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Overview

Babylon’s merchants are not literal merchants. Revelation uses buying and selling as symbols. Selling means offering salvation, and buying means accepting salvation. Therefore, wealth symbolizes being right with God.

Revelation describes her merchants as an integral part of Babylon. For example, they are ‘her’ merchants and become rich from her sensuality. Since Babylon symbolizes false religion, her merchants are the people who proclaim her false teachings.

Babylon’s sensuality, which is the source of the wealth of these false teachers, is the power of religion over people, which gives false teachers many followers.

Four Categories of People

Revelation describes Babylon as a woman with different relationships with different categories of people:

Kings – She sits on the Beast (Rev 17:3), meaning she “reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev 17:18; cf. 17:9, 10). In return, the kings commit “acts of immorality” with her (Rev 17:2). They have a symbiotic relationship.

People of the world – The “many waters” on which she sits (Rev 17:1) symbolize the people of the world (Rev 17:15). Sitting on them means that “those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality” (Rev 17:2).

God’s people – She kills God’s people. “In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth” (Rev 18:24). In the Old Testament, literal Babylon was the main enemy of God’s people. For that reason, Revelation uses Babylon as a symbol for the great enemy of God’s Christian people.

Merchants – Since Babylon sits on the kings and the peoples (Rev 17:3, 15), she is distinct from the kings and the people. In contrast, the merchants are described as “your merchants” (Rev 18:23), meaning they are part of her and they work for her. This article discusses who Babylon’s merchants are.

Prophets of False Religion

Not literal wealth

The merchants “have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality” (Rev 18:3). This does not refer to literal wealth because the merchants are “the great men” (Rev 18:23) and because Revelation distinguishes between “great men” and “the rich” (Rev 6:15). Therefore, the merchants are not the literal wealthy people of the world.

False Prophets

For the following reasons, it is proposed that the merchants are the prophets and teachers of false religion:

(1) Buying and selling relate to salvation.

They are symbolic merchants because, in Revelation, buying and selling must be interpreted symbolically. Selling symbolizes offering salvation, and buying symbolizes accepting salvation. For example:

Jesus is also a Merchant. He sells refined gold and white garments to people (Rev 3:18), but He really offers salvation. To buy His gold and white clothes means to accept salvation. Show More

Jesus “purchased” people with His blood, meaning He saved them (Rev 5:9). Show More

Therefore, the merchants offer false assurance of salvation. In the end-time, when “no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark” (Rev 13:15), this means that nobody will be allowed to preach, except the people who have the Mark of the Beast.

(2) Being wealthy means being right with God.

As confirmation that the “merchants” trade false assurances of salvation, the letters to the seven churches use poverty and wealth as symbols of spiritual condition. Being wealthy symbolizes being right with God, and to be poor means to be lost. For example:

Jesus said to Smyrna: “I know … your poverty (but you are rich)” (Rev 2:9). In other words, Smyrna is poor in terms of worldly goods, but spiritually rich. They are right with God.

Laodicea is the opposite. To this church, Jesus said: “You say, ‘I am rich … and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Rev 3:17). When Laodiceans claim that they are rich, it means that they think of themselves as justified (right with God). When Jesus accuses them of poverty, it means they are far from God.

(3) The Merchants are part of False Religion.

A previous article identified Babylon as false Christianity (see here). Since the merchants are Babylon’s merchants (Rev 18:23), they work for her and are part of her. The statement that the merchants become great through Babylon’s deception implies that the merchants are integral to her:

“Your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery” (Rev 18:23).

The devil and the false prophet deceive (Rev 12:9; 20:3, 8, 10; 13:14; 19:20). Since the merchants become great through deception, they are not independent, like the literally wealthy people of this world, but have become rich from false Christianity (Rev 18:15).

They sell a false assurance of salvation. Since all false teachings present a false picture of God’s character, they ultimately misrepresent Him. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This wonderful truth is distorted, and we are told that God is cruel and judgmental.

Babylon’s sensuality

Continuing the symbolism of an immoral sexual relationship (Rev 17:2), Revelation 18:3 says that “the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.”

What is “her sensuality?” Since Babylon is “the great harlot … with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality” (Rev 17:1-2), “her sensuality” is what attracts the kings.

It does not ‘the sensuality of her wealth’ but “the wealth of her sensuality.” In other words, it is not her literal wealth that attracts kings.

Since Babylon symbolizes false religion, her sensuality is the power that religion has over people. “Kings” (political rulers) desire that power to strengthen their control over people.

“The merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality” (Rev 18:3). The success of literal merchants is measured by their literal wealth. But these are symbolic merchants; symbols of Babylon’s false teachers. Their success is measured by how many followers they have. Babylon’s “sensuality” (the power of religion over people) assures them of many followers.

