Revelation 17-18: Babylon the Great and Her Fall

Revelation 17-18 Babylon the Great and Her Destruction

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Revelation 17.1-5 presents a vivid vision of a prostitute, often interpreted differently across Christian traditions. The Old Testament typically uses the term “prostitute” figuratively for God’s unfaithful people (e.g., Leviticus 17.7; Isaiah 1.21; Jeremiah 3.1-14; Ezekiel 16, 23; Hosea 4.15). However, this term is also applied to significant commercial or military centers in the ancient world by authors of these texts. Isaiah 23.16-18, for instance, depicts Tyre as a prostitute serving all global kingdoms; similarly, Nineveh, as the capital of a world empire, is labeled a harlot and sorceress, ensnaring nations through various means (Nahum 3.4). References to these narratives surface in Revelation 18–19. Sorcery and prostitution are linked on other places as well in the Hebrew Bible (Isaiah 57.3; 2 Kings 9:22). The false prophetess mentioned earlier in Revelation could be seen as part of this corrupt system (Revelation 2.20). This chapter’s comparison between Babylon the prostitute and the New Jerusalem the bride is typical of apocalyptic literature, often contrasting the righteous and the wicked. John’s prophecies about Babylon do not need to be confined to just Rome; other evil empires have risen and fallen and were understood to fit this symbol in the mind of John’s readers.^[1]Babylon would be a prime example here. However, Rome, being the contemporary ‘Babylon’, provided the imagery for John’s initial audience in the seven churches.^[2]See: Craig Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, IVP Academic, 2014, p. 762.

Revelation 17.1 describes angelic guides, a common feature in apocalyptic writings, especially when the writer is shown around heaven or earth.^[3]Nephi is taken around the differing images of his vision by a guide as well. Ancient art often depicted cities as their patron goddess, sometimes seated by a river. For example, a coin from Domitian’s father Vespasian’s reign shows the goddess Roma on seven hills. Rome, with its empire stretching across Mediterranean coasts, is fittingly portrayed as seated on many waters (comparing Psalms 65.7; Isaiah 17.12-13).

In Revelation 17.2, rulers of Asian and Syrian states under Roman dominion were termed “kings,” even though they were subservient to Rome and were compelled to bow down to the imperial cult. While these foreign rulers or “kings” might not have viewed their actions as prostitution, people like the Jews of John’s day would have seen them in this light, and so it makes complete sense that this is how John viewed them. This verse also connects to Jeremiah 51.7 regarding nations intoxicated by Babylon’s wine.

Revelation 17.3 discusses being transported in visions by the Spirit (Ezekiel 8.3; 11.1, 24; 2 Baruch; 1 Enoch). The wilderness, the setting for another symbolic woman’s new exodus (Revelation 12.6, 14), also had demonic connotations in Jewish tradition. This could suggest that the woman, who believed herself to be over many waters, would ultimately be desolate (the Greek word ἐρημόω implying barrenness like a desert – 17.16). The beast (13.1) might be linked to Roman legends of the she-wolf and the goddess Roma, commonly depicted on Roman coins. The beast’s scarlet color might symbolize the blood of martyrs or reflect the ostentation of the wealthy or prostitutes (17.4; Jeremiah 4.30).

Revelation 17.4 touches on the use of expensive dyes for purple and scarlet clothing, worn by the wealthy, such as queens (18.7), or affluent prostitutes to draw attention. Ancient moralists often criticized the luxury of wealthy women. John contrasts Rome’s earthly splendor with the true glory of the heavenly woman (12.1; 21.9-14) and heaven’s court (4.3-11), a common technique in ancient writing.

Revelation 17.5 portrays “Babylon” as the ultimate source of evil, being the “mother” of prostitutes and abominations. This could refer to idolatry. The term “prostitute’s forehead” (Jeremiah 3.3; Hosea 2.2) might seem fitting in this context, as foreheads often identified characters in Revelation (e.g., 7.3; 13.16). Older Greek literature slandered Babylonian women as mandated prostitutes once in their lives, but this was likely not a prevalent association in the New Testament era; the imagery is drawn from the Old Testament instead.^[4]Craig Keener, Background Commentary, p. 763.

