"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."
Revelation 17:16
In the closing chapters of the Bible, in the book of the Revelation, there is described a great mystery, which is symbolized by the figure of a Woman ~ whom the Bible identifies as a Harlot, riding upon the back of a ferocious and bizarre-appearing Beast. Throughout many centuries that Woman, the Harlot, has maintained a symbiotic relationship with the Beast, each helping the other in their evil purposes.
The actual characters represented by those symbols are not too difficult to understand.
The seven-headed, ten-horned Beast represents the embodiment of "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan" (Revelation 20:2) ~ whose malevolent character and designs are expressed in and through the world's socio-political systems (of fallen humanity), from ancient times until now.
The Woman ~ which rides upon that Beast ~ must therefore be understood as being in league with the Beast; and, indeed, she is. She is described in Scripture as: a Harlot, who is "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (Revelation 17:6); and, that Woman's name is called, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (Revelation 17:5).
Many Bible scholars have identified that Woman called "Babylon the Great," as being 'Apostate Christendom.' I completely agree with that interpretation. The late Dave Hunt, for example, wrote a book titled, "A Woman Rides the Beast," in which Hunt identified the Roman Catholic Church as being the principal (albeit not the only) thing answering to the Bible's description of that apostate religious system symbolized by the Harlot. (Hunt also produced a video based upon that same book. For $1.99, you can rent that video, HERE.) In fact, not a few Roman Catholic scholars have also come to that same conclusion (though they evidently do not perceive the Roman Catholic religion, as such, as being non-Christian).
"Babylon the Great" is called the "Mother of harlots" (plural). Not only is she herself given to spiritual whoredoms, but her OWN OFFSPRING are also given to the same. That she has "offspring," is an important factor. What are the spiritual offspring of the Roman Catholic Church? What else can that be, but the host of so-called Protestant churches that first came out from the Roman Catholic system, about five-hundred or so years ago, and which churches are lately returning en masse to openly acknowledge the Roman Catholic Church with its Pope, as their spiritual head?
The Woman is Apostate Christendom, led by the Roman Catholic Church. Does not the world identify worldwide "Christianity" with Roman Catholicism, essentially? It is eminently meaningful that there has occurred throughout the past century or so, a great "falling away" (2 Thessalonians 2:3), that is to say, a great apostasy, from the truth of God, amongst the vast majority of professedly Christian churches, especially amongst formerly Christian cultures. Now we can see the real nature of those, individuals and organizations, which have contented themselves with a form of religion, instead of the life of Jesus Christ in truth. Their apostate condition is both a sign of their spiritual harlotry, as well as it is a cardinal sign that these are indeed the closing days of the Church Age.
With the foregoing as a background: We come now to examine yet another very significant aspect of Bible prophecy, in connection with certain, current events related to that great "Mystery" just discussed. Which entails the meaning of the following passage of Scripture:
"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." (Revelation 17:16)Those "ten horns" represent the final form of Satan's attempted world-empire, which shall come to be fully expressed during the (latter half of the) soon-coming Tribulation, so-called. It is important to note, however, that those ten horns are nevertheless revealed (in Scripture) as being part of the Dragon's identity and purpose, at a time even before those ten horns are given power actually to rule with the Antichrist, during the last three and a half years of the so-called Tribulation.
Important, too ~ and which is the main point of this brief essay, is that the Woman, the Harlot, "Babylon the Great," that apostate system of religion, is destined to be destroyed ~ by Antichrist's political machinery, at some time just prior to the ten-horned empire's ascendancy to power.
With that revelation in view, let us next turn to consider the implications of the following, recent events involving the Roman Catholic Church and her leaders. I recommend that you should first read the two news articles linked, below (click on the titles):
That "former Vatican official" was not some low-level functionary of the Catholic Church. He was the Vatican's former Ambassador to the United States. And, look at where those news items are appearing: Not on Fox News only, but the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, etc.. I will leave it to you, dear Reader, to decide whether those organizations belong to the Harlot, or to the Beast upon which the Harlot so comfortably sat enthroned, as it were . . . until now.
It has begun: The Beast is turning to hate the Woman, that sensuous Harlot which, throughout many centuries past, has persecuted true disciples of Jesus Christ. That does not mean, however, that persecution of Christians is at an end. Only, that the long and treacherous history of Apostate Christendom is now coming to its end. In the place of which there shall suddenly arise the most vile and destructive system of worship ever known to mankind: that is, when the whole world shall be given over to worship Satan and his Antichrist.
But in order as we now see, and shall continue more and more to see, the world's political elements revolt against EVERY expression associated with the name of Jesus Christ ~ yes, especially, against the Harlot religious system(s); we can be sure that . . . the Rapture . . . is even nearer to us than is the rise to power of the Antichrist and of his ten-horned confederacy ~ which even now is literally knocking on the door.
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