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Chapter 5
A Thesis on Revelation 13:
18 and Revelation 17: 9 -11 and the True Count of the 666
Beast.
^Note; added information and updates are noted with the "carat" character ( ^ ) and have
been written or edited since the election of Benedict XVI.
By examining the
template of prophecy that was written by John the Revelator, and comparing
it to the recent historical record of the Catholic church, I see a clear
and complete alignment. I ask that all who read this document to examine
carefully all the evidence, study the book of Revelation, and watch and
pray.
October 16, 1998
marked a major milestone in the continuing developments of the Catholic
church; it was the 20th anniversary of pope John Paul II, the longest
reigning pope of the 20th century. And the more I look at how the recent
Catholic history fits the prophecy, and of what I have written, the more
certain I am that it is true. The prophecy appears just like a rubber
stamp of the Catholic church's historical record.
From my initial point
of inspiration, around 1994-95, in a flash of insight, I perceived that
the set of the numbers of the popes, when added up would total somewhere
near 666. I then examined the scriptures in regard to what is the wisdom
in the counting of the beast whose number is 666. In Rev 13: 18, it reads;
"Here is wisdom..."and again in Rev 17: 9; "And here is the mind which
hath wisdom..." Both verses are referring to the same beast.
I discerned the
approximate values by counting the numbers from what little information I
could find, though I knew it would only be an approximation. I sought then
from the internet, to see what is the official Catholic position is, in
regard to the seven mountains of Revelation 17: 9, and for the official
list of the popes and antipopes. This same list of popes has been
published in Compton's Encyclopedia, and I presume most sources have this
same list. It was after I had started gathering the list of the popes'
names that I realized that there are the same number of the names of the
popes since 1798 to the present as there are heads and mountains. From
this, I knew that if I had the exact information, it would produce the
truth. So I was not surprised to see that when I finished the mathematics,
it did.
The 666 beast is
real.
God denotes His church
as a woman and even His bride, but a corrupt church as a whore or harlot.
The great whore, Babylon, the mother of harlots, sits on many waters,
which are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
The use of the term
"mountains" to denote heads, led me to count the numbers of the names
of the whole mountain of each head. The first of the seven heads is Pope
Pius VII, following the transition that occurred in 1798 at the end of the
1260 year period allotted to the beast's rule over the kings of the earth;
the beast "that was, and is not." From 1798, the beast continues; "and yet
is," and each name used for the popes, constitutes one of the seven heads
of the beast.
While it has been
surmised by Protestants for a long time that the 666 antichrist will arise
from within the papacy, and even feared by Catholics alike, the available
knowledge of its fulfillment is limited to the end time perspective.
Neither John the Revelator nor our early church pioneers predicted the
papal line so as to know their names and their count. Only since the time
given in Revelation 17: 10 with the observer at the time of the sixth head
(1963 - 1978), do we perceive the papal line that identifies the seven heads and the
count that they represent.
^It is a prophecy that has been unfolding since it began in 140 AD.
Only after the arrival of the last mountain/head, has the prophecy been unveiled
and thus to understand the fulfillment of these previously misunderstood elements
of this prophecy.
^Many people today believe that this time is very close to the second coming of Christ.
This research points to a specific fulfillment and event that marks the identity of the
antichrist. It is happening now. It does not qualify as "time-setting" because it does not identify anything
beyond the arrival of the man whose number is 666. The Bible itself declares that this
identity will be made known when he arrives. At the next transition in the papacy, Benedict XVI
will be deposed and the antichrist set in his place. Benedict XVI is not the 666 man.
The seven heads
are seven names of the popes.
Revelation 13: 1
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and
upon his heads the name of blasphemy."
13: 2 "And the
beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet
of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him
his power, and his seat, and great authority."
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."
13: 4 "And they
worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped
the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war
with him?"
We see today, an
unprecedented worldwide admiration being given to pope John Paul II, He
also has entered into the political arena with calls for peace and
attempts to influence foreign policy. Of him the scripture says "who is
able to make war with him." His fight is being done without the
instruments of war.
13: 5 "And there
was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and
power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."
The Catholic church
held power from 538 AD to 1798 when French General Berthier took Pope Pius
VI prisoner.
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."
Only the
ecclesiastical entity of the Catholic church has enjoyed this world wide
control over the affairs of the world. During this period of power for
1260 years up to 1798, form the beast "that was" and in 1798 became the
"is not" and since, has become the "yet is."
