REVELATION

1
REVELATION

• Chapter
• Seventeen

2
THE HARLOT AND THE BEAST

• The development of the spirit of antichrist
  throughout world history until the end of time

3
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN IN CONETXT

• This vision gives us another insight into the
  character of the great beast of ch13
• Having shown us the end of the world in ch16 the
  Lord lets us view the rise and fall of the
  antichrist in chapters 17 and 18
• In these two chapters we see the connection
  between antichrist and Babylon

4
V 1 - 6

• THE HARLOT

5
THE WOMAN

• She is the opposite of the woman in ch12 who is a
  picture of the true church
• The true church which is the bride of Christ is
  associated with a city, the New Jerusalem, ch212
• The woman in ch17 is also identified with a city,
  Babylon
• Therefore in this woman we see the false church,
  the bride of Antichrist

6
THE HARLOT

• Harlotry is a picture of spiritual unfaithfulness
  in the scriptures
• Ezekiel 168-22
• The harlot church is therefore a body which
  turned away from truth and became apostate
• Is this a description of Romanism or not?

7
THE POSITION OF THE WOMAN

• Upon many waters representing many peoples
• Upon a beast which represented the secular power
  of antichrist
• The picture is of a church which has joined
  herself to secular power
• The finger still points Romeward

8
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WOMAN

• Attracts the attention of the world leaders
• Decked with tremendous wealth
• Associated with Babylon
• Has names of blasphemy which links her to the
  beast of ch13
• Guilty of slaughtering the martyrs of Jesus

9
BABYLON

• Spiritual as opposed to literal Babylon is what
  is intended here, mystery Babylon
• Babylon began in the empire which was instituted
  by Nimrod in opposition to God
• Therefore Nimrod represents an early
  manifestation of the spirit of antichrist

10
ANCIENT BABYLON

• Worshipped Semiramis, mother and wife of Nimrod,
  and her child, Tammuz.
• 25th December celebrated as the birthday of
  Tammuz
• Easter comes directly from the worship of Astarte
  who was called by the Assyrians, The Queen of
  Heaven, who also practised a form of Lent
• The great summer feast to Tammuz became the
  Nativity of St John on 24th June
• The Feast Of The Assumption, 15th August,
  elevates Mary as ancient Babylon did with
  Semiramis

11
MORE BABYLONISH PRATCICES

• Baptismal regeneration
• Justification by works
• Prayers for the dead
• Idol processions
• Worship of relics
• Sign of the cross
• Read Alexander Hislops book The Two Babylons
  for a full treatment of this subject

12
V 7 - 14

• THE BEAST

13
THE RIDDLE

• was and is not and yet is to come
• Was has existed in the past in various forms
• Is not has previously been destroyed in the
  past
• Yet is to come the beast is to take on a new
  form in the future

14
LESSON

• The spirit of antichrist has existed throughout
  world history as he has been developed by Satan.
  We must therefore deduce that there will be
  further developments in the future

15
TWO FOLD LOOK AT THE SEVEN HEADS

• 1 Seven Mountains
• 2 Rome has famously been described as the city
  erected upon 7 hills

• 1 Seven Kings
• 2 One is Rome
• 3 Five had fallen Grecian, Medes and Persians,
  Babylon, Assyrian, Ancient Babylon
• 4 One not yet come Papacy

16
THE EIGHTH KING

• The Papacy became the centre of an alliance of
  nations which was centred at Rome

17
THE TEN HORNS

• The ten nations which invaded and caused the
  collapse of the Roman Empire. They created a
  power vacuum which the Bishop of Rome filled when
  he eventually became the self declared ruler of
  the kings of the world

18
THE CHARACTER OF THE BEAST

• His origin the pit or Satan
• His purpose to make war with the saints of God

19
V 15 - 18

• The Doom Of The Scarlet Woman

20
POWER OF THE WOMAN

• The people she dominates
• The city where she is based

21
DESTRUCTION OF THE WOMAN

• Hated by the nations dominated by the beast
• Secular power of the Papacy will eventually
  become more important than the spiritual
• The church will become nothing more than a
  secular institution

22
A VIEW OF THE FUTURE?

• A one world church dominated by Rome, sitting
  upon many waters?
• A one world church dominating the political and
  social life of the world?
• A one world church which will eventually show
  itself to be secular rather than spiritual in its
  intentions?