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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Revelation 17:9
http://www.dailybiblestudy.org
9 And here [hode] is the mind [nous] which [ho] hath [echo] wisdom. [sophia] The seven [hepta] heads [kephale] are [eisi] seven [hepta] mountains, [oros] on [epi] which [autos] the woman [gune] sitteth [kathemai]. [hopou] KJV-Interlinear
9 "Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, NASB
And now John begins to tie all of these symbols together, so that readers will have some understanding of what he is talking about. The soul typically is referred to in two capacities. The mind which is the storage place of detailed information (the memory), and the heart which is the circulatory process of moving that information throughout the soul (the thinking part). Neither can function unless there is information learned and contained within the soul. What you think is what you are, and the content of your soul determines what you think. That should be an obvious principle. If you have truth in your soul then you will think truth. If you have lies in your soul, then you will think lies. Most people have a combination of both, but emphasize one over the other. Usually the lies, or human viewpoint, dominate the thinking of most folks, and thus their orientation toward life is mixed up. They have a general idea of the difference between right and wrong, but get the philosophies of life mixed up. Anyway, here John is getting ready to spell out the knowledge that you need in order to understand this entire chapter. For the details of life are knowledge, and knowledge brings understanding and understanding brings wisdom. Therefore, if the mind lacks the fundamental details and orientation, then you can't understand and without understanding you cannot be wise. There is nothing in the bible that cannot be understood, if and only if, you take the time to learn its contents. If you do not read or study, then you cannot learn. It is just that simple. And without learning, then understanding does not exist and that in turn opens up the door for all sorts of weird interpretations. Thus far we have a great deal of symbolism. The woman sitting on many waters, leaders and inhabitants made drunk with her activities, the woman having seven heads and ten horns, arrayed in riches and filthiness, the name Babylon attached to her, her sitting upon the beast, sitting upon seven mountains and so forth. These all speak of symbolisms, which point to the plan of Satan versus the plan of God, and Satan's efforts to accomplish his plan before God can accomplish His. And so that no one can begin attaching any of these things to specific peoples or places, John begins to define each in order to bring an understanding of what this chapter is about. He has already described the woman, described the beast, described Babylon, and the respective relationships among them. And now he goes a bit further to define the time period of their relationship. And this begins with an explanation of the seven heads. They are said to be seven mountains. Mountains have often represented insurmountable barriers or symbols of power. And from back in Johns day and prior, mountains would have represented just that. But mountains are geographical features, not something that a single woman could easily sit on, and yet here she sits. In the next verse these mountains are said to be kings, and being mountains they are great kings, not petty or little leaders. We'll save that study for tomorrow. But for now, these mountains are beneath the woman, and symbolically that makes them subordinate to her will. The woman also sits upon the beast, but in that case she is riding on him, not controlling him but sits as an ornament or accessory or arm candy, if you will, and belonging to the beast. The woman represents evil, for out of Babylon comes evil, the evil of religion. And curiously enough, this evil existed in the very beginnings of Egypt, which is said to be the first of the great empires. That is until the exodus and then it fell from power as God wiped its influence out in one fell swoop with the closing of the waters at the Red Sea. We will touch on some of the history of these empires tomorrow and why these particular empires. Many commentaries have assigned these seven mountains to the seven hills of Rome and the woman to the Catholic Church, but it should be obvious as to why these do not fit. First, the seven hills of Rome were not mountains, not ruled by individual kings, and did not exist as seats of government or authority since the time of Babylon and so forth. Second, the Catholic Church would not come into existence for several centuries after John and for as many reasons simply does not fit the descriptions that have already been expressed in this chapter, and elsewhere in the Bible. So remember, we are in the process of defining wisdom, through the details which are about to be explained in the remaining portions of this chapter and then being tied back to what has already been revealed. And lest we forget, this chapter explains, from verse one, that because of these things, then there will be a judgment. God judges evil and Satan is the author and sponsor of evil. And the woman is the policy and plan of cosmos diabolicus (the plan of Satan).
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Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
