Please Note: To save time and to avoid (possibly major) misunderstandings it is very important to read these chapters 1 through 9 in sequence. Thankyou.

Revelation 17 is connected with other prophecies such as Revelation Chapters 12; 13; 16, and 18. Also Daniel chapters 7; 8; 11; and 12.

As you see Revelation 17 is crucial for our understanding in our days. If we have a correct understanding of Revelation 17, then we can understand all end-time prophecies in the apocalyptic books.

The whole of Revelation chapter 17 is divided into two parts. The first part is Revelation 17:1-7. John is in vision and telling us what he sees.

The second part is Revelation 17: 8-18, in which the angel explains to John this vision.

Verse 7 says: "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."¹

So, in the first part of Rev. 17:1-7. we have a woman who is sitting on the beast.

The two key questions are:

The FIRST, who is the woman who is sitting on the beast?

The SECOND, who is the beast on which the woman is sitting?

The Spirit of Prophecy says: "The existing confusion of conflicting creeds and sects is fitly represented by the term ‘Babylon’, which prophecy (Rev.14:8; 18:2) applies to the world-loving churches of the last days."²

"Some have restricted this symbolic woman to the Roman Catholic church alone, but though Rome is obviously included here, the symbol has a much wider significance than this. ‘Babylon’ is essentially the symbol of inward character, rather than name or location. Accordingly, any religious system which subscribes to the false principles listed above -whatever its name or location - is a part of modern ‘Babylon.’"³

Revelation 16:13, says: "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." "This Trio or Trinity of religious powers together constitute the latter-day ‘Great Babylon.’"⁴

We must understand that the prophecy in Revelation 17 is written especially for the end-time in which we are living. Revelation 17 is talking about the final conflict brought about by the resurrection of papal power, combined with the power of apostate Protestantism using the power of the state for the enforcement of the papal Sunday.

When we read in Revelation 17:3: "and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast," and in verse 8 the angel explains: "The beast that thou sawest was, and is not...and yet is." "John was not shown the beast in either its "was" or its "is not", state, but in its "yet is" period with the revival of the beast when it becomes "the eighth."⁵

Revelation 17:12, 13 says: "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 have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."

Ten horns or ten kings represent the nations of the earth. They "receive power ‘one hour’ with the beast." They "have one mind." This means that they have the same purpose, goal and aim in their minds. In the very next words, prophecy says: "and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."⁶

Then the healing process will be finished, "deadly wound was (fully) healed and all the world wondered after the beast."⁷ At the same time the papacy reemerges or revives as the EIGHTH BEAST.

Also at the same time the United States of America as the seventh beast, will fall to the eighth beast which represents the revived papacy, but without war. They are still cooperating according to the last prophecy in Rev. 13:12. The second beast is like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon "and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed."⁸

But, when the deadly wound is healed and the ten kings (the whole world) "give their power and strength unto the beast,"⁹ then, the last end-time prophecy in Rev 17:3 (second part) begins to be fulfilled. This says: "and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast."¹⁰

So, if you have the woman riding on the beast, what do you have? You have uniting of church and state. In the unification, who is in control, the state or the church? All churches will be united - not only Christian churches, but other world-wide religions as well. They will be under the Pope’s leadership. All states of the world will be under the controlling power of the Papacy as well, because the prophecy says: "These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast." Rev 17:13. Ellen White also predicted this: "Under one head - the papal power - the people will unite."¹¹

Can we see anything in our day in the current activities of Pope John Paul II to support this statement?

The answer is "yes."

On November 10, 1994, Pope John Paul II issued an apostolic letter from the Vatican. This 62 page document outlines his plan. The present pope has two main objectives:

"The FIRST is UNITY - not only among all Christians, but also of the other world religions.

The SECOND is the great celebration planned for Mount Sinai, Jerusalem and Rome"¹² in the year 2000.

"Now Pope John Paul II has been working toward uniting the world by the year 2000."¹³

"God permits a worldwide religio-political union."¹⁴

The question is for HOW LONG?

The prophecy in Rev 17:12 says: "one hour". What does "one hour" mean?