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."
13: 18 "Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for
it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and
six."
While many have
referred to a counting of the letters of the "title" of the papacy, as
done by assigning numerical values to the letters, the Bible does not
specifically indicate that this is the correct application. It does state
that it is the number of a beast and a man. To apply it to the title of
the papacy, may be more than a coincidence, but it does not completely
fulfill the description in Scripture. Certainly, it points to the "beast"
which possesses the spirit of antichrist, but only one man will be the
Antichrist at the time appointed, not the whole system of the papacy. (The
papacy is already represented by a beast, of which, only the last head or
pope will become the one antichrist.) Pictured here is a woman, in this
case a whore, who is seated upon seven mountains.
The whore woman is the people of this papal church.
So whatever the heads as mountains are to be, this whore woman who is
found sitting on them is closely linked to them. The seven Mountains are
seven Heads on the Beast. The Beast is the papacy, and the heads of the
papacy are the popes.
Considering also that
the popes have each taken on a different name than their own, and of these
names, they have repeatedly used the same name, and have added " numbers"
to them. To myself I thought; "If the popes do not want to be associated
with the 666 beast, then why do they put numbers on their name?"
I then set out to add
up these numbers and see how many popes there are. Here are the math
figures as I have derived from the Vatican's own Official Lateran Record
taken from the New Advent Catholic Supersite on the internet; New Advent
Catholic Encyclopedia: LIST OF POPES
There are 79 different
names used by the popes.
There have been only 7
names of popes used since 1798.
The beast's number is
666, and is the number of a man.
The beast has 7 heads,
and are 7 mountains and are 7 kings.
With these 7 names or
"heads," the cumulative count comes to 665 with John Paul II.
^These same 7 names that form the count, also align with the all the required
elements of the prophecy, particularly the elements describing the seventh
king as being "not yet come" and "continue a short space." An extreme degree
of accuracy is seen through more than 23 specific prophetic elements of this
prophecy.
The table 1 below is
derived by adding up each number of their names in a "mountain" fashion.
Pope Paul for example contributes 21 to the count by adding the numbers of
all the popes named Paul; 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6. Thus the
mountain of a head consists of all the numbers of the valid popes of that
name added up. The names of the seven heads are beside their respective
number.
Table 1
1 = 1 .......1 The Antichrist 1
+2 = 3 .....2 John Paul + 3
+3 = 6
+4 = 10
+5 = 15
+6 = 21 .....6 Paul + 21
+7 = 28
+8 = 36
+9 = 45
+10 = 55
+11 = 66
+12 = 78 .....12 Pius + 78
+13 = 91 .....13 Leo + 91
+14 = 105 ....14 Benedict +105
+15 = 120
+16 = 136 ....16 Gregory +136
+17 = 153
+18 = 171
+19 = 190
+20 = 210
+21 = 231 ....21 John +231
1 + 3 + 21 + 78 + 91 + 105 + 136 + 231 = 666
The popes of these
`mountains,' throughout the papal reign are represented.
Count the numbers of all the
names of all the seven heads. That man whose number completes the count to
666 is the Antichrist. The numbers were predetermined to equal the count
of 666 at the appointed time.
The commencing of the
beast after it "was" became "is not" in 1798 after the capture of Pope Pius VI.
Holding the pope hostage, lasts only as long as the life of the pope being held
in prison. After that, the leading Cardinals elected a new pope. Napoleon, upon
hearing of the new pope dispatched another order to take pope Pius VII captive,
and he too was held in prison, to remind the Catholic church that the papacy is "dead."
He was released only after the death of Napoleon.
The rule which governs
the counting of their numbers is as follows:
The papal numbers are
corrected to reflect their respective count as though no errors were made.
Thus, antipopes are not counted nor do their numbers affect the count in
any way. If their number has been skipped, then their number is applied to
the next legitimate pope. The official papal record has failed to maintain
this rule in all instances and thus they have introduced error into the
papal record. These errors are corrected.
The count is thus
adjusted to eliminate the errors. There was no John XX in the Official
Catholic Lateran record, and John XVI and Benedict X (1058-1059) were
deposed, so the "actual" number is reduced by the same amount. This
corrects the count to the true number that was naturally done by the
following antipopes not listed in the record:
Benedict XIII
(1394-1423), Gregory VIII (1118-1121) and John XXIII (1410-1415) were
deposed and their count continues with the true Benedict XIII (1724-1730),
Gregory VIII (1187) and John XXIII (1958-1963). Gregory (1012) and John
(844) were deposed and were not even numbered, and therefore the count was
not affected by them.
