The Treachery of the Beast: God's Strange Work Text: Revelation 17:15-18
Introduction: The Ironies of Judgment
The book of Revelation is a book of symbols, yes, but it is not a book of riddles without answers. The angel speaking to John is not trying to be obscure; he is explaining the vision. And here in the latter part of chapter 17, the explanation comes with startling clarity. We are being shown the mechanics of a divine judgment that has already unfolded in history. We are looking at the political and spiritual realities of the first century, realities that culminated in the cataclysmic destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Modern evangelicals, steeped in dispensational novelties, have been trained to look for this harlot anywhere and everywhere, in Rome, in America, in some future one-world religion. But the text itself, interpreted by the rest of Scripture, anchors us to a specific time and place. The great sin of the Old Testament was not atheism; it was idolatry. And idolatry, for the covenant people, was consistently described in the starkest possible terms: adultery, fornication, harlotry. When God’s bride goes after other lovers, other sources of power and security, she becomes a whore. And in the first century, the apostate leadership of Jerusalem had made a devil's bargain with the beast of Rome. They chose Caesar over Christ. "We have no king but Caesar," they shrieked. God took them at their word.
What we are about to see is the profound and terrifying irony of God's judgment. The harlot, apostate Jerusalem, rode the beast, imperial Rome, thinking she was in control, using its power for her own ends, primarily to persecute the saints of God. But the beast was never her friend. The ungodly alliances of the wicked are always temporary, always treacherous. And God, in His absolute sovereignty, will use the very instrument of the harlot's pride and security to become the instrument of her utter desolation. This is not just a lesson in ancient history; it is a permanent warning to the Church in all ages. When the people of God seek their security and identity in the power of the state, when they commit political fornication with the beast, they must not be surprised when that beast eventually turns and devours them.
The Text
And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues. And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will lay waste to her and make her naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God gave it in their hearts to do His purpose both by doing their own common purpose and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be finished. And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth.”
(Revelation 17:15-18 LSB)
The Sea of Humanity (v. 15)
The angel begins by defining one of the key symbols. The harlot was seen sitting on "many waters," and now we are told plainly what this means.
"And he said to me, 'The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.'" (Revelation 17:15)
This is a direct interpretive key. The "sea" in apocalyptic literature often represents the tumultuous Gentile nations, the sea of humanity in its restlessness and rebellion against God. The beast, Rome, arises from this sea. The harlot, apostate Jerusalem, sits astride this beast, and by extension, she sits upon the waters. This signifies her perceived international influence and power. She is not some isolated, backwater cult. She is a major player on the world stage, but her influence is entirely derivative. She has this position only because she is carried by the beast.
Think of the position of the Sanhedrin in the first century. They had influence that stretched across the Roman world, wherever there were synagogues. They could dispatch men like Saul of Tarsus with letters of authority to persecute Christians in foreign cities like Damascus. They had the ear of Roman governors. They could manipulate Roman law to their own ends, as they did in the crucifixion of Jesus. From a human perspective, they were sitting pretty. They were riding the beast, and the beast gave them leverage over the "peoples and crowds and nations and tongues." But it was a precarious and unholy perch.
The Treacherous Turn (v. 16)
Next, we are shown the shocking and violent end of this adulterous relationship. The lover becomes the murderer.
"And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will lay waste to her and make her naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire." (Revelation 17:16)
The beast is the Roman Empire, and the ten horns are the allied kings or rulers who derive their authority from Rome and serve its purposes. For a time, they tolerated the harlot. They found her useful. The Romans generally preferred to rule through local aristocracies, and the corrupt priesthood in Jerusalem was just that. But this alliance of convenience was doomed from the start. The hatred was always latent. Rome was a jealous beast and would not long tolerate a rival for ultimate loyalty, especially a troublesome one.
This verse is a graphic prophecy of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The language is brutal and total. They will "lay waste to her," which speaks of utter desolation. They will "make her naked," a common Old Testament metaphor for shame, judgment, and the stripping of all glory and protection. They will "eat her flesh," a picture of savage, cannibalistic conquest. Josephus records the horrific famine and cannibalism that took place during the siege of Jerusalem. Finally, they will "burn her up with fire," which is precisely what the Roman legions under Titus did, burning the Temple and leveling the city.
