Revelation
chapter 17 - 'The Woman on the Beast'
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me,
"Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits
on many waters.
2 With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of
the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw
a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names
and had seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold,
precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with
abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.
5 This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH
6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of
those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
7 Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain
to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the
seven heads and ten horns.
8 The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of
the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names
have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will
be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and
yet will come.
9 "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills
on which the woman sits.
10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not
yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while.
11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to
the seven and is going to his destruction.
12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom,
but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
14 They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because
he is Lord of lords and King of kings-- and with him will be his called, chosen
and faithful followers."
15 Then the angel said to me, "The waters you saw, where the prostitute
sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will
bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her
with fire.
17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing
to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled.
18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth."
This chapter presents a bizarre image of a woman clothed in purple and scarlet, riding on a scarlet beast. Firstly, it should be noted that, within the Scriptures, such words as ‘purple, scarlet and gold’ are not merely visually descriptive, but possess less obvious, covert meanings, describing visual, symbolic or spiritual qualities or virtues. Details such as ‘horns’ can represent either ‘strength’ or ‘kingdoms’ or both. One such example is in the eighth chapter of the Old Testament book of Daniel:
‘I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.’ Daniel 8: 3-4
The text states that the woman was in the desert, but seated ‘on many waters.’ The creature on which she rides has seven heads and ten horns - the third such creature found in the Book of Revelation. The two other references to seven-headed, ten-horned creatures are in chapters thirteen and fourteen. Whereas the only detail of the dragon in chapter twelve is that it is red and has a tail, the creature in chapter thirteen is described as a beast (or wild beast), resembling a leopard, with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. The beast of chapter seventeen is red and is ‘covered with blasphemous names’. Beyond its heads, horns, colour and blasphemous names, there is no further description.
That I have provided it with a reptilean-like appearance is explained in the notes accompanying the image of ‘The Woman Clothed with the Sun’ - Revelation 12.
The woman in this image is adorned with precious stones and pearls and has written on her forehead:
‘MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.’
Since the prostitute ('whore' - Authorised Version) who rode the beast had seduced the kings of the earth, her appearance needed to be not unattractive. In the Scriptures, the words 'prostitute' or 'whore', consistently refer to those who would entice the unfaithful away from following God. Her physical attractiveness was somewhat offset by John's statement that, "she held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries".
Clearly, the sheer literary and visual drama found within this remarkable text has been enough to inspire writers and artists over many centuries. The images become all the more vivid and compelling when set within the context of the whole of Bible teaching - both Old and New Testaments.