REVELATION CHAPTER 17, “The Overthrow Of Religious Babylon”

Jim Bomkamp

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. In our last study, we looked at chapter 16, and we saw the outpouring of the final 7 judgments upon the earth during the 7 Year Tribulation, “The Bowl Judgments”.

1.2. In our study today, we are going to look at the overthrow of religious Babylon.

1.2.1. We see here in chapter 17 and 18 that Babylon has two symbolisms: all false religion, the commercial systems of the world.

1.2.2. We will see in this chapter that all false religions’ belief systems can be traced to the religions of ancient Babylon.

1.2.3. We will see that the world Ecumenical Church, which includes the Roman Catholic Church, will enable the Antichrist to get to power in the first half of the 7 year Tribulation, however during the second half that the Antichrist and the kings under his authority will steal the riches and power away from the world Ecumenical Church and she will once for all be destroyed.

1.2.4. When the world Ecumenical Church is destroyed in the second half of the 7 Year Tribulation, all of the world will be forced to worship the Antichrist at the threat of death.

2. VS 17:1-2 - “17:1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”” - One of the seven angels who had just poured out one of the seven bowls of God’s wrath tells John to come and he will show him the judgment of the ‘great harlot who sits on many waters’

2.1. Here in chapter 17 and chapter 18, John begins to reveal to us God’s intended judgments upon Babylon. This, as with all of the revelations given to John in the book, comes only via the leading and direction of God and His angels.

2.2. Babylon is mentioned by name 6 times in the book of Revelation. First it is mentioned by name in chapter 14, then 16, and the rest of the references are here in chapters 17 and 18.

2.3. We have seen over and over in the book of Revelation that one of the very key aspects of correct interpretation of it is to determine which things are of a symbolic nature and which are to be interpreted literally. Likewise, it is key to consider whether the references to Babylon in this book are symbolic or literal.

2.3.1. I personally think that interpreting Babylon to be Rome in every reference in the book is a road that is hard to tread. It appears to me that there are grounds in the scripture for coming to the conclusion that the ancient city of Babylon will be rebuilt.

2.3.2. However, I also believe that some of the references to Babylon in the book have Rome and the Roman church as secondary fulfillments of the prophecies. I can say then that I believe that the references to Babylon are primarily to be taken literally to refer to the rebuilt ancient city which will be the future world’s capital city under the Antichrist.

2.4. ‘Babylon’ itself is a symbol in the scriptures of man in rebellion against the Lord. The word ‘Babylon’ appears 290 times in the Bible. From Genesis chapter 11, we see about Babylon is that it was the first nation that was formed, and it was the first nation that had as its charter to rebel and turn away from the Lord, and thus the tower of Babel was created by Babylon which brought about the Lord confusing all of the languages that the various peoples in Babylon spoke.

2.5. So then, that brings us to the place of interpretation of chapter 17 of the book of Revelation. From what I have read, the majority of credible Bible commentators are of the opinion I take which is that chapter 17 refers to the overthrow of all false religion (that which had their beginning in the ancient city of Babylon and its religion), and that chapter 18 refers to the overthrow of commercial Babylon (and this world’s system of business and commerce in general) which is centered in the rebuilt world’s capital city of Babylon (which shall be completely destroyed).

2.6. Since chapter 17 deals then with the overthrow during the 7 Year Tribulation of religious Babylon and chapter 18, the overthrow of commercial Babylon, we have to see that there are two completely opposite ways of interpreting these two chapters.

2.6.1. Most of what is in chapter 17 is of a symbolic nature, however most of what is in chapter 18 is to be interpreted literally.

2.6.2. Chapter 17 refers to a system of religion which had its beginning in the ancient city of Babylon, and which shall be overthrown in the second half of the seven year Tribulation Period when the Beast and the Devil himself become the object of all worship and religion on the earth. However chapter 18 refers to the literal overthrow of a city, an overthrow which results in the ruin of all business and commerce upon the earth.

