In the last chapter we
confined ourself to the Old Testament, in this and the one
that follows we shall treat mainly of Babylon in Rev. 17 and
18, though, of necessity, we shall examine these in the light
of Old Testament passages. In the previous chapter, we
briefly reviewed the Old Testament evidence which proves
there is to be a re-built Babylon, over which the Antichrist
shall reign during the Time of the End. Now as both the Old
and New Testaments have one and the same Divine Author, it
cannot be that the latter should conflict with the former.
"If the Old and New Testaments treat of the
circumstances which are immediately to precede the Advent of
the Lord in glory, the substantive facts of that period must
be alike referred to in both. If the Old Testament declares
that Babylon and `the land of Shinar' is to be the focus
of influential wickedness at the time of the end, it it
impossible that the Revelation, when professedly treating of
the same period, should be silent respecting such wickedness,
or respecting the place of its concentration. If the Old
Testament speaks of an individual of surpassing power who
will connect himself with this wickedness, and be the king of
Babylon, and glorify himself as God, it is not to be supposed
that the Revelation should treat of the same period and be
silent respecting such an event. If, therefore, in the Old
Testament, the sphere be fixed - the locality named - the
individual defined - it is impossible that the Revelation,
when detailing the events of the same period, should alter
the localities, or change the individuals. There cannot be
two sovereign individuals, nor two sovereign cities in the
same sphere at the same time. If the mention of the
"Land of Shinar', and of Assyria", and of
"the king of Babylon", be intended in the Old
Testament to render our thoughts fixed and definite, why
should similar terms, applied in the Revelation to a period
avowedly the same, be less definite?" (B.W.Newton).
Of Rev. 17 and 18 it has been
well said, "There is, perhaps, no section of the
Apocalypse more fraught with difficulty than the predictions
concerning Babylon. Enigmatical and inconsistent with each
other as, at first sight, they seem to be, we need to give
careful attention to every particular, and much patient
investigation of other scriptures, if we would penetrate
their meaning and possess ourselves of their secret"
(Mr. G.H. Pember, M.A.). In prosecuting our present study we
cannot do better than borrow again from the language of Mr.
Pember, "Nor is the present necessarily brief and
imperfect essay written in any spirit of dogmatic certainty
that it solves the mystery; but only as the conclusion, so
far as light has been already vouchsafed, to one who, having
received mercy of the Lord, has been led to much
consideration of this and kindred subjects".
An exposition of the
Revelation or any part thereof should be the last place for
dogmatism. Both at the beginning and close of the book the
Holy Spirit expressly states that the Apocalypse is a
"prophecy" (1:3; 22:19), and prophecy is,
admittedly, the most difficult branch of Scripture study. It
is true that during the last century God has been pleased to
give His people not a little light upon the predictive
portions of His Word, nor is the Apocalypse to be excepted.
Yet, the more any one reads the literature on the subject,
the more should he become convinced that dogmatism here is
altogether unseemly. During the last fifteen years the writer
has made it a point to read the Revelation through carefully
at least three times a year, and during this period he has
also gone through over thirty commentaries on the last book
of the Bible. A perusal of the varied and conflicting
interpretations advanced have taught him two things. First,
the wisdom of being cautious in adopting any of the
prevailing views; second, the need of patient and direct
waiting on God for further light. To these may be added a
third, namely, the possibility, yea, the probability, that
many of the prophecies of the Revelation are to receive a
double, and in some cases, a treble, fulfillment.
"All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable". This applies
equally to the Prophets as to the Epistles, and it was just
as true five hundred years ago as it is today. That being so,
the right understanding of the final fulfillment of the
prophecies in the Revelation cannot be the only value that
book possesses. There must also be that in it which had a
pertinent and timely message for the people of God of this
dispensation in each generation. There must be that in which
strengthened the faith of those saints who read it during the
"Dark Ages", and that which enabled them to detect
and keep clear from the which opposed to God and His Christ.
In other words, its prophecies must have received a gradual
and partial fulfillment all through the centuries of the
Christian era, though their final fulfillment be yet future.