Revelation 17.6 conveys the disturbing image of being “drunk with blood,” a reference that evokes the horror of cannibalism. This metaphor is most like to be understood to represent Christians who were martyred in Rome during the periods of persecution. The Roman regime, known for its bloodlust, often entertained the masses with free grain and public spectacles, notably those involving bloodshed in arenas. Criminals and slaves were typically chosen to quench the public’s desire for violent shows. The classification of Christians as criminals, particularly evident during Nero’s reign in the first century, meant they formed a significant portion of these victims.^[5]Wolfgram Kinzig, Christian Persecution in Antiquity, Baylor University Press, 2021. Candida Moss provides an alternate reading in her work The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented A … Continue reading

Richard Draper^[6]Opening the Seven Seals, p. 189-190. explains the objectives of the whore:

This worship has its objectives: the acquisition of wealth and luxury at the expense of righteousness and decency. The whore represents those forces that move the world to wholesale adoption of the Mahanic principle. For this reason, it stands counter to the Christian objectives of service, virtue, and love. In self-defense born of a seared conscience, the whore mocks, derides, and openly persecutes the Church of God. So severe is her hatred that she is only satisfied when she can glut herself on the wine of their tears and blood.

John also identifies the woman as “Babylon.” This image will be discussed more fully in chapter eighteen, but note here that the ancient city had the reputation of being the first where men combined against God with the deliberate goal of frustrating and wresting control from him. It was where a false theological system fought against the true (see Gen. 11:1-9). In the first and last books of the Bible, Babylon incarnates arrogance, pride, and insatiable corruption in opposition to God and his kingdom. It stands in contrast to the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, where the law of God thrives.

In this image Babylon represents a real historical organization. Nephi saw the devil establish it among the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles (see 1 Ne. 13:4-6), and he traced its continual existence into the present (see 1 Ne. 13:26-29; 14:1-17). That prophet makes it clear, however, that it is composed of more then one entity. He notes that “they have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious. . . . And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord” (1 Ne. 13:26-27, italics added). Seeing spiritual Babylon as only one association, either at its inception or today, would therefore be wrong. It symbolizes all leagues that may be properly called Antichrist, that pervert the right way of the Lord, and that promote antichristian principles and life-styles.^[7]For an overview of the Great and Abominable Church in this depiction, see Robinson, “Early Christianity,” 182-84.

The term Antichrist seems to fit well with the whore in the form of Babylon. The term comes out of the writings of John (1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 1:7) where it takes the form of a collective order. Babylon is the symbol for this group. The historical reality takes first the form of false teachers moving out from the true church with the purpose of deception, and then the leagues that base themselves upon and promulgate these falsehoods.

John’s two motifs make apparent two major aspects of the same phenomenon: the figure of the city portrays the historical bodies, the figure of the woman the essence of their souls. Both operate among the nations of the world. Taken together they symbolize a kind of state-cult that combines with local and national governments to impose its sham religious system upon men.^[8]Elisabeth Fiorenza, Revelation, p. 7. Such a system can be either theistic or atheistic. As one scholar put it, “The whore provides the theory; government provides the muscle.”^[9]Robinson, “Early Christianity,” p. 2. He continues, “When the false religion represented by the whore is joined to the civil governments (the kings of the earth) represented by the horns of the beast with whom she fornicates, then the wine of their fornication (the results of the union of church and state, or of ideology and police power) plunders the resources of the earth and makes all the world drunk. That is, the power of the state church, or of the church state, seeks to dominate the economy of nations and destroys the spiritual equilibrium and discernment of human beings (see Revelation 17:2; 18:3).”)) Both together compose the state-church.^[10]Richard Draper, Opening the Seven Seals, chapter 17, Deseret Book, 1991, p. 189-190.

In Revelation 17.7-8, the text employs an ancient rhetorical strategy of comparison. It depicts the beast as “was and is not and is to come”—mocking the concept of God’s eternality (1.4). Apocalyptic literature often involves elucidating obscure revelations, typically with angelic assistance. The beast, with its seven heads and ten horns, is reminiscent of the dragon, reflecting the idea that offspring resemble their parents.

