THE BOOK OF REVELATION
~ The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation Chapter 17

 

This chapter somewhat shows a replay of the visions of the Beast of chapter 13 of Revelation. It ties in very closely with that chapter. What was not shown in chapter 13 is shown here in this chapter. The true cause of the Beast's behaviour at the very end of its life, within a short space of 42 months (Rev.12:12; 13:5-8) and its final judgement, is detailed in this chapter.

 

The Great Whore and The Scarlet Beast

Verse 1:  And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Verse 2:  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

After being shown the series of visions of the Seven Vials, the Apostle John is now shown a new vision. John is told about “the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” which is the Roman Catholic Church that rules over many “people, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (verse 15). The fall of Babylon has been anticipated in Revelation 14:8 and 16:19. But this and the succeeding chapters give a detailed account of its fall. Notice, it is the judgement of the great whore and not the Beast.

Oh, if the Roman Catholic people only knew how God felt about the religious system which they trusted so much, they would have run for their dear lives. I am not against the Roman Catholics. I am against the system. Satan has blinded mankind from seeing the Truth in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has misled them into acting religious and following just about every religion, believing that all religions lead them to Heaven. No, my friend, no religion can save mankind from their sins although every religion teaches people to do good. Surely we cannot deny that there are many good monks, good nuns, good politicians, good philanthropists, good Catholics, good Protestants, good atheists, good pagans, etc. Yet, the Word of God says that “there is none good but one, that is, God” (Mk.10:18) and that “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isa.64:6). Salvation is only found in God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, and not in a religious system or its teachings. Jesus said, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (Jhn.3:7). “Except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit of God, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jhn.3:5). Yes, that is the Gospel truth.

History shows that the Roman Catholic Church has never been content with being a church. She has always wanted to conquer and rule the world. She wants both the religious and political powers to dominate and rule the world. It is in her spirit to be a World Power. In fact, she harbours ambitions to be the only sovereign power on earth. She is determined to do it by hook or by crook, compromising truth for worldly power, and prostituting truth and purity. The subtlety of her methods of seduction knows no bounds. But if all else fails, she would resort to armed force. Yes, she has done it through the Company of Jesus founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola. Its members are called Jesuits, and they are in complete obedience to, and at the disposal of, the Pope. Thousands of books against the works of the Jesuits have been published. It cannot be denied how their actions have horribly affected countless lives of both royalties and commoners in many countries around the world, from Europe to Latin America to the Far East. The people have become poor, ignorant and superstitious. When the Roman Church fell into apostasy, by her very own institutions, she began her whoredom and later produced many daughters — the organized denominational Protestant churches. That's right. Like their mother, these denominational churches have forsaken the pure Word of God because their paid ministers only strive for the doctrines, the traditions and the practices of their respective organizations. This is evident in the ministries of the thousands of denominations, sects and divisions in Christendom. The Apostolic Word and doctrines have been completely ignored.

Wherever the Roman Catholic Church set foot on, her spirit would begin to flirt with the kings and leaders of the land. She would begin to sell herself to them with promises of charitable and generous works, such as building of hospitals and educational institutions. At the same time, while such politico-religious fornication was going on, “having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” (verse 4) she would offer the inhabitants of the land her wine of false doctrines — traditional teachings spiced with the Word of God. Because mankind is by nature religious, new religious teachings, which promise eternal life without opposing or condemning one's sinful life, are always more appealing. With the Babylonian religion, Romanism promises just that. Its superstitious rituals stimulate and intoxicate the minds of those who indulge in its wine which numb their feelings and lull them into a false sense of eternal security with God. One such ritual is the sale of various forms of indulgences which grant the purchasers the forgiveness of their sins (past, present and future) without the need to repent. Large sums of money are paid by the purchasers to the church to secure the release of lost souls from purgatory (a non-existent place conjured up by the Roman Church to terrify people) and be sent to heaven. By such means Rome (which calls herself the eternal city) is able to fill her coffers to sustain the magnificent and luxurious life-style of the so-called 'Vicar of the Son of God', yet Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did not even have a decent place to lay His head when He was on earth.

