Who is the Woman of Revelation 17?

Why the Woman Cannot Be Israel — A Biblical, Scholarly, and Pastoral Examination

In recent years, a troubling trend has surfaced: some claim that “the woman” in Revelation 17–18 is Israel, using that as a pretext for antisemitic rhetoric. This is not only theologically unsound, but dangerously misleading. In this article, I will:

1. Demonstrate from the textual, grammatical, and contextual evidence in Revelation why the woman cannot be Israel

2. Present a comparison chart of the four major interpretive systems (Preterist, Ideal/Typological, Historicist, Futurist/Dispensationalist), showing how each sees the woman of Revelation 17–18

3. List notable scholars (including Independent Baptists Oliver B. Greene, John R. Rice, and contemporary exegetes) and show where they stand

4. Expose the origins and dangers of the antisemitic claim, and make the arguments as strong and defensible as possible

   
   

I pray this becomes a stable reference for you, your people, and others who might stumble into error. I will put this article more in an outline/narrative form for clarity.

1. Biblical / Exegetical Case: The Woman ≠ Israel but Babylon the Great

Below is a structured argument showing from the text itself that the only coherent identification is that the "woman" mentioned is Babylon the Great, a world-system of apostasy, not the Jewish nation.

A. Immediate self-identification: “that great city” (Revelation 17:18)

“And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.” (Rev. 17:18)

This is not a marginal note or optional metaphor — the angel’s explanation directly equates the woman with a city (πόλις, polis) that rules over kings. Now, some theologians and Bible students believe that this will be an actual city (I have heard of rebuilt Babylon, Washington D.C., New York, Jerusalem, etc.). However, most scholars, theologians, and Bible students believe that this "city" represents a global political, economic, spiritual, and military alliance. Here is why:

1. The “city” is clearly symbolic in context.

Revelation itself interprets the woman symbolically:

“The woman which thou sawest is that great city…” (Rev. 17:18)

That statement doesn’t limit her to a literal metropolis — it defines the symbol. The vision uses a woman to portray a city,which already tells us we’re dealing with apocalyptic imagery, not strict geography. Throughout Revelation, cities often symbolize entire systems or spheres of influence:

• “Babylon” here represents the final form of Gentile world power, not Nebuchadnezzar’s literal Babylon.

• “New Jerusalem” (Rev. 21–22) represents the redeemed community and God’s eternal dwelling with His people — not merely, or only, a location.

In other words, when Revelation calls the woman a “city,” it’s using the imagery of a capital — a personified symbol of a realm, not a pinpoint on a map.

2. Her influence is global, not local.

Revelation 17:15 explicitly defines her reach:

“The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”

That’s a divine interpretation, not a human guess. It tells us she presides over an international network — a global order that touches “the kings of the earth” (17:2) and “the merchants of the earth” (18:3, 11). No single city, ancient or modern, fits that scope by itself. A literal city can host such a system, but the text itself shows that her authority transcends geography.

3. “City” in prophetic literature often represents a civilization or empire.

Throughout Scripture, cities often stand for entire empires or world orders:

• Babylon in Isaiah 13–14 and Jeremiah 50–51 represents the entire Babylonian empire.

• Nineveh in Nahum 3 personifies the Assyrian empire.

• Tyre in Ezekiel 27–28 is both a literal city and a symbol of global commercial arrogance.

So, in Revelation, calling Babylon a “city” follows a well-established prophetic pattern — it’s shorthand for the whole civilization or system that city represents.

4. The internal evidence doesn’t fit a single location.

• She is said to reign over “the kings of the earth” (17:18). No city in human history has truly held that dominion.

• Her destruction causes the collapse of world commerce (18:9–19).

• She is simultaneously described as a “woman” (religious corruption), a “city” (political power), and a “marketplace” (economic control).

Those layers show John is describing an interlocking system — religious, political, and economic — not just a metropolis with walls and gates.

