What is the meaning of Revelation 17:1? Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls • This angel is one of those introduced in Revelation 15:1, entrusted with the seven last plagues poured out in chapter 16. • The link to the bowls of wrath (Revelation 16:1) shows that the vision of chapter 17 is not a new series of judgments but a zoom-in on one of the same events, giving added detail. • Angels repeatedly serve as guides in Revelation (Revelation 1:1; 22:6), underscoring God’s orderly administration of judgment. came and said to me • John is personally addressed, just as he was in earlier visions (Revelation 4:1; 10:8). • The direct approach emphasizes that what follows is revelation, not speculation; it comes from a heavenly messenger to an eyewitness apostle. • The pattern mirrors Old-Testament scenes where prophets are summoned to witness divine dealings (Ezekiel 40:4). “Come • The invitation echoes “Come up here” of Revelation 4:1 and anticipates the angelic summons in Revelation 21:9, where John is shown the Bride. • By contrast, here John is called to behold the counterfeit—an unfaithful woman—before being shown the faithful wife, highlighting the moral divide. • The imperative signals urgency; the judgment is unfolding and must be seen. I will show you • Revelation is a book of sights as well as words (Revelation 1:1, 19). • God’s people are given advance notice so they can interpret world events through the lens of Scripture (Amos 3:7). • The phrase assures that understanding is possible; the events are not hidden from the servants of God (Daniel 2:28, 47). the punishment • Judgment is certain and already determined (Revelation 14:8; 18:6-8). • “Punishment” (lit. “judgment”) tells us God’s wrath is not random but righteous retribution (Romans 2:5-6). • The bowls have shown broad plagues; now we see the legal sentence against the chief rebel city. of the great prostitute • She is identified later as “Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth” (Revelation 17:5). • Scripture often portrays spiritual unfaithfulness as prostitution (Isaiah 1:21; Nahum 3:4; Ezekiel 23). • Her greatness speaks of worldwide influence; her harlotry represents organized opposition to God through idolatry, immorality, and political intrigue. who sits on many waters • Verse 15 explains: “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” • The image recalls Jeremiah 51:13, where historical Babylon dwelt “by many waters.” • To “sit” shows enthronement—she dominates the masses, exercising cultural, economic, and religious sway (Revelation 18:3). summary Revelation 17:1 introduces a heavenly guide who invites John to witness God’s just sentence on a corrupt world system symbolized as an influential harlot. Linked to the bowl judgments, this vision unveils the certainty, scope, and moral basis of Babylon’s fall. The angel’s summons assures believers that God exposes evil, judges it righteously, and ultimately vindicates His holiness before all nations. |
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