S3: Revelation 17: The Woman and the Beast

Summary

A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace Episode Summary: S3: Revelation 17: The Woman and the Beast Release Date: December 20, 2024
Host: The Daily Grace Co.

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Introduction

In the December 20th episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Kristen and Katie delve into Revelation 17, exploring the complex symbolism of the woman and the beast. This episode is part of Season 3, which follows the Behold New Testament reading plan. Katie leads listeners through the intricate visions presented in Revelation, aiming to deepen their understanding of Jesus Christ’s ultimate victory.

Recap of Previous Chapters

Katie begins by summarizing the preceding chapters to set the stage for Revelation 17. In Revelation 15, believers are depicted worshiping God the Almighty, singing praises such as:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways. King of the nations who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name, for you alone are holy.”
(00:17)

She also highlights the significance of the seven bowls containing the final plagues poured out upon the earth, leading up to the nations warring against God—a central theme that culminates in Revelation 17.

Exploring Revelation 17:1-6

Katie introduces Revelation 17 by describing it as a "doozy," acknowledging the chapter’s complexity. She breaks down the initial verses, which portray a prostitute adorned in luxurious garments:

“The prostitute is evil. She is dressed beautifully in purple and scarlet. She is adorned with precious jewels. She brings a cup of everything detestable to her lips and drinks freely.”
(02:45)

This figure symbolizes profound evil, characterized not only by her seductive beauty but also by her murderous actions against God's people. Katie emphasizes that she is more than a mere prostitute—she is the "mother of prostitutes" and the "worst of the worst," wielding authority and aligned with the beast, commonly interpreted as the Antichrist.

Symbolism of the Prostitute and the Beast

The discussion progresses to identifying the woman as "Babylon the Great." Katie explains:

“At this time the Babylon Empire was not in power, so likely the original hearers understood these verses to point to Rome, the Babylon of John's day.”
(04:10)

For contemporary believers, Babylon represents the worldly systems and nations in opposition to God. The beast, described with ten horns and seven heads, symbolizes a succession of kings and kingdoms opposing divine authority.

Identification of Babylon the Great

Katie further elucidates that the multitude referred to as "many waters" symbolizes diverse nations and languages seduced by the prostitute’s allure. This interpretation underscores the widespread influence and deceptive power of worldly systems aligned against God.

Revelation 17:7-18 – The Detailed Vision

Transitioning to the latter half of the chapter, Katie details John’s astonishment upon witnessing the prostitute and the beast:

“Even John, who walked wholeheartedly with Jesus, had a hard time looking away from the prostitute. This tells us the significant allure she had.”
(05:30)

She connects this vision to Revelation 13, where the beast represents persistent opposition to God throughout history. The beast’s name, “the one who was and is not and is about to come,” is a parody of God’s name in Revelation 1:8, indicating deception and resilience despite a fatal wound.

The Fall of the Prostitute and the Beast

Katie explains the ultimate downfall of the prostitute and the beast:

“Ironically, evil turns on evil. The beast turns on the prostitute. The Antichrist and his team will devour her and leave her in shame.”
(06:50)

This demise is presented as a divine act, orchestrated by God to fulfill His sovereign plans. Despite their temporary power, both the prostitute and the beast are subject to God’s ultimate authority and justice.

The Sovereignty of God

Emphasizing God’s control over all events, Katie reassures listeners of His ability to use even chaos to achieve His purposes:

“Nothing is outside God's control. Nothing is beyond his merciful powerful hand.”
(07:00)

She contrasts the temporary deception of the prostitute with the eternal supremacy of Jesus Christ, the Lamb who conquers all.

Conclusion: The Victory of Jesus

Katie concludes with a powerful affirmation of Jesus’s ultimate victory:

“Jesus is greater and he always has been. We have victory today, tomorrow and forevermore, because victory is his alone.”
(07:00)

She encourages believers to trust in Jesus’s sovereignty, live in holiness, and remain steadfast in the assurance of His final triumph over evil.

Notable Quotes

• Katie on the Prostitute’s Deception:

  “The prostitute's deception is temporary and so is this beast's reign. Friends, we are getting closer and closer to the moment where Jesus will return. We are getting closer and closer to his final victory.”
  (06:50)

• Katie on God’s Sovereignty:

  “God is sovereign over all details. He does not cause evil, but he will wield chaos to accomplish his purposes.”
  (06:30)

• Katie on Jesus’s Victory:

  “Because he conquers, so will we. We have victory today, tomorrow and forevermore, because victory is his alone.”
  (07:00)

Final Thoughts

This episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace offers a deep and nuanced exploration of Revelation 17, unraveling the symbolism of the woman and the beast within the broader narrative of Jesus’s ultimate triumph. Kristen and Katie provide listeners with both historical context and contemporary application, reinforcing the message of hope and victory in Christ.

For those seeking to engage further, resources and study materials are available at thedailygraceco.com. Listeners are encouraged to follow Daily Grace Podcast on Instagram and visit Daily Grace Co. for additional Bible study tools.

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Connect With Daily Grace Co.:

• Website: thedailygraceco.com
• Instagram: @dailygracepodcast & @dailygraceco

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible With Daily Grace. My name is Kristen.

