Bible Study Revelation 17
‹ Revelation

Revelation 17 · WEB

The Great Prostitute and the Scarlet Beast

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

Tap a verse to copy it, open the Greek, or write a note.

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality. Those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality."
3He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.
5And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.
9Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.
11The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
12The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and those who are with him are called chosen and faithful."
15He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
17For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
✶

Summary

One of the bowl angels invites John to witness the judgment of the great prostitute — a richly dressed woman sitting on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns. She is identified as "Babylon the Great," drunk on the blood of saints, representing a corrupt worldly system that seduces nations through wealth and immorality. The angel interprets the symbols: the seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings, the ten horns are ten future kings allied with the beast. They will war against the Lamb but be defeated, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings.

Themes

  • Spiritual seduction of the world system
  • Persecution of God's people throughout history
  • The Lamb's certain victory over evil powers
  • God's sovereignty over rebellious rulers
  • The deceptive glamour of worldly wealth

Key verses

  • Rev 17:14 — “The Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings.”
  • Rev 17:17 — “For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind.”
  • Rev 17:5 — “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
  • Rev 17:6 — “I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.”

Context & background

John wrote Revelation c. AD 95 from exile on Patmos — a small Aegean island off the western coast of modern Turkey. "Babylon the Great" is widely understood as code for Rome (modern Italy), the imperial capital that was built on seven hills and persecuted early Christians. The "many waters" recalls ancient Babylon (modern central Iraq), which sat among the canals of the Euphrates and Tigris. The prostitute imagery draws on Old Testament prophets who described unfaithful nations as spiritual adulterers seducing others away from the true God. Throughout history, "Babylon" has come to symbolize every worldly system that opposes God.

Cross-references

  • Daniel 7:7-8, 24 — The fourth beast with ten horns (parallel imagery)
  • Isaiah 47 — The fall of "virgin daughter Babylon"
  • Jeremiah 51 — The original prophecy of Babylon's fall (modern Iraq)
  • Revelation 13:1 — The beast from the sea with seven heads and ten horns
  • Revelation 19:16 — Jesus as "King of kings, and Lord of lords"

Check your reading

Log in to take the quiz and save your progress.

  1. Observe

    What name is written on the forehead of the woman in verse 5?

  2. Observe

    According to verses 15-16, what will the ten horns and the beast eventually do to the prostitute?

  3. Interpret

    Why does John portray the corrupt world system as a seductive prostitute rather than simply as a violent enemy?

  4. Interpret

    What does verse 17 reveal about God's sovereignty even over rulers who oppose him?

  5. Apply

    In what ways does the modern world try to seduce believers with wealth, status, or pleasure in a way that mirrors the prostitute's golden cup?

  6. Apply

    How does knowing that Jesus is "Lord of lords and King of kings" change how you face cultural pressure to conform today?

Your journal

Write your own answers — they save automatically, and only you can see them.

Log in to write and save journal answers.

Apply (How does it apply to me?)

Personal notes (anything else about this chapter)