Rev. 17:1–19:10 is a large interpretative snapshot of the sixth and seventh bowls, which have foretold the judgment of Babylon (which was first explicitly prophesied in 14:8). This is followed in 19:11-21 by an expanded description of the last battle, in which Christ triumphs over the forces of evil. Although only one verse in ch. 17 describes Babylon’s judgment (v. 16), the larger literary unit commencing at 17:1 is dominated by it. Much space is taken up with the beast in ch. 17 because the woman’s significance and power cannot be fully understood except in her relationship to the beast. Ch. 17 (in development of 16:12-13) emphasizes what leads up to the demise of Babylon, which becomes the full-blown focus in ch. 18.
1And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2with 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.” 3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness.
1 The angel who reveals the vision of ch. 17 and who interprets it (vv. 7-18) is referred to as one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls. This is the first indication that ch. 17 amplifies the sixth and seventh bowls. The main point of the vision is the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. This judgment is another mention of God’s answer to the prayers of the saints’ plea in 6:10. Symbolizing Babylon as a harlot connotes her alluring and seductive nature in attempting to draw people away from Christ. The angel speaks to John in words taken from God’s judgment on historical Babylon in Jer. 51:13, “O you who dwell by many waters, abundant in treasures, your end has come.” Babylon’s “sitting” on many waters speaks of her sovereignty over the nations, for “sitting” in Revelation (3:21; 4:2, 4; 5:1; 14:14; 18:7, etc.) indicates sovereignty, whether used of God, Christ, the angels, or evil beings. 18:7 confirms this, since there Babylon says “I sit as a queen.” At the least, the sitting implies the woman’s alliance with the world and the beast.
2 Part of the basis of Babylon’s judgment is the fact that the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality with her and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality. The kings’ and the nations’ acquiescence to immorality refers not to literal immorality, but figuratively to acceptance of the religious and idolatrous demands of the ungodly earthly order. As in 14:8, her immorality is a Greek genitive of association (= “have intercourse with her”), as evident from the parallelism of committed acts of immorality with her (cf. also 18:9) with the wine of her immorality. The same synonymous parallelism occurs in 18:3, though with slight variation in wording. The nations’ cooperation with Babylon ensures their material security (see on 2:9; 13:16-17). The intoxicating effect of Babylon’s wine removes all desire to resist Babylon’s destructive influence, blinds them to Babylon’s own ultimate insecurity and to God as the source of real security and numbs them against fear of a coming judgment. For the OT roots, see Hos. 4:11-12: “Harlotry, wine and new wine take away the understanding. My people consult their wooden idol … for a spirit of harlotry has led them astray.” Elsewhere in Revelation idolatry and immorality (Greek porneia) are closely linked (2:14, 20-21; 9:21; 14:8). The economic interpretation of the nations’ intoxicating passion and the kings’ immoral passion for Babylon is clear from 18:3, 9-19, where the same phrases for immorality and intoxication of 17:2 are equated with terms for economic prosperity, and the nations’ loyalty to Babylon lies in her ability to provide economic prosperity for them (see also on 14:8). An economic interpretation of the verse is confirmed by the allusion to Isa. 23:17, where Tyre “will play the harlot with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.” Tyre is called a harlot because she caused destruction and induced uncleanness among the nations by economically dominating them and influencing them by her idolatry. That idolatry is included together with an economic emphasis is clear from Isa. 23:18, where Tyre’s illicit wages “will be set apart to the Lord” in the future instead of to any other false object of dedication as formerly. That Tyre is in mind at least as an analogy to Babylon is clear from the repeated reference in Revelation 18 to the Ezekiel 26–28 pronouncement of Tyre’s judgment and the specific allusion in v. 23 to Isa. 23:8 (see on 18:23).
Therefore, Babylon is the prevailing economic-religious system in alliance with the state and its related authorities, as it exists in various forms throughout the ages. Of course, the generally known fact that harlots in the ancient world (as today) offered their bodies and sexual services for payment only enhances the economic nature of the Babylonian prostitute.
3a The angel carried John away in the Spirit into a wilderness. “In the Spirit” is a formula of prophetic commissioning, based on the similar formulas expressing Ezekiel’s repeated prophetic commissions, e.g., Ezek. 2:2: “the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet”; Ezek. 3:12: “The Spirit lifted me up” (likewise Ezek. 3:14, 24; 11:1; 43:5). Ezekiel is commissioned with prophetic authority to announce judgment to sinful Israel. Similarly, John’s transport into the realm of the Spirit underscores his prophetic commission and authority (see 1:10; 4:2 and especially 21:10, where allusion to the Ezekiel commissions also occurs in the same manner). And as with Ezekiel, John’s inspired message in 17:3ff. is an announcement of judgment.
The seer’s transport into a wilderness alludes to Isa. 21:1-2, where a vision from God (so Isa. 21:10) is revealed to the prophet Isaiah and is described as coming “from the wilderness, from a terrifying land” (21:1). This allusion is confirmed by the fact that Isa. 21:1-10 is a vision of judgment against Babylon and by the fact that the phrase “fallen, fallen is Babylon” of Isa. 21:9 appears in Rev. 18:2 as well as in 14:8, which itself looks ahead to chs. 17–18. In both Isaiah and Revelation, the desert is central to the vision, though in the former the vision has its source in the desert, whereas in the latter the prophet is taken to the desert to see the vision. Is there significance in the fact that John is taken into the wilderness? After all, he has visionary experiences in various places — earth (1:9-10), sea and earth (10:8ff.), heaven (4:1), on the seashore (13:1), and on a mountain-top (21:9-10). But the allusion to Isaiah 21 is clear. The desert is at the same time a place of protection for God’s people (both following the exodus and in the end time), but also the habitation of fierce animals like serpents and of evil spirits. It is the place of sin, judgment, and persecution of the saints (see on 12:6 for further elaboration of how God protects His people in the desert). It is a “terrifying land” (Isa. 21:1) in which Babylon’s fall is predicted (Isa. 21:9).
This verse affirms that the whole vision of ch. 17 appears in the spiritual dimension of a wilderness or desert. There the harlot dwells, sitting on a scarlet beast … having seven heads and ten horns (v. 3b). The only other occurrence of wilderness (Greek erēmos) in the book outside 17:3 is in 12:6, 14. There also in a wilderness a “red dragon having seven heads and ten horns” (cf. 12:3 with 17:3) persecutes the people of God (12:13-17). Part of Babylon’s judgment in ch. 18 for persecuting the saints in the desert is that she herself is made into a desert-like place (similarly Isa. 13:20-22; Jer. 50:12-13; 51:26, 29, 43) where only demonic spirits dwell (cf. 18:2, which is introduced by the Isa. 21:9 allusion). The harlot of ch. 17 persecutes the saints (v. 6) in the desert and deceives the earth-dwellers (v. 8). The desert is also where John witnesses the judgment both of Babylon (vv. 15-17) and of the beast and his allies (vv. 13-14). Therefore, on the biblical principle of an eye for an eye, the judgment of Babylon is decreed in the very place where she persecuted the saints.
In addition, Isa. 21:1, which undoubtedly lies behind this text, uniquely combines references to the desert and the sea: “The oracle, concerning the wilderness of the sea.” It is not coincidental that vv. 1, 3 here picture Babylon apparently being in a wilderness and at the same time sitting on many waters. This seems geographically contradictory. However, this is symbolic geography. Already in 12:15-16, an overflowing river appears in the desert. There and here, persecutors of the church are associated with water, because water is metaphorical for evil and deception (for the same significance of “sea” see on 4:6; 13:1; 15:2; 16:3; 21:1).
An alternative interpretation of the desert’s significance here is that John is taken there not simply because it is an appropriate setting for Babylon’s sin to be revealed, but also because it is a place of spiritual security and detachment from the world’s dangers. There he can truly see the evils of Babylon and avoid her deception.
Yet perhaps even there, he “wonders” or “marvels” (vv. 6-7, Greek thaumazō) at her appearance, a word used of unbelievers’ worshipful adoration of the beast (13:3; 17:8). Following this line of thought, though he comes close to admiration for the beast and the woman (see on vv. 6-7 below), he is protected from actually worshiping the beast because of his secure place in the desert. On either interpretation, what is undoubtedly true is that, as in 12:6 and 12:13-17, the desert here has both positive and negative connotations. It is in the desert that John both declares God’s judgment on Babylon and understands her true evil from a place of spiritual security. If John could come close to being attracted to the woman and beast, how easy it must be for his readers to be seduced. Conceivably, he had to paint these characters of evil in such horrid form so that saints would not be too easily attracted (see further on v. 7 below).
On the significance of the desert in these verses. These verses present us with a nuanced understanding of the significance of the desert. Revelation consistently presents the desert as the place where, in spite of ever-present danger, God provides security for His people. It is in this place of attack upon God’s people that God now declares His judgment of the attackers. John needed to be taken into the desert (understood as the place of God’s security) in order to avoid being mesmerized by the harlot. How easily is it possible for God’s people to be seduced by her attractive appearance and the economic and social advantages she offers to those who cooperate with her? If this is the most materialistic and wealthy society in human history, are these temptations even greater for us today? What would it involve for us to compromise our faith in order to gain material or social advantage from our own Babylon?
And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. 4And 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, 5and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” 6And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly. 7And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.”
3b We have begun to understand the evil and seductive identity of the woman in the opening verses of ch. 17. Her wicked character continues to be seen in the present section, especially her close identification with the beast, who, we have already seen (e.g., in ch. 13), is a deceiver and persecutor of God’s people. However, enigmatically part of the woman’s appearance in vv. 3b-7 also reflects something apparently good about her (see on vv. 4 and 7 below). What is this apparent benign aspect of her appearance and why is such a wicked character described in this manner?
John now sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns (for full discussion of this description see on 12:3; cf. 13:1-2). The portrayal of the beast is almost identical to that in 13:1, so the same beast is pictured here again. There and here the wording alludes to Dan. 7:3-7, 20, 24. The heads and horns represent the fullness of power held by evil kingdoms who persecute God’s people, since this is their figurative meaning in Daniel 7 (e.g., the fourth beast’s ten horns in Dan. 7:7 are explicitly identified as “ten kings” in Dan. 7:24). The beast’s red color associates him with the red dragon of 12:3. The color indicates royal attire and hence kingship, but more particularly the persecuting nature of the dragon in 12:3 and the beast here, who spill the red blood of the saints. The blasphemous names, as in 13:1, refer to the beast’s false claims of universal sovereignty. Though closely associated with the beast, the woman is not to be equated with the beast. That the woman rides the beast connotes her alliance with it. She represents the ungodly world as it works with the state socially, culturally, and economically to persecute Christians (17:6; 18:24; 19:2). They are also mutually involved in deception of ungodly multitudes throughout the earth (e.g., 14:8; 17:2, 8).
4 The description of the woman confirms that she represents worldly economic forces which are in collusion with the state in persecuting Christians (for the economic focus see also on 14:8; 17:2): And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. The description of her clothing is repeated in 18:16, where she is described as the “great city” or Babylon. The parts of her attire are listed as products of trade in 18:12. Therefore the woman, draped with these products, is identified with a prosperous trading system. Her clothing is scarlet, representing her persecution of the saints. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah speak of harlots with red attire symbolizing their spilling of the blood of the righteous (Isa. 1:15-23; Jer. 2:34). The woman holds in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, much like Jeremiah’s description of historical Babylon as a golden cup intoxicating the nations and driving them mad (Jer. 51:7). These unclean things also include idolatrous practices, for in 16:13-14 and 18:2 demons are referred to as unclean spirits, and demons stand behind idols (1 Cor. 10:19-20). The abominations in the woman’s cup are also references to idolatry, for that word is used frequently in the OT to refer to idolatry (Deut. 29:17; 2 Kgs. 23:24; 2 Chron. 34:33; Jer. 16:18, etc.). The unclean things are associated with her immorality. “Immorality” (Greek porneia) and the related verb elsewhere in the book are figurative expressions for idolatry (so 2:14, 20-21; cf. 9:21; see on 14:8; 17:2), as they are here. As we saw in the letters, there is a clear connection in Revelation between illicit forms of economic activity (including simply the worship of money) and idolatrous practices, and the woman represents both. That economic factors can incite idolatry is well attested in first-century Asia Minor (e.g., see on 2:14, 20-22). Customarily, each trade guild had patron gods to which members paid homage in a pagan temple, where worship was directed to a bust of Caesar. Christians who abstained from such idolatry risked economic ostracism and loss of their trading privileges. The harlot of ch. 17 represents these and other like religio-economic aspects of society that lure Christians to compromise and trust in the world’s security instead of security in Christ.
5 The nature of the woman is revealed by the fact that upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” In Revelation, a name on a forehead reveals the individual’s character and relationship either to God (7:3; 14:1) or to Satan (13:16; 14:9). The woman’s name reveals clearly her alliance with the beast. The first part of the name, Babylon the great, comes directly from Dan. 4:30, where it expresses the extent of Nebuchadnezzar’s power, about which he boasts. His proud independence from God led to his downfall. The mystery of the name refers to the “mystery” (Dan. 4:9) of the dream Nebuchadnezzar had which warned him of the disaster ahead should he continue in his pride. Revelation connects this mystery with the mystery of the last-days fall of spiritual Babylon (cf. Rev. 1:20; 10:7), which will fall because of pride and evil (“mystery” in the OT occurs with an eschatological sense only in Dan. 2:28-29, which is partly in the background here). This was a mystery prophesied and (in the days of the seventh trumpet, according to 10:7) shortly to be fulfilled. The mystery refers to what is contained in the hidden counsel of God and now being revealed to His servants. In 1:20 and 10:7, the “mystery” involved the unexpected (though not contradictory) way in which Daniel’s prophecy about the establishment of Israel’s latter-day kingdom and the defeat of evil empires was beginning to be fulfilled. The notion of “mystery” in both those chapters is that the kingdom begins ironically through the suffering of Christ and His people (e.g., cf. 1:5-6, 13-14 with 1:20; see on 1:20). Similarly here, but now in application to the kingdom of evil, it refers to the ironic, mysterious way in which God will fulfill His prophetic words concerning Babylon’s destruction — that kingdom will turn against itself (as the next verses will reveal) and begin to self-destruct even before the return of Christ, who will finally demolish Babylon. This was indeed a mystery not as clearly seen by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, but is now made clearer to John. Fulfillment of prophecy always fleshes out details that were not contained in broadly-given OT prophecies.
The woman is given the additional titles, Mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth, thus indicating her central role in directing idolatrous practices and false religion. Babylon is portrayed as a woman in the desert and also as a city (18:10), thus bringing her into contrast both with the mother of 12:1, who also lives in the desert, and with the bride of 19:7-8; 21:2, 10, who is also described as a city (21:2). That such a contrast is intended is evident from the strikingly identical introductory vision formulas for the harlot and the church in 17:1 and 21:9-10. Such contrasts with the church throughout the ages, both on earth and glorified, make clear that Babylon is not a geographical locality but a demonically-directed economic and spiritual reality present throughout the church age. The woman in ch. 12 gave birth to the church, while the harlot of ch. 17 attempts to destroy the church.
6 Those who do not submit to the economic and religious practices of Babylon will be persecuted and even killed: And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. The “and” is explanatory, yielding the meaning that true saints are those who are witnesses of (or to) Jesus, which is why they are persecuted, in that their witness sparks antagonism from the world (cf. 6:9). This persecution could take the form of ostracism from one’s trade. Revelation gives us actual examples of punishment by exile (1:9), imprisonment (2:10), and death (2:10, 13), so this activity of Babylon and the beast was already beginning to unfold as John wrote. The blood of the saints thus encompasses not just martyrdom (see also on 6:9) but all forms of suffering endured by believers. John’s response to the vision of the woman is great amazement: And when I saw her, I wondered greatly (literally, “I wondered with great wonder”), which we will shortly see (in v. 7) includes both fright and perplexity.
7 John’s great wonder or amazement is repeated three times in vv. 6-7, the last of which is in a question from the angel: “Why do you wonder?” This is not merely a question about the seer’s amazement at the unusual vision. Rather, several ideas are evoked by the question. The angel is really asking why John should be afraid and troubled by the vision, as he was by earlier visions (e.g., cf. 1:17). It is best taken as a rhetorical question whose implied answer is a rebuke: John should not be fearful and perplexed.
