Did you watch the final class of Living in the Last Days: A Course on the End Times? Watch the full lesson and review the notes below!

Make sure you have your FREE worksheets or the EXPANDED workbook (with printed notes) to dig in! Let’s get more understanding of the Word today!

Two Comings of the Lord

• 2 Thes. 2:1-3 – “1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”
  • v. 1 gather – key 
  • Two things happening or spoken of here
    • 1 – Christ gathering His people unto Him 
    • 2 – The Second Coming
  • Falling away has to happen before the son of man is revealed, the son of perdition (v. 3-4)
• 2 Thes. 2:5-7 –  “5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.”
  • Paul said when he was with them he told them “these things” (v. 5)
    • What things? About the man of sin, the antichrist, who sits in the temple of God shewing himself he is God (v. 3-4) 
  • The man of sin can’t be revealed yet
    • v. 7 letteth – prevent 
    • Man of sin (v. 3) described as “that Wicked” (v. 8) – he can’t be revealed “until he be taken out of the way” (v. 7) 
  • Parallel passage — James 5:6-7 – “6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. 7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.”
    • “Until he receive the early and latter rain” – he is the precious fruit
      • The early rain made it take root 
      • The latter rain came to cause the fruit to grow to its full potential 
    • Then the husbandman, the vineyard planter, picks it once it’s ready 
    • Precious fruit – the ones who will be raptured 
    • There is a coming of the Lord where the Lord picks, takes the fruit – the rapture
      • Paul, Peter, James expected that could happen at any time
      • Just based on when the fruit is ready for the Lord to pick it, then He will come and pick it 
  • James 5:7 refers to those who will be raptured as “he” just as 2 Thes. 2:7 does
    • He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way – he is preventing the Lord from coming, and the antichrist from being revealed
• 2 Thes. 2:8 –  “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
  • The Lord will consume the Wicked with the spirit of his mouth 3.5 years after he is revealed
  • In this passage there is more than one coming
    • One coming happens after the Wicked one is revealed — the coming of the LORD to earth when we return with Him 
    • One coming has to happen before he is revealed — the coming of the LORD in the rapture to take us (James 5:7; 2 Thes. 2:7)
      • The Wicked one is prevented from being revealed (until we’re taken out of the way) 

The Antichrist

• 2 Thes. 2 – the 1,118th chapter in the Bible
  • Numbers can be memory aids 
  • 1,118 is important because 1,118 is the Hebrew value of Deut. 6:4
    •  v. 4 – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” 
    • The greatest commandment (Mat. 22:36-38; Mark 12:28-31)
• 2 Thess. 2:4 – the 29,666th verse in the Bible
  • They drop thousands so they’d look at this as verse #666
• In this chapter, the antichrist, instead of recognizing the one God, tries to make himself God
  • Instead of “the mystery of godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16), we see in 2 Thes. 2:7 “the mystery of iniquity” 
  • Everything that Jesus does, this fake, phony Christ, the antichrist tries to replicate and duplicate 
  • He deceives folks into thinking he’s God and he even deceives himself
    • He’s really going to believe he’s God 
  • Many people will fall away, and that is happening now
• 2 Thes. 2:8 happens in Rev. 19
  • In one of Jesus’ comings, He uses the spirit of His mouth (2 Thes. 2:8), the sword of the spirit (Rev. 19:15, 21), the Word that comes out of Him to consume him 
  • In the next chapter, He used fire to devour those who warred against Him (Rev. 20:8-9) 
• 2 Thes. 2:9-10 – “9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
  • Key phrase – lying wonders
    • In Revelation, you find out the people who believe his miracles are deceived (Rev. 13:14; 19:20)
    • He’s a trickster 
  • The ones who will be deceived are the ones who are in unrighteousness (v. 10) 
  • Perishing (v. 10) is different than dying 
    • Jesus told some of His disciples that people will kill them, but not an hair on their heads will perish (Luke 21:16-18) 
    • The folks who follow the wicked person, the antichrist, they will not just die, but when they die they will also perish 