Such is the case with Rev. 17 and 18. Ever since John
received the Revelation there has always existed a system
which, in its moral features, has corresponded to the Babylon
of the 17th chapter. There exists such a system today; there
will exist such a system after the Church is raptured to
heaven. And there will also come into existence another and
final system which will exhaust the scope of this
prophecy.
The position which the
Apocalypse occupies in the Sacred Canon is surely indicative
of the character of its contents. The fact that it is placed
at the close, at once suggests that it treats of that which
concerns the end of things. Moreover, it is taken for granted
that the student of this sixty-sixth book of the Bible is
already acquainted with the previous sixty-five books.
Scripture is self-interpreting, and we may rest assured that
whatever appears vague or difficult in the last book of
Scripture is due to our ignorance of the meaning of the books
preceding, and particularly of the Prophets. In the
Apocalypse the various streams of prediction, which may be
traced through the Old Testament Scriptures, are seen
emptying themselves in the sea of historical accomplishment.
Or, to change the figure, here we are given to behold the
last act of the great Dispensational Drama, the earlier acts
of which were depleted in the writings of the seers of
Israel. And yet, as previously intimated, these final scenes
have already had a preliminary rehearsal during the course of
the Christian centuries.
It will thus be seen that we
are far from sharing the views of those who limit the
prophecies of the Revelation to a single fulfillment. We
believe there is much of truth in both the Historical and
Futurist interpretations. We are in entire accord with the
following words from the pen of our esteemed brother, Mr.
F.C. Jennings: "How many of the controversies that have
ruled, alas, amongst the Lord's people, have been due to
a narrow way of limiting the thoughts of God, and seeking to
confine or bend them by our own apprehension of them. How
often two, or more, apparently opposing systems of
interpretation may really both be correct; the breadth, the
length, and height, and depth, of the mind of God, including
and going beyond both of them". Let us now come more
directly to our present theme.
The first time that Babylon is
mentioned in the Apocalypse is in 14:8: "And there
followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen,
that great city, because she made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication". Now what is there
here to discountenance the natural conclusion that
"Babylon" means Babylon? Two or three
generations ago, students of prophecy received incalculable
help from the simple discovery that when the Holy Spirit
spoke of Judea and Jerusalem in the Old Testament Scriptures
He meant Judea and Jerusalem, and not England and London; and
that when He mentioned Zion He did not refer to the Church.
But strange to say, few, if any of these brethren, have
applied the same rule to the Apocalypse. Here they are guilty
of doing the very thing for which they condemned their
forebears in connection with the Old Testament - they have
"spiritualised". They have concluded, or rather,
they have accepted the conclusions of the Reformers, that
Babylon meant Papal Rome, ultimately being refined to signify
apostate Christendom. But what is there in Rev. 14:8 which
gives any hint that "Babylon" there refers to the
Papal system? No; we believe that this scripture means what
it says, and that we need not the annals of secular history
to help us to understand it. What then? If to regard
"Jerusalem" as meaning Jerusalem be a test
of intelligence in Old Testament prophecy, shall we be
counted a heretic if we understand "Babylon" to
mean Babylon, and not Rome or apostate
Christendom?
The next reference to Babylon
is in Rev. 16:18,19: "And there were voices, and
thunders, and lightenings; and there was a great earthquake,
such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty and
earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great
Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the
cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath". The
remarks just made above apply with equal force to this
passage too. Surely it is a literal city which is in view,
and which is divided into three parts by a literal
earthquake. If it does not mean this then the simple reader
might as well turn from the Apocalypse in dismay. More than a
hint of the literalness of this great city Babylon is found
in the context, were we read of the river Euphrates (v. 12).
This is sufficient for the writer: whether or not it is for
the reader, we must leave with him.
We come now to Rev. 17, and as
soon as we read its contents we are at once struck with the
noticeable difference there is between it and the other
passages which have just been before us. Here the language is
no longer to be understood literally, but symbolically; here
the terms are not plain and simple, but occult and
mysterious. But God, in His grace, has provided help right to
hand. He tells us that here is "mystery" (v. 5).
And what is more, He explains most (if not all) of the
symbols for us - see vv. 9,12,15,18. With these helps
furnished it ought not to be difficult to grasp the general
outline.