2.7. In the book of Genesis, we read that the city of Babylon was built by the mighty hunter Nimrod. The city was a center of all kinds of idolatry and sorcery, and their attempt under Nimrod to build a tower up to the heavens was an attempt to attain all of the enlightenment which God had, and in that sense to become gods themselves. We know from Genesis the story of how the Lord confounded the people by causing the different groups to begin to speak different languages, and thus since they suddenly were unable to communicate universally, the people moved away and spread out over the face of the whole earth. The priests and sorcerers of ancient Babylon then left the city and spread their occult forms of worship all over the earth.

2.8. There have been a few books, such as “The Two Babylons”, which have documented the fact that these same idolatrous forms of religion which began at Babylon spread out and were present in the Roman empire of the first three centuries. Then, when the Roman emperor Constantine had a supposed conversion to Christianity and made Christianity the world religion, these pagan practices were gradually merged into Christianity.

2.8.1. For instance, “The Two Babylons” documents how that the Roman Catholic priesthood, sacraments, worship of Mary, worship and canonization of saints, holidays of Christmas and Easter, etc., all were pagan religious practices that first appeared in the Roman Catholic church after Constantine made Christianity the world religion.

2.8.1.1.As an example of this, Tim Lahaye writes about how that the worship of Mary originally was the pagan worship of Semiramis who miraculously conceived Tammuz, and then he goes on to speak of the origin of the other beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, “The worship of Mary was set up in A.D. 381. All of the outstanding festivals of the Roman Catholic Church are of Babylonian origin. Easter is not a Christian name. It means “Istar,” one of the titles of the Babylonian Queen of Heaven, whose worship by the Children of Israel was such an abomination in the sight of God. The decree for the observance of Easter and Lent was given in A.D. 519. The “Rosary” is of Pagan origin. There is no warrant in the Word of God for the use of the “Sign of the Cross.” It had its origin in the mystic “Tau” of the Chaldeans and Egyptians. It came from the letter “T,” the initial of “Tammuz,” and was used in the Babylonian Mysteries” for the same magic purposes as the Romish Church now employs it. Celibacy, the Tonsure, and the Order of Monks and Nuns, have no warrant or authority from Scripture. The Nuns are nothing more than an imitation of the “Vestal Virgins” of Pagan Rome.”

2.8.2. These discoveries of how the Babylonian religion entered Roman Catholicism have led many to believe that every mention of Babylon in the book of Revelation is a reference to Rome. However, my conviction is that religious Babylon is a bigger concept than the Roman Catholic church, and that Babylon’s religious system was transferred to more than just the Roman Catholic church. In fact, I believe that all of the false religions and cults can be traced to the Babylonian system. I believe that even the modern concept of pantheism and the religious system that is based upon modern science and Darwinian Evolution has its source in Babylon’s religious system.

2.8.3. Having said all of that, I do however believe in the fulfillment of the prophesies of chapter 17 of Revelation in the Roman Catholic church. Secondarily, all false religions all over the earth are likewise in view concerning God’s judgments of chapter 17.

2.9. Another metaphor in this chapter that we have to determine as being either symbolic or literal is the ‘woman’ mentioned. When you consider what the chapter reveals about this woman you have to see that she must be a symbol:

2.9.1. a harlot.

2.9.2. sits on many waters.

2.9.3. with her the kings of the earth committed adultery.

2.9.4. the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.

2.9.5. sitting on a scarlet beast.

2.9.6. dressed in purple and scarlet.

2.9.7. glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls.

2.9.8. she held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.

2.9.9. on her head is written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTUES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH”.

2.9.10.drunk with the blood of the saints, those who bore testimony to Jesus.

2.10. In verse 1, John records the angel speaking of the, ‘great harlot who sits on many waters’. We shall see that this ‘great harlot’ here symbolizes all false religions all over the earth, and in particular the Roman Catholic church.

2.11. The fact that the harlot is sitting ‘on many waters’ reveals the extent of her influence: it is over all of the people on the earth. She is a ‘harlot’ because all false religion is symbolized by God’s Word as being marital unfaithfulness. However, she is also called a ‘harlot’ because as a woman she gives birth to every form of false religion found upon the face of the earth.

2.12. John records the angel’s words in verse 2, ‘the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality’. The thing that corrupted the Roman church was its affiliation with and subsequent control by the governments of man. The Roman papacy was always working alongside and at the behest of Roman emperors and other monarchs of the times. The degree to which the papacy had power over the rulers on the earth varied from time to time. However, it is certainly true that there was the highest degree of evil that ever existed upon the earth when ‘the kings of the earth’ were in league with the Roman church.