The same language of being amazed or “appalled” in Dan. 4:19 expresses Daniel’s fearful and shocked reaction to the vision of the judgment of the Babylonian king. Likewise, John expresses fear about the nightmarish vision he has just seen concerning the horrible nature of the beast and the Babylonian woman and their persecution. Likely, part of what contributed to his troubled spirit was shock and fear over the blasphemous claims of the beast and the severe persecution envisioned.
Also contributing to the seer’s shock may have been the parabolic portrayal of Babylon in the guise of a religiously faithful figure. She is attired (17:4) almost identically to the bride-city of Christ, who is “adorned with every kind of precious stone,” pearls and gold (21:18-21), and clothed in linen (cf. 18:16 and 19:8). The linen is defined as the “righteous acts of the saints” in 19:8, which may have momentarily led John to think that the Babylonian woman was not all bad but had some attractive spiritual features. Enhancing such an impression may have been the fact that the high priest in the OT is described also as adorned with gold, purple, scarlet, linen, and precious stones (Exod. 25:7; 28:5-9, 15-20; 35:9). Such an appearance may have caused John temporarily to “admire” this aspect of the woman. That “admiration” may be part of how John’s “amazement” is to be understood is pointed to by the same use of the word “wonder” (Greek thaumazō) in 17:8 and 13:3, where people “wonder” or are “amazed” at the beast, which leads them to worship him. This makes it more understandable that the angel’s question contains a rebuke for admiring the woman. This could be apparent also from 19:10 and 22:9, where an angel rebukes the seer (“do not do that”) and redirects actions of worship from a wrong object of reverence to God.
Consequently, John may have been temporarily captivated by what appeared, in part, to be a spiritually attractive figure, and was blinded (at least temporarily) to the full, true ungodly nature of the harlot. The apparent spiritual attractiveness may have been enhanced by the fact that elsewhere in Revelation believers, indeed so-called Christian prophets led by Jezebel (see 2:20-24), were contending that some identification with the world was good. In particular, they were contending that worship of other gods (associated with economic well-being) was not incompatible with being a faithful Christian. John now realizes that these are not merely misguided Christians, but that Jezebel and her followers are none other than Babylon herself in the midst of the church, who eventually will be judged along with persecutors outside the church. This identification of Babylon with Jezebel in Rev. 2:20-24 is enhanced from recognizing that later in ch. 17 John describes the Babylonian harlot by appealing to allusions to the OT figure of Jezebel (on which see below).
That John’s lack of clarity about the vision explains a significant basis for his amazement is evident from the angel’s assertion that he will explain the hidden meaning (the mystery) of the vision of the beast and woman seen in vv. 3-6. Dan. 7:16 (part of the passage in Daniel 7 which lies behind the portrayal of the beast in ch. 17; see on v. 3b above) also emphasizes the need for clarity. The angel, however, questions John’s fear, perplexity, and astonishment and brings reassurance by saying he will unfold the mystery of the woman and of the beast. That is, he will unfold the judgment about to come upon them in spite of the woman’s apparent magnificence and triumph, enabling John to have divine insight that pierces through the ambiguous appearance of the woman. Thus, one should beware of being attracted and confused by this woman draped in such dazzling, bejeweled attire and clothed in linen (so 18:16), since all her embrace can offer is a full strength draught of abominations and unclean things. Even temporary attraction or confusion about her will cause the believer to be unable to perceive clearly her truly evil and deceptive nature and, thus, to be taken in to some degree by her and to compromise.
On the relevance of the Babylonian whore for all ages. If the woman represents cultural, economic, and idolatrous religious power united in institutional form throughout the ages, how would that institution be identified or express itself in that particular part of the contemporary world where we live today (government, church, business, school, etc.)?
On temptations to compromise. In what ways can modern-day institutions of the world that are evil appear good and admirable in the eyes of Christians? In what ways are believers tempted to compromise with these institutions?
On the anesthetic effect of Babylon’s influence. The intoxicating effect of Babylon’s wine removes all desire to resist Babylon’s destructive influence, blinds people to Babylon’s own ultimate insecurity and to God as the source of real security, and numbs them from fear of a coming judgment. Reflect on those aspects of the ungodly world’s influence on us that blinds us to the ultimate insecurity of the world and to the reality that true security can be found only in Christ and God. Likewise, what aspects of the ungodly world’s influence on us have the potential of numbing us from reflecting on the reality of God’s coming judgment?
On the sources of persecution. What institutions carry out persecution against Christians today in those countries where believers suffer for their faith? Are there religious institutions that cooperate with political and/or economic institutions in persecuting Christians? If so, which ones? Is anything like this beginning to take shape on the horizon in western Europe or North America?
On discerning what is evil. How can Christians increase their awareness of what institutions around them are evil and so protect themselves from being deceived and consequently compromising in some way? If v. 7 provides the answer for John, how could it provide an answer for Christians today?
8“The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. 9Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other is yet to come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. 11And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. 12And 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. 13These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. 14These will wage war against the Lamb, 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.”
8a The threefold description of God found already in 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; and 16:5 is altered and applied to the beast: The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. This is also a parody of Christ’s death and resurrection (1:18; 2:8). That the beast is not refers to the continuing effects of his defeat by Christ at the cross and resurrection (see on 13:3, where “death” is equivalent to “is not”). The conclusion of the third member of the formula (he goes to destruction) is an ironic contrast with the altered form of the third part of the divine formula in 11:17 (“Thou hast taken thy great power and hast begun to reign”). The application of the threefold formula for divine eternity to the beast is intended to ridicule the beast’s vain efforts to defeat the true eternal Being and His forces. The application also suggests that the beast’s existence extends from the beginning of history to its end, but the close of the formula shows a clear contrast with God’s existence: the beast’s former, apparently sovereign form of existence throughout history will cease (though on his everlasting destruction see on 19:19-20; 20:10).
The language of the angel mirrors what Daniel saw in his vision: the beasts came up from the sea (Dan. 7:3 — and are likened to kings who come up out of the earth in v. 17) and then went to destruction (7:11, 17-26). The Daniel allusion emphasizes the beast’s demise and the irony of it, since already implicit in Daniel 7 itself is the same kind of ironic parody of the beast in relation to the Son of man (see the concluding comments on ch. 13). The third member of the formula in 17:8a (is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction) is a development of the use of Dan. 7:21 in Rev. 11:7. In 11:7, “the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.” That the beast’s origin is from the abyss here and in 11:7 suggests the demonic roots and powers of the beast (as in 9:1-2, 11; cf. 20:1-3, 7). Though the beast appears temporarily to defeat the entire church community in the end time, his victory will be short-lived. He will soon thereafter go to destruction. The threefold formula corresponds to the career of Satan in 20:1-10, so that both refer to the same events from the vantage point respectively of the beast and of Satan. There Satan will be said to have existed in the past (20:1 = “he was,” in that he existed prior to the action of the angel in vv. 2-3). He is locked up in an “abyss” (20:2-3 = “is not”). But then, “after these things he must be released for a short time” (20:3, 7-9 = “is about to come up out of the abyss”; cf. v. 10 below). And finally, he will also go to destruction (20:9-10).
After defeating the saints, the beast and his allies will then “wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them” (v. 14), and all those formerly defeated by the beast will accompany the Lamb in finally defeating the beast for all time. Though during the church age the beast’s continued persecution of the saints (13:3ff.) makes it appear that he was “healed” from his death wound, the persecution he conducts at the last stage of history will be more severe. He will attempt to stamp out the entire church. The beast’s imitation of Christ will be shown as a sham in the end. Whereas Christ’s resurrection results in Him living for evermore (1:18), the beast’s resurrection results in his destruction. It takes divine wisdom to discern the difference in the destinies of the Lamb and the beast (so v. 9a).
8b Multitudes will marvel at the beast’s resurgence: And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. “Wonder” has the idea of admiring in a worshipful sense, as is apparent from 13:3ff., where also marveling (the same Greek word thaumazō) after the beast is developed in the following verses by words denoting worship of the beast. As in 13:8, 14, the earth-dwellers (unbelieving idolaters, as in 6:10; 13:8, 14, etc.) are deceived into worshiping the beast. What precisely will deceive them about the beast will be that though he was defeated (is not) at the end of his former existence (he was), he will be able to appear to recover from the defeat (“he is about to come up out of the abyss,” v. 8a). This is also how the beast deceives the multitudes in 13:3, where the world is amazed at his recovery from the apparently fatal wound inflicted by the cross and resurrection. The beast’s apparent health will lead many to follow him. This situation will continue until Christ’s return, when He will demonstrate the reality of His spiritual victory at the cross by achieving physical victory over Satan’s forces.
The earth-dwellers will not be able to withstand deception by the beast because their name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world (see on 3:5 and 13:8 for the background and relevance of the allusions to Dan. 7:10; 12:1-2). To be written in the book of life refers metaphorically elsewhere to believers whose salvation has been secured, so (negatively) names not written in the book refers to unbelievers who do not benefit from having such security (see on 3:5; 13:8; 20:12; 21:27). As in 13:8, this security began before historical time began, from the foundation of the world. The protection for those written in the book comes from the Lamb (13:8; 21:27). Here the stress is on those who will not receive the salvific protection of the book.
9a Those who are written in the book are protected spiritually by the Lamb and are not deceived by the enemy and his agents: Here is the mind which has wisdom. This verse develops further Daniel’s prophecy that in the end-time tribulation true saints will need spiritual “understanding” and “insight” to avoid being deceived by an evil king who exalts his sovereignty over God and persecutes God’s people who do not acknowledge him (so Dan. 11:33; 12:10; see further on 13:18). Those with wisdom and understanding will also be able to understand the angel’s explanation of the vision outlined in vv. 9b-18, which develops Daniel’s prophecy in order to underscore it in the minds of the “called and chosen and faithful” (v. 14). Part of God’s plan is to save His chosen ones through exhortations to have wisdom, to which they respond positively on the basis of divine protective grace.
The beast John has seen in the vision in v. 3 is none other than the wicked state force prophesied in Daniel. John and his churches are reminded of the OT prophetic warning from Daniel about temptations to compromise with this evil power. Continued recollection of the prophecy will keep believers alert to the danger so that they will not be deceived like many others in the church, who will remain ignorant of the Scriptures, consequently be taken off guard and led astray by the beast, and thus compromise with the state’s ungodly demands.
9b The angel states the interpretation of the beast’s seven heads: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. These have sometimes been identified with Rome’s seven hills and therefore with the Roman Empire. The other seven occurrences of the word “mountain” (Greek oros) in Revelation, however, carry the figurative meaning of “strength.” This usage points beyond a literal reference to Rome’s hills to the figurative meaning of kingdoms, especially in the light of 8:8 and 14:1, where mountains figuratively refer to kingdoms. The identification with kings is confirmed by the next phrase (v. 10) which explicitly equates the mountains with “seven kings.” In the OT, mountains symbolize human or divine kingdoms (Isa. 2:2; Jer. 51:25; Ezek. 35:3; Dan. 2:35, 45; Zech. 4:7), so the reference is not to a specific location featuring seven mountains. The identification is also confirmed by Dan. 7:4-7, where seven is the total number of heads of the four beasts (= kingdoms), which also is the source of the seven heads in 13:1 (on which see; note that Daniel’s beast had four heads). For the interchangeableness of “kings” and “kingdoms,” see Dan. 7:17 (“These great beasts … are four kings”) and 7:23 (“The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom”). In light of all this, it is no surprise that the angel identifies the heads or mountains as seven kings (or kingdoms). There is a metaphorical shift from the beast with seven heads in 13:1 and 17:3. The beast is now pictured not as possessing heads but as being heads. This is evident from the implicit picture of the woman now sitting on the seven heads instead of on the beast, as in v. 3. This identification is made explicit in v. 11. The equivalence of heads with the beast (vv. 3, 9b) suggests that “heads” connotes authority, and here oppressive authority (cf. the blasphemous names on the heads in 13:1).
The number seven is not a literal number designating the quantity of kings in one period of time, but is figurative for the quality of fullness or completeness, as in the OT, Daniel 7:4-7 (see above), and throughout Revelation (e.g., 1:4, 20; 4:5; 5:6; 12:3; 13:1). “Seven” or “seventh” occurs about forty-five times in the book outside 17:3-11, and all are within figurative expressions. As in 12:3 and 13:1-2, fullness of oppressive power is the emphasis. The seven mountains and kings represent the oppressive power of world government throughout the ages which arrogates to itself divine prerogatives and persecutes God’s people when they do not submit to the evil state’s false claims.
The broader identification of the seven heads is confirmed by Dan. 7:3-7, where the total of seven heads of the four beasts identifies distinct empires which span centuries. This is evident from the following considerations:
Thus, the beast is a trans-temporal figure.
In John’s time, the contemporary embodiment of the beast was Rome. Rome’s seven hills may have been part of what influenced John to use the figurative number “seven.”
10 And they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other is yet to come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while confirms the trans-temporal nature of the beast and the figurative understanding of his seven heads argued for above. Fallen likely refers to death, the manner of death being unspecified. The three-part description reflects the ironic threefold expression applied to the beast in v. 8 (and so also in v. 11), which has been seen as a parody of the divine name. Since the threefold name for God refers to His existence throughout history, so the application of the formula to the beast’s heads mirrors and connotes the same trans-temporal existence. Therefore, the seven kings are figurative for kings throughout history through whom the beast acts. Five heads of the age-old beast have been slain. In this sense, the beast “is not” (vv. 8, 11). However, though he is defeated, he lives on (he “is”), because the sixth head is presently alive (v. 10). And a seventh is yet to appear. The latter two heads remain only to be slain as well, the last (representing the end-time manifestation of beastly power in the state: see on 13:1-3 and 17:8a) at the end of history.
As elsewhere in the book, John tells the churches that the end is not far off or could come quickly: the other (= the seventh) is yet to come. John’s primary intent in 17:10 is not to count kings (such as Roman emperors, since if John did begin a count, we cannot even be sure with what emperor he would have begun). Five simply shows many human governments have come and gone. Six is the number of man and serves well to indicate the present activity of the beast in any generation. John’s goal here is mainly to inform his readers how far they stand from the conclusion of the full sequence of seven oppressive rulers. He is telling them that only one more, seventh, short reign will elapse until the end of the oppressive dominance of (what for them was) Rome, which represents all ungodly oppressive powers. This expectation is to be understood, as elsewhere in Revelation, to express an idea of imminence, yet there is an indeterminate distance between the present and the future culmination (as likewise in 6:11, on which see; see also on 12:12; 22:6-7, 12).
Besides the current manifestation of the ancient beast in Rome, another manifestation will come in the future. It has not yet come but, when it does, it will remain a little while, which phrase refers to the final stage of history. This means that the first six “heads” (= figurative kingdoms) are reigns that, collectively, last a long time, likely throughout history, in contrast to the seventh “head.” When the final earthly incarnation of evil comes, it will be unable to establish an enduring reign. It will remain only a short time. This is the same coming noted in 20:3b, where at the end of the age the dragon “must be released for a short time.” This parallel shows again the solidarity of the dragon with the beast. The many wicked kingdoms of the world can be referred to as “the [one] kingdom of the world” (11:15) because of the one all-pervasive Satanic spirit ruling through all these kingdoms. This has precedent in Dan. 2:44-45, where God’s decisive defeat of the fourth and last evil world kingdom also entails the judgment of the preceding three world kingdoms, so that these three kingdoms are corporately identified as one with the fourth.
Some have argued that seven Roman emperors are referred to here. This ignores the symbolic nature of numbers in Revelation, but also presents us with a further problem, for the sixth Roman emperor was Nero, who died in 68, over twenty years prior to John’s vision. John wrote in the reign of Domitian, who was the twelfth emperor. Others identify the five kings with five literal empires, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece, the sixth being Rome (which would fit historically) and the seventh a kingdom yet to come. However, this does not fit with the historical identification of the empires in Daniel 7 which this vision fulfills (comparing Dan. 7:6; 8:8, 21 yields an identification of the third kingdom as Greece). Further, the sixth and seventh empires are pictured in 18:9 as mourning the downfall of the harlot, prompting the question how Rome, purportedly the sixth empire, could be understood to have survived to see that day. How also could the eighth empire be one of the seven? And how are we to account for the various world empires which have arisen since the days of John? If, however, we keep in mind the figurative nature of numbers in Revelation, we will avoid all such pitfalls.