The Love of the Truth

• The ones Paul is writing to, he’s saying to them, it won’t just be people who were never preached to, nor will it be ones who don’t know the truth that go to hell 
• The ones who also get tricked, duped, deceived by the antichrist will be those who perish because “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved”
  • It’s one thing to hear truth; it’s another thing to fall in love with truth 
  • The ones who don’t love truth won’t be saved 
• Some people will fight you because they don’t see it that way, even though they understand it 
• There will be people who will take the mark of the beast, not because they didn’t hear the Word, but because when they heard it, they didn’t fall in love with it 
• 2 Thes. 2:9-10 love in “love of truth” – agapēn
  • Root word – agapē (S:26)
    • Agapē love is not just a superficial love, like Eros
      • Eros – sexual attraction 
      • Storge – familial love
        • Ex. Love for a child one is carrying that a mother hasn’t met yet
      • Phileō – reciprocal love, friendship
      • Agapē – kind of love where it doesn’t matter what happens or what a person does to you; you love them just the same
        • The giver of the love gives that love, and there is nothing the recipient has to do to earn that love 
  • Relative to loving the Word, it doesn’t matter if you “like” what it says or not, or if it’s something you wanted to hear 
    • Often times the Word will come down your street
      • You want God to say one thing, and His Word says something opposite
    • When you love the Word, you love it no matter if you are agreeable to it in your flesh or not
      • Ex. Jesus in the garden said, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matt. 26:38-45; Luke 22:40-43)
        • In His body, the Son of God in the flesh, didn’t want to go through this but it was already written so He loved the Word so much that it didn’t matter if the Word contradicted His will
      • My will will line up with His Word because I love His Word more than I love what I want to do in life 
• 2 Thes. 2:10 “they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved”
  • It doesn’t matter if the truth hurts you, or does surgery on your heart or in your mind; you have to fall in love with what the Word of God says if you want to be saved 
  • The Word of God will sometimes find that one area that is keeping you from being saved, the one thing you really want in life, and say no 

Strong Delusions — Deceived

• 2 Thes. 2:11-12 – “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
  • God is participating in folks being deceived
    • If you don’t love His Word that you’ve heard and that He sent, and you don’t want to accept it, He’ll send a delusion so you won’t even believe His Word but believe something totally contradictory to His Word 
  • People end up so far off because they rejected the Word of God, didn’t fall in love with it, and didn’t like what it was saying to them, and so they end up further and further off 
    • Ex. Marriage
      • Mat. 5:32-33; 19:9; Mark 10:10-12; Luke 16:17-18 – Jesus tells you how permanent marriage is
        • Mat. 5:32-33 – If a husband puts away his wife (kicks her out) except for the cause of fornication, and she marries another, he causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her (the divorced woman) committeth adultery 
        • Mat. 19:9 – If a husband puts away his wife, and he marries another, he commits adultery; she marries somebody and whoever she marries, he’s committing adultery as long as they’re in the relationship 
      • In marriage counseling, people understand that clearly until they have a problem
        • Then people start pushing away the Word because now they don’t love the Word they’ve heard and marry another and claim God says it’s okay or find a pastor who says it’s okay 
  • The reason why they have been deceived is because they didn’t fall in love with the Word (v. 10) so God sends them strong delusion that they should believe a lie (v. 11): “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (v. 12)
    • This is God’s posture on those who don’t believe and love what was preached — He sends them strong delusion so they can be damned 
• This is talking about those who will follow the antichrist
  • People say they’d never follow him, but if you don’t love the truth, God will send delusions to deceive you 
  • You can’t pick and choose what you’re going to love concerning God’s Word, God’s truth, and God’s assignment for you

Loveth and Maketh a Lie

• Rev. 22:13-15 – “13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.”
  • v. 15 the all-inclusive “whosoever” only used for the last group – whosoever loveth and maketh a lie
    • There are whoremongers He’ll save from whoremonging, and murderers He’ll save from murdering 
    • The ones who don’t fall in love with the truth of the God’s Word, HE will work to deceive you 
  • Loveth in “loveth and maketh a lie” (v. 15) is NOT from agapē
    • Agapē – the highest level of love, used on a God level
      • Ex. Christ loving the church (Eph. 5:25), God so loving the World (John 3:16)
    • Who will be lost? Whosoever loveth [Phileō] and maketh a lie
      • This love (S:5368) has an attachment for something and makes a lie
      • They come up with their own ideology instead of loving God’s truth, loving God’s Word with Agapē love that says even if it hurts, I love His Word so much I’ll do it 
  • Blessed are the ones that keep his commandments (v. 14) but the ones that will go to hell are those who love [Phileō], have an attachment to something, and make a lie and say it’s okay to do something, even though God’s Word contradicts it 