The central figures in Rev. 17
are "the great whore", the "scarlet-colored
Beast", and the "ten horns". The Beast is
evidently the first Beast of Rev. 13. The "ten
horns" are stated to be "ten kings" (v. 12).
Who, then, is figured by "the great Whore"? There
are a number of statements made concerning "the great
Whore" - "the woman" - "the mother of
harlots" - which are of great help toward supplying an
answer to this question. First, it is said that she
"sitteth upon many waters" (v. 1), and in v. 15
these are said to signify "peoples, and multitudes, and
nations, and tongues". Second, it is said, "The
kings of the earth have committed fornication" with her
(v. 2). Third, she is supported by "a scarlet-colored
Beast" (v. 3), and from what is said of this Beast in v.
8 it is clear that he is the Antichrist, here viewed at the
head of the last world-empire. Fourth, the woman "was
arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and
precious stones" (v. 4). Fifth, "Upon her forehead
was a name written - Mystery: Babylon the great", etc.
(v. 5). Sixth, the woman was "drunken with the blood of
the saints and with the blood of the martyrs" (v. 6).
Seventh, in the last verse it is said, "And the woman
which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the
kings of the earth". These seven points give an analysed
summary of what is here told us about this
"woman".
Now the interpretation which
has been most widely accepted is, that the "Whore"
of Rev. 17 pictures the Roman Catholic system. Appeal is made
to the fact that though she poses as a virgin, yet has she
been guilty of the most awful spiritual fornication. Unlike
the blessed One who, in His condescension and humiliation,
had "not where to lay His head", Romanism has
coveted silver and gold, and has displayed herself in
meretricious luxury. She has had illicit intercourse with the
blood of saints. Other parallelisms between the woman of Rev.
17 and the Roman Catholic system may be pointed out. What,
then, shall we say to these things?
The points of correspondence
between Rev. 17 and the history of Romanism are too many and
too marked to be set down as mere co-incidences. Undoubtedly
the Papacy has supplied a fulfillment of the symbolic
prophecy found in Rev. 17. And therein has lain its practical
value for God's people all through the dark ages. It
presented to them a warning too plain to be disregarded. It
was the means of keeping the garments of the Waldenses (and
many others) unspotted by her filth. It confirmed the faith
of Luther and his contemporaries, that they were acting
according to the revealed will of God, when they separated
themselves from that which was so manifestly opposed to His
truth. But, nevertheless, there are other features in this
prophecy which do not apply to Romanism, and which compel us
to look elsewhere for the complete and final fulfillment. We
single out but two of these.
In Rev. 17:5 Babylon is termed
"the Mother of harlots and abominations of the
earth". Is this an accurate description of Romanism?
Were there no "harlot" systems before her? Is the
Papacy the mother of the "abominations of the
earth"? Let scripture be allowed to interpret scripture.
In 1 Kings 11:50-7 we read of "Ashtoreth the goddess of
the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites...then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh,
the abomination of Moab, in the hill that was before
Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of
Ammon"! The Papacy had not come into existence when John
wrote the Revelation, so that she cannot be held responsible
for all the "abominations" which preceded her.
Again; in Rev. 17:2 we read of "the great Whore"
that "the kings of the earth have committed
fornication" with her. Is that applicable in its fulness
to Rome? Have the kings of Asia and the kings of Africa
committed fornication with the Papacy? It is true that the
Italian pontiffs have ruled over a wide territory, yet it is
also true that there are many lands which have remained
untouched by their religious influence.
It is evident from these two
points alone that we have to go back to something which long
antedates the rise of the Papacy, and to something which has
exerted a far wider influence than has any of the popes.
