Revelation chapter 17
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Q.: Who is the great Whore [spiritual Prostitute] and the seven heads on seven mountains as well as the ten horns ????? |
The prophecy in Revelation 11 says this is when the beast from the
bottomless pit arises. (11:7) This is the beast that we find the Catholic church
riding in Revelation 17. (17:8)
You know -- as we read some of this history, the parallels between the
methods of the inquisition with their "trial" and
execution and the methods of the radicals of the French Revolution with their
"trials" and executions came to mind. Both operated on the "suspects" principle,
neither had an honest hearing, both decreed death upon the suspects as"enemies"
of the good of the people.
Though the French Revolution used the guillotine which was quick, while the
inquisition delighted in torture. Old Testament Babylon, originally called
Babel, was the city where human government openly defied GOD. [Genesis 11:1-9].
The harlot in alliance with the beast is called Babylon - a city. She pretends
to represent GOD'S church; but she is a deceiver, attempting to corrupt
Christianity.
The Roman Catholic scholars are eager to tell us that Jerusalem in AD 70 was the
city of fallen Babylon the great, but nowhere in the entire Bible was Jerusalem
referred to as Babylon, the enemy of GOD, even though GOD called her a whoring
daughter when she went astray with Babylon.
To the unbelieving world, she is a "mystery" because the unsaved cannot
discern the difference between the true Christians and the counterfeit church,
with all its worldly splendour and power.
The false church is not concerned in reaching a lost world with the Word of GOD
- the message that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That is why
here in Revelation chapter 17 we see the punishment of this great apostate.
Through the study of Revelation chapter 17, the Lord has led us to a most startling truth, confirming that we are nearer to the end of all things than ever imagined. We are prompted by our loving God to share this prophecy, that none need be ensnared by the global events soon to transpire which will engulf the world in the grandest deception yet contrived by Satan.
Come2JESUS dares to declare this interpretation to the world because we adhere only to sound Biblical interpretation. This means we unlock Bible prophecy by using the Bible as its own interpreter. By doing so we are certain of the correctness of the Revelation.
With the vivid realization that we are living in the age just prior to the second coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven, we pray the Lord will impress you with the shortness of time available before the fate of every living person is decided, and may His Spirit give you the discernment and wisdom needed as you undertake this solemn study. AMEN.
1. Which part of the Bible led you to reach this conclusion?
"And there came one of the seven angels... saying unto me, Come hither; I
will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many
waters: 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. 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. 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:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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. 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. 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. 9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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. 11 And the beast that was, and
is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
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.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto
the beast. 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. 15 And he saith unto me,
The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 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. 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. 18
And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the
kings of the earth." Revelation 17:1-18.
The woman (Babylon) of Revelation 17 is described as "arrayed
in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and
filthiness:...and upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the
Great, the mother of harlots." Says the prophet: "I saw the woman drunk with the
blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." Babylon is
further declared to be "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the
earth." Revelation 17:4-6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained
despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome. The purple and scarlet
color, the gold and precious stones and pearls, vividly picture the magnificence
and more than kingly pomp affected by the haughty see of Rome. And no other
power could be so truly declared "drunken with the blood of the saints" as that
church which has so cruelly persecuted the followers of Christ. Babylon is also
charged with the sin of unlawful connection with "the kings of the earth." It
was by departure from the Lord, and alliance with the heathen, that the Jewish
church became a harlot; and Rome, corrupting herself in like manner by seeking
the support of worldly powers, receives a like condemnation. {GC 382.2}
Babylon is said to be "the mother of harlots." By her daughters must be
symbolized churches that cling to her doctrines and traditions, and follow her
example of sacrificing the truth and the approval of God, in order to form an
unlawful alliance with the world. The message of Revelation 14, announcing the
fall of Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have
become corrupt. Since this message follows the warning
of the judgment, it must be given in the last days; therefore it cannot refer to
the Roman Church alone, for that church has been in a fallen condition for many
centuries. Furthermore, in the eighteenth chapter of the Revelation the
people of God are called upon to come out of Babylon.
According to this scripture, many of God's people must still be in Babylon. And
in what religious bodies are the greater part of the followers of Christ now to
be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant
faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a noble stand for
God and the truth, and His blessing was with them. Even the unbelieving world
was constrained to acknowledge the beneficent results that followed an
acceptance of the principles of the gospel. In the words of the prophet to
Israel: "Thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was
perfect through My comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God."
But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of Israel--the
desire of imitating the practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly.
"Thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy
renown." Ezekiel 16:14, 15. {GC 382.3}
Many of the Protestant churches are following Rome's example of iniquitous
connection with "the kings of the earth"--the state churches, by their relation
to secular governments; and other denominations, by seeking the favor of the
world. And the term "Babylon"--confusion--may be appropriately applied to these
bodies, all professing to derive their doctrines from the Bible, yet divided
into almost innumerable sects, with widely conflicting creeds and theories. {GC
383.1}
Because of the complexity of verses 8-14, alternative
presentations are called for. If it wasn't for verse 16, the following
explanation by my friend Rox Bowers would be more to the point than any other I
have heard thus far:
What about the seven headed beast?