After Babylon and her sensuality have been destroyed, the merchants “mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more” (Rev 18:11, 15). In other words, once Babylon’s sensuality had been destroyed, people would no longer accept the merchant’s false teachings.

Articles on Babylon

For general discussions of theology, I recommend Graham Maxwell, who you will find on the Pineknoll website.

Purpose

In Revelation, there are three beasts that each have seven heads and ten horns. They are identified in the article titled, The Seven-Headed Beasts (the reader is advised to read that article before this one):

The Great Red Dragon that stands before the woman, ready to devour Christ as soon as He was born (Rev 12:3-4), symbolizes the Roman Empire.

The beast that comes up out of the sea (Rev 13:1)—referred to in this article as the Sea Beast, is another symbol for the 11^th horn that grows out of the Roman Empire. It suffers a deadly wound, but recovers (Rev 13:3) to become Satan’s mastermind in the end-time. It is this beast whose mark the people receive in the end-time (Rev 13:17).

The Scarlet Beast, on which the harlot sits, symbolizes the political systems of the world that always are controlled by false religion (Rev 17:3).

The purpose of the current article is to show that the seven heads are seven phases of man’s existence on earth and that each seven-headed beast is one of the heads and, therefore, one of the seven phases.

Summary

The seven heads are explained as “seven kings” that reign one after the other. But a “king,” in prophetic symbolism, represents a “kingdom,” consisting of a series of kings. Furthermore, Daniel 7 also refers to four “kings,” but they are interpreted as four empires, such as the Roman Empire, each consisting of a large number of kingdoms. The heads, therefore, are seven successive world empires.

Since the three beasts all have exactly seven heads, they have the same seven heads. One might picture the beasts as a single beast with seven different heads and three different bodies.

Each beast, actually, is one of the heads. This statement is justified as follows:

Firstly, Rev 17:11 explicitly states that “the beast … is one of the seven” heads. This refers specifically to the Scarlet Beast but, by implication, this principle also applies to the other beasts. Rev 17:10 identifies the scarlet beast as the sixth head.

Secondly, the seven heads represent different phases of human history. But the seven-headed beasts are also different phases of human history.

Thirdly, when one of the heads receives a fatal wound, we are told that one of the beasts receives the wound. This also implies that this beast is one of the heads.

Fourthly, the various body parts of the image in the prophecy in Daniel 2 are equivalent to the seven heads because they symbolize world empires that exist one after the other. But these body parts also symbolize different beasts in Revelation.

– END OF SUMMARY –

Revelation 17

Revelation 17 explains the heads:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom.
The seven heads are seven mountains
on which the woman sits,
and they are seven kings;
five have fallen,
one is,
the other has not yet come;
and when he comes, he must remain a little while“
(Rev 17:9-10 NASB).

The words, “Here is the mind which has wisdom” warn us that these verses are difficult to understand. When asked about this, Jesus explained that He spoke in parables so that those who do not want to believe, will not understand (Mark 4:10-12). Nevertheless, to understand this article will require some serious concentration.

Seven Successive World Empires

The seven heads are explained in 17:9-10 as “seven kings.” From the time perspective of Revelation 17, “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come” (Rev 17:9-10). They reign, therefore, one after the other.

In normal usage, the term “king,” refers to one person but in prophetic symbolism, a king represents a “kingdom,” consisting of a series of kings,” for example:

Daniel referred to the person Nebuchadnezzar as the “head of gold” but explained that another “kingdom” would follow after him (Dan 2:37ff). In other words, Nebuchadnezzar stood for his entire empire.

In Daniel 7:17 and 23, the four beasts are first identified as “kings” but later explained as “kingdoms.”

Furthermore, Daniel 7 interprets the four “kings” as four empires, such as the Roman Empire, each consisting of a large number of kingdoms that are ruled over by a single emperor. The heads, therefore, are seven successive world empires.

SHARE THE SAME SEVEN HEADS

Since each of the three beasts has exactly seven heads and ten horns, the heads of the three beasts symbolize the same seven “kings” or kingdoms. The beasts share the same seven heads. Similarly, the ten horns of the three beasts are the same ten “kings.” There are not 3×7 different head-kings or 3×10 different horn-kings.

The head is the main body part of an animal. If you have an animal with two heads, is it not really two animals? Think about the two-headed giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. It has two different personalities. In Revelation, the beasts each have seven heads. They are, therefore, really seven different beasts with seven different personalities. What really matters are the heads; not the beasts.

One might, therefore, symbolically, visualize the beasts as a single beast with seven different heads and three different bodies.

In the article The Seven-Headed Beasts, this similarity is explained as that the three beasts belong to the same species, particularly the same species as the beasts of Daniel 7. However, the seven heads and ten horns have specific meanings, as are explained in this article series.

EACH BEAST IS ONE HEAD.

