We know that God’s wrath is both just and glorious, but hell remains less than a cheerful thought. Now as the heavenly choir sings “Hallelujah,” we find more positive reasons to rejoice in God’s final judgment. The overthrow of the ungodly is a means to the glorious, universal, and unimpeded reign of Jesus Christ over all things. “Hallelujah!” heaven sings, “For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns” (v. 6).

The title “Lord our God the Almighty” emphasizes the sovereignty and omnipotence of God. In an important sense, there has never been a moment when God has not been reigning. God’s plan for history merely permitted sin so that in the end His Son, Jesus Christ, would reign in grace with a people purchased by His blood. When this victory is achieved, when the opposition of Satan, sin, and death is conquered and put away, leaving nothing to hinder the blessed kingdom of Christ in all creation, no wonder that heaven rejoices.

When believers seek to understand the blessings that await us in glory, the Bible provides a variety of images. What Christian has not reveled in blessed anticipation of Psalm 23’s final verse? Revelation 19:7 adds a glorious vision of a wedding banquet after Christ has taken His bride. The choir sings: “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.” All throughout the Bible, salvation is presented as a love relationship between God and His people.

So how can sinners from this world, who have ourselves betrayed God in sin and idolatry, ever qualify to be Christ’s spotless and radiant bride? The answer is given in verse 8: “It was granted her to clothe herself with fine lines, bright and pure.” This sums up the Bible’s gospel teaching, that God so loved the world, and Christ so loves His bride that He came to cleanse His chosen people from sin by dying on the cross. Jesus further achieved a perfect righteousness on our behalf by means of His own spotless life. Sinners are justified by means of the imputed righteousness that Jesus gives, so that through faith alone we receive the spotless garment of the righteousness of Christ (see Rom. 4:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ equally involves His righteous work for us to justify us from sin and His sanctifying work in us, in which we participate to present ourselves beautifully to Him. In the language of our passage, a spotless wedding garment is “granted” by God to every sinner who believes. Henceforth, we are to put it on and wear it – that is, we are to live accordance with the righteous standing we have received through faith in Christ (Eph. 4:21-24). Having been saved by the blood of Christ from the judgment of the harlot world to which we formerly belonged, we are by grace alone granted a spotless wedding garment of righteousness, and henceforth we are to live as His holy people.

Revelation 19 doesn’t show the actual marital bliss that Christ and His bride will enjoy in eternity: that description comes in chapters 21 and 22. But the angel did point out a particular blessing that belongs to the people of Christ even now: “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (v. 9). This is the fourth beatitude of the book of Revelation. So far, blessing has been pronounced on those who read and hear the message of this book (1:3), on “the dead who die in the Lord,” who “rest from their labors” (14:13), and on those who keep their garments on, remaining ready for the return of Christ (16:15). Now Christians are described not only as the bride of Christ but also as the wedding guests who are invited to attend the feast. We are blessed in looking forward to the wedding and the feast, both of which will continue forever.

Even though the wedding between Christ and His church is yet to come, believers are blessed now because through faith in Jesus they possess the invitation needed to reserve a seat at that feast. This makes the vital point that our present salvation through faith in Jesus renders our future salvation in the wedding feast to come absolutely secure. We know this because of the inviolable authority of God’s Word. John adds in verse 9: “And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’” Everyone who believes in Jesus now and lives as His disciple has “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5).

Knowing this, Christians do not need to wait for the wedding feast before we join the heavenly choir of praise. We may worship just as fervently now, with a present assurance of salvation in Christ. Now we await the sudden appearing of our Lord. But our invitation to His feast is certified by the Word of God and secured by the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 10 adds a surprising episode that highlights how glorious it is to anticipate our future union with Christ. Having heard God’s blessing on those invited to the wedding feast, John “fell down” at the feet of the angel “to worship him.” The angel stopped John, crying in alarm: “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.” This verse reminds us that however glorious any person or angel may appear to be, we must never grant worship to anyone but God. Moreover, this verse states that having been redeemed by Christ’s blood, Christians are now “fellow servants” with the angels in proclaiming the gospel and bringing praise to God’s throne.

This kind of keen anticipation will make the rigors of the present Christian life seem as nothing compared to the glories ahead. As we grow in Christian faith, that future should loom ever clearer in our minds, so that the glory and love awaiting us become more real to our hearts than the poisoned delights of a harlot world that desires to lead us astray.

