Rev 17:1

Rev 17; 18: “Rev 17 presents a lurid picture of a gorgeously arrayed harlot riding on a scarlet beast, which is readily identifiable with the Beast of the sea already described in Rev 13. The harlot’s confidence is the prelude to her downfall. The Beast has ten horns that represent ten kings accepting his authority. This confederacy turns against her and ravages her to destruction. They then turn against ‘the Lamb’ but are overcome. Rev 18 expands the brief intimation of the harlot’s destruction into an awe-inspiring description of pomp and circumstance being swept away into oblivion” (WRev).

OT cross-references to the fall of “Babylon” in the NT:

(1) References to ancient Babylon:

  •         Babylon is fallen, is fallen: Isa 21:9.
  •         The habitation of demons and the hold of every foul spirit: Jer 50:39; Isa 13:21.
  •         All nations drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication: Jer 51:57.
  •         Come out of her, my people: Jer 51:6,45; 50:8.
  •         Her sins have reached unto heaven: Jer 51:9.
  •         Reward her even as she rewarded you: Jer 50:29; Psa 137:8.
  •         I sit a queen and am no widow: Isa 47:8.
  •         Therefore shall her plagues come in one day: Isa 47:9.
  •         Rejoice over her, thou heaven: Jer 51:48.
  •         A stone… cast into the sea: Jer 51:63.
  •         Thus shall that great city, Babylon, be thrown down: Jer 51:64.
  •         All that were slain upon the earth: Jer 51:49.

(2) References to Tyre:

  •         Kings of the earth committed fornication with her: Isa 23:17.
  •         The kings of the earth shall wail and lament her: Eze 26:16,17.
  •         Gold, precious stones, spices… : Eze 27:22,24, etc.
  •         Bodies and souls of men: Eze 27:13.
  •         Merchants weeping and lamenting: Eze 27:31.
  •         Every ship master and all the company of ships, etc: Eze 27:29,30.
  •         And they cried out, What city is like unto this great city? Eze 27:32.
  •         They cast dust on their heads, weeping and wailing: Eze 27:30.
  •         The voice of harpers heard no more at all in thee: Eze 26:13.
  •         Thy merchants were the great men of the earth: Isa 23:8.

(3) References to Jerusalem:

  •         Double unto her double: Jer 16:18; Isa 40:2.
  •         The sound of the millstone no more heard… and the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee: Jer 25:10.
  •         The voice of the bridegroom… : Jer 25:10.
  •         In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints… : Jer 2:34.

THE GREAT PROSTITUTE: Faithlessness to God is spiritual adultery (Jam 4:4; Rev 2:20; Jer 3:1-4). Jerusalem herself is pictured as a harlot: Eze 16; 23; Jer 2; 3; Hos 1-4. Fornication, harlotry in a commercial sense: Isa 23:15-18; cp Rev 18:11-17. “Whilst it is true that language of this kind is used in the Old Testament concerning both Tyre (Isa 23:17) and Nineveh (Nah 3:4), the really eloquent passages of this character in the prophets are applied to unfaithful Israel” (WRev).

See also Lesson, Rev 17 woman.

Contrast between Christ and Antichrist: