{ "schemaVersion": 1, "kind": "event", "id": "revelation-babylon-woman", "era": "revelation", "order": 523, "title": "Babylon, the beast and corrupted power", "group": "rev-babylon", "date": { "kind": "relative", "label": "Revelation 17 · reading sequence", "note": "This is the order of the book. It does not assign a calendar date to a vision or choose one scheme of fulfillment." }, "summary": "An angel shows John a richly adorned woman called Babylon riding a beast and drunk with the blood of witnesses. The angel interprets parts of the vision and describes the beast’s allies turning against her.", "context": "The angel identifies the waters with peoples and the woman with a ruling city. A connection with Rome is common in historical readings, especially given the seven mountains and imperial power; proposed lists of kings and later or future identifications remain disputed. The city is personified with sexual and violent imagery that must not be turned into contempt or violence toward women. The beast’s coalition ultimately attacks what it supported, while the Lamb’s victory is announced. This is symbolic interpretation within a vision, not an account of John visiting Babylon or Rome.", "question": "What does the collapse of this alliance reveal about power built on domination and exploitation?", "locationNote": "Babylon is the symbolic city of this vision. Rome is a common historical interpretation, not a literal journey stop established by the passage. Neither Rome nor Mesopotamian Babylon is pinned for this event.", "relatedNote": "These readings illuminate biblical language and themes. Connections do not by themselves settle the timing or every interpretation of the vision.", "passages": [ { "reference": "Revelation 17:1–18", "range": [ 66017001, 66017018 ], "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2017%3A1%E2%80%9318&version=BSB", "availability": "bundled", "verses": [ { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 1, "text": "Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 2, "text": "The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”" }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 3, "text": "And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 4, "text": "The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 5, "text": "And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 6, "text": "I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 7, "text": "“Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 8, "text": "The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 9, "text": "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 10, "text": "There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 11, "text": "The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 12, "text": "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings along with the beast." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 13, "text": "These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 14, "text": "They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”" }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 15, "text": "Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 16, "text": "And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 17, "text": "For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled." }, { "book": "Revelation", "chapter": 17, "verse": 18, "text": "And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”" } ] } ], "related": [ { "range": [ 24051006, 24051009 ], "kind": "teaching", "note": "Jeremiah portrays ancient Babylon as an intoxicating golden cup facing judgment; Revelation reuses the city’s name and imagery.", "reference": "Jeremiah 51:6–9", "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2051%3A6%E2%80%939&version=BSB" } ], "places": [], "mapPeriod": "revelation-asia", "further": [ { "label": "USCCB · Revelation introduction (the historical Rome interpretation)", "url": "https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/0" } ], "provenance": { "sources": [ { "name": "editorial", "ref": "content/authored/revelation.json" } ], "review": "draft" }, "eraName": "Revelation", "interactiveUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/?event=revelation-babylon-woman", "attribution": [ "Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.", "Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.", "Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm" ], "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/revelation-babylon-woman/", "markdownUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/revelation-babylon-woman/index.md", "jsonUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/revelation-babylon-woman/index.json", "cautions": "Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.", "revision": "e377aea3afe52dd1" }