11 The final stage of the beast’s manifestation will not last long, because he will be destroyed before he can carry out his purposes in deceiving and destroying the church: And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. Repetition of the threefold formula emphasizes again the ironic parody in v. 8, but with a further change: the beast is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction. This change identifies the beast even more clearly with the seven heads. As in v. 9 (on which see), the metaphor changes again slightly; the beast is not pictured as having heads or being heads, but is said to be one of the seven heads, and is equated with the eighth head, which may then represent a ruler even more completely identified with the beast himself. The point is that the manifestation of the dragon and beast through one of their authoritative heads or earthly kings at any particular historical epoch is tantamount to the full presence of the dragon or beast himself.
Eighth has a figurative meaning, as with other numbers in Revelation. “Eight” likely had such significance in earliest Christianity. After six days of creative activity, God rested on the seventh day. The day of rest completed the creative process and may have been seen as initiating an eighth day, in which the regular operation of the new creation began. Likewise, Christ died on the sixth day of the week, rested in the tomb on the Sabbath day, and rose from the dead on the eighth day. Therefore, calling the beast an “eighth” may be a way of referring to his future attempted mimicry of Christ’s resurrection (see on 13:3 for the healing of the fatal wound and the beast’s mimicry of Christ’s resurrection in 5:6). On the other hand, the number of the beast, 666, indicates that such mimicry falls short of its intended goal (see on 13:18). In the immediate context of v. 11, eight occurs in parallel with the preceding “he is about to come up out of the abyss” and “he will come” (v. 8), both of which express the Satanic counterpart to the third member of the threefold phrase reflecting the three-part formula for God in His eternal existence (the One “who is to come,” 1:4; see further on v. 8a above). That eighth, with its implication of resurrection, is part of this threefold formula and confirms that it is best taken as some form of mimicry of Christ.
Eighth may in addition refer to succession or descent. In this sense, that he is one of the seven can easily be translated he is “one from the seven,” which means he is “descended from the seven” (a genitive of relationship). If this is the case, then the expression means that he is of the same evil nature as the preceding kings. As offspring are of the same nature as their progenitors, so the eighth is of the same evil nature as the prior seven. Understanding the phrase as an idiom of descent helps us see that the translation “he is one of the seven” (NASB, NEB) is incorrect, which is a further argument against an exclusively held “return of Nero” theory in which, according to some scholars, the beast is regarded as a reincarnation or resurrected form of the dead emperor Nero. Rather, he is one of the seven with respect to his nature, not his prior individual existence. Therefore, the phraseology cannot support the idea that the eighth has actually already existed as one of the former heads.
Though the eighth head has the same wicked nature as the others, he is different from them in that he is an even fuller embodiment of Satanic power, and is unlike the rest in that his reign concludes history. Though the eighth king will be a new, escalated manifestation of Satanic might, he will still be part of the beast which has been decisively slain through Christ’s redemptive work. Believers can be comforted that the future career of the beast is not some new outbreak of invincible demonic power. The apparently contradictory “is not” in vv. 8a, 8b, and 11, which stands in contrast to the “is” in v. 10 (understanding that the kings are only instruments through whom the beast works), also emphasizes his defeat and inability to mount any decisive opposition to the already established kingdom of Christ. Nonetheless, he is allowed to continue to exist in the present, as though he were in good health, and to deceive and persecute, which has a very real effect on unbelievers (this is the significance of the “is” of v. 10; see on 17:8).
Though in the future the beast will rise again (vv. 8a, 8b, 11) and appear to be able to conduct insurmountable opposition against the kingdom of the church on an unprecedented scale (11:7; 20:7-9), the fact of his past invisible defeat at the cross ensures that he will go to destruction, an event which all eyes will see. In 13:3ff., the beast’s parody of Christ’s resurrection focuses on his apparent restoration to power, whereas in 17:8-11 the parody focuses on the beast’s final appearance in history, which ultimately leads to his destruction. In this sense, 13:3ff. and 17:8-11, though portraying similar mimicries of Christ, picture different events in the career of the beast.
To enforce the figurative nature of the number of kings in v. 11, Richard Bauckham (The Climax of Prophecy: Studies in the Book of Revelation [Edinburgh: Clark, 1993], 405) rightly suggests the relevance of the Hebrew idiom known as the “graded numerical saying,” which uses two consecutive numbers in parallel to indicate something that is illustrative and representative rather than literally exhaustive. For instance, Prov. 6:16 (“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him”) lists some representative examples of sin, which represent all sins in general and serve as specific illustrations of such sins (cf. also Prov. 30:15, 18, 21, 29). In fact, “seven” followed by “eight” also occurs in the OT as part of this idiom (Eccl. 11:2). Of special notice is Mic. 5:5, which says that “seven shepherds and eight leaders of men” will be raised up in the time of Israel’s prophesied victory over the nations. Likewise, John’s similar enumeration is not a literal counting of how many emperors there will be before Christ’s final coming, but is illustratively representative, symbolizing all the evil, antagonistic rulers of Rome, and probably those preceding Rome, which will exist before their own extreme sin brings on the final climactic destruction of all evil kingdoms at the end of time.
12 Having interpreted the beast’s heads, the angel turns to an interpretation of the horns: And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom. As Dan. 7:4-7 was the source of the seven heads, so Dan. 7:7-8, 20, 24 is the source of the ten horns. Both Daniel and this verse identify the horns as kings. That the prophecy is as yet unfulfilled is clear from the phrase who have not yet received a kingdom. The number ten does not likely refer to ten literal kings, but is figurative for the great power of these kings who will arise in the future (for the figurative sense of the ten horns see on 12:3; 13:1). The fact that the Lamb’s seven horns are clearly figurative for fullness of power and are also a partial allusion to Dan. 7:7-8, 20 further confirms the figurative interpretation here (see on 5:6). Just as the beast is a trans-temporal force opposing the eternal Lamb, so the ten kings span the ages, since they are the direct opposite of the “called and chosen and faithful” (v. 14). This figurative idea of universal plenitude of power suggests that the ten horns are identical to “the kings of the earth” in 17:18 (and in 16:14, 16; 17:2; 18:3, 9; 19:19). This equivalence is demonstrated by the parallel use of “kings of the earth” in 16:14 (cf. 16:16) and 19:19 and the “ten horns … ten kings” in 17:12-14, all of which refer to allies of the beast in fighting against the Lamb and God in the final battle of history. Furthermore, the OT background of the image of the kings of the earth committing acts of immorality with the harlot (cf. 17:2; 18:3, 9) also has them turning against her and destroying her (cf. Ezekiel 16 and 23, where Jerusalem represents the harlot; see below on v. 16).
The horns are earthly agents through whom the spiritual forces of evil work, which is confirmed by 12:3, which portrays the dragon as having the ten horns (signifying universal power) throughout the centuries of his existence. Yet in ch. 17, the ten horns seem to be located on the seventh head, since both are yet to come. Dan. 7:7-8, 19-20, 23-24 could confirm this, since the ten horns there are located only on the head of the beast who was to come at the end of history. Perhaps this signifies a concentration of universal power in the very last days when the beast and his agents temporarily appear to conquer the church. Thus, in light of the discussion so far on v. 12, the “ten horns” and “ten kings” represent the final phase of the universal plenitude of ungodly kingly power that has spanned the entire interadvent age.
The fulfillment of the prophecy will be marked by the fact that they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. The authority is likely given by God, in light of v. 17, and the fact that God is the subject of so many authorization clauses elsewhere in the book (e.g., 6:2, 4, 8; 7:2; 9:1, 3, 5; 13:5, 7; 16:8). The duration of this reign will be one hour. The time reference is taken from Dan. 4:17a in the Greek OT (Old Greek, though not in the Hebrew text), where it refers to the beginning of the period during which God caused King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, to become like a beast. Here also God is sovereign, even over the authority of ungodly kings who ally with the beast in order to defeat end-time Babylon and to prepare to oppose the Messiah (cf. vv. 13-14).
The phrase one hour is repeated in 18:10, 17, 19 with reference to the time when Babylon is judged by God. Their “hour” of reigning likely focuses on the final “hour” of Babylon’s destruction in earlier verses of ch. 18, since destroying Babylon in v. 16 is the climactic expression of their time of rule. “Hour” (Greek hōra) is also used in Daniel 8–12, uniquely in all of the OT, to refer to the final eschatological hour of history when the saints are persecuted, the forces of evil are destroyed, and the saints are rewarded (see the OG of Dan. 8:17, 19; 11:35, 40, 45; 12:1; the Hebrew generally refers to the “end time” or “time of the end,” rather than “hour,” though the meaning is the same). Here not only Dan. 4:17 (see above) is in mind, but also the later uses of “hour,” especially that which focuses on the final activities of the end-time opponent and his defeat (Dan. 11:40-45; an “hour” was apparently the shortest period of time that could be named).
13 The ten kings are united in one goal: These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast. That they give their power shows that they do not simply reign along with the beast but rather submit to his authority. But why do they form an alliance to be led by the beast?
14 Their purpose is now revealed: These will wage war against the Lamb (though we will see in v. 16 that part of their purpose is to destroy Babylon before mounting an attack on the Lamb). However, they will not triumph, for the Lamb will overcome them. The language of the first clause comes from Dan. 7:21: “that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them.” There, as in Rev. 17:12, the kings are portrayed as horns. But there is a change in that the last part of Daniel’s wording is reversed: now it is the Lamb who conquers the agents of the enemy. The prediction of the beast’s victory over the saints in Dan. 7:21 and its fulfillment in Revelation (e.g., 11:7) become an ironic type or analogy of his own final defeat. The language by which the beast was described in Dan. 7:21 and Rev. 11:7; 13:7a as defeating the saints is now applied to the portrayal of the Lamb overcoming the forces of the beast and his horned allies. His defeat must fittingly occur according to the same warlike method by which he attempted to oppress. The reversed portrayal shows that he must be punished by means of his own sin, indicating again the application of the OT principle of “an eye for an eye.” This verse is the true answer to the cry of the beast’s followers, “who is able to wage war with him [the beast]?” (13:4).
The basis for the Lamb’s victory lies in the fact that He is Lord of lords and King of kings. The title is taken from the OG of Dan. 4:37. Just as the Babylonian king was addressed by virtually the same title, so the king of latter-day Babylon (Rome) in John’s day was similarly addressed. The title in Daniel 4 refers to God as the One who demonstrated His true, divine sovereignty and revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s claims to the title as empty by judging the (literally) beastly king of “Babylon the great.” Now the title is applied typologically to the Lamb. The Lamb demonstrates His deity on the Last Day by judging the beast which carries “Babylon the great.” And He exposes as false the divine claims of the emperor and all others like him.
The saints fight and conquer along with the Lamb: And those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. They represent the vindication of the persecuted saints of Dan. 7:21 and Rev. 6:9-11; 12:11; and 13:10, 15-17. Strikingly, Dan. 7:22 promises that after the horned beast attempts to conquer the saints, God will give the judgment to “the saints of the Highest One.” This became the basis for the expectation that the saints will judge the wicked in the end time (so 1 Cor. 6:2).
On finding wisdom in the Word. “Here is the mind which has wisdom” (v. 9) is a critical phrase at the heart of this section. God has provided wisdom to those who study and heed His Word. The phrase directs us back to Dan. 11:33 and 12:10, which clearly state that only those with wisdom and insight will have a true understanding of God’s actions in history, especially in the latter days (which have been inaugurated at Christ’s first coming). The commentary sets forth the proposition that careful examination of Scripture yields an accurate interpretation of the career of the beast and the various kings and kingdoms referred to in these verses, some of which are in existence during the church age. Here, as often elsewhere in Revelation, is particularly demonstrated the truth that the meaning of the various visions must be sought first and primarily from Scripture, rather than only from current events. How should this alert us to the paramount importance of finding wisdom first in the Word of God rather than in the world around us? Many, among even sincere believers, have seriously misunderstood passages like this because they have strayed from this important principle.
15And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. 17For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled. 18And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
15 The angel now interprets the waters which you saw where the harlot sits (see 17:1) as peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. The same formula of universality coined from Daniel (Dan. 3:4, 7; 4:1; 5:19; 6:25; 7:14) occurs throughout Revelation (also see on 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6). In both books, the formula refers to subjects under Babylon’s domination. Isa. 17:13 also uses the metaphor of “many waters” for “many nations” (for “waters” linked with or representing nations cf. likewise Isa. 8:7; 23:10; Jer. 46:7-8; 47:2). The “many waters” have already been seen to be an allusion to Jer. 51:13, where they refer to the waters of the Euphrates and the channels and canals which surrounded Babylon (see on v. 1). These waters helped the city to flourish economically and provided security against outside attack. The multitudes of fallen humanity which the waters now represent are the basis for Babylon’s economic trade and economic security.
16 The coalition of the ten horns … and the beast forms first to destroy the harlot, before attempting to do the same to the Lamb: And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. The images of the harlot’s destruction are borrowed from the pictures of God’s judgment against another harlot — unfaithful Israel. The portrayal of the harlot’s desolation is sketched according to the outlines of the prophesied judgment of apostate Jerusalem by God in Ezek. 23:25-29, 47: “your survivors will be consumed by the fire” (v. 25); “they will also strip you of your clothes” (v. 26); “and they will deal with you in hatred … and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries shall be uncovered” (v. 29); “they will … burn their houses with fire” (v. 47). Likewise, Ezek. 16:37-41 prophesies against faithless Israel: “I shall gather together all your lovers with whom you took pleasure … they will tear down your shrines … and will leave you naked and bare … they will … burn your houses with fire.” Ezekiel even saw the harlot Israel drinking from a cup (23:31-34), as does the harlot Babylon in v. 4 above. This prophecy was historically fulfilled when Babylon conquered Jerusalem (for other OT references to Israel as a harlot see 2 Chron. 21:11; Ezek. 16:15, 17, 28, 35, 41; 23:1-21, 44; Isa. 1:21; 57:3; Jer. 2:20; 3:1; 13:27; Hos. 2:2-5; 4:12, 15, 18; 5:4; 9:1; Mic. 1:7).
The same imagery is now reapplied to the desolation of the Babylonian harlot. What Babylon did to Israel in the OT epoch is now turned around and applied to the Babylonian world system in the new covenant age. The kings of the earth (cf. v. 2, or “kings from the east,” 16:12) gather together for war and turn against Babylon. Her waters are dried up (16:12), and she is destroyed. These kings represent the political arm of the world system, which turns against the economic-religious arm in a kind of worldwide civil war. The drying up of the Euphrates in 16:12 is a picture of how the multitudes of Babylon’s religious and economic adherents throughout the world (also pictured as “waters” in v. 15) become disloyal to it (see on 16:12). Later (18:9-11), it appears that these kings, along with the merchants (representing Babylon’s economic component), have occasion to weep over her destruction, perhaps suggesting the kings were duped by the beast to do his will and then regretted the loss of their own security, thus illustrating the fact that Satan causes people to destroy even that which is precious to them.
The Babylonian harlot is also modeled on Jezebel, who represents the spirit of idolatry, a spirit still active in the churches (2:20-24). The object of this destruction includes the apostate church, which has “committed acts of immorality” by cooperating with the idolatrous economic system (see on 2:14, 20-22). Their leader has even been referred to under the image of a harlot (2:20-22). Her followers will have the shame of their nakedness revealed (16:15; the reference to “the shame of your nakedness” in 3:17-18 may indicate the presence of Jezebelic activity in Laodicea). Strikingly, the phrase (they) will eat her flesh is reminiscent of Jezebel’s destiny: “the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel” (2 Kgs. 9:36). Jezebel’s destruction, according to the same verse, likewise happened according to the word of the Lord, just as is the case here.
Note the many other parallels between the OT Jezebel and the Babylonian harlot, which further link the latter to the false prophetess Jezebel active in at least one of the seven churches:
Thus the false teacher Jezebel in Rev. 2:20-22 is in fact part of “Babylon the great,” which is raising its head within the church itself through the figure of a purported Christian teacher, who is really a false teacher. The content of her false teachings within the church of Thyatira was probably an expression of the Babylonian system’s worldly ideas communicated with a veneer of Christian-sounding language. The overlap between the apostate segment of the church and the wider, antagonistic pagan system is presupposed in 18:4ff., where those on the verge of compromise are exhorted to “come out of her.” This is an allusion to Isa. 48:20; 52:11; Jer. 50:8; 51:6, where Israel is exhorted to come out of impure Babylon when the time for restoration to Jerusalem comes.