Revelation 17.9 acknowledges the well-known fact that Rome was built on seven hills, a detail frequently mentioned in Roman literature and coins and celebrated during the Septimontium festival. In the typical exaggerated style of apocalyptic writing, these hills are referred to as mountains. While the seven mountains of paradise in 1 Enoch 24.2 and 32.1 might not be directly connected, the Sibylline Oracles do predict doom for “seven-hilled Rome” (2.18; 11.109-16).^[11]Book 2, verses 10-20 of The Sibylline Oracles (Milton S. Terry translation) reads: Destruction of men and of lowing kine,Four-footed cattle and laborious mules,And goats and sheep, then shall the … Continue reading Several characteristics identify Rome as the Babylon of John’s era:

1. Rome’s location on seven hills.
2. Its role as the dominant city “over the kings of the earth” in John’s region (17:18).
3. Just as Babylon conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, so too had Rome slaughtered Jewish citizens and forced thousands of Jews from their homes. Its historical conquest of God’s people and the destruction of Jerusalem puts Rome squarely in the typological hotseat of Babylon the Great in John’s view.
4. Jewish interpreters often labeled Rome as a new Babylon due to its conquests and as a successor to other wicked empires, including Babylon.
5. Rome’s status as a commercial empire, positioned on waters, trading in goods listed in Revelation 18:12-13.
6. The imagery of Nero (13:1-2, 18; 17:9-11) is also indicative of Rome.

Like so many of the Jewish visionaries and scholars of his day who interpreted Old Testament language in various ways, John similarly allows his symbolism to represent more than one entity, thus showing us his ability to express multivalent meaning throughout the text of his vision.

Revelation 17.10-11 discusses how some analysts identify the kings beginning with Augustus, the first emperor, but reach the seventh before arriving at the contemporary emperor, Domitian. However, the passage itself notes that one of these seven was ruling at the time (v. 10). Referencing the legendary kings before the Roman Republic is not feasible, as none were alive.

Richard Draper^[12]Opening the Seven Seals, p. 193-194. offers the following regarding Revelation 17.9-13:

Associated with the hills are seven kings. More than likely they represent Roman rulers contemporary with John. A number of schemes have been created to identify these rulers. None, however, have found universal acceptance.^[13]Josephine Massyngberde Ford has an interesting chart on page 289 of her work on revelation that I you can see here. See Ford, Revelation (The Anchor Bible, Vol. 38), Doubleday, 1975. John states that the beast “is the eighth, and is of the seven” (v. 11, KJV). It has been speculated at great length, due to a myth circulating among the Romans in the last half of the first century, that the eighth emperor represents Nero. In spite of knowledge of his death in AD 68, a rumor persisted that he had actually escaped to Parthia in the east and would return to recapture the empire. Many feel that the beast represents this Nero redivivus. The problem is that such a view leaves the prophecy of John unfulfilled. Others argue that the eighth is Domitian, who embodied the evil disposition of Nero against the Christians.^[14]Charles, Commentary, 2:67, 70, 76-87. Note that the monster is not one of the seven (the Greek reads kai ek ton hepta estin) but encapsulates all of them, for they all play the same role.

Affiliated with these are certain kings, probably representing institutions that would come into being after the period of Roman rule, for John states that they “have received no kingdom as yet” (v. 12, KJV). John uses the number ten to describe them, symbolically representing the whole of a part. As applied to the kings, it suggests that they represent all those kingdoms and rulers whom the great whore seduces and who, therefore, adopt her philosophy and manner. But they do not represent all kingdoms. The kingdom of God particularly, as John has shown, stands apart.

