Lesson 21
The Sixth Bowl of Wrath, Continued...
16:12 The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river
Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way
for the kings from the east.
It is possible that this image depicting the threat of
invasion is recalling an event from history. As we know, in
Revelation, Babylon — a past enemy of God’s people — is
used to depict Rome — a then current enemy of God’s people.
Here we see a dried up river being used to defeat
figurative Babylon, and history tells us that ancient,
literal Babylon was once conquered by a dried up river.
Last week, we mentioned that historical Babylon fell to
the Persians without a shot being fired. Instead, as we
discussed, there is evidence that certain priests of the
false god Marduk thought the current rulers in Babylon were
impious and preferred instead the Persians under Cyrus.
Thus, we are told that the people, led by the priests,
opened the gates to Cyrus, who was then greeted as a
liberator.
But according to Herodotus, there is more to those
strange events. He tells us that when the Persians captured
Babylon they did so by drying up the Euphrates river, which
flowed right through the center of Babylon. They diverted
the river into a lake and entered the city through the dry
channel of the river. There were huge brass gates in the
walls that flanked the river Euphrates in its passage
through the city, and these gates provided access to water
for the citizens and could be closed as a defense if
needed. But it was these gates that were left open allowing
access to the Persian troops after Cyrus had reduced the
water level of the river. Just as the actual city of
Babylon had fallen by a literal drying up of the Euphrates,
the figurative Babylon would fall by a figurative drying up
of the Euphrates.
Our frequent comparisons between ancient Babylon and
Rome are vital to properly understanding the book of
Revelation. Those who argue that the cataclysms in
Revelation must literally occur need to explain why the
same cataclysms pronounced against ancient Babylon did not
literally occur. Read, for example, the judgment of Babylon
in Jeremiah 50-51 and especially 50:3, 39-40 and 51:1-2,
25-26, 36-37, and 41-43 ― and remember that Babylon fell
without a shot being fired! Is there then a historical
contradiction in the Bible? Not at all! In fact, Isaiah
prophesied how Babylon would literally fall in Isaiah 45:1,
and he even gave the name of the conqueror, Cyrus, before
Cyrus was even born! “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations
before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open
before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be
shut.”
The vivid language in Jeremiah 50-51 is a symbolic
description of Babylon’s fall. The key verse is Jeremiah
51:64 — “Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from
the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be
weary.” From an earthly perspective, the end of Babylon may
not have looked like much, but that was not the case at all
from God’s perspective. The prophecies of Isaiah and
Jeremiah had been fulfilled. Babylon was finished as a
world power. Her day was done. That was the state of
affairs for ancient Babylon described figuratively in
Jeremiah 50-51 ― and that is the same state of affairs
described by the same language against a different enemy of
God’s people in Revelation.
Who are the kings from the east in verse 12? Some say
that these are the allies of Rome who are pictured as
rushing in to her aid. But the text indicates that God
dried up the river to help the invading kings from the
east. Does that mean they are on God’s side? No. It means
only that God is using them for his own purposes as he
judges Rome. In fact, verse 14 may show these same kings
preparing for battle against God.
We should likely view these kings as we did the kings of
the sixth trumpet. That is, they most likely depict the
Parthians, whom Rome feared would attack them from East.
William Barclay writes:
The greatest enemies of Rome, the one nation she could
not subjugate, were the Parthians who lived beyond the
Euphrates. Their cavalry was the most dreaded force of
fighting men in the world. For the cavalry of the Parthians
to come sweeping across the Euphrates was a thought to
strike terror in the bravest heart.
Did Parthia literally conquer Rome? No. Was an attack
from Parthia something that Rome feared and that could be
used to figuratively depict some great catastrophe against
them? Absolutely, and that is how it is used here. None of
the previous bowls literally occurred and this bowl is no
different. The purpose of the bowls is to paint a picture
of compete and total destruction and judgment, and that is
exactly what this bowl conveys.
13 And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and
from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false
prophet, three foul spirits like frogs; 14 for they are
demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the
kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on
the great day of God the Almighty. 15 (“Lo, I am coming
like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his
garments that he may not go naked and be seen
exposed!”)
