“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!” That’s the phrase heard from someone on the perpetual losing side of a competition. It is a statement of resignation to a superior opponent, recognizing that despite your best efforts, you just can’t win. The honorable thing to do is to acknowledge the worthiness of your opponent, stop fighting against him, and ultimately join the one-time foe you couldn’t defeat.
This is illustrated in a Bugs Bunny cartoon where he and Yosemite Sam are defending opposite fortresses in a battle, each attempting to conquer the others’ stronghold. The battle wages back and forth with the firing of muskets and cannonballs, and what cartoon would be complete without Sam getting blown up by TNT conveniently provided by “Acme”? While Sam appears to have the upper hand going in, he nevertheless continually finds himself losing the battle. In an effort to ward off further defeat, Sam reluctantly declares, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
When you find yourself on the perpetual losing side of a conflict, it makes the temptation to join the winning side that much more palatable. I know this because I am a Detroit Tigers’ fan. Back in 2003, the Tigers became one of the worst teams in American League history, losing 119 games. Games were so hard to stomach that it was very easy to try to find a new favorite team. If only I lived down south and could root for the Braves!
These are rather silly and superficial examples, but they illustrate the point. If, despite your best efforts, you continually find yourself on the losing side, unable to beat your opponent, you may be tempted to abort your side and join your former foe. It’s harmless fun as a cartoon, and may mark you as a sellout with respect to sports, but there are areas of life where joining the opposition is deadly.
This probably would have been a great temptation for first-century Christians who were living under the crushing weight of a Roman society that didn’t tolerate their faith. Society could not understand the Christian refusal to revere Caesar, or other false gods, above or even alongside Jesus Christ. They felt the Christian position was a threat to their way of life. So the societal system made life hard for believers. It’s members oppressed and persecuted believers, making martyrs out of many of them and despite their best efforts, Christians continually found themselves on the losing side of an economic, religious, and political battle. I would imagine that the temptation for the Christian was, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!”
Revelation 17 and 18 suggest that joining the opposition was a valid alternative. In this way, the words of the Kangaroo in “Horton Hears a Who” become prophetic: “You can make this all go away!” The oppression, the persecution, the threat of poverty, torture, and death could all be avoided if Christians give up their silly little belief that Jesus is Lord.
It was a real alternative, but the author portrays this as a warning instead of an option worth considering. He personifies this “System” as a “Whore, Babylon the Great.” The “Babylon” metaphor applied to Rome (or any world system that acts like Rome), because Rome itself parallels historical Babylon in a number of ways. The ruler of each empire (Caesar and Nebuchadnezzar) claimed to be divine. Each society was rampant with idolatry. Each ruler demanded worship of his image (Daniel 3, Revelation 13.14). And society at large did not tolerate refusal to give due worship to such idols, killing the offenders.
G.K. Beale says in a commentary on Revelation, “Any institution or facet of culture that is characterized by pride, economic overabundance, persecution, and idolatry is part of Babylon” (*1). Nebuchadnezzar’s empire seemed to set a standard for this, and first-century Rome followed suit. I’m equally sure if we looked hard enough we could find contemporary systems around the world that look like “Babylon” too.
The “Whore” metaphor also applies to Rome (or any world system that acts like Rome) because in certain ways, Rome acted like a whore, particularly with respect to Christians.
What is it about an actual prostitute that is so attractive to some men? Perhaps one of the more obvious things is her physical appearance. An attractive prostitute perhaps does better business than an ugly one. It pays to have curves in all the right places and to simply be “pretty.” The “Whore” Babylon is certainly attractive in Revelation 17. Despite the fact that she rides one of the Beasts, nevertheless she wears purple and scarlet, glitters with gold and precious stones. In other words, Rome has all the metaphorical “curves” that make her attractive.
The “kings” and “inhabitants of the earth” are attracted to her; otherwise they wouldn’t commit adultery with her or be intoxicated with her wine (17.2). Yet there is something else attractive other than her physical appearance. It is her presumed ability to meet their needs.
This is true of a real prostitute. Some men are just in for a “good time” and she can provide that. Some husbands feel unsatisfied with their wives and a prostitute appears to meet that need too. In such a case, the prostitute actually attempts to lure a man away from his marital fidelity, using sexual fulfillment as incentive to pay her price. Whatever the case may be, some men pay good money to a woman in exchange for certain pleasure and satisfaction, assuming she can meet his needs.
Rome offers the same apparent satisfaction and provision of needs that a whore would, from an economic and political perspective. For those who participate in the pagan Roman system, complete with rampant idolatry, they will receive the economic provision they are so desperate for. The author does not mince words. To be sure, equating the Roman society to a “whore” is far from a compliment. She may be attractive, but she rides a Beast, the same seven-headed, ten-horned Beast that came out of the Sea in chapter 13.
(Parenthetically, the author actually mocks the Beast, using phrases appropriate for a counterfeit Christ. Whereas Jesus is the one “Who is, who was,” and who has taken his great power and begun to reign (11.17), the Beast “Was, and Is Not,” and will rise only to go to destruction (17.8). The “Perfect 7” Jesus is the one “Who is, who was” and who has brought just judgments (16.5); the incomplete counterfeit-Christ is described as seven kings, 5 of whom have Fallen, One who Is, and one who “is yet to come and when he does, he remains only for a little while” (17.10). This “Beast” seems to talk big but is not nearly as ferocious as the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah.”)
Furthermore, Revelation 18 is an entire chapter dedicated to destruction of the oppressive, persecuting Roman society. John quotes directly from Isaiah 21.9: Fallen is Babylon the Great!. He also alludes to Isaiah 13.21, 47.7-8, Jeremiah 51.8, 63, and Psalm 136.8, each of which promises the fall of historical Babylon. It is as if the author is saying that as ancient Babylon was judged by God, so too this “Whore, Babylon the Great” will be judged and destroyed in the same way (*2).
In spite of the fact that she looks attractive and offers apparent security, nevertheless she will be destroyed, and the very people who received security by paying her price will mourn her death, because their own security is taken away. However, for the Christians who are living in Babylon, it is one thing to say, “Some day, this Whore Babylon is going to get it!” It is another thing to try to survive in the day-to-day grind of an empire and society that hates you. Simply knowing that Babylon will be judged does not necessarily make living in Babylon any easier.
These Christians were living in a society in which, despite their best efforts, they perpetually found themselves on the losing side of a conflict against Rome. And likewise, there are Christians in the world today who continually find themselves on the wrong end of a conflict with their own society. Their property is stolen. Their land is seized. Their rights are denied. They are imprisoned. They are tortured. They are even killed. All the while, their society tells them, “You can make this all go away! Just give up this silly belief that Jesus is your Lord!” And just like a whore trying to lure a man away from marital fidelity to his wife, so the world’s systems try to lure the believer’s faithfulness away from God.
When you live in such a society, where all you do is lose, and all you need to do to win is deny your faith, things like “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” suddenly seems like the better option. This is why the call for patience resounds throughout Revelation. It seemed like Christians were losing and the easy way out was to "join 'em." Perhaps the encouraging conclusion is found in 17.14: ‘The Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers!”.
The warning in 18.4 is for God’s people to resist the temptation to “join ‘em.”
Come out of her, my people,
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not receive any of her plagues!
Babylon is a dirty whore, trying to seduce you, trying to lure you away from faithfulness to your God. But take heart! As God destroyed the old Babylon, he will destroy this one too! We don’t have to “join ‘em” for God has already won!
*1 G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999, p. 856
*2 ibid., 893
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