The books of Daniel and Revelation complement each other. Daniel lays the foundations and John builds on it to lead us to the events of the end.
One of the main concerns in Daniel is the sequence of kingdoms or empires used by Satan to do two things:- to persecute God's people and pervert truth.
Four kingdoms are portrayed in three visions that are found in Dan 2:27-45; Dan 7:1-28 and Dan 8; 9:20-27;10;11;12. Much of what is described in Daniel chapters 8-12 is an explanation of matters from the third vision, which puzzled Daniel e.g. Dan 8:15-17; 9:22,23. And there is some description of other powers, with the same objectives, that will follow these four.
Three visions, four powers or kingdoms - and it is interesting to note that these kingdoms are represented in Daniel's second vision (Dan 7) as a lion, a bear, a leopard and a dreadful beast. These four kingdoms were Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and the Roman Empire. Each inbibes the spirit of the first empire, Babylon. That this is so is hinted at in 1 Peter 5:13 where Rome is called Babylon.
The great controversy between good and evil, between God and Satan, is represented largely as being played out in the contention between two "cities" Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is Satan's stronghold, while Jerusalem is God's.
In Revelation John also has three visions which entail these same four empires but add to them another three powers. But these three powers are different from the first four. They are ecclesiastical in nature. In symbol a woman is present (Rev. 17:3) and in prophecy a woman represents a church. This change in tactics by Satan, the master mind of evil, closely follows a similar change in God's plan.
With the death of Jesus, His people, the Jews, lost their divinely appointed nationhood and it was transferred to others (Matt. 21:43). Jesus' stronghold on this earth is now spiritual Jerusalem, His true church. Satan's stronghold is spiritual Babylon (Rev. 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:2,21), the false church filled with perversion. Satan certainly is a great copier, an expert at perversion.
John sees then, as he declares in Revelation, three visions in each of which Satan's kingdom is represented by a dragon-like beast with seven heads. These three visions are related in Revelation 12, 13 & 17. In case we have any doubt about the identity of these heads we are told in John's second vision (Rev. 13:1,2) that this beast has the same symbols as those in Daniel's second vision. (Dan. 7:4-7).
They unquestionably are the same kingdoms. Satan's composite kingdom arises and finds its place in the populous region of this world, (Rev.13:1, water represents peoples Rev 17:15) as distinct from another beast (America in prophecy) which arises in a sparsely populated region (Rev. 13:11,12)
Let us take a closer look at the three ecclesiastical heads, numbering them 5,6&7. Head number 5 arose out of and succeeded the Roman Empire. It is generally acknowledged that this power arose around 538 AD and lasted for a period of 1260 years, when it received a deadly wound thus passing from the scene. (Rev. 13:3).
It may pay us now, to pause for a moment to consider that this seven headed dragon or beast has its root and drive in Satan who exercises his power through seven earthly kingdoms (see Rev. 12:3,4,7-9). One of the heads or kingdoms, the fifth, was struck a deadly wound but soon a sixth head appeared betokening the beast's recovery from his wound. Verse 8 reads, "I saw one of his heads was wounded but his (the beast's not the head's) deadly wound was healed [v.12b]. The beast takes on the full flavour of each of its heads as they succeed one another. The beast recovers. His wound is healed, as another head takes over from the one that was wounded to death. Historically, only one kingdom exists at a time; they are sequential, not contemporaneous.
Three times we are presented with a time frame for the beast.
1 2 3
Rev.17:8a "was" "is not" "ascends out of the bottomless pit and goes to perdition"
Rev. 17:8b "was" "is not" "is yet to come".( KJV - yet is"
but this more correctly
rendered "is yet to come"
Rev. 17:11 "was" "is not" "is himself also the eighth and
is of the seven, and is going to
perdition.
This makes an interesting little study. Parts 1 and 2
are the same in all three cases - "was" and "is not" - but
part 3 when collated tells us what happens after its "is not"
period. The beast, with all its seven heads, Satan's sevenfold ongoing
kingdom, began with Babylon and has existed throughout history. This is
the "was" period. When Jesus comes again its "is not"
period begins and lasts for 1000 years (Rev 20:2,3,5,7). This period is
referred to as the "bottomless pit" of Rev. 17:8. During this
period the earth is completely unpeopled - the wicked have all been slain at
Christ's second coming and the righteous are in heaven with their Saviour (Rev.
20:). [/qoute] from Rox Bowers.
Now we see that the seven last plagues fell on Babylon while it was a city in
three parts [16:19] in the previous chapter. But the judgment [Krima in the the
Greek] in this chapter means a decision or a process going to law, which makes
it believable that this Krima [judgment] is the final judgment spoken of taking
place during and after the 1000 years when all the total of Babylon will be
represented and judged in one place. During the 1000 years the investigative-
and at the end when Satan is loosened again, the final and total annihilation of
all the wicked and opponents of GOD'S truth.