Finally, while we celebrate the coming day when “the Lord our God the Almighty” will reign (v. 6), let us never forget that Jesus reigns now through the ministry of His Word. The angel concludes: “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (v. 10). This statement can be taken in two equally valid ways. It may mean that wherever the testimony of Jesus’ love is given, there is the true spirit of prophecy. Alternatively, it may state that those who believe in the gospel testimony receive the spirit of prophecy to tell others about the saving grace of Christ.

Both as the gospel comes to us and as we bring it to others, Christ reigns in our present world, bringing sinners to Himself through faith, and securing for everyone who believes a place in the wedding feast that will resound in joy and praise forever. How exciting it is to be a Christian, even as we wait in this darkened world for the glorious light of Jesus’ soon appearing” “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory” (v. 7).

What higher love can you ever discover than the redeeming love of Jesus Christ? If you respond to His call, offering your faith and love to Him, then Jesus will take you to Himself for eternity. He will be your beloved Savior and glorious Lord, and by His grace at work in you, you will respond in faithful covenant love and worship back to Him. Every believer of the gospel will be blessed together with the Son of God, along with the entire glorious host of His blessed church, so long as you both eternally live.

Revelation 19:6-10 Study Questions:

The marriage of the Lamb and His bride is to be the focal point of the marriage of heaven and earth themselves. Who is the “bride” of the Lamb (vv. 7-8)?

John himself is so excited by all this that he begins to worship the angel who is revealing it all to him. Why is this a big mistake (v. 10)?

How are we sometimes tempted to make the same mistake John made?

Revelation 19 begins with “After this,” speaking of the judgments of the prior chapters, which are now followed by the adoring worship of heaven. John heard “what seemed to be a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah!” (v. 1). In verse 1, the heavenly throng rejoices in the glory that God has won by saving His people: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.”

When we speak of salvation glorifying God, we mean that His saving achievement shines light on His wonderful attributes. A similar worship scene in Revelation 7:12 noted seven attributes of God for praise: “Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power ad might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Here in chapter 19, the heavenly host celebrates three of God’s attributes that are marvelously displayed: His salvation, glory, and power.

In rejoicing that “salvation…belong[s] to our God,” the heavenly singers note God’s sovereignty over salvation. Salvation belongs to God in that He alone accomplished it. We do not save ourselves either by good works or by our efforts to defeat evil, since we are ourselves sinners who need to be saved.

Since the expression “Salvation…belong[s] to our God” emphasizes God’s sovereignty in our salvation, it reminds us of the aim of God’s will for believers. Christians sometimes wonder what God’s will for them is, especially when they are going through hard times. “To what purpose is God working in my life,” they ask, “and how do I make sense of these trials?” The answer is that God has sovereignly willed and is presently working out our salvation to the praise of His glory. He has arranged marvelous ways in which each of our lives displays His sovereign grace, so that forever in heaven the angels will marvel at how we each bear our own unique testimony that “salvation belongs to God!”

God’s salvation also magnifies His power. Doubters ask, “We see that God wills salvation, but is he able to do it?” The destruction of the satanic world system in the coming of Christ, which our passage celebrates in praise, will put an end to such questions. The Bible shows throughout that God has power to save His people.  Paul states that the greatest example is the resurrection of Jesus Christ, when God overcame the power of sin and death. He thus prayed that believers would know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead” (Eph. 1:19-20). We may add to this the praise of the angels in Revelation 19, magnifying God for the display of His power in overthrowing the Babylonian harlot that is our world. Anticipating this end, we should rely on God’s power now without doubting.

The end of history will see God glorified not only in saving His people but also in judging the wicked. The angels thus praise God’s holy justice: “for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute (v. 2). God is glorified in His wrath for sin, since “his judgments are true and just.” God is not capricious or unfair in judging, but exercises perfect justice in accord with His law. Even those who reject God’s Word tend to agree in the punishment of murderers, thieves, and cheats. God enforces the entirety of His law, upholding it perfectly in His judgment of sin.

Two primary causes are cited in the judgment of the Babylonian world system. First, Babylon “corrupted the earth with her immorality” (v. 2). The world tempts people by making actions seem attractive and pleasing, when they are in fact immoral and ultimately destructive. This is heinously offensive to God, who made mankind to live in holiness and blessing.

Second, Babylon is judged because her hands are red with “the blood of [God’s] servants” (v. 2). In many places in the world today, the most dangerous thing one can do is speak the Word of God or worship openly in Jesus’ name. Christians are killed and imprisoned for telling others the good news of salvation. Milder forms of persecution have now arrived in the West. Businesses are closed because their Christian owners refused to violate their consciences by glorifying the sin of homosexuality. Others are threatened by the government for refusing to fund the slaughter of infants in the womb.

