The Waters of the World

In approximately 605 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon won a decisive victory in the Battle of Carchemish, obliterating the Assyrians and permanently crippling the Egyptians (Jeremiah 46:2; Ezekiel 30:24–26).

Carchemish was a city situated on the west bank of the great river Euphrates, the same waterway that ran through the Babylonian metropolis and would eventually be that empire’s downfall when, in 331 BC, the Medo-Persians rerouted the waters and marched unobstructed through the dried riverbed and underneath Babylon’s famously impenetrable walls.

How fitting a symbol, then, that the end-time Babylon, “the harlot,” is described as sitting upon “waters” as well, just as the literal city once did. “The waters which [John] saw” were originally referenced in Revelation 17:1. The Bible plainly gives us the meaning of this symbol in today’s verse. “Waters” represent a multitude of people from different ethnicities, cultures, and countries. Recall how this symbol is used to help us understand Revelation 12:15, 16.

The Bible also gives us insight as to how these “waters” can be used. In Isaiah 8:7, “the waters” are compared to the king of Assyria, whose nation attacked the Jews: “He will go up over all his channels and go over all his banks.” In this case, “the waters” have broken through barriers; they “will overflow and pass over” (v. 8), a flood too powerful to be stopped. They are like an army of people invading the land. Interestingly, the waters being described are the Euphrates River.

“The harlot” will also hold sway over her “waters.” She sits atop them, as she sits astride the beast. Her dominion will be on a global—not a local—scale; her “waters” are “the inhabitants of the earth” (Revelation 17:2).

What will happen to God’s people when this woman decides to unleash her army like a flood? Thankfully, God has given us the answer: “This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!” (Job 38:11).

Lord of all Creation, though the enemy may outnumber us, we trust in Your promise: “The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:14).

For Further Study: Jeremiah 51:12, 13; Daniel 7:2; Revelation 22:1, 2

Key Bible Texts

And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Revelation 17:15 KJV)