A further explanation
as to the discrepancies in the numbers assigned to the name John; "It
should be observed that there is no John XX in the catalogue. This is due
to the fact that, in the `Liber Pontificalis,' two dates are given in
connection with the life of John XIV (983). This introduced confusion into
some of the papal catalogues, and a separate pope was assigned to each of
these dates. Thus three popes named John were made to appear between
Benedict VII and Gregory V. The error led the pope of the thirteenth
century who should have been called John XX to style himself John XXI
(Duchesne, "Lib. Pont." 2:17). Reference: Chronological List of Popes
Pope Benedict IX had
ascended to the papacy three times and was deposed twice. In spite of his
vile life and having been deposed, he is still listed as an official pope
and is supposed to have died penitent.
"Historians are
unanimous that the supremacy of the papacy occurred between the years 538
AD and 1798 AD. The Roman Emperor Constantine had made Roman Catholicism
the state religion circa 312 AD, and passed the first Sunday-keeping law
in 321 AD, and elevated the ecclesiastics to a sovereign role as arbiters
of disputes. By 538 AD the papacy was the only sovereign power left in the
Western Roman Empire, and historians are agreed that the Church became the
world's court. From 1929 until today, the papacy has been on its second
biblically predicted rise in the world community. Time magazine ran a
cover story detailing just how powerful and important John Paul II has
been for the demise of the communist block - he holds weekly intelligence
briefings via telephone with the US President. Not to get advice, but to
GIVE it. Not to get intelligence info --- but to GIVE IT!!" From Del
"Continuing in
Revelation, the angel begins to explain to John the woman's symbolism:
`This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on
which the woman is seated; they are also seven kings, five of whom have
fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must
remain only a little while.' (Rev. 17: 9-10)
"Fundamentalists argue
that these seven mountains must be the seven hills of ancient Rome.
However the Greek word here, horos, is almost always translated `mountain'
rather than `hill.'
"This passage gives us
a key rule of Bible interpretation which is often denied by
Fundamentalists: that a symbol does not have to refer to one and only one
thing. Here the heads refer to both seven mountains and seven kings,
meaning the symbol has multiple fulfillments. Thus there is not a
one-to-one correspondence in the Bible between symbols and their
referents. According to her, the papacy is the seven-headed beast from the
sea in Revelation 13:1-10. Accompanying this beast is a lamb-like beast."
"(Note that the Whore
also sits on many waters, which we are told are many peoples, cf. 17:15--
the context makes it clear that here her sitting on something does not
refer to a geographical location)." 1996 Catholic Answers, Inc.
Even the Catholic
theologians were duped by the notion that Rome was built on seven hills,
and are trying to use the Scripture to prove that the geographical
location of Rome is not what the Bible meant in that passage. However, neither
do they identify these in that answer, but in other locations they teach that the seven
mountains are seven kingdoms, which have been listed as;
From the Douay Rheims bible, the footnote for Rev 13:
13: 1. And I saw a beast coming up out the sea, having seven heads and ten horns:
and upon his horns, ten diadems: and upon his heads, names of blasphemy.
A beast... This first beast with seven heads and ten horns, is probably
the whole company of infidels, enemies and persecutors of the people of God,
from the beginning to the end of the world. The seven heads are seven kings, that
is, seven principal kingdoms or empires, which have exercised, or shall exercise,
tyrannical power over the people of God; of these, five were then fallen, viz.: the
Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and Grecian monarchies: one was present,
viz., the empire of Rome: and the seventh and chiefest was to come, viz., the great
Antichrist and his empire. The ten horns may be understood of ten lesser persecutors.
Revelation 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:"
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."
17: 5 "And upon
her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
In Revelation, the
Church is symbolized by a Woman. As the Apostolic faith became corrupted
through the centuries, it is then called a whore, and the mother of
harlots. But God still has a people in it and in Revelation 18, God
implores His people to come out of her. As Jesus explained in His parable;
let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest...
Rev. 17: 7 "...I
will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth
her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns."
Rev. 17: 8 "The
beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the
bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth
shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,
and yet is."
Rev. 17: 9 "And
here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains,
on which the woman sitteth."
