“So he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness, and there I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. Now the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth'” (Revelation 17:3-5 NET).
These verses present us with a powerful and disturbing image of spiritual prostitution in the form of a woman astride this scarlet beast. But as noted in our opening study of these verses, we shouldn’t overlook the central theme of this chapter: “Come, and I will show you the judgment passed upon the great harlot who is seated upon many waters” (Revelation 17:1 Phillips). The emphasis is not on the extent of her misconduct or the image she presents, but on the consequences that will follow as a result of her behavior.
Our text from Revelation chapter seventeen provides us with an extensive description of this woman and her deeds. First, we’re told that she was involved in an immoral relationship with the world’s political leaders, according to Revelation 17:2. As we’ll discover later in verse fifteen, her sphere of influence was borderless and trans-cultural in scope.
The beast she rode was a seven-headed monstrosity, with ten horns that defamed God. Verse four tells us she was arrayed in scarlet and purple, the color of royalty, and accessorized with gold, precious stones, and pearls. In her hand was a drinking vessel filled with the corruption that stemmed from her immoral behavior. She was also intoxicated, but not with alcohol. Instead, she was drunk with the blood of those who had given their lives for Christ.
Finally (and perhaps most prominently), she had a name that was written across her forehead. Several Biblical translations (such as the New King James Version) capitalize that name in the form of a title: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
As mentioned earlier, this reference to “Babylon,” with its decadent imagery of excess and corruption, symbolizes the attitude held by those who aggressively reject their Creator. It might also refer to a political, economic, or religious system that is based upon a similar mindset. With these things in mind, we’ll consider what these images may represent next.