Understanding The Apocalypse

I. The Invitation

"And there came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come here; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication" (Revelation 17:1-2).

The invitation is simply to witness "the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters." This harlot is later identified in our text as "Babylon the great, the mother of harlots." Therefore, we know John was invited to see the judgment of Babylon. Now, the question is, which Babylon? Is it the Seat of the Antichrist's kingdom? Is it the religious system? Or, is it the political system?

A clue to making this determination is the word "harlot." This is a word that may be used to describe an adulteress, or one who is unfaithful to her spouse.

Another clue is in Revelation 17:3, which says the woman is on a blasphemous beast. Since blasphemy is word or deed against God and the woman is on the beast, it follows her adulteries are against God.

Spiritual adultery in the Scriptures is symbolic of those who outwardly claim to serve the Lord God but in truth worship and serve other gods. This is an accurate description of the religious system known to John as Babylon. This is the apostate church in full fruition, that will exist on the earth following the rapture of the true Church. She will claim to serve the Lord God but will in truth, worship and serve the Antichrist.

In 1 Timothy 3:1-5, Paul described the characteristics of apostasy.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, heartless, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; from such turn away."

The extent of the apostate church's influence is revealed in that the harlot sits upon many waters. The waters represent people and nations according to Revelation 17:15. "The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."

Putting this information together, we can see John is invited to witness the judgment of this harlot or Babylon because she has been unfaithful to God and has lured the nations into ungodliness.

II. The Mystery Woman on the Beast

"So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and bedecked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications; and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great wonder" (Revelation 17:3-6).

The authority the woman has over the beast is revealed by the fact the woman is riding the beast. She is not the beast, but she is supported by it and has control of it. This indicates the dominate role the apostate church will have in reforming the Roman Empire the Antichrist will use to rule the world.

This reveals there will be a marriage of sorts, between the religious and political systems for the purpose of making the Antichrist the world ruler. The reward and motives of the apostate church are demonstrated by the woman's attire and adornments. Purple and scarlet robes are the clothing of royalty. Gold, precious stones and pearls are signs of wealth and while the golden cup says the woman has plenty to eat and drink, it also says she enjoys the abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

Anyone familiar with the pomp and ceremony of organized religion and the falling away of the old-line denominations knows as these things increase, spiritual purity and sound doctrine decrease.

Babylon the corrupt religious system or apostate church will ride the revived Roman Empire not for the sake of reconciling men to God but to partake in the wealth and sumptuous fare the alliance will afford. Consequently, she will be the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth and will be drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. The apostate church will commit all sorts of abominations, including murdering the saints of God, to maintain her favor with the Antichrist and enjoy his kingdom.

The Apostate church is among those about which our Lord spoke in John 16:2-3, when He said,

"They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."

"And the angel said unto me, Why didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The 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. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 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. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who 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 17:7-13). And the woman whom thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 7:18).

It was mentioned earlier the beast in our text is the "Beast out of the Sea," described in Revelation 13. Comparing John's description of this beast, to Daniel's description of the fourth beast, there can be no doubt John's "Beast out of the Sea" is the same as Daniel's fourth beast. This beast is not a person. It is a kingdom. It is the Roman Empire.

The first bit of new information the angel gives John concerning the revived Roman Empire is chronological in nature. He says "the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." In other words, this beast existed, and then ceased to exist, and again exists. It is the same beast going through different life cycles.

Notice, in Revelation 17:8, that following the words "is not" this beast "shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." We know from our studies of the Fifth Trumpet Judgment in Revelation 9, the bottomless pit or the abyss is the holding tank for the angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God. This is the place commonly known as "Hell." The word, "perdition," used in this text, is "utter destruction or eternal damnation."

Putting all this together we see it is the power from the Abyss or Hell that will bring the beast back to life and the destiny of this beast is utter destruction or eternal damnation. Satan will revive the Roman Empire and by doing so will bring utter destruction and eternal damnation upon all those who worship the Antichrist.

The sway this world empire will have over humanity is evident in the statement, "(A)nd they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world." Revelation 13:4 clearly expresses the awe with which the world will view the beast. "And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"

Next, the angel gives John more information concerning the seven heads of the beast, and cautions him that wisdom is required to understand.

"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And these 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 17:9-10).