Rev. 17: 10 "And
there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not
yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space."
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."
The Catholic church,
"sits" on the papacy, being the largest, and most global religion, fits
the specifications of the prophecy most accurately.
The woman sits on 7
mountains, (Greek = horos) Through the central
rule of the papacy, one pope-king is enabled to rule over many people in
most of the world. The Catholic Church boasts of being the largest
Christian faith, and oldest, spanning from the beginning of Christian
belief. It also bears a long history of holding corrupt doctrines.
The seven heads are identified as the seven names of the popes from 1798. Table 2,
shows the complete chronological list of popes since 1798.
Table 2
Pius VI (1775-1799)
Pius VII (1800-1823)
Leo XII (1823-1829)
Pius VIII (1829- 1830)
Gregory XVI (1831-1846)
Ven. Pius IX (1846-1878)
Leo XIII (1878-1903)
Pius X (1903-1914)
Benedict XV (1914-1922)
Pius XI (1922-1939)
Pius XII (1939- 1958)
John XXIII (1958-1963)
Paul VI (1963-1978)
John Paul I (August -September 1978)
John Paul II (1978-2004+?)
Table 3
Calculation Table of Consecutive count;
Pius VII ................ 28 ........[ 28 ]
Leo XII ...........adds 78 ......[ 106 ]
Pius VIII ..........adds 8 .......[ 114 ]
Gregory XVI ....adds 136 ....[ 250 ]
Pius IX ............adds 9 .......[ 259 ]
Leo XIII ............adds 13 .....[ 272 ]
Pius X .............adds 10 .....[ 282 ]
Benedict XV ....adds 105 ....[ 387 ]
Pius XI ........... adds 11 ......[ 398 ]
Pius XII .......... adds 12 ......[ 410 ]
John XXIII .... ..adds 231 ......[ 641 ]
Paul VI ............adds 21 ......[ 662 ]
John Paul I ....... adds 1 ......[ 663 ]
John Paul II ...... adds 2 ......[ 665 ]
An antipope, ......adds 0 ......[ 665 ]
The 8th, name of 1 adds 1 ..[ 666 ]
By counting the
numbers of each of the names of these seven heads, we arrive at the count
of the beast. Thus, when the total comes to 666, the count will have
become complete, and the man of sin revealed.
It takes us to the
conclusion that with the current pope, John Paul II, the count of the
beast stands at 665. The one introduced as the "eighth" who comes in his
own name, will be the antichrist. The Catholic Church will then be
embroiled in turmoil and many will separate from it, as the man of sin is
revealed.
Table 4
Calculation Table of cumulative count
Head .......... last.... actual... adds... totals
1 Pius.......... 12....... 12....... 78....... 78
2 Leo........... 13....... 13....... 91...... 169
3 Gregory..... 16....... 16...... 136..... 305
4 Benedict....15........ 14..... 105...... 410
5 John.......... 23....... 21..... 231...... 641
6 Paul........... 6......... 6....... 21....... 662
7 John Paul... 2......... 2........ 3........ 665
8 The Eighth.. 1......... 1........ 1....... 666
The antichrist will be
the Eighth, and uses his own name and thereby introduces the final
identifying 1 to the count making him 666, and takes the Seat of the Holy
See.
John Paul II,
stands as the seventh head.
A seventh-head
antipope would not be necessary to fulfill the prophecy. The conclusive
proof will depend on what the name is, that is given to the next pope. If
the name is new and therefore singular, then it is he who is the
Antichrist. An antipope then, would only provide an interim waiting period
before the arrival of the Antichrist. The bottom line is this; the next
pope whose number produces a count of "one" is the Antichrist.
Today's religious
groups filled with erroneous and diverse beliefs. But God calls all of
these Babylon. God's true people are identified by those who give their
homage to the institution that was made to honor the relationship between
man and God; the Sabbath day. This is independent of any denomination.
Upon the final act of
separating out of God's people from this Babylon, salvation is complete
and the wrath of judgment is poured out in the form of the seven last
plagues.
God sends us these
prophecies to reveal what is soon to transpire. Pope John Paul II is aged
and feeble. Watch the count change, note the name and follow after God's
lead.