The false prophet is mentioned here and in 19:20 and
20:10. If we compare the descriptions of the false prophet
with those of the second beast from the earth in Chapter
13, we will see that they are identical. That second beast
from the earth that represents the false religious side of
Rome is none other than the false prophet that we see here
and in Chapters 19-20. And the beast standing next to the
false prophet is the first beast from the sea in Chapter
13. And standing behind each and pulling their strings is
the dragon.
These three then are assembled against the advancing
armies of God ― the dragon (Satan—the power behind Rome),
the beast (the beast from the sea—the civil, military might
of Rome), and the false prophet (the beast from the
earth—the false religious side of Rome). These three form a
hideous contrast to the Godhead—the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit.
We have seen much come from the mouths of the dragon and
his minions. In 12:15 we saw a flood come from the mouth of
the dragon. We saw blasphemies come from the mouth of the
first beast in 13:5. We saw deceit come from the mouth of
the second beast in 13:14. Here we see a foul demonic
spirit like a frog emerge from the mouth of each. These
spirits perform signs and assemble the whole world for
battle.
Why are they compared to frogs? Frogs are famous for
their empty and continuous croaking. Even today we have the
idiom of having a frog in your throat. The sound of a frog
is a symbol for meaningless speech, and such speech
characterized the speech of the dragon and the two beasts.
Once again, there may be a historical allusion ― an ancient
writer of the day once remarked that Nero was nearly
reincarnated as a viper, but mercifully was allowed to come
back as a frog so he could continue his singing!
Frogs are mentioned in only three other places in the
Bible — the second Egyptian plague in Exodus 8 and twice in
the Psalms (78:45 and 105:30). In Egypt, God sent a swarm
of frogs, but here we see only three. Psalm 78 tells us
that the frogs in Egypt “destroyed them.” Even so, when
Pharaoh was given the opportunity to have them removed,
what did he say? Exodus 8:9-10 ―
And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I
intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people,
to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they
may remain in the river only? And he said, To morrow.
That is truly one of the classic answers in the Bible! A
famous gospel sermon by Marshall Keeble based on those
verses is entitled “Another Night with the Frogs,” and
sadly Pharaoh was not the last person to reject the favors
of God for another night with the frogs! Rome’s failure to
repent tells us that they too wanted another night with
these three frogs. John 3:19 ― “And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil.”
Some commentators note that in Zoroastrianism, the
Persian religion, frogs were the bringer of plagues and an
agent of the power of darkness. Hence, they argue that this
symbol may have been attached to the symbol of the kings
from the east.
In verse 15, a voice (almost certainly Jesus) says that
he is coming as a thief! What does that mean? Rome had no
idea what was coming. Rome would never have dreamed that
they were going to lose. Rome thought it was the eternal
kingdom! To Rome this judgment was not only a mystery, but
it was a surprise! They were not prepared for it. This
judgment would be totally unannounced, and that is
something it had in common with the final judgment at the
end of the world, which 1 Thessalonians 5:2 also tells us
will come as a thief in the night. But this description
marks a difference between the judgment of Rome in
Revelation and the judgment of Jerusalem in Matthew 24. The
judgment of Jerusalem did not come as a thief, but rather
was preceded by signs and warnings (something a thief
rarely does!).
16 And they assembled them at the place which is called
in Hebrew Armageddon.
If 13:18 with its cryptic 666 reference is the most well
known verse in Revelation, then verse 16 must be in second
place. If you ask the man on the street about Armageddon,
you will most likely hear that it marks the location of the
great battle at the end of the world. But where, I ask, did
anyone ever get the idea that there will be a battle (great
or otherwise) at the end of the world? That is when every
knee will bow to Jesus Christ. There will be no fighting
when Jesus returns to claim his own.
What is Armageddon? The name Armageddon or Har–Magedon
means the Mount of Megiddo. The Bible speaks of “Megiddo
and its three heights” in Joshua 17:11, “Megiddo and its
towns” in Judges 1:27, “the waters of Megiddo” in Judges
5:19, and “the valley of Megiddo” in 2 Chronicles 35:22 and
Zechariah 12:11. Megiddo in Hebrew means “place of troops,”
which provides a clue to what this symbol means.
