The End Times as God Reveals Them Pt. 55 Revived Roman Empire and the Great Whore

Mystery of the Woman on the beast.

Revelation 17:7-8  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. 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. 

John was told more about the beast and the great whore. The woman will be carried into power by the beast that will ascend out of the bottomless pit. Thus, the power behind the mystery religion is satanic (Revelation 11:7). 

John also reminds us of the deadly wound and supernatural recovery of the beast by saying that he saw the beast, then it "was not" which refers to the fatal wound he will suffer. The beast will ascend or will come up once again which is the idea of some type of a resurrection, "he was, is not and yet is."

The emphasis in the text is centered on the past history of the Roman empire as indicated by the words "it was." Parts of the ancient Roman empire are found in bits and pieces among the nations of the European Union. 

Roman influence in Languages. 

For example, the Roman catholic Church still uses Latin in their services. Latin is known as the scholarly language and it is the fountain of all the "Romance languages" like Italian, French, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. In addition about 60% of the English vocabulary are words containing Latin roots. Binomial nomenclature used for the classification of living things uses Latin extensively.

Roman influence in Architecture

Roman engineers developed the use of arches to construct mammoth buildings like the Coliseum or the large aqueducts, including some still in use today.  The Romans developed remarkably strong cement for large scale building projects and they also developed cement that would harden underwater used in constructing ports or harbors. Scientists are still attempting to duplicate the successful formulation pioneered by the Romans. 

The Romans also developed a system of amazing well built roads with some still in use today. They also developed a system of mile markers as Roman engineering influenced America's Interstate highway system, along with roads in many European nations.

Roman influence on modern Law

The influence of Roman law on modern nations is immense. European civil law and English common law retain many principles and concepts from Roman law, especially in private law.

Roman influence on modern Agriculture

Romans excelled in agriculture tools and methods that included understanding the environment. In addition, they pioneered crop rotation, pruning, grafting, seed selection and fertilization methods.

All this to say that the Roman empire never fully died out but still lives on in ways that touch our lives everyday. Unification of the continent of Europe is viewed as a revival of the Roman empire because the idea builds on the Charlemagne's Frankish kingdom, the Holy Roman Empire (800 AD to 1806 AD) followed by Napoleon and then giving rise to the EU in 1995.   

A Revived Roman Empire

Revelation 17:9-10  And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. 10) And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.  

Now we come to a unique phrase "here is the mind which hath wisdom." John is sharing more symbolic imagery with us. Many have interpreted the seven hills as Rome being the location of the Antichrist's kingdom. Yet, this does not seem to be accurate when we consider  Old Testament prophecies that speak of Babylon being rebuilt. 

The Beast symbolizes some connection to the Roman empire but ultimately, it represents the person of the Antichrist. The text indicates identification of the seven mountains with seven kingdoms or kings.

5 Kings already ruled

When John wrote the book of Revelation as guided by God's Spirit, 5 Roman emperors had come and gone. These include Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligua, Claudius and Nero. These are the five who were fallen from power. 

The 6th King was Domitian

In John's day, Domitian was emperor so he is the king noted in the phrase "one is." He also is the one who banished John to the Isle of Patmos. This means that 6 of the 7 kings have already ruled and passed away. 

The 7th King is going to be Antichrist & revived Roman empire.

The phrase "the other is not yet come" refers to the future rise of the Antichrist or the little horn of Daniel's vision. When this king rises to power he will continue for a short time, the span of seven years that represents the great tribulation and Daniel's 70th week.

Revelation 17:11  And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. 

This text tells us that the beast or Antichrist is both the eight king and yet also of the seven kings. He "was and is not" references the deadly blow the Antichrist will receive and his being the eighth reminds us that there is going to be some sort of resurrection of this person after he has been given a mortal wound. Thus, he rises from the dead and functions as the 8th king who was first the 7th king. 

Revelation 17:12-14  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. 13) These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. 14) These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.  

The ten horns are ten kings who will rule over the Revived Roman empire and the ten regions that it will have. They will give their power and authority to the Antichrist who will establish himself as a world dictator. The woman represents to one world religion that will help the Antichrist control the world. He will share some of his glory with her and will hate the harlot. 

This world government is not going to be about bringing peace to the world, although they will use lies of false peace treaties to persuade people to join together. John tells us that the ultimate ambition will be going to war against the Lamb of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ. They will utterly fail as Revelation 19 records.

Revelation 17:15-18  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. 16) And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. 17) For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18) And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 

We read again that the whore sitting on many waters is a symbol of using religion to dominate people, multitudes, nations and languages. The angel told John that the ten kings which support the Antichrist also hate the global religion symbolized by the great whore. They will strip her of power, take away her wealth and eat her flesh before burning her with fire. 

Most likely at the midpoint of the 7 year tribulation period is when the Antichrist, supported by the 10 kings, will destroy the false religion of the whore. 

John wants us to know that all these things are going to happen according to the will of God. He will put a desire in their hearts to do all the things prophesied by John.

Thoughts to Ponder...

Terrible events will happen during the End Times. The Roman empire will be revived in some form and will support a global religion to persuade people and nations to accept the Antichrist's plans. 

We noted that the Roman empire is still touching many lives today and it is not far fetched to think of seeing it revived. Like the Caesars of old, the antichrist will be a political dictator who will also become the head of a satanic religion.

Believers should take comfort in the fact that God is in control of all End Times events. He is going to guide and influence leaders to do His will until every prophecy has been fulfilled. 

Those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior should be fearful of what is going to come. Remember, Jesus said you "must be born again." this is the good news of the gospel. God wants to save you and He did everything necessary to pay your sin debt and to grant you eternal life. Confess your sins, turn in repentance and call upon the name of the Lord today and He will save you.

Bob