Agreeing with the
Catholic explanation of what the seven mountains are not, we have Uriah Smith
who has arrived at the same conclusion;
"The Seven Heads. --
The seven heads are explained to be, first, seven mountains, and then
seven kings. The expression in verse 10, `and there are seven kings,'
reads in the original' `and are seven kings.' This makes the sentence
read: `The seven heads are seven mountains... and are seven kings,' thus
identifying heads, mountains, and kings." Daniel and Revelation p. 711
The "City of Seven
Hills" in Rome is often cited as the interpretation given to Revelation
17: 9, but Uriah Smith has presented clear Biblical evidence showing that
there is no validity to it, and that the mountains are distinctly symbolic.
It is written in his book "Daniel & Revelation." The
seven mountains are not the seven hills of the city of Rome, as many have
thought. In the original Greek, the text reads;
"The seven heads are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and are seven kings: five are
fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he
must continue a short space."
The mountains here
cannot be literal, because they are first called seven heads, and then as
seven kings. These mountains are
consecutive in nature as it reads; "five are fallen..."
"Babylon is not the
city of Rome. The argument relied upon to show that the city of Rome is
the Babylon of the Apocalypse runs thus: The angel told John that the
woman which he had seen was the great city which reigneth over the kings
of the earth, and that the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains
upon which the woman sits. Then, by taking the city and the mountains to
be literal, and finding Rome built upon seven hills, the application is
made at once to literal Rome.
"The principle upon
which this interpretation rests is the assumption that the explanation of
a symbol must always be literal. It falls to the ground the moment it can
be shown that symbols are sometimes explained by substituting for them
other symbols, and then explaining the latter... So in the case before us.
`The seven heads are seven mountains,' and `the woman is that great city;'
and it will not be difficult to show that the mountains and the city are
used symbolically. The reader's attention is directed to the following;
"We are informed in
Revelation 13 that one of the seven heads (is) wounded to death. This head
therefore cannot be a literal mountain, for it would be folly to speak of
wounding a mountain to death.
"Each of the seven
heads has a crown upon it. But who ever saw a literal mountain with a
crown upon it? The seven heads are evidently successive in order of time,
for we read, `Five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come.'
Revelation 17: 10. But the seven hills on which Rome is built are not
successive, and it would be absurd to apply such language to them.
"According to these
facts, a literal translation of Rev. 17: 9, 10 removes all obscurity: `The
seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and are seven
kings.' It will thus be seen that the angel represents the heads as
mountains, and then explains the mountains to be seven successive kings.
The meaning is transferred from one symbol to another, and then an
explanation is given of the second symbol.
"From the foregoing
argument, it follows that the `woman' cannot represent a literal city, for
the mountains upon which the woman sits being symbolic, a literal city
cannot sit upon symbolic mountains. Again, Rome was the seat of the dragon
of Revelation 12, and transferred it to the beast; but it would be a
singular mixture of figures to make the seat, which is sat upon by the
beast, and a woman sitting upon the beast refer to the same thing." Daniel
and Revelation pp 644 - 645
Further evidence of
identifying the whore Babylon is found in Revelation, chapters 13 and 17.
God tells His people to count the number of the beast. He elaborates more
on the nature of this beast with a description of its having seven heads,
being also seven mountains and seven kings. Narrowing the count to that of
one man, there must be established a connection between the seven heads
and the count of the 666 man. As seen in table 2, the period of the time
of this beast starts in 1798. Since that time, there have been seven
different names of the heads of the Catholic church. Add the numbers of
all the popes of these seven heads and the count stands at 665. When the
count reaches 666, that man whose count is "one" is the antichrist.
The Abomination of
Desolation has been setting up beginning from the end of the 1,290
year prophecy in Daniel 12: 11, and continuing to the end, thus the seven heads
begin in 1798, and ends with the return of the beast as the eighth
head.
In preparation for the events yet to come, the beast is increasing
in power. Pope Pius VI was the head of the beast that was wounded, and it
was pope Pius XI who was the head that was healed in 1929. The Vatican has
since received the approval of the Israeli government, in autonomy of its
religious affairs within Jerusalem, enabling for the first time the right
of the Vatican to own property within Jerusalem, and to share in managing
select Holy sites, that are so regarded by the three major faiths;
Muslims, Jews and Christians. The Accord granting this was signed on
November 10, 1997. This follows the Vatican having established diplomatic
ties with Israel on December 30, 1993.
This brings to pass
the prophecy that foretells of the rise of the Antichrist, his manner of
rise and his identity.