The difficulty as mentioned before, is verse 16 which says, "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." Now this
could also take place after the 1000 year period because the multitude will
remember how the great Whore had led them astray at the seven last plagues
[before the 1000 years] and when they attack the holy city, Babylon herself
never supplied the soldiers but always let the governments of the nations do her
dirty work. Satan's final attack on the holy city and the people of GOD does not
need the clergy, only soldiers.
The 8th Beast in verse 11, John is told that the "eights" is a beast of
the "seven" heads. That is, the eight is the sum total of all the previous
powers combined together.
Finally, we are told by the angel that this power "shall ascend [come up] out of
the bottomless pit [abyss], that it is, yet to come [Revelation 17:8 RSV]. The
bottomless pit is used in Revelation 20 to represent the restriction of Satan
during the thousand years. It is called his 'prison' [Revelation 20:7, 1-3].
Here is another interpretation from "the worldlastchance.com ":
2. Give a short explanation of all this.
Briefly, John is shown the final judgment of the great whore due to her own course of action. This great whore, referred to as Babylon the great, was shown to John in the wilderness (v. 3). This is an important setting, as will be seen later.
The description of the whore is parallel to the first beast of Revelation 13 that also has seven heads and ten horns (v. 7) indicating that both symbols represent the same entity – that being the Roman Catholic papal system. Furthermore, the whore is described as sitting on seven mountains (v. 9). Rome has frequently been identified as the City of Seven Hills, from classical times down to contemporary time.
Whereas in Revelation 13 the union of church and state was blended in one symbol, in Revelation 17 God has pictured them separately. A woman always symbolizes a church in the Bible, in this case the whore – an impure church. And a beast has always signified a kingdom or state that persecutes God's people. So we have an impure woman sitting on (i.e. controlling) a scarlet-colored (a bloody) beast (state). This again reinforces the reality of the Catholic system being the only system that is a church and an earthly kingdom at the same time. This whore is described as being eminently rich, proud, and more importantly, very corrupt (v. 4, 5). Indeed, it represents Satan's final supreme instrument of deception.
The following verses are key verses: "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. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:10, 11. God elaborates on the seven heads of the beast, which are identified as seven kings. Significantly, the vision was viewed during the reign of the sixth king. He was to be followed by the seventh king, who will rule for a short time. However, the eighth king is going to be one of the previous seven kings, but that when he appears from the bottomless pit (v. 8), he will not only merely be a king (ruling power) but a beast (a persecuting power); finally, he will then go into perdition.
When one of the seven kings reappears from the bottomless pit as the eighth king but in the form of a beast, the ten kings of the earth (v. 12) (ten is an all-inclusive, universal number indicating that this includes all earthly rulers; cf. parable of ten virgins and the Ten Commandments) will be greatly awed by the beast, and will willingly surrender their power to the beast for a short time (v. 12, 13). Both the beast and the ten kings will rule and war against Christ in the person of His followers for a short time, but will not overcome them (v. 14).
Just before the end of all things, the ten kings will discover that they have been ensnared and deceived by the beast (the eighth king from the bottomless pit) and they will turn with vengeance against the beast system, and destroy it (v. 16). For they will this time, though belatedly, be doing God's will (v. 17).
3. Great whore sitting on the beast was viewed in the wilderness (
Rev. 17:3).This is important as it is not by happenstance that the "great whore who sitteth upon the scarlet beast" was seen in the wilderness. In Revelation 17, God is indicating the time-period that the Roman Catholic Church is viewed in. To understand what will happen to the world when she comes out of her wilderness experience, we need to understand how the Roman Catholic Church entered this wilderness experience.
4. What does wilderness mean in Bible prophecy?
In the Book of Revelation we have another instance of a church that went into the wilderness. It was God's true church during the Middle Ages, when the church was subject to papal persecution: "And the woman (church) fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand and two hundred and threescore days." Revelation 12:6. We know that this church was pure, for it is God who led her to the wilderness, away from the papal persecution that raged for 1260 years from 538 A.D. until 1798 A.D. The dragon (Satan) was warring against the church during this period, using his earthly instrument, the Roman Catholic Church: "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." Revelation 12:14. The wilderness then, in Bible prophecy, is a figure of speech picturing the harsh conditions facing a church in a particular period in her history.
5. When did God's true church come out of her wilderness experience?
The logical answer to this question would be, when the papal persecution ceased. This officially happened in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte sent General Berthier to Rome where he exiled Pope Pius VI to Valence in France. At the same time Berthier declared an end to the temporal power over much of Europe that the Catholic Church had enjoyed up to that time. It was a most humiliating and abrupt end to a long rule of power that lasted 1260 years. Shortly after, Christian Bible Societies spread all over the world, with their work unhampered or threatened by papal constrictions. Thus, 1798 marks the date when God's church ended her wilderness experience. Now God's church was totally free to focus her energies on translating and printing the Bible in as many languages as possible and to conduct missionary activities all over the world.
