THE BOOK OF REVELATION

Revelation Chapter 17-18 Part 2

WHO IS THE WOMAN WHO RIDES THE BEAST?

We have discussed that Chapters 17 & 18 of Revelation disclose TWO LITERAL CITIES spiritually connected to: ANCIENT BABYLON. Which are to be judged and destroyed in the last 3 ½ yrs before Christ returns to the earth, which is discovered in the next chapter. The first city in chapter 17 is described as “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.” It has its origin in Babel, which is represented by the City Rome in John’s vision. The second city of chapter 18 is literal Babylon, the Ancient City of Babel. It’s that Scriptural City of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Its existence today is in modern day Iraq. These two cities and their future separate destructions are around 3 years apart.

Compellingly, what these Cities and the System they represent have in common, among other things, in the last days judgments, is they are the only two places on the earth that have destroyed the Temple of God in Jerusalem. Both burned the city and temple of God….”And in her was found blood of prophets and of saints, and all the slain on the earth…” [Revelation 18:24] Predictably, their sins come into God’s remembrance (17:19 & 18:5), now at the close of the Age of Mercy and Grace, as Justice and Judgment are now administered in the pouring out of the 7 vials of God.

WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED THE LAST DAY’S TWO BABYLONS: Mystical and literal as representing THE SAME ANCIENT SYSTEM. THAT OF LUCIFER’S DESIGN FIRST REJECTED IN HEAVEN….ADAPTED TO MAN in this World’s system, beginning with Nimrod and Babel. They are perpetuated today, and are thoroughly manifest in the Tribulation Period as working together for World dominance. One, the Mystic, in the last days having more to do with its religious aspects. The other to do with Commerce (trafficking) / buying and selling. Both jealously desiring to control by power.

The Woman of chapter 17 is a symbol of the Ancient religious branch adapted to mankind set up in Babel. In the last days, Geographically, she is set in Rome. Politically she sits on many waters who are multitudes of peoples, nations and tongues she has influence over. And Morally, she sits in a Wilderness (to be taken morally as a drunkard and fornicator). She, as the Woman, is the religious system of Babylon. She was present at John’s day. She was before Christendom. Christendom generally as a whole has been leavened by Her. She is full of luxury and idolatry.

Although John is only given a glimpse of her historic connection to Mystery Babylon and then to her final Judgment, she is to be understood as politically becoming more and more dominant until the appearance of the Anti-Christ and 10 confederate Kings. Whom she shall ride politically, and at such end time, she will be in her full glory. She shall have a part to play with Israel’s future agreement with the Anti-Christ. [Daniel 9:27] She is currently working her worldwide spiritual fornication.

She then becoming restrictive to the Anti-Christ/ Beast, he removes her forcefully. At which time He and the confederate Kings will plunder and burn her. [Revelation 17:16] To be understood with Revelation 14:8 and that AFTER WARDS, Revelation 14:12 warns of the mark of the Beast. God, having justly and finally dealt with this part of satan’s kingdom and worldly leaders of Mystery Babylon now shall turn His Judgment focus upon the Beast, the confederation, the nations and the seat of the Beast and Commerce. Babylon the Great City Literal…about whom God spoke the Word through Jeremiah and Isaiah and brings their words to completeness in its separate and complete eternal destruction in Revelation 18.

WHO IS THE BEAST(S)… HEADS AND HORNS?

The ANTI-CHRIST/BEAST of 13:1 is easily identified with satan/the red serpent of chapter 12:3 as both have 7 heads and 10 horns. Revelation 11:7 says he ascended out of the bottomless pit. The Dragon energizes the Beast. Both war against the Lamb and his people. [Revelation 13:7,8 17:14] Both receive WORLD-WIDE wonder and CONDEMNING worship.

The Serpent/Beast of Revelation 12 is identified with the same end time 4th Beast of Daniel 7. Out of that end time Beast are 10 horns, shortly the Anti-Christ arises among the 10 horns. When these things appear, it is the time when the saints are about to receive the kingdom. [Daniel 7:23-28]

The 10 horns of Daniel 7 and the 10 horns of Revelation 12, 13 & 17 & 19;19 are the end time Kings yet to be confederated in our time. They are the toes of Daniel 2, at the closing of the time of the Gentiles, when the Stone falls and crushes the image.

