Dear Fellow Christians, 

As Jesus, the Christ , breathed His last upon the cross, who would have guessed that He had won the war against Satan and all antichristian forces?    It is the purpose of the Revelation of the Lamb in the book of Revelation to show that the Lamb once slain for the sins of the world has GAINED THE VICTORY OVER THE ANTICHRISTIAN FORCES IN THE WORLD, and is now exalted  at the right hand of the Father.

Remember that, as the Apostle John sat in exile on the island of Patmos at the end of the first century, the city and empire of Rome was the center of antichristian seduction and power in the world..    Since the reign of Emperor Nero 30 years before, Rome had increased is persecution and slaughter of Christians.  All the while she boasted of her material wealth and power, and seduced the world and its rulers to accept her antichristian religion and philosophy.

Rome has ruled over the peoples of the earth like no other city in history.  In the visions of Rev. 17 and following, John would see the judgment of this world-city.  But he would also learn that before the final judgment of all antichristian seduction and power in the world, Rome would yet do much more fighting against the Church in its war against the Lamb.  Still the Lamb would gain the victory!
Already in the opening verses of chapter 17, Rome is referred to as “Babylon the Great.”   Why didn’t the Holy Spirit record the name “Rome” in Revelation instead of a code name?  Because for 200 years during the Roman persecutions of the Church, Revelation would be shared by Christians who would immediately recognize that ROME was the N.T. equivalent of O.T. Babylon in its antichristian seduction and power.

Eventually, antichristian activity in ROME would take on a “churchy” and religious nature, the city is also pictured as a woman.  Remember that in chapter 13 the true INVISIBLE Church of Christ is pictured as a woman.  So also the ANTI-church is represented in this vision by a woman.  For eventually, ROME would claim recognition as “The Church of Christ.”  
But this city, and this woman are NOT the Church or Virgin Bride” of Christ.  Far from it!  In 17:5, Rome or “Babylon the Great” is called a “vile whore, the mother of harlots!”  In v. 4 she is seen by John in great splendor.  She is clothed with purple and scarlet — the colors of royalty AND sin.   She wears many precious jewels picturing the wealth both of ancient imperial Rome and Papal Rome.   She holds a “golden cup full of abominations and filthiness,” which represents all the deceitful and wicked schemes she uses to seduce the leaders and peoples of the earth to become as materialistic and antichcristian as she is!  When John saw this woman “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, he wondered with great amazement.”
 
Now in verses 7ff., the angel reveals to John the mystery “of the woman and the beast which carries her.”  Notice that the woman and the beast are very close!   Without the BEAST the woman, or ROME, is powerless in her antichristian efforts in the world.   The BEAST with its “seven heads and the ten horns” is very similar to a previous description of Satan.  Why?  Because this BEAST gets its power from Satan.
As the woman pictures antichristian seduction, this beast which carries her so that she may perform her spiritual seductions all over the world is antichristian power.  This power from Satan existed long before there was a ROME or a papacy in Rome.  That’s why the angel says in v. 8: “This beast that you saw WAS, and is NOT, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition.”  

The antichristian power existed before the coming of Christ in all the great empires of the world.  Satan held the nations in spiritual bondage UNTIL Christ, by His life and death on the cross, broke the power of sin and death!  The Egyptians, the Greeks, the Persians, the Romans — all tried various arts, philosophies, sacrifices, wisdom, and works to find peace with God.  Every human approach to God has been tried and had failed because of man’s sin!  But when the Son of God and Man shed His holy Blood on the cross and suffered the punishment of hell for the sins of all mankind, Satan and all His antichristian forces suffered the death blow!

Because of the death and ascension of Christ to heaven, the ANTICHRISTIAN POWER, symbolized in the BEAST, was cast into the bottomless pit,” which is hell. But it shall “rise up again” before it is finally and forever destroyed in “perdition.”   The return of this antichristian beast with its power, after a period of success for the Gospel-kingdom of Christ, “causes the earth-people to “marvel,” with admiration.  They will flock to the winning side.  We see this all about us.  The world despises the invisible Church of Jesus Christ and despises the spiritual message of the Gospel.   It seeks the materialism of antichristianity.  It prides itself in its own goodness, wisdom, and strength — all of which are opposed to the Christ from heaven. The “earth-dwellers” do not see that the antichristian beast is headed for perdition.
However, before the antichristian beast-power is finally destroyed in hell it will take on a more visible identity.  It will become an institution which combines the anthichristian materialism of past kingdoms of the world with a spiritual and religious mask.

Verse 9 . . .The “seven heads” of the beast represent “seven mountains” (or hills) on which “the woman sits.”  The city of Rome has been known throughout history as the “city of seven hills.”  
 
The “seven heads” also represent “seven kings” or kingdoms, of which the Roman Empire is the greatest.  At the time of John, “five of these kingdoms have fallen.”  Which are they?  The Egyptian, the Assyrian, the Babylonian, the Persian, and the Grecian.  The one that existed in John’s day was the Roman.  But what is the seventh kingdom which the angel says “has not yet come?”  

