Revelation 17 unveils Babylon as a woman who is both hideous and beautiful — a seductive counterfeit built on our desires — and calls us to come out of her and hang on to the Lamb.
Speakers
Matt Felton — teaching
Where the vision sits in Revelation
Chapters 17 and 18 zoom in on the seventh bowl of God's wrath, poured out in Revelation 16:17.
The echo is deliberate: chapters 17 through 21 invite us to compare two women — the prostitute in the wilderness and the bride of the Lamb on a mountain.
Everyone in the room belongs to one of those two women.
Revelation has four dark characters: the dragon (the devil, the puppet master), the beast (his political muscle), the false prophet (his religious pulpit), and now the prostitute.
The prostitute is the city — the culture and system the dragon builds to make godless rebellion look sweet and desirable.
Babylon's seduction
Odysseus was warned to plug his men's ears with wax and be lashed to the mast, because the Sirens warble men to death with the sweetness of their song, leaving heaps of bones.
In golden-age Hollywood you knew the villain by his ugly face. In modern film everyone is beautiful — the most handsome devil may be the devil.
The woman is hideous: riding a blasphemous beast, holding a cup of abominations, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
She is also gorgeous: purple and scarlet, the colors of royalty, covered in gold, jewels, and pearls, holding a golden cup.
John "marveled greatly" — the same word used in verse 8 of the world mesmerized by the beast. He was horrified and spellbound at once.
Babylon is built on desire — your desires. Money, endless entertainment, fears you've built a lifestyle around, lust you stopped fighting and made peace with.
The question Matt put to the room: what does your heart most crave besides Jesus?
Babylon's power
The seven heads are seven mountains — Rome, famously the city of seven hills, with an annual Festival of the Seven Hills. Rome was the new Babylon.
Babylon changes hands every generation: Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, Rome, London, Hollywood, Washington, D.C.
Like the demon Azazel in the film Fallen, the power travels from host to host, destroying each one.
Babylon's power counterfeits Jesus. "Was and is not and is about to rise" mimics "who is and who was and who is to come" from Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 4:8.
The beast returns as an eighth king — a counterfeit resurrection. The earliest Christians called Sunday the eighth day, because Jesus rose and began a new creation.
Warning to men in their thirties gaining promotions, authority, and children: power is one of the greatest tests of your life, and it exposes whatever pride lies dormant.
Power out there should not translate to power in here — successful men serving in the nursery, wealthy people giving quietly.
Babylon's demise
To those in government work: praise God, and be careful. Don't assume the best about every intention behind the powers that be.
The seventh king remains only a little while; the ten kings rule one hour. One hour means a hard, sleepless night — but morning is coming.
Verse 14 is the inverted church: all evil covenanted together for one purpose, to destroy the Lamb. The local church is covenanted together for one purpose, to worship Him.
Lamb versus beast is David and Goliath again, with the same outcome — the Lamb conquers, for He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
The beast turns on the prostitute and burns her, because God put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose until His words are fulfilled.
Nothing in this universe is outside God's sovereign control — not even evil.
Matt's own conversion: fear of losing what he loved held him back. More than two decades later, he can only laugh that he hesitated.
Key Takeaways
Come out of Babylon and come to the Lamb.
The enemy has perfected his craft since the garden and knows exactly which of your desires to use.
Babylon is beautiful and will devour you; the Lamb died for you.
Every word of God will be fulfilled — not a comma, not a hyphen will fail.