This was the inevitable outcome of Jerusalem's spiritual adultery. She sought protection from the beast instead of from her divine Husband. She used the beast to persecute the true Bride of Christ. And so, in a terrifying display of poetic justice, God uses that very beast to execute His vengeance upon her. The wages of this kind of sin is always death, and the payoff for political fornication is to be devoured by your illicit lover.
The Sovereignty Behind the Scenes (v. 17)
This next verse is one of the most profound statements of divine sovereignty in all of Scripture. It pulls back the curtain of history to show us the hand of the puppet master.
"For God gave it in their hearts to do His purpose both by doing their own common purpose and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be finished." (Revelation 17:17)
Why did the beast and the ten horns turn on the harlot? Was it simply Roman politics? Was it a reaction to the Jewish revolt? From a purely historical perspective, yes. But Revelation gives us the theological reality, the ultimate cause. They did it because "God gave it in their hearts to do His purpose."
This is the doctrine of divine providence in its starkest form. God does not merely react to the sinful choices of men; He ordains them for His own holy ends without being the author of sin Himself. The Romans and their allies acted out of their own greed, their own lust for power, their own hatred. They had their "own common purpose." They thought they were simply consolidating their empire and putting down a rebellion. But in all of this, they were unwitting instruments in the hands of the Almighty, fulfilling His decreed judgment. God wanted to judge the great harlot, and so He put the motive and the will to do so into the hearts of godless men.
This is the same principle we see in the crucifixion of Christ, where "Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur" (Acts 4:27-28). It is the same principle as when God hardened Pharaoh's heart. It is God's "strange work," using the wrath of man to praise Him. This continues "until the words of God will be finished." God's prophetic Word does not return to Him void. The prophecies of Christ concerning the destruction of the Temple and the judgment of that generation (Matthew 24) had to be fulfilled, and God used the Roman legions as His instrument to ensure it.
The Harlot Identified (v. 18)
Finally, in case there was any lingering doubt, the angel identifies the woman with absolute precision for John's original audience.
"And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18)
What was "the great city" from the perspective of a first-century Jew like the apostle John? While Rome was certainly a great city, the Bible has another city that it consistently calls "the great city," especially in the context of spiritual rebellion and the persecution of God's people. It is the city where the Lord was crucified (Revelation 11:8). It is Jerusalem.
But how could Jerusalem, a subject province, be described as having "a kingdom over the kings of the earth"? This is not speaking of direct military or political rule. It is speaking of spiritual and moral influence. Jerusalem was the center of God's covenant dealings with the world for centuries. It was the city of the great King. It was from Jerusalem that the law was to go forth. Even in its apostasy, its spiritual influence was immense. The decisions made by the Sanhedrin in that city had repercussions for Jews and Christians across the known world. It was the city that claimed unique spiritual authority, the city that killed the prophets, and the city that crucified the Son of God. In its adulterous pact with Rome, it wielded a borrowed, delegated authority over the nations to persecute the Church. It was, for that brief and terrible time, the great city that reigned through intrigue and accusation.
Conclusion: Fleeing Babylon
The message for the first-century church was clear: do not be entangled with the harlot. Do not look to the corrupt temple system for your identity. Do not trust in the political machinations of the Judaizers. Flee from the wrath to come, just as Jesus commanded you to do when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies. That city is doomed, for her lover will turn on her.
The message for us today is no different in principle. The Church is always tempted to become a harlot. We are always tempted to trade the glorious, difficult calling of being the Bride of Christ for the seeming security and influence of riding the beast. We are tempted to make alliances with the world, to adopt its methods, to seek its approval, to use its coercive power for our own ends. We are tempted to trade the sword of the Spirit for the sword of Caesar.
But this passage screams a warning at us. The beast is never your friend. The secular state, no matter how accommodating it may seem for a season, will always hate the true claims of Christ the King. And if the Church compromises her fidelity, if she becomes dependent on the beast for her life and mission, she will find herself naked, desolate, and devoured when God sovereignly puts it into the heart of that beast to turn. Our security is not in political alliances. Our hope is not in earthly power. Our hope is in the Lamb who was slain, who has overcome the beast, and who will one day bring all His enemies to ruin. Therefore, come out of Babylon, lest you share in her sins and receive of her plagues.