What, then, is this something? and where shall we look for
it? The answer is not hard to find: the word
"Babylon" supplies us with the needed key. Babylon
takes us back not merely to the days of Nebuchadnezzar, but
to the time of Nimrod. It was in the days of the son of Cush
that "Babylon" began. And from the Plain of Shinar
has flown that dark stream whose tributaries have reached to
every part of the earth. It was then, and there, that
idolatry began. In his work on "The Two Babylons"
Dr. Hislop has proven conclusively that all the idolatrous
systems of the nations had their origin in what was founded
by that mighty Rebel, the beginning of whose kingdom was
Babel (Gen. 10:10). But into this we cannot now enter at
length. We refer the reader back to our comments on Nimrod in
chapter 13. Babylon was founded in rebellion against God. The
very name Nimrod gave to his city, proves him to have been an
idolator - the first mentioned in Scripture - for Bab-El
signified "the gate of God"; thus he, like his
anti-type, determined to exalt himself above all that is
called God (2 Thess. 2:4). This, then, was the source and
origin of all idolatry. Pagan Rome, afterwards Papal Rome,
was only one of the polluted streams from this corrupt source
- one of the filthy "daughters" of this unclean
Mother of Harlots. But to return to Rev. 17.
In v. 5 we read, "And
upon her forehead was a name written - mystery: Babylon the
great, the Mother of harlots and abominations of the
earth". We believe that the English translators have
misled many by printing (on their own authority) the word
"mystery" in large capital letters, thus making it
appear that this was a part of "the woman's name.
This we are assured is a mistake. That the
"mystery" is connected with the "Woman"
herself and not with her "name" is clear from v. 7,
where the angel says unto John, "I will tell thee the
mystery of the Woman, and of the Beast which carrieth
her".
The word "mystery"
is used in the New Testament in two ways. First, as a secret,
unfathomable by man but explained by God: see Matt. 13:11;
Rom. 16:25, 26; Eph. 3:3,6 etc. Second, the word
"mystery" signifies a sign or symbol. Such is its
meaning in Eph. 5:32, where we are told that a man who is
joined to his wife so that the two become "one
flesh" is a "great mystery, (that is, a great sign
or symbol) of Christ and the Church". So, again, in Rev.
1:20 we read of "the mystery (sign or symbol) of the
seven stars", etc.
As we have seen, the term
"mystery" has two significations in its New
Testament usage, and we believe it has a double meaning in
Rev. 17:5, where it is connected with the "Woman".
It signifies both a symbol and a secret, that is, something
not previously revealed. It should also be noted that, in
keeping with this, the name given to the Woman is a dual one
- "Babylon the great", and "the Mother of
harlots and abominations of the earth". Who, then, is
symbolized by the Woman with this dual name? V. 18 tells us,
"And the Woman which thou sawest is that great city,
which reigneth over the kings of the earth". Now to get
the force of this it is essential that we should bear in mind
that, in the Apocalypse, the words "is" and
"are" almost always (in the symbolical sections)
signify "represent". Thus, in 1:20 "the seven
stars are the seven churches" means "the seven
stars represent the seven churches"; and "the seven
candlesticks are the seven churches", signifies,
"the seven candlesticks represent the seven
churches". So in 17:9 "the seven heads are
(represent) seven mountains"; 17:12 "the ten horns
are (represent) ten kings"; 17:15 "the waters...are
(represent) peoples", etc. So in 17:18 "the woman
which thou sawest is that great city" must mean,
"the woman represents that great city". What, then,
is signified by the "great city"?
In keeping with what we have
just said above, namely, that the term "mystery" in
Rev. 17:5 has a two-fold significance, and that the woman has
a dual name, so we believe "that Great City" has a
double force and application. First, it signifies a
literal city, which shall yet be built in the Land of
Shinar, on the banks of the Euphrates. Proof of this was
furnished in our last chapter so that we need not pause here
to submit the evidence. Six times (significant number!) is
"Babylon" referred to in the Apocalypse, and
nowhere is there a hint that the name is not to be understood
literally. In the second place, the "great city"
(unnamed) signifies an idolatrous system -
"mother of harlots" a system of idolatry which
originated in the Babylon of Nimrod's day, and a system
which is to culminate and terminate in another Babylon in a
day soon to come. This we think is clear and on the surface.
What, then, is the secret here disclosed, which had hitherto
been so closely guarded?
In seeking the answer to our
last question it is important to note that there is another
"Woman" in the Revelation, between whom and this
one in chapter 17 there are some striking comparisons and
some vivid contrasts. Let us note a few of them. First, in
Rev. 12:1 we read of "a Woman clothed with the sun, and
the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars", which symbolically signifies that she occupies a
position of authority and rule (cf Gen. 37:9); so also the
Woman of chapter 17 is pictured as "ruling over the
kings of the earth" (v. 18). Second, this Woman of Rev.