The beast is ever present but holds greatest hegemony in the latter days, the period of the ten kings. At that time, he will be able to make many nations subservient to his will. Taking up his banner, the nations will war against the Messiah.^[15]Robert Mounce, Revelation, p. 316-317. But the time of their rule will be short, for they “receive power as kings one hour with the beast” (v. 12, KJV). Here, John also notes that their kingly authority is derived. Whoever gives the authority can set the limits and strength of the power. Once again, the Seer subtly shows that God controls all. The machinations of both the kings and the beast work God’s will, to their total frustration. Indeed, the Lord will win, “for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings” (v. 14, KJV), unlike the rulers of the earth who are but pseudokings. John is perfectly consistent with the Bible and Jewish apocalyptic literature in applying the superlative title “Lord of lords and King of kings” to deity (see, e.g., Deut. 10.17).^[16]See also 1 Enoch 9.4; 2 Maccabees 13.4. The title is old and can be traced back to early Babylonian times when the god Marduk was designated by this title. Further, Babylonian and Persian kings … Continue reading

The key point is that one of these kings was reigning, and another among the seven was predicted to return. It’s questionable if a writer in Domitian’s era, part of the Flavian dynasty, would consider the brief interregnum rulers between Nero and Vespasian as “kings.” Therefore, Nero, likely seen as one of the seven preceding Domitian, was also anticipated to return.

Revelation 17:12 explains that the ten horns symbolize ten kings, as in Daniel 7.24. These could be successors of Alexander the Great’s Greco-Macedonian empire, but in the Roman period, many Jews interpreted Daniel’s fourth kingdom as Rome, possibly applying this to Rome’s eastern client states (compare Rev 17.2).

In Revelation 17.13, the combined plotting of these kings against God is destined to fail, a belief deeply rooted in Jewish tradition (Psalms 2.2; 83.5).

Revelation 17.14 mentions “King of kings,” a title historically attributed to dominant rulers in the East (Ezra 7.12; Ezekiel 26.7; Daniel 2.37; compare 2.47) and then to the Parthian king, Rome’s formidable rival. More importantly, Jews frequently ascribed these titles to God (Deuteronomy 10.17; Daniel 2.47), highlighting God’s ultimate sovereignty over earthly rulers, in contrast to Rome’s dominion over its vassal states (17.2).

Revelation 17.15-16 predicts that the Roman Empire and its allies would ultimately betray Rome, indicating the inherent self-destruction and unfaithfulness of evil pursuits. This imagery originates from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 4.30; Lamentations 1.2; Ezekiel 23.9) with the concept of burning drawn from Daniel 7.11. While fire was a typical method for razing conquered cities in ancient times (Amos 1.4), informed readers might recall rumors that Nero set fire to Rome in A.D. 64 and blamed the Christians. Rome should thus be cautious of embracing a figure akin to Nero.

Revelation 17.17 reflects the Jewish understanding that the contemporary world was under the influence of evil forces seen as angels with restricted power, acknowledging that God ultimately governs the epochs. They believed, as shown in the Old Testament, that God would raise one nation to judge another, yet His intentions differ significantly from those of earthly nations (examples include Jeremiah 51.11, 29; 52.3; Joel 2.11).

Finally, Revelation 17.18 asserts that in John’s era, there was no doubt within the Roman Empire that the city “reigning over kings” referred to Rome, just as the reference to seven hills (17.9) unmistakably pointed to Rome.

Revelation 18: The Fall of Babylon the Great

Draper^[17]Opening the Seven Seals, chapter 18. gives excellent commentary regarding Revelation 18: Chapter eighteen fulfills the promise of the angel that he would show to John “the judgment of the great whore” (17:1, KJV). John sees an angel radiant with power and glory descend from heaven, “and the earth was lightened with his glory” (18:1, KJV). The imagery parallels that found in Ezekiel. In a grand vision, that prophet saw the heavens open and a restoration commence in which the glory of the Lord returned to his temple and overspread his people, “and the earth shined with his glory” (Ezek. 43:2, KJV). From this we gather that the angel John sees, in spite of the gloomy nature of his dirge that “Babylon the great is fallen” (Rev. 18:2, KJV), bears the power of the gospel. He does not exult over the overthrow of the woman but proclaims the triumph of the good. God has fully realized his purposes, and his people at last are ready to enjoy liberation from all oppression.^[18]G.B. Caird, The Revelation of Saint John, Hendrickson, 1993, p. 222.

