Revelation 17:14-18 meaning

In Revelation 17:14-18, we see a pronouncement that the Lamb will prevail, the global commercial system by the beast and his confederation of rulers will be destroyed, and God is using these global powers as His instrument to bring about His plan.

Continuing his description of the ten kings who give their authority to the beast, John observes:

These (the ten kings) will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings (v. 14).

The war that these ten kings appear to look forward to is the looming battle that will take place in Jerusalem: the final showdown between the beast and his kingdom and the Lamb and His kingdom. It will be in this final battle that the Lamb will overcome the kings of the earth. This is because the Lamb is also the Lord of lords and King of kings.

We saw in Revelation 16:14-16 that the demon frogs will gather the kings of the entire world together to war against the Lamb. They will gather in Har—Magedon (also known as Armageddon) which is the Valley of Jezreel in Israel. Then they will likely march on Jerusalem where the final battle will take place.

There are a number of prophetic puzzle pieces that seem to support a mental model that the beast and his confederation of ten kings will wage war against the Lamb in a major showdown at Jerusalem:

• Zechariah 14:1-4 describes Jerusalem under siege, half conquered, then the Messiah (Jesus) alighting on the Mount of Olives, a hill overlooking Jerusalem, and vanquishing the armies standing against the Holy City.
  
  
• In Revelation 19:19, the beast and his army assemble to “make war with Him who sat on the horse and with His army” (speaking of Jesus). Then Jesus arrives and vanquishes the beast and his armies (Revelation 19:20-21). The army may assemble in the Jezreel Valley, also known as the hill of Megiddo or Armageddon (Revelation 16:13-16). This would be a strategic place to muster an army to march on Jerusalem.
  
  
• In Revelation 14:20, a massive amount of blood flowed from “the city,” which is likely Jerusalem, supporting the idea of a massive battle that takes place there. This is compatible with the picture of Revelation 19:17-18, 21, where the carrion birds are filled with the flesh of dead men.
  
  
• Micah 5:5 speaks of the end time “when the Assyrian invades our land.” This evokes the picture of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah in the time of Hezekiah as recorded in Isaiah 36-37. Sennacherib may foreshadow the beast. His invasion seemed destined to succeed, but God intervened and saved Jerusalem and Judah (Isaiah 37:36). Likewise, Jesus will also intervene to save Jerusalem and Israel.

The beast and kings will confront the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. After Jesus rose from the grave, He asserted to His disciples: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

However, when the disciples asked Him whether He planned to restore the Kingdom to Israel at that time, Jesus told them “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:7). This predicts the gap of time between when Jesus ascended to heaven and when He will return.

We have now observed an almost two—thousand—year delay for the inauguration of Jesus as king over the earth, His rightful place. He is the anointed Lord of lords and King of kings, but like King David, is experiencing a gap between His anointing and His taking possession of the throne. David was anointed by Samuel as king but waited 10-20 years for Saul to vacate the throne in God’s good timing. Jesus is anointed but not yet installed as the physical king of the earth. He will eventually return to the earth and prevail over evil, as we will see in Revelation 19.

Although the beast and the kings unite in rebellion, they are no match for the Lamb. Their decision to wage war reveals a prideful heart hardened against God. This echoes earlier biblical prophecies about nations conspiring against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2:1-2). Yet, the Lamb’s victory is assured because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. This is a title emphasizing His absolute, unrivaled dominion.

The verse mentions that Jesus will also have an army: those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful (v. 14).

This group that is called and chosen and faithful is likely counted among the group that will follow Jesus when He returns to conquer the beast: “And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses” (Revelation 19:14).

The picture of an army “clothed in fine linen, white and clean” matches the description in Revelation 17:14 of being chosen and faithful. These believers are chosen to reign with Christ because they are faithful witnesses for Him (Revelation 3:21, 21:7). It is inferred that those who are chosen to reign will also be chosen to fight alongside Jesus, or at least to accompany Him, as it appears He will not need any aid in conquering the beast and His armies (Revelation 19:21).

Since Jesus is already Lord of lords and King of kings, this again reminds us that God is in control, and, no matter how dire circumstances become, nothing occurs that He does not allow. Therefore, believers are exhorted to maintain their faithful witness and not fear rejection, loss, or death. It is those who are faithful witnesses who will be chosen to reign with Christ (2 Timothy 2:12).

We see in the Gospels how Jesus, the Lamb of God, overcame the power of darkness through the cross and resurrection (John 1:29; Luke 24:5-7). Because of His faithfulness, He was named “Son” and given authority over all the earth (Hebrews 1:5, 2:9, Matthew 28:18). Here in Revelation, His victory becomes complete and He will take physical possession of His reign over the earth. His sovereignty over all kings and armies confirms the same truth once more.

As the vision continues, John reports:

And he said to me, “the waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” (v. 15).

