The scene now shifts back to the pouring out of the wrath of God in judgment upon the earth. This judgment is extremely harsh, yet it is just (16:5-7). The purpose of this judgment is not to rehabilitate the wrongdoers nor is it to educate them (as is the case with some forms of human punishment), but rather it is retributive in nature. The key phrase that leads to this conclusion comes at the end of 16:9,11 - they did not repent. For believers, it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (cf. Rom. 2:4), but here for unbelievers, even the harshness of God does not lead to repentance. How hard the unregenerate human heart must be! It is for this very reason that we understand that the regenerating work in the heart of any man must be wholly the work of God. It is a miracle!
Chapter 17 begins the discussion of the great prostitute and the beast. Many people throughout the history of the church have tried to identify what these symbols represent. I will not attempt to do so. I'm not sure that anyone can correctly identify them with certainty. There is one thing, however, that is certain. Even though both the prostitute and beast are powerful, they are no match for the Lamb (vs14). He conquers them! What an image that presents! We tend to think of lambs as weak and dumb, but not this Lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is a keen and mighty warrior who vanquishes all of His foes! Try as you might to get to all of the specifics about who the kings are in this chapter and who the prostitute is, the main point is that no matter who these people are, Jesus Christ will conquer them! This really is the theme of the book of Revelation - Jesus Wins!
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