The angel’s proclamation describes the fallen city of Babylon as the great keep for devils, unclean spirits, and hateful birds. The latter inhabitants seem out of place with devils and spirits. In the Mosaic law, fowls that ate carrion were considered unclean (see Lev. 11.13-20). However, it is unlikely that John had this image in mind. The Old Testament associates fowl with the judgment of God upon a rebellious people. Out of this grew the association of something feeding upon the souls of men (see, e.g., Deut. 28.26; 1 Sam. 17.44; 1 Kgs. 14.11; Ps. 79.2; Isa. 18.6; Jer. 16.4; Ezek. 29.5). The birds thus probably symbolize in general those incorporeal forces that destroy the souls of men.

The fallen Babylon becomes a shattered palace and wretched prison for abomination because of the role she played with the leaders of the world, seducing them to partake without measure of her fornications. In this chapter the angel makes clear the true nature of her power of seduction—the allure of wealth. While earthly lords were guilty of economic dalliance, the merchants committed idolatry through the worship of mammon. The term mammon (Greek mammonas) means money in any form. It symbolizes avarice deified.

The leaders had ample opportunity: Babylon offered it all—for a price. She had cargos of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; clothiers who produced fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; furniture makers and home decorators who used citron wood and made articles of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron, and marble. The list goes on. She was the great supermarket carrying cinnamon and spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep; her transportation department included horses and carriages.

Finally, she offered as slaves the very souls of men (see vv. 12-13). The word translated “slaves” is literally “bodies.”^[19]Greek σῶμα, in the genitive plural here rendered as σωμάτων. The text reads: … Continue readingBabylon seeks to reduce people to flesh that can be bought and sold for profit. In the conquest, men are dehumanized by the consorts of Babylon. This idea is brought out by the last phrase, “souls of men.” This is an old Hebrew phrase depicting men as “little more than human livestock.”^[20]Mounce, Revelation, p. 330-331. This last commodity shows the spiritual depth of Babylon’s wickedness: she sold human beings, both old and young, male and female. Their lives were to be drained away to provide more for those whose fortunes were already so vast that not even the most lavish expenditures could deplete them.

John shows that Babylon’s seductive power tempts almost everyone. In the face of this reality the angel gives a command and warning: “Come out of her, my people . . . that ye receive not of her plagues” (v. 4, KJV). The Saints in the latter days have received the same warning: “The voice of the Lord is unto you: Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (D&C 133.7). And more explicitly: “Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness, which is spiritual Babylon” (D&C 133.14). The Lord means the Saints to take him seriously; he warns: “After today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon” (D&C 64.24).

So great is the total of her iniquities that it has reached, as it were, into heaven. And heaven pays her back for all her mischief. But the payback is not one for one—it is two for one, for she must satisfy the full measure of God’s judgment. Therefore, that which she rendered shall be rendered to her doubled. Sins of commission and omission must both be accounted for.

John’s vision shows a consistent belief in the lex talionis, the idea that punishment should match the crime. However, this is modified in two instances. The first modification affects those who refuse to come out of the great city. Her punishment, thereby, becomes their punishment. Because they have been warned, they will have to answer not only for their own sins, but for hers as well. The second alteration concerns those who do come out of her. Angels keep books of judgment in heaven (see 20.12). But what the books contain is a matter of what God chooses to remember, not what he chooses to forget. He has promised that, when his people repent and become one with him, “I will remember their sin no more” (Jer. 31.34, KJV). As one scholar noted, what “God forgives, he also forgets; and what God forgets is blotted for ever from the record (Jer. 31.34).”^[21]Caird, Revelation, p. 224. When men and women forsake Babylon, God forgets they were ever there.

One of the great sins of Babylon is that she glorifies herself. “I sit a queen, and am no widow,” she exults (v. 7, KJV; cf. Isa. 47.7-8). Her fault is twofold: boastful arrogance, and total faith in her boundless resources without a whisper of conscience.^[22]Caird, p. 223. Her death shall be swift, “in one day,” and full, “she shall be utterly burned with fire” (v. 8, KJV). Her fate is significant. John’s harlot is no commoner. As has been noted earlier, she represents a priestly class. The Levitical punishment for adultery or harlotry for the daughter of a priest was burning (see Lev. 21.9). For the nonpriestly class, the less torturous punishments of strangulation or stoning were employed. Babylon, as apostate—even idolatrous religion—deserves her fate.^[23]Ford, Revelation, p. 303.