2.13. Likewise, all ‘those who dwell on the earth’ have been influenced by the Babylonian idolatrous worship system, and thus there has been an intoxication, or being ‘made drunk’, that has influenced everyone who has lived since the days of ancient Babylon. The Biblical writers often warn us about this world’s system, which they refer to as “the world”. This world’s philosophy has since the days of Nimrod been infected with values and religious concepts first inculcated by the idolatrous priests of ancient Babylon. For instance, John tells us in 1 John 2:15-17 that we are not to love the world, “15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.”

3. VS 17:3 - “3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.” - John is carried away in the Spirit to a wilderness where he sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast

3.1. Here in verse 3, the Holy Spirit carries John away ‘into a wilderness’ in order to give him this next vision. The vision is one of a woman who is riding a horrible beast.

3.2. The likeness of this scarlet beast to the first beast mentioned in chapter 13 of the book is obvious. Thus, surely this is the same beast as the one in chapter 13 which came up out of the sea.

3.2.1. Both have seven heads and ten horns.

3.2.2. The beast mentioned there was the Beast (Antichrist) who is going to be the world ruler under Satan during the Great Tribulation.

3.2.3. This beast we saw was also the fourth beast (the dreadful beast) of Daniel’s revelations of chapter 7 of Daniel.

3.2.4. In chapter 13, there were blasphemous names written all over the heads of that beast.

3.3. There is one unique and interesting detail mentioned here. Unlike the first beast mentioned in chapter 13, this beast is scarlet. However, when we studied chapter 12, we saw the ‘red dragon’ is Satan. Red then symbolized a blood-thirsty murderous character. Satan’s man, the Beast, who shall be the last ruler of the last world government, he shall be so much like the character of the one behind him, Satan, that he too shall have the same blood-thirsty murderous character. That is why the Beast found here in chapter 17 is ‘scarlet’, for this is the color of blood.

3.4. The woman mentioned in this verse is sitting on top of the Beast, which symbolizes that the woman is controlling the Antichrist and his evil activities. Initially during the first half of the seven year Tribulation Period, the Ecumenical World Church, in league with the Roman Catholic Church, shall enable the Antichrist to obtain world domination, and in fact be in control of the evil activities of the new world kingdom which is being set up. However, as we shall see later in this chapter, at a certain point during the 7 Year Tribulation, probably the mid-point, the woman shall be overthrown and then all religion and worship shall be given to the Antichrist, and thus to Satan himself who is possessing the Antichrist.

4. VS 17:4-5 - “4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, 5 and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”” - John describes the attire of the woman seated upon the scarlet beast

4.1. The woman here who is riding the beast is clothed in two colors.

4.1.1. Purple is the color of royalty, and at this point in time, the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, the World Ecumenical Church along with the Roman Catholic church will be in power calling the shots.

4.1.2. Secondly, the woman is clothed in ‘scarlet’ herself since she herself is full of murder and will persecute Christians.

4.1.2.1.The Roman Catholic Church has, more than any other nation or religion, and throughout its history martyred those who stood for the truth. The degree to which the church has done this has varied depending upon the situation.

4.1.2.2.Today in the United States the Roman Catholic Church is trying to embrace Protestants under the Ecumenical Movement, and thus she is trying to appear as if she has never had any ill-intent toward those of different beliefs. However, in other countries there is still a good deal of persecution of Christians performed by the church.

4.1.2.3.In some periods of history, the Roman Catholic Church sponsored horrible Crusades to kill all of those whom they deemed to be heretics. So, it is not hard to imagine here that the Roman Catholic church during the Tribulation would be involved in intense persecution of Christians.

4.1.2.4.We have to also remember that before the beginning of the 7 Year Tribulation that all true Christians were “raptured”, therefore those left in the Roman Catholic Church after that event are unregenerate heathen left only with a form of religion.

4.2. The riches possessed by this woman are those found in the Roman Catholic Church. She is seen here as ‘adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls’. History records that great wealth and riches have been part of the Roman Catholic Church since the time of Constantine. Throughout history, many of the popes have also become extremely rich and powerful through the church.