The he in verse 15 refers to the angel giving the report to John (me). This explanation solidifies that the scope of the harlot’s influence is global. It extends across various cultures, languages, and lands. Earlier in Revelation, we saw how her influence intoxicates “those who dwell on the earth,” also indicating her global reach (Revelation 17:2). Piecing this together with other verses, we get the picture that the harlot, who is also Babylon, is the global, commercial economy.

In Scripture, water frequently symbolizes either chaos and unrest (Isaiah 57:20) or the vast masses of humanity (Daniel 7:2-3). Here, the harlot is seated upon these peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, suggesting that the economic and cultural systems will then intertwine so extensively that they captivate most, if not all, of humanity. The beast and the harlot initially align to create a worldwide economic—political alliance.

This alliance might have occurred in a formal agreement. Daniel 9:27 says of this end—time, the “seventieth week”: “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.”  The “he” referenced in Daniel 9:27 likely represents the beast. The last “week” or seven—year period begins with a “firm covenant with the many.”

This “firm covenant” would appear to be an agreement that initially creates a massive economic boom for the “haves,” the elite and powerful—it will not be a boom for those who refuse to take the beast’s mark or for the “slaves and human lives” that are a part of the harlot’s economy (Revelation 18:13).

But after three and a half years, in the middle of that “week,” the last seven—year period of this age, there will come “one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction” (Daniel 9:27). This might be fulfilled with the next verse, which describes a reversal of the relationship between the beast and his confederation of kings and the harlot:

And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire (v. 16).

In Revelation 17:3 we saw that the harlot was riding the beast, indicating that she was the dominant party—having more influence than the beast. This is likely why the ten horns which are the ten kings in the beast’s confederation will hate the harlot. The harlot has power for which they lust. So their solution is to make her desolate and naked.

To be desolate and naked is to be in abject poverty. We saw in Revelation 13:17 that the beast will accumulate the power to prevent those who do not take his mark from engaging in commerce. Perhaps he confiscates the wealth of everyone else as well. We see in the next chapter that commerce appears to come to a halt (Revelation 18:11). This would be one way the entire system of commerce could go from wealthy to destitute in short order.

The passage also says the beast and his kings will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. This indicates total annihilation of the economic system. This is pictured in Revelation 18:8 as being judgment from the Lord. The Lord will use the beast as His instrument of judgment, again showing His sovereignty over all.

God used the ancient, historical Babylon as an instrument of judgment against Judah, because of injustice occurring there. We can see this in Habakkuk. The prophet lamented that there was injustice in Judah, but God was not judging (Habakkuk 1:2-4). God answered Habakkuk that He planned to use the “Chaldeans” or Babylonians, to judge Judah (Habakkuk 1:6).

Here in Revelation, the beast rules all the kingdoms and judges Babylon, the great city. God is using the earth’s own pride against itself. Political/military Babylon consumes commercial Babylon. Jesus will vanquish the political/military Babylon in Chapter 19.

The vivid language of eat her flesh would seem to be consistent with the notion of confiscation of wealth, a long—standing ploy of tyrants.

We see an image consistent with the description that the beast will burn her up with fire in Revelation 18:18, which speaks of the merchants of the earth “crying out as they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What city is like the great city?’” The merchants see the system burning down, meaning commerce has ceased.

They are apparently too fearful to attempt to restart it, as they “stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning” (Revelation 18:15). We can infer that at this point the beast has created a complete command—and—control global tyranny.

The angel then explains why these destructive events unfold:

For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled (v. 17).

Although this passage portrays the ten kings or rulers (their) acting out of hubris and violence, Scripture attributes the ultimate orchestration to God’s sovereignty. He put it in their (the ten kings’) hearts to execute His purpose. In this case, the purpose is to bring judgment upon the earth. The picture from heaven is that all things are being authorized and bowls of judgment are being poured out upon the earth.

The perspective of the beast and his minions appears to be that he is actively resisting the Lamb, and perhaps also that he is winning. But the reality is that the beast is doing God’s bidding. His actions are a part of God’s judgment.

It might seem paradoxical that God uses evil for His good purposes, but the Bible states this explicitly. Romans 8:28-29 states that God works all things to the good, because He uses all things to conform believers to the image of Christ.

Scripture abounds with other examples of God turning evil to good:

• Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, but God used that event to preserve their family and build it into a great nation (Genesis 50:20).
• The crucifixion of Christ, carried out by wicked men, ultimately accomplished salvation for all who believe (Acts 2:22-24, 3:17-18).
• The result of Israel’s rejection of Jesus was that “salvation has come to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:11).

Here, God uses the beast and the kings—unbeknownst to themselves—to bring judgment upon the very system that sought to supplant Him. Not only did God put it in their hearts to execute His purpose, He also caused them to have a common purpose. Prideful men generally only come together when they perceive it is in their interest to unite with others, others with whom they would typically fight for power absent a common enemy. God gives them a common purpose that they might band together.