Worldly Babylon lashes out against faithful witnesses to the grace and truth of Christ, but God has promised to avenge their sorrow and blood. In the end, the world’s persecution of believers, together with its crucifixion of Jesus, will be a chief cause of God’s wrath. For judging those who shed His servants’ blood, God’s faithfulness will be praised (V. 3).

Verse 4 shows the response of the worship leaders of heaven to God’s eternal judgment of the wicked. The twenty-four elders are angelic counterparts to the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the church, who thus represent the entirety of the redeemed people of God in history. The “four living creatures” are the cherubim who are closest to God’s throne and represent the submission of all creation (see Rev. 4:4-6).

These opening verses of Revelation 19 conclude with a summons to praise God (v. 5). Having believed in God’s Word concerning His glory in salvation and judgment, we not only should ensure that we are saved through faith, but should then live in such a way that expresses thanksgiving and praise to Him. Three statements are made here about those who worship God. First, God is worshiped by His servants. This title doesn’t describe a certain class of Christians, such as those who hold vocational positions in ministry, but rather describes all believers. To be a Christian is to be a servant of God.

Second, worshipers are those who “fear him” (v. 5). True servants of God worship Him with reverence and are careful to obey God’s Word. The believer’s fear of God is not a servile terror, but the respectful attitude of a son for a father whose rule is accepted and whose punishment is dreaded. The wise Christian knows that “the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6). Therefore, he is careful how he lives, and while he delights in the Lord’s kindness and love, he worships “with reverence and awe,” knowing that “our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29).

Third, the God-fearing servants who are summoned to worship God include people of all kinds; both “small and great” (v. 5). This includes the new believer and the spiritually mature. It summons people from every race, nationality, and economic class. What matters is no longer how the world classifies and divides us, but how believers are united as one people in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. No matter who you are in the world or in the church, your calling in life is to give praise to God through your worship, service, and reverent obedience, all of which display the glory of God’s grace in you. Just as our voices unite in the congregational singing of the worship service, each of our lives and our testimony of God’s grace is needed to form the true hallelujah chorus that will praise the Lord in unending ages to come.

Revelation 19:1-5 Study Questions:

How does this passage emphasize the intensity of the celebration that takes place?

Why is there so much celebration in heaven?

Where are we in this picture of joyful celebration and union?

In Revelation 18 John presents a perspective of the fall of the great world city Babylon the great that is molded on Ezekiel’s lament for the city of Tyre (Ezek. 26-27). Revelation 18 imitates this lament, featuring the kings, merchants, and seafarers whose alliance with wicked Babylon is ended by God’s judgment. This scene of despair is contrasted at the end with the rejoicing of heaven and the people of God.

When John wrote the book of Revelation, the city of Babylon had long since been destroyed. Babylon symbolized imperial Rome, the powerful and decadent city that dominated the first-century Mediterranean world. Rome itself was symbolic, standing along with Babylon as a symbol of the satanic realm of secularism in idolatrous opposition to God. Her judgment is lamented in these verses by those who had feasted from her table.

The first to lament Babylon’s fall are “the kings of the earth” (v. 9). These are the client princes who relied on the empire for their prestige and power, including the rulers in the province of Asia, where John’s churches were located. These rulers had embraced the corruption of Rome so as to gain power from her. The kings lamented Rome’s greatness and might in verse 10. With the great city fallen, they grieve not for her but for their lost patronage.

The second mourners are the merchants, who grieve over losing the great market for their luxurious products (v. 11). Historians describe the staggering amount of trade that flowed into Rome. People compare today’s Western decadence with that of ancient Rome, but there is no comparison. The citizens of Rome led lives of spectacular wealth and stunning opulence. The riches of the ancient world were poured into the lap of Rome. Against this backdrop, we are not surprised at the wealthy cargo that the merchants lament as lost in verses 12-13. If the rulers valued power, the merchants loved splendor and beauty (v. 14). Verse 16 views the great city as a sumptuously beautiful woman dressed in the most alluring clothes and the richest jewelry.

