Vision Six - the Role & Results of Imperial Power
Revelation 17:1 - 19:5
In placing this vision in the context of Revelation, it helps to review three women presented as key images throughout
these visions. In the third vision, which presented Satan as the root of the evil that was persecuting the faithful, the opening showed
a woman clothed in the stars, sun, and moon, representing the faithful followers of God, and out of whom came Christ. The sixth
vision parallels the third vision to show that Satan and his followers will be conquered because of their evil, and this vision shows Rome
as a gaudily dressed, powerful prostitute. While the contrast between these two women is intentionally dramatic, so is the contrast
to come in the seventh vision, where the woman presented there will be the redeemed Church as the bride of Christ.
Opening scene in heaven (17:1 - 17:2)
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew
unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the
wine of her fornication.
It is entirely appropriate that this recap of the judgement is delivered by one of the angels with the bowls, as it serves
to reinforce that this was the final judgement. There was also Old Testament precedent to this name for people who had
rejected God's way: Nahum calls the city of Nineveh a harlot in
Nahum 3:4, and Isaiah calls
the city of Tyre a harlot in
Isaiah 23:16. Isaiah
even calls Jerusalem a harlot in
Isaiah 1:21, explaining why
God will punish them. In some cases like this one, apocalyptic references to "waters" represents populations, so the "harlot seated
on many waters" means that Rome had dominance over large numbers of people. The kings of the earth, any others who had authority
or power, accepted and participated in the evil and the rejection of God.
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names
of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
This same Greek word for "wilderness" is used in
Isaiah chapter 21 in the
Greek Old Testament to describe Babylon. John is drawing a parallel of good and evil, in the woman in the third vision sent into
the wilderness for God to care for her and this prostitute of the sixth vision seen in the wilderness. The word for "sitting" on
the beast is the same root word as for "sitting" on many waters, and has a connotation in Greek for residing and belonging there,
for being in control. Thus, this woman is pictured as being in control of the first beast, the same beast representing the Roman
Empire that Satan called out of the water in Revelation 13:1, with even more emphasis this time on the blasphemy of this beast.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden
cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
The description of this as a "mystery" has been greatly misused through the ages by those looking to make their
pet theory fit the scriptures. John's intent on labelling this a "mystery" is to let his listeners know that he is about to explain it, so
that there would no longer be any mystery about it! He does this consistently through the book of Revelation, so his
listeners would understand and build up their faith for the struggles ahead of them. When we encounter something we don't
understand in Revelation, it isn't because John is toying with us, or embedding some code for 22nd century Christians. It is
because we no longer understand the context in which John was writing or the colloquial reference that his listeners would have
immediately grasped.
The descriptions here of the woman somewhat resemble royalty, with reference to purple fabric and gold jewelry. However,
nothing in this scene is regal -- the woman is proud of the opulent debauchery of her wealth. The name on her forehead is
clearly similar to the names of blasphemy on the heads of the beast and the sign of the beast on the unbelievers, and unambiguously
identifies this woman as representing Rome. This name tag also fits with the practice of prostitutes in Rome, who wore a label with
their names on their brows. The contents of the golden cup would be strong wine to get her lovers drunk. When the whole
picture is put together, we have the description of the finery worn by temple prostitutes in Asia Minor, such as those in the
Temple of Aphrodite in Corinth.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus ...
Even as evil as Rome was in the first century, drunkenness was considered disgraceful, much more so that
we consider it today. The phrase "drunk with blood" was common in secular texts of the first century, with authors such as Euripides,
Cicero, and Pliny describing those that were eager to torture and kill. John portrays Rome as killing the faithful with lustful abandon.
John's image of Rome as a wanton prostitute is appropriate, even understated, compared to accounts from the first century
of the decadence of Rome, its noblemen, and its rulers. One early secular historian, Tacitus, wrote in his Annals that Rome was "the
place into which from all over the world all atrocious and shameful things flow and where they are most popular."
... and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her,
which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
John was not awed by the woman, and he certainly did not "admire" her, as the KJV phrases it. He just didn't
understand, so the angel explained it to him -- and to us.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ["is about to"] ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:
and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,
when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Part of this explanation underscores the beast as the "false Messiah" by distorting the three-fold description
of God. However, it also specifically identifies Nero as an emperor who ruled, died, and was rumored to come back to life, then
will be eternally condemned, clearly paralleling the one head with a mortal wound on the first beast. The recurring theme in a number
of these visions of Nero back from the dead represents the absolute worst that Satan can do to Christians, but even then, there
is certain defeat for Satan and his followers.
