Commentary - Revelation 17:7-14

Bird's-eye view

In this portion of Revelation 17, the interpreting angel pulls back the curtain on the symbolic vision John has just witnessed. John was marveling at the sight of the great harlot astride the scarlet beast, and the angel promises to give him the inside scoop, the divine intelligence report on what it all means. This is not abstract theology; it is an explanation of first-century geopolitics from Heaven's perspective. The angel unpacks the identity of the beast, connecting it to the Roman Empire through a series of riddles that would have been decipherable to the original audience. He speaks of its past, present, and future, its origin from the abyss, and its ultimate destiny in destruction. The seven heads are decoded as both the seven hills of Rome and a succession of seven Roman emperors. The passage zeroes in on the historical moment of the vision, identifying the current emperor and predicting the short reign of his successor. Finally, the ten horns are identified as subordinate kings who, for a brief time, align themselves with the beast to make war against the Lamb. But their war is doomed from the start, for the Lamb is the King of all kings, and His victory is assured, a victory He shares with His called, chosen, and faithful people.

This passage is a master class in biblical prophecy. It is not vague, opaque, or intended for some far-distant generation. It is a message of profound encouragement to the persecuted saints of the first century, assuring them that God is sovereignly orchestrating the movements of the very empire that is persecuting them. The beast that seems so invincible is on a leash and headed for perdition. The unholy alliance between apostate Israel (the harlot) and Rome (the beast) is about to shatter. And the central conflict of history is not between Rome and its enemies, but between the beast and the Lamb. The outcome of that war is never in doubt.

Outline

Context In Revelation

Chapter 17 is a pivotal chapter, providing a detailed explanation of the judgment of "the great prostitute" first announced in 17:1. This chapter functions as an interpretive key for much of the imagery that has come before, particularly the beast from the sea in chapter 13. The vision of the harlot riding the beast reveals the unholy alliance between apostate, first-century Jerusalem and the Roman Empire. Jerusalem had rejected her true husband, Yahweh, and had sought security and power by climbing into bed with the pagan empire. This chapter explains the identities of the key players in the great drama leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The detailed political clues given by the angel, the seven mountains, the seven kings, the specific timeline, are designed to anchor the prophecy firmly in the historical circumstances of John's original audience. This explanation sets the stage for chapter 18, which will describe the final, catastrophic fall of Babylon the great, which is this same harlot city, Jerusalem.

Key Issues

Unraveling the Mystery

When John sees these staggering visions, he is rightly bewildered. An angel then steps in to act as a tour guide, an interpreter. This is a great mercy. God does not give us revelation in order to confuse us, but to enlighten us. The command that follows, "Here is the mind which has wisdom," is not a challenge to some gnostic elite, but an invitation for the saints to use their God-given minds, informed by the Old Testament and their current political situation, to understand what is happening. The symbols are potent, but they are not arbitrary. They are rooted in the soil of Scripture and the history of the first century. The beast is a persecuting political power, a theme straight out of Daniel. The harlot is an unfaithful covenant people, a theme straight out of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The mountains and kings are direct references to the geography and political succession of the Roman Empire. God is telling His people that the bewildering chaos of their time is not chaos at all. It is a story, and He is the author. He knows the characters, He directs the plot, and He has already written the final chapter.

Verse by Verse Commentary

7 And the 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.

John is gobsmacked by the vision, and the angel's question is a gentle rebuke, a way of getting his attention. "Don't just stand there gawking; I'm about to tell you what it means." The word mystery here does not mean an unsolvable riddle, but rather a truth previously hidden that is now being revealed. The angel is going to give John and the churches the divine commentary on the vision. He is going to explain the relationship between the woman (apostate Jerusalem) and the beast that she rides (the Roman Empire), with its peculiar features of seven heads and ten horns.

8 “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

This is a satanic parody of the description of God, "who is and who was and who is to come" (Rev 1:4). The beast has a past, a present non-existence, and a future reappearance. This riddle is best understood in light of the Nero Redivivus myth, the widespread belief that the emperor Nero, who committed suicide in A.D. 68, would return from the dead to lead an army against Rome. Nero was the emperor. At the time of the vision, he is not (he is dead). And yet he is about to come in the sense that his persecuting spirit would be embodied in his successors, particularly during the Jewish War. This demonic parody of resurrection will cause the wicked, the earth-dwellers whose names are not in the book of life, to marvel. The ungodly are always impressed by raw, godless power. But the angel gives away the end of the story: this beast comes up from the abyss only to go to destruction. Its destiny is perdition, not victory.