Some commentators have limited the reference of the harlot only to the apostate church, especially because Ezekiel 23 and the other above-mentioned OT references pertain only to apostate Israel’s judgment. Furthermore, apostate Israel is often referred to as a harlot in the OT (e.g., 2 Chron. 21:11; Ezek. 16:15, 17, 28, 35, 41; 23:1-21, 44; Isa. 1:21; 57:3; Jer. 2:20; 3:1; 13:27; Hos. 2:2-5; 4:11-12, 15, 18; 5:4; 9:1; Mic. 1:7). Indeed, the portrait of the harlot throughout Revelation 17 draws also from the similar depiction in Jer. 2:20–4:31: there Judah is a harlot (2:20) who “had a harlot’s forehead” (3:3), who causes sin in others (2:33), on whose “skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent” (2:34), whose “dress (is) in scarlet,” who decorates herself “with ornaments of gold” (4:30), and whose lovers will despise her and try to kill her (4:30). Israel is called a harlot because, though she is married by faith to Yahweh, she has spiritual intercourse with idols.
However, in the prophets “harlot” can also refer to other ungodly nations: in Nah. 3:4-5 and especially Isa. 23:15-18, Nineveh and Tyre are called harlots because they cause ruin and uncleanness among the nations by economically dominating them and influencing them by their idolatry. Furthermore, the harlot in Revelation 17 is called “Babylon the great,” which is an allusion to the proud, pagan Babylonian city in Dan. 4:30.
Apostate national Israel of the first and following centuries also composes Babylon, but does not exhaust it by itself (against some writers, who see only apostate Israel here). Nevertheless, unbelieving Israel’s partial inclusion in Babylon also accounts for some of the allusions from the OT about Israel as a harlot and her impending judgment. Furthermore, apostate Israel performed her share of persecution together with past and present pagan oppressors of the faithful remnant (Matt. 21:33-42; 23:29-35; Acts 7:51-52; 13:45; 14:2; 1 Thess. 2:14-16; see above on 2:9-10; 3:9).
Therefore, though most past commentators have tended to identify Babylon with only ungodly Roman culture, only the apostate church, or only apostate Israel, it is better to see these identifications as not mutually exclusive. The wicked religious-economic culture of the evil Roman world system (which is trans-temporal) is the focus, and the apostate church and unbelieving Israel are included with it inasmuch as they have become part of the sinful world system.
Consequently, Babylon refers to apostate national Israel, to the pagan world system, and to the apostate church which cooperates with it. That “Babylon the great” is the entire corrupt economic-religious system and not merely the apostate church is apparent from the references to Babylon in chs. 14, 16, and 18 (see 14:8; 16:18-21; 17:4-6, 18; ch. 18). Nevertheless, John’s overriding concern is to warn the churches about compromise with this system so that they will not be judged with it. John wants to warn them that the false teaching of Jezebel is none other than the ideology of the world.
17 The beast and his allies will overthrow Babylon, for God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled. Even though the beast and the kings join together in a common cause, God Himself is the ultimate author of the events. He brought about the devilish alliance, unbeknownst to the kings or to the beast, in order to fulfill (until the words of God should be fulfilled) His deeper purposes, the purposes prophesied concerning the fourth beast and the ten horns in Dan. 7:19-28, which are unfolded in greater and clearer detail in Revelation 17. Likewise, the declaration in 10:7 (on which see) that “the mystery of God is finished” refers to an unexpected form of OT prophetic fulfillment, especially from Daniel (see also on 17:5, 7 for the use of “mystery” in connection with unexpected fulfillment). Here, the unexpected fulfillment is the apparently victorious kingdom of evil unknowingly beginning to self-destruct by battling against itself and destroying its own economic-religious infrastructure (see also on v. 16). Only an initiative from God could cause them to commit such a nearsighted and foolish act. At the end of history God will cause Satan to be divided and fight against himself, so that he will be brought to his final defeat (cf. Mark 3:26).
Civil war occurs throughout the ages and is an anticipation of the final civil war. The OT also predicts that it will happen among the forces of evil at the close of the age (Ezek. 38:21; Hag. 2:22; Zech. 14:13). Vv. 16-17 view the final civil war as happening on an escalated scale, since Babylon represents the universal economic-religious system throughout the earth. Contributing to the picture of war among former allies are the prophecies from Ezek. 16:37-41 and 23:22-29, 47 that harlot Israel’s illicit lovers (the idolatrous nations) will turn against her and destroy her. According to the pattern of vv. 14-16, the Jewish work 4 Ezra 13:30-38 predicts that there will be civil war among wicked nations, and then they will unite to “fight against” God’s Son when he comes. It could be argued on the basis of Ezek. 38:21; Hag. 2:22; and Zech. 14:13 that eschatological civil war was clearly revealed in the OT as part of the demise of evil and therefore should not be considered an unexpected development in Revelation 17. However, these prophecies refer simply to God’s enemies raising their sword (or hand) against one another. The details of the civil war are vague, and this is what ch. 17 elaborates in more clarity. Indeed, the evil kingdom’s destruction of its own economic-religious power bloc is ironic and unforeseen in the OT. This unexpected fulfillment of civil war was perhaps dimly seen already in the OT itself, but is now given more clarity.
18 The woman is interpreted as the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. She includes the entire evil economic-religious system of the world throughout history. That she has sovereignty over the world demonstrates that she must be identified more broadly than simply with unbelieving Israel or the apostate church. Likewise, 18:23 reveals her universal nature by describing her as one who has deceived all the nations. Note the parallels between the two women of Revelation, the bride of Christ and the Babylonian harlot, representing contrasting trans-temporal realities existing during the period between Christ’s first and second comings:
On the presence of the harlot within the church. The commentary presents a series of detailed parallels between the OT Jezebel and the Babylonian harlot. Rev. 2:20-24 suggests that a spirit of Jezebel is active in at least one of the seven churches. The figure of the harlot here also draws on other OT passages alluding either to unfaithful Israel or to pagan nations. We expect to find false ideology in the world (= the pagan nations), or even in dead or ungodly religious systems (= unfaithful Israel), but it is hard to contemplate such false teaching operating within what professes to be the body of Christ. How are we to identify such idolatrous, Jezebelic activity and false teaching in the church today? How important is it to realize that even in the church we may be confronting supernatural spiritual dynamics of an evil nature? Remember that Jezebel’s teaching in Revelation 2 is called “the deep things of Satan” (2:24). Satan still masquerades an as angel of light. What strategies can we employ to discern false teaching and to defeat the attacks of the enemy in the form of false teaching in the church? How can we discern when the world (that is, the Babylonian world system) exercises influence within our own churches?
The promise of the angel in 17:1 that he would show John the harlot’s judgment is fulfilled in detail throughout ch. 18. Ch. 17 focuses on the beast and his allies (and thus what precipitates the woman’s fall in ch. 18). 18:1–19:6 (or 19:8) pictures Babylon’s demise as a continuation of the vision begun in 17:3 (which itself elaborates on 16:14-21). Note the verbal repetition of 17:2 in 18:3. Both ch. 17 and ch. 18 are developments of the initial announcement of Babylon’s fall in 14:8. The events depicted in ch. 18 are not set out in a pure chronological sequence, but are laid out in this way:
The logic moves progressively. The declaration of Babylon’s coming punishment is the basis for the following four things:
1After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illumined with his glory. 2And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”
1 As throughout the book (4:1; 7:1, 9; 15:5; 19:1), the phrase after these things refers to the order of the visions, not to the order of events portrayed in the visions (see on 4:1). The great authority of the angel and the fact that the earth was illumined with his glory confirm the validity of his message of judgment. Ezekiel’s vision of the restoration of Israel (Ezek. 43:2) is accompanied by a “voice … like the sound of many waters” (cf. Rev. 18:2) and the observation that “the earth shone with His glory.” This is an appropriate background text, as one of the major themes of this chapter is an exhortation to God’s true people to separate from the world and be restored to the Lord (see on v. 4). The portrayal is similar to that of the luminous angelic appearance in 10:1, which is likely a christophany (an appearance of Christ). That the angel is Christ is confirmed by the fact that every ascription of “glory” to a heavenly figure in the book refers to either God or Christ (to God: 4:9, 11; 5:13; 7:12; 11:13; 14:7; 15:8; 16:9; 19:1; 21:11, 23; to Christ: 1:6; 5:12-13). The allusion to Ezekiel anticipates the vision of 21:10ff., which is based on Ezekiel 40–48. That is, the desolation of Babylon prepares the way for God’s dwelling in the new creation. The allusion to the divine glory prophesied to be in the new temple of Ezekiel anticipates the full revelation of the eternal temple in Revelation 21.
2 That the angel cried out with a mighty voice further highlights the authority of this pronouncement (for similar angelic pronouncements see 7:2, 10; 10:3; 14:7, 9, 15; 19:17). The angel is more glorious than Babylon (v. 1) and has an authority more compelling than Babylon’s. Therefore, together with the glorious appearance of the angel, the loud voice is meant to get the attention of any who are in danger of falling under Babylon’s spell. The certainty of the judgment is underlined further by narrating the consequences of the destruction in the past tense, as if it has already happened. The prophecy and fulfillment of historical Babylon’s past fall is viewed as a historical pattern pointing forward to the fall of a much larger Babylon.
This verse explains Babylon’s desolate condition resulting from her judgment: Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! And she has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. This description of desolation most closely approximates the similar portrayal of Babylon’s and Edom’s judgment in Isa. 13:21 and 34:11, 14. These judgments are viewed as typological anticipations of universal Babylon’s judgment at the end of history. The demonic nature of Babylon is revealed where, contrary to the outward appearance of beauty and glory she projects (17:4; 18:16), she is said to have become a dwelling place for demons and unclean spirits. As her outward glory is stripped away, all that is left are the skeletal remains, surrounded by foul spirits. Isaiah prophesied that, following earthly Babylon’s destruction, she would be left as the dwelling place of various unclean and strange animals, including howling hyenas, jackals, and shaggy goats (literally “goat demons”; see Isa. 13:20-22; 34:11). This revelation shows that the demonic realm has been Babylon’s guiding force.
3 The cause of Babylon’s judgment lies in her idolatrous seduction of nations and rulers: For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed acts of immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality. The reference is not to literal immorality (Greek porneia; see on 2:14, 20; 14:8; 17:2; 18:9), but to acceptance of Babylon’s religious and idolatrous demands in return for economic security (cf. 2:9; 13:16-17). The OT allusion is to Isa. 23:17, where Tyre is said to “play the harlot with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.” That Tyre is in mind is clear from the repeated reference to the Ezekiel 26–28 pronouncement of Tyre’s judgment in vv. 9-22 and the specific allusion to Isa. 23:8 in v. 23. The merchants who cooperated with Babylon became wealthy, but economic security would be removed from the faithful who lived in Babylon but were not “of Babylon,” those who refused to cooperate with her idolatry. To drink here refers to one’s willingness to commit to idolatry in order to maintain economic security. Once one imbibes, the intoxicating influence removes all desire to resist Babylon’s destructive influence, blinds one to Babylon’s own ultimate insecurity and to God as the source of real security, and numbs one against any fear of a coming judgment (for these metaphorical meanings of “drink” see above on 14:8).
Babylon will be judged for this seductive activity. As the chapter will reveal, coercing the nations to trust in her purported economic resources, as she herself does, is an expression of pride and a form of idolatry for which also condemnation occurs (see on vv. 7, 23).
On the perils of falling under Babylon’s spell. The loud voice of the angel is meant to gain the attention of those who might be in danger of falling under Babylon’s spell. How are we in similar danger today? The power of Babylon’s allure is surely at least as powerful as in John’s day. Do we really understand that behind the facade of incredible wealth and luxury lie insecurity and, ultimately, the dwelling place of demons?
4And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues; 5for her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 7To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong.”
4 The unidentified voice of v. 4 may be that of God (note my people), of Christ (in continuation of v. 1), or of an angel representing God (much as Jeremiah was the divine spokesman conveying the exhortation to “come forth”). The report of Babylon’s coming judgment in the preceding verses is the basis for exhorting wavering believers not to participate in the compromising idolatrous system and encouraging those not compromising to keep maintaining their faithful course: And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues.” The exhortation to separate from Babylon’s ways because of God’s coming judgment is patterned after the repeated exhortations of Isaiah and Jeremiah, especially Jer. 51:45: “Come forth from her midst, My people” (see also Isa. 48:20; 52:11; Jer. 50:8; 51:6). Strikingly, the judgment which elicits the exhortation in Jeremiah 51 is portrayed with similar metaphors of desolation as in Rev. 18:2, for Jer. 51:37 reads, “Babylon will become … a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and hissing, without inhabitants.” That the exhortation of Rev. 18:4 also strongly echoes that in Isa. 52:11 (“Depart, depart, go out from there”) is evident from the immediately following clause in the Isaiah text (“touch nothing unclean”), which refers to the idols of Babylon. The purpose of separating is to escape the coming judgment; cf. Jer. 51:45 (“And each of you save yourselves from the fierce anger of the Lord”). There may also be echoes of the angels’ exhortation to Lot and his family to go out from the apparent security of Sodom in order not to suffer the judgment of that city (Gen. 19:12-22). Christians are not being called to withdraw from economic life or from the world in which they live, but they may be ostracized because of their refusal to compromise. They are to remain in the world to witness (11:3-7) and to suffer for their testimony (6:9; 11:7-10; 12:11, 17; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24), but they are not to be of the world (14:12-13; 16:15). V. 4 is not an exhortation to unbelievers who have always been outside the church, but is addressed rather to those within the confessing community of faith who can already be referred to by God as “My people.” This is an exhortation to persevere in the true faith.
5 Babylon will be punished with such plagues because her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Spiritual Babylon mirrors the old earthly Babylon, whose judgment “reached to heaven and towers up to the very skies” (Jer. 51:9). The sins that have mounted up before God remind Him to punish the sinners. The image of sin mounting up to heaven is metaphorical of the great amount of sin committed, which God recognizes. Babylon has so multiplied her sin that God must multiply His judgments against her in order to maintain His justice.
6 The nature of God’s judgment, implicitly mentioned in v. 5, is now elucidated. Babylon’s punishment is commensurate with her crime: Pay her back even as she has paid, and give back to her double according to her deeds; in the cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. The imperative pay her back could be directed to God’s human (20:4) or angelic (16:7ff.; 18:21) agents of retribution, or could be an entreaty addressed to God by the angelic figure speaking here. The wording evokes Psalm 137: “O daughter of Babylon … how blessed will be the one who repays you with the recompense with which you have repaid us” (Ps. 137:8; cf. likewise Jer. 50:29; 51:24). The punishment of historical Babylon is typological of that of the end-time Babylonian system. The principle of the “punishment fitting the crime” appears to be contradicted by the concluding clauses of v. 6, which refer to punishing Babylon “double” for her sin. But the Greek here represents a Hebrew expression meaning “give back the equivalent” (cf. Isa. 40:2; Jer. 16:18; Matt. 23:15; 1 Tim. 5:17). This resolves the contradiction between the immediately preceding and following statements about commensurate punishment and also alleviates the metaphorical difficulty of putting twice as much into Babylon’s cup, which has already been described as “full” (17:4).
7 The principle is again made clear: To the degree that she glorified herself and lived sensuously, to the same degree give her torment and mourning. She will be punished to the same degree that she sinned in obtaining glory and luxury. Self-glorification is sinful, since glory can be rightfully given only to God (e.g., 15:4; 19:1). The angel of v. 1 reflects the true glory of God, in contrast to the bogus glory of Babylon. Her sin is pride and self-sufficiency, which must inevitably lead to her fall (2 Sam. 22:28; Prov. 16:18). Isaiah (47:7) said of earthly Babylon, “Yet you said, ‘I shall be a queen forever,’ ” and spiritual Babylon here speaks the same words: for she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.” Even as earthly Babylon relied on her many subject nations to uphold her, so also does spiritual Babylon, but the latter will fall as did the former, when her subjects turn against her. Her proud confidence will be revealed as a delusion. The church must beware of trusting in economic security, lest she be judged along with the world (as with the potential judgment of the Laodiceans, who said “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” 3:17).
