Rev 17:4 | KingComments | STEP | . In the previous chapter you were a witness of the final judgments on the earth, executed by seven angels by the means of seven bowls. In this way the wrath of God was finished ( ). In the description of the judgments in just one verse only of the previous chapter there was mention of the judgment on Babylon the great ( ). In the Revelation 17-18 John, and we with him, gets a detailed explanation of this judgment. That explanation he gets from one of the seven bowl angels, one who is involved, someone who knows what he’s talking about. But it is not only an oral explanation. John also gets to see something. The angel invites John to join him to go to a place where he wants to show him how Babylon the great will come to her end. Before they arrive there the angel informs John about what he gets to see. He will become an eye witness of the judgment on the city that is presented as “the great harlot” ( ; cf. ). From the description that follows it appears that this is an indication of the roman-catholic church. He sees further that the harlot “sits on many waters”. What those many waters represent is written in . They represent the peoples of the earth and particularly the nations that belong to the restored Roman empire, which appears from . The harlot is the church which is Christian in name and which pretends to represent Christ, but in practice has fully allied itself with the world, the “many waters”. John sees the roman-catholic church in the connection she has established with the kings of the earth. Her unfaithfulness therefore appears from her love expressions to the governments of the world. The fact that she ‘sits’ on it indicates that she has control over many governments. You see that in particular in the countries where the roman-catholic church has many followers. In her corruptness she dominates the governments. She acts as if she is defending a good cause, but in reality she is out for power. Like no other church the roman-catholic church has pretended to be the true church and the true bride of Christ. She has also, like no other church in its history, demonstrated thoroughly worldly, demonic, practices in the most heinous ways. It is a real anti-church that in this and in the following chapter is shown and judged in her true nature. Everything that is said of this false church will make clear that the title of ‘great harlot’ is totally justified. She acts as if she is the bride of Christ, but she is a harlot. And not just a harlot, no, she is the ‘great’ harlot. There is no greater contrast imaginable with a God-given marriage relationship. To think through still deeper this enormous contrast between the true church and the false church you should compare the of this chapter with Revelation 21 ( ), where the true church is presented. . “The kings of the earth”, the world leaders, have sought rapprochement to her. They have accepted her invitation. Of course they have done that out of purely selfish reasons. The roman-catholic church is rich, powerful and influential. Therefore they accepted and drank with greed from “the wine of her immorality”. They even got “drunk” by it. Through their dealings with her, they came under her influence and became intoxicated by it. They do not see through her true intentions. Once those intentions become clear to them, they will turn in hatred against the harlot and kill her ( ). The kings of the earth represent the inhabitants of the countries they rule. In their dealings with the great harlot they drag all their subjects with them, which are all “those who dwell on the earth”. When the pope visits a place today, it attracts masses of people. Everyone tries to catch a glimpse of him. In his position he is the radiation of the power of the church. The mass is blind for his pretense to be the substitute of Christ. To them he is the Christ. He is visible and influential and he is surrounded by mysticism. That’s what the mass likes. . It seems that the angel is showing John a vision. In that vision he sees himself carried away in spirit “into a wilderness”. A wilderness is a territory where death rules. In a wilderness life and the possibility for life there are totally missing. In that wilderness John sees “a woman”, the great harlot of the previous verse. The territory of death seems to be the residence of the harlot. This residence is a good reflection of her spiritual condition. She is full of death. There is no life out of God and with God there. John also sees that this woman is sitting “on a scarlet beast”. Earlier in Revelation 13 ( ) you have already come across the description of this beast. There you saw that this beast represents the restored Roman empire. In what John sees here, it seems that the roman-catholic church is sitting on the beast, that is, she rides it and controls it. This scene symbolizes what is known from church history. There have been periods that the pope had absolute power over the kings of Europe. In the end time the political and the religious power of the roman-catholic church will be great again. You will see this increase of power in the increasingly explicit involvements of the pope with the events in the world. He receives world leaders and they receive him. You also hear increasingly clear calls from the pope to world leaders on a variety of topics related to life on earth. With such calls the roman-catholic church gives the impression of wanting to stand up for a righteous and tolerant, peaceful society. She also gives the impression of wanting to accomplish that with the world leaders. But she does not worry about the fact that the beast is “full of blasphemous names”, which means that all different forms of blasphemy are present in this beast. The only thing that she wants is to have control over the “seven heads and ten horns”. You have seen what is meant by the seven heads and ten horns when discussing Revelation 13:1. . Now follows a more detailed description of the woman. It shows that hideous creature represents the roman-catholic church: 1. You see that in her dressing ( ), which indicates her attachment to worldly luxury. 2. Furthermore she is drunk with the blood of the saints ( ), which indicates that she has persecuted the true believers by fire and sword. 3. In this context also the seven heads are clearly a representation of the seven mountains ( ) on which Rome lies and of which it is said that the woman is sitting on it. 4. Finally it is said in plain language that the woman is the great city ( ). The luxury in which she bathes makes her connection to the world undeniable. She is adorned with all earthly splendor and in that way she competes with the worldly leaders. As the beast has a scarlet color ( ), she clothes herself with the same colors. Her luxury is so great that the worldly leaders even derive their luxury from hers ( ). Her influence is therefore not only political and religious. Also economically she has a lot to offer and she participates in it by offering her merchandise. As long as it brings profit, either in hard currency or in prestige and influence. The cup that she has in her hand is “full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality”. ‘Abominations’ means idolatry. The roman-catholic church has introduced idolatry in the Christian church with great craftiness, determination and persistence. The most striking proof is the adoration of Mary and many other people canonized by her. Recently I read a message which is quite interesting to tell in this context. It confirms that saint worship is still rampant: Italian Catholics hoping for the support of a saint no longer have to carry a portrait of him or her. They can also download the saint's portrait on their cell phone. Not every roman catholic leader is happy with the new service, saying it is crude and too commercial. ‘We discovered a gap in the market and filled it’, says Barbara Labate of the company offering the saints on the cell phones. In many taxicabs, passenger cars and trucks in Italy you find a santino (a portrait of a saint) hanging on the dashboard. Millions of Italians carry a santino in their purse or bag. [End of message.] Of the cup it is also said that it is full of ”the unclean things of her immorality This indicates her connection to the elements of the world. You can observe that everywhere in pagan countries where the roman-catholic church has gained a foothold. There she has made the pagan customs to become Christian customs instead of abolishing them. She has provided very cunningly the idolatry ceremonial service, which formerly characterized these nations, with a Christian coating. Whatever you find in the Bible about Babylon is connected to idolatry. The first reference of Babel in Genesis 11 ( ) in the history of the tower building of Babel, already shows that connection. The sinful striving for unity and power came from the will of man to be like God. The will to be like God is idolatry in its essence. God is not written off, but He is deprived of His true place. Man puts himself in the place of God and decides for himself how to serve God. Idolatry is born. That goes together with ascribing spiritual value to something that is visible and tangible and which serves to satisfy the spiritual feelings of man. Also here is mention of an abominable mixture of worldly elements with religion, turning this religion into harlotry. The roman-catholic church is full of these elements. Just think of crucifix, altar and wafer, to name a few. Now read Revelation 17:1-4 again. Reflection: What elements of idolatry do you know of in the roman-catholic church?