The common purpose God gave the ten kings is not detailed, but it is inferred. We can infer a common purpose from three clues. i) the ten kings give their power to the beast, ii) the ten kings and the beast hate the harlot (the economic/commercial system) and iii) they band together to destroy it.

God has caused the ten kings and the beast to see the harlot (who is Babylon, the commercial enterprise of the earth) as their enemy. So, they unite to destroy it, presumably so it will no longer compete with them for power. Apparently the ten kings decide the way to accomplish the aligned mission they desire is by giving their kingdom to the beast (v. 17). The ten kings turn over power to the beast, giving him reign over the globe. They appear to be his accomplices from that point forward.

That God is the orchestrator of this unfolding drama is reemphasized with the phrase until the words of God will be fulfilled (v. 17). God’s word will always be fulfilled. This phrase again reminds us that no matter what we might see, God is still in control. The kings will do God’s bidding and the beast will do His bidding, even though they are making their own choices. In this case, it appears that the beast is destroying the world system of commerce in conjunction with the ten kings.

It might be that the beast’s purpose in destroying the earth’s system of commerce is to reorient all means of production toward military output. We have already seen that the beast is angling for a massive global war. The lament we will see from the merchants in Revelation 18 mainly speaks of items of luxury, exploitation, and indulgent pleasure (Revelation 18:12-14).

The beast is gathering a massive army to confront the Lamb, so perhaps he seizes control of the monetary system and reconfigures it all to point to confronting the Lamb, but without any profit potential for the merchants.

To this point, the earth has endured severe plagues, and the kings have blamed the Lamb (Revelation 6:15-17). The beast and false prophet have perpetrated upon the people great deceptions (Revelation 13:14). It appears that the beast has convinced the kings of the earth that the Lamb will invade and that they can defeat Him. It could be that the destruction of the harlot/Babylon (the commercial kingdom of the earth) is destroyed to make way for a vast preparation to confront God.

The phrase until the words of God will be fulfilled in verse 17 also reminds us that every prophecy spoken by the Lord must and will come to pass (Isaiah 55:11). No matter how chaotic events seem, history moves according to His sovereign timeline. In line with Revelation’s overarching message, believers can take refuge in the truth that God is actively working and is over all.

Revelation exhorts believers to remain faithful, stand firm in our testimony, and never lose sight of Jesus: the one who guides us through tribulation to glory.

Finally, the angel draws his part with John to a close by explaining:

The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth (v. 18).

We have seen that the harlot reigns over the kings of the earth. She is shown riding the beast, indicating that she has superior power (Revelation 17:3). This is likely why they hate her and conspire to destroy her.

This description of the harlot as the great city is repeated in Revelation 18:10, 18. The great city is “Babylon the great” as we saw in Revelation 17:5. That the harlot/great city/Babylon represents a global economic system of commerce is inferred from the lament of the kings and merchants of the earth in Revelation 18:9-18, mourning that their wealth and access to luxury goods has been disrupted.

We saw earlier that the seven kings were a sequence of ruling Roman powers (Revelation 17:10-11). The beast is the seventh who is also the eighth. He is the seventh in that he has world dominion like the first six emperors, one of whom sat in power during the time of John. But he is the eighth because he has unique characteristics relating to this future time.

We saw the beast depicted in Revelation 13:1-4 as a combination of the great empires predicted in the statue of Daniel 2: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. The beast has characteristics of them all. This would include the authority of Babylon, the vastness and organizational prowess of Persia and the swiftness of Greece and the fierceness of Rome.

The seven kings on the seven hills might represent the city and empire of Rome. Rome is the last kingdom prior to the inauguration of God’s kingdom, according to Daniel 2:44. The harlot represents the commercial luxury of Babylon (substantially accumulated by exploiting others).

The prosperous economic system coupled with Roman—style political authority weaves an oppressive and powerful regime across the globe. This economic system wields tremendous influence. Initially in league with the beast’s political domain, it demands allegiance and is a full partner in persecuting those loyal to Christ. We will see in Revelation 18:24 that “in her,” the harlot that is the economic system, “was found the blood of prophets and of saints.”

The beast and harlot combine forces for a time, and then the beast and his ten confederates decide she is in the way and destroy her. We can take from this the lesson that any great city that exalts itself above God will be brought low. This is a pattern throughout scripture, starting with God disrupting Nimrod’s city which was later called Babel (Genesis 11:9).

Paradoxically, scripture also insists that those who humble themselves under God’s mighty hand will be exalted (1 Peter 5:6).

Now the declaration of Revelation 16:9 has come to pass: that “Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath.” And God will use the beast and his ten—king confederacy as His instrument to accomplish her destruction.  Not only is God always on His throne, all things work according to His purposes. He even turns evil against itself as a means of bringing about righteousness.