4.3. The spiritual apostasy of the World Ecumenical Church, along with the Roman Catholic Church of the Tribulation, is seen in that this woman is holding a ‘gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality’.

4.3.1. Today, the Ecumenical Movement has emphasized unity at the expense of truth, and this is always a big mistake. Even the most essential truths that are necessary for a person to understand and believe in order to be a true Christian and go to heaven are set aside in today’s Ecumenical Movement, which is a precursor to the World Ecumenical Church that is to be established. They embrace people of all faiths.

4.4. John was stunned when he saw what was written upon the forehead of this woman, ‘BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH’. He saw how that it was ancient Babylon from which had spread all of the religious ‘abominations of the earth’.

4.5. As I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, Babylon is symbolized as a woman partially because as such she could give birth. Who she gives birth to is all those who practice spiritual ‘harlotry’ and all those who are involved in spiritual ‘abominations’. You see, the woman is symbolic of something that is even greater than Rome and the Roman religious system. Rome is symbolized here by the woman, but equally so is every other form of idolatrous and cultic worship, all which originated in the city of Babylon.

5. VS 17:6 - “6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.” - John saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, the witnesses of Jesus

5.1. The woman herself was ‘drunk’ because she had become intoxicated with the drinking of the ‘blood of the saints and with the witnesses of Jesus’. I have already mentioned how that throughout history the Roman Catholic Church has been involved more than any other nation or religion in major persecution of true Christians. However, when any person accepts Christ as his Lord and Savior, he will begin to experience persecution at the hands of the world, for Paul wrote, “All who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. That persecution comes from many quarters of this world.

5.2. During the 7 Year Tribulation, the World Ecumenical Church, in league with the Roman Catholic Church under the Antichrist, will persecute every true Christian and all those who will not receive the mark of the Beast.

5.3. John was stunned when he saw this woman and what she symbolized. He writes here that he ‘wondered greatly’.

6. VS 17:7-8 - “7 And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I shall tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.” - The angel asks John why he wonders about what the woman represents, and then he tells John what she and the beast represent

6.1. Seeing how that John was wondering greatly about whom this woman symbolized, the angel of this revelation decided to clarify for John who this woman, as well as the beast, symbolized.

6.1.1. The angel tells John that the ‘beast’, he ‘was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction’.

6.1.1.1.We have already noted earlier in the book of Revelation the statement that the Antichrist is going to die of a fatal head wound, and be found in the center of the earth in Hades. However, he is going to be resurrected to life by the Devil and return to power over the nations. He comes up out of the Abyss (Bottomless Pit).

6.1.2. To be fair, verse 8 has been interpreted a couple of different ways by competent commentators.

6.1.2.1.First of all, some (such as myself) have taught that the verse is speaking of the Antichrist when he dies (or apparently dies) of the wound to the head and then comes (or appears to come) back from the dead. This then causes a world-wide stir and prepares the people of the world to worship the Beast (and thus the Devil himself) because of his miraculous powers.

6.1.2.2.The second way that the verse has been interpreted is as saying that the beast here refers to the kingdom of the beast rather than to the man himself. This view sees the kingdom of the Beast as being the seventh in a succession of world empires, one which is really the revived Roman empire headed by the Antichrist. The idea here is that when the Antichrist sets up the one-world government with himself in control that the people of the world are found in awe and wonder, which again helps them to be prepared to worship the Beast.

6.2. It is noteworthy here that John indicates that the ones who are found in wonder at this event are those who have not been foreordained and elected to salvation. Evidently, for the most part believers in Christ are not impressed nor fooled by the Beast, his empire, and his powers.

7. VS 17:9-10 - “9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.” – The angel interprets the symbolisms involving his vision of the scarlet beast

7.1. The book of Revelation is a book of the “unveiling” of God’s designs for the future of the world, and here in these verses John gives the reader two hints as to what the seven heads of the beast refer. The heads actually have a dual meaning:

7.1.1. They refer to ‘seven mountains on which the woman sits’.

7.1.1.1.The city of Rome has from antiquity been called by the secular world “the city on seven hills”. In support of verse 9 revealing that the city of Rome is the home base for the Beast’s kingdom being set up, it has been said that the only other major city that is built upon seven hills is Rio De Janeiro.

