[Chapter 17-1] The Judgment of the Harlot Who Sits on Many Waters (Revelation 17:1-18)
(Revelation 17:1-18)
“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, with whom the kings of the earth
committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk
with the wine of her fornication.’ 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. 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. And on her forehead a
name was written:
MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
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. 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. 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. Here is the mind which
has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
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. The
beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the
seven, and is going to perdition. 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. These are of one mind, and they
will give their power and authority to the beast. 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.’ Then he said to me, ‘The waters which you saw, where the
harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 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. 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. And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns
over the kings of the earth.’”
Exegesis
Verse 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,”
Knowing
who the harlot, the woman, and the Beast of the main passage are is
essential to interpret and understand chapter 17. The “harlot” in verse 1
refers to the world’s religions, while the “woman” refers to the world.
The “Beast,” on the other hand, refers to the Antichrist. The “many
waters” refers to the teachings of the Devil. The phrase, “I will show
you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,” tells us
that God would judge the world’s religions that sit on the many
teachings of Satan.
Verse 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.”
The
“fornication” refers to loving this world and its things more than
loving God Himself. Making images after the things of the world, and
worshipping and loving them like God are in fact all acts of
fornication.
The
phrase above, “with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication,”
means that the leaders of this world have lived their lives drunk in
the worldly religions, and that all the worldly people have also lived
drunk with such sins that the worldly religions provide.
Verse 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.
The
phrase, “woman sitting on a scarlet beast,” tells us that the people of
this world would unite their hearts with that of the Antichrist to
persecute and murder the saints. It shows us that the worldly people
will end up turning into the servants of God’s enemy, doing the works of
the Antichrist at his bidding. The Beast is the Antichrist who stands
against God. The Antichrist rules over many kings, and he also reigns
over the many nations of the world.
But
being arrogant, the Antichrist will not hesitate to blaspheme God and
to utter prideful words. He will blaspheme God by uttering arrogant
words, claiming that he himself is God or Jesus Christ, and he will
raise himself up high like God. His power will therefore reach and reign
over all the kings of the world and all its nations.
From
the phrase, “having seven heads and ten horns,” the “seven heads” here
refer to the seven kings of the world, and the “ten horns” refer to the
nations of the world.
Verse 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.
By
the phrase, “the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned
with gold and precious stones and pearls,” the passage tells us that the
worldly religions, scheming with the Antichrist, would think of him as
their king. As such, they would consider it only proper that all those
who stand against them should be sentenced to death, and would in fact
implement their thoughts through their acts against the saints.
And
to decorate this world as an eternal kingdom of happiness, they would
adorn themselves beautifully with the world’s gold, precious stones and
pearls. But their faith is most interested solely in how much pleasures
of the flesh they can have while living in this world. Because when God
looks at the people of this world He would see a world filled by their
filthy sins, they will all appear as abominations before Him.
Verse 5: And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Though
the religious people of the world would try to adorn themselves as a
queen, they will be revealed as a harlot in fact. On the one hand, her
name, “Babylon the Great,” shows us the prideful, idolatrous, and
oppressive character of the harlot, while the word “mother,” on the
other hand, shows us that all the forces of the Antichrist in history
have originated from none other than the world itself, and that the
world is the root of all kinds of idolatry and corruption.
Though
this world is adorned with glittering and beautiful jewels, the
Antichrist who stands against God and works in the hearts of these
people of the world will work as their mother. As such, our Lord God has
decided to destroy them all with His great plagues of the seven bowls.
Verse 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.
The
“saints” refer to the people of faith throughout the entire Church
history who have believed in the gospel of the water and the Spirit
given by Jesus Christ. The phrase “the martyrs of Jesus” refers to those
among the saints who have testified the truth that Jesus is the Son of
God and their Savior, and who specially have been martyred to defend
their faith.
This
verse emphasizes that the ones who would persecute and kill the saints
are none other than the religious people of this world. They will do
such evilness as the vanguard force of the Antichrist.
John
says here that when he saw the woman, he “marveled with great
amazement.” This world is indeed a curious world. The saints have done
nothing to harm it, and yet this world schemes with the Antichrist and
kills many saints. How could this world not be anything but strange?
These things will surely be brought to bear upon the saints by the
people of this world. Because this world is under the control of the
Antichrist, its people, as his servants, would seize the saints and kill
them.
They
therefore will indeed appear very alien to us. When we look at the
worldly people, do they not in fact appear as somewhat strange? When
people are made after the image of God, how could they become the
Antichrist’s servants and murder people—not just any people, but the
countless people who believe in God? It is because this world is the
servant of Satan.
Verse 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.”
The
“woman” here refers to the people of this world. This verse tells us
that the Beast, called the Antichrist, will reign over all the kings of
the world and its nations, and through them he will do his works of
standing against God, of persecuting the saints, and of murdering them.
The “mystery of the beast” refers to the identity of the Antichrist,
moving at the command of Satan. And he will turn the nations of this
world into his own.
The
people of this world, scheming with the Antichrist, will end up as
Satan’s instruments in massacring a great number of the Lord’s people.
This world and the Antichrist are the instruments of Satan, hidden from
our eyes for now. But when the first three and a half years of the Great
Tribulation pass by, they will rise up and kill the saints.
One
may then wonder how this would be possible, when this world has so many
conscientious, learned, and smart people, from politicians to educators
to philosophers and PhDs. But because the world would conspire with the
Antichrist, all these things, including the massacre of the saints,
would become feasible. As such, that this world would surrender to the
Antichrist and murder the saints is the key to solving the mystery of
the Antichrist.
