The Scarlet Harlot.
“Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and those who live on the earth became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, holding in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” – Revelation 17: 1-6 NASB
The sixth plague causes the symbolic drying up of the Euphrates, as the disillusioned people of the world withdraw their popular support from end-time Babylon. As we saw in the plagues, the shattering of her power will be preceded by extensive demonic activities counterfeiting the work of God (Rev.16:13-14.) The demonic activity will be successful in uniting the wicked in preparation for the battle of Armageddon.
At the outset of the final battle, a great earthquake occurs as part of the seventh plague. The earthquake shatters the unity of Babylon and splits it into three parts (Rev.16:18-19). End-time Babylon is portrayed as a city, signifying the short-term union of political and religious powers of the world in opposition to God’s people. This unity is shattered, causing her to break up.
We must keep in mind that Rev.16:10 only announces the political collapse of end-time Babylon. Chapters 17 and 18 tell us how this collapse actually will happen. Before describing her demise and the reasons for its fall (Rev.17:12-18:24,) Revelation 17 describes this end-time apostate religious system, this time in terms of a harlot riding a scarlet beast. In association with her daughters, the harlot Babylon, riding the scarlet beast, seduces the world against God (Rev.17:1-11).
This should remind us of satan’s original seduction of 1/3rd of the angels (Rev12) and the deception of Adam and Eve through his lying tongue.
Remember he is called by Jesus the “father of lies” (John 8:44.).
Rev 13:1-8 had described the beast and its ‘healing’ in the time of the end. Now we are to see another and final, short-lived union of religion and politics as per the Middle Ages.
As noted yesterday, the woman in Revelation 17 is a counterfeit or a corruption of the woman we had been introduced to in Revelation 12. Now we need to understand that the woman in Revelation 12 was the first object of satan’s wrath when he was cast out of heaven for the last time (Revelation 12:10-12). This woman represented God’s church and was therefore the object of scorn from satan and his minions. The contrast with the prostitute of Revelation 17 is complete. The first woman gives birth to the Lord, while the second is the ‘mother of harlots.’ The first is bathed in heavenly glory, while the second is bathed in earthly splendour. The first is attacked by satan, while the second is double crossed by the beast who was supposed to be an ally.
Notice the two groups of people who are specified by today’s text as being involved in the illicit relationship with, and being seduced by, end-time Babylon.The first group is the kings of the earth, the governing political powers. They are portrayed as being engaged in an adulterous relationship with the harlot Babylon. In the Old Testament, the language of fornication is used frequently to describe how apostate Israel turned away from God to false religions (Isa. 1:21, Jer. 3:1–10). The adulterous relationship between the kings of the earth and the harlot symbolizes an illicit union between end-time Babylon and the governing political powers—a union of church and state.
The second group in an illicit relationship with the harlot Babylon is the inhabitants of the earth, the governed masses. These are made spiritually drunk with the wine of Babylon’s fornication. In contrast to the governing political powers, the general populace is intoxicated by Babylon’s false teachings and practices, deceived into thinking that she can protect them. When people are drunk, they do not think clearly and are controlled easily (see Isa. 28:7). The whole world, with the exception of a faithful remnant, will be led astray by Babylon.