Revelation 17:4 Commentary and Bible Study

Matching the beast on which she rode, ‘the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour.’ The colour scarlet is used in chapter 18 to describe the luxuries and finery which the merchants mourn over at the fall of Babylon. It was the colour of garments owned by the rich and powerful. She thinks of herself as royal; she is arrogant. When she takes you she wants to rule you like a queen. She wants your obeisance. Present-day society, the entertainment business, all the forces of this world and worldliness: arrogance goes with it, as well as godlessness. ‘Decked with gold and precious stones and pearls.’ It's all about appearances, earthly glory and the praise of men. Her beauty however is a lie; it is a mask. Beneath the surface she is ugly in the extreme. Viewed from heaven she is a mass of deceit. Just as God divided the earthly Babel long ago and prevented man’s united efforts to defy heaven, by the division of tongues, so he will bring this Babylon to a confused end. The pride, the self-confidence and the haughtiness which makes her attractive to the worldly mind, viewed from heaven, is abhorrent. It is a character flaw that can never be healed. So is the appearance of this world in God’s eyes. How differently human beings think of themselves. How little they understand what the Bible says about them. She has no concern for any but herself. She is a ravenous prostitute devouring as many as she can get her hands on. Between her outward magnificence and her inner uncleanness there is a shocking separation. The contrast between the precious material from which the cup is made and the disgusting contents are a specimen of her power of deception. She hands to men and women a cup of gold. Such a fine vessel surely contains choice wines, fit for kings. Those who drink think that they are honoured to drink from such a cup. By her constant flattery she ensnares all who come to her. What is inside this cup is filth, uncleanness. Who would drink such a thing if it was not disguised to seem to be something else? There would be such revulsion at the thought of it that it should turn men’s stomachs. Yet they drink as if they had been given some wholesome and pleasant draught. Such is the power of her deception. In Bible use, the word abominations is religious not just horrible, unsightly. Primarily this seducer is a religious seducer to draw people away from the true God. She promotes alternative morality, immorality, through society. They drink to their own destruction. It is not possible to drink and not fatally damage the soul. By the will of God, none who partake of her filth can escape her judgment, except by grace.