6. Did the Catholic Church then enter her wilderness experience just as God's true church came out of it?
This was exactly the case. In 1798 the Catholic Church not only lost her temporal power over the kings, dukes, and princes of much of Europe, but was in fact no longer free to carry her own ecclesiastical privileges, such as selecting a pope to succeed Pius VI. Her representatives needed the permission of Napoleon Bonaparte before they could appoint Pius VII in 1800 to succeed the pope who died in exile, a year earlier.
Furthermore, the wilderness experience for the Catholic Church came to bear on her in a most profound way from an entirely unexpected direction – from her own backyard, Italy. Here is the background for the harsh and arid realities of life that faced the Catholic Church in Italy in the nineteenth century.
After the second and final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, Italians found their peninsula divided into states, duchies, and Papal States. Metternich, the strong Austrian leader at the time, used to refer to Italy as a mere 'geographical expression', reflecting the absence of united country. This odd situation gave rise to nationalistic attempts to unify Italy into one country. However, these attempts were met with great suspicion and resistance from the Catholic Church. Over time, the conviction grew in the minds of these nationalistic leaders that the Catholic Church was indeed a serious obstacle to the fulfillment of their national aspirations.
However, the move to unite Italy and form a united nation passed an important milestone when the Papal States were usurped in 1860 by force. There remained one major obstacle, however, for the creation of one Italian nation. The Italians wanted Rome, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church and the last piece of property left for the Church, to serve as the capital of their united country. This Italian dream came about when Italian troops occupied Rome on September 20, 1870, during the reign of Pope Pius IX. Shortly after, the Kingdom of Italy was declared.
Understandably, the pope refused to recognize the new kingdom and went into voluntary captivity in protest. This unprecedented situation came to be known historically as the Roman Question. It remained unresolved for 59 years, during which time all succeeding popes confined themselves to movement within the few buildings in the Vatican in Rome, refusing to leave Rome. Indeed, the Catholic Church in the nineteenth century was engulfed in a very hostile wilderness setting.
In summary: we have seen thus far that from 1798 (when Pope Pius VI was banished to Valence by the French general) up to 1870 (when Rome was usurped by the Italian army), the Roman Catholic Church was entrenched in her wilderness experience – a far cry from the dominating beast status she had enjoyed during her 1260 years of supremacy when she was a global persecuting power which directly, or through her over-powering influence over European rules, caused the martyrdom of close to one hundred million of God's faithful followers.
7. How was the Roman Question between Italy and the Roman Catholic Church resolved in 1929?
It was incomprehensible for the Roman Pontiff to be the head of Catholics the world over, yet in his own country be subject to another head of state. The Catholic Church believed that by virtue of his calling, the pope had an inalienable right to a temporal sovereignty. Only then could he conduct fully and freely his duties as head of the universal Catholic Church. But this demand conflicted with the natural desire of the Italians for a united nation with Rome as its capital. Italians after 1870 found themselves torn between their allegiance to the Catholic Church as Catholics themselves, and their allegiance to their newly-established country. This unresolved tension between the two sides undermined the new country internationally as well as domestically. A solution for the Roman Question had to be found!
Both sides of the conflict were eager for an end to this lingering problem. In 1922, Benito Mussolini, the Duke, and Pope Pius XI came to power. And by 1929 they had at last found a solution to the thorny Roman Question that had lasted 59 years. On February 11, 1929, three sets of documents, known collectively as the Lateran Accords, were signed in Rome at the Lateran Palace by Cardinal Gasparri, representing Pope Pius XI, and Mussolini, representing King Victor Emanuel III.
8. Give a summary of the highlights of the 1929 Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Catholic Church of Rome.
1. The Italian State recognized the sovereignty of the Catholic Church, and regarded the Church as an independent member of the international community. By this agreement the Church obtained an independent state in Rome with an area of about 44 hectares.
2. The Italian State recognized the Roman Catholic Church as the official state religion, and the Catholic church recognised the independent Kingdom of Italy.
3. All anti-clerical laws passed by the Italian parliament since 1870 were annulled and made void.
4. Cash settlement was made to the Roman Catholic Church to compensate her for renouncing all legal claims to the City of Rome and the old Papal States.
5. The pope pledged to perpetual neutrality in international relations, and abstention from mediation in any controversy except when specifically requested by all concerned parties.
9. What is the significance of the Lateran Treaty of 1929 to the wilderness experience which the Roman Catholic Church was in since 1798?
What the Roman Catholic Church got in 1929 was its independence and sovereignty. The political independence means that now they had a monarchy, although on much reduced area of land, where the pope was the absolute ruler. The pope now was not only the supreme head of the Catholic Church universally, but also the indisputable temporal king over the State of Vatican City. He was no longer a prisoner of captivity.
