Revelation 17:4, commentary and pictures

The woman is an apostate church, and the great harlot Babylon is Rome and the papal power, with her daughters the churches that follow Rome's corrupt doctrines, traditions and worldly practices. Her clothing in purple and scarlet and her decking with gold and precious stones and pearls picture the magnificence and more-than-kingly pomp of Rome, an outward gorgeous display by which with inward corruption she deceives all nations. The golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness holds error, false doctrines and spiritual corruption, including eternal torment, the false Sabbath in elevating Sunday above God's Sabbath, and infant baptism, which she deals out as the wine of Babylon for kings and nations to drink. To drink from that cup is spiritual fornication in divorcing from God, trampling His commandments and accepting Satan's falsehoods, for which all are accountable for the light of their own time, while those who remain true refuse the wine and keep steadfast faith even at the cost of life. The vision belongs to the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 now being fulfilled as God's last warning before the final call and the destruction of the wicked, foretelling the destruction of all churches that corrupt themselves by serving the Papacy and drinking her wine, leaving in the end only those who keep God's commandments and those who war against His law.

Identity and Array

The woman in the vision is a symbol of a church, and a vile woman denotes an apostate church. The harlot Babylon is Rome and the papal power, and her daughter churches are churches that follow Rome's corrupt doctrines, traditions, and worldly practices. Her being arrayed in purple and scarlet and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls pictures the magnificence and more-than-kingly pomp of Rome's haughty see.

That costly adornment is outward attraction and gorgeous display by which, with deceivableness of unrighteousness, she deceives all nations. The power with the deepest inward corruption makes the greatest display and clothes itself with the most elaborate signs of power to cover corrupt and deceiving wickedness. Her unlawful connection with the kings of the earth is Rome's alliance with worldly powers, an image of Rome's corruption.

Such union of church and state becomes destructive to both and crushes those who oppose it. It brings the same condemnation as the Jewish church's departure from God and alliance with heathen nations.

Cup of Deception

The golden cup in the woman's hand full of abominations and filthiness of fornication holds error, false doctrines, and spiritual corruption. That cup is the wine of Babylon, dealt out to the kings of the earth and to the nations to drink.

Those false teachings include the doctrine of eternal torment, the false Sabbath with its claimed change to the fourth commandment in elevating Sunday over God's Sabbath, and infant baptism. They came from Rome and are religious error.

Drinking from the cup is spiritual fornication, meaning divorcing from God and trampling on His commandments. It is the Christian world accepting Satan's falsehoods as a cup of intoxication. Accepting false teachings merely because earlier generations taught them brings Babylon's condemnation, since people are accountable for the light available in their own time.

In contrast with Babylon's cup, Christian books and canvassing literature offer an opposite cup full of the precious truths of redemption. While the nations drink Babylon's wine, some remain true to allegiance to Jehovah and refuse the wine, keeping steadfast faith even if faithfulness costs life.

Prophecy and Final Warning

The verse belongs to the prophecies of Revelation 12 to 18 that are now being fulfilled as the last message of warning that all are to hear. That fulfillment leads to the very last call to the churches in chapter 18 and then to the destruction of the wicked. It leads on to the casting of the beast and false prophet into the lake of fire, the binding of the dragon for a thousand years, the resurrection of the wicked and final destruction of Satan and all the wicked, and the final triumph and reign of Christ in this earth. It is part of God's warning to His people of the perils before them, showing things which will be in the last days. It reveals a deceived company working counter to God that has rejected truth.

By varied images given to John it shows the wicked character and seductive influence of those distinguished for persecuting God's people. The woman's display is the external parade of heathen power near the close of time, when heathen deities manifest signal power before the cities of the world, a delineation already beginning to be fulfilled. It presents the detestable works of the inhabitants of the ruling powers of the world who bind themselves into secret societies and confederacies, not honoring the law of God. It reveals the mystery of iniquity that figures largely in the winding up of this earth's history and must be searched out with wisdom. Those having the light of truth are warned to keep clear of these evils, for false religionists will more and more manifest evil doings, leaving in the end only two parties, those who keep the commandments of God and those who war against God's holy law.

It shows the worldwide bowing before Satan as he works to the utmost to make himself as God and to destroy all who oppose his power, confirming his claim by miracle-working power through every object in earth, air, and water. Those who yield to his claims form a vast, countless procession, alive with intense activity and influencing one another, determined in restless surging, eagerness, rage, and religious enthusiasm to take and occupy the place of the throne of God. Defiant rebellion against Creator and Redeemer is written in their countenances while they think themselves mighty in warfare. They do not see the cloud of judicial wrath hanging over them containing the elements that destroyed Sodom, which John saw.

The verse foretells the destruction of all the churches that corrupt themselves by idolatrous devotion to serving the Papacy and drinking the wine of her fornication. The purple and scarlet, gold and precious stones and pearls, and golden cup full of abominations are outward attraction and gorgeous display by which with all deceivableness of unrighteousness it deceives all nations. The power with the deepest inward corruption makes the greatest display and clothes itself with the most elaborate signs of power, covering corrupt and deceiving wickedness. As Satan did to the first parents, it promises all good to those who receive its mark and all harm to those who oppose its fallacies.