Season 6 Podcast 17 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, VI, Chapter 17:7-18 “The Mystery of the Woman.

Season 6 Podcast 17 Book of Revelation “Opening of the Seven Seals, VI, Chapter 17:7-18 “The Mystery of the Woman. Last week we studied Revelation 17:1-6, “Babylon the Great.” This week we shall continue with Revelation 17 as the angel tells John that he shall explain The Mystery of the Woman.” Revelation 17:7 “7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.” In Revelation 13 we met the two great beasts. The first beast, which dies has seven heads and ten horns. In Revelation 17 the image is expanded because riding upon the beast is “a woman 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.” The beast is also full of names of blasphemy, so it makes quite a dynamic duo, one formidable foe. The word. MYSTERY arises. A mystery is anything that is “difficult or impossible to understand.” Some synonyms for mystery are Enigma, Puzzle, Riddle, Secret, Conundrum, Paradox, Quandary, Wonder, Marvel, Miracle, Uncertainty, Obscurity, Anomaly, Phenomenon, Unknown, Cryptic, Ambiguity. The problem with the angel’s explanation is that it adds another mystery. The language is paradoxical. Revelation 17:8 “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not;” The phrase “was and is not” is actually explained in Revelation 13. Revelation 13:3 “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Apparently at least one of the seven heads dies but is brought back to life causing the world to wonder. The beast was compared to a leopard, a bear, a lion, and a dragon—the dragon, meaning Satan, gave him his power. The animal images represent earthly kingdoms who have united to destroy the Church of God. Unknowingly they are acting under the power of Satan. Like the beasts, the kingdoms are deadly predators that devour the weak. A leopard is swift, a bear is strong, and a lion is fearless, king of the jungle, the jungle being a turbulent world. The beast reigns for three and a half years. His power is vast, but his target is the saints. Revelation 13:7 “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” The world is divided into two camps: Those who follow Christ and those who follow Satan. Those who worship the beast are not found in the book of life. Revelation 17:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” It is clear then that the earth is divided between those whose names are written in the book of life and those whose names are not written in the book of life. This is the summing up. This is end-time. This is Armageddon. Everyone has chosen and it all boils down to those who chose Satan as their God and those who chose Christ as their God. The saints will prevail. Revelation 13:10 “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” We know that the dragon is the source of power of the beast. Revelation 17:8 “… and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:” It appears that those who follow the beast will go to hell where Satan dwells and will be imprisoned with him a thousand years. We know who is in the bottomless pit.