It is clearly evident
that the time is imminently upon us and the message of salvation needs to
go forward more urgently, to finish the harvest of souls.
In review of the
prophecies of Revelation, is written the description of the true followers
of the Church and of Jesus, and also of the false body of Christ, also
symbolized by a woman. The time spans of the prophecies reach from 457 BC
to 1844, and then following this, conditional prophecies that are not set
within specific periods of time, but await the conditional sequences of
certain events. When these things are fulfilled, they will be revealed to
the true followers of Christ. The final events largely surround the
world's largest ecclesiastical body; the Catholic Church. Even while God
denounces this system, identifying it precisely and calling it Babylon, He
still recognizes that amidst the followers of this false system of
worship, there are still many who truly belong to Him, and just before He
pours out His wrath on the world, He calls His people out of her.
...Other sheep have I,
not of this fold... God has His people scattered among all the various
denominations, including the Catholic faith. And in the final throes of
this world, before God sends His judgments to destroy it, He first
implores His people to come out of her.
My sheep hear my
voice... When God calls His own, He empowers them to understand. He will
send home His message, and He will expose the `man of sin,' and the
corruptions within the churches so His people can see and depart, and not
be partakers of the 7 last plagues soon to be poured out. Many people fear
the inevitable battle of Armageddon, however, seeing it is the seventh and
last plague, the destiny of each soul will have already been determined.
With a true saving faith, the people of God will not be disturbed at the
judgments that fall on the beast and her adherents; they will remain
steadfast while those around them are slain by them, and by the Second
Coming of Christ.
17: 12 "And the
ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom
as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast."
These ten kingdoms are
for the purpose of first, to enforce by civil power, the dictates of the
antichrist, then when it is apparent that the judgment of God is upon
them, they turn on the papal beast to destroy it. Therefore, since none of
these ten kingdoms have been enlisted yet to enforce the papal decrees,
then we cannot yet know who these ten are until the time appointed.
Rev. 17: 13
"These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the
beast."
Rev. 17: 14
"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for
he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are
called, and chosen, and faithful."
Rev. 17: 15 "And
he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth,
are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues."
Rev. 17: 16 "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."
Rev. 17: 17 "For
God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give
their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled."
From the New Commentary on Revelation, from Andrews University
Comments on Vol 7
of the Daniel & Revelation Committee Series; Symposium on Revelation -
Book 2, Frank B Holbrook, Editor. Kenneth Strand wrote the chapter on the
Seven Heads.
This book does not
exclude that which I have found. The content of the chapter on the 7
mountains consists almost entirely of debunking the preterists view; that
the 7 mountains are the emperors of Rome, and has no definitive conclusion
at all to say exactly what the 7 mountains or the seven heads are, except
that the sea-beast and its heads and horns are all future to John.
The conclusion of the
1996 Symposium on Revelation, is that there is no defined interpretation
on the seven mountains of Revelation 17: 9.
As preterists have defined them, they are the Roman Emperors;
1. Augustus
2. Tiberias
3. Caligula
4. Claudius
5. Nero
6. Domitian
7. Antichrist
8 (missing in this interpretation)
The problem with this interpretation is that it must ignore the 5 other valid emperors;
1. Augustus
2. Tiberias
3. Caligula
4. Claudius
5. Nero
6. Galba
7. Otho
8. Vitellius
9. Vespatian
10. Titus
11. Domitian
12. Antichrist
Did anyone note here that Nero is listed as number five and not the eighth
in order to be the one that is counted as the 666 man? Yet they count the
letters of this name up to be the antichrist. Another observation is that the
antichrist is listed as the seventh, and they have no eighth head as the Scripture
reads.
In another commentary these mountains are defined as the seven great world kingdoms;
1 Babylon,
2 Persia,
3 Grecia,
4 Pagan Rome,
5 Papal Rome,
6 Republicanism or Democracy,
7 The Last Great Confederacy of Evil.
8 (missing in this interpretation)
Another commentary lists;
1 Egypt
2 Assyria
3 Babylon
4 Persia
5 Grecia
6 Rome
7 Antichrist
8 (missing in this interpretation)
Again, there are many
other great world kingdoms that are not included in the list, and the
problem applying the seven mountains to mean the ancient kingdoms, puts
the first five or six of these world kingdoms prior to 1798, when Pius VI
was taken captive (it even places them prior to John). The problem in this
interpretation is that the woman depicted here is the whore, and not the
true bride of Christ, and the tenure of the whore is at its earliest 1798,
where she is first portrayed, to the time of perdition, which is still in
the future. Further interpretive problems arise in trying to apply these
ancient kingdoms to also being "kings."
