What does Revelation 17:18 reveal about the identity of the "great city"? Text Of The Passage “And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” — Revelation 17:18 Immediate Literary Context Revelation 17 records John’s vision of a scarlet beast carrying “a woman clothed in purple and scarlet” (17:4). She is called “Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth” (17:5). An angel explains the symbolism: the beast represents an empire of seven heads and ten horns (17:9-13), and the woman represents “the great city” (17:18). The Phrase “Great City” Across Revelation 1. 11:8 — “the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified.” 2. 14:8; 16:19 — “Babylon the Great.” 3. 17:18; 18:10, 16, 18-21 — final judgment scenes of “Babylon.” The term always denotes a center of organized opposition to God and a hub of ungodliness influencing the nations. Main Identification Proposals 1. Imperial Rome of John’s Day • Seven Hills: Revelation 17:9, “The seven heads are seven mountains.” Rome was universally known as the city on seven hills (Pliny, Natural History 3.66; Virgil, Aeneid 6.783). • Worldwide Dominion: Roman emperors boasted of ruling “kings of the earth” (cf. Luke 2:1 “all the world”). • Persecution Context: Rome executed both Peter and Paul (1 Peter 5:13; 2 Timothy 4:6-8) and launched the first empire-wide persecutions (Nero, Domitian). • Archaeological Confirmation: First-century coins from Vespasian to Hadrian feature Roma as a seated goddess on a beast, imagery strikingly parallel to Revelation 17. 2. Eschatological Babylon—Future World Capital • OT Prophecies: Isaiah 13-14; Jeremiah 50-51 forecast a final, sudden, never-reversed destruction of Babylon; this has not matched the gradual decline of the ancient city, implying a future fulfillment. • Literal Return: Zechariah 5:5-11 pictures wickedness borne to Shinar to build “a house” (temple-like structure) for the end-times system. • Global Commerce: Revelation 18 describes cargo lists (oil, cinnamon, bodies and souls) resembling modern international trade more than first-century Rome. 3. Jerusalem (Apostate) • 11:8 links the “great city” to the crucifixion site. • Matthew 23:35-38; Luke 13:34-35 show Jesus lamenting Jerusalem’s culpability for prophetic bloodshed, echoed in Revelation 18:24. • Seven Hills also apply geographically (Mounts Zion, Olivet, Scopus, etc.). 4. Symbolic World System • “Waters” = “peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues” (17:15), indicating a trans-national entity. • 1 John 2:15-17 defines “the world” as a moral-spiritual system opposed to God; Revelation portrays its climactic, institutionalized form. Synthesis Of Scriptural Evidence • Historic Aspect — In the first century, John’s readers would have recognized Rome, the persecuting superpower, matching the angelic statement that the beast “is” (17:10). • Prophetic Aspect — Revelation layers near-and-far fulfillments (cf. Isaiah 7:14; 61:1-2). The same imagery expands to a final, literal Babylon receiving catastrophes unparalleled in history (18:21-23), fulfilling Isaiah 13:19-22 literally. • Spiritual Aspect — The “great city” epitomizes all idolatrous city-states from Babel onward (Genesis 11:4-9) culminating in a single politico-religious center at the tribulation’s end (Daniel 2:31-45; 7:23-27). Archaeological And Historical Corroborations • Seven-Hilled Rome — Capitoline, Palatine, Aventine, Caelian, Esquiline, Viminal, Quirinal well-documented by Livy and Suetonius. • Babylon’s Unfinished Doom — Robert Koldewey’s excavations (1899-1917) exposed Babylon’s ruins but not a cataclysmic, permanent desolation mandated by Isaiah 13:20. • Modern Rebuilding Attempts — Saddam Hussein’s partial reconstruction (1980s) shows the site remains geopolitically relevant, paving the way for a literal resurgence. Theological Implications • God judges both historical and future expressions of institutional evil; His justice is neither delayed nor arbitrary (Revelation 18:8, 20). • Believers are commanded, “Come out of her, My people” (18:4), calling for moral separation from any culture exalting itself against Christ. • Christ’s ultimate triumph ensures that every political, economic, and religious structure opposing Him will fall (19:11-21). Practical Application For The Church 1. Discern cultural idols (consumerism, sexual immorality, political absolutism). 2. Maintain allegiance to Christ above state or economy (Acts 5:29). 3. Engage missionally within cities while anticipating the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:2). Conclusion Revelation 17:18 identifies “the great city” as the woman riding the beast. In its immediate horizon, this unmistakably pointed to first-century Rome. Yet, prophetic language, OT parallels, and unresolved predictions compel a further view: an end-times Babylon—literal, global, and utterly opposed to God—destined for swift destruction. The term simultaneously gathers every historical embodiment of human arrogance, climaxing in one final metropolis set against the Lamb. Those who heed the warning flee to Christ, the only safe refuge and sovereign King over every city, hill, and heart. |
    |