Bible Discussion Thread

Rev.17.3 'The beast'

"into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns."

The scarlet of the beast is not the colour associated with liturgical vestment of a pontiff. Isaiah gives us the meaning, "though your sins be as scarlet'(Isa.1.18).The unclean spirits of the dragon makeup the sum total body from which "the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world" shape the words. They are sounds but mean something else. (Rev16.14). The Spirit gives us an additional clue by the context, 'wilderness'. The unclean spirit of the beast is content in it. "he walketh through dry places, seeking rest,"(Mt.12.43) Wilderness in spiritual terms explains Judgment is a matter of time. The vision of the Woman clothed with the Sun helps us understand the nature of wilderness. God secures the left-behind church though fallen from grace in His mercy. Israel chooses her own wilderness which is what we have here. Jerusalem is the great city under judgement so is Babylon.(Jer.50.13; Rev.11.8)) Sodom, Egypt are other names in this list. Thus in both cases the wilderness is set in context of 'a thousand two hundred and threescore days' and 'a time, and times, and half a time.'(Rev.12.6,14)

The woman having lost her standing has chosen the place herself. 'The woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus' point her more with the oppressor and the Jews confessed that they had no other king than Caesar. The time tag is another clue that the woman is the embodiment of Israel. The state (Babylon) and religion (Jerusalem) have brought up a new element just as we read here,"behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots:"(Dan.7.8) In terms of history this little horn anticipated emergence of a devilish cult in place, a whore nevertheless