This chapter is occupied with a description of a wicked woman who seduced the world leaders into giving her whatever she wanted. Her identity is not a female human being but a city (or better, world system) to which the governments have given their allegiance (Revelation 17:18).
The woman in this chapter is not an individual. 'She' represents an ideological or religious world system, which opposes the Lord Jesus Christ, and to which all national governments give their allegiance (Revelation 17:18). An angel had prefaced this part of the vision by encouraging John not to despair because that woman would be punished (Revelation 17:1).
This is a difficult passage to interpret. Indeed it does call for wisdom. Not that the meaning is obvious or that clever people can work it out centuries or millennia in advance. But when the time comes, the wise will be confident in the outcome because they will understand the hand of God in the circumstances around them. The spotlight in the vision has moved from the prostitute Babylon, who rides on the beast (Revelation 17:3-6), to the world leaders over whom she has control.
This chapter is a kaleidoscope of imagery. It may help if we refresh the meanings of the different characters in the vision. The woman, the prostitute in scarlet (Revelation 17:3), is a great city or global ruler or globally accepted ideology. 'She' sits on the waters (Revelation 17:1), which are the spiritually confused people of the world.
Revelation chapter 18 continues the future saga of a wicked woman who personifies Babylon (Revelation 17:1-5). That city would remind the Early Church of Rome. But the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar, and the Rome of Nero and Domitian are just examples of the unrestrained evil which will dominate the world before Jesus returns. Babylon is a metaphor for an evil world power or globally accepted ideology.
The global evil power or ideology which will take control of all the world's systems and structures towards the end of time, will be defeated.
Babylon is overthrown by the consortium of world rulers who swallowed her lies to achieve their own greatness (Revelation 17:16). But really this ideological monster will be defeated by the hand of God (Revelation 17:17; 19:1-2).
This scene in John's vision anticipates the reaction of world leaders, traders and transporters to the fall of Babylon. Babylon is a metaphor, not just for a city or a seductive prostitute (Revelation 17:4-5), but for a centralised global ideology embraced by international governments which will manipulate the world of politics and commerce towards the end of time.
The fall of Babylon, in John's vision, is sudden and calamitous. This global anti-Christ powerhouse of politics and commerce which controlled the world was destroyed. The world leaders who were seduced to support it, found that instead of them controlling it, it controlled them. The love of this international marketplace turned to hate. Under God's hand, they destroyed it (Revelation 17:16).
As the merchants and sea captains understand the enormity of the sudden collapse of Babylon, the global political and trade superpower, they react in despair (Revelation 18:17-18). By contrast, the angels command rejoicing in heaven and in the church. Why are the two responses so different, and what can they teach us today?