The text says the seven heads on which the woman sits are seven mountains, and they are also seven kings. This means the woman or Ecclesiastical Babylon, sits in high places in the respective kingdoms. The harlot is not an empire herself. Rather, she rides upon kings and kingdoms, empires and governments.

Throughout history, governments have courted religion to give respectability to their actions and throughout history the harlot Babylon has prostituted herself with the kingdoms of the world to gain purple and scarlet robes, gold, precious stones, pearls, and a golden cup in her hand. The text is saying that just as this harlot has always existed in and influenced the kingdoms of the world she will influence these seven kings.

Next, in Revelation 17:10, we read a clue to the identities of the kingdoms represented by the seven heads. "Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come."

To rightly understand this statement we must view it from John's time in world history. At the time of his writing, five of the kingdoms had fallen, the sixth existed and the seventh had not yet come. Therefore, we understand the text looks back from John's point in time, to five great kingdoms that had come and gone. These are: Greece, Persia, Babylon, Assyria, and Egypt.

The identity of the sixth head or kingdom can only be the Roman Empire existing at the time of John's writing. This sixth head is the same as Daniel's fourth beast.

The difference in John's vision of the kingdoms and Daniel's vision is that Daniel looked forward from his time while John looked both directions. Daniel began by describing Babylon, the kingdom in existence during his lifetime, and moved forward to Rome, while John began with Egypt, the first great world empire, counted to his own time and then looked beyond to a kingdom not yet in existence.

To identify this kingdom yet to come, we must move on in our text to the eighth kingdom. Now, we do not normally hear much if anything about an eighth kingdom. Most people seem to be content with ignoring John's reference to an eighth kingdom, possibly, because they cannot reconcile it to their understanding that the seventh kingdom is the revived Roman Empire.

Actually, it is not the seventh kingdom that will be the revived Roman Empire. The revived Roman Empire will be the eighth kingdom and it is this eighth kingdom that is the "Beast out of the sea," in Revelation 13. It is the eighth kingdom, or beast, the harlot in our text is riding. Look at Revelation 17:11: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Therefore, if the beast or revived Roman Empire is the eighth kingdom we know the seventh kingdom is not the revived Roman Empire.

Another clue to the identity of the seventh kingdom is in Revelation 17:10: "And when he cometh, he must continue a short space." This means the seventh kingdom will be short lived.

We know the sixth kingdom was the Roman Empire that existed in John's time and we know the eighth kingdom is the "Beast out of the sea" that will dominate the last forty-two months of the tribulation. Therefore, we know the seventh kingdom must come following the fall of Rome and before the Abomination of Desolation that marks the beginning of the last half of the tribulation.

It is probable the seventh, short-lived, kingdom will be a kingdom formed by the "Prince that shall come" spoken of by Daniel, to make his seven-year peace agreement with Israel. This is consistent with the identification of the ten horns in Revelation 17:12. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."

From our study of Daniel 7:24-25, and Revelation 13:1, we know a government will rise out of the sea of humanity, formed by the coalition of ten kings and their kingdoms. This confederation will be headed by the "Prince that shall come" or the Antichrist.

The ten kingdom coalition he will put together is the seventh kingdom. This is not the kingdom he will use to dominate the earth during the Great Tribulation, rather it is the kingdom he will use in his rise to power. Again, it is this kingdom, consisting of ten kings and their kingdoms, he will use to make a seven-year peace agreement with Israel.

In Revelation 17:12, John says these kings will have no kingdoms and therefore, no power, until they align with the beast or Antichrist. Apparently, it will be the promise of power that causes the ten kings to align with the Antichrist and back his peace compact with Israel.

Notice, there is a joker in the deck from which the Antichrist will deal. John also tells us in Revelation 17:12, that these kings will receive power for one hour with the beast. This means the power they crave will be like their kingdoms - short lived. After forming the coalition of ten governments or kingdoms, and making a seven-year peace agreement with Israel, the Antichrist, will turn on both his confederates and Israel.

This is explained in Daniel's prophecy when he says one of these kings will rise up against three of the others and conquer them. Obviously, the king who conquers the three others will have the balance of power and will control this coalition of governments. This king or ruler is the Antichrist, backed by Satan, in his rise to power. The result of this takeover is the eighth kingdom the beast or Antichrist will use to dominate the world and persecute Israel.

Apparently, the show of force required to overthrow three of the kings will be sufficient to persuade the remaining kings to surrender their kingdoms to the Antichrist. John says in Revelation 17:13, "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

All the might of the ten kingdoms will come together under the reign of the Antichrist and he will declare himself, god and begin his relentless persecution of Israel.

