could not figure out what the vision meant. Scratching his head. The angel - “why don’t you understand?” He proceeds to explain the vision to John.

The woman/prostitute -

According to the angel, the woman symbolizes a city. (Revel. 17: 18). It is the city that reigns over the rulers of the earth.

Her clothing has symbolic meaning:
a) Purple - symbolizes royalty/government authority
b) Scarlet - symbolizes blood city shed to attain power/authority
c) Gold, precious stones, pearls - symbolizes city’s wealth
d) Gold cup symbolizes seduction (beautiful on outside; ugly on inside) - filled with numerous, awful sins. Not for her to drink. Offering it to the kings and peoples of the world to drink. (vs.
2) Get them drunk. Part of the seduction.

What was she drinking? drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus.

The Woman’s name -

a) Babylon - Babylon was a city in ancient world. Its beginning traced back to the Tower of Babel in Genesis. Babylon was the capital of a couple of empires. In Scripture, the city is associated with tyranny and brutality (Babylonian captivity - Jews sent into exile to Babylon; fiery furnace) and SIN - Babylon set standard for sin - Committed many abominations (idolatry, astrology, sexual immorality, drunkenness, you name it, they did it). The peoples they ruled over followed Babylon’s example including the Jewish people. Early church referred to Rome as Babylon.

b) the Great - what do associate with this word?

c) Mother of Prostitutes - what do you associate with this name? What does a mother do? Gives birth. What does this city give birth to? Prostitutes who seduce people to sin.

d) Mother of the Abominations of the Earth - what do associate with this name? (Abomination - something detestable). Gives birth to detestable things. Source of sin in the world.

Here in Revelation, God identifies this powerful city with immoral Babylon of the ancient world and a prostitute. Why? Like Babylon, this city will be the capital of a great empire, a wealthy city, the source of tyranny (persecution of believers) and SIN. Like a prostitute, this city will SEDUCE peoples of the world to commit acts of immorality that God finds abominable. SEDUCE peoples of the world to oppose God and all He stands for.

City will have tremendous influence in the world. How?

Economic power - great wealth. See in Chapter 18. This city will dominate banking, investing, trade. In turn, economic power gives the city political power in the world. “Don’t support our policies, we won’t do business with you.”

So you are the anti-Christ, goal is to take over the world. Sway peoples of the world to oppose God. To commit every sin in the book. To worship him as god. Where do you start? Become the leader of this city. City/Prostitute accepts him. Makes himself a god. City accepts him as a god. Christians are to be persecuted. City persecutes Christians. Uses city’s status in the world to sway world opinion in his favor. Rest of the world follows suit. Anti-Christ’s agenda goes worldwide Why? The city’s economic, political, cultural power. And now add religion. The city is the home of their god.