8 The political and economic arrogance noted in v. 7b is emphasized as the cause for her sudden destruction: For this reason in one day her plagues will come, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her is strong. Even as disaster came upon earthly Babylon in one day (Isa. 47:9), even as she was burned by fire (Isa. 47:14), so also will it be with spiritual Babylon. The clause she will be burned up with fire is virtually identical to 17:16 and therefore develops the prophecy about the beast and his allies turning against the economic-religious system and destroying it. Not only does God put it into their hearts to annihilate Babylon, but they are the very agents of the Lord God who judges her.
On being in the world but not of it. The commentary suggests that one of the lessons of these verses is that Christians should be in the world but not of it. To be “of” the world means that we have compromised our values to share in the world’s present wealth and advantages, but at the cost of also inheriting a share in its coming judgment. The worldliness both outside and inside our churches is always making godly standards appear odd and sinful values seem normal, so that we are tempted to adopt what the world considers to be “normal.” How do we practically avoid such contamination while we are holding down jobs, buying houses and cars, making prudent financial plans for retirement, and so on? Is the tithe a good place to start, as it signifies giving the first of all we have to God? Yet the rest of our finances must also be managed according to God’s ways. Is this kind of teaching and discipleship available in our local churches? Are we continuously grappling with stewardship issues? Jesus talked a great deal about money, and for good reason. Are we examining what He said and putting it into practice?
9“And the kings of the earth, who committed acts of immorality and lived sensuously with her, will weep and lament over her when they see the smoke of her burning, 10standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ 11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more; 12cargoes of gold and silver and precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple and silk and scarlet, and every kind of citron wood and every article of ivory and every article made from very costly wood and bronze and iron and marble, 13and cinnamon and spice and incense and perfume and frankincense and wine and olive oil and fine flour and wheat and cattle and sheep, and cargoes of horses and chariots and slaves and human lives. 14And the fruit you long for has gone from you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them. 15The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls; 17for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’ And every shipmaster and every passenger and sailor, and as many as make their living by the sea, stood at a distance, 18and were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’ 19And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’ ”
The first and last sections of vv. 9-19 (vv. 9-11 and 15-19) emphasize that the mourning of those who prosper from cooperation with the idolatrous economic system occurs because they see in its downfall their own economic downfall. The middle section (vv. 12-14) amplifies the cause for their mourning by highlighting a representative sampling of aspects of the economic prosperity which will be lost. The main point of the entire segment is the despair because of economic loss, which is a response to Babylon’s judgment narrated in vv. 1-8. The despair functions also implicitly to predict judgment, which leads up to the command to the saints to rejoice in v. 20, which begins the next section. The prediction of Tyre’s judgment in Ezekiel 26–28 forms the model for the prophecy of that part of Babylon’s judgment recorded in vv. 9-19, though the model extends through to v. 22. The past downfall of Tyre and those who mourn over it is a prophetic foreshadowing of the fall of the last great economic system. Thematically, the section also can be divided into the lament of the kings of the earth (vv. 9-10), the lament of the merchants of the earth (vv. 11-17a), and the lament of the mariners (vv. 17b-19). In Ezek. 27:29-30, 35-36 the same three groups express sadness over Tyre’s demise.
9 The angelic figure who spoke in vv. 4-8 appears to continue speaking in vv. 9-20. In response to Babylon’s demise, the kings of the earth … weep and lament over Babylon and the smoke of her burning because they have lost their lover, with whom they committed acts of immorality (Greek porneia; see on 2:14, 20; 14:8; 17:2; 18:3). This idolatrous involvement allowed them to live sensuously or luxuriously, as in Ezek. 27:33, where Tyre “enriched the kings of earth.” The close connection between idolatry and economic prosperity was a fact of life in Asia Minor, where allegiance to both Caesar and the patron gods of the trade guilds was essential for people to maintain good standing in their trades (see especially on 2:9-10, 12-21). Local and regional political leaders had to support this system in order to maintain their own political stability and to benefit economically from their high positions.
Smoke and burning have already been part of the description of the final judgment of the followers of the beast who sell their soul to economic well-being (cf. 14:9-11 with 13:15-17; note the allusions to Gen. 19:24, 28 and the punishment of Sodom here and in 14:10-11). They may not yet perceive that their loss involves much more than material security. The kings referred to here appear to be representative of all earthly rulers, whereas the kings of 17:16 who attack the harlot may be a more limited group.
10 The response of the kings to Babylon’s destruction continues. The kings weep and lament, standing at a distance, because of the fear of her torment. Babylon’s economic demise means suffering and loss for them. That the focus is economic is shown by the fact that the same phrase (“because of the fear of her torment”) occurs in v. 15, followed by an expression of alarm that such a great economic system could be dismantled so quickly (v. 17, “in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste”; so also v. 19). What they say as they lament is “Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in one hour your judgment has come.” They are in awe not only because of the judgment itself, but because of its suddenness (in one hour). Judgment shows that the unbelieving kings perceive in Babylon’s doom the judicial hand of God. This could be an underlying reason for their lament, since they may fear the same judgment for their complicity in Babylon’s crimes. Calling her great and strong reveals further the idolatrous nature of Babylon, since these are words appropriately applied only to God, especially in describing His judgment of Babylon (18:8) and her allies (6:17; 16:14; 19:17).
The time designation one hour refers in 17:12 to the brief time when Babylon’s former allies turn against her and destroy her. It is emphasized by its repetition in 18:17, 19. The time reference is taken from Dan. 4:17a in the OG (but not in the Hebrew text), where it refers to the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s period of punishment on account of his refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and his lack of mercy to the poor (Dan. 4:25-27, Hebrew text). That the time reference is from Daniel 4 is confirmed by the fact that the great city, Babylon is a paraphrase of “Babylon the great” from Rev. 14:8; 16:19; and 17:5, which allude to Dan. 4:30. The reference, as in 17:12, is to the time in which the worldly system is to be judged by God, resulting in the removal of its prosperity. As in Dan. 4:25-27, the sin is refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and contributing to the economic destitution and even death of faithful saints (17:6; 18:20, 24; 19:2; references to martyrdom throughout Revelation generally encompass all forms of suffering up to and including death: see on 2:10; 6:9; 7:14).
Vv. 9-10 follow the pattern of Ezek. 26:16-18 where, in response to the fall of prosperous Tyre, the princes fear, tremble, and take up a lament. Ezek. 27:28-32, which speaks of the lament of the merchants and mariners, is partly formative for vv. 11-19, confirming the strong influence of Ezekiel here. The Ezekiel background (see especially 27:33-36) confirms the suggestion that the kings’ lament over Babylon’s desolation is grounded in the fear of their own imminent economic loss. The contrast of unbelievers lamenting about Babylon’s fall (vv. 9-19) with believers rejoicing and praising God (18:20–19:6) over the same event suggests further that the response of mourning is an ungodly reaction to Babylon’s demise, which is a characteristic reaction of those deserving final judgment (see further on vv. 17-19).
11 In addition to the kings’ mourning, the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more. This continues the allusion to Ezekiel 27:28-32. Her destruction and removal means that there are no longer any buyers for the merchants’ goods (cf. Ezek. 27:33-36). Therefore, the merchants do not lament altruistically over Babylon’s destruction, but do so because her loss means their own imminent economic loss.
12-13 A representative list of trade products shows what cargo will no longer be purchased by the Babylonian economic system. The items at the beginning of the list (gold … precious stones and pearls and fine linen and purple … and scarlet) personify the Babylonian economic system because they form the symbolic clothing of the harlot in both 17:4 and 18:16. The list of products is based partly on Ezek. 27:12-24, where approximately half of the items here are listed together along with the repetitive use of “traders” (= “merchants,” as in vv. 11a, 15). The items in common with Ezekiel are not the result of a mere literary construct but an actual part of the trade system. The trade goods in the list are selected because they represent the kind of luxury products in which Rome overindulged in an extravagantly sinful and idolatrous manner. More description is given of the land merchants’ (vv. 11-17a) and sea merchants’ (vv. 17b-19) loss than of the kings’ loss (vv. 9-10) to get the attention of the churches who are in danger of compromising economically.
14 The theme of Babylon’s judgment from the preceding verses is repeated for emphasis. And the fruit you long for has gone from you expresses the fact that the core of Babylon’s being is committed to satisfying herself with economic wealth instead of desiring God’s glory. That all things that were luxurious and splendid (literally “bright”) have passed away from you and men will no longer find them suggests that the pseudo-glitter and glory of Babylon’s wealth will be replaced by the genuine divine glory and brightness reflected in God’s end-time people and city and God’s Son. “Bright” (Greek lampros) is used in the latter manner in 15:6; 19:8; 22:1, 16; cf. likewise, 21:11, 23-24, where God’s “glory” is linked to “brightness.”
15 Now the merchants respond to Babylon’s destruction. The statement The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning repeats from vv. 9-11 the themes of the loss of the merchants’ wealth, the distant stance of Babylon’s followers due to fear, and their mourning. The repetition emphasizes further the devastating judgment of the economic system and the loss it brings to those dependent on it.
16 The merchants’ mourning is now continued through their verbal lament. The cry of v. 10, “Woe, woe, the great city,” is repeated, highlighting the calamity of the judgment. The second refrain of v. 10, concerning Babylon’s strength, is now defined as her wealth, figuratively pictured as clothing: she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. This follows the same pattern of Ezekiel 27, where a full list of goods is found (27:12-24), and part of the list is metaphorically applied to the clothing worn by Tyre, pictured as a person (cf. Ezek. 27:7: fine linen and purple). The picture of an ungodly economic system as a person dressed in luxurious clothing made of trade products is also influenced by the figurative portrayal of Tyre’s king in Ezek. 28:13.
The religious facet of the economic system is highlighted by the OT’s description of the high priest’s garments and parts of the sanctuary as adorned with gold, purple, scarlet, fine linen, and precious stones (Exod. 28:5-9, 15-20). All the same items appear in the words used to describe the harlot’s attire in 17:4 and here. In this light, it appears likely that the repeated OT portrayal of the priestly attire has influenced the selection of items from vv. 12-13 which are applied to the harlot. An additional influence on the description of the harlot comes from Ezekiel’s condemnation of unfaithful Israel as one adorned with gold, silver, linen, and silk who trusted in her beauty and played the harlot (Ezek. 16:13-16). The prophet also cried, “Woe, woe” to Israel (Ezek. 16:23) even as the angel does here to Babylon. The presence of this imagery suggests further that the harlot, though primarily reflecting the pagan system, includes also unfaithful Israel and even those from the Christian community who have compromised and effectively become part of the pagan culture. The point is to picture a system in which apostate religion has merged with the ungodly world.
V. 16 is intended to contrast the impure urban harlot (see on 17:4, 16) and the pure urban bride of Christ in 21:2, 9-23. Indeed, the Lamb’s bride is also adorned with every kind of precious stone including gold, and the list of twelve stones there is based on the list in Exod. 28:17-20, which describes the high priest’s garment (see on 21:18-21).
17a The third refrain from the woe of v. 10 (“for in one hour your judgment has come”) is also interpreted economically: for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste! On the suddenness of Babylon’s demise (one hour) see on v. 10. The merchants’ perception of their own imminent and swift fall is the real cause for their woe, which has begun in v. 16. Therefore, the woe is selfishly motivated.
17b-19 This section lays even further emphasis on the detrimental effects of Babylon’s fall on her dependents. The emphasis is strengthened further through repetition of the weeping and lamenting language of 18:9: they were crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, and they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning. These cries of lamentation are not a token of true repentance, but are expressions of sorrow for their own demise. The pattern of Ezekiel 27 continues to be followed, since there also (vv. 28-33) those who conduct the business of sea trade lament, weep, cry bitterly, mourn, and throw dust on their heads because Tyre’s demise means the demise of their sea commerce. The twofold woe from v. 10 is repeated as in v. 16: woe, woe, the great city. This interprets “Babylon, the strong city” of v. 10 in an economic manner: in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth. The final clause of the woe (for in one hour she has been laid waste) emphasizes once again that the suddenness of Babylon’s desolation is the cause of the lament, yet as with the prior laments in vv. 10, 16-17 this one is also selfishly inspired by concern for the sailors’ and merchants’ own economic loss. Such selfishness and self-centeredness points further to the ultimate identification of the mourners in vv. 17b-19 with Babylon and, therefore, also with Babylon’s ultimate, final judgment. If the merchants have nothing to trade and sell because of Babylon’s fall, then all maritime commerce will cease, and the need to carry goods by water will cease. All who make money from such sea commerce will be out of a job and face economic collapse.
The verbal repetitions from vv. 9-11 in vv. 15-19 underscrore that these two sections carry the main point of vv. 9-19: despair over economic loss in response to Babylon’s judgment.
On the destructive power of human self-interest. The commentary suggests that the mourning and weeping of the kings, merchants, and mariners over the destruction of Babylon reflects their own self-interest rather than genuine repentance and recognition of the righteousness of God and of His judgment. Entanglement in the things of this world, and particularly pursuit of material wealth, focuses us inward on ourselves, blinds us to the interests of others, and numbs us to the approaching judgment of God, such that we do not even recognize it when it comes. The people represented in these verses are about to lose something of far greater value than their material wealth, yet their obsession with that wealth leaves them apparently oblivious to their impending and eternal judgment. How often do we tragically see this played out in the lives of people around us? Even if we are not witnessing the events of the very end of history, is it not true that the same principles operate regardless? How can we guard ourselves against this kind of poison entering our lives? We need to “come out” of Babylon increasingly so that we “will not participate in her sins and … receive of her plagues” (18:4).
20“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” 21And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. 22And the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer; and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer; 23and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
The segment begins (v. 20) with an allusion to Jer. 51:48, which announces the response of those allied with God to Babylon’s destruction: heaven and earth will shout for joy over Babylon’s destruction narrated in vv. 9-19. The segment ends (v. 24) with an allusion to Jer. 51:49, which states that persecution was one of the reasons for the judgment. These two outer boundaries of the section emphasize persecution as a cause of Babylon’s judgment. The main point is the “rejoicing” in v. 20a, which occurs because of God’s judgment (vv. 20b-24).
20 An address in response to Babylon’s terrible fall is given: “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her.” The addressees of the exhortation are both in heaven and on earth, which represents all believers, though angelic beings are probably included, as in 12:12. Just as there saints were commanded to rejoice because of the inaugurated victory over Satan, so now they are commanded to rejoice because of the consummated victory over the Satanic system. Instead of Jeremiah’s “heaven and earth” rejoicing (Jer. 51:48), where “earth” likely represents Israel, the angel speaks of heaven and the saints and apostles and prophets rejoicing, thus showing again how the church is now the continuation of true Israel.
The reason for rejoicing is that God has given judgment against Babylon (v. 20b). It is best to see the suffering saints who cried for vengeance in 6:9-11 at the center of the heavenly throng who are exhorted to rejoice in 18:20. This is confirmed by the continuation of the ch. 18 narrative in 19:1-2, where the basis for the “Hallelujah” (“because His judgments are true and righteous; for … He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her”) is formulated in explicit allusion to 6:10 (“How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”). Together with 19:5, 18:20 is the climax of the saints’ cry for vindication from 6:10, though anticipated in various ways also in 11:18; 14:18; 15:4; and 16:5-6. The focus is not on delight in Babylon’s suffering but on the successful outcome of God’s execution of justice, which demonstrates the integrity of Christians’ faith and God’s just character (see further on 6:10). God will judge Babylon just as severely as she persecuted others in order to make the punishment fit her crime. The presence of this “eye for eye” judgment is apparent from noticing that those commanded to rejoice over her judgment are the very same people who suffered from her persecution.
As stated above, v. 20 is the climax of the saints’ cry for vindication from 6:10. Here for the first time we find clearly expressed the rejoicing of the saints at these events. The rejoicing does not arise out of a selfish spirit of revenge, but out of a fulfilled hope that God has defended the honor of His just name by not leaving sin unpunished and by showing His people to have been in the right all along and the verdict rendered by the ungodly world against the saints to be wrong (6:10). This is in keeping with the OT law of malicious witness: if “he has accused his brother falsely, then you shall do to him just as he had intended to do to his brother” (Deut. 19:18-19). Even the saints’ rejoicing corresponds to the sin of the wicked system, which had previously rejoiced over the unjust death of the two witnesses (11:10).