Verse 3:  So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

John was in the exalted state of spiritual ecstacy when the angel began to unfold the vision to him.

Observe this beast which is full of names of blasphemy. This is the same BEAST that John saw rise up out of the sea in Revelation chapter 13, but here it is presented in an entirely different setting with a WOMAN sitting on it, having Seven Heads and Ten Horns but NO CROWN. This vision shows what controls the Beast during its last and final conflict with God and His Saints in that short space of time (3½ years) “before the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev.11:15). Within that short period of time the ten horns will be crowned by the Beast through the Pope, and the various nations of the world under the system of the Roman Beast would become a total “wilderness” — spiritual desolation. Truly, out of the seas of people (the Gentile nations) the Beast has risen. Soon the Great Whore will sit on it and the nations and people who follow her will be devastated and confused. Indeed, nothing good comes out of the Roman Apostate Church. Tragedy and sin mark the lives of the people who associate with her. In her desire to be queen forever, the Great Harlot confuses the people of the world and lays waste their lives as she goes forth conquering and to conquer. No living water flows through her, a place of spiritual drought and destitution where the Truth of the Sacred Scriptures is tightly shut off.

The prophetic words state that the Beast, not the heads, is “full of names of blasphemy”. Though all the other (former) six heads did possess blasphemous names (Rev.13:1), yet none is like the 7th head. For in his last move, Satan's evil will culminate in the then presiding Pope (who would be the final Antichrist) to control the whole Beastly system and cause it to utter “great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven” (Rev.13:5-6). Hence, the Beast is “full of names of blasphemy”. Its whole kingdom is full of blasphemies against the God of Israel because of the spirit of Romanism. (It is important to remember this fact — that, in the middle of the 70th Week of Daniel, when Satan's evil is incarnated in the Antichrist, he shall become one with the Beast. He represents the Beast, who is the anointing spirit of Satan, the Great Red Dragon, that old Serpent from hell.)

The scarlet coloured Beast signifies bloodshed, blood-guiltiness and deep-dyed sin. Though this composite Beast had shed blood in the past it was never as bloody as it will become when the Antichrist (of the Roman Church) who will sit on it shall make war with the saints in that last half of the 70th Week of Daniel. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt.24:21-22). “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev.13:5-7).

Verse 4:  And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Verse 5:  And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

In prophecy, a “woman” usually symbolizes a nation (cf. Isa.54:1; Gal.4:27) or a church (2 Cor.11:2). The true born again Christians represent the Church or the Bride of Christ. They form a spiritual city named “The Holy City, New Jerusalem” (Rev.21:2,9,10). But, this “woman”, who is a whore, also represents a church — a “harlot church”, an institution of spiritual apostasy which stands for corrupt religionism. As was customary with harlots in Bible time, this great harlot wears a frontlet on her forehead as her identification. But her real identity has been a “mystery” to many. She is not a literal city but a spiritual city likened to the ancient city of Babylon where a conglomerate of false and evil religions were found — “that great city Babylon, that mighty city” (Rev.18:10). Not only is she “The Mother of Harlots”, she is also “The Abominations of the Earth” which represents all the detestable apostate religious movements that compromise truth for worldly power. She is guilty of prostituting truth and purity and intoxicating people with her (golden cup of) doctrines and practices which violate the Word of God. Her Most horrible sin is her murder of the true saints of God who died in her hands as they withstood her evil (verse 6).

How do we know that this “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” refers to the Roman Catholic Church? We shall look at some identifications found in the Word of God and also in the own words of the Roman Church.

