Read with Me
Revelation 17:15-18 (HCSB)
He also said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished. And the woman you saw is the great city that has an empire over the kings of the earth.”
Listen with Me
In this closing exposition of the vision of the great prostitute, the angel who is showing this vision to John (17: 1) completed his explanation.
The “many waters” on which the woman sits (17:1) are not oceans or rivers but nations and people groups. Rome had conquered many peoples who were formerly their own nations and now held sway over them. These included the 10 rulers of other nations who, at that moment, were proclaiming their allegiance to the prostitute and to the beast, the Roman system.
But the reality was that these people groups and their rulers hated the woman. They were only feigning loyalty. As soon as the smallest weakness was found or demonstrated, they were going to turn on her, strip her of all her finery, and destroy her, consuming all her resources and celebrating her downfall.
The angel reveals to John that it is not mere human dissatisfaction that would cause this attack and destruction. It was him working behind the scenes, stoking anger against Rome and all she stood for in the hearts of all those subjugated peoples and their rulers. God was going to keep the anger fired up. Then, when any crack became visible, like those in a failing dam, God would cause that anger to burst forth and overwhelm the system.
The angel completed his exposition by clearly explaining, in case anyone had missed it, that the woman was indeed Rome, the city that has an empire over the kings of the earth. But as impressive and powerful as she was right then, her time was short, and her fall was going to be ugly.
Pray with Me
Father, we know from history that within a single generation of this vision, the people groups in the northern and eastern reaches of the empire saw the weaknesses they were looking for and rose up in violent rebellion, beginning to take back their own sovereignty and causing Rome to pull back its boundaries simply to preserve its own sovereignty. A system can only oppress people so long before they revolt against it and shake off its yoke. The fact that You could show this to John in advance, allowing him to reassure Your people throughout the empire, is a powerful confirmation of Your omniscience and Your control over the hearts and minds of the people of the world, even the rich and powerful. Lord, help us to always keep our faces toward You, relying on You every day to guide us, direct our steps, empower our efforts, and preserve us and our work for Your name’s sake. Amen.