The third group of mourners consists of the seafarers, whose ships carried the merchants’ cargo (vv. 17-18). The ship captains and their crews see from afar the smoke of the great burning city. Unlike the kings, who sought power from Rome, and the merchants, who relished the luxurious living of Rome, the shipmasters care only for the money they made from Rome (v. 19). There will be no further chance for them to get rich quick and make such lavish profits. Contrary to Jesus’ advice in the Sermon on the Mount, they had stored up treasure on earth, rather than in heaven, and the time had now come when all their riches would be lost (Matt. 6:19-20). In the judgment of the Babylonian world system, those whose hearts are fixed to the things of the world will suffer total loss.

The lament of the kings, merchants, and seafarers is not the only perspective on the fall of mighty Babylon. Verse 20 interrupts with the voice of John’s angel-interpreter: “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!” In dramatizing Babylon’s fall, John leaves us in no doubt that this was God’s doing.

Now, as John looks to the end of history when the Babylonian world system will come under judgment, “a mighty angel” appears with “a stone like a great millstone” (v. 21). The great millstone crashes into the water and sinks to the bottom of the deepest sea. This symbolizes the utter ruin of the evil world, which perishes forever because of idolatry and sin. The angel follows up this symbolic gesture with a eulogy recounting the judgment befalling every aspect of Babylonian life. In verses 21-23 he intones the words “no more” six times. Babylon herself “will be found no more.” With her fall the sound of music, the busy noise of craftsmen, and the clanging sounds of daily industry “will be heard in you no more (. 22).

There are three lessons we can learn from Babylon’s judgment and fall. The first is that Christians must learn how to use the things of the world rightly, enjoying God’s good gifts without falling into the world’s idolatry. Just as the kings, merchants, and seafarers stood far off from Babylon in fear, Christians must keep distance from the materialism that characterizes Babylon’s spirit. Christians are perfectly free to enjoy good things in the world and even to appreciate luxuries, so long as we do so in gratitude to God and with generosity toward those in need.

A second lesson from this passage is that we should never doubt the certainty of God’s judgment on the wicked. Long years after John recorded this vision, it seemed to many that Rome would never fall but would endure forever. Yet the day came, in A.D. 410, when the Visigoth chieftain Alaric overran and sacked the city of Rome, bringing the empire to an end. Many Christians were utterly dismayed in the insecurity of the moment, just as many Christians today tremble for the collapse of Western society.

Finally, Christians should realize that in the midst of this very world, with its history moving forward to certain judgment, Christ is building His church that will endure eternally in glory. Jesus promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). These judgments display God’s sovereignty and power. Those same almighty attributes ensure that the work He is doing now in our midst through the gospel is certain to succeed. Knowing this, we labor in the world for eternity. We seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, as Jesus said, confident that all other things will be given to us with Him (Matt. 6:33).

Revelation 18:9-24 Study Questions:

How do the kings and merchants of the earth react to the fall of Babylon (vv. 9-11)?

In verses 12-13, John builds up a marvelous catalog of luxury goods as well as basics of trade – flour, wheat, cattle and so on. But what horror do we find at the end of this list?

How does the final item of “cargo” reveal the depth of Babylon’s wickedness (vv. 12-14)?

What prophetic act does the mighty angel perform to indicate judgment on Babylon’s violence (v. 21)?

Babylon is a city founded on violence; not only the blood of the martyrs. Babylon has been at the center of a network of violence that spanned the world, and all who have been slaughtered on earth have, in a sense, been slaughtered at the behest of Babylon. Where do we see violence of Babylon revealed in our own society?

How might we live in a way that opposes this violence?

One could hardly find a stronger statement of biblical opposition to the world than is stated in Revelation 18. A simple reading of verses 2 and 4 would seem to urge Christians to adopt a very negative attitude toward the world. However, this attitude of opposition to worldly culture is not the only view in the Bible. In Philippians 4:8, Paul urged us to appreciate good things wherever we find them. The world was made good by God and was precious to Him as His own possession (Ps. 24:1).

The angel’s hostility is directed not to the physical earth but to sinful worldly culture. What God hates is Babylon as a symbol of the idol-worshiping, sensually perverse world system in rebellion to heaven. The world is not evil in itself but only in rebellion and sin. The most virulent atheist today, the most arrogantly seductive cultural harlot, and the most cynical abortion doctor all bear the stamp of the image of God. It was in this world that Jesus taught, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:44).

In calling forth Babylon’s fall, the angel condemns the depravity of its condition in verse 2. This statement mirrors Isaiah’s prophecy that foretold Babylon’s complete desolation to the extent that “wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures…Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant places (Isa. 13:20-22). Revelation takes this same imagery to its ultimate extreme, saying that worldly Babylon will be haunted by demons, unclean spirits, and defiled beasts. This imagery of occupation by violent and unclean animals symbolizes what happens in a society whenever God is rejected.

