X - THE MYSTERY REVEALED ( REVELATION 17:11-12)

REVELATION 17:11 -
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth... and is of the seven..."

The United States of America being the beast of Revelation 17 is the 8th and the last beast in line. He is also of the seven, in other words, one of the seven beast or kingdom that was mentioned in Daniel and Revelation. Namely: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Pagan Rome, Papal Rome, France and America the beast of Revelation 13:11,12.

REVELATION 17:11, 8-
"and goeth into perdition...and go into perdition..."

PERDITION means eternal damnation or hell. This prophecy foretells this beast as bound or doom for destruction. But in this fearful judgment he is not alone. (Please see GC 579).

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet
“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."
Revelation 16:13-14.

Who are these spirit of devils working miracles?
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon,
“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.
"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
“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."
Revelation 13:11-14.

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Revelation 19:20.

The false prophet refers to AMERICA and the beast refers to ROME (see Revelation 13:1-1-14).

“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brim¬stone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
Revelation 20:9-10.

It is not only the beast (Catholicism) and the false prophet (AMERICA) that will be destroyed or go into perdition because in 7BC 963 it says, "In the seventeenth of Revelation is foretold the destruction of all the churches who corrupt themselves by idolatrous devotion to the service of the papacy, those who have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” No wonder that the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) as one of the Protestant Denomination was also declared by Inspiration as doomed and bound for destruction.
“Of those who boast of their light and yet fail to walk in it Christ says, "But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum [Seventh-day Adventists, who have had great light], which art exalted unto heaven [in point of privilege], shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day." [THE BRACKETED COMMENTS ARE BY ELLEN WHITE.]
Review and Herald, vol 3, p 69. (Aug. 1, 1893)
(also found in LDE 48)

REVELATION 17:12 –
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet…”

Let us remember that these ten horns of Revelation 17:12 is also identical with the ten horns of Daniel 7:7, Revelation 12:3; 13:1,2 and the ten toes of Daniel 2:41. These kingdoms have attained to power by conquest and revolution. But the unerring word of God tells us that the prophecy of Daniel 2 has a dual representation.
“The image revealed to Nebuchadnezzar, while representing the deterioration of the kingdoms of the earth in power and glory, also fitly represents the deterioration of religion and morality among the people of these kingdoms.”
SDA Bible Commentary, vol 4, p 1168-1169.

Satan is now using the church (GC 586), the religious leaders (GC 570) through deceptions (Revelation 13:13-14) to further and accomplish his goal through penetration and infiltration (GC 234-235; Acts 20:29; Galatians 2:4).

“God has a controversy with the churches of today. They are fulfilling the prophecy of John. “All nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”
SDA Bible Commentary, vol 7, p 979.

Today, these 10 horns of Revelation 17:12 does not stand or correspond to a literal representation in number because God says, “all Churches or all Nations”.
These nations or churches has yet no kingdom or churches has yet no kingdom or power to legislate and enforce (GC 441-442) but it will be, when under the influence of the threefold union legislators will yield to a demand for a Sunday law (see 5T 451).

REVELATION 17:12 –
“…but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.”
They receive power one hour (wpa, hora, an indefinite space of time) with the beast. That is, they reign a length of time contemporaneously with the beast, during which time they give to it their power and strength.

“As America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.”
Testimonies, vol 6, p 18.

“Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.”
Testimonies, vol 6, p 395.

“It has been shown that the United States is the power represented by the beast with lamblike horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special acknowledgment of her supremacy. But in this homage to the papacy the United States will not be alone. The influence of Rome in the countries that once acknowledged her dominion is still far from being destroyed.”
Great Controversy, p 579.

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