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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 68
The
Great Harlot
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Let's pray before beginning this lesson:
Our Father in heaven,
The book of Revelation presents another prophetic character which we haven't studied yet:
the great harlot.
Who is this woman? Will her deeds have any impact upon our lives?
May Your Word give us clear and precise answers, just as it has done until now. In the
name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 12:1
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
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2 Corinthians 11:2
For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
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In our lesson entitled «The
Pure Woman», we studied a first woman.
In the prophetic word, a woman symbolizes a Church.
Being pure, this first woman therefore designates the Church which is faithful to God and
His Word.
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Jeremiah 3:6,20
Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up
on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. (...)
Surely, as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously
with Me, O house of Israel.
----------------------------------------------------
On the other hand, when the Church turns away from God and
disobeys Him, it is then symbolized by a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, a harlot.
The book of Revelation describes such a woman, which is the subject of this lesson.
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Revelation 17:1-6 : Description of a second woman, who is impure.
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and
talked with me, saying to me,
«Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with
whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were
made drunk with the wine of her fornication.»
So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a
scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The
woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her
fornication.
And on her forehead a name was written: «Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of
harlots and of the 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 marveled
with great amazement.
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The contrast between the pure woman and the impure woman is striking:
The pure woman (REVELATION
12) | The impure woman (REVELATION 17)
------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Clothed with heavenly bodies (v.1) | Arrayed in purple and jewels (v.4)
Mother of Israel's remnant (v.17) | Mother
of harlots (v.5)
Threatened by the waters (v.15) | Sits on
the waters (v.1)
Attacked by the red dragon (v.13) | Allied with the scarlet beast (v.3)
Exiled because of attacks (v.6,14) | Sits enthroned as a queen (v.1,4)
Alone into the wilderness (v.6,14) | Feasts with all the kings (v.2,4)
Fed by God Himself (v.6,14) | Feeds on the
saints' blood (v.6)
Receives God's deliverance (v.14) | Receives God's judgment
(v.1)
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Revelation 17:1,15
Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits
on many waters (...).
The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and
tongues.
----------------------------------------------------
In order to identify the impure woman, let's take a look at her
prophetic description.
First, she is portrayed as a «harlot who sits on many waters»: this woman thus
represents a Church that is unfaithful to God, and holds dominion over a great number of
people.
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Revelation 17:2,18
[The great harlot,] with whom the kings of the earth committed
fornication (...).
The woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
----------------------------------------------------
This unfaithful Church, symbolized by the great harlot,
prostitutes herself with the kings of the earth.
The prophecy thus indicates that this Church concludes alliances with political powers,
and then holds dominion over them.
This political immersion leads this Church to «commit fornication», that is, to be
unfaithful to God and His teachings.
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Revelation 17:2
[The great harlot,] with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
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Jeremiah 51:7
Babylon was a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the
earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations are deranged.
----------------------------------------------------
This Church made all the nations drunk with the wine of its
fornication.
What does that mean?
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Isaiah 28:7
But they also have erred through wine, and through intoxicating drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink, they are swallowed up by wine, they are out of the way through intoxicating drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
----------------------------------------------------
Just like wine, which causes the drinkers' judgment to reel, the unfaithful Church's teachings intoxicate the nations, deceiving them with false doctrines which will ultimately lead them to death and loss.
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Revelation 17:1,3
«Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters.» (...) So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness.
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Isaiah 21:1,2,9
The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in
the South pass through, so it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.
A distressing vision is declared to me; the treacherous dealer deals treacherously, and
the plunderer plunders. (...) Babylon is fallen, is fallen!
----------------------------------------------------
The vision of the great harlot takes place in the wilderness.
This «Wilderness of the Sea» (since the woman is sitting on many waters) indicates that
we will now witness her work of oppression and persecution.
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Revelation 17:3
And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
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Revelation 13:1
And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name.
----------------------------------------------------
Then the prophecy indicates that the great harlot is sitting on a
beast whose description exactly corresponds to the beast rising from the sea.
As we recently studied in the lesson «The Beast Rising
From the Sea», this beast symbolizes the papal system.
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Jeremiah 3:6
Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot.
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Daniel 7:17,23
Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. (...) The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth.
----------------------------------------------------
On one hand, a harlot symbolizes an unfaithful Church.
On the other hand, a beast symbolizes a kingdom, a political power.
So the harlot sitting on the beast symbolizes an apostate religio-political system.
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Revelation 17:4
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
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Matthew 27:28,29
They stripped [Jesus] and put a scarlet robe on Him. (...)
And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, «Hail, King of the Jews!»