5. In dispensational and literal-grammatical interpretation, symbol and reality are not mutually exclusive.

Even literal interpreters (like John R. Rice and Oliver B. Greene) recognized that while “Babylon” may have a physical headquarters or center (possibly rebuilt Babylon, Rome, or another global capital), the term represents the whole world system that operates from that center. The city is the seat of power, but the woman is the system it controls.

So, when Revelation calls her “that great city,” it’s using the language of representation — the “city” is the visible embodiment of an invisible empire. Just as “Washington D.C.” today represents an entire national system of government, or “Wall Street” represents a global economic network, “Babylon” in Revelation represents the final, worldwide system of rebellion against God.

A “nation,” like Israel, does not neatly fit that kind of pictorial identity.

B. Her sphere is global, not national

Revelation’s own explanation leaves no room for doubt that the woman’s reach is global, not national. She “sitteth upon many waters” (Rev. 17:1), and the angel immediately interprets those waters as “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (v. 15). This is not the language of a single ethnic or geographic people, but of an international system of influence and control.

The scope of her power is further defined by her partners — “the kings of the earth” and “the merchants of the earth” (17:2; 18:3, 9–11) — who are described as intoxicated by her luxury and corrupted by her spiritual fornication. Her downfall sends shockwaves across every continent: “the kings of the earth… bewail her” and “the merchants of the earth… weep and mourn” as their global economy collapses (18:9–19).

These are not the marks of national Israel, but of a worldwide political, religious, and commercial system centered in rebellion against God. In our own time, we can easily imagine such a power — an international alliance of wealth, idolatry, and spiritual deception that dominates the nations and influences their rulers. The woman of Revelation is a prophetic picture of that final global order, not the covenant people of God.

C. She is “drunken with the blood of the saints” (Rev. 17:6)

"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration." (Rev. 17:6)

Revelation 17:6 says the woman is “drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” That description points unmistakably to a system that persecutes believers in Christ. Certainly, Christians have been persecuted and slaughtered throughout the centuries, but, throughout Scripture (and eschatologically), Israel is portrayed as the people through whom God brought salvation into the world, not as the destroyer of those who follow Christ.

To identify this woman as Israel ignores the clear dispensational distinction between Israel (God’s earthly people with national promises yet to be fulfilled) and the Church (the body of Christ composed of all believers in this age). The woman of Revelation 17–18 is the persecutor of the saints, not the object of persecution. She represents an apostate, Gentile, world system united in rebellion against God — religiously, politically, and economically. Israel, by contrast, is the nation to whom God will yet fulfill His promises (Rom. 11:25–29).

The idea that Israel is the “great harlot” of Revelation confuses God’s future program for Israel with the final judgment of the Gentile powers. It’s a serious misreading of both Revelation and the dispensational structure of prophecy.

D. The call: “Come out of her, my people” (Rev. 18:4)

God’s command is to His people to come out of Babylon. That implies they are within her realm (influence, system, captivity) and must separate. If the woman were Israel itself, the command becomes nonsensical (how do God’s people come out of themselves?). The voice from heaven expects the saints to withdraw.

E. Biblical and prophetic background of “Babylon” as Gentile power

In the Old Testament, Babylon is the nation that destroys Jerusalem, carries Israel into captivity, and stands as the exemplar of Gentile opposition (Isa. 13–14; Jer. 50–51; Ezek. 17, 24). John in Revelation draws on that prophetic heritage and re-applies it to eschatological conflict. The continuity is too strong to ignore.

Many interpreters see John deliberately echoing Jeremiah’s language of “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon” (Jer. 50:3; 51:8) in Revelation 18:2. Thus the figure is Babylon the Great — a world-system of apostasy and oppression, not national Israel.

2. Interpretive Systems & Their Views on the Woman

Below is a chart comparing how each major eschatological/interpretive framework understands the woman of Revelation 17–18.