Love God More

• 2 Thes. 2:12 is talking about those who, when the truth was preached, they did not receive the love of truth that they might be saved (2 Thes. 2:10)
  • So many times there is a wrestling match internally in us
    • You can’t love two masters (Mat. 6:24; Luke 16:13) 
    • If you love Him, keep His commandments (John 14:15)
    • We have to choose: Do we love God’s Word (Agapē) more than we love the things of the world?
• This is what Jesus asked Peter in John 21:15-17
  • Jesus called Peter, Simon son of Jonas
    • When God called Jonah to preach, he went the other way – had a different priority at first
  • Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” (John 21:15)
    • Not about if you love Him, but do you love Him MORE than these? 
    • Jesus told him if he did, feed His lambs, feed His sheep 
    • The last time Jesus used a different word for love 
  • You can’t love God and love the thing He called you from doing
    • When He called you, He will not compete in ministry with what you used to do 
    • Peter – Jesus called from fishing, and told him to follow Him and He’d make him a fisher of men (Mat. 4:18-20; Mark 1:16-18)
    • In John 21, He’s fishing for fish again (naked), so Jesus asked him if he loved Him and what He called him to do more than that natural assignment  
• Some people when they hear truth, rather than following it, and loving it even when it hurts, they decide to discard it
  • When they discard it, God sends them strong delusions, even on other things, so “they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thes. 2:10-12)
  • They had pleasure in unrighteousness (v. 12)
    • The pleasures of sin are for a season (Heb. 11:25) – they are pleasurable
    • People try to justify doing wrong
      • David killed the man who said when Saul fell on his sword, he helped him die quicker (2 Sam. 1:6-16) – David’s posture was, how dare you participate in murdering Saul even though he was dying?
      • Abortion – Gen. 16:11 child in womb
    • 1 Cor. 6:9-11
• Reprobates do the same
  • Rom. 1:21- “21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
    • Noah’s day – “…every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5)
    • In Rom. 1:21, they actually knew God while in 2 Thes. 2 they are preaching to them to get them saved
    • They knew God but didn’t glorify Him as God and weren’t thankful
      • Thankful – full of thanks 
      • 2 Thes. 2:13 – “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you…”
        • To the church of Thessalonica, he was saying this is not supposed to you
      • Association between thankfulness to God and consistency with God, permanency with God 
      • When people are unthankful (2 Tim. 3:2) it becomes about them and they think they deserve something 
  • Rom. 1:28 – “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;”
    • Not even that they did not retain God in their knowledge, but did not LIKE to retain God in their knowledge — they didn’t like thinking about that, God getting in their conscience and messing them up like this to not do something (pleasures of sin, of the world) 
    • God gave them over to a reprobate mind, and do things that are not convenient
      • Ex. God made it convenient for a man and women to come together 
    • Reprobate – a mind that is void of judgment, makes wrong decisions because they’re not based on the Word
  • Rom. 1:29 – “Being filled with all unrighteousness…”
    • The word “unrighteousness” is seen in almost all instances where man goes their own way 
    • Instead of loving God’s Word, liking to retain God in their knowledge, loving God, they love something else and make a lie
    • They end up with a reprobate mind
    • God turns them over to strong delusions 

The Mark (Old Testament)

• Ezek. 9:3-6 – “3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; 4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.”
  • Rev. 13:17-18 is not the first time we see a mark in scripture 
  • In Ezek. 9, there is an angel of God who goes throughout the city
    • v. 3 a writer with an inkhorn by his side
      • Inkhorn – box to carry pens 
  • God sends an angel, and he tells him to go out with a pen, put a mark on the ones who are doing and living right (v. 4)
  • Anybody that doesn’t have the mark when the next one comes through, he wants them to smite them and not spare anybody (v. 5-6)
    • If they didn’t have God’s mark, they were to be killed – old, young, maids, children
    • They were to start at the sanctuary
      • Some things begin at the house of God (ex. 1 Pet. 4:17)
    • They started with the old folks, the ones who were supposed to know better 
  • The mark in v. 4 is taw תָּ֜ו – the letter Tau ת spelled out (S:8420)
    • Tau ת (the mark) – a picture of a cross (like our letter t) 
    • Everybody that has a cross on their foreheads was saved alive 
    • They started at the church, and if they didn’t have the cross, they weren’t saved 
• In the book of Revelation, you have several marks – a mark that saved folks received, a mark that unsaved folks received 
• Cain received a mark so that he wouldn’t die and wouldn’t be killed (Gen. 4:15)
  • His mark was Aleph א – Tau ת on his head – א֔וֹת
    • The first and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, like us putting A and Z, or Alpha and Omega on us 
  • God set a mark on him
    • Set is from the Hebrew word way·yā·śem וַיָּ֨שֶׂם
      • Yod י – a picture of a hand 
      • The last two letters spell Shem שם, the Hebrew word for name 
    • Set speaks of taking His hand and putting a name on one
    • The name, mark, He put on Cain was Aleph א – Tau ת, Alpha and Omega