The apostle Paul said in Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death,” including the death of any society that knowingly turns against God and falls under His judgment. The living death depicted in Babylon is caused by the reign of moral depravity in rebellion to God. First, Babylon is condemned for exporting a culture of sexual indulgence and perversion throughout the world (v. 3). This statement suggests that those who lead masses of people into sin will be especially accountable to God’s wrath.

Tyrannical governments rely on the sensual inducements of immorality to gain allegiance and strengthen their power. Furthermore, “the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living” (v. 3). The point is not to condemn honest gain from business but to oppose merchants and corporate titans who so worship money that they traffic in the poison of sin. The angel’s condemnation of Babylon warns both citizens engaged in public service and those engaged in private enterprise that God is keeping tabs on their practice, and will hold them especially to account for their promotion of sexual immorality and other abuses of their fellow man.

After the first angel’s rejoicing for fallen Babylon, another voice is heard from heaven that either belongs to God or certainly represents God. This voice is directed to John and his readers, who live in the very Babylon under judgment. Their call is both simple and urgent: “Come out of her, my people” (v. 4). So how do Christians obey the command, “Come out of her, my people”? The answer is given as the voice continues: “lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” (v. 4). Christians need to avoid two dangers in relating to worldly Babylon” the danger of participating in its sin and the danger of suffering its judgment.

Separation from sin can be achieved only by a no to the world and a yes to God’s Word. So important is this principle of thinking and acting by God’s Word that it was Paul’s exhortation in the long book of Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

The voice from heaven aids Christians in this calling by pointing out that Babylon’s “sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (v. 5). This statement warns us against taking a casual view of sin, especially in light of the Bible’s teaching about God’s mercy and grace (Heb. 8:12; 10:17). The sins that are so flagrantly discounted by a depraved society are each an infinite and eternal offense to the heart of the holy God.

Beyond the call to come out from the sinful ways of the Babylonian world, we may make three more specific applications, each of which is tied to the statements of judgment in verses 6-8.First, since the sinful world is destined for judgment, Christians should not invest our ultimate dreams or seek our true treasures in this world. Jesus taught, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth.” We should not set our hearts on earthly things because they are inherently unstable. Even in this life, Jesus warned, moths and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal (Matt. 6:19-20). While we are in this world, we are bound to have a good many interests here. But those who know the grace and glory of Christ should hold Him as our highest treasure (Matt. 6:21). Our minds should be interested in the work of His church and of the gospel. And our chief interests should be those bound up with the kingdom of heaven.

Second, since this judgment reveals God’s hatred of the world’s sinful priorities, Christians should increasingly take the attitude that is pleasing to God and contrary to the spirit of the world. Some believers are reluctant to be different from the world because they fear being discovered as Christians. But what does this say about our commitment to the Lord? Seeing His response to Babylon’s arrogance and sins, we should cultivate instead the holy humility that characterized Jesus and pleases our God. God’s revulsion for the sinful world is vividly displayed in verse 7. Here, it is especially the self-glorifying attitude of the world that offends God. Similar attitudes are prevalent in secular society today; Christians should turn their hearts toward God in humility, using the things of the world in stewardship to Him.

Finally, Christians are always to remember the fate in store for the ungodly world in verse 8. Like the world that Noah departed before the flood that rose suddenly, and like Sodom, which fell in a day to the fire and brimstone crashing down from God, the entire world awaits a judgment that will utterly destroy everything that sinners hold dear. When judgment comes, there will be no escape for those who have rejected the gospel offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Why should you live differently from the world in sin? First, for God’s sake, then second for the world’s sake. Our world desperately needs the testimony of a lived Christianity that bears witness to the God of salvation, His judgment on sin, and the forgiveness He offers through the blood of Jesus Christ. This gives the most important answer to the question of Christianity and culture, as commanded by Jesus Himself: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20).

Revelation 18:1-8 Study Questions:

What message does the angel with great authority bring (vv. 2-3)?

As those who live in a society that places a high value on human achievement, what lessons might we learn from the fall of Babylon?

What specific judgments are pronounced on Babylon for her sin (vv. 6-8)?

How is this a just punishment for Babylon?

How do we discern the point at which a government or other worldly power passes from being a servant of God to putting itself in the place of God?

In what ways do we also need to “come out” from present-day “Babylons” with their corrupt systems, and separate ourselves from their ways?

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?