In Revelation 17:14, John reveals the purpose of this coalition of kingdoms under the control of the Antichrist. "These shall make war with the Lamb." Motivated and powered by Satan, the Antichrist will lead his kingdom in open rebellion against the Lord and his war against God will take the only possible course. Since it is impossible for Satan or his stooge to stand against God in face to face battle, they will attack God's people.

However, their's is a hopeless battle and cause. John also says in Revelation 17:14, "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."

There is no doubt John is talking about the Almighty when he describes the Lord of lords and King of kings, but notice it is not His might nor His majesty that John has in mind when he says, "The Lamb shall overcome them."

Certainly Satan and all his disobedience has wrought in the earth will someday be purged from the planet, but this is not what John is talking about when he says, "The Lamb shall overcome them."

Notice, John concludes his statement with the words, "(A)nd they that are with Him are called, and chosen and faithful." Clearly, this is a reference to the saints. Therefore, it seems the Lamb overcoming those who make war with Him has something to do with the saints.

Again, because the Antichrist and his armies cannot go into the heavens and make war with God, they must make war with Him by attacking His people. Satan has no power against God. Therefore, he seeks to destroy God's supreme created beings. This is the same battle Satan has led against humanity since time immemorial. Because humans are created in the image and likeness of God, Satan hates them as much as he hates God and seeks to destroy them through sin and death.

However, it is not through His exercise of might nor of majesty that our Lord will overcome Satan and his followers. Rather, it is through His being led as a Lamb to the slaughter that our Lord Jesus Christ, defeated sin and death.

By dying in the place of sinners, He paid the penalty for sin and loosed the stranglehold sin has on fallen humanity.

By rising from the dead, He demonstrated His power to give life where death existed and proved His victory over darkness.

This victory over sin and death is imputed to all who simply believe that Jesus died in their place, for their sins and rose from the grave. These who place their trust in Christ, as their only Savior, are called, chosen and faithful. Because they are, in John's words, with Him, that is, they are born-again into the family of God, through faith in Christ, Satan can never defeat them.

When the Antichrist and his armies make war with the Lamb by attacking His people, "The Lamb shall overcome them." In spite of the Satanic persecution of God's people, they remain called, chosen and faithful.

Next, John describes,

IV. The Judgment of the Woman

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman whom thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:15-18).

The religious system revealed to John as "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth" will wield tremendous political power because of the multitudes subscribing to her heresies. This is proven in Revelation 17:3, where she is described as sitting on the scarlet beast.

This corrupt religious system claiming to serve the Lord but in truth denying His power is the tool of Satan and his Antichrist. The apostate church is the organization the Antichrist will use in his rise to world power and prominence. The ten kingdoms forming the scarlet-colored beast will be brought into subjection through the religious and political influence of the harlot.

Ecclesiastical Babylon, the Great Harlot, the Apostate Church, will be the world unifier allowing the Antichrist to come to power, but she will be hated by the ten kings according to John.

It is the ten nation confederation forming the seventh beast or kingdom under control of the Antichrist that will destroy the harlot known as Babylon. They will make her "desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."

This destruction of the Apostate church will occur following the overthrow of the three kings by the Antichrist. This will usher in the eighth beast or kingdom he will use to dominate the world. Then, the Antichrist will proclaim himself, god and demand all worship him. He will no longer have any use for, nor will he need the help of, the apostate church. Religious freedom and tolerance will no longer exist and a system, although corrupt that acknowledges God will be despised by the new world ruler who claims deity for himself.

The great city, Babylon, that reigned over the kings of the earth will fall at the hand of the one she placed in power. The Antichrist she chose to serve will destroy her when she has outlived her usefulness to him. Such is Satan's program throughout the ages, he will always use and abuse and then destroy those he no longer needs.

John makes it clear in Revelation 17:17, that the fall of "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth," is no accident, nor design of Satan. It is the pre-determined plan of our Sovereign Lord and God. "For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."

The Scarlet-colored Beast that was under the control of the harlot, Babylon, will swear allegiance to the Antichrist and destroy the harlot, because the Sovereign Lord has put it into their hearts to fulfill His Word. Even in his rebellion and surely to his own chagrin, Satan has no choice but to fulfill the Word of God.

How foolish it is for people, today, to think they can ignore or deny the God who created them.