The argument put forth
then is that Satan is governing these world powers in antagonistic war
against God's people. Yet, the confusion lies in the application of
antagonism between Satan and God's people being depicted in the image that
this beast should convey. But it does not. The picture clearly is not the
"woman of the true church of God" sitting upon seven mountains, but of the
"whore."
"The problem lies in
the foundational center of the preterist stance, and therefore, is one
that afflicts all preterist interpretations in spite of any and all
idiosyncrasies that may exist among individual writers. That "root
problem" is the perspective that limits the scope of Revelation's message
to John's own era. The Biblical evidence reveals, as we have seen, that
the leopard-bodied sea beast, its seven heads, and its ten horns relate to
things that were still future for John." Symposium on Revelation, book 2
pg 205.
This excludes then the
application of the seven mountains to any kingdom that precedes 95 AD.
Since the word
"mountains" is obviously symbolic in (Rev) 17: 9, proper principles of
interpretation would require that we look for the scriptural usage of the
term "mountain" in cases where the term is employed as a symbol. When we
do so, we never find "mountain" used to symbolize an individual monarch or
ruler." Symposium on Revelation, book 2 pg 186**
"This biblical usage
of "mountain" as a symbol should lead us to look for a similar identity of
the seven heads in Revelation, since they are called "mountains." The
second identifying term in (Rev) 17: 9-10, namely, "kings," can be
understood in the same way, as "rulerships," "kingdoms," or "empires."
Symposium on Revelation, book 2 pg 186, 187.
The interpretation
given to the beast is that of a specific identity; the papacy. This is in
agreement with the Symposium on Revelation (book 2). Therefore it is in
the papacy where we are to look for the seven `heads / mountains /
kings.'"
Given that the beast
that was and is not and yet is, as meaning that the 1260 year period of
papal supremacy, was terminated in 1798, and is now in the period of being
"is not," and after John Paul, will become the "yet is".
The beast is described
in Rev 13: 1 "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out
of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy."
And in 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."
Some try to add to it;
saying that there is some relevance to the time that the prophecy was
given to John, based on the present tense of the words "and one is,"
claiming that the time that the five fallen kingdoms had fallen before the
prophecy was uttered to John. This interpretation ignores the fact that
the seven heads are the heads of the beast, and they try to place them
outside of and beyond that of the time of beast that is symbolized here.
Some of the prophecies
that were given to Daniel and John, refer to time periods spanning from
their inception when they were given. But most that he wrote refers
specifically to the end; the focus being set within the lifetime of those
living in the end. So it does not make any sense to apply it to any other
period; the context of the seven heads (mountains) is from 1798 to the present, so
any rulers, or kingdoms outside of this period are irrelevant. The whore
as it appears in Rev 17: 9 - 11 is depicted by the contemporaneous
presence of the two-horned beast. This is all set within the final end
period. Therefore, for this whore woman to sit upon seven mountains, and
to be the worship target of the two-horned beast, it must be that these
heads (mountains) are contemporary, and in the same period of time as the
two-horned beast. Besides the writing of the book of Revelation, none of
these events depicted have any relevance to John himself, nor any other
purpose than to be the truth for the people of God at the time of the end.
^Since the first and second century Christians are not able to witness any of these
last day events, it is understood that it does not benefit them beyond the promise
that a final victory will be won by God. The last-day prophecies are written
for the people of the last generation who will experience them.
Rev 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."
Does the papal church
have "heads?"
Yes, the popes are
called the heads of the church.
Are there "seven" of
them?
Yes; Pius, Leo,
Gregory, Benedict, John, Paul, and John Paul.
Are these "heads"
represented also as mountains?
Yes, they are listed
under their adopted names and numbered just as it is done in a monarchy.
Did any of these heads
receive a deadly wound, and was this deadly wound healed?
Yes, Pius VI This also
lends to defining what the heads of this beast are; Papal.
13: 12 "And he (the two-horned
beast) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth
the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose
deadly wound was healed."
Another specific
statement given in Revelation 17: 5; "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." The harlots are the
various Protestant churches, each claiming to be Christ's true bride, but
instead bear the image of their mother church; in the keeping of its false
first day Sabbath.
