he 'World of Today' Was Written 2,000 Years Ago! Revelation Chapter 17 Exposes the 'True Identity of Power'

Worship Message No. 35, May 10: Revelation Chapter 17

▶ Introduction
Just imagine for a moment.
What if a book written 2,000 years ago depicted the mechanism of "why rulers corrupt" and "why great powers always perish" with astonishing precision?
Moreover, what if it is written not in a "myth" or a "philosophy book," but in the Book of Revelation—a book that many people have avoided as "meaningless" or a "scary book"?
To be honest, Revelation Chapter 17, which we are covering today, is one of the most "graphic" chapters in the Bible.
Words like "the great prostitute," "the beast," and "the scarlet dragon" are lined up, and many people experience a knee-jerk rejection at first sight.
However, if you peel away these symbols one by one, a certain "pattern" that has been repeated over and over throughout human history comes into view.
The Roman Empire, the power structure after the French Revolution, and modern global politics—they all operate under the exact same structure.
Today, I will share this pattern in a way that can be understood even without faith.
If you watch until the end, I think the way you look at the news will change slightly.

▶ Part 1: Grasping the Overall Picture First
This Chapter 17 is a re-description of what happens during the first three and a half years of the Tribulation, and the next Chapter 18 is a re-description of what happens during the latter three and a half years of the Tribulation. These two chapters are not arranged chronologically; Chapter 17 describes events that occur before Chapter 15.

Revelation Chapter 17 is broadly divided into three parts:
① The appearance of "Babylon the Great Prostitute" (v. 1–6)
② Solving the mystery of the "scarlet beast" (v. 7–14)
③ The end of "Babylon the Great Prostitute" (v. 15–18)
Let me give you the answer first.
What this chapter is conveying is simply this:
"Corrupted power and the people who cling to it will ultimately destroy themselves." This is everything in Chapter 17.
Why can we say this? Let us look at the specifics from here on.

▶ Part 2: What is the "Great Prostitute"?
Let us read verse 1:
"...'Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters.'" (Revelation 17:1, NIV)
I think many people might be put off by the term "great prostitute," but this is not a story about a "sexually wicked woman."
In the Bible, the words "prostitute" or "adultery" are used with a specific meaning. It means "betrayal of God," or more broadly, "selling one's soul to gain profit."
If we translate it into modern terms, it can be rephrased as a "corrupted system of power."

Look at verse 3:
"...and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast..." (Revelation 17:3, NIV)
The composition of "a woman riding a beast." What does this represent?
Let us think about it with a clear modern example.
For instance, before the Lehman Brothers shock in 2008, financial institutions were in an extremely "intimate relationship" with regulatory authorities.
Financial institutions (the woman) rode on top of government agencies and regulations, which were the "system of power (the beast)," and manipulated them at will.
This is exactly the structure of "the woman riding the beast."
Alternatively, historically speaking, the "collusion between church and state" in medieval Europe fits this image perfectly.
The church, which was originally supposed to convey the word of God, tied itself to secular power, sold indulgences, justified wars, and became a hotbed of corruption.

Let us read verse 4:
"The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries." (Revelation 17:4, NIV)
A luxurious appearance. But the inside is filthy.
Don't you think this is an incredibly realistic description?
It looks like a fine suit, a fine title, a fine building. But inside, it is a structure that sucks up people's wealth for their own profit. Such organizations have appeared countless times throughout history.
In verse 5, the name "Babylon the Great" appears. Babylon was an ancient empire known at the time as a symbol of corruption and oppression.
When John wrote this, many readers understood, "Ah, this refers to Rome."
However, the depth of this prophecy lies in the fact that it possesses a universality that is not limited to the single nation of Rome.

Verse 6 goes like this:
"I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus." (Revelation 17:6, NIV)
Power prolongs its own life by silencing the people who resist it. This is also a fact that history has proven repeatedly.

▶ Part 3: Solving the Mystery of the "Scarlet Beast"
From here is the part that many people find "meaningless." However, if you read it calmly, it actually has a very logical structure.
Verse 7. The angel says to John:
"Then the angel said to me: 'Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.'" (Revelation 17:7, NIV)

"Seven heads" and "ten horns." What do these mean?
Verse 9: The seven heads are seven hills.
Verse 10: The seven heads are also seven kings.
Rome was famous since ancient times as a "city built on seven hills." The readers of that time immediately knew what it pointed to.
But the important part is what follows.

