1 -- THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN

Revelation, chapter seventeen speaks of a "great whore that sitteth upon many waters." "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman [whore], and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." This whore is called "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS," and she was "drunken with the blood of the saints." What do these cryptic symbols represent?

Let's let God's Word interpret these symbols for us. Never believe in sensational, exciting interpretations and speculations of men. Interpretations must be derived from the Word of God itself.

"No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." 2 Pet. 1:20. The Holy Bible is the most complicated book ever written and the hardest of all books to understand. It is literally impossible for the human mind to understand. But those who are true Christians are not limited to the capabilities of this finite human mind. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Phi. 2:5. "But the Comfor-ter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14:26. "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." 1 Cor. 2:13. Until you have put on the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit teaches you, you will not properly understand the gospel.

Why did God make His Bible so hard to understand? Because He is fighting a spiritual and literal warfare. God has an enemy (Satan) that is doing all he can to deceive the world and turn them against God and His children. No intelligent general of any army would tell his enemy the battle plan in advance. God must keep His battle plans secreted from those who chose to follow Satan. It could also be harmful for God's children if they knew all of His battle plans before they were fulfilled. We could not bear to know the details of all of the trials and tribulations we are going to be faced with. We might give up and say it is impossible. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12. "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Mat. 11:25. "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given." Mat. 19:11. "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear and not understand..." Mark 4:11,12.

"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days" (Dan. 2:28).

We are soon going to see what God revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar concerning the latter days. First let's go back to Revelation seventeen and let God interpret some of the cryptic symbols:

(1). The great whore, the woman arrayed in purple (Rev. 17:1-4):

The book of Revelation speaks of two women: One "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars...And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Rev. 12:1,2,6.

Of the other woman it is said: "Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters...And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus..." Rev. 17:1,5,6.

Q: Who are these two women?

A: In the Old Testament the true church is at times represented as a woman (Isa. 54: 5,6; Jer. 6:2); but when the church was in apostasy it was identified as a corrupt woman (Jer. 3:20; Ezk. 23:2-4). The same description is seen in the New Testament in 2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:25-32 and in Rev. 17:1-6. In Revelation 12:1-6 we see God's true church, while in Revelation 17:1-6 we see Satan's church-the synagogue of Satan, BABYLON, the mother of Harlots.

(2). The mother of harlots

Now we ask the question, who are the harlots? Answer: those "of the earth that have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Rev. 17:2. In other words, those that have "gone a whoring" after Satan's bride and show love to her man-made traditions and laws above God's laws; those who have been made drunk with her doctrines of intoxicating wine. For examples of this interpretation see Ezk.23:30; Hos.4:12; Is.23:15,17; Jer.51:7; 2 Thes.2:9,10; Re.13:3,4,7,18; 18:3; 19:20.

If a mother is a harlot and her daughters are harlots, though they may not have the same name, they are of the same character and perform the same illegitimate functions.

We must realize the importance of these verses. We are shown the mother, a church who is guilty of the blood of the saints and placing her laws and traditions above God's laws. The daughters are of the same character and will one day soon join her to perform the same functions of teaching false doctrines. And when the deadly wound is finally healed they will join in with her to once again persecute God's true saints. Therefore the daughter harlots are denominations other than that of the mother. Yet they are joining hands with her and are performing the deeds she is guilty of. And, by the way, they are in the majority while the saints are few. They are also the ones that are able to get their dogmas forced upon the saints by legislative action.

(3). The beast that carries her (Rev. 17:7):

According to scripture what does a beast represent in prophetic or cryptic symbols?

Daniel 7:3: "And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another."

Daniel 7:17: "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings,

which shall arise out of the earth."

Daniel 7:23: "...The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth..."

Daniel 7:24: "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings..."

It is evident from these verses that a beast can represent kings, kingdoms and horns. With this in mind we now see that the great whore (Satan's church) rides upon, or is supported by, and united with kings and kingdoms of the earth (she sits upon many people, Rev. 17: 1,15; she sits upon a beast, Rev. 17:7; she sits upon seven heads/mountains, Rev. 17:9).

(4). Many waters" (Rev. 17:1, 15):

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." Rev. 17:15. Here we are shown Satan's church united with kingly powers, sitting upon or ruling over multitudes of people represented by many nations and tongues.

(5). Seven heads/mountains: "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." Rev. 17:7,9.

There is a church with its headquarters and territory that occupy seven hills, and it is a historical fact that this same church obtained it's world power from the nations of Europe and then persecuted the saints for "twelve hundred and sixty days." My only concern is that there may be a more meaningful interpretation to the word mountain and should not be confined to just represent "the seven hills" that this church's headquarters is situated upon. We will see that another interpretation of the seven mountains points to the same church while staying within the pattern of the cryptic symbols of Revelation chapter seventeen.

The seven heads are seven mountains. It is one thing to interpret mountains to mean hills, but quite another thing to interpret heads and mountains to mean hills. Heads can only be referring to mountains when mountains refer to kingdoms or powers. In Daniel 7:6 the cryptic word heads refers to kings and dominions, not literal hills. According to scripture the word mountain in its cryptic form does not refer to literal hills, but refers to kingdoms or nations. The following are examples of mountains representing kingdoms or nations: Isa. 25:6, representing Zion; Jer. 51:24, 25, representing the kingdom of Babylon; Dan. 2:45, representing the kingdom of God. Also see Isa. 2:2,3; Jer. 17:3; 31:23; Ezk. 17:22, 23; etc.

Revelation 17:9 says, "The seven heads are seven mountains..." History and the Bible show us what kingdoms these seven mountains represent. We will soon identify them.

(6). Ten horns: "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." Rev. 17: 12.

The ten horns in verse twelve are the same power as in verse three, kings without kingdoms. The seven heads in Revelation 17:3,9 represent seven kingdoms. Revelation 17:3 & 12 is showing a slight distinction between the ten horns and the seven heads. The ten horns are ten kings without kingdoms while the seven heads have kingdoms. This is why verse three separates the seven heads from the ten horns, though in verse nine the ten horns are identified as a head. Now we see ten men, acting as kings, yet without kingdoms. They have power as kings with the beast for a short while. Have you heard of the ten divisions of the earth as established by the United Nations? Truly a ful-fillment of this prophecy as will be established further. These ten divisions are not kingdoms, they are an amalgamation of kingdoms.

They are the seventh mountain and the seventh head of Revelation 17:3, 9.

These ten divisions will have leaders chosen by the One World Order (money men of the world), not elected by the citizens of the nations represented. They will be leaders of a world power without having a kingdom of their own. When we study the prophecies of Daniel, as they confirm the findings of our study of Revelation, we will see more detail on these ten mountains or ten heads-the seventh world power. In the Bible the number ten also represents complete or entire. It is not limited to the literal number ten. There does not have to be ten divisions in the world, but these powers will definitely have power over the entire world. These ten horns are the seventh world power, the seventh head, and it will unite with and give it's power to the beast.

I'm sure by now that you are wondering what church organization is represented by this harlot and who the daughters are? You will have to wait for this answer for it will come in due time.

7 heads = 7 mountains = 7 beasts = 7 dominions. They are all synonymous. The seven heads and ten horns of verses 3 & 7, represent eight world powers; the same world powers as in verses 9-11. The ten horns represent one world power-the seventh world power-the seventh beast.