Megiddo is located at a height near the edge of the
Jezreel Valley, also known as the Plain of Esdraelon
(Esdraelon being the Greek modification of Jezreel). The
site is located almost exactly halfway between Haifa on the
Mediterranean coast to the west and Tiberias on the Sea of
Galilee to the east. It was the site where James Michener’s
book The Source was based. From its advantageous location,
Megiddo controlled one of the most important roads in the
ancient world, the Via Maris, which was an international
military and trade route that ran between Egypt in the
south and Syria, Phoenicia, and Mesopotamia in the north
and east. This location gave Megiddo great strategic
significance.
From the most ancient times to the time of Napoleon and
to the present day, Megiddo was one of the great
battlegrounds of the world. One author states that “the
area surrounding the ancient site of Megiddo in the Jezreel
Valley has seen more fighting and bloodshed over an
extended period of time than virtually any other spot on
earth.”
It was at Megiddo that Thutmose III fought in 1479 B.C.
what one scholar has called the first battle known in
recorded history anywhere in the world (although he also
suggests that Pepi I instead may have had that honor as
early as 2350 B.C). It was at Megiddo that the Mongols lost
their first major battle ever during their sweep across
Asia and the Middle East. This was the plain where Barak
and Deborah overthrew Sisera and his chariots in Judges 4.
It was in this valley that Gideon’s 300 men defeated the
Midianites in Judges 7. Saul and Jonathan were killed at
the eastern edge of this valley in 1 Samuel 31. This is
where Ahaziah died by the arrows of Jehu in 2 Kings 9. This
is where Josiah perished in battle with Pharaoh Necho in 2
Kings 23. That battle was particularly important because
this delay of Necho allowed Babylon to defeat the Assyrians
and become the leading power of that time. Josiah’s defeat
and death paved the way for the Babylonian exile of the
Jews beginning in 586 B.C.
So why is Armageddon mentioned here in verse 16? Because
God chose for this great scene the most famous battlefield
on earth so that on that battlefield he could depict the
complete judgment and utter destruction of Rome. Napoleon
once remarked that all of the armies of the world could
make battle there. In his book, “The Battles of
Armageddon,” Dr. Eric H. Cline from the University of
Cincinnati recounts 34 battles fought at the city of
Megiddo or its surrounding valley. About a dozen of those
battles occurred in biblical times. Here is how he
describes the area:
For four thousand years, this region has suffered almost
constant warfare. Indeed, one may seriously ask if there
has ever been a time when the rulers of the area, whether
local or foreign, were not at war. The turbulent history of
all Israel, and Judah, Canaan, and Palestine, is reflected
in microcosm in this blood-soaked little valley, for
virtually every major invader of Israel has had to fight a
battle in the Jezreel Valley. Egyptians, Canaanites,
Israelites, Midianites, Amalekites, Philistines,
Hasmonaeans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Muslims,
Crusaders, Mamlukes, Mongols, Palestinians, French,
Ottomans, British, Australians, Germans, Arabs, and
Israelies have all fought and died there.
Are those pictured as assembling in verse 16 doing so to
fight a literal battle? No. It is no more literal than the
battle in Heaven we studied earlier. Is it a vivid image?
Definitely. Armageddon was the perfect setting for the
figurative battle between the Lamb and the dragon. It was
the perfect stage for the great spiritual battle between
the army of Satan and the army of God. This fight had been
brewing since at least as early as Genesis 3. Where would
we expect such a battle to be pictured? Wouldn’t we expect
the greatest battle to be fought on the greatest
battlefield? That is where God shows it to us.
Hailey: “To look for a physical military battle between
human armies to be fought in northern Palestine [with
carnal weapons] at some future date is completely without
scriptural support and foreign to the spirit and purpose of
Revelation.”
We will find out more about this battle when we get to
Chapter 19.
17 The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a
loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying,
“It is done!”
This seventh bowl poured into the air marks the
culmination of the judgment of Rome. At this point Rome’s
fate is sealed and its fall is inevitable. The verdicts of
historians notwithstanding, the book of Revelation makes it
clear that Rome fell because Rome persecuted Christians.