7.1.1.2.This interpretation makes the most sense to me primarily for two reasons:

7.1.1.2.1.The last verse in this chapter says that the woman ‘is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth’, and at the time of John’s writing this would of course have to be Rome.

7.1.1.2.2.If the heads did not refer to seven literal hills but rather governments which he calls hills, then the angel would be explaining the symbolism using another symbol.

7.1.1.3.However, there are those who say that the reference here to ‘seven mountains’ does not point to Rome as being the capital of the Beast’s kingdom. They point out that the word used in the text is the word for ‘mountains’, and that the hills upon which Rome is built are not more than 500 ft. high and thus could not be considered mountains. Plus, these same ones point out that Rome actually has more than seven hills. Finally, these same ones say that there are ample examples in the scripture where ‘mountains’ refer to kingdoms. In fact, even God’s kingdom is called Mount Zion in scripture. So, with these considerations it may be that seven “kingdoms” are described in verse 9. This view would also reveal the cohesion of the seven heads being referred to as kings in verse 10. Seven kingdoms and seven kings, all of whom have world dominion would then be in view. Interestingly, Rome would of course be considered as one of the kingdoms, and the last kingdom would be a revived Roman empire.

7.1.2. They refer to seven kings, world rulers or emperors.

7.1.2.1.In revealing who these seven kingdoms refer to, John is told that five of the kings and kingdoms have already existed in time prior to John’s writing. At the time of John’s writing, the sixth Roman emperor, Domitian, was in power, so John writes that one king currently ‘is’ in power.

7.1.2.2.If these kings mentioned are in fact Roman emperors, then there must be a gap that exists between Domitian and the Antichrist when he comes to power as the seventh Roman emperor, since there were a number of other Roman emperors come to power after Domitian. This gap would be similar to the gap that we know exists between the 69^th and 70^th week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophesy.

7.1.2.3.The seventh king comes after the revelation given to John, and this last world ruler will be the Beast (Antichrist) of the Tribulation Period who alone will have a government that truly has complete world dominion.

7.1.2.4.The Roman empire was in power when John wrote, and prior to that time the imperial kingdoms upon the earth were exactly five: Greece, Persia, Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt. The Beast will rule the seventh empire, which as I have mentioned will be the resurrected Roman empire.

8. VS 17:11 - “11 “And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.” - The angel tells John that the Antichrist Beast will be both the seventh and the eight horn, or ruler

8.1. There have been many people throughout the ages who have speculated that the Beast (Antichrist) is being prophesied here in the book of Revelation as being the seventh in a string of Roman emperors. Rather than seeing that the kings in these verses refer to empirical kingdoms, they have instead believed that the verses merely show a succession of Roman emperors, with the Beast himself being the last in the succession. However, then they are left with trying to explain why only seven of the many Roman emperors are considered worthy of mention in this prophesy.

8.1.1. Some of this same group have also believed that this verse teaches that the Beast is going to be one of the emperors of history past who is resurrected to life. Such names as Nero, Domitian, and even more recently the French emperor Napoleon, have been raised. However, the position of saying that these verses refer to a succession of Roman rulers is really untenable in my opinion.

8.2. If this verse teaches that the Beast is one in a succession of empirical rulers, how is it then that he is said to be an eighth and also one of the seventh? I believe that this is accounted for in the fact that he does have a near death experience, and then upon his resuscitation he is fully possessed by the Devil himself and thus empowered for the day and hour appointed by God unto him and the world that is in rebellion against God.

9. VS 17:12-13 - “12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 “These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.” - The angel tells John that the 10 horns on the scarlet beast refer to 10 kings who will receive a kingdom and give their power and authority to the beast

9.1. In verse 10, John is told by the angel what the ten horns on the beast of his vision symbolize:

9.1.1. They are ‘ten kings’.

9.1.2. Not only so, they are ‘ten kings’ who are not alive upon the earth at the time of John’s writing and thus John is told in verse 12 that they ‘have not yet received a kingdom’.

9.1.3. These 10 kings have a very short reign once they are raised up in power, for John is told that they ‘receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour’.