The Mark of the Beast

• Multiple scriptures talk about the mark – Rev. 13:16-17; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4
• In Rev. 13, you have the second beast who has an image made of the first beast
  • The first beast is described in Rev. 13:1-2
    • Like a leopard 
    • Feet like a bear 
    • Mouth like a lion
    • Rises up out of the sea 
    • Seven heads and ten horns 
    • The dragon gave him his power
  • Rev. 13:3-4 – “3 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. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast…” 
  • The first beast is given power to speak (v. 5), and then a second beast rises up (v. 11) and makes “an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword and did live” (v. 14) 
  • The second beast does great wonders, calls fire down from heaven in the sight of men (v. 13), and has “power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (v. 15)
    • There’s going to be an image the second beast makes of the first beast 
• Rev. 13:16-17 – “16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”
  • It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how rich you are – rich and poor, slaves and free folks, the second beast causes to receive a mark in their right hand or foreheads in order to buy and sell 
  • v. 17 save – except 
  • “A mark” in the right hand or forehead (v. 16) is one of three things (v. 17):
    • The mark of the beast 
    • The name of the beast 
    • The number of his name – 666
  • v. 16 ends with a colon because v. 17 explains the mark 

The Number of a Name: 666

• Rev. 13:18 – “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”
  • Ex. Tim = 42
    • T = 20th letter (20)
    • I = 9th letter (9)
    • M = 13th letter (13) 
    • 20+9+13 = 42
  • This verse speaks of adding up the number of the name
    • Take the letters and use them as numbers
  • The most ancient use of Gematria took consecutive letters
    • Ex. Hebrew — 1st letter Aleph א was 1, 2nd letter Beth ב was 2, 3rd letter Gimel ג was 3… 22nd letter was 22 Tau ת
    • Then, they took the number of the letters in the spelling of a word, and that becomes the number of the name
  • Later they came up with another system
    • Ex. Once you get to Tet ט the 9th letter, and Yod י the 10th letter, then the value of the next letters are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 then it goes 200, 300, 400 
• If you take the mark, you’ll be lost; if you don’t take the mark (and keep His commandments), you’ll be saved (cp. Rev. 14:9-12) 
• During the time of John’s writing this passage, they said the only kingdom on earth that added up to 666 was the Latin Kingdom
  • Greek spelling of The Roman Empire, The Latin Kingdom η λατινη βασιλεια = 666.
    • η = 8 
    • λατινη = 30+1+300+10+50+8 = 399
    • βασιλεια = 2+1+200+10+30+5+10+1 = 259
    • 8+399+259 = 666
  • The king of the Latin kingdom was Nero Caesar (Greek) νρων καισαρ = 1332 = 666+666
    • νρων = 50+100+800+50 = 1000 
    • καισαρ = 20+1+10+200+1+100 = 332 
    • 1000+332 = 1332
  • Greek spelling of the Roman people, Lateinos λατεινος = 666
    • λατεινος = 30+1+300+5+10+50+70+200=666
    • Note: Lateinos λατεινος is how Irenaeus spelled it in the 2nd century. Others spelled it without Epsilon ε; therefore, λατινος. The Empire or Kingdom is consistently spelled as above.
• John writes about them being able to count the number of a name
  • The number of the great whore – the Roman people, their king, and kingdom – all equal 666
  • The Great Whore (Rev. 17:1-4), Mystery Babylon The Mother of Harlots (17:5), That Great City that reigns over the kings of the earth (17:18) – referring to what was known as The Latin Kingdom η λατινη βασιλεια, i.e. now known as The Roman Empire, i.e. Rome.
• We use 666 everyday but not as the mark in our right hand or forehead
• Other 666 Numbers –
  • Ecc. 1:3 Profit yitron יתרון
    • Unfortunately prophets are more about profit, and fishers of men are after gold
  • Acts 19:25 Wealth euporia ευπορια