Interpretive System	Basic Hermeneutical Lens	Identification of the Woman / Babylon	Strengths / Weaknesses	Representative Scholars / Advocates
Preterist / Partial Preterist	Majority of Revelation seen as fulfilled in 1st-century context	The woman = Imperial Rome (or the Roman system)	Strength: historical grounding, plausible for first audience; Weakness: how to treat the onward (future) prophetic extension	Kenneth Gentry (partial preterist), many commentators assuming Rome as first referent
Ideal / Typological / Symbolic	Apocalyptic visions represent ongoing spiritual realities & principles, not tied to one historical referent	The woman = the recurring world system of apostasy (religion + commerce + power) in all ages	Strength: handles universality and recurrence; Weakness: can blur specific historical referent, less precision	G. K. Beale (noted for combining historical and ideal)
Historicist	Revelation unfolds over church history	The woman = papal Rome (apostate institutional church) as the great harlot over centuries	Strength: historically rich tradition, has been influential in Protestantism; Weakness: tends to force later history into text, variety of interpretations	Reformers (some), historicist interpreters; Adventist historicists
Futurist / Dispensationalist	Most of Revelation is future, with literal fulfillment	The woman = a future, global apostate system/city allied with Antichrist (Babylon the Great)	Strength: preserves literal reading, allows dramatic prophecy; Weakness: speculative, risk of over-literalism or forced correlations	Many dispensational writers, Oliver B. Greene, John R. Rice

A few remarks on the chart:

• Many scholars adopt hybrid models (for example, seeing Rome as the proximate referent but recognizing the typological fullness anticipates future antichristic error).

• The ideal/typological view is appealing to those who want to avoid getting ensnared in purely speculative or dated historical frameworks.

• The historicist view was dominant in many Protestant circles for centuries but has waned in modern scholarship.

• The futurist approach is very popular in conservative and dispensational circles (which is where Greene and Rice belong).

• None of these interpretive schemas believe Israel was the woman.

  
  

3. Scholars & Their Positions

Here is a selection of exegetes, preachers, and scholars, along with what they say (or are known to believe) about the woman / Babylon in Revelation 17–18.

