All Roads Lead to Rome

The Appian Way

Who is the Harlot of Babylon described in Revelation 17?  

It depends on who you ask.  I've never seen theologians dance around a question the way they have to this one.  In my search for an answer I also bumped into many blogs of the fringe element.  Conspiracy theories just made a beeline for this portion of Scripture.  

At first, I simply thought to read through conventional wisdom.  Conventional wisdom?  I've covered all the bases I know how to cover there....Matthew Henry, R. C. Sproul,  John Wesley, "the best up-to-date evangelical scholarship," "the brightest theologians of the church," Dr. Stanley Touissaint.  

Most pointed to Rome.  That would make sense if the Tribulation and the Harlot of Babylon occurred in the first century A.D.  Some thought Jerusalem, because the harlotry spoken of is the infidelity to God committed by worshipping false gods.  Others pointed to various religions, Catholic, Islamic, or the apostate church of the Tribulation period, which was what I've heard in the past.  There were those who felt that ancient Babylon would be rebuilt so that it could suffer the obliteration the prophets foretold.  

One blog insisted that it must be Jerusalem because of the spiritual harlotry against God.  Only Jerusalem could be called the wife of God from a biblical view.  Maybe, except that would rule out Babylon, which is what she is actually called.  Besides, this city will be completely destroyed, cast like a millstone into the sea! (Revelation 18:21) Never to be inhabited again.  That's not Jerusalem. 

What are the conditions for being the Harlot of Babylon?  (drawn from Revelation 17)

1) She is a major city.  Revelation 17:18 "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth."

2) She is a seaport.   Revelation 18:17-18 "For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every ship master, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!"

3) She is the world center of commerce.  Revelation 18:11 "And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more."

4) She sits on the Beast.  Revelation 17:3 "I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of the names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns." 
5) She "sits on seven hill."  Revelation 17:9 "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth."

6) She "sits on many waters." Revelation 17:1 "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:"

7) She wears royal robes. Revelation 17:4 "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour,"

8) She is wealthy. Revelation 17:4 "And the woman was...decked with gold and precious stones and pearls,"

9) She is the primary one that has encouraged and motivated the entire world to offend God.  Revelation 17:2 "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

10) She persecutes Christians, Revelation 17:6 "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:"

11) She is just plain evil. Revelation 17:4 "And the woman (had) a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5, And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." 

Obviously, John is speaking of Hollywood!  

The first thought I had when I read Revelation 17 was New York City because of the first verse, "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters."  I thought it spoke of a seaport.  Reading further, I saw that "many waters" is Biblical symbolism for multicultural multitudes of people: Revelation 17:15 "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."  That still sounded like New York City. 

I read the commentaries, but none said New York City.  Mostly, there was dancing around.  Maybe Nero would be reincarnated! Maybe Babylon would be rebuilt...and a passage to the sea for today's ships constructed...and Babylon would magically become the center of world trade.  I couldn't even find agreement for the word mystery... "Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots." Could it mean the first mention of something, like saying. "This is news."?  Could it refer to the occult practices she promotes?  Maybe it's the way she's called Babylon when John intends to point at another city/nation, to let us know this is a metaphor. The Beast and the 10 horns hate the Harlot and will destroy her.  Does this mean the house of evil of Satan's kingdom will be divided?  Is the Book of Revelation itself reliable? Was John tempted by the Harlot of Babylon? But since the Harlot of Babylon is identified as referring to a city repeatedly in Revelation 17 and 18, three cities were considered: Rome, the favorite, because she sits on seven hills, and because the Vatican is in Rome, and the Catholic Church has been known to persecute Christians in the past, Jerusalem, because hmm... something about being married to God, and Babylon, which hasn't existed since before the Book of Revelation was written.  

But even if Babylon were completely rebuilt, it would not be the same city.  Babylon is spoken of because this city is the central city of the Beast's empire, and the Beast has seven heads, and the first, greatest head was Babylon.  Rome, not necessarily because the seven mountains are identified right there in Revelation 17 as being seven kings, not literal hills or mountains.  But it could mean both.  Rome would have been the most likely city for the first century reader to choose.  Jerusalem?  Well, one thing about it.  The Beast definitely covets Jerusalem because this is all about attacking God. 

No conventional theologian saw New York City as a possibility.  Let's see...center of world trade, wealthy, multicultural, seaport of a major city...no, nothing comes to mind.  If you were to pick out an empire today, who would it be?  Or you might prefer to call it a super power.  Whose language has been accepted as a lingua franca throughout the world?  

Why not New York City? I wondered.  I puzzled over why this had been omitted from the discussion.  Well, I suppose traditional wisdom has formed over centuries, and New York City wasn't in existence when traditional wisdom was being formed.  When has New York City persecuted the Church, at least to the point of execution?  I think what everyone really dislikes about it, especially English speakers, is the suggestion that the United States is evil.  This is where the fringe comes in, with all sorts of conspiracy theories.  And not all of these theories are without merit.  I've seen several docudrama sort of accounts on the History Channel linking the US government, Washington DC and New York City straight to Satan!   Finally, the empire of the Beast is believed to be the revived Roman Empire, and New York City isn't in Europe.

Still, this idea has some problems. Revelation 18:23-24 "...for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints and of all that were slain upon the earth."  When did New York City deceive all the nations by her sorceries?  How is the blood of prophets, and saints and of all that were slain upon the earth possible to lay upon her doorstep?  Or anyone else"s?  Also, Revelation 17:4, "And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour." It suggests that she is royalty.  Or does it mean that this city is the seat of power?  

Well, maybe this is a future New York City.  In fact, any city you chose would have to been in its future because the world hasn't been taken over by the Antichrist yet, and taken the Mark of the Beast. 

So, just for the sake of argument, my vote for "Who is the Harlot of Babylon?" is New York City.