The papal whore woman
never sat upon the ancient kingdom of Babylon, Medo-Persia, or Greece. It
would be unnatural to have the whore, also called BABYLON THE GREAT, to
also be sitting upon Babylon. Or if one of its heads were to be
represented as Papal Rome, then this whore which is interpreted as the
papal church, again would be sitting upon itself.
If one were to ascribe
one of these heads as being the papacy, then they would first have to
divest the beast from also representing the papacy, and assign the
interpretation of the beast to be something else. Yet I have not seen
anyone identify the beast as being anything else than the papacy, and
demonstrate it as having seven heads.
The various
characteristics given, are to describe the appearance or structure of the
power that is symbolized.
The great whore,
Babylon, the mother of harlots, and sits on many waters, which are
peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. The argument then that
interprets these seven kingdoms as being of the ancient kingdoms, relies
on the premise that the (whore) woman is represented to be the people of
God, being persecuted by these various world powers. However, this is not
the case; True, God's people throughout the ages, have suffered
persecution by the world's governments, but that scenario is not depicted
here. The whore woman "SITS" upon these seven mountains.
Their argument falls
short in two ways; first, the woman's sitting upon the seven mountains
does not in any way connote antagonism between herself and them, rather,
it connotes an agreement. There is no hint of any antagonistic
relationship between the whore and the mountains. It is only at the end
that the ten horns turn on the whore. Prior to that, they are in agreement
to give their power to the beast. And second, the woman described here is
not the Bride of Christ, but the whore, and in no wise does this whore,
reside upon ancient kingdoms, while assuming the identity of the
persecuted Bride. The application then of interpreting these mountains
must be applied to the correct period of time; to the papacy after 1798.
Rightly did Daniel say
"To us belongs confusion of faces." (Dan 9) As we approach the end, all of
God's people will come into unity as the call goes out for God's people to
come out of Babylon. Heretofore, God's people are among all of the
multitude of Christian faiths, but as the purifying truths of the Third
Angel's Message prepare those for the time of the end, they will have set
aside all their differences and will be keeping a unified faith, being
unified with each other as they are all in unity with their relationship
to Christ.
"Our sins are
continually before us and we have not been as vigilant in our walk in
Righteousness as we ought to have been. There is a way of victory and a
way of overcoming, that the final work of God may be done and effectual."
"In (Revelation)
chapter 13 (verses 1-10) is described another beast, `like unto a
leopard,' to which the dragon gave `his power, and his seat, and great
authority.' This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the
papacy, which succeeded to the power and seat and authority once held by
the ancient Roman empire. Of the leopardlike beast it is declared: `There
was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies... And he
opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 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.' This prophecy, which is
nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7,
unquestionably points to the papacy." Great Controversy pg 439
Revelation 13: 12
"And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed.
13: 13 "And he doeth great
wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the
sight of men,"
13: 14 "And deceiveth
them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do
in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that
they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword,
and did live."
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 scarlet colored
beast is the same seven headed, ten horned beast that lived after it was
wounded in 1798.
Christ has symbolized
the true church as a woman and His Bride. But that which constitutes His
true people, are taken from all the various churches. In Revelation, God
symbolizes all these diverse and corrupt churches as harlots of their
mother the whore. The whore woman riding on the beast of Revelation 17 is
the symbol for the people of the Catholic Church. The beast is the Papacy,
and the harlots are the many Protestant faiths, that share in the false
doctrines of the mother church. While many descriptors are written in the
prophecies that identify the Catholic faith, very few realize that the
symbol is more encompassing, to include the many Protestant faiths. In
Revelation 18, God implores; "come out of her, My people."
This topic is more
pressing now, because of the time at hand. The verses in chapter 17
further clarify the specific conditions of the prophecy. Once all these
are converged, the whole picture becomes more clear.
June 27, 1850.
"My
accompanying angel said, 'Time is almost finished. Get ready, get ready,
get ready.' " A little further on she says: "Some of us have had time to
get the truth, and to advance step by step, and every step we have taken
has given us strength to take the next. But now time is almost finished. .
. and what we have been years learning, they will have to learn in a few
months" (Early Writings, pp.64-67).
The conclusion is
this; Pope John Paul II is old and feeble. We are near the end of the
short space. The Bible and recent history presents clear evidence that the
Second Coming is almost here.
Original thesis written 1997 |
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Let him that hath understanding count the number