Questions about your interpretation of Revelation 17

[Kersillian]

I am an SDA, and your interpretation of the head seemed as if were wounded to death, our interpretation of that is that it happened when the papacy lost it power. You interpret is as when the sixth pope was nearly killed. What is your justification of that? Or can you please tell us if our interpretation was wrong and your justification to it?

Another thing is that Masonry thing. It seems you know something about it. Please share it with us.

[Guest]

I see no one has responded to your question. I'm not really able to say much about it either. I think SDAs are pretty firm on the idea that the time of the end begins when the pope was taken prisoner in 1798. That is based on the 1260-day prophecies of Daniel 12 and Revelation. Revelation 17 has often been associated with that, but I think SDAs still have quite a lot of room in which they allow for this kind of speculation on the prophecies. Samuele Bacchiocchi even goes to the extent of applying to Islam some prophecies that SDAs have generally applied to the papacy. So I don't think the WLC interpretation of Revelation 17 is really outside the parameters of what SDAs think. I've met several SDAs who take the same view of Revelation 17. On the other hand, the SDA denomination is an established church and is reluctant nowadays to think in the same terms of immediacy as early Adventists did. So this view of Revelation 17 has not been popular with SDA leadership generally.

[kjallits]

We must consider one thing of the prophecies in the Bible. Every one of them has been fulfilled in the extreme literal sense. Take for example the city of Tyre. It was foretold that it would be razed to the ground, become nothing but bare rock, and would be used for fishermen to dry their nets. Today, it is literally that.

Revelations 17 said that this beast that was wounded to the head was wounded by a SWORD.

Let me repeat that. A SWORD. That means anything of a military might, a riot with weapons, or an assassination. It is in no way a political wound, or a social wound. Sure, one of the popes were wounded, but no pope in HISTORY has ever been MORTALLY wounded on the head, DIED, and came back an impersonating demon. None. Close calls are NOT counted.

There are those who say that Alexander the Great was mortally wounded and even his own doctors thought he'd die, but he didn't. However, this was not by the head, and this was not by a sword - it was an arrow. He also didn't resurrect as himself nor as an impersonating demon.

The Roman Catholic church is a GREAT evil, yes, but I am not entirely sure they're one of the beasts. Remember, the identity of the Anti-Christ will not be revealed until the time of the end. It didn't say 'the end times', which would pertain to what we're going through now. The time of the end is the FINAL couple of years. No one would know until the last 3 1/2 years. We're not even at the beginning of tribulation, so therefore, we cannot know nor can we make any speculations as to who the Anti-Christ is nor as to who his prophet would be. If we were at the beginning of tribulation, then the church should have already been raptured. They haven't. So... we shouldn't speculate.

[Guest]

I should think futurist interpretation of prophecy is more susceptible to the accusation of being speculative than historicist interpretation.
I would agree with the general idea of literalism. In the matter of the beast, however, it's pretty obvious that symbolism is being used. There are several beasts in Daniel and several more in Revelation. A few of them have been given specific names relating to kingdoms. If we take the literal sword and the literal wound on the head, then we have to take the beasts themselves literally as well. That would effectively discount all kings and kingdoms.

[kjallits]

Quite true, Thomas. However, taking the beasts literally is not the issue here. Every country and even kingdom and tribe in the world has an animal mascot. The same is said of academic institutions. If we can merely look at these beasts, and do research on what countries had these as mascots, and we could sort of come up with a coalition of nations that would resemble the several beasts in one creature thingy. It's not hard. If anyone takes the beast as literal, I'd be left scratching my head. One thing that can probably cause that is extreme radiation, LOL.

So... with that said, it still can be taken literally if you think about it.