“And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire” (Revelation 17:16 ESV).
Something unusual happens here in Revelation 17:16, for the members of this godless coalition turn upon one of their own. But how could such a thing occur? The answer may lie in an observation from earlier within this chapter: selfishness is an underlying (bur often overlooked) aspect of any immoral relationship. In this instance, these parties were likely exploiting one another to get something they each desired. That is, until one side no longer needed the other.
First, let’s consider the description of this prostitute from earlier in this chapter: “‘The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality'” (Revelation 17:2 CSB). At one time, the beast and these kings profited from that arrangement in various ways. However, that dynamic shifted dramatically once their need to exploit that relationship ceased to exist.
This serves to remind us of the potential consequences that can befall those who partake in immoral relationships: one side may abandon the other when their needs are no longer being met. Here in Revelation seventeen, that act of abandonment turned violent and destructive when it no longer served one party’s interests.
Another interesting aspect of this passage appears in verse seventeen: “For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled” (NLT). By taking this action, God is giving the global population exactly what it desires: the complete absence of God-honoring leadership in the political arena. Thus, the tragic edict of Romans 1:28 will come to fruition once again: “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done” (NET).
Finally, this chapter ends with an ominous and enigmatic message: “The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth” (NIV). So what prominent city might this refer to? One possibility involves a modern version of the literal, physical city of Babylon. Another possibility is Jerusalem, a place cited in Revelation 11:8 as “the great city… where also our Lord was crucified.” Or it might be Rome, a city that was commonly known to be the greatest city of that era. Finally, it may be an unknown city of the future that has yet to be established.