The following section uses the chiasmus format that also was used in the letters to the churches. This
"crossing" form is used to emphasize the middle point of the section, by having the surrounding points mirror each other. In this
case, the section proceeds like:
- A: the seven heads are the seven mountains (= Rome)
- B: the seven kings will rise up against God
- C: the ten horns represent the power against God
- D: but the Lamb will conquer all
- C': the waters represent all the people against God
- B': the ten horns will hate God
- A': the woman represents the great city (= Rome)
The structure practically jumps right off the screen when we break it down this way.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom ...
Other Bible translations interpret this phrase as "This calls for a mind with wisdom," but in our infatuation with our
mental skills, we might interpret this verse as saying what follows is a difficult mental challenge. Not so! Instead, what follows is
explained more clearly than much of the rest of the apocalyptic literature. What is required is not intelligence to figure out
the puzzle but wisdom to apply that lesson, and the lesson is the judgement directed to the Roman Empire and all other
human authorities that would set themselves up in opposition to God. To make this point, John's descriptions obviously link
Rome with judgements to past cities, especially Babylon, Tyre, and Nineveh, so John's descriptions equally apply to future cities.
... The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rome was known then and now as the city on seven mountains, but symbolically, seven mountains would
indicate the ways that human rulers would set themselves up as powers.
10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
If we want to match this statement to seven Roman emperors, a literal application, we find it difficult, because
we can't be certain with which emperor this image starts. The eighth emperor, who is one of the seven, would likely refers to the
Nero legend, but that's all we can tell for certain.
For those who try to interpret this literally against first Century rulers, there has been a strong sense that Domitian, who was
worshipped widely across the Empire, must have been meant as the reincarnation of Nero, therefore the eighth king. This
would place the writing of Revelation earlier than 92 A.D., in fact, during the reign of Vespasian in 69 - 79 A.D. But this interpretation
of Nero revisited as Domitian conflicts with the images
of Nero leading the armies of the Parthians against Rome - you can't have both!
I find as much problem with interpreting figurative apocalyptic literature literally in the first century as I do interpreting it literally
in the 20th century. It is sufficient to see in the seven emperors a completeness of the Roman Empire, and so any other
earthly power, arrayed against God.
Notice that John tells his listeners that they are just now with the sixth emperor, so they still must wait through the short reign of
the seventh before Nero comes back again. The message to this delay in the eighth emperor is that the Christians must continue to be
patient -- they should not assume that the end is too near, nor too far in the future. This interpretation of "soon" is a common theme
in apocalyptic literature, as in 1 Enoch where the readers are in the seventh period of ten periods of time, and as in 2 Esdras
where the readers are 9 1/2 periods into the 12 periods of time.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
As the angel explains the coming final battle to John, he first identifies the risen Nero as the leader of the opposition
to God, then adds lots ("ten") of power ("horns") to the opposition. These ten are intentionally left unidentified, simply
representing power and might coming from the earth in places other than the Roman empire, uniting with Nero, Rome, and Satan. This
power should not be limited to rulers of kingdoms -- later on in Revelation, wealthy merchants will be referenced as "princes." Even
with all the power from across the earth, this force will be conquered by Christ.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall
eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
There is a strong message in the aftermath of the defeat of evil, that evil can never be "of one mind." Those
evil powers who were allied with Nero and Rome later turn on Rome and destroy it, and God will use their evil and their divisiveness
to carry out His will.
It can be puzzling that the harlot is destroyed not by the power of the Lamb but by the powers of evil with which she had been
associated. Part of this reference is a parallel to
Ezekiel 23, in which
God compares the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah to prostitutes who sell themselves to neighboring
countries, and who in the end fall to these countries. There is a harmony to that comparison, that God will hold others accountable
for the same faithfulness that he required of Israel and Judah.
Still, there is the question on who actually defeats and punishes the prostitute. On the one hand, John is drawing all punishment
to the final Judgement, but on the other hand, other evil forces are still active and powerful to conquer Babylon. The key is that it
doesn't matter -- God works through the purposes of evil empires within the limits He establishes for their power, and through direct
intervention. In the end, God is in control of all, including the judgement of this wicked city.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
The angel reminds us once more than Rome is the harlot. See how intent John is on resolving the "mystery" in the
minds of his listeners?
|