Scholar / Teacher	Position on the Woman / Babylon	Notable Writings / Evidence	Notes & Critique
Oliver B. Greene	Futurist (Dispensationalist). Greene sees the woman as the final Gentile apostate religious system (Babylon), involved with the beast (a political/military power) in the end times; not Israel.	Revelation of JESUS CHRIST (audio & text)	Greene emphasizes literal, future fulfillment and moral urgency; his view is rooted in the dispensational tradition.
John R. Rice	Futurist / literalist (Dispensationalist). He leans on literal fulfillment and the coming global apostate system. He sees the woman as a false religious system. He sees the beast as an end-time political/military power allied with the false religious system. Rice’s outline explicitly links the beast to the woman (the religous system rides the political beast)	Behold, He Cometh: A Verse-By-Verse Commentary on Revelation	Rice emphasizes that Revelation must be taken “at face value,” resisting over-symbolization.
G. K. Beale	Combines historical + typological / ideal. Beale sees Babylon as historically resonant (with Rome) but ultimately as the archetypal apostate system.	The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text	His approach is balanced; he resists purely futurist excesses while retaining prophetic power.
W.A. Criswell	Dispensationalist - Criswell believed that the woman was the broad end-time religious (ch. 17)-commercial (Ch. 18) system opposed to God.	Sermon "Mystery Babylon"	He was not dogmatic on the location of the city (Perhaps Rome, or rebuilt Babylon, or other great metropolis). He did believe that Rome certainly prefigured "Babylon."
John Walvoord	Dispensationalist - "Babylon" likely represents a literal city, possibly rebuilt Babylon in Mesopotamia	The Revelation of Jesus Christ	He viewed Rome as symbolically similar but not identical to the final "Babylon."
Paige Patterson	Futurist (Dispensationalist) - He identifies the woman in 17–18 as “a religious system purporting to represent the true God while actually doing the work of Satan”.	New American Commnetary	He regards the beast (and the ten horns) as part of the end-time political‐military-religious alliance. For example, he writes that the beast is the “world ruler, the Antichrist,” and the ten horns are ten kings who will destroy the prostitute.
J. Dwight Pentecost	Dispensationalist - The woman in Revelation 17 was "religious Babylon" and the beast (17/18) was "political Babylon." He rejected Rome=Babylon, although Rome historically illustrated Babylon's characteristics. He, like Walvoord and Thomas opposed identifying Babylon with Israel. “The woman is a religious system, who dominates the civil power, at least for a time.” — Things to Come, p. 301.	Things To Come	Pentecost believed both could culminate in a literal city, possibly rebuilt Babylon in Mesopotamia. However, he also allowed that the name “Babylon” could function as a symbol for the entire world system in rebellion against God.
Lehman Strauss	The woman is the apostate religious system of the tribulation period. The Beast is the AntiChrist's world political power. He also traces the "Babylon" system all the way back to Nimrod and the original Babel, also mentioning the first world gentile power of Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon.	The Book of Revelation (Commentary by Lehman Strauss)	Strauss sees the “woman” (Babylon the Great) as a religious/commercial system responsible for great wealth, spiritual corruption and the persecution of the saints. He treats the “beast” and the judgments associated with Revelation 17–18 as end‑time, literal judgments, describing it as “Hell on earth” for the world system opposed to God.
Robert Thomas	Futurist -Dispensationalist - He believed and taught that the ancient city of Babylon would be rebuilt.	Revelation 8-22: An Exegetical Commentary	He firmly rejected the idea that Babylon was Rome or Israel, viewing that as hermeneutically inconsistent
Kenneth Gentry	Partial / early preterist. Gentry treats Revelation as written largely before A.D. 70, seeing Rome as the reference, with less emphasis on a distant future fulfillment.	Before Jerusalem Fell, The Beast of Revelation	Gentry’s paradigm is narrower in extending into futuristic speculation; some argue it underplays future prophetic stress.
Tertullian	Early Church. He identified "Babylon" with Rome, using the prophetic tradition of pseudonymy.	Against Marcion, Answer to the Jews	Shows that even in early centuries Christians linked Babylon imagery to Rome.
Victorinus	Early Church. Interpreted the fall of Babylon as the future destruction of Rome.	Commentary on the Apocalypse	One of the earliest surviving Latin commentators to see Babylon as a city (Rome) to be judged.
Modern Scholars (anonymous)	Many modern commentators (e.g. in Andrews University journal) note that most interpreters see Babylon as Rome (preterist or symbolic) rather than Israel.	Articles on Babylon in Revelation	These surveys show consensus in mainstream scholarship that Israel is not the woman.

These examples show that no reputable exegete I have encountered (in serious scholarship or in historic Christian tradition) identifies the woman of Revelation 17–18 as Israel.

4. Origins & Dangers of the Antisemitic Identification

A. Where the idea comes from

• Historically, anti-Jewish sentiment has often used Scripture allegorically to recast Jews as the “whore” or apostate enemy. That view typically sets up Christianity (All the saved, or a particular branch) as the true Israel, making Jews the false Israel or the enemy.

• Some sectarian or extremist voices adopt Revelation 17–18 as a supposed “proof text” that God judges Israel as the great prostitute, twisting verses like Rev. 18:3–5 (“all nations have drunk of the wine of her fornication … come out of her, my people”) to mean “Israel is fallen, her people must abandon her.”

• This misuse is usually not grounded in some exegetical tradition but in theological exegetical ignorance, prejudice, or hatred. It relies on ignoring or reinterpreting the text to force Israel into the role.

B. Why the identification fails (A recap of the above chart data)

• Self-identification as city — Revelation 17:18 requires the woman to be a city (or city-system), not a national covenant people.

• Global dominion — She is a religous system who reigns over “kings of the earth” and is part of a world commerce system (Rev. 18:9–19) — beyond Israel alone.

• Persecution of saints — She is drunk with the blood of saints, directly identifying her as persecutor of Christian believers (Rev. 17:6, 18:24).