12 is a mother, for she gives birth to the Man-child who
shall rule all nations (v. 5); so the Woman of chapter 17 is
"the Mother of harlots". Third, in 12:3 we read of
a great red Dragon "having seven heads and ten
horns", and he persecutes the Woman (v. 14); but in
striking contrast, the Woman of chapter 17 is seen supported
by a scarlet-colored Beast "having seven heads and ten
horns" (v. 3). Fourth, in Rev. 19:7 the Woman of chapter
12 is termed the Lamb's Wife (v. 7); whereas the Woman of
chapter 17 is the Devil's Whore. Fifth, the Wife of Rev.
19 is "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white" (v.
8); but the Whore of chapter 19 is arrayed in purple and
scarlet, and has in her hand a golden cup "full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornication" (v. 4).
Sixth, the Lamb's Wife is also inseparably connected with
a great city, even the holy Jerusalem (21:10); so the Whore
of Rev. 17 is connected with a great city, even Babylon.
Seventh, the chaste Woman shall dwell with the Lamb forever;
the Whore shall suffer endless torment in the Lake of
Fire.
Once we learn who is
symbolized by the chaste Woman, we are in the position to
identify the corrupt Woman, who is compared and contrasted
with her. As to whom is signified by the former, there is
surely little room for doubt - it is the faithful portion of
Israel. She is the one who gave birth to the Man-child - i.e.
Judah, in contrast from the unfaithful ten tribes, who
because of idolatry were, at the time of the Incarnation, is
captivity. So in Rev. 19 and 21 there are a number of things
which show clearly (to any unprejudiced mind) that the Bride,
the Lamb's Wife, is redeemed Israel, and not the Church.
For example, in Rev. 19:6,7, when praise bursts forth because
the marriage of the Lamb is come, a great multitude cry,
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us
be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him for the marriage
of the Lamb is come". "Alleluia (which occurs
nowhere in the New Testament but in this chapter) is a
peculiarly Hebrew expression, meaning "Praise the
Lord". In the second place, the word for
"marriage" (gamos) or "wedding-feast" is
the same as is used in Matt. 22:2,3,8,11,12, where, surely,
it is Israel that is in view. In the third place, note that
we are told "His wife hath made herself ready" (v.
7). Contrast this with Eph. 5:26, where we learn that Christ
will make the Church ready - see Matt. 23:39 for Israel
making herself ready. In the fourth place, in 19:8 we read,
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in
fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints". The Church will have been
arrayed years before the time contemplated here. In the fifth
place, note it is said that "the marriage of the Lamb is
come" (v. 7), just as He is on the point of leaving
heaven for earth (v. 11; but the Church will have been with
Him in the Father's house for at least seven years
(probably forty years, or more) when that hour strikes. In
the sixth place, in Rev. 21;9,10 the Lamb's Wife is
inseparably connected with that great city, the holy
Jerusalem, and in the description which follows we are told
that on the twelve gates of the city were written "the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel"
(v. 12)! Surely that is conclusive evidence that it is not
the Church which is in view. In the seventh place, in Rev.
21:14 we are told that in the twelve foundations of the
City's wall were "the names of the twelve apostles
of the Lamb" (cf Matt. 19:28!). Is it thinkable that the
name of the apostle Paul would have been omitted if the
Church were there symbolically portrayed?
If, then, the Chaste Woman of
Rev. 12,19,21, symbolizes faithful Israel, must not the
Corrupt Woman (who is compared and contrasted with the
former) represent faithless Israel? But if so, why connect
her so intimately with Babylon, the great city? It will help
us here to remember that the Chaste Woman of the Apocalypse
is also indissolubly united to a city. In Rev. 21;9 we read
that one of the seven angels said to John, "Come hither,
I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's Wife". And
immediately following we read, "And he carried me away
in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me
that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven
from God". Thus, though separate, the two are intimately
connected. The Bride will dwell in the holy Jerusalem. So
here in Rev. 17, though distinct, the Whore is intimately
related to the City, Babylon. One of the many proofs related
to the Harlot of Rev. 17 is apostate Israel is found in Isa.
