The final chapters of Revelation are another seven-element cycle serving as the climax to the book. Chapter 16 ended with the nations gathering at Armageddon and the announcement from the heavenly temple that “it is done.” God has remembered Babylon the great and the stage is set for the final judgment of the kingdom of the beast. Like Daniel 7, the kingdom of Babylon and the nations will finally be replaced by God’s kingdom.
Roma on a denarius struck in Rome 116-115 BCE, with four horses on the reverse
Using the phrase “and I saw” or “and I heard,” the final seven units of Revelation can be outlined as follows:
- 17:1-18 – The Great Whore and the Scarlet Beast
- 18:1-24 – The Fall of Babylon the Great
- 19:1-10 – Worship over God’s Just Judgment
- 19:11-21 – The Final Victory over Babylon
- 20:1-10 – The Thousand Year Reign
- 20:11-15 – The Great White Throne Judgment
- 21:1-22:5 – The New Heavens and New Earth
There are several unique features in Revelation 17. First, angelic guides are common in apocalyptic, but they are usually used differently in Revelation. In other apocalyptic (Ezekiel 37, Daniel 8, Zechariah 1-6), someone has a vision, then asks questions (“what does that mean?”), and the angelic guide gives an explanation. In the rest of Revelation angels are usually part of the vision, but in chapter 17 the angel is an apocalyptic host. John is shown the judgement of the prostitute and then then angel gives John an explanation of the vision. This explanation identifies key symbolic elements, some of which are clear, but others are still obscure. Like Daniel 8 or Daniel 10-12, the angel’s explanation often generates more questions than answers (for the modern reader).
Second, the image described in Revelation 17:1-6 is picture rather than an action. In other visions, John sees something happening. But the image of the prostitute is like a description of a painting or fresco. David Aune therefore suggests this is a specialized form of apocalyptic vision known as an ekphrasis, a literary description of a work of art (Revelation, 3:919). There is an old saying, “a picture paints a thousand words.” Think of an ekphrasis is the thousand words. What is John seeing? As I have said in another post, John is seeing some form of imperial propaganda, whether a coin depicting the goddess Roma or some statue or frieze showing the goddess sitting on the seven hills of Rome.
Third, Revelation 17:1-19:10 finally makes the identity of the enemy clear: Babylon is Rome. Just as Babylon was the great evil empire oppressing God’s people in Daniel, now Rome is the ultimate anti-God empire oppressing God’s people. The book has been hinting at the identity of the beast and the kingdom of the beast in chapters 12-16, now in chapters 17-19 it becomes clear John calls Rome a great prostitute drink on the blood of the saints.
The Christians in Rome in 66 A.d. sure understood it that way, for they put the torch to Rome trying to make chapter 18 come true.
Woodrow Nichols
antinomianuniversalism.com
With the Vatican being in Rome does this support the idea of the Antichrist being the Pope? Or the pope being the prophet of the Antichrist?
Constantinople is Babylon the Great.
This common occurrence of the symbol of seven is prominent within the entirety of scripture. This is the time where even though this has all been the end times you are able to see the final and complete judgment that comes along as Babylon is finally replaced by God’s kingdom. The idea of these angels in Revelation are different from where they are in the rest of Biblical literature. It is interesting that here there are generally more questions generated rather than answers given like within the past scriptures. Do you believe this is simply the idea that in apocalyptic literature brings about more questions overall? I also believe that the questions asked in previous scriptures are ones that are developed and answered within the time period rather than the future as is with most of Revelation (depending on your views of Revelation and the end times themselves).
The visions in Revelation 17-22 are kind of like a grand finale, where we can see that everything comes together to show the main resolution to God’s plan. The way that this blog post talks about the guide from an angel gives a whole new dimension to the narrative. It is as if they are not just there to explain things, but they play a more active role in guiding John through the vision. The description of the prostitute as a still image other than a dynamic scene is really thought-provoking. It is almost like John is seeing a very profound snapshot, as if it is a painting, that tells the whole story just by itself. The similarity to an ekphrasis really brings to the forefront the image of richness. I enjoyed how this post brought back that Rome is the ultimate a main enemy, showing the oppressed people of God in Babylon, it gives us as the readers so much more clarity to the message that is being sent in Revelation. This is like us seeing history repeat itself, with Rome being the bad person in the cosmic drama that is Revelation. This blog post gives me a deeper understanding and helps me with this difficult message.