21 The judgment of Babylon, and its devastating effects, are repeated again in different ways in vv. 21-23, which, together with v. 20b, serve as the basis of the rejoicing in v. 20a. The judgment of Babylon is expressed parabolically through the vision of an angel who took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea. The picture is based on Jer. 51:63, where Jeremiah commands his servant Seraiah to “tie a stone” to a scroll (literally “book”) containing the prophecy of Babylon’s judgment, and to “throw it into the middle of the Euphrates,” declaring in the process that in this same way will Babylon sink down and never again rise. Likewise the angel here interprets his symbolic action to mean Thus will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer. The Ezekiel 26–28 background to ch. 18 has not been forgotten, for Ezek. 26:12 and 21 state that the stones of Tyre will be thrown into the water and that Tyre will never be found again. Both Babylon and Tyre are thus used as prophetic typological forerunners of spiritual Babylon. And both may have been modeled after God’s punishment of Egypt in Neh. 9:11, “their pursuers Thou didst hurl into the depths, like a stone into raging waters” (cf. Exod. 15:4-5). But why the change from a stone to a millstone? The angel likely is using Jesus’ warning that whoever causes His little ones to stumble would be better off having a millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the sea (Matt. 18:6; note the parallel to the dual woe [the throwing down of the stone and its being cast into the sea] of v. 21). And like the angel here, Jesus warned against the arrogant who deceive (cf. Matt. 18:6-7 with Rev. 18:3, 23). Those in the church who are guilty of such deception (2:14, 20) should take warning lest they suffer Babylon’s fate.
22-23a Vv. 5-7 and 20 have asserted that Babylon’s judgment is suited to its crime, and vv. 22-23 reveal how the punishment fits the crime, which continues to depict the effects of Babylon’s destruction, especially most immediately from the millstone portrayal in v. 21. The point of vv. 21b-23 is to show that the persecutor will be punished by means of her own sin. Babylon’s economic system persecuted Christian communities by ostracizing people from the various trade guilds if they did not conform to worship of the patron deities of the guilds. This usually resulted in loss of economic standing and poverty (so 2:9). Christian craftsmen were removed from the marketplace, and the common pleasures of life enjoyed in normal economic times were taken away from them. In answer, God will remove Babylon’s loyal tradesmen: and no craftsman of any craft will be found in you any longer; and the sound of a mill will not be heard in you any longer, and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer. Even as the blood of the saints “was found” in her (v. 24), Babylon’s economic basis will no longer be found, and in fact Babylon herself will “not be found” (v. 21). The daily pleasures taken from Christians through economic, social, or political persecution (2:9-10; 6:10; 13:16-17; 16:6; 17:6) will be taken from the world system: and the sound of harpists and musicians and flute-players and trumpeters will not be heard in you any longer … and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer.
Passages from Jeremiah 25 (judgment on unfaithful Israel) and Ezekiel 26 (judgment on Tyre) continue to be pieced together to depict this judicial principle (cf. Ezek. 26:13: “and the sound of your harps will be heard no more”; Jer. 25:10: “I will take from them … the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sounds of the millstones and the light of the lamp”). The statement in v. 14, “and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and men will no longer find them,” is elaborated in more detail in vv. 21-23a. Babylon’s persecution was selective in John’s day, but he foresaw a time in which she would attempt to exterminate completely the Christian community (so 11:7-10; 20:7-9; cf. also 13:16-17). God will likewise punish her for her persecution and attempted annihilation of the church by overthrowing her completely.
23b The angel’s pronouncement of devastation begun in v. 21 continues. He gives three reasons for Babylon’s destruction in vv. 23b-24. The first is that her merchants were the great men of the earth. The reference is to God’s judgment of Tyre in Isa. 23:1-18, where Tyre’s merchants were “princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth” (Isa. 23:8). Tyre here is used again as a prophetic forerunner of spiritual Babylon. These merchants were concerned only for their own glory instead of acting as stewards responsible for what had been entrusted to them by God. God judged Tyre for the proud flaunting of her economic wealth, and He destroyed it. Ezekiel likewise sees God condemning Tyre for believing that her wealth made her divine rather than human: “your heart is lifted up and you have said, ‘I am a god’ ” (Ezek. 28:2). Babylon’s judgment because of self-glory has already been announced in v. 7. One expression of that was the overwhelming pride of her merchants, the great men, who will be laid low. The point is that the chief purpose of humanity according to Revelation is to glorify God and to enjoy Him, not to glorify oneself and enjoy one’s own achievements (e.g., 4:11; 5:12-13; 7:12; 15:3-4; 16:9; 19:1, 7). Self-glorification necessitates judgment in which a forced humbling occurs. It is idolatrous for Babylon and her allies to see themselves as “great” (11:8; 14:8; 16:19; 17:5, 18; 18:2, 10, 16, 19, 21, 23; even though it is angels or men who use the word with reference to Babylon, they do so with reference to Babylon’s self-understanding). In truth, only God is truly great (see on v. 10). This title is reserved only for the true God (cf. “the great God” in manuscripts 051 and א of 19:17, as well as “great” in descriptions of various attributes of God in 6:17; 11:17; 15:3; 16:14). To focus on humanity as the center of everything and to forget God is the greatest sin — it is idol worship.
The second reason for Babylon’s judgment is that all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. By magic Babylon deceived the nations into worshiping idols instead of the true God. Sorcery, immorality, and idolatry are very closely related. In Rev. 9:20-21, idolatry, sorcery, and immorality (Greek porneia) are linked together (as also in Gal. 5:19-21). Immorality (Greek porneia), as we have seen, is a common term for idolatry in Revelation (2:14, 20-21; 14:8; 17:1-2, 4-5; 18:3, 9). Sorcery and idolatry are also linked in the OT (2 Chron. 33:5-7; Mic. 5:12-14; sorcery, idolatry, and immorality in Isa. 57:3-7). The OT Jezebel was judged for immorality and sorcery (2 Kgs. 9:22). Jezebel’s similar operation in Rev. 2:20-21 is why she is associated with Babylon and why her punishment is described as “death” (2:22-23), as is Babylon’s in 18:8. Earthly Babylon was judged for her sorcery and immorality (Isa. 47:9-15), where sorcery is linked with seeking guidance from astrologers, rather than the Lord. In Rev. 21:8 and 22:15, sorcery is placed in close conjunction with immorality and idolatry.
24 The third reason for Babylon’s judgment is now given: And in her was found the blood of the prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth. In earthly Babylon, declared Jeremiah, “the slain of all the earth have fallen” (Jer. 51:49). Nineveh, another prophetic forerunner of the end-time Babylon, was judged not only for her immorality and sorcery, but also because she was a city of blood (Nah. 3:1-4). Babylon and Nineveh of old were sinful world empires that are set forth as models for the annihilation of the last corrupt world system. The fact that Babylon, Tyre, and Nineveh, as well as unfaithful Israel and Sodom, are all used in ch. 18, as well as chs. 16 and 17, as prophetic forerunners of the Babylonian world system shows again that spiritual Babylon is not one specific nation at a given point of time, but rather represents all forms of evil government from the resurrection of Christ until His return. In John’s day, the Roman Empire represented this wicked system, for by his time Christians had been persecuted not only in Israel, but throughout the Roman Empire. Yet the concluding clause all who have been slain on the earth points to a universal reference well beyond the Roman Empire and its time. This description of all who have been slain may be literal and allude to Christian martyrs, but it is best taken figuratively for all kinds of persecution, including death (see on 6:9; 13:15).
On the fundamental division between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. These verses set forth an intriguing contrast between the lamentation of the lost in vv. 9-19 and the rejoicing of the saints in vv. 20-24. The lost grieve over Babylon’s destruction only insofar as it affects their personal material security. The saints rejoice over that destruction not merely because it vindicates them or is advantageous to them, but especially because it demonstrates the righteousness of God and the justice of His judgment, and God’s ultimate just dealing with evil. As the commentary states on v. 20: “God has defended the honor of His just name by not leaving sin unpunished and by showing His people to have been in the right and the verdict rendered by the ungodly world against the saints to be wrong.” The events by which God secures justice for His people do not set them up to express their own personal revenge. The saints weep (or should weep) over the loss of every soul. They do not rejoice because they have “won” at the expense of others, but because God has been vindicated. The lost, on the other hand, cannot see past their own self-interest. The suffering of others, even the destruction of an entire world system, concerns them only because of the negative effect on their own fortunes. Here in a paragraph is the difference between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. What ultimately divides the two is the willingness (or lack thereof) to recognize who God is and to give Him the honor and worship He alone is due. Particularly in the West, we live in a profoundly anthropocentric culture which utterly fails to place God and His glory at the center, and if we do not resist this, we will find ourselves slipping all too easily into the hold of the kingdom of darkness.
1After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; 2because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” 3And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” 6And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”
The dual theme of reward to the saints and destruction of their enemies announced by the seventh trumpet (11:15-19) is picked up again in ch. 19, as is evident from the verbal similarities, especially in 19:5-6:
The new section of Rev. 19:1-6 (perhaps extending to 19:8) actually continues the last literary segment of ch. 18 (18:20-24) and may be seen as the conclusion of that segment by emphasizing Babylon’s fall.
1 The phrase after these things refers primarily to the vision of Babylon’s demise, especially as portrayed in 18:20-24. After the preceding vision and extended audition (18:1-3 and 4-24 respectively), John hears something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, proclaiming Hallelujah! This is the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew phrase meaning “Praise the Lord!” God is to be praised because salvation and glory and power belong to Him alone. The entire assembly of the saints praise God at the consummation of history (vv. 1-3, 5b-8) for His judgment of Babylon and His accomplishment of salvation for His people by His mighty power.
2 Here it becomes explicit that God’s judgment of Babylon in ch. 18 is the reason for the outburst of praise in v. 1. The praise occurs because His judgments are true and righteous (cf. Ps. 19:9). The second clause for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality expands the meaning of the first. The description reiterates themes from the previous chapters (17:1-5; 18:3, 7-9). To “corrupt” (Greek phtheirō) can also mean to “destroy” (note the mention of persecution in the following phrase). Inclusion of this meaning is evident from 11:18, where the enemy undergoing final judgment is described with the same language as here (“those who destroy the earth”). Both 11:18 and 19:2 are dependent on Jer. 51:25, containing God’s judgment on Babylon (“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroy the whole earth”).
The third clause, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her (literally from her hand), interprets God’s judgment as His vengeance. The literal meaning is awkward. If it is interpreted as equivalent to “at her hand,” it could be translated “on her” (thus NASB, NIV, ESV). But the Greek here likely reflects the typical OT use of the phrase “from the hand of” in larger expressions like “God delivered you from the hand of your enemy,” where “hand” is figurative for oppressive power (so at least forty-five times). Though the larger idea of vengeance on Babylon is still in view, the literal meaning of the phrase would be that God has avenged the blood of His servants shed by the hand of Babylon. This is the meaning of the closest OT parallel, 2 Kgs. 9:7, where God says that He will “avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at [literally ‘from’ = ‘shed by’] the hand of Jezebel.” The allusion to this text based on the closeness of the wording is confirmed by the reference to Jezebel, for the spirit of Jezebel has resurfaced at Thyatira (2:20), and the Babylonian harlot has been compared to Jezebel in 17:16 (on which see).
This verse represents a further answer to the cry of the saints in 6:10: “How long, O Lord … wilt Thou refrain from … avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Both verses allude to Ps. 79:10: “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Let there be known among the nations in our sight, vengeance for the blood of Thy servants, which has been shed,” so that the church is included in the Israelite “servants” who cry for vengeance.
3 As in v. 1, the repetition of Hallelujah! and its following explanation again provides the further basis for the first Hallelujah! and shows that what is precisely underscored is the finality of Babylon’s judgment: her smoke rises up forever and ever. This is a reference originally to God’s judgment on Edom (“its smoke shall go up forever,” Isa. 34:10). Here the fall of Edom is taken as an anticipatory typological pattern of that of the world system, which will never rise again after God’s judgment. The same verse has been alluded to in 14:11 to refer to the smoke of the torment of individual unbelievers. Babylon is spoken of corporately, but its members are also referred to individually, in the same way that the bride of Christ is alluded to both corporately and as a group of individuals (see on vv. 7-9). The fates of the corporate and the individual are inextricably linked, as 18:4 demonstrates: those wishing to be saved must leave Babylon or suffer her fate.
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures now join in the exclamation of the saints; they fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” “Amen,” a Hebrew word expressing trust, is part of their declaration of praise. The phrase echoes Ps. 106:48, where the wording (“Amen. Hallelujah”), as in Rev. 19:4, functions as part of Israel’s thanksgiving to God for gathering them to Himself after delivering the nation from their enemies who oppressed them (cf. Ps. 106:42-48 with Rev. 19:1-2, 7-9). Now the consummate Amen. Hallelujah! is expressed because God’s end-time covenant community have been decisively delivered at the end of history.
5 A voice came from the throne, possibly that of Christ (in line with the similar expressions in 6:6; 16:1, 17). The voice declares Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great. If this is the voice of Jesus, He stands as the great representative of the saints confirming and assenting to their prior rejoicing. But on the analogy of John 20:17 (“I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and Your God”), might Jesus not rather have said “My God,” to distinguish Himself from His earthly followers? If from the throne is understood as “from the area around the throne,” the voice could also be that of another heavenly creature. Those exhorted to praise are first called all you His bond-servants (Pss. 134:1; 135:1). They are the ones whose blood was shed by Babylon (note “the blood of His bond-servants,” v. 2). All believers are included in this number, for all believers bear the name “bond-servant” (2:20; 7:3; 19:2; 22:3; and see on 11:18). In this respect, the following phrase you who fear Him, the small and the great is a further identification of the servants, the first phrase again linking this verse to 11:18 (“Thy bond-servants the prophets and … those who fear Thy Name”).
6 This segment ends here as it began in v. 1. The same innumerable multitudes shout even louder: And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. The phrase “the sound of abundant waters” is used of the noise made by the four cherubim in Ezek. 1:24 (in the Hebrew text), but in Ezek. 43:2 (LXX) the same phrase in Hebrew is interpreted as “a voice of a camp [parembolē], as the voice of many redoubling their cries,” which likely refers to angels, but would have been easily susceptible to application to heavenly saints by later readers, which is the reference here.
The expression the Lord … reigns may be a sweeping allusion to a series of Psalms and other OT passages that use the same expression to refer in context to God establishing His kingship after judging Israel’s enemies, especially in Canaan and culminating in David’s occupation of Jerusalem (Pss. 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 1 Chron. 16:31; plausibly also Pss. 47:3, 7-8; 99:1). Isa. 52:7 (using “God” instead of “the Lord”); Zech. 14:9; and Rev. 19:6 use the expression to speak of the eschatological future, when God would again establish His kingship universally on earth after defeating His enemies, of which the Psalm accounts were anticipatory models. The Isaiah and Zechariah passages are uppermost in mind, since Rev. 19:6 indicates the future fulfillment of those two end-time prophecies.
In light of this OT background, the Greek verb may best be translated “begun to reign” (with an ingressive sense), since, in view of Babylon’s defeat (ch. 18), it is the establishment of God’s rule that appears to be in mind. Although in one sense God’s reign is timeless (the Lord … reigns, as the NASB translates), in another sense it is truly fulfilled in the created universe only as a result of His final judgment of Babylon and can thus be said to have “begun.” This is supported by the parallel in 11:17: “We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty … because Thou … hast begun to reign.” In fact, the verse is also a development of 11:15: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
On the nature of our praise of God. Often our praise of God is focused on what He has done for us — whether our salvation or things related to our daily lives. Yet here the praise of the saints is centered on who God is and what He has done entirely apart from the circumstances of our individual lives — the fact that His judgments are righteous and true, the fact that He has judged the harlot, and the fact that He reigns over all. While there is nothing wrong with our praising God for what He has done in our lives — it is always a good thing to acknowledge His faithfulness and providential mercies toward us — how often do we step back and thank Him simply for who He is and what He has done in the wider context of His creation, and what He has done simply for the glory of His name?
