Kalev Creative

 10/5/2025

We’re reading through Revelation along with NT Wright’s Revelation for Everyone. These notes include discussions of topics of additional interest and attempt connections with more Old Testament material.

16:16-17

In his book, Unseen Realm, the biblical scholar Michael Heiser discusses possible meanings of Armageddon and concludes the term likely means “Mount of Assembly” and refers to Jerusalem. Many commentators presume a connection to the town called Megiddo, while others posit it to be a placeholder name for an unidentified location, if it is a physical location at all.

“Now the spirits gathered the kings and their armies” suggests a conception of the world similar to that of Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82 in which, at least in the eyes of some interpreters, we learn that spiritual powers are assigned to earthly territories and therefore earthly kings.

As the seventh angel pours out his bowl, we get imagery similar to earlier theophanies (appearances of God) in Revelation and at Mount Sinai. There is an earthquake powerful enough to split “the great city” and collapse the cities of the nations. A plague of 100 pound (1 talent) hailstones falls on people, yet the people don’t repent, they blaspheme.

Here, as in earlier passages, “the great city” likely refers not just to the literal city of Babylon (which by this time had been destroyed for hundreds of years) but to every city in rebellion against God dating back to Cain’s city in Genesis 4, the city as opposite of God’s Genesis 1 ideal that his people be fruitful, fill the land, and subdue it.

We recalled Old Testament passages in which God identifies Israel as a bride and New Testament ones with the church as bride of Christ. In passages condemning Israel for worshiping other gods, God sometimes compares idolatry to adultery. Here, this prostitute riding on a beast appears to be an extension of idolatry as adultery – she pursues relationships with many nations and is drunk on wine of immorality. She sits on many waters, possibly a link to the pre-creation disordered waters of Genesis 1:2.

One of the angels with the seven bowls carries John away into the wilderness. In the biblical imagination, the wilderness and the waters are each un-created spaces. Genesis 1 begins in the waters, and Genesis 2 begins in the wilderness. There he sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast.

Kim Thomas points out that this woman is a parody of 1 Timothy 2:9-10, “Likewise women are to exercise . . . self-restraint, modesty, and self-control. They are not to adorn themselves with braided hair and gold or pearls or expensive clothing, but with good deeds that reflect reverence for God whom they profess”

John now tells us the woman is drunk on the blood of the saints.

The beast that was – used to be alive – is not – is currently dead, in Sheol – but is about to come up out of the abyss to destruction – will be called up to be judged. The seven mountains are likely a reference to Rome, the city of seven hills. We read from Craig Keener’s Revelation commentary Keener’s assessment that John’s use of 7 and 10 here are likely as symbolic numbers rather than a precise schema we can align with a set of Roman leaders. Possibly John had particular ones in mind, but it’s difficult for us to determine which today. What’s most important is that, “They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”

Elsewhere, the waters are territory outside of Eden/the fruitful land/Israel, the horns are kings, and we find judgment delivered by nation against nation (i. e. Babylon and Assyria’s exile of Israelite tribes or the Medes conquering the Babylonians in Daniel 5 after the writing on the wall). The great city with sovereignty in this context is likely Rome but could be Jerusalem as enduring power or a metaphorical city representing Empire/dominion/evil at work in the world.