Sunday School Notes: Revelation 17:5-7

⁵ And upon her forehead was written a mysterious name: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and the Detestable Things of the Earth.” ⁶ And I saw the woman drunk from the blood of the saints, even from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I wondered greatly seeing her. ⁷ The angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast bearing her, the one that has seven heads and ten horns.

We began with a quick recap of last week to set the context (see the notes on 17:3-4) before resuming our study. The woman on the beast has a name on her forehead. We’ve discussed the significance of the forehead when talking about the mark of the beast given to the earth-dwellers in chapter 13, and its counterpart given by Jesus to his people in chapter 14. Primarily it indicates ownership. If you’re stamped with the number of the beast, you belong to him. That’s the one to whom you have allied yourself. Those who belong to the Lord, however, have their allegiance to him figuratively stamped on their forehead. And it’s the forehead, not under the hair or the back of the hand because when you are face-to-face with someone, it’s hard to avoid something on their forehead. Whether a zit, or some other kind of blemish, as much as you don’t want to notice it, your eyes will tend to drift toward it. A name or number on the forehead would be obvious to anyone looking at that person’s face. So not only does the name or number on the forehead mark you out as belonging to either the beast of Jesus, but it makes your allegiance clear to everyone around you.

In the case of the woman, the fact this name is on her forehead means that everyone looking at her will know who she is and what she represents. And with a name like that, you’d think people would flee from her. But instead, those who belong to the beast flock to her. Remember, she is seated on many waters, which symbolizes her influence over a large number of people. People desire association with her, to join in her prostitution and idolatry that they may derive wealth, power, and influence from her.

“Babylon the Great“: As we’ve noted before, this phrase comes from Daniel 4:30. Nebuchadnezzar used it in his boasting as he took credit for the way the Lord had blessed him. The woman is no doubt sincere in ascribing greatness to herself, just as Nebuchadnezzar was. But just as Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by the Lord, so also this woman will be humbled. Babylon’s supposed greatness will turn to dust in the hands of the great and mighty Lord, to whom truly belongs all glory and worship. It happened to real-life Babylon, and will happen to symbolic Babylon on a much bigger scale.

“Mother of Prostitutes and the Detestable Things of the Earth“: These two should probably be taken together, the second being a further description of the first. “Detestable things” can also be translated “abominations,” a term often used with regard to idolatry. Likewise, the woman’s “prostitution” is also to be seen in spiritual terms in the sense of giving oneself over to the worship of false gods as opposed to worshiping the one true and living God. Israel was often accused of prostituting herself to idols in the Old Testament, and we see some of that same language used in Revelation as was used with Israel.

This woman, the prostitute, represents the allure of money and power offered by those who exercise the most influence in society: the prince of the power of the air, the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). The “sons of disobedience” are the offspring of the prostitute. Little prostitutes of whom she is the mother. They devote themselves to false religion on her behalf in return for a share in her power and wealth.

John says this woman’s name is a “mystery.” Too often the word “mystery” is used as a convenient way to avoid grappling with difficult concepts. If we simply call the Trinity or Predestination a “mystery,” we can shrug our shoulders and move on without seriously contending with what the Scriptures say about these things. However, if we are to honor the Lord with our minds, we need to engage His word and discover all He has revealed to us about these concepts. On some level they may well be a mystery. But often He gives us sufficient of a glimpse into divine truth that we can at least understand it somewhat.

We’ve discussed before the various ways the word “mystery” can be used. Briefly, it can describe:

• Something beyond our understanding, due to our humanity and limited ability to comprehend (e.g. the Trinity)
• Something that confounds us because it is contrary to what we would expect (e.g., the gospel–see Colossians 1:26-27; 2:2; 4:3)
• Something that seems strange now, but has a meaning that will be revealed at a future time (Romans 11:25; 16:25)
• Something that is veiled to some but revealed to others (Luke 8:10; Ephesians 1:9; Colossians 1:26)

I think John intends the third sense, especially since the angel tells John in verse 7 that he will explain the mystery of the woman and the beast.

John sees that the woman is “drunk from the blood of the saints, even from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” The woman wears scarlet which, in part, symbolizes the blood of those she has persecuted. This same blood-guilt is shared with the scarlet beast she rides as well as the red dragon who gives authority to the beast. I take the saints and the witnesses, or martyrs, as referring to the same group of people by two different names. “Blood of the saints” may be literally referring to those saints who have given their lives for the gospel. But it might also be a blanket term to refer to all Christians who have suffered persecution in any way, whether or not it’s physical, and whether or not it resulted in death.

John had no doubt seen first hand the cost of discipleship. He himself was exiled for the faith so he was well aware of the price paid by those who remained faithful to the Lord. We need to remember that for the first few centuries of its existence, the church was under persecution, and the body count was high. Paul identified himself as a persecutor of the church, even though (as far as we know) he only presided over the death of one believer: Stephen. His attitude toward the church as a whole was murderous. The whole church was under a death sentence.

Those who prosecute the persecution of God’s people don’t do it unwillingly. “Drunk” implies revelry. The woman is intoxicated with crushing the church. She enjoys it, gets a buzz from it. This only further demonstrates her disregard for God, His church, and for all the glory of both. She takes pleasure in seeing Christians undermined, imagining that she has conquered even God Himself. We’ve seen this picture already in 11:10. The two witnesses, symbolic of the church, lie dead in the street of “the great city” for three-and-a-half days. During that time, the earth-dwellers rejoice, make merry, and even exchange gifts in celebration. As you may recall, their partying is short-lived.

John says that he “marveled” or was “astonished” at this woman. Does this mean he was impressed with her? I’m sure she looked quite a spectacle with her robes and jewels. But is he in awe, or baffled? Perhaps he is astounded at her wantonness, cruelty, blood-lust, and hatred for God and His church?

Perhaps his astonishment is more over the nature of the vision. Given that John already knows Babylon is about to be severely judged, maybe he’s surprised to see the woman depicted in such a glorious state. I wonder if this is what John expected after being told he was about to see the judgment of the great prostitute (17:1). Whatever we make of John’s astonishment, despite what some commentators suggest, I don’t think he was in any way tempted to worship this woman.

The angel asks John why he is astonished, but the question is rhetorical since he is about to explain the mystery of the woman and the beast. This may give us a clue to John’s astonishment. The angel must have seen a look on John’s face that showed he didn’t understand what was going on. But notice, the angel doesn’t say he’ll explain the mystery of the woman’s name. He says he’s going to explain the mystery of the woman and the beast that’s carrying her (note: the woman rides the waters, but the beast carries her, underscoring the fact that the woman has influence over people but is herself under the sway of the beast). The angel is going to reveal to John the true nature of this woman and what she’s about.

The angel repeats the head and horn count of the beast as if to remind us that we’re talking about the same beast from Revelation 13. This also reminds us that this beast has power and authority of its own. The woman might be the evil city or society, but the beast is the one who empowers the woman. The beast is the one who is really in charge; the woman is merely along for the ride.

We’ll start at verse 8 next time.