CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH

Revelation 17:1. 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.RRTSE 16.1

In this chapter, John, by the angel, is shown the character and judgment of the great false Church of Rome, which sitteth on many people, multitudes, nations and tongues. See explanation, in the 15th ver., of the waters.RRTSE 16.2

2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.RRTSE 16.3

With this false Church of Rome, the Kings of Rome have committed fornication. They have united their civil with her ecclesiastical power, and thereby produced a blood-thirsty and a supreme monster of iniquity, which has made the inhabitants of the earth giddy with ignorance, superstition and bigotry, and caused them to have fellowship with this monster of iniquity, in the union of church and state; worshiping according to the laws of the abomination that maketh desolate.RRTSE 17.1

3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.RRTSE 17.2

John was carried away in his spirit, into the then future desolations of the Roman earth, when the Emperors of Rome would lose their power in the desolations of the empire by the barbarian Kings. These conquered the empire, and afterwards gave their power to the false, bloody church of Rome, which received her power, seat and great authority from the Emperor Justinian, and her homage from the ten kings.RRTSE 17.3

4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet-color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.RRTSE 18.1

The raiment and splendor, with the riches of this false Church, is literally fulfilled in the dress and pomp and show of the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Legates and Priests of the Roman Catholic Church. The golden cup in her hand, is the political bait she holds out to all nations. In a republic she can be a great republican; and in a kingdom, a flaming royalist. Her golden cup is held out to all sorts of governments, so that if possible by false pretences, plighted faith and broken vows, she may obtain her object — power over all. These political movements of Priests and Jesuits are too well known to need any more description of her abominations, filthiness and fornication with the governments of earth.RRTSE 18.2

5. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.RRTSE 18.3

In the very front of this false Church is her public profession — MYSTERY — written. She claims the single and sole power of explaining the mysteries of God’s word; and forbids any of her liege subjects from reading, or believing and practising any of God’s precepts, excepting in accordance with her comments and permission.RRTSE 18.4