9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

The angel invites the reader to apply wisdom. This is a solvable puzzle. The first clue is geographical. The seven heads of the beast are seven mountains. In the ancient world, there was one city that was famously and universally known as the city on seven hills, and that was Rome. This is a neon sign flashing "ROME, ROME, ROME." The harlot, apostate Jerusalem, sits on these mountains in the sense that her power and position are derived from her corrupt alliance with the Roman Empire.

10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

The clue is now historical and chronological. The seven heads are also seven kings, or emperors. The angel gives a precise timestamp. Counting the Roman emperors from the beginning of the imperial period, starting with Julius Caesar, we can identify them. The five who have fallen are Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. The one who is, the reigning emperor at the time John received the vision, was Nero. The "other" who "has not yet come" and will reign for a "little while" was Galba, who ruled for only about seven months after Nero's death. This internal evidence points powerfully to a date for Revelation's composition during the reign of Nero, before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

11 And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

This is another layer to the Nero riddle. The beast itself, the Roman imperial system as a whole, is in a sense an eighth king, but its character is drawn from the seven. The spirit of the beast, particularly the Neronian spirit of persecution, was what defined the empire in its war against the saints. This "eighth" is not a specific individual after the seventh, but rather the revived beastly power that emerged from the chaos following Nero's death (the "wound unto death" of Rev 13:3). This power, embodied in the Flavian dynasty that would prosecute the war against Jerusalem, was "of the seven" because it carried on the same satanic opposition to Christ. And, like all the others, its final destination is destruction.

12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

Now the angel explains the ten horns. These are ten kings who do not have the same stature as the "heads" or emperors. They are subordinate rulers. This could refer to the ten senatorial provinces of the Roman Empire, or ten could be a symbolic number representing the fullness of Rome's allied or vassal kings. At the time of the vision, their full authority in the coming crisis had not yet been granted. They will receive their authority for one hour, a short, intense period of time, and their authority is exercised with the beast. They are part of the imperial war machine.

13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

During that "one hour," these ten kings are completely unified in their purpose. There is no division in the ranks. Their singular goal is to throw all their military and political might into the service of the beast. They are all-in with Rome's agenda. This points to the unified Roman military effort, drawing on forces from across the empire, that was marshaled to crush the Jewish rebellion.

14 These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and elect and faithful.”

Here is the central conflict. The ultimate target of the beast and his allies is not just the rebellious Jews in Jerusalem, but the Lamb, Jesus Christ, and by extension, His people. Every persecution of the church is a war against her Head. But the outcome is declared before the battle is even described. The Lamb will overcome them. The victory is not even a contest. Why? Because of who He is. He is Lord of lords and King of kings. The beast and the ten kings may have impressive titles and legions, but they are nothing before the sovereign ruler of the cosmos. And the Lamb does not fight alone. With him are His saints, identified by a threefold description: they are the called by His sovereign grace, the elect from before the foundation of the world, and the faithful in their testimony, even unto death. The victory of the Lamb is their victory.

Application

This passage is a powerful antidote to political anxiety and fear. The first-century Christians were living under the shadow of a brutal, blasphemous, and seemingly omnipotent empire. It would have been easy for them to despair. But this angelic intelligence report tells them the real story. The beast is a pawn in God's plan. Its days are numbered. Its destiny is destruction. Its rage against the saints is ultimately futile.

We too live in times when godless political powers seem to be ascendant. They blaspheme God, they mock His law, and they often persecute His people. We can be tempted to wonder if evil is winning. But Revelation 17 reminds us to look at politics from the perspective of Heaven's throne room. The beasts of our day, whatever form they take, are just as mortal and just as doomed as the Roman beast was. They are on a divine leash.

Our task is not to marvel at the beast, as the world does, but to be found with the Lamb. We are called to be part of that company of the called, elect, and faithful. This means our allegiance is not to any earthly king or party, but to the King of kings. It means we fight not with carnal weapons, but with the sword of the Spirit and the blood of the Lamb. And it means we live with an unshakeable confidence that no matter how fierce the battle gets, the Lamb has already overcome. His victory is our victory, and our task is simply to live faithfully in light of that accomplished fact.