7“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” 10And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
7-8 Vv. 7-8 form the conclusion of the section beginning with 18:1, but at the same time, together with vv. 9-10, form a transitional segment between that and the following section. The innumerable crowd of v. 6 lift their voices to glorify God once again: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” The opening words of the verse, Let us rejoice and be glad, allude to Ps. 118:22-24, where the rejoicing comes about because God has caused the stone the builders rejected to become the chief cornerstone. It also alludes to Jesus’ words, “Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:12). God has vindicated both His Son and those who follow Him. This section shows us that the existence of Babylon served as a necessary preparation for the bride’s marriage to the Lamb. The oppression and temptation of Babylon were the fire God used to refine the faith of the saints in order that they be prepared to enter the heavenly city (for a similar notion see on 2:10-11; cf. also 6:11; Rom. 8:28ff.; 1 Pet. 4:12, 19; Phil. 1:28-30).
In v. 7, the bride is said to have prepared herself for the marriage, which places the emphasis on the bride’s responsibility in making herself ready. The clothing is defined in v. 8 as fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. The righteous acts seem to be defined in context as holding to the testimony of Jesus (v. 10). The word “testimony” occurs seven other times in Revelation, usually as part of the expression “testimony of Jesus” and usually with the idea of bearing witness to Him in word and deed (1:2, 9; 6:9; 11:7; 12:11, 17; 20:4). Therefore, a possible meaning of the passage is that saints must persevere in their faith before the marriage can take place. A classic theological tension is thus expressed in these two verses. On the one hand, the bride prepares herself (v. 7), while on the other hand she is given her garments (v. 8). One way of resolving the tension is by suggesting that a transformed life is the proper response by those God has justified. However, it would be even better to view vv. 7-8 as suggesting that a transformed life is not only the proper response but in fact a necessary response.
White clothes in Revelation, when worn by the saints, always signify a gift from God given to those with tested and purified faith (3:5-6, 18; 6:11; 7:13-14; in 3:18, the idea of buying the clothes from Christ is used to encourage believers to identify with Christ’s clothes in 1:13-14, which means to identify with Him and not with the compromising world). Therefore, the white clothes are not merely the saints’ righteous acts but the reward for or result of such acts. This emphasizes God’s justifying or vindicating action. The final clause of v. 8 could thus be paraphrased: “the fine linen is the reward for or result of the saints’ righteous deeds.” The white robes would then represent two inextricably related consummative end-time realities: (1) human faithfulness and good works as a necessary evidence of a right standing with God and (2) vindication or acquittal accomplished by God’s final judgments against the enemy on behalf of His people.
The only other occurrence of the righteous acts (Greek ta dikaiōmata) in the book is in 15:4, where it refers to God’s end-time judgments against the saints’ oppressors. Six of the seven other uses in Revelation of related words (deriving from Greek dikaioō, “declare righteous”) refer to God’s just judgments (15:3, 4; 16:5, 7; 19:2, 11). Reference to the righteous judgments of God has just been made in v. 2. The angels are dressed in fine linen, in their role of vindicating the saints in pouring out bowls of wrath (15:6–16:1). Christ judges the enemy “in righteousness” (v. 11), accompanied by those clothed in fine linen (v. 14). The oppressed saints who accompany Christ as He vindicates them are wearing the symbolic clothing of their vindication, which is performed by Christ as they stand by and watch.
Nevertheless, in the process of emphasizing God’s final latter-day vindication and gift of righteous standing, the importance of the righteous acts by the saints must not be lost sight of. Indeed, elsewhere in the book the plural genitive “of the saints,” when modifying nouns and referring to Christians, always alludes to something either possessed by (16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 20:9) or performed by believers (5:8; 8:3-4; 13:10; 14:12). A contrast is probably intended between the bride clothed in bright linen and her righteous acts and the Babylonian harlot who is “clothed in fine linen” (18:16), holds a cup “full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality” (17:4), and has committed “iniquities” (18:5, literally “unrighteous acts”).
Therefore, the phrase “righteous deeds of the saints” is probably intentionally ambiguous, expressing two ideas: (1) righteous acts performed by the saints (subjective genitive) and (2) righteous acts for the saints (God’s final just, acquitting or vindicating judgments, objective genitive).
The OT background to the passage is Isa. 61:10, where the Lord clothes His people with “garments of salvation” and “a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself … And as a bride adorns herself….” Isaiah’s phrases underscore the activity of God in providing these clothes. This righteousness comes ultimately from God, as the next verse reveals: “The Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up” (61:11). Rev. 21:2 follows suit by developing vv. 7-8 with a passive sense, “I saw the holy city … made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” This is in line with the passive sense of receiving white garments elsewhere in the book (see above).
Therefore, the clauses in vv. 7b-8, His bride has made herself ready and it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean continue the meaning of the marriage metaphor from v. 7a. As in the initial clause of v. 7 and in Isaiah, the primary point is not that the saints’ effort contributes to the acquisition of righteousness (though the concept of the necessary response of righteous acts by the saints is vital) but that God’s people are finally entering into the intimate relationship with Him which has been initiated by Himself. Throughout Revelation, the verb “prepare” or “make ready” (Greek hetoimazō) refers to an event which occurs ultimately as a result of God’s decree, the most striking of which is 21:2: “I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (so also 9:7, 15; 12:6; 16:12).
Believers may be depicted here as priests, since the high priest was clothed in linen (Exodus 28 and 39), as are the priests of the end-time temple in Ezekiel (Ezek. 44:17). The linen worn by the harlot Babylon (18:16), along with her adornment with various precious stones, suggests an attempt by her to seize the place of priesthood for herself, again contrasting Babylon with the true bride of Christ, clothed with the genuine linen from above. In 6:11 (the fifth seal, occurring during the church age), believers who died were given white robes and told to rest until the full number of their fellow servants was completed. The clothes of the corporate church, however, cannot be considered white until all believers have entered the kingdom. In 7:9-17, believers have received their white garments, and so this scene is temporally parallel to v. 8, which is somewhat vague since in it the saints are clothed throughout the church age and also at the very end of the age. In v. 8, the garments are mentioned within the context of the marriage of the Lamb. In 7:15, although the marriage is not explicitly mentioned, it is implied in the phrase: “He who sits on the throne shall spread His tabernacle over them.” “Tabernacling” speaks of intimate communion with the presence of God, and part of the background to that verse is in Ezek. 16:8-10, where God spreads His skirt over Israel and enters into covenant with her.
Consequently, the saints are clothed with pure linen as a symbol of God’s righteous final, end-time vindication of them because, in spite of persecution, they persevered in righteousness on earth. The full-orbed meaning of the pure garments is that God’s righteous vindication involves judging the enemy at the very end of time, which shows that the saints’ faith and works have been in the right all along. This dual sense of fine linen here suits admirably the rhetorical purpose of the entire book, which includes exhortations to believers to stop soiling their garments (3:4-5) and not to be found naked (3:18; 16:15). This underscores the aspect of human accountability highlighted by v. 7b: “His bride has made herself ready.” Yet the readers can be encouraged to obey the exhortation with the knowledge that God has provided grace for them to clothe themselves now by the power of the Spirit.
9 The angel commands John to Write: “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” The same idea is expressed by the picture of Christ dining with His people in 3:20. Use of the word invited (literally “called,” Greek kaleō) underlines God’s sovereign role in salvation: the word is used at least twenty-five times by Paul in this way. The “called” are “chosen ones” (Rev. 17:14). Here the picture changes a little, for whereas in vv. 7-8 the corporate church is pictured as the bride, now individual believers are portrayed as invited to the marriage supper. The same thought is present in 12:17, where the woman is the church and the seed her individual members. The concluding clause, And he said to me, “These are true words of God” formally affirms the truth of vv. 7-9a. V. 9 functions much like 21:5b, “and He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true,’ ” which confirms the truth of 21:2, which contains the same marriage metaphors as vv. 7-8 here, even as v. 9 confirms the truth of the marriage metaphors of the previous two verses. In ch. 21 also, the wedding clothing is interpreted as intimate communion with God (21:2-3), along with the added idea of protection (21:4).
10 This verse is both a conclusion to the broad “judgment of Babylon” section beginning at 17:1, and especially that part of it starting at 18:1, and at the same time an introduction to the section describing the last battle, which commences at v. 11. In response to the angel’s declaration in v. 9b, John worships him: And I fell at his feet to worship him. He is immediately rebuked: And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.” It is appropriate to revere God’s words, but not the messenger who brings them. The angel is but a mere fellow servant of John’s and of your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Perhaps John mistook the angel for the divine figure from heaven in 1:13-16 and 10:1-3, who is worthy of worship. The passage is an example of how easy it is to fall into idolatry (a problem among some in John’s readership; see on 2:14-15, 20-21; 9:20) for which the judgment described throughout ch. 19 comes into play. The difficulty of this mistaken identification is reinforced in 22:8-9, where John astonishingly repeats the very same offense.
The last phrase of the verse, For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, shows how both believers and angels can be fellow-servants who testify to Jesus. The testimony of Jesus (see also 6:9; 12:17) can be either the testimony from Jesus (Greek subjective genitive) given to the church and now transmitted as witness by believers, or the testimony to or about Jesus (Greek objective genitive). The end result is similar. Our testimony is about Christ. We are not to bring attention to ourselves or to any other created being. That the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy could mean that the testimony is a prophetic utterance inspired by the Spirit. Alternatively, it could mean that testifying to Jesus is the work of a prophetic spirit, that is, of prophets. This is supported by the parallel passage in 22:8-9, where (similarly) the angel refers to “your brethren the prophets,” though without any reference to the divine Spirit. The meaning of the phrase would thus be: “those giving testimony to Jesus are prophetic people.” Therefore, angels in heaven and believers on earth are fellow-servants in that they both have prophetic roles. Prophets here are not (as in some other parts of the NT) those who hold an exclusive office but the same group mentioned as prophets elsewhere in the book, where the prophetic role of the entire church is in mind (so 11:3, 6, 10).
On the refining of believers. The commentary states that Babylon’s existence was necessary in that it provided the occasion for the refining of believers necessary for them to enter the eternal kingdom. How often do we view those who cause us pain as undesirable obstacles to be removed, rather than seeing the possibility that God has placed them in our lives to bring forth His character in the face of suffering? What is more important — our earthly comfort, or the forming of Christ within us? The fact that God detests the wickedness of Babylon and will certainly judge it does not prevent Him from using it to accomplish His purposes in our lives.
On the white clothes as both gift and reward. The commentary presents the view that the white clothes are both a gift from God and a recognition of our righteous conduct in this life. All righteousness comes from God, yet those who receive His gift of righteousness and walk in it will be rewarded. This helps us to understand the refining process better. No matter what the suffering, there is a heavenly reward — and what greater reward could there be than being finally identified with Christ through resurrection and having a permanent place in the new eternal creation in God’s intimate presence (on which see 21:1–22:4)?
Now, by way of ultimate conclusion to the section on Babylon’s fall commencing at 17:1, the most expanded description of Christ’s defeat and judgment of the ungodly forces at the end of history is prophetically portrayed. First, the description of Christ with His heavenly armies in anticipation of defeating their enemy is given (vv. 11-16), then the declaration of the imminent destruction of the enemy (vv. 17-18), and lastly the scene is climaxed by the defeat of the beast and false prophet along with their followers (vv. 19-21). The destruction of Babylon recounted in 17:1–19:6 (or 19:8) was not a complete defeat of all the forces of wickedness. In fact, 17:12-18 reveals that God’s agent in defeating Babylon was the beast and his forces. Therefore, for the victory to be complete, these forces must also be destroyed. Above all, the “testimony of Jesus,” emphatically mentioned twice in v. 10, must be seen as true. The judgment of Babylon, followed by that of the beast, the false prophet, and their followers, demonstrates that those who rendered this testimony were in the right after all and that the testimony is true. That the actual weapon of judgment is Christ’s word of truth suggests further that the purpose of this section, together with that of vv. 1-6, is to serve as a basis for the statements concerning the marriage supper of the Lamb in vv. 7-10, in order to emphasize the foundation of the saints’ vindication and to provide a demonstration of the truth they proclaim (cf. the “true words of God,” v. 9). This truth to be demonstrated will lie hidden to unbelievers until the final, full revelation of Christ at His final coming.
11And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. 13And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
11 The introductory phrase, And I saw heaven opened, indicates the beginning of another vision. The vision of heaven opened introduces a scene of judgment, as elsewhere in Revelation (so 4:1; 11:19; 15:5). Next John saw a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True. “White” in Revelation speaks of purity or the reward for purity (e.g., 3:4-5). In 19:7-8, white garments represent not only righteousness but the final, eschatological vindicating reward for those who have persevered through persecution. The idea of vindication is likely included in most earlier uses of “white” in the book (1:14; 2:17; 3:4-5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 14:14). In particular, in 14:14 and 20:11 the color conveys ideas not only of divine holiness and purity but also of juridical vindication of truth through final judgment.
The rider on the horse is called Faithful and True. Christ will be faithful and true to fulfill His promise to judge the wicked, and to vindicate His name and His followers. This is confirmed by the use of the same phrase in the plural in 21:5 and 22:6, which refer to the sure fulfillment of the prophecy of the new creation and the new Jerusalem. The rider is further described thus: and in righteousness He judges and wages war. The phrase in righteousness alludes to similar descriptions in the Psalms of God’s vindication of His afflicted people and judgment of their oppressors (Pss. 9:8; 72:2; 96:13; 98:9). This judicial action is now carried out by Christ on behalf of His people. Acts 17:31 also alludes to the same Psalm texts in affirming the future day of judgment to be executed by Christ. The allusion to “waging war” appears to refer not to literal battlefield conflict but to a legal battle and judgment, as does the heavenly combat between the angelic armies in ch. 12 (see on 12:7-9).
12a The metaphor and His eyes are a flame of fire evokes Christ’s role as divine judge, which is clear from vv. 14-21. The same phrase is used in 1:14, where Christ stands in the midst of the churches, and in 2:18-23, where He knows and judges the spiritual condition of the ungodly who claim to be members of the covenant community. The link with these earlier uses suggests that apostates are among those judged in the present scene. This is confirmed further by the “sharp sword” proceeding from the mouth of Christ in v. 15, which also pertains to Christ’s judicial relationship to the disobedient in the church communities (1:16; 2:12). The following context shows that unbelievers outside the covenant community are also judged (see on vv. 16-21). A similar phrase in Dan. 10:6 (“his eyes were like flaming torches”) lies behind 1:14 and 2:18 in their description of the Son of man. The primary purpose of this heavenly being resembling a man (Dan. 10:16) is to reveal the decree that in the “latter days” (Dan. 10:14) Israel’s persecutors will be judged (see Dan. 10:21–12:13) and Israel delivered.
The description of the horseman continues: and upon His head are many diadems. The only others wearing diadems are the dragon (12:3) and the beast (13:1). The diadems represent the devil’s and the beast’s false claims of sovereign, universal authority, which is in opposition to the true “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (v. 16). Comparing these texts makes clear the conscious antithesis. The dragon has seven diadems and the beast ten, but there is an undefined multiplicity on Christ’s head. His kingship is eternal, while theirs is limited. The crown of the Satanic horseman of 6:2 is removed and given to the heavenly horseman before the former is overthrown. Christians also wear crowns as a reward for their faith (2:10; 3:11; 4:4) to show that they have been identified with their crowned Savior, just as Jesus promises in 3:21: “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne” (so also 2:26-28).
12b Now we have a further pictorial explanation of Christ, who in the previous verse has been described as a warrior who executes judgment by defeating the enemy. If there is an OT background for the diadems on the horseman’s head and His secret name (and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself), it is Isa. 62:2-3, which is supported by the allusions to Isa. 63:1-3 in vv. 13 and 15. According to Isaiah, latter-day Jerusalem will receive a new name, a diadem, and a crown. The “new name” of Isa. 62:2 will show Israel’s new, intimate “married” relationship with God, as described in Isa. 62:4-5. The latter verses also refer to Israel as a “bride” and God as the “bridegroom,” connecting with the wedding metaphor of Rev. 19:7-8. The new name (“another name”) promised to Israel in Isa. 65:15 may also be in mind. Christ, the bearer of the diadem, fulfils this prophecy by giving His saints this new name of His (Rev. 2:17), which is also the name of the city of God, the new Jerusalem (3:12). There is an explicit link between 19:12 and 2:17. Both allude to Isa. 62:2-3 and 65:15, both speak of a name which is in some sense confidential, and both speak of a new name having been written which no one knows about except the one who receives it (2:17) or Christ Himself (v. 12). Therefore, that no one knows the name in v. 12 except Christ refers to the fact that the prophecy of Isaiah 62 and 65 has not yet been consummately fulfilled. Christ’s “new name” in 3:12 is there so closely linked to (if not explicitly equated with) “the name of My God” that it also has divine overtones.