1, where we read, "How is the faithful city become an
harlot"! (v. 21). In the verses which follow it will be
seen that the Lord of hosts is addressing Israel, and
describing conditions which will prevail in the End-time.
After indicting Israel for her sins, the Lord declares,
"I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of
Mine enemies". Clearly, this has reference to the
Tribulation period. Then the Lord continues, "And I will
turn, Mine hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy
dross", etc., and then He adds, "Afterwards thou
shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful
city". How clear it is then that God calls Israel
"an harlot" for her unfaithfulness. For further
proofs see Jer. 2:20; 3:6,8; Ezek. 16:15; 20:30; 43:8, 9;
Hosea 2:5, etc.
We would next call attention
to some of the scriptures which prove that there will be
Israelites dwelling in Babylon and the land of Assyria at the
End-time. In Jer. 50:4-7 we read, "In those days, and in
that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come,
they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping:
they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask
the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come,
and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant
that shall not be forgotten", etc. Clearly these verses
treat of the closing days of the time of "Jacob's
trouble". Immediately following we read, "Remove
out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of
the Chaldeans" (v. 8). Then, in the next verse, a reason
is given, showing the urgency of this call for the faithful
Jews in Babylon to come out: "For lo, I will raise and
cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations
from the north country: and they shall set themselves in
array against her; from thence she shall be taken" (v.
9). Again, in Jer. 51:44, the Lord says, "And I will
punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his
mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall
not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon
shall fall". And then follows the Call for the faithful
Jews to separate themselves from the mass of their apostate
brethren in Babylon - "My people, go ye out of the midst
of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce
anger of the Lord". Isa. 11:11; 27:13; Micah 4:10, all
show that Israel will be intimately connected with Babylon in
the End-time.
It was of incalculable help to
students of the past when they discovered that Israel is the
key which unlocks prophecy, and that the Nations are referred
to only as they affect the fortunes of Jacob's
descendants. There were other mighty peoples of old besides
the Egyptians and the Chaldeans, but the holy Spirit has
passed them by, because their history had no bearing on that
of the chosen Nation. The same reason explains why the
empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, do occupy
such a prominent notice in the book of Daniel - they were the
enemies into whose hands God delivered His wayward people.
These principles have received wide recognition by prophetic
students, and therefore it is the more strange that so few
have applied them in their study of the final prophetic book.
Israel is the key to the Revelation, and the Nations are only
mentioned therein as they immediately affect Israel's
fortunes. The ultimate design of the Apocalypse is not to
take notice of such men as Nero and Charlemagne and Napoleon,
nor such systems as Mohammedanism and the Papacy. Nor would
so much be said about Babylon unless this "great
city" was yet to be the home of apostate Israel. After
these preliminary considerations, which though length were
necessary, we are now prepared to examine a few of the
details supplied by Rev. 17 and 18. Nor can we now do more
than offer a bare outline, and even that will require a
further chapter on Rev. 18.
"And there came one of
the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with
me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
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" (Rev. 17:1,2). The
"great whore", in the final accomplishment of this
prophecy, describes apostate Israel in the End-time - i.e.
Daniel's seventieth week. The figure of an unfaithful
woman to represent apostate Israel is a common one in the
Scriptures: see Jer. 2:20; 3:6; Ezek. 16:15; 20:30; 43:8,9;
Hosea 2:5, etc. She is here termed "the great
whore" for two reasons: first, because (as we shall show
later) she will, at the end, worship Mammon as she never has
in the past; second, because of her idolatrous alliance with
the Beast. The apostle is here shown her
"judgment". This is in contrast from what we have
in Rev. 12, where we learn that the chaste "Woman"
will be preserved. That apostate Israel will yet sit
"upon many waters" ("peoples", etc., v.
15), and that the kings of the earth will commit fornication
with her, we reserve for consideration in the next
chapter.
"So he carried me away in
the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a
scarlet colored Beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious
stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornication" (vv. 3
and 4 ). The Woman seated on the Beast does not signify that
she will rule over him, but intimates that he will support
her. The ultimate reference here is to the Devil's
imitation of the Millennium, when the Jews (even now rapidly
coming into prominence) shall no longer be the tail of the
Nations, but the head. How the Devil will bring this about
will appear when we examine Rev. 18. As the result of the
Beast's support (v. 3), apostate Israel will be lifted to
heights of worldly power and glory (v. 4).