Latter part of verse 10:
"...Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come..." (Revelation 17:10, NIV)
This is saying that "power shifts and changes." Even if one power perishes, another power rises. Looking at history, it is exactly as it says.
Rome perished, medieval feudalism came, modern nation-states were born, and today we have global capitalism. Even though the form changes, the essence of the "beast" remains the same.

Verse 11. This goes even deeper:
"The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction." (Revelation 17:11, NIV)
What does it mean that "the eighth is among the seven"?
New power is born as an extension of old power. Even if a revolution occurs and people say, "We have overthrown the old regime," the structure of power itself continues.
Look at the French Revolution. They were supposed to have overthrown the monarchy, yet an emperor named Napoleon was born.
Look at the Soviet Revolution. They were supposed to have overthrown aristocratic rule, yet a new privileged class called the Communist Party was born.
Let us call this the "continuity of power." Revelation Chapter 17 points this out sharply.

Next are the "ten horns." Verse 12:
"The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast." (Revelation 17:12, NIV)
"Kings who hold power only for a short time." In modern terms, this can be read as politicians who head administrations, or economic powerholders.
They give authority to the beast (the big system) and follow the beast.

Verse 13:
"They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast." (Revelation 17:13, NIV)
"One purpose"—that is the maintenance of their own vested interests. This is not a story from 2,000 years ago. It is something happening right now at the heart of all power in today's world.

▶ Part 4: The Greatest Reversal—"The Beast Destroys the Prostitute"
This is the most critical point. Verse 16:
"The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire." (Revelation 17:16, NIV)
This is a shocking scene change.
The woman who was just riding on top of the beast and ruling over it is now eaten up by the beast.
What does this mean?

This has the exact same structure as what frequently happens in the business world.
For example, there are cases like this: A politician and a specific corporation colluded, and that corporation expanded its profits while receiving legal protection.
But at some point, that corporation becomes too large and stops listening to what the politician says.
Alternatively, the political situation changes, and the corporation is made into a "scapegoat" as a sacrifice. Those who were utilizing each other eventually engage in cannibalism.
Historically, the Enron scandal was just like this. A corporation that grew giant by connecting with politics was ultimately abandoned and collapsed.

Verse 17 says:
"For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled." (Revelation 17:17, NIV)
This is the core part of the biblical perspective.
The power struggles, corruption, and collapses that unfold within human history
—from God's point of view, they are all progressing toward a certain direction. It is a perspective that even though humans appear to be moving by their own will, they are placed within a grand historical context.
Even those without faith would probably agree with the law that "history has certain patterns" and "corrupted power always collapses from within." Revelation expresses that mechanism using theological language.

▶ Part 5: The Answer to "Who the Woman Is" in Verse 18
The final verse 18:
"The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18, NIV)

"The woman = a city."
Here, for the first time, the true identity of the "woman" is explicitly stated. This is not a single individual, but a symbol meaning a "dominant political and economic center."
In the Roman era, Rome was such a place.
In the Middle Ages, it was Constantinople.
In modern times, London, and from the 20th century onward, New York and Washington D.C. have functioned as the "centers that move the world."
Revelation is not declaring any one specific city to be "this is it."
It is depicting a universal structure where a center of corrupted power has surely existed throughout history.

▶ Conclusion
So, what should we take away from this chapter?
What Revelation Chapter 17 conveys is the historical law that "corrupted power always collapses from within."
Not overthrown from the outside, but through cannibalism. Those who were utilizing each other ultimately destroy one another. This is a pattern that has been repeated for 2,000 years.
And the Bible depicts this pattern as "God's judgment." From the perspective of faith, it means that God is not leaving corruption unchecked, but is guiding history so that corrupted power ultimately collapses under its own weight.

Even if you read this without faith, you can at least receive the law that "power corrupts, and corrupted power destroys itself."
Then, knowing this, how shall we live?
What the Bible shows us is not to ride on the sweet invitation of the "system of the great prostitute"—that is, corrupted power—and not to sell out our values or souls to that system.
Before being a religious matter, this is an extremely practical wisdom for life.
Temptation always arrives inside a "luxurious cup." It looks beautiful on the outside and appears to offer profit. But possess the eyes to discern what is inside it.
Revelation Chapter 17 has continued to speak about this for 2,000 years.