Can you please explain Revelation 17?

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Revelation 17 portrays the judgment of Babylon, the great harlot symbolizing corrupt, godless worldly power allied with the beast, the Antichrist. It warns Christians against spiritual compromise and offers assurance that evil’s alliances will collapse under God’s judgment, while Christ the Lamb overcomes those who oppose Him and persecute His faithful.

Revelation 17 is one of the most critical prophetic visions granted to St. John the Beloved on the island of Patmos. Following the pouring out of the seven bowls of God’s wrath in chapter 16, an angel takes John into the wilderness to witness the judgment of "the great harlot"—a vision revealing the nature, alliance, and ultimate downfall of corrupt worldly power in league with the Antichrist. In the tradition of Alexandrian biblical exegesis, the Apocalypse contains layered meanings: an immediate historical reality facing the early Church, a continuous spiritual reality throughout the Church age, and an eschatological fulfillment at the end of time. --- 1. The Great Harlot on the Waters (Revelation 17:1–2, 15) The chapter opens with one of the seven angels saying to John: "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication." The Waters: In verse 15, the angel explicitly defines the waters: "The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues." She exercises wide, corrupting dominion across nations. Spiritual Harlotry: In Holy Scripture, "harlotry" or "fornication" primarily signifies spiritual infidelity—idolatry, apostasy, and the abandonment of the worship of the one true God for worldly luxury, false religion, and self-deification. The Contrast: The harlot is the demonic inversion and counterfeit of the true Bride: the pure, undefiled Church (ⲉⲕⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ). Where the Church is clothed in the white linen of the righteous deeds of the saints, this woman is decked in earthly purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls. --- 2. The Woman on the Scarlet Beast (Revelation 17:3–6) John sees the woman sitting on a scarlet beast full of blasphemous names, possessing seven heads and ten horns. On her forehead is written: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." Babylon as a Symbol: Historically, Babylon was the ancient enemy that destroyed Solomon’s Temple and dragged God’s people into exile. In the apostolic age, Babylon was a recognized code name for pagan Rome, which martyred the Apostles Peter and Paul and initiated brutal persecutions against Christians. Eschatologically, Babylon represents the entirety of the godless, apostate world system that opposes God and persecutes His faithful. "Drunk with the Blood of the Saints": Verse 6 describes her as "drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." This was intensely literal for the early Christians, particularly the Church of Alexandria, whose soil was drenched with the blood of countless martyrs under imperial Roman persecutors such as Decius and Diocletian. It also remains true for all powers throughout history that shed the blood of the faithful. --- 3. The Beast That "Was, and Is Not, and Yet Is" (Revelation 17:7–11) The angel explains the mystery of the scarlet beast: "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition." A Demonic Parody: This phrase is an unholy parody of the eternal nature of God, who is "the One who is and who was and who is to come" (Rev. 1:4), and of the death and resurrection of our Lord ⲓⲏⲥⲟⲩⲥ ⲡⲭⲣⲓⲥⲧⲟⲥ (Jesus Christ). The Antichrist’s kingdom mimics divine authority through deceits and lying wonders to seduce the unfaithful. The Seven Heads and Seven Mountains: Verse 9 states that the seven heads are "seven mountains on which the woman sits." Historically, this points directly to Rome, famously built upon seven hills. Prophetically, mountains in Scripture also signify kingdoms or empires (cf. Daniel 2:35). The Seven Kings: Verse 10 explains: "Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come." Five fallen: The great world empires that historically oppressed God's people prior to John’s day: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. One is: The pagan Roman Empire, which held dominion during St. John’s life. The one not yet come: The short-lived empire of the final persecuting power before the end. The Eighth: The beast himself (the Antichrist), who embodies all the blasphemies of the preceding pagan empires and leads the world into total rebellion before being cast into perdition. --- 4. The Ten Horns and the Triumph of the Lamb (Revelation 17:12–14) The ten horns represent ten kings or rulers who have received no kingdom yet, but will receive authority for one brief period ("one hour") alongside the beast: "These have one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with

Can you please explain Revelation 17?

1. The Great Harlot on the Waters (Revelation 17:1–2, 15)

2. The Woman on the Scarlet Beast (Revelation 17:3–6)

3. The Beast That "Was, and Is Not, and Yet Is" (Revelation 17:7–11)

4. The Ten Horns and the Triumph of the Lamb (Revelation 17:12–14)

5. The Destruction of the Harlot (Revelation 17:16–18)

Summary

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