a study by Rev. Paul A. Bartz

Reel Seven begins here with Chapter 17. The purpose of Reel Seven is to provide us with specific information on the antichrist: its appearance, activity, its following, and to indicate its eventual downfall. While the antichrist has been featured already in Revelation, Chapter 17 can be considered the key to identifying the antichrist, not only in what has come in Revelation, but also in what is yet to come. Reel Seven begins with this identification, showing that in this section the antichrist is in the center of our perspective.

Ultimately, the purpose here is help believers identify the activities of the antichrist for their own eternal safety and for the purpose of warning others.

The images in Revelation may seem perplexing until we understand that spiritual realities are here being described by their contrasting features. Consider the following diagram of images in the book of Revelation:

17:1-2 -- The imagery of the harlot sitting on many waters used here will be explained in this chapter. But why is such imagery used in the first place?

Scripture likens the faithful, the Church, to the Bride of Christ. The very opposite of this imagery, both logically and in Scripture, is that of a harlot. In fact, this reference in Scripture is always a reference to religious apostates who have been a part of the visible believers but are or become unfaithful. This is what leads us to reject the opinions of some commentators that this harlot is merely the world, with all its allure.

In Hosea 1:2-9 God tells Hosea the Prophet: "Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry, and have children of harlotry: for the land commits flagrant harlotry, forsaking the Lord." Ezekiel 16:15-59 contains the same language with reference to Jerusalem's unfaithfulness to the Lord.

The imagery is particularly fitting, for it portrays the unfaithful who have been Christ's bride as those who have now sought to serve another Lord -- not as a bride but for selfish reasons. This reminds us again that the Antichrist is not a political figure from outside of the church, but a figure from within the church, who sits in the "Temple of God," speaking in the Name of Christ what is against Christ, and having as followers an ignorant, undiscerning church which carries Christ's Name.

" . . . made drunk with the wine of her fornication" -- Any and all unfaithfulness to God is like a strong wine, intoxicating with the feeling of newly-found freedom from old restraint. But like strong wine it also confused the heart and mind and clouds judgment. It leaves one with the sense that things are progressing, the old restrictions are passing away, and never shall we be subject to their tyranny again! While this kind of thinking is not new at all, we hear this spirit very clearly in our own day from those calling from within the church to recognize the "naturalness" of homosexuality, or the ordination of women.

17:3-11 -- The Antichrist/harlot rode into history on the back of the Roman Empire (Scarlet beast) which had seven different forms of government (seven kings) up to and including the administration of Diocletian. According to the Roman constitutional history Diocletian is considered founder of the seventh Roman Empire. Rome also sits on seven hills (identified as the point of comparison in verse 9). That the woman, the apostate church, rides on the beast with seven heads and ten horns, symbols of political power, indicates that the apostate church will operate in alliance with secular authority.

The strange language of verse 8, " . . . who was and is not . . . " and verse 10, "one is, and the other has not yet come . . . " can be explained if the identifications made in the previous paragraph were correct, and we consider when John was writing. At the time John was writing five Roman constitutional empires had fallen, the sixth, which started with Augustus, was in progress, and the seventh (Diocletian), was yet to come. This is precisely what verse 10 indicates! This identification is a remarkable coincidence, especially when taken with the other details supplied here (i.e. the seven hills), if Rome is not meant!

And from all of this comes the eighth beast "who is of the seven" (verse 11). That he is an eighth, yet separated from the seven indicates a new regime. The papacy operated under an entirely different authority than any of the Roman constitutional empires. That he belongs to the seven indicates that though his authority is different than that previously provided under the Roman constitutional empires, he is of a kind with the previous seven Roman constitutional empires. As has been already pointed out, the titles of the Pope, including "Supreme Pontiff" and "Pope," were official titles of the head of the Roman Empire since before the time of Christ. These titles were established by the very Imperial Constitutions which we believe are alluded to here in these verses! It would be difficult for the identification to be more clear.

17:12-14 -- The ten kings give authority to the beast and recognize its leadership in warfare against the Lamb (verse 14). Keep in mind that those doing this do not see it this way, nor does public opinion. We have also already identified the ten horns and ten kings with the ten provinces of the Roman Empire. Historically, Phocas, who represented the ten provinces of the Roman Empire, declared Roman Bishop Boniface III to be the universal bishop of the universal church in 606 A.D. Before this time all bishops in Christendom were considered equal. So with the establishment of the papacy in the Roman bishop, we have the appearance of the "eighth king" who " . . . belongs to the seven . . . ."

17:15 -- The false church feeds on the gullibility of the masses and their ignorance of the Word of God. The multitudes support it. This is true to human nature which does not mind being associated with Christ as long as it does not mean a great deal of inconvenience. How many Christians today, even in the Lutheran Church, do the same thing! "I'm not sure what the Bible says about ___________, but I believe whatever my church says" or the ever-popular, "Church headquarters says it's O.K."

Here it is important to see that the underlying theme of Revelation surfaces again when it is mentioned that the antichristian forces make war with the Lamb: Jesus Christ is Lord of history and in complete control at all times.

17:16-18 -- Now that the appearance, activity, and the following of the antichrist and the false church have been identified within a summary of their work, we are also reminded that God is using all of this activity to His own purposes. The harlot shall remain while human history remains, but shall unwittingly serve God's ultimate purposes, just as Satan, incited against Jesus Christ stirred the mobs to kill Him ultimately fulfilled all prophecy and resulted the accomplishment in God's purpose of saving us.

1. As we have seen in the book of Revelation, Satan places counterfeits in front of us which mimic the genuine things given us by God. God has given us Christ, so Satan gives an anti-christ. God has given us the Church, so Satan devises a false church. Each of these counterfeits are designed to lead us away from God. What are some other counterfeits that you can think of?

2. Because of the counterfeits mentioned in question #1, God has employed a very effective strategy in Scripture which shows His ultimate wisdom. What is this strategy? (Hint: If you knew your work would be counterfeited, what would you do?)

3. What factors make the anti-church attractive to many people?