What is the meaning of Revelation 17:18? And the woman you saw • John’s vision features a woman seated on a scarlet beast (Revelation 17:3–6), identified earlier as “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES” (Revelation 17:5). • Though pictured symbolically, she represents a literal, end-times system that is both religious and cultural, seducing the nations away from Christ (Revelation 14:8; 18:3). • Her allure is real, intoxicating “the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 17:2), just as ancient Babylon drew peoples with its wealth and idolatry (Jeremiah 51:7). is the great city • Scripture equates the woman with an actual “great city,” underscoring that the symbol has a tangible, geographical center (Revelation 17:18; 18:10). • In prophetic history Babylon has been both a literal city (Genesis 10:10; Isaiah 13:19) and a persistent embodiment of human pride; Revelation unites these threads, pointing to a revived global capital of rebellion. • Whether rebuilt Babylon on the Euphrates or a final form of imperial Rome, the text insists on a concrete metropolis destined for sudden judgment (Revelation 18:16–19). that rules over • The phrase stresses political dominance: the city wields power, not merely influence (Revelation 17:2; 17:13). • Such control parallels ancient Babylon’s sway over vassal kings (Daniel 2:37–38) and foreshadows the Antichrist’s coalition, which for a season grants authority to this hub before turning against it (Revelation 17:16–17). • This rule is coercive and deceptive, backed by economic leverage and spiritual seduction (Revelation 18:3, 23; 1 John 5:19). the kings of the earth • The scope is universal: monarchs and governments worldwide capitulate to her agenda (Revelation 18:9; 19:18). • Psalm 2:1–2 foretells earthly rulers uniting against the Lord; Revelation reveals the city that coordinates that defiance. • Their eventual lament over her fall (Revelation 18:9–10) confirms how deeply their fortunes and loyalties were intertwined with her system. summary Revelation 17:18 identifies the seductive woman John sees as a real, future world capital—Babylon the Great—exercising decisive control over global leaders. Symbolic language paints her character, yet Scripture insists she will exist physically, dominate politically, corrupt spiritually, and finally be destroyed under God’s sovereign judgment. |
    |