----------------------------------------------------
In addition to her scarlet garments, scarlet being the color of royalty, the harlot is adorned with gold and jewels, demonstrating her pride and arrogance.
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1 Peter 3:3,4
Do not let your beauty be that outward adorning of arranging the hair, of wearing gold, or of putting on fine apparel; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
----------------------------------------------------
The ostentation of the impure woman sitting on the beast
contrasts with the sober appearance which God asks of His Church.
Now, exactly as foretold by prophecy, popes have indeed always surrounded themselves with
majestic pomp in all their actions and travels.
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Revelation 17:5
And on her forehead a name was written:
«Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the
earth.»
----------------------------------------------------
The unfaithful Church gave birth to daughters, that is, other
churches which do not obey the teachings of God's Word, but rather the traditions of their
«Mother Church».
The group joining together the papacy and those churches which support its doctrines makes
up a religio-political system that prophecy calls «Babylon».
This name recalls the city of «Babel», whose inhabitants were rebellious to God, and
were struck with confusion.
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Matthew 22:21
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
----------------------------------------------------
As we have seen in our last lesson, Jesus always disapproved of
the association between Church (the woman) and State (the beast), and commanded that they
be kept separate.
And He was absolutely right, since history reports that the union between religion and
politics has always resulted in horrible persecutions.
And the continuation of the prophecy of the great harlot once again confirms this fact...
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Revelation 17:6
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 marveled with great amazement.
----------------------------------------------------
Just like the little horn (Daniel chapters 7 and 8), the king of
the North (Daniel chapter 11), and the beast rising from the sea (Revelation chapter 13),
the great harlot persecutes the people of God.
While introducing itself as the Church of God, the papal system killed millions of
Christians who were faithful to God.
So we can understand why the apostle John, faced with such a contradiction, «marveled
with great amazement».
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Revelation 17:7
But the angel said to me,
«Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that
carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.»
----------------------------------------------------
The apostle John then receives additional details about the great
harlot and the beast with seven heads and ten horns.
These details particularly concern last-day events: so they are especially significant for
us.
Let's look at these details.
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Revelation 17:8
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition.
----------------------------------------------------
In our lesson «The Beast
Rising from the Sea», based on Revelation 13, we have seen how the beast was mortally
wounded, and then was healed. Here, Revelation chapter 17 takes up the same events again:
- the papacy reigned from 538 to 1798 («the beast was»);
- then it lost its political power in 1798 («and is not»);
- and it regained this power in 1929 («and will ascend out of the bottomless
pit»).
Now, let's see what happens from 1929 to the end, leading the beast «to perdition».
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Revelation 17:8
And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
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Revelation 13:3
I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and
his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
----------------------------------------------------
The prophecy once again confirms that, after 1929, the whole
world will be filled with admiration for the papacy.
We can see this happening nowadays.
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Revelation 17:9
Here is the mind which has wisdom:
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
----------------------------------------------------
Then, the prophecy disgresses for a moment to explain the meaning
of the beast's seven heads and ten horns.
First, «the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits».
The city of Rome is indeed also called «the City of Seven Hills», whose names are
Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal, and Viminal.
But the seven heads symbolize a lot more than that...
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Revelation 17:10
There are also seven kings.
Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must
continue a short time.
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Revelation 13:2
Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.
----------------------------------------------------
The seven heads also represent seven kings. Who are they?
Let's remember that the beast, by its composition, calls to mind the beasts of Daniel 7,
symbolizing the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.
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The beast rising from the sea is made up of the four kingdoms of Daniel 7:
«Four great beasts came up from the
sea (...). The first was like a lion.
(...) Suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. (...) And there was
another, like a leopard (...). The beast also had four heads (...). Be-
hold, a fourth beast (...), and it had ten horns.» (Daniel 7:3-7)
- First beast : 1 head , 0 horn |==>| In total: 7 heads and 10
horns.
- Second beast : 1 head , 0 horn |==>| «I saw a beast rising up out
of
- Third beast : 4 heads, 0 horn |==>| the sea, having seven
heads and
- Fourth beast : 1 head , 10 horns |==>| ten horns.» (REVELATION 13:1)
This perfect parallel indicates that the starting point of the 7 heads
is the kingdom of Babylon, that is, the first beast of Daniel chapter 7.
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Beginning with Babylon, the seven heads confirm the fate of the beast:
«There are
also | Identity of the kingdoms
| Dates
seven kings.
|---------------------------|---------------------
+=====|==> 1. Babylonian Empire | 606 B.C. to 539 B.C.
Five | +==|==> 2.
