This chapter is similar to chapter 16. Samaria is Oholah (her tent) and Jerusalem is Oholibah (My tent is in her). (v.4) Oholah has already been punished. And Oholibah is about to be punished more severely because she is more corrupt than Oholah.

Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was more corrupt in her lust than she, and her obscene practices were more than the prostitution of her sister. (v.11)

That does not mean Oholah escapes judgement. They are both corrupt and treacherous.

Moreover, the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominations. For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. So they have committed adultery with their idols, and even made their sons, whom they bore to Me, pass through the fire to them as food. Again, they have done this to Me: they have defiled My sanctuary on the same day, and have profaned My Sabbaths. For when they slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and behold, this is what they did within My house. (v. 36-38)

Both the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant churches abandoned orthodox doctrines and have gone astray. They brought Greek philosophies and pagan religions into their theology. They went further and killed God’s prophets who spoke truths within their churches. Whoever sleeps with a harlot is one body with her. Samaria and Jerusalem went after Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia.

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” (1 Corinthians 6:16)

Therefore, the harlot in Revelation 17 is the false church. People without true faith go after the world and other religions and identify themselves with them. There is only one true Jerusalem, that is the assembly of God’s chosen people saved by grace. All others belong to the assembly of God’s enemies.

There are two common features that two adulterous sisters in Ezekiel 16 and 23 and Babylon in Revelation 17.

One is that they kill God’s people.

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. So they have committed adultery with their idols, and even made their sons, whom they bore to Me, pass through the fire to them as food. (v. 37)

You slaughtered My children and offered them to idols by making them pass through the fire. (Ezekiel 16:21)

And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.(Revelation 17:6)

The other is that God hands them over to their lovers.

“Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Lord God says: ‘Behold I am going to incite your lovers against you, from whom you turned away in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side: the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them; handsome young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and men of renown, all of them riding on horses. And they will come against you with weapons, chariots, and wagons, and with a contingent of peoples. They will attack you on every side with shield, buckler, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs. (v.22-24)

And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled. The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17: 16-18)

The prophetic books of the OT mention of the fall of Babylon. God finally punishes her after the seven bowls of His wrath (Revelation 17:1) It is greatly alarming that many churches try to gain political power and build an earthly kingdom for themselves. God has set civil governments separate from churches. However, Christians want to become rulers of the world. It is only natural that ignorant people without knowledge do evil things just as they remain evil. Saints must exercise their rights as citizens and vote for the government that can help the poor and maintain civil orders. This does not mean that churches should have control over their governments. Churches are NOT built for that purpose. Churches go corrupt when they start focusing on people and the world. The Roman catholic had much political power and tried to maintain that power for many centuries. The Protestant churches came against the Roman Catholic church, but they are not different from her now. If my interpretation is right, they are worse than the Roman Catholic church as we read Ezekiel 16 and 23. Sadly, all of false Christians will go as they are destined. Since they are after worldly power, they will go down as the world goes down.

If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:10)

And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth. (Revelation 11:18)