Notwithstanding, the Roman Catholic Church did not, in 1929, even remotely regain the stature she had prior to 1798, when she was a beast power. As such, she did not, in 1929, yet come out of her wilderness experience. Although in 1929, and by virtue of the Lateran Treaty, the popes were now universally recognized as sovereign kings, the Lateran Treaty however stipulated that the popes must pledge to perpetual neutrality in international affairs. This restricting condition could not have been imagined to be agreed upon by any pope prior to 1798. The Catholic Church long believed that Christ is the Lord of the whole world, and that at His departure He left His dominion to His representative, Peter, and to Peter's successors, the popes. Therefore, it is the stated position of the Catholic Church that true and genuine temporal power and dominion lie exclusively in the hands of the pope. Consequently, every earthly ruler or monarch possesses only so much power and area as the pope would deem appropriate and good.
In sum, while tangible gains were secured for the Catholic Church by the Lateran Treaty, it did not restore the primacy and power the Church had enjoyed globally up to 1798, which had enabled her to persecute her enemies, and hence was tagged in Bible prophecy as a beast power. Hence there is not much significance of the Lateran treaty of 1929 to the wilderness experience of the Roman Catholic Church, as she still remained in the wilderness, even after 1929.
10. What about the seven kings of the Roman Catholic Church during her wilderness period?
Now we come to the most important part of the whole chapter. God has prophesied that there will be only seven kings: "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." Revelation 17:10. From this verse the following facts can be gleaned:
1. Seven kings in total.
2. John was taken in vision to the time of the sixth king: "five are fallen, and one is." He comes after the first five have fallen. Again, it is not coincidental that when taken in vision, John was taken to the time of the sixth king. It is a divine hint by which God is guiding His people to focus their attention on this particular king, as he will play a very important role in the end-time events.
3. The seventh king "must continue a short space."
Note, the angel gives John a glimpse of the future, which means, not
the present. So when it says that 'one is', it does not mean that is was
at John's day!
11. So who are the seven king/popes? What is Revelations universal number? To whom do they refer?
six stands for fallen human nature as we all have sinned and come short of the glory of GOD [Romans 3:23]. Seven stands for the perfection of GOD. Ten stands for completeness.
Pius XI was the first Roman Catholic pope (from February 6, 1922) who became king as well on February 11, 1929. He along with Mussolini, engineered the Lateran Treaty.
12. What is destined to take place after the prophesied short monarchy of Benedict XVI?
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:11. Here, we learn the following:
1. The Roman Catholic Church was once a beast (up to 1798), but now is not (as she has been in the wilderness experience since 1798); however, she will regain the beast status (meaning she will come out of her wilderness experience) after the fall of the seventh king, Benedict XVI.
2. The next one to come after Benedict XVI will be one of the other seven kings. But he will no longer be considered a mere king, but will be a beast as well; for with him the Roman Catholic Church will regain her former power to persecute her enemies.
3. The eighth, when he comes, will be the last; for he "goeth into perdition."
13. Who is the eighth who will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church anew?
To answer this question we need first to note the origin of the eighth: "The beast that thou sawest was [the Catholic Church was once a beast until 1798] , and is not [during her wilderness experience], and shall ascend [after the fall of Benedict XVI, the eighth will restore her beast status] out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." Revelation 17:8.
From this verse we can conclude the following:
1. Only one more king will come after Benedict XVI, and he will be the eighth. And this king will restore the beast status to the Roman Catholic Church – for during his reign persecution of God's people will resume again, just as it was in the Middle Ages.
2. That the eighth king will ascend from the "bottomless pit", and in due course will "go into perdition."
14. What is the bottomless pit from which the eighth will ascend?
Once again, we go only to the Bible to answer this valid question. The Greek word translated ‘bottomless pit’ is abussos which has the English counterpart, ‘an abyss’. The following verses will unfold what is the abussos.
"...a certain man, which had devils long time…30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. 31 And they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep (abussos)… 33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine..." Luke 8:27, 30, 31, 33.
From the above Bible passage we learn that the Greek abussos (in the
Bible translated ‘deep’ or ‘bottomless pit’) is a certain location (not known to
man) where some of the fallen evil angels are confined. Not all the evil angels
are permitted to leave the abussos, which is not a very pleasant place to
be in, even for the evil angels. One can imagine the pandemonium and the
constant jostling that goes on at the abussos among the rebellious evil
angels. The legion of devils, who were tormenting a certain man in the above
story, dreaded that Christ would command them to go to the abussos. And
they begged Him not to command them to go to the deep (abussos). They
find much happiness in tormenting people and animals than to be in the company
of others of their kind.
