Before the Antichrist is killed and resurrected, 6 regions remain beyond his control. Allied with these 6 regions will be a great worldwide religious system. However, the Antichrist’s resurrection before the entire world ignites wonder and worship, eroding legitimacy and support from this ubiquitous religion. The world’s population increasingly abandons the great religious system and begins instead to follow the resurrected Antichrist. After he is installed as the 8th supreme executive, the Antichrist consolidates his hold on power over the entire confederation. Previously, the Antichrist subjugated 3 other regions. Now as the 8th ruler he dominates all 10. As the 8th ruler, the Antichrist now exercises complete control over areas once governed as 10 semiautonomous regions. The Antichrist also exacts revenge upon the remainder of the great worldwide religious system that opposed him. Along with the 10 ‘rulers’ who implement his will, the Antichrist will destroy the religious system and the city that serves as its base of support. So complete is the Antichrist’s domination that he alone is now the empire.
What information is in our possession that can help us discover the meaning of the woman and her relationship with the beast? The problem is not that we have too little information. Rather, it is a matter of correctly correlating what we do know. As we read Revelation chapters 17 - 18, we find four very helpful pieces of information. The woman’s influence is worldwide. The woman is not the beast, but does have a close relationship with a revived form of the beast. The woman is called a “great city.” The woman has titles like names written across her forehead.
The first category of information concerns the great harlot’s ubiquitous influence. The effect she has worldwide is repeatedly stressed. The first time we read about this great harlot in Revelation, we see that her influence spans “the nations” and that its corrupting nature brings judgment.
And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.”
Revelation 14:8
Here the woman is called “Babylon the great.” She will provide an intoxicating elixir of passionate spiritual adultery to “all the nations.”
In Revelation 17, the angel begins to describe the great harlot to the Apostle John with these words:
Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot
who sits upon many waters,
with whom the kings of the earth practiced immorality,
and those who dwell on the earth became drunk from the wine of her immorality.
Revelation 17:1b-2 [*]
The angel indicates that the extent of this great harlot’s influence is seen specifically by those who participate in her fornication. Both “the rulers of the earth,” and “those who dwell on the earth” allow her to corrupt them. The angel himself explains the symbolism of the “many waters” upon which the woman sits:
And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.”
Revelation 17:15
This is completely consistent with the previous statements concerning the extent of this woman’s corrupting influence. Her reach is truly vast.
Further confirmation of the vast extent of this corruption is found in Revelation 18, where another angel cries out.
“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. 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,
Revelation 18:2b-3b
Again, the angel says to the great harlot:
“ ... because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery.”
Revelation 18:23b
The overwhelming testimony of Scripture is that this great harlot’s reach will be worldwide and that her influence will be horribly corrupting.
Next, we see the great harlot’s association with the Roman governmental system. In addition to sitting upon the many waters, which represent “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” (Rev 17:15), the woman also sits upon the beast.
And I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, being filled with names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Revelation 17:3b [*]
There are two important implications in this aspect of John’s vision. First, the harlot is separate from the beast. The great harlot is not the beast. She is not an aspect of the revived Roman power. The beast and the great harlot are two separate entities. Second, the great harlot and the beast have a close relationship. The worldwide corrupting woman has an ongoing relationship with the revived Roman power. The revived Roman power supports the woman. [ 42 ]
We should take special notice of the form of Roman power that supports the great harlot. The structure of Roman power changes. The Roman confederation of 10 semi-independent regions has been altered at some point by the Antichrist’s aggression. When the angel begins his explanation in Revelation 17, the Roman confederation has 7 decision-makers or rulers controlling the power of the 10 regions. The angel shows that the revived Roman power exists then in a 7-headed & 10-horned form. This form of the Roman confederation exists after the Antichrist has gained an undisputed rule of one region himself, and after he has subdued 3 other regions. It is at this stage that the angel begins to explain the harlot’s interaction and close relationship with the confederation. John’s vision reveals how much the Roman confederation changed from its original structure.
How long does this relationship continue? The angel’s curious words assist us in fixing the time when the supportive relationship with the mutating beast begins to change.
Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits and they are seven kings.