Medo-Persian Empire | 539 B.C. to 331 B.C.
have ==+==+==|==> 3. Greek Empire
| 331 B.C. to 168 B.C.
fallen, | +==|==> 4. Roman
Empire | 168 B.C. to A.D. 476
+=====|==> 5. Papacy (1st reign) | A.D. 538 to 1798
one is, ========|==> 6. Papacy,
«mortally | 1798 to 1929
| wounded»
|
and the other has not |
|
yet come. And when he =|==> 7. Papacy (2nd reign) | 1929
to the end
comes, he must conti- | after the
healing |
nue a short time.» | of its
deadly wound |
(REVELATION 17:10) |
|
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The 7 heads' sequence corresponds accurately with the fate of the beast:
«There are also seven |
«The beast that | The papacy, the last of the
kings. 5 have fallen, | you saw was, | five kings,
falls in 1798.
-----------------------+-------------------+-----------------------------
|
| From 1798 to 1929, it exists
one is,
| and is not, | but without political power
|
| («and is not»).
-----------------------+-------------------+-----------------------------
and the other has not | and will ascend | In 1929, the papacy
becomes
yet come. And when he | out of the bot- | a political
power again.
comes, he must conti- | tomless pit and | But this second
reign will
nue a short time.» | go to perdition.» | be short, coming to
an end
(REVELATION 17:10) | (REVELATION 17:8) | at the return of Jesus.
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Revelation 17:11
And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
----------------------------------------------------
The prophecy announces that the beast symbolizing the papacy,
while being «of the seven» kings, «is himself also the eighth», and «is going to
perdition».
So the papacy, which has returned to power since 1929, being the seventh king, will soon
enter into a new stage of its reign, thus becoming «the eighth» king shortly before the
return of Jesus.
The end of the prophecy of Revelation 17 focuses on this last stage of the papacy's reign.
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Revelation 17:12,13,18
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no
kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (...)
The woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
----------------------------------------------------
Shortly before the return of Jesus, a coalition of the nations of this world will arise, giving to Babylon (the papacy and the churches following its doctrine) a worldwide and undisputed authority.
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Revelation 17:13
These [kings] are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
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Revelation 13:12
The beast coming up out of the earth] causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
----------------------------------------------------
The coalition of nations will join forces with the United States,
symbolized by the beast rising from the earth, to cause all the inhabitants of the earth
to worship the papacy.
And who will be their common enemy?
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Revelation 17:14
These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.
----------------------------------------------------
The coalition of political and religious powers will turn against
God's people, in order to destroy them, in circumstances which will be the subject of
future lessons.
But victory is already assured for the «called, chosen, and faithful» who fight on the
side of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the Lord of lords and King of kings.
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Who are the «called, chosen, and faithful» of Revelation 17:14?
To overcome on Jesus' side, we must be
«called, chosen, and faithful»:
1. The «called» are all the inhabitants of the earth:
«The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage
for his son and sent out his servants to call those who were
invited
to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.» (MATTHEW
22:2,3)
2. The «chosen» are those who accept Jesus' white robe of righteousness:
«[The king] saw a man there who did not have on a
wedding garment.
(...) Then the king said to the servants, "Bind
him hand and foot,
take him away, and cast him into outer darkness." (...) For
many are
called, but few are chosen.» (MATTHEW 22:11,13,14)
3. The «faithful» are those who persevere in their relation with Jesus:
«Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. (...)
Be faithful until death, and I will give you
the crown of life.»
(REVELATION 2:10)
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Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
----------------------------------------------------
When the coalition of political powers realizes that it has been deceived by Babylon the harlot, that is, the system grouping together the papacy and the churches following its doctrine, all these nations will turn against Babylon to bring about its fall, as we will study in detail in a future lesson.
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Revelation 17:10
When [the seventh king] comes, he must continue a short time.
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Revelation 17:12
[The kings] receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.
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Revelation 18:10
Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.
----------------------------------------------------
With the words «a short time» and «one hour», the prophecy clearly indicates that the last stage of the papacy's reign, from the formation of the coalition of nations until the fall of Babylon, will be very short.
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Revelation 17:17
For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
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Revelation 17:1
Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot.
----------------------------------------------------
The fall of Babylon is «the judgment of the great harlot» which
was announced at the beginning of Revelation 17.
So, even during the darkest period of history, let's remember that God has the situation
under control.
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Let's pray together:
Lord,
The coalition of nations, giving power and authority to the beast and the great harlot,
announces difficult times ahead for Your people.
We thank You for warning us of this, and we ask You to help us to seriously prepare
ourselves for those dark days, so that we may be not only «called» and «chosen», but
also «faithful» until the end.
In Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 68 is waiting for you!