Revelation 17:2; Committed Fornication With the Kings of the Earth

Revelation 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. 

The harlot has committed fornication with all levels of society, from the kings of the earth to the rest of earth’s inhabitants.

Religious prostitution occupies the forefront in this chapter and the closely related economic harlotry in chapter 18. The Babylonian system gains international influence and even domination in both realms through its cooperation with the beast in his political domination. Religious compromise necessitated in this kind of association is total incompatible with the worship of the one true God, and so amounts to spiritual prostitution.

The title for human rulers contrasted with Christ who is the ruler of the kings of the earth is the “kings of the earth”.

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 

Revelation 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 

Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, whichgo forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 

Revelation 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 

Revelation 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 

Revelation 18:9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 

Revelation 19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 

Revelation 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 

These leaders join the Babylonian system at the sacrifice of whatever spiritual principles are necessary. This has always been the case with Assyria, Babylon, and others in the past. It was the case with Rome in John’s day, and will be especially true in the final days just before Christ returns. (Lenski, Ford). Pragmatic considerations will dictate cooperation with the powers that be in an atmosphere that is strongly anti-God and eventually boils down to worshipping the beast. Included in this compromising alliance are now, but even more so in the future, the apostate church which has eagerly sought and solicited an adulterous relationship world political powers (Walvoord).

The alliance thus forged by the leaders inevitably induces drunkenness in all earth’s inhabitants. Since in Revelation 14:8 Babylon “made all nations drink” the peoples of the earth “have become drunk with the wine of wrath of her fornication”.

Revelation 14:8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

Their “marriage” with the harlot is so binding that they marvel at the beast and have place on the roster of the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 17:8; cf. 13:14-18).

Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

Revelation 13:14-18 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. 

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 284-285]