We know that whatever God does, the Devil will impersonate. When God started a Church, the Devil also started one. God has only One Absolute Vicar, Jesus Christ. The Devil imitated God and introduced his own vicar, a mere man, and made him, “Vicarius Filli Dei”. The True Church of God has a simple form of worship and also a simple gift of the Five-Fold Ministry of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers; whereas the Harlot Church has a complicated and ritualistic form of worship and has an unbiblical hierarchy of Monsignors, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Monks, Nuns, etc. While the True Church is small in number and lowly (Lk.12:32), the Harlot Church, which is big in number and egoistic, is rich in material goods and full of pompous grandeur — “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls…” She is rich and covetous like her physical counterpart, Ancient Babylon: “O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness” (Jer.51:13). And there is none like her in all the world who shows a more flagrant disregard for Christ's command, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,…” (Matt.6: 19a). The Church of God is traced to Jerusalem, the beloved city of God, and it shall form the “Holy City New Jerusalem”. Its Headship is the Lord Jesus Christ from above. But the Devil's church is traced to the fallen ancient city of Babylon, where false and chaotic religions once reigned supreme and it shall form the unholy city, “Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth”. It is an undisputed historical fact well documented by the renown historian Alexander Hislop in his book `The Two Babylon's that “the Papal Worship proved to be the Worship of Nimrod and his Wife”. The headship of this Romish Babylonian Church is the Pope who sits on the Papal Throne at the Vatican City. He was the “little horn” (of Daniel's vision – Dan.7:8) which came up among the ten horns at the end of the Roman Empire to seize power. As opposed to the immaculate Bride of Christ, the Harlot Church is one with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication. It is not by accident that the Roman Church has even claimed to be “The Mother Church”, and rightfully so as her identity is revealed on her forehead — a mother of religious prostitutes and the detestable things of the earth.

Now, the “woman” is not the Beast; she sits on the Beast. Dressed in purple, the colour of royalty, she claims to be a queen (Rev.18:7 cf. Jhn.19:2). The Vatican City is like a palace where the Pope, the head of this “woman”, resides — in luxury. Besides purple, the colour scarlet is specially reserved for the Pope and Cardinals. It is painfully obvious that the order for the murder and bloodshed of God's saints is given by the head of the Babylonian system.

Here are a few of their boastful claims which appear in an ecclesiastical (Roman Catholic) dictionary, by Lucius Ferraris, entitled 'Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica', Vol.VI, Pgs.438,442. [The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 Ed., Vol.VI, Pg.48, speaks of this book as “a veritable encyclopedia of religious knowledge” and “a precious mine of information”.]

“The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.”
“Hence the pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions.”
“So that if it were possible that the angels might err in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the pope.”
“The pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has been entrusted by the omnipotent God direction not only of the earthly but also of the heavenly kingdom.”
“The pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God.”

Oh, my! There is none so blind who cannot see the deceptions in the Roman Church.

Verse 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.
Verse 7:  And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

'The Glorious Reformation' by S. S. Schmucker, D.D., Pg.93-94 on Dr. Brownlee's “Popery an enemy to civil liberty”, Pg.105 states, “…it is calculated by authentic historians, that papal Rome has shed the blood of sixty-eight millions of the human race in order to establish her unfounded claims to religious dominion”. This estimated 68 million people were killed in a period of 1500 years from the middle of the 4th Century A.D. to the 19th Century. They were killed because they were “heretics” in the eyes of the one who claimed to be “Vicarivs Filli Dei”. They were killed because they would not bow to her system. They were killed because they would not drink of her “golden cup” of uncleanness and false doctrines. The “Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth” is a bloody queen just like Queen Jezebel of ancient Israel (1 & 2 Kings; cf. Rev.2:20). She is a murderer. That's why she is not only “decked with gold and precious stones and pearls”, but she is also arrayed in scarlet colour. (Isn't that also the colour worn by the Roman Pope and Cardinals?)  She is a bloody queen. She is filled up to the brim with the blood of the saints of God. And she will shed more blood when Satan is incarnated in the Pope who will direct the movements and actions of the Beast during that 42 months (the second half of the 70th Week of Daniel). During that time, the Devil, the Pope and the Beast would be as one.

When John saw the “woman” he “was very surprised” (God's Word Ver.) or “was utterly amazed and wondered greatly” (Amplified Ver.). It seemed that John did not understand what he saw. John recognized the Beast, even though it was scarlet coloured, for he had seen it in an earlier vision (Rev.13) but in this particular vision a rich and beautifully dressed woman, drunken with the blood of God's children, was riding on it. John was puzzled. Therefore the angel had to tell him the mystery of the woman and of the Beast.

 

The Last Great Gentile Empire — A Composite Empire

Verse 8:  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

NIV Bible: “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.”

