John had seen the great prostitute Babylon, riding the scarlet beast and drenched in the blood of the saints. “When I saw her,” he said, “I marveled greatly” (v. 6). It seems that John was set back by the appalling vision. The angel followed up with: “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her (v. 7). This interpretation of this vision was designed to comfort John’s fear and encourage him to persevere in faith.

The angel’s message is organized by the three main portions of this passage. First, John needs to recognize the beast and the manner of his appearing. Second, he must understand the powers arrayed by the beast for war against Christ. Third, he is to marvel at the destruction that God has ordained to be at work between the harlot and the beast, displaying His sovereign power. The perspective we gain from studying this difficult chapter is intended to give us boldness to stand for God in this hostile world.

By now in our study, we are familiar with the beast, who represents violent worldly power arrayed against God and His people. He was first mentioned in chapter 11, where he briefly had power to slay the two witnesses, symbolizing the martyr church (11:7-8), until they were raised from the dead before God’s judgment on the beast (11:11-13). In chapter 12, we learn that the beast’s master, the seven-headed dragon, Satan, makes unsuccessful war against the church, which conquers him by the blood of Christ and “the word of their testimony” (12:11). In chapter 13, John again sees this beast making war on the saints, being permitted by God to conquer them for a limited period (13:5-7).

This background material fits in with the description of Revelation 17:8, “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.” The pattern follows the record of Satan in history. The devil was and then was not, that is, he reigned over the nations in sin until Christ defeated him on the cross and overthrew his kingdom. This does not minimize the evil activity of Satan in our own time, but points out that his power has been restrained so that the gospel may go forth to the world (Rev. 20:3). Although his reign was and now is not, there will be a brief time at the end of history when he will once more be permitted “to deceive the nations” and “gather them for battle” against Christ (20:7-8). Therefore, Satan “was, is not, and is about to rise” again.

The angel’s second point to John unfolds the meaning of the seven heads and ten horns, in order to show the powers joined with the beast for the war against Christ. This passage is so difficult that we are not surprised at the way the angel introduces it: This calls for a mind with wisdom” (v. 9). Wisdom is needed not only to understand the material but also to keep its meaning in focus. The angel begins by saying that “the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated” (v. 9). This seems to be a clear reference to Rome, the city of seven hills, which was in John’s time the main representative of the beast and the seat of the harlot’s seductions. Mountains are often used in the Bible to depict spiritual powers arrayed against God (see Isa. 2:2; Jer. 51:25; Ezek. 35:3).

If the seven hills are easy to understand, what follows in verse 10 is not. There are three main theories for interpreting this verse, two of which are historical and one of which is symbolic. There are several problems with the historical approaches that cannot work without arbitrary manipulation. This leads us to consider a symbolic approach, especially since the numbers seven and ten have been used this way throughout Revelation.

Seven stands for completeness and here would represent the totality of antichrist government throughout history. Picture a beast with seven heads, five of which have been cut off. The idea is that Christ’s first coming inflicted a deadly blow to Satan and his beast, who continues fighting undaunted, employing the power of his deadly sixth head, with the seventh yet to come. The point is that war is getting closer to its end. John’s readers were not at the end – theirs was the sixth head – but the last phase was beginning. The conflict will be fierce, but the end is not far off. There will be great suffering in John’s time and in the church’s future, with a great need for courage and perseverance, but Christians face the conflict, knowing that its duration is limited and that the end is near.

When the end comes, the church will face an eighth head (v. 11). Eight is the number of resurrection, which fits the Antichrist’s attempt to masquerade as Christ. Like all the previous horns, he is bent on world domination in rebellion to God. But he is different in that he is the genuine beast. Verse 12 says that the seventh king has “ten horns,” which “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.” Symbolically, ten is another number for completion, this time representing the subordinate powers that assist the imperial beast.

In John’s day, Rome was organized in ten provinces, and it was mainly provincial leaders who persecuted the Christians. More generally, the ten horns symbolize the mighty ones of this earth in every realm: art, education, commerce, industry, government, in so far as they serve the central authority. With such allies exercising his authority, the Antichrist will dominate all society for a brief time – “for one hour” – during which period he will exalt himself in power. Being “of one mind,” the horns will “hand over their power and authority to the beast. They will make war on the Lamb” (vv. 13-14).

The only possible result of this warfare, however greatly the church may briefly suffer, is the total victory of Christ (v. 14). Worldly powers will unite under the beast to bring great affliction to Christians for periods during history and in an intense way at the very end. But just when the Antichrist seems to be grasping victory, Christ will appear and bring him utter and final ruin, while delivering believers into His kingdom of glory.

The final lesson calls for John to marvel at the self-destructive nature of worldly society. Verse 9 showed the harlot sitting on the seven mountains, as the mighty ones became drunk from her corrupting wine. Verse 18 now describes her as “the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.” The harlot symbolizes the entire economic and cultural system on which the world depends. Verse 15 describes her spread of immoral culture throughout the world. Like polluted waters flowing from Babylon, the harlot’s decadent culture spreads through her arrogant confidence, through the heart-stealing seduction of her promises of prosperity and through the brute force of the beast’s military might.

Given the close relationship with the harlot, we would expect the tyrannical beast to care for and protect her. Instead, the opposite happens as seen in verse 16. Why is this? One reason is that the pleasures of sin ultimately disappoint, turning evil men on one another in frustration. Another reason is that the beast and his worldly rulers do not love the people they have used.

Two statements directly relate to believers and urge Christians to be steadfast and faithful during evil times. First, when verse 14 tells of the Lamb’s conquest, it adds “those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” Here is a good definition of a Christian. The followers of Christ are those who have answered the call of the gospel to saving faith. They are those chosen by God’s sovereign grace, which ensures their eternal salvation. Their duty is simply to be faithful to their Savior and Lord. The faithfulness of Christians in opposing evil not only proves their salvation but makes a real contribution to Jesus’ victory in the end.

Second, we should note what the angel said about God’s sovereignty: “God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose…until the words of God are fulfilled” (v. 17). This means that God is not surprised by anything that happens in this evil age. The apparent advance of evil does not mean that God has lost control. Believers can trust Him, including His wisdom in working both against evil and through evil to glorify Himself and eternally bless His people. God’s Word is certain to be fulfilled.

Revelation 17:7-18 Study Questions:

What does it mean that the beast “carries” the whore of Babylon and gives her power (vv. 7-8)?

What explanation does the angel offer for the identity of the seven heads and tens horns first mentioned in verse 7?

What do the ten kings do first in verses 12-14?

In what way might we describe the next action of the ten kings (vv. 15-18) as “poetic justice”?

What examples can you think of in which evil ended up destroying itself recently?

What encouragement and hope do you find in this chapter and why?

How might we help those who suffer under the afflictions of the world’s systems?