Revelation 17:17; The Words of God Shall Be Fulfilled (2)

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Revelation 17:17  For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 

The ten kings and the beast are unconscious that they are carrying out God’s design. They think they are fulfilling their own plans, but in reality they are blindly fulfilling the divine counsel (Lee, Bullinger).

The point on which God gives them the closest agreement with one another is in giving their kingdom to the beast. It is obviously sinful for these kings to give their kingdom to the beast for the purpose of making war with the Lamb (v13-14).

Revelation 17:13-14  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. 

So this creates a theological problem for the human mind. How can a God who is absolutely righteous in all His ways (Psalm 145:17) be a party to this sinful activity?

Psalm 145:17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 

The seeming contradiction of this verse to the character of God is irresolvable to finite minds. (Chilton, Days of Vengeance. pp. 441-42) On the outworking of His plan for this creation God allowed the existence of evil, but He is not in any sense the author of evil (James 1:13).

James 1:13  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 

He does not put it into the hearts of kings to make war with the Lamb, but to give their kingdom to the beast. He now allows that evil to run its course in bringing this creation to its inevitable end as the kings decide on their own to make war with the Lamb.

This unity of mind in joining with the beast will continue “until the words of God shall be fulfilled”. The words of God pertain to more than just the overthrow of the false Christ. This statement recalls the sweeping words of the angel in Revelation 10:7 regarding the fulfilment of the mystery of God (Lee).

Revelation 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. 

The prophecies will reach their goal as God permits wickedness to continue until the cup of iniquity overflows (Walvoord). God’s will and God’s words dictate that the kingdom of this world be under the control of the beast until the end of the age. Unification of evil will mark the very end according to the prophetic word.

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 305-6]