Rome’s fall was a divine judgment from God. The most
powerful empire the earth had ever seen went up against the
church and lost.
Note that this bowl is poured into the air, thus
completing the cycle through the elements — earth, water,
fire (sun), and air. What does the air depict? Ephesians
2:2 tells us that Satan is the prince of the power of the
air. The fall of Rome was a great defeat for Satan and it
would affect his entire sphere of operation. He had tried
to kill Jesus in his infancy through Rome under Herod, and
he had failed. Satan then tried to kill the church in its
infancy through Rome under the emperors, and once again he
failed. Satan was the power behind Rome, and Satan’s
complete defeat with regard to Rome will be described in
detail when we get to Chapter 20.
With the seventh bowl, God declares, “It is done!” His
judgment is complete. The Greek word used here means “it
has become” or “it has occurred.” Rome is finished!
If what we see next in verse 18 comes as a surprise to
you, then you just haven’t been paying attention!
18 And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of
thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been
since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake.
19 The great city was split into three parts, and the
cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great
Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his
wrath. 20 And every island fled away, and no mountains were
to be found; 21 and great hailstones, heavy as a
hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed
God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that
plague.
As usual, a great judgment of God is accompanied by
lightning, thunder, and earthquakes. The purpose is to
heighten the dramatic effect, and we have seen it many
times before.
This earthquake was “such as had never been since men
were on the earth.” That is, this judgment is different
from the previous judgments we have seen in this book. This
judgment of the seventh bowl is God’s final word with
regard to Rome. This judgment is total and complete. Since
there had never been an empire like Rome, its collapse
created an earthquake like none before.
But doesn’t this description of the earthquake mean that
this bowl must correspond to the final judgment at the end
of the world? No. Similar language is used elsewhere to
describe other past judgments. Compare Ezekiel 5:8-9, which
describes a judgment against Judah at the hand of
Nebuchadnezzar:
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, even I, am
against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of
you in the sight of the nations. And because of all your
abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done,
and the like of which I will never do again.
And compare the description of God’s A.D. 70 judgment
against Jerusalem in Matthew 24:21 ― “For then there will
be great tribulation, such as has not been from the
beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”
Similar hyperbolic language is used here to describe
another judgment against another great enemy of God’s
people.
The islands flee and the mountains cannot be found. Huge
100 pound hailstones fall from heaven, reminding us of the
seventh plague in Exodus 9 and of the great stones that
fell in Joshua 10:11. Again, such language often
accompanies judgments in the Old Testament. Compare:
• Micah 1:3–4 For behold, the Lord is coming forth out
of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high
places of the earth. And the mountains will melt under him
and the valleys will be cleft, like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
• Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before him, the hills
melt; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all
that dwell therein.
• Psalm 18:7-13 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the
foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked,
because he was angry. ... Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of
fire. The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most
High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
• Ezekiel 26:18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day
of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be
troubled at thy departure.
Verse 19 says that the city was divided into three
parts. What does that mean? There are many opinions, but it
may be borrowing language from the judgment of Jerusalem
described in Ezekiel 5:2 ― “Thou shalt burn with fire a
third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the
siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and
smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt
scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after
them.” There, as here, such language depicts the total
destruction of the city.
Verse 19 also tells us that Rome did not fall alone. The
other cities of the nations fell with her. The entire pagan
world is pictured as collapsing together. These cities had
all drunk the wine of Rome’s fornication, and now they were
suffering the consequences.
With the seventh bowl God’s judgment against Rome and
her allies is completed. The fall of the city will be
described in more detail in Chapters 17 and 18. The battle
at Armageddon will be described in more detail in Chapter
19. The defeat of Satan will be described in more detail in
Chapter 20.
Chapter Seventeen
Chapters 17 and 18 are an obituary for the great city of
Babylon, which, as we have seen, can be none other but
Rome.
Babylon was said to have fallen in Chapter 14 and was
broken into three pieces in Chapter 16. Chapters 17 and 18
provide the details of that fall.
