Introduction: When we left Revelation 16 last week we closed with the
enemies of God assembling for the Battle of Armageddon. This week we
are introduced to a new character, the “great prostitute.” War and
sex, this is beginning to sound like a modern novel. Let’s plunge
into our study of the Bible and learn more about what God has in mind
for the future!
- The Great Prostitute
- Read Revelation 17:1-2 and Revelation 14:8. The great
prostitute is obviously not a good woman. What do you
think that she represents? (She sounds like Babylon the
Great. This is obviously a power aligned against God’s
people.) - What do you think the mention of her gender tells us?
(We previously decided that the woman of Revelation
12:1 was the group following Jesus. Thus, this
prostitute likely represents a religious power that
is opposed to God.) - When the text says that she sits on many waters, what
does that mean? (Read Revelation 17:15. Recall that
we previously discussed this issue. “Waters” means
people and “earth” means a relatively uninhabited
place. This is a religious power that operates in a
highly populated area.) - What is the prostitute’s relationship to the secular
powers of the earth? (She has won them over to her
point of view. They have “committed adultery.” This
means that they are unfaithful to God. The average
“man on the street” is also taken with her because he
is “intoxicated” with her “wine.” Thus, both secular
leaders and the general population are in agreement
with her anti-God point of view.) - Read Revelation 17:3-4. Why would you travel to a desert
(or wilderness) to find a woman who sits on waters?
(Recall the Ten Horn sea beast and Earth beast of
Revelation 13? This may refer to their relationship, or it
may tell us that the woman is operating outside of her
normal base.) - This How does the Great Prostitute look? (Fancy!
Rich! She wears clothes of royal colors. She has lots
of expensive jewelry and she drinks from an expensive
cup. She clearly has lots of money.) - Does she have to walk to get places? (No, she rides
on a scarlet beast.) - Have we seen her ride before? Is this a taxi?
(No! This sounds exactly like old “Ten Horn,”
the Sea Beast of Revelation 13.) - When we studied Ten Horn in Revelation 13, we
decided that it represented Pagan and Papal
Rome. I suggested to you that the Earth Beast
of Revelation 13 represented the combined
powers of Islam, pagans, and Christians (in the
United States and elsewhere) who did not study
their Bibles. They combine their power when
Satan impersonates the Second Coming of Jesus.
See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Is the great
prostitute the same as the Earth Beast? (That
is likely – but it refers to a time when
pagans, Muslims, and shallow Christians make
their anti-God religious views paramount.) - If the Great Prostitute is the Earth Beast, why
would it ride on Ten Horn? (It shows an
alliance of all religious powers coming
together to oppose God’s saints.) - Does the “ride” for the Great Prostitute simply
mean she does not have to walk? (No. This means
that she controls Ten Horn. She directs the use
of its powers.) - Read Revelation 17:5-6. Why does the name of the Great
Prostitute start out with “Mystery?” (I think this is a
clue that we might not have things exactly right.
Understanding this is not obvious, it is difficult.) - How does the Great Prostitute’s description as a
“mother” aid us in understanding what she is? (She is
the source, the “mother,” of all the powers that
cause people to be unfaithful to God. She is the
source of all abominations.) - Think about that a minute. How does that aid us in
understanding the Great Prostitute as a symbol? (This
cannot be an organization or even an identified
religion. This is a religious philosophy that
undergirds all of the combined groups and
organizations which are represented by the Great
Prostitute.) - What is your suggestion about that religious
philosophy? (Mine is this: a belief that life
without God is not only possible, it is
superior. This is a “spiritual,” or “ethical”
view that is in opposition to the teachings of
God.) - Is this religious philosophy something that we can
ignore? (No. It will kill us if given the
opportunity.) - The Great Prostitute Explained
- Read Revelation 17:7. Did we go through all of this
analysis for nothing? Is an angel now going to explain the
“mystery” to us? - Read Revelation 17:8-9. Did that solve the mystery for
you? (This sounds like our prior discussion because we
linked the Ten Horn to our prior discussion of Revelation
13. The “seven hills” is also consistent with our prior
discussion because Rome is built on seven hills.) - Not so fast. This beast arises from the “abyss.”
Didn’t Ten Horn arise from the sea in Revelation
13:1? Is the Abyss something else?(When we looked at
Revelation 9:11 we decided that the Angel of the
Abyss was Satan. It seemed that the Abyss is hell. In
Revelation 20 we will learn that Satan is bound in
the Abyss. Perhaps arising from the abyss means that
it arises from Satanic philosophy.) - There is another serious problem. Although the NIV
(and other versions) translate this as “hills,” it
seems more appropriate to translate it as
“mountains.” That makes the identification of Rome
much more problematic. What do you think “seven
mountains” could mean? (This goes back to a
discussion we had when we first saw Ten Horn rise
from the sea in Revelation 13. We had previously seen
the dragon that represents Satan, and that dragon had
seven heads. At the time, I suggested that it meant
the dragon was smart. But, since then I’ve thought
about the idea that a “mountain” refers to an area of
influence in the world. For example mountains could
be law, entertainment, business, and government, to
name some. Thus, this might mean instead that its
Satanic influence covers many important and
influential areas of life.) - Read Revelation 17:10-13. Does this further explain the
mystery to you? (There are many explanations for these
kings and kingdoms. However, to the extent that we have
been discussing that the Ten Horn is a combined religious
and secular power, this makes sense.) - Victory
- Read Revelation 17:14. Who wins in the battle with the Ten
Horn? (Our God! Our side!) - Read Revelation 17:16-18. What other victory do we see?
(There is conflict among the opponents of God. Ten Horn
and the Great Prostitute have a falling out. Ten Horn and
the beast attack the prostitute.) - Let’s consider this. If the Great Prostitute is the
combined forces involved in the fake Second Coming of
Jesus, what does that reveal about the future? (When
the whole world believes that the redeemer of all
faiths and religions has come, and that combined
religious power turns against the people of God,
there comes a time when its true character becomes
clear. At this point there is internal rebellion.) - Notice that the Great Prostitute is also associated
with a city. Should we understand that the Great
Prostitute for a time has headquarters in one great
city of the world? (Read Revelation 16:19. This is an
earlier reference to the “great city” and it also
refers to its destruction. We should understand that
the Great Prostitute has a headquarters.) - Friend, the time to be ready is now! Become a serious
student of the Bible so that you will not be deceived by
the Great Prostitute. - Next week: I Make All Things New.