Verse 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.”
This
verse tells us that the Antichrist was found among the kings of the old
ages, and that though he is not in this world now, he will come out to
the world in the future. It tells us that the people of this world would
be greatly amazed when they see the Antichrist emerging and killing the
saints.
The
Antichrist would carry out his purposes by participating in the new
politics of this world. He would continue to remain mysterious to the
people of this world and yet be spotlighted as amazing. Because he would
take upon the many political, economic, ideological, and religious
problems of this world and solve them all with his ability, many people
would think of him and follow him as Christ Jesus who would come again
at the end times. He would therefore remain as an amazement before the
eyes of the people of the world.
Verse 9: “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.”
This
verse tells us that the Antichrist would institute his own laws to rule
over the people of the world and turn these laws into his governing
body to carry out his purposes. The reason why the people of the world
would unite together is to come under the rule of Satan by receiving the
mark of the Antichrist, and to stand against God and His saints,
placing their trust in the power of the laws made by the Antichrist.
Verse 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.”
This
verse tells us that the kings who stand against God will continue to
come out of this world, just as such kings had risen before. When the
time of the final Great Tribulation comes, a leader of this world will
rise as the Antichrist and massacre the saints. But the persecution of
this world leader, who would become the Antichrist, will last for only a
short while permitted by God.
Verse 11: “The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.”
This
tells us that the Antichrist coming to this world will rise as the last
of the kings of the world. When the Antichrist emerges out of the kings
of the world, many people of the world will follow him, as he would,
having received the spirit of the Dragon, exercise power like God and
perform signs and miracles. The servants of God and the saints will also
be killed by the Antichrist, but all these things will last only a
short while permitted by God. After such things come to pass, the
Antichrist will be bound in the bottomless pit, and then be thrown into
the fiery hell, never to be released from it.
Verse 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.”
This
verse tells us that ten nations will unite their power to rule over the
whole world. These ten nations, having thus united, will come to wield
their power over the world with the Antichrist for a short while. But
the verse also tells us that these kings of the world have not yet
received the kingdom ruled by the Antichrist. In the near future,
however, these kings of the world will reign with the Beast as the kings
of darkness for a while. But their reign will last only briefly, and as
such, they will reign over the dominion of darkness only for this short
period of time.
Verse 13: “These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.”
When
the time comes, the kings of this world will transfer all their power
and authority to the Antichrist. At this time, God’s Church, its saints,
and His servants will be greatly persecuted by the Antichrist and be
martyred. But the Antichrist himself will be destroyed by the power and
authority of Jesus Christ and the sword of the Word of His mouth.
Verse 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.”
Though
Satan will seek to wage war against Jesus Christ, he will be no match
for Him. The saints, too, will overcome him in their struggle against
him. The Lord will give the saints the strength to fight against and
overcome the Antichrist with their faith. As such, the saints will not
fear their struggle against the Antichrist, but live in the end times in
peace and tranquility by believing in their Lord God. They will then
overcome their enemies with their faith in the Lord.
This
victory of the saints means that they would defend their faith and be
martyred. When this time comes, the saints will overcome Satan and the
Antichrist by embracing their martyrdom with their faith in Jesus Christ
and their hope for the Kingdom of Heaven, participate in their
resurrection and rapture, receive the new Kingdom of Christ, and
thereafter live forever in glory.
Verse 15: Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”
The
worldly religions have deceived and ruled over the people of all
nations with its teachings of Satan. This verse tells us that the
satanic teachings working in the midst of the worldly religions have
penetrated all the nations and tongues of the world, and that their
influence has reached such a great extent as to bring destruction to the
people’s souls.
Verse 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.”
The
verse here tells us that the nations of this world will unite with the
Antichrist to kill and destroy its religious people. It tells us, in
other words, that the people of this world and the Antichrist will hate
and abuse the religious people, and exterminate all the religions of the
world from its face. Though the world’s religious people had killed the
saints before with the support of the Antichrist, they themselves are
now to be destroyed by Satan and the secular people. Satan, in the end,
had only used the world’s religions just to deify himself as God.
Verse 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.”
This
tells us that the people of this world would give their kingdom and
power to Satan. As such, they would become the Antichrist’s people as
they receive his mark voluntarily, take pride in being his servants, and
also murder those who refuse to receive his mark. However, their
persecution of the saints would be allowed only for the duration of time
that the Word of God has permitted. During this allowed period, the
Antichrist will pour out all the evilness of his heart and freely stand
against God and His saints.
Verse 18: “And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
God
tells us here that this world will institute a new set of laws to rule
and control over its kings, and that the kings of the world will be
ruled within the bounds of these new laws. The supreme power of this
world will reign over all the kings of the world, as if it were a person
itself. The world, in other words, will make the laws that bind all the
kings tightly, and become like a god ruling over them.
The
“great city” refers to the political institution through which the
Antichrist would reign. Everyone of this world will end up having to
serve the ruling entity of the world, which God had given them, as if it
were God Himself, and be reigned by it. Because men had become the
servants of Satan, they would thus be destroyed.
Psalms
49:20 tells us, “A man who is in honor, yet does not understand, Is
like the beasts that perish.” As such, the people of this world must
know beforehand what Satan’s scheme is, believe now in the gospel of the
water and the Spirit preached by the saints of this age, and thereby
escape from the curse of turning into Satan’s servants and instead live
clothed in the blessing of the eternal Kingdom of God as His people.
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