"Some have taken the "one hour" of Rev 17:12, as prophetic time, according to which it would represent a period of about two weeks (15 days) of literal time. However, the context seems to imply otherwise... The obvious intent of inspiration being to indicate a brief period of time without specifying its exact length."¹⁵

This will be a brief "hour", What does this mean for us? The "brief hour" of chapter 17:12 witnesses the climax of satanic planning for the unification of the whole world through a compact between the apostate religious organizations of earth, as represented by the woman, and the political powers of earth as represented by the beast (see Rev 16:13,14; 17:3) It was apparently during this brief "hour" that John saw the "woman seated upon the beast."¹⁶

In the book, The Keys of this Blood, there are two words that describe the brief "hour" in which Pope John Paul II starts to work and when this brief "hour" will begin? It says: "Pope John Paul II is waiting for an event....it will be an event on public view in the skies, in the oceans, and on the continents of this planet...then his ministry, as a servant of the grand design will begin... this is why John Paul II is waiting. God must first intervene before John Paul’s major ministry to all men can start."¹⁷

From this we can see that "John Paul’s major ministry (the brief "hour") to all men will start," when the supernatural event occurs on public view, in the skies, in the oceans and on the continental land masses of this planet."

The Catholic church has a "prophecy" which says: "When Jesus Christ comes, then the pope will give him his tiara and throne. Jesus will give him the keys and then, Jesus will bless the pope." I believe when Satan’s counterfeit of the second coming takes place, then this Catholic ‘prophecy’ will be fulfilled and the whole world will worship Satan as Christ, and the Pope as Vicar of Christ.

We read of this in Rev 13:4, "and they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast,"¹⁸ and people who were not sure before who the papacy was, when they see the counterfeit Christ blessing the pope, then they will exclaim "who is like the beast (papacy) and who is able to make war with him."¹⁹

Then the whole world gives their power and authority to the beast "and all the world wondered after the beast." At the same time the papacy reemerges or revives as the eighth beast and the "brief hour" will start for the papacy.

Let us recapitulate what we have already learnt. When Satan counterfeits the second coming of Jesus Christ and gives the pope the keys and blesses him, then, according to the prophecy: "The nations of earth, represented by the ten horns,"²⁰ "shall give their power and strength unto the beast"²¹ (papacy).

His deadly wound will be healed and the world will wonder after the beast (papacy). The brief "hour" will begin and the eighth beast (papacy) will be revived.

The Spirit of Prophecy gives us a clue to answer the above very important question: "Fallen angels upon earth form confederations (union) with evil men. In this age (time) Antichrist (Satan) will appear as the true Christ."²² In this very important statement we clearly see that Satan will counterfeit the second coming of Jesus, when there is unity among evil men in the world.

Are we now hearing appeals for reconciliation and unity in all churches and in the whole world? Yes!

What is Pope John Paul II’s main objective now? "Now Pope John Paul II has been working toward uniting the world by the year 2000."²³ What does Ellen White have to say about it? She stated: "Under one head - the papal power - the people will unite."²⁴

The very end-time prophecy says about this: "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 have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."²⁵

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary says: "The nations of earth represented by ten horns, here purpose to unite with the beast...to unite the world under her (beast) control...." This is "the climax of Satanic planning for the unification of the world through a compact between the apostate religious organizations of earth...and the political powers of earth...."²⁶

This recommendation (appeal), to accept the pope as the leader of all churches, and later the whole world, strongly indicates the fulfillment of the last end-time prophecies - Revelation chapters 13; 16 and 17. Do you see the seriousness of the time, which shows us that we are really literally living in the last days? Praise the Lord!!!

Reconciliation and unity is the trend and spirit in the world today.

At the beginning of this book, the question was posed: what is prophecy ? The answer was, prophecy is history foretold, and history is prophecy fulfilled.

So, as history moves along, prophecy unfolds. We can make progress in prophetic understanding, because we have more and more light on prophecy. Therefore, the closer we come to fulfillment of the last prophecy, the more we will see light. What does it mean "the more we will see light"? This means we see more and more events which prepare to fulfill the last prophecy.

The most important thing is that we are able to see these preparatory events. Then we will recognize the approaching fulfillment’s of the end-time prophecy. The next chapter we will in details present the preparatory events which occur now and lead to the direct fulfillment of the last prophecies in our time.

Without doubt we are really living in the closing scenes of the world’s history.

"The end will come more quickly than men expect" (The Great Controversy, p. 631).