This vision points to the time of the end of the Gentile Age when the Roman Catholic Church shall take full control of the (composite) Beast in the middle of the 70th Week of Daniel and turn it into a bloody killing machine. The angel was telling John that the Beast, which he saw (as was revealed to him in chapter 13) “was” in all its glory as a Papal Roman Empire for some centuries, “and is not” (or is no longer in power) because it was dealt a deadly wound by the Sword of the Spirit in the hands of the Reformers and the political power of the “Little Corporal” (Napoleon Bonaparte), “shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition”; and the sinners will be astounded by this Beast.

Now, what comes out of the bottomless pit is a spirit. Nothing tangible comes out of the bottomless pit but a demon. The Beast and the devil shall be as one and the whole system will be destroyed and end up in ruins. At Christ's coming the spirit of the Beast will be taken and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20). Yes, “the Wild Beast whom you saw was, and is not, and is destined to be ascending out of the bottomless place, and he goes off into perdition. And those who dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names have not been permanently inscribed upon the scroll of the life from the time of the foundation of the universe, when they see the Wild Beast, how that he was and is not and shall come” (Wuest Translation).

Verse 9:  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

“Here is the mind which hath wisdom” means “here belongs the understanding that have wisdom” — the mind which has wisdom will understand the meaning of the image.

We know that the woman sits on the Beast, not on its heads. But on (or atop) these seven heads (seven great world empires [that ever existed]) the woman reigns supreme as a queen over all the kings (or kingdoms) of the earth (verse 18). Simply put, the woman has supreme power over and above all the kings and kingdoms that ever existed on the earth. Unbelievable but true, with an area of about  44 hectares and a population of less than 1000 people, the Vatican State is the smallest country on earth, yet it exercises its power over kings and rulers of the world.

Now, the seven mountains are not the seven hills of Rome contrary to the interpretation by many theologians based on the saying that “Rome was built on seven hills”. If such interpretation is correct, it means that one of the literal mountains or hills was wounded to death (Rev.13:3). This cannot be. Nevertheless, many correctly identified the woman. But Rome was not built on seven mountains, it was built on only one of the seven small hills. The following verse clearly shows that the “seven heads”, which are “seven mountains”, represent “seven kingdoms”.

Verse 10:  And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

The “seven mountains” are “seven kings” (or kingdoms). In Scriptures, a “mountain” generally symbolizes a “kingdom” or “empire” because of its lofty structure. (Read Jer.31:23; 51:25; Dan.2:35; Joel 2:1.)  Therefore the “seven heads” are seven great kingdoms or empires.

[Note: Many fail to understand this. As such, they wrongly assume that the “seven heads” symbolize the “seven hills” of Rome and that the “seven heads” symbolize either seven different forms of Roman government or seven specific rulers of Rome. Some identify seven different forms of Roman government from the following groups: Kings, Consuls, Dictators, Decemvirs, Military Tribunes, Caesars, Dukes, Christian Emperors and Popes, and even the Western government after the division of the Roman Empire into East and West. Others identify certain ruler or group of rulers such as Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero (the Caesars) as the first head; Galba (who ruled for seven months and was assassinated) as the second head; Otho (who ruled three months and committed suicide) as the third head; Vitellius (who was chosen by the army but was defeated and slain by the troops of Vespasian) as the fourth head; Vespasian, Titus and Domitian (the Flavian Caesars) as the fifth head; Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius Pius and Marcus Aurelius (the Five Golden Emperors) as the sixth head; and the Pope as the seventh head. The rest of the emperors after the Five Golden Emperors (from 96 to 180 A.D.) are simply disregarded. Then there are others who select certain rulers like Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius Pius, Marcus Aurelius (the Five Golden Emperors) as the “five are fallen” kings, and Emperor Constantine, who became emperor in 305 A.D., as the “one is”. “And the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space” is identified as Charlemagne who ruled for 14 years. He is the seventh head before the Papacy moved in to rule as the eighth form of Roman government. All these interpretations of the “seven kings” as seven emperors of Rome or seven successive forms of government over Rome are fatuous and confusing, and leave much to be desired. It has never been made out. Take, for example, how could Emperor Constantine be the “one is” when he was not even ruling in John's day? To make Constantine fit in their interpretation, the theologians/preachers teach that John was literally transported by the Spirit to that era of Constantine (so that the angel could speak to him thus). That is poor exegesis. John was never literally transported anywhere into the past or the future of his time. He was simply caught up in the Spirit of the Lord, in spiritual ecstacy and saw things happening in his time and that of the future (Rev.1:19). He saw those visions but he was also aware that he was on the Isle of Patmos in the year 96 A.D. Basically, the utter confusion of such interpretations is a result of not realizing that — as related to the Beast the seven heads are kings; not seven kings over the woman (Rome or Roman Church) who rides the Beast, but seven kings (or kingdoms) in relation to the Beast of which they are the heads.]