Recall that we discussed portions of Chapter 17 at
length when we studied Chapter 13 because verses 7–18 of
Chapter 17 provide an explanation of many of the symbols
found in Chapter 13 and elsewhere in the book. We will not
repeat here all that we said earlier.
A main character in this chapter is a great harlot named
Babylon the Great. Chapters 17 and 18 will provide the
following descriptions of this harlot. Do they sound
familiar? She is powerful (17:1, 3). She is successful
(17:4). She is arrogant and proud (17:5). She sits on seven
hills (17:9). She rules the world in John’s day (17:15,
18). She is a terrible persecutor of God’s people (17:6;
18:24). She is the leading commercial power on earth (18:3;
18:11-19). She is supported by a great military force
(17:3, 7). She is destroyed in part by her own military
power and inner strife (17:16-17). At the time this book
was written, Rome was the only nation that fit each of
these descriptions. Babylon is Rome ― and Babylon is
fallen!
1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls
came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of
the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, 2 with
whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and
with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth
have become drunk.”
In verse 1 we meet the great harlot who, like Jezebel in
the Old Testament, has been actively seeking to murder
God’s people. But, also like Jezebel, she has been judged,
and we are about to see the details of that judgment.
Verse 1 tells us that she is seated upon many waters.
Later in verse 15 we will see that these waters are peoples
and multitudes and nations and tongues. That she is seated
upon them tells us that she rules over them. Which city
ruled the world when this book was written? Jerusalem?
Hardly. This harlot is Rome.
Rome is being described here with Old Testament
descriptions of ancient Babylon. For example, Jeremiah
51:13 addresses Babylon as “you who dwell by many waters” —
and that was literally true for Babylon. The river
Euphrates ran through the city, and it had irrigation
canals extending out in every direction. Likewise, Jeremiah
51:7 describes Babylon as a “golden cup,” which we will
here in verse 4 applied to Rome.
But did Rome literally rule the entire world? No, but
Rome’s dominion was so large that it was commonly described
in such terms. In Luke 2:1, for example, we are told that
“a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world
should be enrolled.”
And while we are talking about whether we should take
these descriptions literally, what about the name of the
city itself? Is this vision focused on the literal city of
Babylon? The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus in the first
century B.C. relates that only a small part of ancient
Babylon was inhabited in his day. Strabo the Greek
geographer who died in A.D. 19 describes Babylon as being
“in great part deserted.” Pausanias the Greek traveler and
geographer of the second century declares that nothing
remained of Babylon except the temple of Belus and the
walls of the city. Lucian, the second century Greek sophist
and satirist, said that Babylon would soon have to be
searched for like Nineveh, of which not a trace remained in
his day. Is that the great city John is writing about? Of
course not! And that simple, indisputable historical fact
establishes beyond any doubt that no one can take
everything in this book literally. And once we agree that
this book contains images and symbols, then under what
theory do we say that Babylon is figurative but the 1000
years are literal?
Verse 2 tells us that kings have committed fornication
with this harlot. These kings have been her customers.
Fornication in this context most likely means that these
kingdoms have joined in with Rome and are on Rome’s side —
some voluntarily and others not.
In the Old Testament, disobedient cities are often
called harlots. In Isaiah 23:17 we read that Tyre played
the harlot with all of the kings of the earth. And in Nahum
3:4 we read that Nineveh betrayed nations with her
harlotries. In Isaiah 1:21, the prophet, speaking of
Jerusalem, writes “how the faithful city has become a
harlot.” Ezekiel 16:15 says, “You trusted in your beauty
and played the harlot.” Those fornications, like those of
Rome, involved treacherous and deceitful relationships with
other nations and with false gods all aimed at harming
God’s people.
Barclay notes that there is great symbolism behind these
comparisons with a harlot. As John 3:16 reminds us, God so
loved the world. “When we turn our backs upon God, it is
not so much a sin against law as a sin against love.” A
second aspect of the image likely points to the harlot as
one who not only sins herself but who causes others to sin.
These understandings combine to create a very powerful
image.
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a
wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast
which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads
and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls,
holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and
the impurities of her fornication; 5 and on her forehead
was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother
of harlots and of earth’s abominations.” 6a And I saw the
woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus.
