VI - THE MYSTERY REVEALED (REVELATION 17:7-8)

REVELATION 17:7-
"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."

This verse is God's assurance and promise that the mystery of Revelation 17 will be unlocked and revealed.

REVELATION 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."

There are three (3) things here that should be studied carefully:
1.) “The beast that thou sawest was" - to help us understand what beast John is referring to, let us go back to Revelation 17:3 where he saw a beast having seven heads and ten horns which without a doubt points to the United States of America, the Lamb-like beast of Revelation 13:11-12 and the Scarlet coloured beast of Revelation 17. Therefore, if this beast of Revelation 17 to whom John said was, or has existed before and was seen as having seven heads and ten horns, then and then, can we also point any beast in the past who was of the same (seven heads and ten horns) description? Yes, definitely. Prophecy gives us the undeniable fact that it was papal Rome, the seven headed and ten homed beast of Revelation 13:1-2 to which the dragon of Revelation 12:3 also having seven heads and ten horns gave his power seat and great authority.
"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 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.”
Revelation 13.1-2.

2.) “is not” - means this beast lost its power and supremacy for a period of time.
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death…”
Revelation 13:3.

"The forty and two months are the same as the "time and times and the dividing of time," three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7— the time during which the papal power was to oppress God's people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy. A.D. 538. and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, 'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity."
Great Controversy, p 439.

3.) “yet is- or shall ascend out of the bottomless pit” - means this power will receive a deadly wound (lost its power for a time) but his deadly wound will be healed.
"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."
Revelation 13.3.

How can the world wonder after this beast when its supremacy has terminated in 1798? Therefore, who fulfilled this prophecy?
"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…”
Revelation 17:8.

What kingdom or beast rose into power in 1798?
"What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America."
Great Controversy, p 440.

His coming out from the bottomless pit means that this beast power will ascend from darkness and confusion (GC 658-659) and also from the wilderness or place previously unoccupied (Revelation 17:3, GC 440).

On the other hand, why is it that when the wound of the beast (Papal Power) was healed, it was America that came into power or became the beast of Revelation 17? For the simple fact that in 1798 and onward, the United States of America was exercising all the powers of the beast in Revelation 13:1-2 (Papal Rome) and spake as a dragon. Although Rome controls, she is using the United Stales as a working front to further, advance, and re-establish her lost supremacy. In fact, in 7BC 975 it says, "Prophecy represents Protestantism as having lamblike horns, but speaking like a dragon. Already we are beginning to hear the voice of the dragon.”

"I saw that the two-horned beast had a dragon's mouth, and that his power was in his head, and that the decree would go out of his mouth. Then I saw the Mother of Harlots; that the mother was not the daughters, but separate and distinct from them. She has had her day, and it is past, and her daughters, the Protestant sects, were the next to come on the stage and act out the same mind that the mother had when she persecuted the saints. I saw that as the mother has been declining in power, the daughter had been growing, and soon they will! exercise the power once exercised by the mother.”
Spalding and Magan, p 1.
(Please see also GC 444-445, 266 & 571)

Again, In Revelation 17:8, "and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder..."
Revelation 13:3 says, "and all the world wondered after the beast". The beast of Revelation 17 is now exercising all the powers of Papal Rome. It is the controlling power of Rome or the woman in Revelation 17:1 that is behind the beast of Revelation 17. That is why in Revelation 17:3, John saw the woman sitting upon a scarlet coloured beast. In other words, it is not the beast that is controlling the woman but it is the woman (Roman Catholic Church) that is controlling the beast (United States of America). The same thing also happened during the French revolution of which Mrs. E. G White said that it was the controlling power of Rome (through the cunning and stealthy strategy of the Jesuits) that is behind all the troubles, bloodshed, wars, famines and the Reign of Terror that happened in France.

"Unhappy France reaped in blood the harvest she had sown. Terrible were the results of her submission to the controlling power of Rome. Where France, under the influence of Romanism, had set up the first stake at the opening of the Reformation, there the Revolution set up its first guillotine."
Great Controversy, p 282.

“The Jesuits alone flourished in the decaying nation, and ruled with dread¬ful tyranny over churches and schools, the prisons and the galleys."
Great Controversy, p 279.

"It was popery that had begun the work which atheism was completing. The policy of Rome had wrought out those conditions, social, political, and religious, that were hurrying France on to ruin. Writers, in referring to the horrors of the Revo¬lution, say that these excesses are to be charged upon the throne and the church. In strict justice they are to be charged upon the church. Popery had poisoned the minds of kings against the Reformation, as an enemy to the crown, an element of discord that would be fatal to the peace and harmony of the nation. It was the genius of Rome that by this means inspired the direst cruelty and the most galling oppres¬sion which proceeded from the throne.”
Great Controversy, p 276-277.

Let us not forget that Rome does not change (please see GC 581,571). Prophecy tells us that the French Revolution was just an experiment and it will be globalized and repeated literally.

"Would we know the result of making void the law of God? The experiment has been tried. Terrible were the scenes enacted in France when atheism became the controlling power.”
Great Controversy, p 584.

"The whole world will be Involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.”
Great Controversy, p 614.

"Babylon will make all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornica¬tion. Every nation will be involved.”
Selected Messages, book 3, 392.

"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, 395.

What happened in Jerusalem when the idolatrous standard of Romanism had been set up in the holy ground, signaling that the abomination of desolation was already in their midst (please see 4SOP 26-27, 42)? The question is, what was portrayed in the standard of the Romans?
"As Constantine and his soldiers approached Rome, they were about to face what is known as the Battle of Milvian Bridge. According to the custom of time, the haruspices (those who employed divination by such means as reading the en¬trails of sacrificial animals) were called to give advice. (The Bible records how the king of Babylon had followed the same practice: "For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made his arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver" - Ezekiel 21:21). In the case of Constantine, he was told that the gods would not come to his aid, that he would suffer defeat in the battle. But then in a vision or dream, as he related later, there appeared a cross to him and the words, “in this sign conquer." The next day -October 28, 312- he advance behind a standard portraying a cross. He was victorious in that battle, defeated his rival, and professed conversion."
Babylon Mystery Religion, p 47.

In January 2000, this was literally fulfilled for a cross has been planted in the Home Church Movement by the “Let There Be Light Ministries" of Robert Sessler. Please visit this website at www.lightministries.com.

“Study the 9th chapter of Ezekiel. These words will be literally fulfilled..."
Letter 106, September 26, 1909.

What agency will Satan, the United States of America and the Papacy use in achieving this end?
"Through this mammoth system of deception the prince of evil achieves his purpose of bringing dishonor to God and wretchedness to man. And as we see how he succeeds in disguising himself and accomplishing his work through the leaders of the church..."
Great Controversy, p 570.

"And now as in former ages, he (Satan) has worked through the church to further his designs."
Great Controversy, p 586.

Some people believed that the Roman Catholic Church, the United States of America and the Protestant Churches will not play, the most important role in this Great Controversy. They use SpM 1-2 to establish their erroneous understanding and what blind conclusion! Now here are some evidences from the Inspiration that the Papacy, America and the Protestant Churches will not only unite and perpetuate their supremacy, but will play the most important role as what has been portrayed in Revelation 17:3. The woman (PAPACY) sitting or riding upon a scarlet colored beast (AMERICA) will not rule through conquests and revolution to attain power but will work through the church (GC 586) and through the religious leaders (GC 570-587) to further their design.

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