To summarize, the bottomless pit is a certain location that serves as a confined
habitation for some of the evil angels (devils).
| The bottomless pit is a certain location that serves as a confined habitation for some of the evil angels (devils). |
15. This does not make sense! How can the eighth come from the
abussos? How can the eighth be a devil?What we have been learning thus far will make more sense when we focus on the following verse: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17:11. God is clarifying that the eighth is really one of the seven kings. Combining this important key with the fact that the eighth will be an evil angel (devil) from the bottomless pit, we can begin to comprehend what will soon sway the whole world into unprecedented capitulation.
| The eighth will be a devil from the abussos impersonating one of the 7 kings. |
The eighth will be a devil from the abussos impersonating one of the 7 kings. When the eighth will appear on the scene, he will rapidly spearhead the coming of the Roman Catholic Church out of her wilderness experience into a full-fledged beast.
It is not difficult at all to visualize this prophesied dramatic transformation of the Roman Catholic Church (out of her wilderness status and into a full beast status) once we identify the king (out of the seven) who will be impersonated by a devil who ascends from the bottomless pit.
16. Which of the seven popes will be impersonated by a devil from the
abussos?From the study of Revelation 13 & 17, we can conclude only one who constitutes the best personality for achieving Satan's end-time agenda: it is John Paul II the Great. Below are the reasons:
1. Out of the seven kings, he is the only one that fulfills the prophesied statement: "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast." Revelation 13:3. John Paul II is the only king of the seven who experienced a deadly wound in 1980, when he was nearly assassinated. Thereafter, the whole world, as prophesied, wondered after him.
2. Remember the divine hint: "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Revelation 17:10. When Apostle John was taken in a vision to the future, he was taken to the time of the reign of the sixth king (John Paul II).
3. Now the most important reason: Which of the 7 kings is most known, loved and respected in today's generation? If Satan would want to lead the world into imposing universal laws for exalting his false Sabbath (Sunday), who would be the most effective personality other than John Paul II? Who would be more effective than him who called on Christians to "ensure that civil legislation respects their duty to keep Sunday holy…refraining from work and activities which are incompatible with the sanctification of the Lord's Day." [Apostolic Letter, Des Domini of John Paul II, dated May 31, 1998]? Again, no one is better suited for carrying the agenda of Satan than John Paul II. Hence, impersonating him makes the most sense for Satan, who is intent on deceiving the whole world.
| No one is better suited for carrying the agenda of Satan than John Paul II. |
17. How will a devil impersonate John Paul II?
"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14. God has not shed light through His written Word as to how the impersonation will take place. Nonetheless, Apostle Paul has warned us that the coming back of the beast in the last days will be "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness" 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10. The elements which Satan will use to deceive the whole world and hold it captive to his instrument, the Roman Catholic Church, are: (1) all power, (2) signs, (3) lying wonders, and (4) all deceivableness.
The impersonation of John Paul II by a devil will be followed by other impersonations of known personalities climaxing with the impersonation of Jesus Christ by Satan. He will make it appear to the whole world that God is distinctly honoring and blessing the Roman Catholic Church with unprecedented divine manifestations and miracles. Satan will make it appear that heaven has favored earth when it brought "back to life" the world's most beloved personality, and that he has come back with a divine agenda which should become the primary occupation of world leaders. And it certainly will become. Click here for Bible teaching on State of the Dead.
| The impersonation of John Paul II by a devil will be followed by other impersonations of known personalities climaxing with the impersonation of Jesus Christ by Satan. |
18. How will the impersonation of John Paul II change the world as we know it today, and impact the eternal destiny of everyone alive? "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:8
The Bible prophesies that there will be most dramatic and eventful changes in the world once the Catholic Church regains her beast status, when she comes out of her wilderness experience with the next pope, the eighth king. Below is given a list of the most prominent changes that will take place, as foretold by our loving heavenly Father in His Word:
1. Satan will use the papacy (the beast power) and the USA (image to the beast) to impose universal religious laws to exalt Sunday, the violation of which will deprive citizens of their basic rights of buying and selling: "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Revelation 13:16, 17.
2. God's people, who will persist in refusing to honor the beast and accept the false Sabbath, will be persecuted and killed: "The image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Revelation 13:15.
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3. The Roman Catholic Church will be able to exercise this modern-age unprecedented power by the false miracles which will be performed in her midst, starting with the ‘resurrection’ of John Paul II, and climaxing in the impersonation of Jesus Christ by Satan himself. These unparalleled miracles will lead world leaders to surrender their power and authority to the papacy, thinking that by so doing they are pleasing God and accomplishing His agenda: "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. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast." Revelation 17:12, 13. The role of miracles in uniting world leaders to carry Satan's agenda is foretold: "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Revelation 16:13, 14.
4. There will be a dramatic increase in natural calamities and disasters coupled with unmatched political strife all over the world, which Satan and his agents will attribute as signs of God's displeasure with the true Saturday Sabbathkeepers – for it will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath; that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.