In verse 3 John is carried away into the wilderness.
Over and over again the Bible, men such as Moses, Elijah,
and John the Baptist meet God in the wilderness. If our
lives are too busy and too noisy to hear the voice of God
in his word, then perhaps we need to go out into the
wilderness (which might just mean that we turn off our TV
and our phone for an hour!).
In Chapter 12 the people of God were pictured as a woman
chased into the wilderness by an angry dragon. The woman
John sees here in Chapter 17 is also in the wilderness, but
as we will see she is quite different from the woman of
Chapter 12.
This woman sits upon a scarlet beast that is full of
blasphemous names and that has seven heads and ten horns.
We discussed these images at length in our discussions of
Chapter 13. This beast appears to be the same beast from
the sea in Chapter 13, which represented Rome as a civil
persecuting power.
The harlot is dressed in purple and scarlet, and she is
arrayed with gold, jewels, and pearls. These images denote
her wealth and her royalty. Rome was powerful in earthly
terms. Rome was royal in earthly terms. Rome was rich in
earthly terms. Rome was beautiful in earthly terms. And all
of those descriptions were true of a great kingdom of
John’s day — but that great kingdom was not Rome! God tells
us that is was the church and not Rome that was truly
powerful and royal and rich and beautiful. Things are not
always what they seem!
The harlot offers a golden cup to the other nations.
This description is likely an allusion to a description of
the actual Babylon found in Jeremiah 51:7 ― “Babylon was a
golden cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth
drunken; the nations drank of her wine, therefore the
nations went mad.” The nations that shared Rome’s wealth
also shared Rome’s guilt.
The mystery in verse 5 is simply that Babylon means
Rome. The harlot wears on her forehead the name “Babylon
the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.”
She wears this horrible title proudly just as the High
Priest wore the name of Jehovah upon his forehead. Rome was
proud of its abominations and fornications and made no
attempt to hide them. She displayed them proudly for all to
see. There is also a historical connection with this
description: a Roman prostitute in a public brothel wore a
frontlet upon her forehead that displayed her name to the
customers.
Barclay thinks that these verses may have an even more
precise historical allusion in mind. The Roman Empress
Messalina was the wife of the Emperor Claudius, who
preceded Nero. Have you ever met someone in authority and
wondered how he got there ― and then you met his wife and
understood? That may have been the case with Claudius. The
historian Suetonius described Claudius in this way: “His
knees were weak and gave way under him and his head shook.
He stammered and his speech was confused. He slobbered and
his nose ran when he was excited.” From this description of
Claudius’ weakness, we can gather that Messalina was likely
very powerful and influential, which was true up until the
time when Claudius had her killed for plotting against him.
In any event, Juvenal tells us that at night she would go
down to the public brothels and serve there as a common
prostitute. This description of Rome as a harlot would have
rung a bell of recognition with anyone who remembered
Messalina.
We should pause at this point to note that however bad
Rome is pictured in this book, it was pictured just as bad
and possibly even worse by the pagans who lived there.
Tacitus called Rome “the place into which from all over the
world all atrocious and shameful things flow and where they
are most popular.” Seneca called Rome “a filthy sewer.”
Barclay: “This was the civilization into which Christianity
came; and it was out of this that men were converted to
chastity. We may well speak of the miracles of the
Cross.”
This harlot is vividly pictured as being drunk with the
blood of saints and martyrs. She is not just an ordinary
persecutor. Instead, she is glutted with slaughter, and she
has revelled in that slaughter as a drunken man revels in
his wine and drunkenness.
6b When I saw her I marveled greatly. 7 But the angel
said to me, “Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the
woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that
carries her.
The mystery of these symbols was something that was
previously not understood but that will now be
revealed.
Throughout this explanation we should reverse the rule
that we have been using throughout our study of this book;
that is, we should accept the explanation as literal unless
there is an overriding reason to treat it otherwise. Why?
Because the angel is explaining the apocalyptic language we
have seen rather than giving us additional apocalyptic
language. Many commentators have trouble with these verses
because the angel’s interpretation does not match their
own. Their response often involves figurizing all or part
of the angel’s interpretation. In fact, some commentators
have things so backwards that they treat the image as a
literal description and the explanation of the image as a
figurative description!