Revelation 17:9-10a
The angel’s words here remind us that the 7 heads of the beast represent the 7 non-dominated regional rulers. We have already discussed the puzzling symbolism of heads and horns. Our attention, for now, should be focused on a different curiosity. Neither the angel nor the Apostle John mentions an 8th ruler until v. 11. Rev 17:11 specifically says that the beast himself is also an 8th ruler, yet the form of the revived Roman power that interacts in a supporting way with the great harlot has no 8th ruler. Twice the woman is described as “sitting” upon the 7 rulers of the beast (Rev 17:3 & 9-10a). Yet these two references do not mention this 8th ruler. Among the many implications is that the supportive relationship that exists between the harlot and the beast exists before the 8th ruler comes along. The 7-headed & 10-horned form of the empire has a close relationship with the harlot. This will not be true when the 8th ruler comes to power.
There is only one mention of any interaction between the great harlot and the revived Roman power beyond the time of the 7th ruler. This one point of contact is truly significant. After the 8th ruler comes to power, a drastic change can be observed in the beast’s relationship with the harlot.
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.
Revelation 17:16
The supportive close interrelationship with the 7-headed form of Roman power has ended. While the 10 horns are mentioned, the former 7 heads or rulers are not. The former ‘7 ruler’ form of the Roman power is gone. The 8th ruler and his 10 administrators now represent the operating form of Roman power and they hate the harlot. The supportive interrelationship which the harlot enjoyed with the previous stage of the beast is over. Now the beast destroys the great harlot.
Mutual advantage is the underlying foundation for relationships among powerful entities. The ‘7-ruler & 10-region’ form of Roman power found a relationship with the great harlot beneficial. The following form of the empire’s power, a one-man rule with 10 regional administrators, apparently finds no ongoing benefit from a relationship with the great harlot. On the contrary, this dictatorial form of power, this phase of the beast, finds it advantageous to destroy her.
Thus, we are able to observe from the texts themselves that the great harlot is not the beast nor any part of the beast, though initially, she enjoys a close supportive relationship with the form of Roman power operating at that time. The worldwide influential harlot is supported by the 7-ruler & 10-region form of the revived Roman power. However, when that stage of Roman power changes, so does its supportive relationship with the great harlot. The dictatorial rule of the Antichrist as the 8th ruler, along with his 10 regional administrators, hate the great harlot with such intensity that they completely destroy it.
The third piece of information about the woman involves her association with a great city. These words are the angel’s last and bring his explanation of the mystery to a close.
And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.
Revelation 17:18
This short sentence says much. The angel finally discloses the meaning of the harlot. The harlot is the great city. Notice, the great harlot is not just any city. The great harlot is “the great city.” The identity of the “great city” is further defined as one “which reigns over the kings of the earth.” The way the angel describes this city leaves little doubt that there can only be one such city “of the earth” at that time.
Additional information about this great city’s identity can be found in the angel’s description. Specifically, in what she “sits” on. The woman is said to be sitting on several things in Revelation 17. First, when the angel initially describes the woman, she is sitting “on many waters” (v. 1). Second, when John first sees the great harlot, she is sitting on a “beast” with 7 heads and 10 horns (v. 3). Third, the angel again says the woman is sitting on 7 mountains.
Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains where the woman sits upon them, and they are seven kings.
Revelation 17:9-10a [*]
The same Greek verb is found in all 3 uses (17:1, 3, 9). In this context, “sitting” on something means that she is supported by it. The “many waters” she sits on in v. 1 is explained as vast multitudes of different language and ethnic groups (v. 15). When John sees her, she is supported by the 7-headed & 10-horned phase of the revived Roman power.
When we see the woman sitting for the third time in v. 9, we begin to see the connection between the 7 heads of the beast and their geographic location. The great harlot is “sitting” on the 7 hills or mountains. [ 43 ] Just as the angel gave us further information about the first thing the woman sits on in v. 15, now he gives us further information about this third thing she sits on in v. 18.
And the woman which you saw is the great city which is having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.
Revelation 17:18 [*]
The great harlot is not just found within a seven-hilled city, she is that city.
The woman is “the great city which is having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.” Therefore, the great harlot is a 7-hilled city that dominates the earth. When the Apostle John wrote down his visions there was only one city that matched this description. Rome was the heart of the Roman Empire, a 7-hilled city that dominated the kings of the earth. [ 44 ]
The angel’s words in Rev 17:9-10a place the location of the 7 rulers of the confederation also in Rome. The 7 ruler stage of Roman power, the stage of Roman power that is closely supportive of the great harlot, is closely identified with Rome. That the geographic location of the great worldwide harlot is also the administrative center of this phase of the beast’s power explains why John’s vision shows the woman “sitting” upon the beast (Rev 17:3). Their close, mutually beneficial interrelationship can be appreciated when the key information from the angel in Rev 17:18 is supplied. The woman “is the great city which is having a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”
The angel indicates in Rev 17:16 that the Antichrist as the 8th ruler, along with his 10 regional administrators, will no longer see any advantage in keeping the city of Rome in a close relationship. They will hate Rome.
and having made her desolate will make her also naked, and her flesh they will eat, and they will consume her in fire.