5. The mark of the beast will be applied during this critical period in earth's history. The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. When the final test shall be brought to bear upon men, then the line of distinction will be drawn between those who serve God and those who serve Him not. While the observance of the false sabbath, in compliance with the law of the state, will be an avowal of allegiance to a power that is in opposition to God, the keeping of the true Sabbath, in obedience to God's law, is an evidence of loyalty to the Creator. While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, will receive the mark of the beast, the other choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, will receive the seal of God. As in all ages, the Sabbath will be the test of loyalty to God – a sign between Him and His children. Those who, after the light regarding God's law comes to them, continue to disobey and exalt human laws above the law of God in the great crisis before us, will receive the mark of the beast.
6. In the midst of all that will be happening, from natural calamities to wars and rumours of wars, there will be visible manifestations of spiritual hunger amongst people – a kind of hunger which will not be fed, for it is not based on a genuine desire for obedience. Rather it will be based on human initiatives to quiet the conscience without full surrender of the heart to God's sanctifying influence. In other words, when the beast will come back armed with false miracles and signs there will be seen in the religious world noticeable manifestations of a false religious revival. This condition has been aptly prophesied by Amos, the prophet: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12.
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. 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. 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." Revelation 17:1-18.
Note: At one stage, the rulers of the world will turn on the great Prostitute [verse 1] in Rome and burn her with fire. What is her crime? She committed fornication with the Kings of the earth [Verse 2]. What is fornication or spiritual adultery? In James 4:4 we read: "Ye Adulters and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God."
State churches are by the very name and nature enemies of GOD.
And the Woman that thou sawest is that great city which reighneth over the king of the earth? verse 18? Vatican City.
| The Sabbath will be the test of loyalty to God - a sign between Him and His children. |
19. The end of all things is at hand. I want to be found ready to receive my Lord Jesus Christ when He comes. What should I do?
The purpose of this study is to awaken beloved readers to the shortness of time between now and the end of all things. We have seen that we are living in the time of the seventh king, the last human pope. God has informed us, in His written Word, that the eighth king will transform the Roman Catholic Church by bringing her out of her wilderness experience and back to her former persecuting-beast status. The eighth king, a devil impersonating John Paul II, will usher persecution for God's people who obey His Sabbath day. The time of the eighth king/beast will witness hitherto unseen false miracles and signs, which will exalt the papacy in the eyes of all who are not written in the Book of Life: "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." Revelation 17:8.
In the near future you shall find that your only safety will be in the Bible: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isaiah 8:20. That is why today the Bible must be our only infallible guide and rule. God's word is our sole safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness that enshroud the world today. Satan can most readily control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence. That is why the word of God gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults. And that is why Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining true knowledge of the Bible, for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. At every revival of God's work the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested.
Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of God will be opposed and derided. In order to endure the trial before them, they must understand the will of God as revealed in His word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet planted on the rock of God's immutable word? Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus?
God's love for you is seen clearly in revealing the future to you so that you need not be taken unprepared by surprise. Christ's grace is all-sufficient to cleanse you from all sin and to fit you to withstand the impending conflict that you be found righteous when He appears the second time. The time for this glorious desired end is measured today in years rather than decades: "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Romans 13:11-14.
| In the near future you shall find that your only safety will be in the Bible. |
If you become alarmed for your own soul, if you seek God diligently, He will be found of you; but He will accept no half-hearted repentance. If you will forsake your sins, He is ever ready to forgive. Won't you just now surrender to Him? Won't you look to Calvary and inquire: "Did Jesus make this sacrifice for me? Did He endure humiliation, shame, and reproach, and suffer the cruel death of the cross because He desired to save me from the sufferings of guilt and the horror of despair, and make me unspeakably happy in His kingdom?" Look upon Him whom your sins have pierced, and resolve: "The Lord shall have the service of my life. I will no longer unite with His enemies; I will no longer lend my influence to the rebels against His government. All I have and am is too little to devote to Him who so loved me that He gave His life for me – His whole divine self for one so sinful and erring." Separate from the world, be wholly on the Lord's side, press the battle to the gates, and you will win glorious victories. Will you resolve to obey Him, as of this very minute, no matter what the price for such obedience? Will you resolve to share this light with others, so that we can truly hasten our Lord's second coming?
Blessed is he who heeds the words of eternal life. Guided by "the Spirit of truth", he will be led into all truth. Though he will not be loved, honored, and praised by the world, yet he will be precious in the sight of heaven: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not." I John 3:1.
All verses are from King James Version Bible.
Here is another scenario:
Verse 12: "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings who
have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as king
with the beast. They are one mind, and they will give their power and authority
to the beast."
What is the popular interpretation of what these 10 horns or ten kings are? The
common market countries of ancient Europe: Norway, Sweden, Germany, Denmark,
England, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, and Portugal.
But this conclusion we cannot accept for one important reason. What is it in the
text itself which would make it an impossibility for those ancient European
kings to be the ten horns or the ten kings of Revelation 17:12? The text says
that THESE KINGS HAVE RECEIVED NO POWER AS KINGS YET and they will not receive
power as kings until one hour with the beast.