“The seven heads are seven mountains” “and there are seven kings”. These are the seven Gentile “kingdoms of this world” (Rev.11:15), which are seen in chapter 13, by which Satan dominates the world in his conflict with God and His Elect until Christ Jesus returns. They are the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, Pagan Roman and Papal Roman. The last (or seventh) head has ten crowned-horns and it will fight against Christ and His saints in the Battle of Armageddon.

Now, the “five are fallen” are the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Grecian, which were overthrown or had a violent fall. The “one is” is the Roman Empire in John's day. And the “other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space” – the seventh and the last head – will be the revived and revised Papal Roman Empire under the control of the Roman Catholic Church, not the historical Roman Empire (which lasted for about one and a half millennia). This is clear from the succeeding verse.

Verse 11:  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

Wuest Translation renders verses 10b and 11 thus: “And whenever he comes it is a necessity in the nature of the case for him to continue for a brief time. And the Wild Beast who was and is not is himself also an eighth [king], and is out of the seven as a source. And into perdition he goes off.”

At this juncture, let me draw your attention to certain things in this present particular vision. Notice that the angel does not consider the beginning of the 7th head or the Holy Roman Empire, its wounding and healing, which were already shown to John in chapter 13, but rather, he points to the Beast with “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” seated on it in its final conflict with the saints of God and after which it will go into perdition (ruin or destruction) by the hand of the Lord Jesus Himself. Yes, the spirit of this Beast will then be seized and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev.19:20). In chapter 13, the vision shows the composite Beast with seven heads and ten crowned-horns but no woman rider. But in this chapter, the Beast is shown slightly different. It carries a woman and it is scarlet coloured (bloody as a result of war; cf. Rev.12 – great red dragon), but its horns have no crowns. Here, in this vision the Roman Catholic Church is shown riding the Beast. And she is the one who will give the crowns (imperial powers) to the 10 horns (verse 12) who, ultimately, will completely destroy her (verse 16) and then fight against Christ Jesus at His coming for the Battle of Armageddon (verse 14 cf. Rev.19:19).

Remember, this vision has a hidden mystery. John saw the Beast and its 7th head in a purview yet the Beast that he saw “was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition” is also “an eighth” head. It is actually a new seventh head in place of the old seventh since there are only seven heads and not eight. In past history, about 600 A.D., when the Papacy had firmly established itself as the head of Rome and over the entire church it was the 7th head — the Holy Roman Empire. However, it was wounded to death and was silenced for a time but its deadly wound has since been healed. So, the seventh head is alive but it has yet to come to its zenith of fulfilling its aim, and to fulfill God's Word concerning it — “And whenever he comes it is a necessity in the nature of the case for him to continue for a brief time. And the Wild Beast who was and is not is himself also an eighth [king], and is out of the seven as a source. And into perdition he goes off.” Like the “little horn” which came up from among the ten horns of the nondescript Beast of Daniel's vision (cf. Dan.7) and which was not an eleventh (since it was a religious horn but with political ambitions), so also is this Wild Beast of John's vision which is not truly an eighth kingdom (being a religious one but harbouring political ambitions) for it comes out from among the seven. The source of the “little horn” was Rome, one of the ten horns. Similarly, among the seven heads the source of the “eighth [king]” is apparently the seventh, the revived and revised Roman Empire.