The names assigned to Christ in vv. 11, 13, and 16 are all divine, and the new name undoubtedly is also. It could refer to Yahweh (“LORD” in most English translations of the OT), the Hebrew name by which God revealed Himself to Moses (Exod. 3:14). The name “Yahweh” in the OT typically expresses God’s covenantal relationship with Israel, especially in fulfilling the promises given to the patriarchs. So latter-day Israel will “know” the name Yahweh in an escalated manner when God fulfills prophecy through Christ by restoring Israel and revealing His character in a greater way (cf. Exod. 6:3, 7 with Isa. 49:23; 52:6; Ezek. 37:6, 13). This is supported by the observation that the name may be written on Christ’s head or diadems (which have just been mentioned), just as the name Yahweh was written on a gold plate on the high-priest’s forehead. There is probably an intended contrast with the diadems on the beast’s head, on which there were also “blasphemous names” (13:1; likewise, the name on the harlot’s forehead, 17:5; cf. 17:3). If Christ’s name is written on the foreheads of believers (14:1; ch. 22), God’s name is probably written on Christ’s diadems. That no one yet knows the name refers to the fact that the full revelation of Christ’s identity, particularly in relation to judgment, will only be given on His return and His judgment of the world.
Commentators have observed that the assertion that no one knows the name except Christ is formally contradicted by the revelation of His name in vv. 11, 13, and 16. But the contradiction stands only when the expression of v. 12 is understood as a literal statement rather than as symbolic in nature. The written name of the harlot in 17:5 is stated first as a mystery, then immediately identified as “Babylon the great.” The “mystery” does not refer to keeping the name “Babylon” secret, but to discovering the proper meaning of the known name in the light of its historical significance. In 1:20 and 10:7, the “mystery” involves the unexpected way in which Daniel’s prophecy about the deliverance of Israel and the defeat of its evil opponents will be fulfilled: in the cross and in those who follow the way of the cross. These mysteries will be no more when the fulfillment of OT prophecy is consummated, yet the point in Revelation is that believers can understand their significance now, even if they are hidden to the world. This is parallel to 14:3, where “no one … except” true believers can learn the “new song” of salvation; so likewise, they alone can now know and experience Christ’s name, as a result of His revelatory initiative.
In the OT, to “know” a name means to have control over the one who carries that name and to know or share in the character of that one. Therefore, the confidential nature of the name has nothing to do with concealing a name on the cognitive level, but alludes to Christ being absolutely sovereign over humanity’s experiential access to a true understanding of His character. To some He reveals His name (= character) by bringing them into a saving relationship with Him (as in 2:17; 3:12; 22:3-4; Luke 10:22; Matt. 16:16-17), though this knowledge is not yet complete, but to others He reveals His name only through an experience of judgment, and to them the true significance of His name remains a mystery and unknown until that judgment occurs. The content of vv. 11-12 concerns experiencing the true character or identity of Christ though judgment, and so the significance of the fact that no one knows His name is that unbelievers will only understand His name (already known to believers, as made clear, for instance, in vv. 11, 13, 16) at the time of their judgment. If the name is symbolic in nature, it is not a problem that it could even be revealed by a plurality of names (Savior, Lord, Redeemer, etc.). Therefore, the symbolic meaning of the “unknown name” is to affirm that Christ has not yet consummately fulfilled the promises of salvation and judgment, but will reveal His character (= name) of grace and justice when He comes to carry out those promises in vindication of His followers.
13 This verse elaborates further on the depiction of Christ’s appearance as a messianic warrior in vv. 11-12. The rider is portrayed as clothed with a robe dipped in blood, an allusion to the description of God judging the nations in Isa. 63:1-3: “With garments of crimson colors … garments like the one who treads in the wine press … their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments.” Christ is here identified as that divine warrior. In Isa. 63:4, the warrior seeks “vengeance” and “redemption” on behalf of His people, and the same goal is implicit here. In addition to the name of “Faithful and True” (v. 11), the rider’s confidential written name of v. 12 is also revealed as the Word of God. The word called is also used to reveal the spiritual interpretation of names of people and places in 11:8; 12:9; and 16:16. Furthermore, like the name in v. 11, the Word of God expresses a judicial role, since the rider will judge by means of God’s word (so vv. 15, 21). The four other appearances of the phrase “the Word of God” in Revelation occur in conjunction with either the “testimony” (6:9) or the “testimony of Jesus” (1:2, 9; 20:4). This shows that the Word of God is revealed most fully in the life, acts, and teachings of Jesus Christ, and it shows how appropriate it is for Christ Himself to bear the name the Word of God. In the OT, “word” can also take on the idea of promise or “prophetic word” (1 Kgs. 8:56), and the same meaning is evident in Rev. 17:17 (“until the words of God should be fulfilled”), so the title in v. 13 may allude to Christ’s execution of final judgment on the remaining enemies of God, in fulfillment of OT and NT prophecy.
14 The heavenly armies follow the rider: And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. Elsewhere in the NT, angelic armies accompany Christ from heaven in executing the final judgment (Matt. 13:40-42; 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31-32; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Thess. 1:7; Jude 14-15). These armies, however, probably consist of the saints rather than angelic forces, as is suggested by the parallel reference in 17:14, “The Lamb will overcome them … and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” Furthermore, in Revelation, with one exception (15:6), only saints wear white garments (3:4-5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13-14). The saints here and in 17:14 take part in the final judgment only in that their testimony is the legal evidence condemning their oppressors (for such an understanding of a witness which judges see Matt. 12:41-42 and parallels; Rom. 2:27). The saints’ garments here and throughout the book should also be understood as priestly garments, since the same garments worn by the heavenly beings are also likely conceived as priestly in Rev. 15:6; Dan. 10:5; 12:6; and Ezek. 9:2, as well as the similar garments worn by Christ in Rev. 1:13. The saints with white robes in 7:9, 14-15 also have a priestly function. Likewise, the “fine linen, bright and clean” of v. 8 has priestly connotations (on which see). Christ’s followers reflect their representative’s priestly character as they accompany Him when He executes judgment.
15 In the wording And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty are found four OT allusions, which continue to expand the picture of Christ’s warlike appearance in vv. 11-13 and show that in executing final judgment Christ will fulfill the prophecies in these OT texts:
The meaning of the phrase the wine press of the fierce wrath of God is that the wine press is or represents the wrath of God. The destruction of the lost will be as thoroughgoing as the grapes being crushed in the winepress (for fuller OT background of the picture see on 14:8, 10).
16 Yet another name is adduced to explain further the undisclosed name of v. 12: And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” The name is written on the rider’s robe and thigh. The thigh (translated “side” in NIV) was the typical location of the warrior’s sword (e.g., Exod. 32:27; Judg. 3:16, 21; Ps. 45:3) and the symbolic place under which the hand was placed to swear oaths (e.g., Gen. 24:2, 9; 47:29). The title is taken from the OG of Dan. 4:37, where it is a title for God. It was applied to Christ earlier in 17:14. Just as the Babylonian king wrongly took this title to himself (as reflected in his thinking that he himself was responsible for the glory of all that lay around him, Dan. 4:30), so the king of latter-day Babylon was similarly addressed. Even as God demonstrated His sovereignty to Nebuchadnezzar, so will Jesus deal with latter-day Babylon. The application of this title to Jesus underscores His deity, since it was used of God in Daniel 4.
On the consummate end-time revelation of Jesus Christ. This passage offers a picture of Christ far different from, yet complementary to (and hinted at by) the portrait of His earthly life presented in the Gospels. He is represented as a divine warrior executing judgment and ruling sovereignly over all. His true identity cannot be known or controlled by others. He will crush His enemies in the winepress of the wrath of God. Not only that, His saints will assist Him in the execution of this judgment. How often do we consider the full biblical picture of Jesus? The mystery is of One who hung defenseless on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins and calling us to serve Him in weakness, yet who one day will ride forth to execute vengeance, with us alongside Him. A true understanding of Christ can only come as we consider all these elements of who He is. He has given everything, as must His followers, to reach those still outside His grasp, yet by virtue of His holiness must bring God’s righteous rule to creation by judging those who choose to bring destruction on the earth (Rev. 11:18).
17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God; 18in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
17-18 John sees an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice. We now have portrayed before our eyes the results of Christ’s defeat of the forces opposed to God, which has begun to be depicted in vv. 11-16. This angel has an appearance similar to that of the angel in 18:1, who came down from heaven, illumining the earth with his glory. Both angels bring judgments associated with birds: saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God” (cf. 18:2). The first angel announced the fall of Babylon, and this second angel announces the fall of the beast and false prophet, Babylon’s former allies, the latter completing the process begun in the former.
The invitation to the birds to assemble for the great supper of God is a macabre parody of the invitation to the saints to gather for the marriage supper of the Lamb (v. 9). The angel announces the coming defeat of the beast and his allies with the same language used by Ezekiel to refer to the end-time destruction of God and Magog, “Speak to every kind of bird…. Assemble and come … to my sacrifice … that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth … and you will be glutted at My table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all the men of war” (Ezek. 39:17-20). That the birds are flying in midheaven is added to the Ezekiel imagery and confirms a non-literal view, since the very same phrase describes the speaking eagle of 8:13, who announces coming judgment. Such a link may show that the third of the “woes” announced by the eagle (= the seventh trumpet) is being further developed here. The prophecy of God’s triumph over His enemies in Ezekiel 39 still awaits fulfillment, but now the angel updates it by identifying Christ as the agent of defeat and by identifying Gog and Magog as the beast, the false prophet, and their armies.
But why allude to Ezekiel at this point, especially since other OT prophetic passages concerning the end-time defeat of evil forces could have been drawn from (e.g., Daniel 2, 7–12, Zechariah 14)? The portrayal of Ezekiel 39 has been included because its main point is that God will make His holy name known both to Israel and to Israel’s oppressors during captivity by means of defeating Gog and Magog. The goal of revelation of the divine name introduces (Ezek. 39:7) and concludes (39:21-29) the description of the slaughter (39:8-20). God will save Israel and judge His enemies. The same dual theme with respect to the revelation of Christ’s name has been the overriding concern in Rev. 19:11-16. The allusion to Ezekiel 39 confirms the presence of this concern and underscores the defeat narrated in 19:19-21 as the means by which Christ will reveal His name in deliverance to His people and in judgment to their oppressors.
On God’s upholding His name. Throughout the OT, God was concerned for the upholding of His name. Facing defeat, Joshua asked God what He would do for the sake of His name (Josh. 7:9; cf. Lev. 18:21; 24:16; Deut. 28:58; Pss. 66:2; 115:1; Isa. 42:8; Jer. 16:21; Ezek. 36:21-23). The allusion in these verses to Ezekiel 39, with its theme of the vindicating of God’s name in the latter-day battle (39:7, 25), reinforces the similar theme of vv. 11-16. The focus on God’s name helps us remember that it is not primarily our name or interests God is concerned about, but rather the vindication of His name and the revelation to the universe that He alone is righteous. All those who follow Him will likewise be vindicated solely because of their identification with His name. Sometimes we have to leave the defense of our name or reputation in God’s hands, secure in the knowledge that what the world thinks of us now is of no consequence, but that in the light of eternity what God thinks of us is paramount and that it is our faithful identification with Him that is crucial.
19And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. 20And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
19 After the announcement of coming judgment, John sees a vision of the judgment itself, so that this section is at least temporally parallel with vv. 17-18 and likely comes earlier since vv. 17-18 portray what happens directly after the battle (as v. 21 will clarify). He sees the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war (literally “gathered together to make the war”) against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. This is essentially the identical wording (“gathering together for war”) used in 16:14 and 20:8 to describe the prelude to the last battle of history. Satan and his agents are the immediate powers behind this gathering of the kings (16:14; 20:8), which accounts partly (see below) for the passive form of the verb here (assembled = “gathered together”). That the allusion to God’s battle against Gog and Magog in vv. 17-18 (Ezek. 38:2-9; 39:1-8) is not accidental is clear from seeing that the kings are figuratively identified as Gog and Magog in 20:8. Ultimately, of course, the passive verb indicates that God is directing and controlling these events, as Ezekiel affirms (e.g., 38:4; 39:2). A further allusion in all three verses (16:14; 19:19; 20:8) is to Zech. 14:2, “I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle….” Zechariah goes on to speak of the unique day of the Lord (14:7), the day when living waters will flow out of Jerusalem (14:8), the same living waters Ezekiel (47:1-12) refers to as flowing from the eschatological temple.
Rev. 16:14; 19:19; and 20:8 all have an article before the word “war,” which carries the meaning of the war rather than simply a war. The war is the same great final battle between the Lamb and the forces of evil portrayed in these parallel verses and prophesied in the OT. Therefore, it is the same war as in 11:7, since that battle also is one in which the beast “will make war with them [the saints]” and will attempt to destroy the whole body of believers on earth (see on 11:7-10). Ps. 2:2 also rings in the background, “The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed”; note the undoubted reference to Ps. 2:9 in v. 15.
20 The actual judgment pictured in v. 19 and earlier occurs in two parts. First, the beast and the false prophet are judged: And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet. This is followed by their being thrown into the lake of fire, and then by the execution of their followers (v. 21). The description of the beast and the false prophet here reminds us of the reason for their judgment: the beast made divine claims (see on 13:3, 7-8), and the false prophet deceived people into recognizing these claims: who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image (for an explanation of the latter phrase see on 13:14-15).
The fact that they are said to have been cast into the lake of fire while alive (these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone) suggests not absolute annihilation but an everlasting, conscious punishment. That is, they will continue to live in the lake of fire. This interpretation is confirmed by the further statement concerning them in 20:10: “They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (see also 14:10-11 on the final end of one who worships the beast: “He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night.”). Note that fire and brimstone are part of God’s judgment on Gog and Magog in Ezek. 38:22. Allusion is also made to Dan. 7:11: “I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.” In Daniel, the fiery place of the beast’s punishment is mentioned immediately after the “river of fire” flowing from before God’s throne (Dan. 7:10). It can hardly be coincidence that the lake of fire in Rev. 20:10 is mentioned immediately before the description of the great white throne and the judgment of God in 20:11-15. The apparent temporal nature of the punishment in Dan. 7:11 (the beast slain and its body destroyed) is interpreted in the wider perspective of an eternal punishment in the light of 20:10 and 14:10-11, which may have already been hinted at by Dan. 12:2 (“many … who sleep … will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt”). The description of judgment does not suggest that two literal individuals were cast bodily into the fire, but only that all who function in the corporate role of beast and false prophet at the end of history will be punished thus (see on ch. 13 for definition of these two roles).
21 The armies following the beast and false prophet were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. The sword coming out of Christ’s mouth is an allusion to Isa. 49:2 and Isa. 11:4, which is repeated from v. 15 (on which see). The sword is likely figurative, connoting the accusatory word of God, and representing a decree of death (see on v. 15). This could be supported by the “courtroom” scene in 20:11-12, where unbelievers are accused of evil deeds. After the indictment follows the execution of their punishment in 20:15, which mirrors that of the beast and false prophet in both 19:20 and 20:10 (where they are thrown into the lake of fire). This is in line with Matt. 25:41, where the final judgment is executed by the mere pronouncement of Christ’s words, “Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.”
On the reality of spiritual warfare. These verses make clear that history will end in a time of war. The devil and his forces have always actively opposed God, but their rebellion will culminate in one last ferocious battle. Although Christians are people of peace, they are also called to conduct inaugurated warfare before the final battle consummated by Christ. That is, the battle has begun now — not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness, as Paul reminds us (Eph. 6:10-17). Refusal to be aware of the present battle and not participating in it will mean dreadful loss, as the enemy will never cease attacking the church. What does spiritual warfare mean for us in our time? How do we properly conduct it? How do we oppose powers of darkness without attacking people? Is the role of prayer, which may be the most effective weapon, largely forgotten in our fast-paced and busy way of life? We pray and trust that our Savior, who began this battle at His first coming, will finish it for our own final victory, vindication, and above all His own glory.