• Call to separate — “Come out of her, my people” presumes God’s people are implicated, not that Israel is themselves the harlot (Rev. 18:4).

• Prophetic tradition — “Babylon” in the Bible is always associated with Gentile rebellion and judgment, never with Israel.

• No credible scholarly backing — As the chart and list above show, not a serious scholar supports the Israel identification.

Because of these reasons, the claim is not merely weak — it’s indefensible exegetically, and it opens the door to theological and social evil (antisemitism).

C. Pastoral and ethical consequences

• When Christians adopt this false view, it can fuel hatred, persecution, and theological arrogance toward Jews.

• It distorts the concept of God’s covenant faithfulness (Romans 11:29 says Israel’s gifts and calling are irrevocable).

• It robs the Revelation text of integrity, turning it into a weapon rather than prophecy.

• Pastors must carefully guard against such misuse, publicly recanting it if present, and teaching humility, charity, and doctrine.

When the text of Revelation 17–18 is allowed to speak for itself, the identity of the woman and the Beast becomes unmistakably clear. The woman is not Israel — the covenant people through whom God brought His Word and His Son into the world. The Woman and the Beast are rather a corrupt, apostate world system that unites religion, politics, and commerce in rebellion against God. The language of the passage, the interpretive statements given by the angel, and the consistent prophetic use of “Babylon” throughout Scripture all point to a Gentile power, not the restored or regathered nation of Israel.

Israel is never pictured in Scripture as the persecutor of saints who “bear the testimony of Jesus.” Instead, Revelation presents her as the object of God’s covenant mercy and the focus of His future redemptive purpose (Rom. 11:25–29). To identify Israel as the “Mother of Harlots” is to ignore the plain grammatical, textual, and contextual evidence — and worse, to fall into the same tragic error that has fueled centuries of antisemitism and theological hostility toward the Jewish people.

Across the broad spectrum of interpretation — whether preterist, idealist, historicist, or futurist — credible scholars, from Oliver B. Greene and John R. Rice to Paige Patterson and leading academic commentators, agree that Babylon represents an idolatrous, world-dominating power opposed to God and His people. The futurist view rightly understands her as the final form of Gentile world rule under Antichrist — a system that will be judged suddenly and completely at Christ’s return.

The Scriptures do not call us to hatred or suspicion toward Israel, but to anticipation of her eventual salvation and restoration under her true King, Jesus Christ. The call of Revelation 18:4, “Come out of her, my people,” is not a call to forsake Israel but to separate from spiritual compromise and worldly corruption. The Church’s task is not to condemn Israel, but to proclaim the gospel of grace — knowing that God is faithful to His covenants and that His Word concerning Israel and the nations will be fulfilled in perfect righteousness.

Recommended reading (Referenced in the above Report)

1. Beale, G. K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary / NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

2. Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

3. Koester, Craig R. Revelation and the End of All Things. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

4. Aune, David E. Revelation 6–16. Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 52B. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998.

5. Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation. New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997.

6. Patterson, L. Paige. Revelation. New American Commentary, vol. 39. Nashville: B&H Academic, 2012.

7. Rice, John R. Behold, He Cometh: A Verse-by-Verse Study of the Book of Revelation. (Popular exposition / sermon outlines; Sword of the Lord publications / Rice family ministry resources).

8. Greene, Oliver B. The Revelation of Jesus Christ (sermons/audio and outlines). (Popular exposition; Oliver B. Greene Ministries / archived sermon series.)

9. Lehman Strauss, The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies (Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers, 1964).

10. J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1965).

Note: the academic works above (Beale, Bauckham, Koester, Aune, Mounce, Patterson) are primary scholarly sources that treat Revelation 17–18 as Babylonic / imperial / archetypal and do not support singling out Israel as the harlot. Greene and Rice are representative popular/futurist expositors (Independent Baptist tradition) whose published sermons and outlines affirm Babylon as an apostate system — also not Israel.