Revelation 17:16b [*]
The rise of the Antichrist as the 8th ruler initiates a regime change in the revived Roman power. The last vestiges of the Roman confederation are removed when the Antichrist destroys Rome. With the destruction of Rome, the whole world knows that the former things are gone. The seductive materialism is gone. The 7-hilled and ‘Eternal City’ is no more. Only the Antichrist remains. [ 45 ]
In his vision, John sees something written on the woman’s forehead.
and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
Revelation 17:5
Each of these titles further defines just what the woman represents.
In exploring the meaning of these titles, the second will be considered first. The woman is called the “Mother of Harlots.” How should we understand the word translated as “harlot”? The Greek term used for the woman is πόρνη (porna). By the time of the New Testament, this term had come to mean any inappropriate sexual intercourse. [ 46 ] In nearly every description of the woman her infidelity is mentioned. What should we understand about the woman and the city of Rome from this term? Is there a previous use of this metaphor which provides insight into the angel’s descriptions of the woman’s sexual impurity?
The metaphor of a harlot or prostitute is found frequently in the Old Testament. The Hebrew root זנה and its derivatives carry the meaning of sexual intercourse that violates marriage or a formal union such as betrothal. [ 47 ] It is for this reason that Israel was often called a זָנַה - “harlot” because of her frequent straying into the practice of worshiping foreign gods.
Israel had a covenant relationship with the Lord. She willingly bound herself to him (Exod 19:8, 24:3, Deut 5:27, 26:17). When Israel worshiped the gods of neighboring nations, she was being unfaithful to the Lord. Just as a Hebrew woman would be guilty of being a זָנַה - “harlot” if she engaged in sexual activity that violated her vows of marriage or betrothal, so Israel was a “harlot” when she worshiped other gods. The Lord spoke of Israel’s straying through the prophet Jeremiah.
“I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth,
The love of your betrothals,
Your following after Me in the wilderness,
Through a land not sown.”
Jeremiah 2:2
Thus says the Lord,
“What injustice did your fathers find in Me,
That they went far from Me
And walked after emptiness and became empty?”
Jeremiah 2:5
“The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
And those who handle the law did not know Me;
The rulers also transgressed against Me,
And the prophets prophesied by Baal
And walked after things that did not profit.”
Jeremiah 2:8
“Has a nation changed gods,
When they were not gods?
But my people have changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
“Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
And shudder, be very desolate” declared the Lord
“For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me,
The fountain of living waters,
To hew for themselves cisterns,
Broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
Jeremiah 2:11-13
“Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
Or a bride her attire?
Yet My people have forgotten Me
Days without number.”
Jeremiah 2:32
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My Covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them.”
Jeremiah 31:31-32
In these passages, we feel the Lord’s anguish. He was faithful to Israel but was repaid with repeated public rejection. Israel’s unfaithfulness was like a wife’s infidelity.
Offerings made to idols for the fertility of crops and animals, even for the offspring of sons and daughters, led to idolatrous fertility rituals in which sexual activity was part of the worship itself. Integral to such worship was sexual activity through cult prostitutes, both male and female, who offered themselves as part of the fertility ritual and worship experience. These were the religious practices of Israel’s Canaanite neighbors. [ 48 ]
Israel herself fell into aspects of idol worship repeatedly. God, therefore, refers to Israel’s spiritual infidelity as prostitution and harlotry because these sexual sins were seen regularly by the ancient Israelites among the neighboring nations, and among even their own corrupt worship of the Lord. [ 49 ]
God had revealed himself in truth to the people he had chosen. The issue of spiritual harlotry is addressed in the laws which would govern Israel’s corporate and individual relationship to him. It is not coincidental that Israel’s spiritual unfaithfulness is addressed in combination with sexual sins.
And you shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.
Leviticus 18:20-22
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “You shall also say to the sons of Israel, ‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from any alien sojourning in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. ... If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech. As to the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will a