THEREFORE THE 7TH HEAD (THOUGH SHOWN TO JOHN EARLIER AS BEING WOUNDED AND LATER HEALED) “IS NOT YET COME” BECAUSE THIS VISION POINTS TO THE ROMAN BEAST WITH TEN HORNS, WHICH ARE YET TO BE CROWNED, AND THE HEAD OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (THE WOMAN SEATED ON THE BEAST) AS ITS LEADER. Hence, the Beast is an eighth Kingdom but its source is in the seven heads with the 7th head being the main source and it comes up from the depth of Hell itself. It will come alive when the Pope becomes Satan incarnate and takes control of the European Union.

For an added bearing on this vision, let us look into Daniel's vision of the fourth beast.

Dan.7:7:  After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Dan.7:8:  I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
Dan.7:19:  Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Dan.7:20:  And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Dan.7:21:  I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Dan.7:22:  Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Dan.7:23:  Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan.7:24:  And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. (This happened after the Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D. to invading barbaric tribes.)
Dan.7:25:  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan.7:26:  But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
Dan.7:27:  And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Now, the 10 horns of the 4th Beast are history to us now. But the Beast has yet to become a dominant world power to make war against the saints of God and be crushed by the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming. Though different in appearance the Beast that John saw was the same “diverse” Beast in Daniel's vision but shown to John (in this chapter) in its final form – a revived and revised Roman Empire under the control of the Pope who would be the Devil incarnate in that hour – which will end up in ruins and destruction in the hand of God.

Therefore “the Beast that was, and is not, and yet is” and the 7th Head which “is not yet come” shows a Revised Roman Empire which will be endowed with power from the bottomless pit. It will come after the Bride-Church is raptured. Because of the worsening situation in the world, mankind seeks for peace. So, the nations of the world will look for an able man to bring peace. And that man is the Pope.

 

Man of Peace

The Pope has increasingly been looked upon as a “man of peace”. Almost every utterance of his is being broadcast or published to the ends of the earth, and millions are turning to him for political guidance and answers. Yes, the Roman “prince of peace”, the Pope of the Roman Church, will make a covenant with many political and religious leaders of Israel and of the world concerning the situation in the Middle East. The firm covenant is supposed to last for 7 years. But in the middle of the 7-year period, the Antichrist spirit from Hell will incarnate in the so-called “prince of peace” who will then take control of the Beast.

The Antichrist will begin to bring in a time of great tribulation upon the world. He will wage war against the saints of the Most High (Dan.9:27). He will raise a flood against Israel (Rev.12). This will happen as prophesied by Prophet Jeremiah — the time of Jacob's Trouble (Jer.30:7). It will be such a dreadful time that no flesh will be spared. But for the sake of Israel, God's elect (cf. Isa.45:4; 65:22; Matt.24:22), the Almighty God will cut short the Great Tribulation (after 3½ years) by pouring out the Seven Vials of plagues one after another upon the earth. These plagues are the wraths of God which would be poured out upon the wicked. This is the period of the “great and terrible Day of the Lord” (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20).

The wrath of God will last 30 days with the Lord's Christ returning together with His saints to sit in judgement against the Beastly kingdom and to destroy it. When the Messiah of Israel comes “with all His saints” (1 Thess.3:13; cf. Jude 1:14) “then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn” (Matt.24:30). (Please read Numbers 13:2; Joshua 11:23; 14:1 and Ezekiel 45:8.)  Yes, all the tribes of the land (Grk: ge, soil, land, earth) of Israel will mourn as one  mourns for his only son. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart” (Zech.12:10-14).

God will call the elect of the tribes of Israel back to the Promised Land from where they had fled from the fury of the Antichrist in the middle of Daniel's 70th Week. “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt.24:31). Christ Jesus will then cleanse the temple of Jerusalem and judge the nations of the earth in the next 45 days before He shall begin to rule the world. Read Daniel 12:11-12 and Matthew 25:31-46.