Don’t Take The Mark

• Rev. 14:9-11 – “9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
  • The antichrist has a beast, but God has a lamb 
  • The unholy trinity – Satan, the beast, and the antichrist – play three different roles, while God said, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:” (Deut. 6:4) and Jesus does it all (Col. 2:8-9)
  • v. 11 whosoever (all-inclusive) takes the mark of his name (or his mark, or the number of his name) will be lost eternally 
  • The ones who don’t take the mark in this time (and follow the commandments) are saved 
• Rev. 16:1-2 – “…2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”
  • He’s going to punish them, and eventually they’ll go to hell 
• Everything that is going on now is relative to the last days 
  • It’s building up to it — numbing us to accept stuff 
  • Ex. www is English — if you translate it into Hebrew (the original tongue), it is ווו
    • The letter W is the Hebrew Vau ו, their number 6; thus www is 666 
    • When you type www, in Hebrew you’re typing 666 
  • Ex. Barcodes – 6
  • Things are already working towards that end — it’s already set up 
  • Ex. Implanting of chips into hands
  • Ex. Cashless society
    • Mark will be needed to buy and sell (Rev. 13:16-17)
    • It has been planned for years to eliminate cash 
    • It will be easier to not use cash – convenient for the devil’s system that he’ll use to move right into play 
  • Ex. COVID – there is a bigger picture
    • The devil is trying to use this as an opportunity

The Beast & The Antichrist 

• Everything that God does, this antichrist is trying to copy it to the point that he’ll believe he’s God, Christ, all of it
  • Satan vs. God 
  • Beast vs. Lamb
  • Antichrist vs. Christ 
  • They make an image but Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15)
• The Beast
  • The first one rises out of the sea (Rev. 13:1-2)
  • He is referred to as the beast of the bottomless pit (Rev. 17:8)
    • His name is Abaddon in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek (Rev. 9:11) 
  • He rises after the abomination of desolation starts
    • 42 months (Rev. 13:5)
  • He makes war with the saints (Rev. 13:7)
    • Rev. 13:8 – “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
      • Those whose names are not written in the book of life will go to hell 
      • Those whose names ARE written in the book of life, some will be killed, and you’ll see them resurrect later in Revelation 
      • Others will flee on eagles’ wings and be spared (Rev 12:6, 14)
      • People during this time will be saved 
• The Antichrist
  • He is a man (2 Thes. 2:3) that will be preaching and teaching 
  • He will form a union with the beast (Rev. 19:20)
  • He will be used by the devil (2 Thes. 2:9)

The Woman & The Beast

• Rev. 17:1, 3-4 – “1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: … 3 So he carried me away in the spirit 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. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:”
  • Keep reading in Revelation
    • If you see a symbol and you’re unsure if it’s used parabolically or figuratively, write it down and read every verse in Revelation about it because He’ll identify for you what things mean 
  • v. 3 the woman sat on a scarlet colored beast with seven heads and ten horns
    • Seven heads and ten horns – we saw this in Rev. 13:1 with the first beast (came out of the sea, has seven heads, ten horns)
    • The woman is sitting on the beast 
  • v. 4 this is talking about spiritual fornication 
• Rev. 17:4-8 – “5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 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. 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.”
  • The kingdom, king, and people that equaled 666 – the Romans (Latin kingdom)
  • v. 6 woman drunken with the blood of saints, and martyrs of Jesus – wherever this is, and whoever this is, they have been responsible over centuries of killing God’s people 
  • v. 8 they try to copy, but come way short of, what Jesus does
    • Jesus – He that is, and was, and is to come (Rev. 1:8)
    • The beast – He that was, and is not, and yet is (Rev. 17:8) 
• Rev. 17:9-10, 12, 14-15, 18 – “9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth… 12 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… 15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues… 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.”
  • v. 9 the beast is the one that came out of the bottomless pit with seven heads, which are seven mountains that the woman sitteth on
    • Seven mountains that the city (the woman – v. 9, 18) sits on 
  • v. 12 the ten horns are ten kings, which have received no kingdom yet
  • v. 15 the waters, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues 
  • v. 18 the woman is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth
    • The woman, great whore (v. 1), is a city
      • Many connections to Rome and the Catholic Church 
    • This city is where many of Jesus’ people have been killed
    • That city is what reigns over the kings of the earth 
  • The kingdom and the powers of that kingdom will rule a lot of what we called Christendom 
    • Ex. Fasting, attire of preachers, images in church – we adopt many things from Rome, Vatican City, Catholicism, etc. 
    • Everywhere Rome went and conquered, they didn’t try to change the people’s religion — they absorbed their religion into the ones they’d already absorbed
      • That’s why they have so many different ways of doing things, and won’t fight against certain things, but will become more agreeable with the spirit dominating our country 
      • Ex. Pope came out in favor of gay couples being considered couples (civil unions) — different stance for Catholic church 
      • Ex. Against abortion, but a presidential candidate who is Catholic is the most liberal person at that level on abortion 
    • The church gets rocked to sleep and accepts everything as okay, believing a lie rather than loving the truth