Verse 3
Originally, when Rome was a Republic it was ruled by the Senate composed of
two branches—the patricians (aristocracy) and the plebians (common people), much as the
English parliament of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. At that time it was
under pagan control and consequently had some 3,000 gods and goddesses all with names of
blasphemy.
The counterpart to the pagans are the Humanists of our time who
are a strong block in modern society, controlling our schools, our governments,
our media and the like. They also controlled exclusively the former Soviet Union and still
control on a large scale the European Common Market nations. They no longer traffic in
pagan gods but have equally blasphemous ideologies and teachings, such as, evolution, some
aspects of psychology which give license to evil, flexible laws formed by what the
majority of people will tolerate, alternate lifestyles, spirit teachers and channelers,
and the like.
The Roman people’s government, which was ruled by the Senate,
ended when strong emperors arose. That is why Brutus and his co-conspirators killed Julius
Caesar, because they were afraid he would destroy the Roman Senate and assume control over
Rome as an Emperor.
The Emperors replaced and made unnecessary the Roman Senate, and
that is when the common people lost their voice in government, ceasing to be a Republic,
and are described as being in the "bottomless pit"—that is without
representation and dormant and also from which they may again emerge, even as the devil
emerges out of the bottomless pit whenever the thousand years are ended.
The Revelation story begins at the time of Constantine, who was
the first emperor, "king" (Revelation 17:10), who set in motion the first
"head" (form of government), and this first head is where the "woman"
of our lesson first takes her seat in the Roman empire. The people’s form of
government is dormant through these "seven heads."
The exception occurs briefly in Revelation 11:7. There the
"beast" (apparently the same as this "scarlet beast," except that it
only represents what happened in France, where a "tenth part of the city fell"
(Revelation 11:13). We notice that this "beast" comes out of the
"bottomless pit" in a limited and temporary way, casting its shadow before it of
what it would be like when the whole "beast" comes out of the "bottomless
pit" as it is doing in our time.
The French Revolution was not a wild and uncontrolled mob. They
had established the "Third Estate" as a governing body and directed the fury of
the nation against priests, aristocracy and royalty. Rather brilliant men of
"letters," who were pagan or humanists, led them. They exalted the "goddess
of reason" and became obsessed with philosophy and human reasoning, trampling on all
Christian religion—both evil and good.
It must be observed that the French Revolution was not led
by one man or "king"—it was a peoples form of government—a kind of wild
republic interested in social reform and elevation of the common man. The American
Revolution inspired it to some degree.
However, while both revolutions brought enormous change, in
America Christian values prevailed while in France paganism or humanism took center stage.
Napoleon came to power as a result of that revolution and then betrayed it by becoming an
emperor who restored the Catholic Church as the religion of France—exactly what the
revolution had tried to rid itself of.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder revealed what his design was
when he said: "The euro can be a success only with greater political union. It
is not enough to simply coordinate monetary policy" (Reuters, Dec. 29, 1998. The
Philadelphia Trumpet, Feb. 1999, p. 14). His is not a lone voice crying in the
wilderness.
German Foreign Minister Gunther Verheugen echoed the same
sentiments saying: "Normally, a single currency is the final step in a process of
political integration. This time the single currency isn’t the final step but the
beginning. Inevitably it will happen" (PA News, Jan. 1, 1999. The
Philadelphia Trumpet, Feb. 1999, p. 14.)
Also Johannes Rau, a leading member of Chancellor Gerhard
Schroeder’s Social Democratic Party, was elected Germany’s eighth post-war
president May 23, 1999. The commissioners who were all forced to resign because of a
scandal have had German Foreign Minister Gunther Verheugen added as a replacement. The
German engine is at work lining up political union that ultimately will produce these
"ten kings."
Verse 9
See Glossary.
Verse 16
Most authorities read: "And the ten horns which thou
sawest and the beast."
The New Testament,
Von Tischendorf—English by Samuel Davidson
on Revelation 17:16 (printed in 1872, the eleventh and last text of Tischendorf):
"And the ten horns which thou sawest and the beast, these will hate the whore, and
will eat her flesh, and will burn her with fire."
Murdock’s Translation of the Syriac Testament,
Bethune— Revelation 17:16: "And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast of
prey, will hate the harlot; and they will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her
flesh, and burn her with fire."
Tregelles on Revelation, by Samuel Tregelles on Revelation
17:16: "And the ten horns which thou sawest and the beast, these shall hate the
harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with
fire."
Greek Testament with Notes by Wordsworth—
In
his comment on Revelation 17:16 he says: Some Cursive MSS. and some early MSS. of the
Vulgate have (upon the beast). "But , and, is found in the A, B and in twelve
Cursive MSS. Cited by Scrivener, p. 533; and the best MSS. of the
Vulgate, and in the Syriac Version, and the Arabic and
Aethiopic and in Hippolytus, p. 18, ed. Lagarde; and
Ireneus seems to have so read the passage (v. 16), and this reading is received by Griesback, Scholz, Bengel, and Winer, p. 128, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, and there
seems little doubt that this is the true reading."
THE SCARLET BEAST