As John’s vision opens in chapter 17 with the scarlet colored Beast (satan’s corporate spirit as the prince of the power of the air) the Woman is riding in the strength of the corporate beast at the beginning of the vision. Strength she derived in part from the past 7 rulers, (Note no 7 horns on 4^th beast of Daniel) and then in the last days, in the vision presently, in the authority of the 10 recently confederated kings. Then suddenly the vision is “Beast” personal (Revelation 17:8 the embodiment of satan’s spirit in an individual) and he and the 10 Kings maliciously destroy the Woman. And then the Beast personal (Anti-Christ) rules supreme.

His seven heads has double significance. First, they are representative of seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. But additionally, the 7 heads are told to be seven kings. [Revelation 17:11] Five had fallen when John saw the visions. Not much detail here, not how long or when they ruled either. The only identifier was they had all lost rulership by a “fall”. What is said is that the 7 heads represent 7 kings ruling, one after another. The sixth was then reigning, and the seventh was to come and was to rule. Who, when or for how long is also not mentioned. Thereafter would come the 8^th to rule. This eighth will be one of the former 7, as Revelation 13:3 with 17:8-11 states. One of the heads had been smitten unto death, was healed, and brought back to life.

The Eighth ruling head is one of the Seven and again comes to life on the earth from the place of the dead. Who is he? How will he finally manifest? The real material matter is that one of these previously living 7 Rulers is to be the 8^th and he will be the final Ruler at the end of the Age of the Gentiles. He has from the early church age been rightly discerned to be one revived of 7 Rulers. That is the essential understanding for all correct interpretation of the matter.

Revelation 17:11…“and is not” refers to that entire time which the Woman of whorish Babylon is working but without the manifesting of the Anti-Christ beast or without the 10 King confederation as they are specific to the end time. There is currently no political 10 nation confederation answering to Daniel and John’s system now that is known to be working. But when there is, the Woman is sure to have an essential part in their alignment, and having a dominate influence in it, it will be just before the 8^th head arises among them.

The eighth head then, and the fourth Beast of Daniel, for all intents and purposes are the same. In the one case, it is the Empire and in the other, the embodiment of that Empire in the person of the Anti-Christ/Beast.

He, that is, the eighth head/Anti-Christ, is about to come out of the Bottomless Pit in Revelation 17:8. Here of course is understanding and receiving the NEW TESTAMENT reality of a real place called Hades in the center of the earth. [Romans 10;7, Ephesians 4:8-10, Luke 8:31 Revelation 9:1-11; 20:1,2] Where there is specifically a place called the Bottomless Pit, from where a real person shall ascend to take the throne and authority given to him by satan upon the earth. The reality of there being a location called the Bottomless Pit forbids the idea that the “Beast” means the Roman Empire, civil or papal. But there are individuals there in Hades that will come forth as God permits to revisit the earth. This is no new phenomenon. It is from the center of the earth that Samuel came. [1Samuel 28:15] It is from Hades that the rich man of Luke 16 wanted to send someone to the earth. It is from there in Hades that our Lord rose from among the dead in Resurrection Power. Raised from the dead and the place of the dead, the Messiah of OC and NC who will have “come up” to rule the earth.

The Scriptures do not say specifically what form his body shall be. Whether a normal body subject to wounding and death, or the body in which he now exists, or another form uniquely adapted to the physical world. Regardless, he now comes up from the Bottomless Pit as wounded unto death. A sword wound which would of ordinarily meant death is somehow healed. [Revelation 13:3, 14] “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.” He rules in supremacy for 3 ½ years in the supernatural energy of satan. [Revelation 13:5; Daniel 8:24] This vision of John 17 starts with the 3: The Woman, Beast and 10 horns already ruling conjointly, just before the 7 vials are poured out. (Chapter16) But his period of fighting for that supremacy will be much longer as he rises to power. [Daniel 7] Again, he is the 11^th horn rising up among the 10 confederate Kings who give him their kingdoms. [Revelation 17:17] Together they destroy the religious whorish woman and make him the dominate power in the World. They, together having declared war on the Lamb, shall be utterly defeated at Christ’s Coming as He will cast the Anti-Christ Beast directly into perdition/Hell alive. [Revelation 19:19-21]

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