 

The Ten Horns — The European Union

Verse 12:  And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Verse 13:  These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

These ten horns (formed out of the territories of the Old Roman Empire) will still be fussing and feuding even when the Roman “prince of peace” steps in to make a firm covenant to bring peace to the world, especially the Middle East. Even though the European Union are “part of iron and part of clay” (Dan.2), they will have to learn to stand as a kingdom, so to speak. They will have to overcome their weaknesses to become a real power in the world. To do so, they will have to agree to listen to someone with the ability to guide them; someone who has been with them in their midst for centuries; someone who has the power and the money to provide them some influence; someone to whom even the world looks up to for guidance. That's right. They will have to look to the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church (which is “the great whore that sitteth on many waters”). And remember, the Beast will have a spiritual incarnation from the bottomless pit. It will appear as if it is an “eighth”, but not so, for Satan will plonk himself upon the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and will ride on the Beast.

When the ten horns look to the “THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” and submit themselves to her dictates, they will have to go whichever way she pulls the reins as she rides on the Beast. Under the authority of the Beast from the bottomless pit, they will then receive their power as kings in that hour of God's appointed time. And that one hour (a brief period) of time will be in the middle of Daniel's 70th Week when “the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev.12:9).

Verse 14:  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.
Verse 15:  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Verse 16:  And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Undoubtedly, the Antichrist in the whorish church will use these ten horns to help seek and destroy the Faithful Jews and the Foolish Virgins during the period of the Great Tribulation when he will cast a flood against the people of God (Dan.9:27; Rev.12:13-17; 7:9-17). That is Satan's sole purpose in inspiring the Antichrist to achieve his aim of destroying as many of God's people as possible. But by the end of the 3½ years “these [ten horns] shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked (strip off her adornments), and shall eat her flesh (seize her possessions), and burn her (destroy her) with fire”. Why? Though the people of the European Union are, by and large, influenced by the Romish spirit, yet their political ideology is basically communistic (Euro-Communism). Communism and Romanism can not and do not mix but they do have one thing in common; they are Anti-Word (of God) because they are inspired by the same devilish spirit. So, after a period of lying down with the whore, these ten horns will get sick of her and hate her when they come to realize what she really is. Like what several kingdoms and nations in past history had done, these ten horns will do the same: rise up and thrust against her and get rid of her!

Yes, these ten horns will destroy “the great whore that sitteth upon many waters” which “are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues”, primarily of the areas of the prophetic world. The whore's destruction will come right at the end of the Great Tribulation period just a short while before Christ Jesus and His saints return to earth. Then the Ten Horns will “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”.

Verse 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.

Notice, the Ten Horns will do exactly what God has ordained for them to do. In order to be a power, these Ten Horns will have to hand over their kingdoms to the control of the Beast which headship and authority will be vested in the Great Harlot. But when the words of God are fulfilled, together with the spirit of the Beast, they will destroy the Roman Catholic Church. They will completely expose and ravage her, then they will pillage her wealth and destroy her. (Undoubtedly, Vatican City, the very headquarters of the Roman Church will be thoroughly burnt and destroyed by nuclear blast.)

Beloved, if God can do all these things to fulfill His purpose, He will surely be able to do a work in the Bride of Christ to bring her to obedience and perfection. Yes, He will, for He has ordained it to be so according to His Word and Will. Through God's Anointed Endtime Ministers the Bride of Christ will come into the unity of the Word, and speak the same Truth. Amen.

Verse 18:  And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The “woman” is that great city called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”. She is the whore and most despicable thing on the face of the earth in the sight of God. She is not Rome or the Vatican City (the smallest nation in the world with a population of less than 1000 inhabitants on a land area of about 44 hectares), for that is just her headquarters. She is the Church of Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, which reigns over the kingdoms of this earth. She is an imitation of God's Holy City, New Jerusalem which Abraham had looked for (Heb.11:10) and of which John had seen in his vision on the Isle of Patmos (Rev.21:2). She is the only city that has no boundaries, and great men and monarchs bow to her in awe, fear and even subjection. Whereas the true heavenly city of God is only spiritual, this great harlot city is both a spiritual and political city. As surely as she conquers and destroys the souls of men, she herself will likewise be destroyed. The very Beast that she will ride on will surely burn and destroy her completely with fire according to the prophetic words of the angel of the Lord to John (at the beginning of this chapter): “I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:  With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication”. Amen.

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Revelation Chapter 18

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