8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to
ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the
dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the
book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel
to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to
come.
We have already discussed the bottomless pit and the
book of life. We have also already discussed this beast,
which represents Rome as a civil persecuting power. Recall
that the time when “the beast was” denotes the persecution
under Nero, the time when “the beast is not” denotes the
lull in persecution between Nero and Domitian, and the time
when “the beast is to come” denotes the resumption of
persecution under Domitian, who was called Nero Redivivus
by some.
Nero was the first to actively persecute the Church. The
persecution had subsided considerably when the book was
written during Vespasian’s rule. But the persecution began
again under Domitian’s reign. Juvenal said that Rome under
Domitian was enslaved to a “bald-headed Nero.” Tertullian
called Domitian “a man of Nero’s type of cruelty” and “a
sub-Nero.” Domitian renewed the persecution against
Christians that Nero had started.
9 This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are
seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10 they are
also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the
other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain
only a little while. 11 As for the beast that was and is
not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it
goes to perdition.
We have already discussed these verses at great length
in our comments on Chapter 13. The five kings who have
fallen are Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and
Nero. Galba, Otho, and Vitellius (who followed Nero and who
all ruled and died within about one year) are ignored in
Revelation (but not in Daniel, which describes them as
three uprooted horns). The king “who is” is Vespasian,
which means the book was written during his reign. The one
who will come and reign only a short time is Titus who
ruled for only 2 years. (And no one would have guessed that
Titus would reign only a short time. He was only 39 when he
became emperor, and the people all expected him to reign
for a very long time. But God knew otherwise, and soon
Titus’ younger brother, Domitian, was emperor in his
place.) The eighth king is Domitian, who began where Nero
left off with regard to persecuting the church.
12 And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have
not yet received royal power, but they are to receive
authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast.
13 These are of one mind and give over their power and
authority to the beast; 14 they will make war on the Lamb,
and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and
King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and
faithful.” 15 And he said to me, “The waters that you saw,
where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and
nations and tongues. 16 And the ten horns that you saw,
they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her
desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up
with fire, 17 for God has put it into their hearts to carry
out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their
royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled. 18 And the woman that you saw is the great city
which has dominion over the kings of the earth.”
Again, we discussed these verses at length in our study
of Chapter 13. We discussed several views regarding the 10
horns and the 10 kings, which we will not repeat here.
Whatever they represent, verse 14 tells us something
important about the 10 horns: “the Lamb will conquer them,
for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with
him are called and chosen and faithful.” Did Jesus’ victory
over these 10 horns make Jesus Lord of lords and King of
kings? No. We are told that he conquered them because he is
Lord of lords and King of kings. Jesus’ victory over Rome
and Rome’s minions did not make Jesus king. Jesus was
already king!
And there is a lesson in that for us. How often do we
hear denominational preachers tell people that they need to
make Jesus lord of their life? How often do denominational
songs (some sadly in our own songbook) tell people they
they need to crown Jesus king? There is not a shred of
support in the Bible for such a notion — and yet we
continue to hear it and sing it. When Peter was asked “Men
and brethren, what shall we do?” in Acts 2:37, he did not
tell them they needed to make Jesus lord of their life. In
fact, that would have made absolutely no sense. Why?
Because he had just told them in Acts 2:36 that “God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and
Christ.” Instead, Peter told them that they needed to obey
their Lord; they needed to “repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins.” (Acts 2:38) Jesus is Lord of lords, which means he
is everyone’s Lord. Jesus is King of kings, which means he
is everyone’s King. The next time you see the word “king”
or “lord” in a song, pause and consider just what it is you
are being asked to sing!
Nowhere in Revelation does Jesus begin to rule over
something new. He has all authority when the book begins,
and he has all authority when the book ends. He reigns over
the entire universe when the book begins, and he reigns
over the entire universe when the book ends. He is King of
kings and Lord of lords when the book begins, and he is
King of kings and Lord of lords when the book ends. Do we
see new expressions of that reign in this book? Yes. But do
we see in this book Christ reigning over something or
someone that he he did not previously reign over? No.
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