So, how can we hope to understand all the complex imagery we find in the Revelation? The first thing we need to keep in mind is that John didn’t understand it all either! In 17:6, we find him wondering with great wonder. Even though he saw a vision of a woman sitting on a seven-headed beast, he had to have one of the angels explain it to him. We would therefore be wise not to pretend that all these visions make more sense to us than they did to the one who actually saw them.

But we can also use the same tools John had to understand these visions – the very similar imagery we find in the Old Testament. For example, in chapter 13, John first saw the seven-headed beast, coming up out of the sea (13:2). He compares it to a leopard, a bear, and a lion, and says that the dragon gave it a throne and authority (13:3). Around 700 years earlier, Daniel also saw a vision of beasts coming out of the sea which resembled the same three animals (Daniel 7:3-6). Based on what an angel told Daniel, and based on the history which took place between his time and the time of Christ, we can easily recognize Daniel’s beasts as the Babylonian empire, the Medo-Persian empire, and the empire of Alexander and his successors. In other words, the beasts represent political power of some kind – kings and kingdoms (Daniel 7:17, 23).

We can also look at the woman John saw, dressed as she was in purple and scarlet, wearing gold jewelry set with precious stones and pearls, and carrying a golden cup. We may not recognize her, but her clothes are the same color as were the curtains of the Tabernacle and the garments of the priests back in the Old Testament (Exodus 26:1; 28:5). And indeed John calls her Babylon, which is even today recognized to be the source of the pagan culture and religion of the Ancient Near East.

So it should be no surprise to us that Christians over the last 2000 years of history have recognized this woman and this beast time and time again, whenever they have seen wicked cultures or perverted religions or even a corrupted organization that calls itself the Church combining with political power to persecute true believers. For the same forces continue to be at work throughout the world today, as false religions or even some who call themselves Christians continue to try to use the power of the state to force everyone to go along with their cruel and godless immorality.

But we can take great comfort even from such fearsome visions. For John clearly sees that, whenever an organization that masquerades as the Church tries to make common cause with the state, it will eventually be destroyed by the very political power in which it has placed its trust (17:16). Moreover, every political power that tries to exalt itself over Christ will just as surely be thrown down (17:14). For that, remember, is the central point of this entire book – Jesus is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And no matter how long it takes, He will win the victory.

Revelation 17:1-18 (NASB)

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality,
5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.
7 And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,
10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.
11 “And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.
12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
13 “These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”
15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 “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.
17 “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 should be fulfilled.
18 “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”