[B]

And my name is Katie. And we want to spend a few minutes a day with you walking through the New Testament one chapter at a time. This year we will fix our gaze upon Christ so that we may know him not only with our minds, but with our hearts.

[A]

Together we will learn that who Jesus is changes everything. Hey friends. Welcome back to A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. My name is Katie and together we are walking through Revelation in our year long study of the New Testament. Today we are studying Revelation 17. As always, you can follow along with the behold studies in the Daily Grace Cove shop or with the reading plan linked in the show notes. Well, today's chapter is a doozy, isn't it? Don't worry, I'm here to help. But first let's remember what's gone on in the last couple chapters. In chapter 15, we saw believers worshiping God the Almighty, anticipating the Lord's final victory. Together they sang, Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways. King of the nations who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name, for you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. We also met angels who are given bowls. And from these bowls the angel will pour out the seven final plagues upon the earth. The last couple plagues we read in chapter 16 teach us that the nations will gather to war against God. That's where we find ourselves today. In fact, near the end of today's chapter, in verse 14, we will see that some wage war against the Lamb. Spoiler alert. The Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Kings of the earth will try to overtake Jesus, but. But they will not succeed. Jesus is supreme. Let's start diving into today's chapter to lay the groundwork. Verses 1 through 6 of the chapter describe a prostitute and a beast. And then in the latter half, verses 7 through 18, an angel describes the vision again in a little more detail. As we begin, one of the angels from the seven bowls invites John to see what must happen to the great prostitute who sits beside many waters. Later, we learn that these many waters are the people, multitudes, nations and languages who the prostitute has seduced to follow her. But who is this prostitute and what is she like? The prostitute is evil. She is dressed beautifully in purple and scarlet. She is adorned with precious jewels. She brings a cup of everything detestable to her lips and drinks freely. She is a murderer of God's people, as we learn in verse six. And in fact, the verse describes a prostitute as being drunk with the blood of the saints. She lives and enjoys encapsulating people in her beauty and alluring the people away from Jesus. It's safe to say that she is bad news. She's not just a prostitute. She is the mother of prostitutes. She is the worst of the worst. She has authority and she even rides on the beast, whom scholars call the Antichrist. So who is this woman? Scholars differ in opinions. The text tells us that her name is Babylon the Great. However, at this time the Babylon Empire was not in power, so likely the original hearers understood these verses to point to Rome, the Babylon of John's day. As a modern believer, we can understand Babylon the Great as systems and nations of the world that work in opposition to God. Alright, now the latter half of the chapter describes the vision in a little more detail. When John saw the prostitute and the beast, he was astonished. Even John, who walked wholeheartedly with Jesus, had a hard time looking away from the prostitute. This tells us the significant allure she had and gives us insight as to how she was able to gain such a following as the angel gives future insight. We recall the beast in chapter 13. He had 10 horns and seven heads and likely represented a king in a kingdom. The beast is called the one who was and is not and is about to come. This is a parody of God's name in Revelation 1:8. The one who is, who was and who is to come. The is not in the beast's name could refer to the fact that he has a fatal wound that he recovered from in chapter 13. And yet he comes again. The beast's heads represent kings and kingdoms from history and in the future who will rise up against God. The beast's horns represent kings who have limited reign at the end of the times. The bottom line? These people and kingdoms of authority will make war against the Lamb, as we saw foretold in yesterday's chapter. But what happens to the prostitute? Ironically, evil turns on evil. The beast turns on the prostitute. The Antichrist and his team will devour her and leave her in shame. She will receive payment for the chaos she is causing and the worship that she has stolen from God. This is no accident. Her demise is not by happenstance. The Lord put it on their hearts to destroy her. God is sovereign over all details. He does not cause evil, but he will wield chaos to accomplish his purposes. Nothing is outside God's control. Nothing is beyond his merciful powerful hand. The prostitute's deception is temporary and so is this beast's reign. Friends, we are getting closer and closer to the moment where Jesus will return. We are getting closer and closer to his final victory. We behold Jesus today as the Lamb who will conquer because he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Make no mistake, the prostitute and the beast in these chapters are serving the dragon Satan. But Jesus is greater and he always has been. Satan tried to tempt Jesus, but it didn't work. Sadducees and Pharisees tried to squash Jesus message of hope, but it didn't work. Jesus remained sinless. He rose from the grave. We are subject to deception, but Jesus dwells within us. We do not have to be swayed either. We can trust in our King of Kings and our Lord of Lords who will guide us, lead us to Himself and shelter us from harm. We can trust that his presence equips us for life and Godliness. Friends, may we live as we already are, sinners washed clean. May we do all that we can to walk in holiness as he is holy. And may we remember that because he conquers, so will we. We have victory victories today, tomorrow and forevermore, because victory is his alone.

[B]

Thank you so much for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Don't forget to check out the show notes for helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you are following a daily gracepodcast on Instagram for more A Year in the Bible content and hedaily Grace co for all things Bible Study resources. We can't wait to study again with you tomorrow.

[A]

Bye friends.