9.1.4. In verse 13, we see that these 10 kings are in harmony in their purpose, for he is told that they ‘have one purpose’.

9.1.4.1.Their one purpose is to yield their kingdoms to the authority and control of the Antichrist when he is raised up.

9.1.4.2.Then, their power is removed when the Beast becomes the one-world government ruler. Satan will have achieved what he desires through these 10 kings when they yield their sovereignty to the Antichrist allowing him to then take over the entire world as ruler.

9.2. The Beast himself is not one of the ten kings. He is the ‘little horn’ of Dan. 7:8 which arises among the 10 and removes three of them from power.

9.3. Historically, most sound commentators have believed that the ten nations consist of a federation of European nations. Interestingly, the European Economic Union which was formed in the last 20 years is believed by most modern commentators to be who is represented here. These nations have formed an allegiance for the purpose of boosting trade and providing protection. However, their union is ever growing to be more all-consuming as the nations are gradually losing their sovereignty. A couple of years ago they released one common currency. They have also stated that they intend to implement a common European language, and as the prophesies would expect, they plan to make Latin the world language. They have also stated that they intend to implement one common religion. All of these developments will cause the door to be opened up for the Antichrist’s one-world government to emerge upon the earth, and it will be a resurrected Roman Empire.

10. VS 17:14 - “14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”” - The angel tells John that these ten kings will wage war against the Lamb, Jesus, and be overcome

10.1. John is told in this verse that these 10 kings will actually ‘wage war’ against Jesus. This would seem primarily to be a reference to the battle of Armageddon when all of the nations gather together to fight against the Lord. However, their entire conspiracy can be looked at as being a ‘war’ that is waged against Jesus Christ.

10.2. John is told that the conspiracy against the Lord that is formed by this confederacy of nations will not succeed, but rather that the Lord Jesus will have the ultimate victory.

10.3. John is reminded that Jesus must have the victory for after all He is the One who is ‘Lord of lords and King of kings’.

10.4. John is here told that those who are God’s true people through their faith in the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior are called here the ‘called and chosen and faithful’. The Lord is the One who has ‘called and chosen’ those who are His people and who stand for Him and His reign and kingdom upon the earth. They have an appointed calling for which they were created and brought to salvation in Christ.

11. VS 17:15 - “15 And he *said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” - John is told that the waters upon which the harlot sits are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues

11.1. In order to reveal to John that the ‘waters’ did in fact refer to everyone everywhere upon the earth, John writes that the ‘waters’ symbolized ‘peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues’.

11.2. The Roman Catholic church has a powerful presence in almost every country of the world, and when they day comes and all those who have genuinely been saved are “raptured” up to be with the Lord, the church will be the perfect vehicle for the Beast to achieve world dominion.

12. VS 17:16-17 - “16 “And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. 17 “For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose by having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be fulfilled.” - The angel tells John that the 10 kings (symbolized by the scarlet beast’s horns) and the beast will make the harlot desolate, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire

12.1. The apostate World Ecumenical Church (WEC) centered in Rome will help get the Beast into power, for initially the woman is riding the beast, however eventually the 10 kings in conjunction with the Beast will ‘hate’ the WEC and will bring her to total destruction. They will strip her of all of her riches and property, and nothing of idolatrous worship and religion which has migrated in history from Babylon will be left. The Beast only needed the woman in order to get into power, and after he has gotten there she will have no more usefulness.

12.1. The last clause of verse 17 reveals how that the Lord used apostate religion in order to accomplish His will in allowing the Beast to come to world-wide power over the earth. This will then hasten the Lord’s execution of His utter and complete vengeance upon the wicked and unrepentant of the earth.

13. VS 17:18 - “18 “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”” - The angel tells John that the woman whom he saw is the ‘great city which reigns over the kings of the earth’

13.1. In case there was any doubt as to whether or not the city of Rome was in reference in this chapter, John reveals here in verse 18 that the city being spoken of was the one of his day who currently was reigning ‘over the kings of the earth’. This could only mean that he had been speaking of Rome.

13.2. During the first half of the seven year Tribulation Period, Rome will be the headquarters for the activity of the Beast, however during the last half of the period, the rebuilt city of ancient Babylon will be his world capital city.

Bible Studies Home Page