That kingdom which had not yet come in John’s day was The Holy Roman Empire, which began with the reign of Constantine in 323 A.D.   This “state-church” empire continued “for a short time.”  But it soon changed from a “state-church” empire to a CHURCH-state empire, with the Bishop of ROME claiming more and more authority over kings and emperors, and over souls and consciences.  He began to claim that He himself was Christ’s “vicar (substitute) on earth”— the “Papa” of the “universal (or “Catholic”) Roman Church.”

You see, the antichristian power operated through the seven previous world kingdoms.  But now in a last-ditch attempt to gain the victory over the Lamb of God, the seventh kingdom BECAME THE EIGHTH KINGDOM HIMSELF!   “Like the seven” first worldly kingdoms, the papacy has and will continue to gather great material wealth for its visible glory.  UNLIKE the seven previous antichristian kingdoms, the EIGHTH poses before the world in religious and Christian robes, claiming to be bishop of Rome, the head of the Christian faith on earth, Christ’s representative, who alone possesses the power of the keys to open heaven to sinners through the forgiveness of sins!

The Roman Church calls itself “Holy Mother Church”, and she is “carried” by the Beast-power of the antichristian papacy, even as the city of Rome was identified in 17:5!  
Now the angel prophesies in vs. 15-17 that God put it into the hearts of the kings who made war with the Lamb to “hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire.”  So it happened after the papacy was established in Rome, that the city of Rome itself was repeatedly attacked, sacked and burned!    The treasures of the church of Rome have been repeatedly carried off by other rulers.  As late as 1870, and again in 1929, the Pope complained that he was made “the prisoner of the Vatican.”  
Yet the Roman Church remains as powerful and influential as ever.   Even with the current scandal involving the priests, the Roman Church will survive and prosper, because it rides the antichristian papacy-beast.  Blind leaders even of most Lutheran Churches, believe that the Church of Rome is changing direction.  They talk about its changes in the liturgy, its new emphasis on teaching the Bible, and its attempts to bring all the churches together.  But it’s NOT THE HARLOT in this vision who changes the direction of the antichristian beast!  THE POWER IS IN THE BEAST -- THE POWER IS IN THE ROMAN PAPACY.  And we shall NEVER hear from the Roman Church that she has changed her teaching regarding the infallibility of the pope!
 
We shall never hear the Roman church deny that she is the very church of Christ and that there is no salvation outside of her!  Never will the Church of Rome FREE its people from the fear that their departed loved ones may not have performed enough good works, or done enough penance to pass through the fires of purgatory and into heaven.  The majority of the people will still be told that they must purchase the good works of the dead saints from the treasure of merits held by the papacy!  Without the doubts and fears instilled in poor, guilty hearts by papal teachings, the papal treasury would be empty!

It was this concern which moved the popes before, during, and after the Reformation to make use of the world powers to put an end to the teaching of Luther.  Why?  Because Luther spread the good news that “everything necessary for the salvation of sinners was accomplished by Jesus Christ in His life and death on the cross.”   As the angel explained to John in v. 12, the “TEN HORNS” of the beast represent the kings who would receive authority to give their “kingdom” or power to the BEAST for a limited time. These “made war with the Lamb,” especially during the period from 1200 to the middle of the 1600's, at the instigation of  the Roman papacy. 
But why make war with the Lamb?  Because the bleeding, dying Christ on the cross said:  “It is finished!”  Yet the papacy and the church of Rome have continued to teach that Christ’s suffering and death -- His ONE sacrifice was not enough, and faith in Him alone is not enough!  In addition to Christ’s work, the sinner must add his own will, his own works and his own wealth!
How great and murderous is the kingdom of the antichrist until the end of time!  Who can number the multitudes that have been turned away from the completed salvation of the cross by the deceptive FAITH-WORKS system of the Anti-Church and the Antichrist!   But they will not prevent the Lamb from having His glorious kingdom!  The Lamb will overcome them, as He did in the battle against the papacy and the world powers at the time of the Reformation and after.  
THE LAMB MUST OVERCOME, for through His perfect sacrifice for our sins, God has made Him King of kings, and Lord of Lords!  — v. 14.   
Those who are with Him are called to faith by the power of His gospel of complete forgiveness — v. 14.

They are CHOSEN from eternity as the FIRSTFRUITS of God and the Lamb.  — v. 14    
AND they are faithful in placing their only hope of salvation in the “Lamb that was slain”! — v. 14
Since the victory of GOOD FRIDAY, neither Satan nor any antichristian power can demand even ONE THING MORE FROM US BEFORE GOD!   “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?  It is GOD who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?  It is Christ who died . . . !” 

Though antichristian devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us.  
We tremble not, we fear no ill — They shall not over-power us! 
This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will!  He can harm us NONE! 
He’s judged — THE DEED IS DONE!  One little word can fell Him.  
And that word is TETELESTHAI —  “It is finished!”   Amen.