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Rev. 17:8-13) is very difficult to interpret. I know I said in post #(19) that (Rev. 17) deals with the woman, the religious aspect of Babylon. I drew that line too quickly. It also deals with the political aspect, the beast. And (Rev. 17:8-13) is describing the beast upon which the woman sits.
But it is clear, to me anyway, that distinction must be kept between the woman and the beast.
So, the description given of the beast in (17:8-13) applies only to the beast, in my opinion. Only to that political kingdom. Not in anyway is it to apply to the religious aspect.
In (Rev. 17:8) the beast in the first part of the verse is described as, "The beast that thou sawest
was, and
is not". But in the latter part of the verse the beast is described as, "...behold the beast that
was, and
is not, and
yet is."
So we know the beast John saw was not around in Johns day as it is said that it 'is not'. But we know the Roman empire is the 6th head of the beast, and was around in John's day. (Rev. 17:10) "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and
one is, and
the other is not yet come."
To further add confusion, enter (Rev. 17:11) "And the beast
that was, and
is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." So the eighth beast is of the seven but is 'another' beast.
Here I am just thinking outloud. Does it not appear that the beast described in (Rev. 17:8) as
was and
is not is not the same beast described as
was, and
is not, and
yet is even though both are in the same verse?
And, the woman, the religious aspect of Babel, rides the 7 headed beast. But perhaps she doesn't ride the 8th. The 8th comes into power after her destruction.
If this is so, then there are two beasts yet future. That of the revision of the Roman empire upon which the woman will still ride. And then there is the beast after the woman is destroyed.
Quantrill
Sorry for the delay as I had to put this all together.
The harlot has always been a political power that rides on the back of the beast that is a pagan religious system from the the first Empire being the Babylonian Empire clear through to the revived Roman Empire today.
The seven heads are that of the Babylonian Empire, Medo/Persian Empire, Grecian Empire and Roman Empire. The ten horns represent the nations the Roman Empire scattered to when the deadly wound was put upon them, Daniel 7:23-25; Rev 13:3. The deadly wound came in 1798 when General Berthier of France, who made his entrance into Rome, abolished the Roman government and established a secular one and captured Pope Pius VI, who soon died in captivity in Valence, on August 29, 1799. In 1801 Napoleon made an agreement with Pope Pius II establishing Napoleon’s Organic Articles of granting the Tribunal and the Corps legislative partial control of the concordat in order to help the state monitor any politically harmful Catholic or Protestant movements or activities. The wound was largely healed in 1929 when Mussolini gave the Vatican back to Pope Pius XI and established it as a country in it's own right in the Lateran Treaty.
Jeremiah 51 (cross reference to Rev 17:1-2) is about the utter destruction of literal Babylonian Empire as we also read this in Rev 17-18 that describes the harlot as being mystery Babylon mother of harlots and how she is destroyed when Christ returns just by the brightness of His coming, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Rev 19:11-21,
Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD'S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. 8 Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Jer 51:13 O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 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.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The seven heads are that of the Babylonian Empire, Medo/Persian Empire, Grecian Empire and Roman Empire. The ten horns represent the nations the Roman Empire scattered to when the deadly wound was put upon them, Daniel 7:23-25; Rev 13:3. The deadly wound came in 1798 when General Berthier of France, who made his entrance into Rome, abolished the Roman government and established a secular one and captured Pope Pius VI, who soon died in captivity in Valence, on August 29, 1799. In 1801 Napoleon made an agreement with Pope Pius II establishing Napoleon’s Organic Articles of granting the Tribunal and the Corps legislative partial control of the concordat in order to help the state monitor any politically harmful Catholic or Protestant movements or activities. The wound was largely healed in 1929 when Mussolini gave the Vatican back to Pope Pius XI and established it as a country in it's own right in the Lateran Treaty.
The Roman Empire began in 753BC by Romulus who founded Rome in 27BC with Augustus Caesar becoming the first emperor of Rome in 27 BC and died in 14AD. Rome controlled over two million square miles stretching from the Rhine River to Egypt and from Britain (England) to Asia Minor which made up the Grecian Empire of Greece, Turkey, Syria and Egypt. In 146BC the Romans destroyed Corinth during the Battle of Corinth and made the Greece Empire into a province of the Roman Empire. This timeline goes from 753BC to 27BC. Nero burned Rome in 64AD and blamed the Christian community in the city causing the Roman Empires first persecution of Christians. In 1453 was the rise of the Ottoman Empire that conquered Constantinople destroying the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) that reigned from 330AD to 1453AD. The Roman Empire was then called the Holy Roman Empire that was a political entity beginning in 800AD - 1806AD from the time of Charlemagne (Holy Roman Emperor) who protected Pope Leo III from Adrian's supporters in Rome to Francis II, King of France. Pope Pius VII was the Pope from 1800-1823. The Roman Empire is known today as Vatican City, a city-state surrounded by Rome and Italy who has diplomatic relations with every nation around the world.