"And upon her forehead
was a name written, mystery: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (v. 5). In a
re-built Babylon will culminate the various systems of
idolatry which had their source in the first Babylon of
Nimrod's day. It is in this city that the most
influential Jews will congregate at the Time of the End. From
there, Jewish financiers will control the governments of
earth. That apostate Israel, in Babylon, should be clothed in
"purple and scarlet" (emblems of royalty and
earthly glory) before the Kingdom of Messiah is set up, was
indeed a "mystery" (secret) disclosed by none of
the Prophets, but now made known in the Revelation.
"And I saw the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of
the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with a
great wonder" (v. 6, R.V.) The final reference is,
again, to apostate Israel in the End-time. The most
relentless enemies of the godly Jews will be their own
apostate brethren - cf our notes on Luke 18 in chapter 9. The
second half of v. 6, correctly rendered in the R.V.,
"And when I saw her I wondered with a great
wonder", ought to show us that it is not Romanism which
is here in view. Why should John, who was himself then
suffering from the hatred of Rom (Pagan) wonder at Rome
(Papal) being clothed with governmental power and glory, and
drunken with the blood of saints? But that the kings of the
earth (her worst enemies for three thousand years) should
commit fornication with Israel, and that the apostate portion
of the Nation should be drunken with the blood of their own
brethren according to the flesh, was well calculated to fill
him with amazement.
"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" (v. 7). It should be
noted that in the interpretation which follows, far more is
said about "the Beast" than about "the
Woman". We believe the chief reason for this is because
the 18th verse tells us the Woman represents "that great
city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth", and
the City receives fuller notice in the chapter that follows -
Rev. 18.
"And here is the mind
which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on
which the woman sitteth. 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. And the Beast that
was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,
and goeth into perdition" (vv. 9-11). Here is the mind
which hath wisdom (v. 9): "This repetition of 13:18
identifies and connects these two chapters. The word rendered
"mind" in 17:9 and `understanding' in 13:18 is
the same. This `wisdom' is, to understand that, though a
"Beast" is seen in the vision, it is not a wild
beast that is meant, but one great final super-human
personality; namely, a man energized by satanic power"
(Dr. E.W. Bullinger).
The 9th verse should end with
the word "wisdom": what follows belongs to v. 10.
The R.V., which in this verse follows a number of reliable
translations, renders thus: "The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven
kings". This at once disposes of the popular
interpretation which regards these seven mountains s
referring to the seven hills on which the city of Rome was
built. The Holy Spirit expressly tells us that the seven
mountains are (represent) seven kings. Of these seven kings
it is said, "five are fallen, and one is (i.e. the sixth
existed when John wrote the Apocalypse), and the other (the
seventh) is yet to come: he must continue a short
space". And then in v. 11 we read, "And the Beast
that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of
the seven, and he goeth into perdition". Upon those
verses we cannot do better than give extracts from Mr.
Newton's "Thoughts on the Apocalypse".
"This passage is
evidently intended to direct our thoughts to the various
forms of executive government or kingship which have existed,
or shall exist in the prophetic earth, until the hour when
the sovereignty of the world shall become the sovereignty of
the Lord and of His Christ. We might expect to find such a
reference in a chapter which professedly treats of him who is
to close the history of human government by the introduction
of a new and marvellous form of power - a form new as to its
mode of administration and development, yet not unconnected
with the past, for it will be constructed upon principles
drawn from the experience of preceding ages, and will have
the foundations of its greatness laid by the primeval efforts
of mankind. He will be the eighth; but he is of (ek) the
seven.