As already noted, there are three beasts in Revelation that each has exactly seven heads and that these heads represent seven successive phases of human history. In this section, we motivate that each beast is, actually, one of the heads. This is based on the following observations:

1. 1. Firstly, Rev 17:11 explicitly states that “the beast … is one of the seven” heads.
  2. Secondly, both the seven heads and the seven-headed beasts represent different phases of human history.
  3. Thirdly, when one of the heads receives a fatal wound, we are told that one of the beasts receives the wound.
  4. Fourthly, the different body parts (metal kingdoms) in the Daniel 2 vision are both the heads of Revelation’s beasts and different beasts in Revelation.

These points will now be explained in more detail:

THE BEAST IS ONE OF THE SEVEN.

“The beast … is one of the seven” heads (Rev 17:11).

This refers specifically to the Scarlet Beast. It both has seven heads and is one of the heads. By implication, the same principle applies to the other beasts.

The previous verse stated, concerning the seven heads, that “five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come” (Rev 17:10). The implication is that the scarlet beast is the sixth head. That would mean that the Dragon and Sea Beast are some of the other heads.

PHASES OF HUMAN HISTORY

Each head represents a phase of human history. The same can be said of the seven-headed beasts:

The Dragon is identified as Satan (Rev 12:9), but when it stands ready to devour Christ as soon as He is born, the Dragon also has seven heads and ten horns (Rev 12:3). The Dragon, therefore, also represents the human governments that Satan uses to do his work. When it stands before the woman, ready to devour Jesus as soon as He is born, it specifically symbolizes the Roman Empire, for that empire reigned when Jesus walked the earth.

The Sea Beast follows in time AFTER the dragon, for the dragon (Roman Empire) waits on the sand of the sea for the Sea Beast to come out of the sea (Rev 13:1 – The many waters of the sea represent humanity (Rev 17:15)). The Sea Beast, therefore, also describes a specific phase of human existence. The article on the Seven-Headed Beasts identifies the Sea Beast as the 11^th horn that, according to Daniel 7, grows out of the Roman Empire.

As shown, the Scarlet Beast is the sixth head. Again, John looks at this beast from the perspective of a specific point or period of time.

In conclusion, each of the seven-headed beasts, just like the seven heads, describes ONE PHASE OF HUMAN HISTORY. This supports the notion that each beast represents one head.

DEADLY WOUND

Revelation 13 states that one of the heads receives a fatal wound, but then adds that the sea beast receives the wound:

“One of his heads as if it had been slain” (Rev 13:3).
“The beast who had the WOUND” (Rev 13:14).

This also implies that this beast is one of the seven heads.

IMAGE OF A MAN

The prophecy in Daniel 2 is the foundation from which the symbols of the seven-headed beasts are derived. This prophecy clarifies the relationship between the beasts and the heads. That prophecy symbolizes the history of mankind by an image of a metal man consisting of various metal body parts (head, shoulders, etc.). Each body part symbolizes an empire; a different phase of human history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to the Return of Christ.

In Daniel 2, the image consists of the metal kingdoms. Apart from the metal kingdoms, nothing exists. In the same way, Revelation’s beast consists of the seven heads. The beast is simply the sum of the heads. Conversely, the seven heads are the seven consecutive phases of the Beast. Apart from the seven heads, there is no beast. Everywhere that Revelation says that the beast does something, it is actually one of the heads (kings) that does it.

Evidence from Daniel 2 that the seven-headed beasts are three of the seven heads is that the different body parts of the Daniel 2 image are both the seven heads and the beasts in Revelation:

Both the body parts of the image in Daniel 2 and the seven heads are kingdoms that exist one after the other. For that reason, Revelation’s heads are equivalent to the body parts in Daniel 2.

But the different body parts in Daniel 2 are also different beasts in Revelation, for it has already been shown that the iron legs of the image are equivalent to the fourth beast in Daniel 7 with its “large iron teeth” (Dan 7:7) and that this symbolizes the Roman Empire, which, in Revelation, is symbolized by the seven-headed Dragon in Rev 12:3-4.

What we see in Revelation, therefore, is not a single beast with three bodies and seven heads; but only seven heads with the three beasts being three of those heads.

SEVEN WORLD EMPIRES

It has been concluded above, from the book of Daniel, that the seven heads are seven world empires that exist one after another. This conclusion can now be confirmed from Revelation: The article – The Seven-Headed Beasts – has identified the Revelation’s Dragon as the Roman Empire. It would then follow that the other seven-headed beasts also are empires. And since we have now concluded that Revelation’s beasts are three of the seen heads, it follows that all seven heads are not only kingdoms but world empires. These seven world empires are identified in the next article – Seven Heads Identified.

Category: Book of Revelation

Babylon’s Merchants are her false teachers (Rev 18:23).