‏ Revelation of John 17:4

The Great Harlot

Rev 17:1. In the previous chapter you were a witness of the final judgments on the earth, executed by seven angels by the means of seven bowls. In this way the wrath of God was finished (Rev 15:1). In the description of the judgments in just one verse only of the previous chapter there was mention of the judgment on Babylon the great (Rev 16:19). In the Revelation 17-18 John, and we with him, gets a detailed explanation of this judgment. That explanation he gets from one of the seven bowl angels, one who is involved, someone who knows what he’s talking about.

But it is not only an oral explanation. John also gets to see something. The angel invites John to join him to go to a place where he wants to show him how Babylon the great will come to her end.

Before they arrive there the angel informs John about what he gets to see. He will become an eye witness of the judgment on the city that is presented as “the great harlot” (Rev 17:18; cf. Isa 1:21). From the description that follows it appears that this is an indication of the roman-catholic church. He sees further that the harlot “sits on many waters”. What those many waters represent is written in Rev 17:15. They represent the peoples of the earth and particularly the nations that belong to the restored Roman empire, which appears from Rev 17:16.

The harlot is the church which is Christian in name and which pretends to represent Christ, but in practice has fully allied itself with the world, the “many waters”. John sees the roman-catholic church in the connection she has established with the kings of the earth. Her unfaithfulness therefore appears from her love expressions to the governments of the world.

The fact that she ‘sits’ on it indicates that she has control over many governments. You see that in particular in the countries where the roman-catholic church has many followers. In her corruptness she dominates the governments. She acts as if she is defending a good cause, but in reality she is out for power.

Like no other church the roman-catholic church has pretended to be the true church and the true bride of Christ. She has also, like no other church in its history, demonstrated thoroughly worldly, demonic, practices in the most heinous ways. It is a real anti-church that in this and in the following chapter is shown and judged in her true nature.

Everything that is said of this false church will make clear that the title of ‘great harlot’ is totally justified. She acts as if she is the bride of Christ, but she is a harlot. And not just a harlot, no, she is the ‘great’ harlot. There is no greater contrast imaginable with a God-given marriage relationship.

To think through still deeper this enormous contrast between the true church and the false church you should compare the Rev 17:1-5 of this chapter with Revelation 21 (Rev 21:9-11), where the true church is presented.

Rev 17:2. “The kings of the earth”, the world leaders, have sought rapprochement to her. They have accepted her invitation. Of course they have done that out of purely selfish reasons. The roman-catholic church is rich, powerful and influential. Therefore they accepted and drank with greed from “the wine of her immorality”. They even got “drunk” by it. Through their dealings with her, they came under her influence and became intoxicated by it. They do not see through her true intentions. Once those intentions become clear to them, they will turn in hatred against the harlot and kill her (Rev 17:16).