So, at what point of time alone in human history will the ten horns receive
authority for one hour as kings with the beast? At the very end. Not before the
Papacy comes back to universal dominion, and that time has not yet come.
Does England have power as a kingdom today? Certainly. Does France have power as
a kingdom today? It does. Does Germany have power as a kingdom today? Yes, it
does. So do all the European countries. Therefore, not one of those countries
are the powers mentioned here in Revelation 17:12.
One more thing, we cannot limit the ten horns (kings) on this beast to anything
less than the territory occupied by this beast which is the entire world. The
ten countries of Europe are only a small part of that territory today. Whatever
territory is occupied by the beast is occupied by the horns on the beast.
Therefore, the ten kings occupy how much of the world? All of it.
Verse 13: "These have one mind, and they will give their power and authority to
the beast."
"In the warfare to be waged in the last days, there will be united, in
opposition to God's people, all the corrupt powers that have apostatized from
allegiance to the law of God. There will be a universal bond of union, one great
harmony, a confederacy of Satan's forces. 'And shall give their power and
strength to the beast.'"
"What is it that gives its kingdom to this power? Protestantism, a power which,
while professing to have the temper and spirit of a lamb and to be allied to
Heaven, speaks with the voice of a dragon. It is moved by a power from beneath."
E.G. White, Bible Commentary, Vol.7, p.983.
Does Apostate Protestantism have a power as a kingdom today? No, but when it
receives the power of the State, it will be a kingdom then for one hour with the
beast. The ten kings (horns) are the peoples of this earth distributed in the
ten major world religions:
1.Protestantism
2.Catholicism
3.Greek Orthodox
4.Judaism
5.Islam
6.Buddhism
7.Shintuism
8.Confucianism
9.Hinduism
10.Communism
These will make an image to the beast and will receive power from the state and
will give it to the papacy and reign with her for a short time.
Here is that one statement from Mrs. White which shows that the ten horns
(kings) of Revelation 17 are "churches" or major religions of the world:
"In the seventeenth of Revelation is foretold the destruction of all the
churches--(kings) Rev.17:1-4 quoted--who corrupt themselves by idolatrous
devotion to the service of the papacy, those who have drunk of the wine of the
wrath of her fornication." E.G.White, Bible Commentary, vol.7, p.983.
Instead of saying "kings" Mrs. White says "churches". These are the major
religions of this worlds who will receive a kingdom for "one hour" with the
papacy. This is the union of church and state in every country of the globe with
the church having the ascendancy thus making an image to the papacy.
"And the woman which you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of
the earth." Rev.17:18.
"As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in
forcing the conscience and compelling men to honour the false Sabbath, the
people of every country of the globe will be led to follow her example." 6 T 18.
Verse 17: "For God has put it in their hearts to fulfil His purpose, to be of
one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are
fulfilled."
"Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads
out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world." 6
T 395.
Islam will receive the power of the Arab states, and will give it to the papacy,
etc etc.
"Thus is represented the papal power which with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness, by outside attraction and gorgeous display, deceives all
nations; promising them, as did Satan our first parents, all good to those who
receive its mark, and all harm to those who oppose its fallacies...
The power which has the deepest inward corruption will make the greatest
display, and will clothe itself with the most elaborate signs of power. The
Bible plainly declares this covers a corrupt and deceiving wickedness. 'Upon her
forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots
and the Abominations of the Earth."
Verse 14: "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them,
for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are
called, chosen, faithful. And He said to me, 'The waters which you saw, where
the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. And the ten
horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate
and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire."
This is the drying up of the River Euphrates in these last days at the time of
the sixth plague as described in Revelation 16:18-20; 19:17-21.
At the time of the fifth plague, "A dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of
the night, falls upon the earth. Then a rainbow shining with the glory from the
throne of God, spans the heavens and seems to encircle each praying company. The
angry multitudes--the waters of Rev.17:15, symbolically named the River
Euphrates--are suddenly arrested. Their mocking cries die away. The objects of
their murderous rage are forgotten. With fearful forebodings they gaze upon the
symbol of God's covenant and long to be shielded from its overpowering
brightness...
"The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having
led them to destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation
upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have
led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would
keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world
their work of deception.
"The multitudes (waters) are filled with fury. 'We are lost!' they cry, 'and you
are the cause of our ruin,' and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very
ones that once admired them most will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon
them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels will be raised for
their destruction. The swords that were to slay God's people are now employed to
destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed." The Great
Controversy, pp.636,656.
This is the judgment of the great whore at the time of the drying up of her
support.
The prophet Daniel spoke of this in those words: "He--the papacy--shall come to
his end, and no one shall help him." Daniel 11:45.
This is the complete and final drying up of the River Euphrates which brings the
physical downfall of Babylon the Great and prepares the way for Christ to return
with ten thousands of His saints! Jude 14; Ezekiel 43:2. These are the true
Kings of the East!
by Laval Picard