"The native energy and
intrepidity of him who is said to have been a mighty hunter
before the Lord - an energy essential to men who were setting
in a forlorn and unsubdued earth, surrounded by beasts of the
forest and countless other difficulties and dangers, very
naturally gave the first form to kingship, and hence its
parentage may be said to spring. "The beginning of his
kingdom was Babel". The supremacy of Nimrod was not
derived from any previously existing system. He neither
inherited his power from others, nor did he, like
Nebuchadnezzar afterwards, receive it as a gift from God. He
earned it for himself, by the force of his own individual
character - but it was without God. Great progress was made
in the kingdom which he founded in the land of Shinar, in
civilization and refinement; for we early read of the godly
Babylonish garment, and of the s kill and learning of the
Chaldees; but their domination was repressed and kept, as it
were, in abeyance by the hand of God, until the trial of
Israel, His people, had been fully made, that it might be
seen whether they would prove themselves worthy of supremacy
in the earth.
"The form of government
in Israel was a theocracy; as was seen in the reigns of David
and Solomon, who were types (imperfect types indeed) of Him
that is to come. The monarch was independent of and
uncontrolled by those whom he governed, but he was dependent
upon God, who dwelt in the temple, ever near to be consulted,
and whose law was given as the final standard of appeal. He
stood between God and the people, not to be their functionary
and slave - not to be the expression of their judgments, and
the reflection of their will; but as set over them by
principles which he himself had received from above. But the
possession of power like this, held in companionship with
God, required a holiness that was not found in man in the
flesh, and therefore it was soon forfeited. Divine sanction,
however, has many times since been coveted, and the name of
`the Lord's anointed' assumed. The last great king of
the Gentiles, indeed, will do more than this, for he will
take the place of Divinity itself, and sit upon the mount of
the congregation on the sides of the north, saying he is like
the Most High. But all this is unauthorized assumption.
"The third form is
developed when the Gentile dynasty was formally constituted
by God in the person of Nebuchadnezzar. He, like the monarchs
of Israel, had absolute sovereignty granted to him - but God
was not with him in it. He and his successors received it as
delegated power to be exercised according to their own
pleasure, though in final responsibility to God. It is not
necessary here to pursue the painful history of the Gentiles.
It is sufficient to say, as regards the history of power,
that the Gentile monarchs from the beginning, not knowing God
so as to lean upon Him, and too weak to stand alone; exposed
to the jealousy and hatred of those whom they governed - a
jealousy not unfrequently earned by their own evil, found it
necessary to lean upon something inferior to themselves: and
thus the character of power has been deteriorated from age to
age, until at last the monarchy of these latter days has
consented not only to own the people as the basis and source
of its power, but has also submitted to be directed in the
exercise of that power by given rules prescribed by its
subjects.
"The native monarchy of
Nimrod, the theocracy of Israel, the despotic authority of
Nebuchadnezzar, the aristocratic monarchy of Persia, and the
military monarchy of Alexander and his successors, had all
passed away when John beheld this vision. All these methods
had been tried - none had been found to answer even the
purposes of man; and now another had arisen, the half
military, half popular monarchy of the Caesars, - the iron
empire of Rome. `Five have fallen, and one is, and the other
is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a little
space".
"That other (though it
cannot yet be said to have come so as to fulfill this verse)
(we are rather inclined to believe that the
"seventh" is commercialism, that is, the
moneyed-interests in control - A.W.P.) and, with one brief
exception, the last form that is to be exhibited before the
end shall come, and it is under this form that the system of
Babylon is matured. It is obvious that a monarchy, guided not
by the people numerically, but by certain classes of the
people, and those classes determined by the possession of
property, must be the form adapted for the accumulation of
wealth, and the growth of commercial power; for it gives
(which pure democracy has ever failed to do), the best
security fro property without unduly fettering the liberty of
individual enterprise".
For lack of space we are
obliged to pass over the intervening verses now, and in
closing this chapter we offer a brief word on v. 18.
"And the woman which thou sawest is that great city,
which reigneth over the kings of the earth". This verse
tells us that the Whore represents a City. This city is named
in 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2; 10, 21; and it is surely
significant that it is thus named in the Apocalypse six times
- the number of man; whereas the new Jerusalem is referred to
three times (3:12; 21:2; 10) the Divine number. Babylon, must
therefore be understood literally, otherwise we should have
the anomaly of a figure representing a figure. But from the
very fact that we are here told the Woman represents the
City, we learn that she is not literal, but figurative. In
the next chapter we shall further review Rev. 17 and offer
some comments on Rev. 18.