Revelation 17:7-18 - The Mystery of the Woman and the Beast Revealed - Bible Studies With Mark

 

 

But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to destruction. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. These are of one mind, and they hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages. And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and handing over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth." [Rev 17:7-18 ESV] 

I once had the passage in Revelation 17:7–18 described to me as “one of the more intense decoder ring moments in the Bible.” In most of the Book of Revelation, John is just reporting what he sees—dragons, bowls of fire, and strange creatures—often without a direct explanation. But in verse 7, the Angel basically says, "Stop looking so confused; I’m going to tell you exactly what this means." Essentially, this passage acts as the Rosetta Stone for the rest of the book. If you can decode the Woman and the Beast here, you have the coordinates to map out the rest of the apocalyptic landscape. Before continuing, we need to consider perspective.  While many historical scholars view this as a critique of the Roman Empire, many futurist theologians see it as a blueprint for a global political, economic, and religious system that will emerge in the end times. As with all prophecy, we need to avoid the temptation to make assumptions and assignments with the text that the text simply does not support.

The Mystery of the Beast (v. 8)

The angel describes the beast as one that "was, and is not, and yet is."  This is often seen as a dark parody of God, who is "the one who is, who was, and who is to come." Historically, many scholars link this to the Nero Redivivus legend, the popular belief in the first century that the Emperor Nero would come back to life after his suicide to lead an army against Rome.

 The Seven Heads and Seven Hills (v. 9–11)

The angel provides a dual meaning for the seven heads of the beast:

•  Geographic: They represent "seven hills on which the woman sits." This is a neon sign pointing to Rome, which was famously known as the city on seven hills. 
•  Political: They represent seven kings. 
•  Five have fallen (Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero). 
•  One "is" (Vespasian or Domitian, depending on when you date the writing). 
•  One is yet to come for a short time. 
•  The "eighth" king is the beast itself, emerging from the seven.

The Ten Horns (v. 12–14)

The ten horns represent ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom. They give their power and authority to the beast. They make war against the Lamb (Jesus), but the Lamb triumphs because he is "Lord of lords and King of kings."

The Waters and the Woman (v. 15)

The angel clarifies that the "waters" where the prostitute sits represent peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. This signifies that the system (Babylon) has a global reach and exerts influence over the entire known world.

The Twist: The Beast Turns on the Woman (v. 16–18)

In a dramatic turn of "honor among thieves," the beast and the ten horns eventually grow to hate the prostitute. They strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. Verse 17 notes that God has put it into their hearts to do this. Essentially, the forces of evil end up consuming themselves as part of a larger divine judgment. Verse 18 explicitly identifies the woman as "The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." To John’s original audience, this was an unmistakable reference to the Roman Empire.

Summary of Symbols 

•  The Beast - A world power/Antichrist figure fueled by chaos. 
•  The Seven Heads - The seven hills of Rome and a succession of emperors. 
•  The Ten Horns - Allied leaders or puppet kings who support the Beast. 
•  The Prostitute - "Babylon", the corrupt economic and seductive system of the world. 
•  The Waters - The diverse nations and populations of the earth.