The kings of the earth represent the inhabitants of the countries they rule. In their dealings with the great harlot they drag all their subjects with them, which are all “those who dwell on the earth”. When the pope visits a place today, it attracts masses of people. Everyone tries to catch a glimpse of him. In his position he is the radiation of the power of the church. The mass is blind for his pretense to be the substitute of Christ. To them he is the Christ. He is visible and influential and he is surrounded by mysticism. That’s what the mass likes.

Rev 17:3. It seems that the angel is showing John a vision. In that vision he sees himself carried away in spirit “into a wilderness”. A wilderness is a territory where death rules. In a wilderness life and the possibility for life there are totally missing. In that wilderness John sees “a woman”, the great harlot of the previous verse. The territory of death seems to be the residence of the harlot. This residence is a good reflection of her spiritual condition. She is full of death. There is no life out of God and with God there.

John also sees that this woman is sitting “on a scarlet beast”. Earlier in Revelation 13 (Rev 13:1-8) you have already come across the description of this beast. There you saw that this beast represents the restored Roman empire. In what John sees here, it seems that the roman-catholic church is sitting on the beast, that is, she rides it and controls it.

This scene symbolizes what is known from church history. There have been periods that the pope had absolute power over the kings of Europe. In the end time the political and the religious power of the roman-catholic church will be great again. You will see this increase of power in the increasingly explicit involvements of the pope with the events in the world. He receives world leaders and they receive him.

You also hear increasingly clear calls from the pope to world leaders on a variety of topics related to life on earth. With such calls the roman-catholic church gives the impression of wanting to stand up for a righteous and tolerant, peaceful society. She also gives the impression of wanting to accomplish that with the world leaders. But she does not worry about the fact that the beast is “full of blasphemous names”, which means that all different forms of blasphemy are present in this beast. The only thing that she wants is to have control over the “seven heads and ten horns”. You have seen what is meant by the seven heads and ten horns when discussing Revelation 13:1.

Rev 17:4. Now follows a more detailed description of the woman. It shows that hideous creature represents the roman-catholic church:

1. You see that in her dressing (Rev 17:4), which indicates her attachment to worldly luxury.

2. Furthermore she is drunk with the blood of the saints (Rev 17:6), which indicates that she has persecuted the true believers by fire and sword.

3. In this context also the seven heads are clearly a representation of the seven mountains (Rev 17:9) on which Rome lies and of which it is said that the woman is sitting on it.

4. Finally it is said in plain language that the woman is the great city (Rev 17:18).

The luxury in which she bathes makes her connection to the world undeniable. She is adorned with all earthly splendor and in that way she competes with the worldly leaders. As the beast has a scarlet color (Rev 17:3), she clothes herself with the same colors. Her luxury is so great that the worldly leaders even derive their luxury from hers (Rev 18:3b). Her influence is therefore not only political and religious. Also economically she has a lot to offer and she participates in it by offering her merchandise. As long as it brings profit, either in hard currency or in prestige and influence.

The cup that she has in her hand is “full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality”. ‘Abominations’ means idolatry. The roman-catholic church has introduced idolatry in the Christian church with great craftiness, determination and persistence. The most striking proof is the adoration of Mary and many other people canonized by her.

Recently I read a message which is quite interesting to tell in this context. It confirms that saint worship is still rampant:

Italian Catholics hoping for the support of a saint no longer have to carry a portrait of him or her. They can also download the saint's portrait on their cell phone. Not every roman catholic leader is happy with the new service, saying it is crude and too commercial. ‘We discovered a gap in the market and filled it’, says Barbara Labate of the company offering the saints on the cell phones. In many taxicabs, passenger cars and trucks in Italy you find a santino (a portrait of a saint) hanging on the dashboard. Millions of Italians carry a santino in their purse or bag. [End of message.]

Of the cup it is also said that it is full of ”the unclean things of her immorality This indicates her connection to the elements of the world. You can observe that everywhere in pagan countries where the roman-catholic church has gained a foothold. There she has made the pagan customs to become Christian customs instead of abolishing them. She has provided very cunningly the idolatry ceremonial service, which formerly characterized these nations, with a Christian coating.

Whatever you find in the Bible about Babylon is connected to idolatry. The first reference of Babel in Genesis 11 (Gen 11:1-9) in the history of the tower building of Babel, already shows that connection. The sinful striving for unity and power came from the will of man to be like God. The will to be like God is idolatry in its essence. God is not written off, but He is deprived of His true place. Man puts himself in the place of God and decides for himself how to serve God. Idolatry is born.

That goes together with ascribing spiritual value to something that is visible and tangible and which serves to satisfy the spiritual feelings of man. Also here is mention of an abominable mixture of worldly elements with religion, turning this religion into harlotry. The roman-catholic church is full of these elements. Just think of crucifix, altar and wafer, to name a few.

Now read Revelation 17:1-4 again.

Reflection: What elements of idolatry do you know of in the roman-catholic church?