A STUDY OF REVELATION CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The beast had failed to destroy the true church by heathen world powers, he causes to rise among the nations a new world power, i.e., a union of church and state, "spotted like the leopard," which makes war with the saints (13:1-10). Then develops from this union a papal head (13:11-18), who assumes all power civil and religious, and from these two develop an institution-the apostate church (17:1-6). In this section come the seven plagues, or seven bowls of wrath poured on the apostate church, and the great war of Har-Magedon.

In chapter twelve we read the Pagan Roman Empire has persecuted and driven the true church into the wilderness. God had given unto her the wings of a great eagle that she went into her place. She was nourished there a thousand two hundred three-score days. "Days" in this verse are year days. A thousand two hundred threescore years was the period in which the church was in the wilderness. Now we find the counterfeit church in the wilderness. It is switched. Here is where we are coming out. The reformation of the sixteen century with it's affect on the Roman Catholic movement and everything they used to counteract the reformation, gave the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ greater opportunities to teach and to preach the gospel of the Son of God. (W. T. Russell)

As the mother of harlots, this implies there must be children. All of the Protestants of our day are organized by an individual which branched off the Catholic Church, therefore they are called daughters of the harlot. The harlot herself is none other than the Roman Catholic Church. These passages also denote the continued fall from power of this institution

1. A man assuming to be infallible. 2. A man claiming to be the head of the church when Christ is the head of the church. 3. The prayers and manipulations of the officiating priest actually creating God in changing the bread and the wine to the literal body and the literal blood of Jesus Christ. 4. To worship the wafer as it is carried along in a procession called the procession of the host. 5. Mary, the mother of Jesus is considered the fountain of all grace leaving out Jesus. Jesus Christ is not the mediator between God and man. Instead it's Mary.

The real city of Babylon was built on each side of the Euphrates River. The Euphrates River came through the center of Babylon. In the days of Cirrus, the King of Persia, and their invasion of Babylon canals were dug around Babylon on either side and diverted the waters of the Euphrates River around the city. Drying up the river so the Persians could move in and capture Babylon. This is the reason it's used as a type or symbol in the Revelation Letter as the drying up of the River Euphrates and making ready for the kings of the east. Look at the spiritual interpretation and learn that through the reformation, this Mystery Babylon, the antitype of the true City of Babylon, is now the Catholic church in the wilderness and in captivity.