Have you ever wondered what does the word "VATICAN" means? It's really fascinating. The root word of "Vatican" is "Vatic." The word "VATIC" means PROPHETIC or ORACULAR. Most people have never seen that. The very root word of the city itself means prophetic or oracular. If you'll look at the photos you'll see a Roman £100 coin dated 1959. The words written around the coin are CITTA DEL VATICANO. You know what it means in english? It means CITY OF PROPHECY. Ain't that awesome? EVEN THE PAPACY ITSELF KNOWS THAT IT IS THE CITY OF PROPHECY. Now, there's something even more dramatic. Look at the picture. The picture is A WOMAN WITH A CUP IN HER HAND. Do you know who that Woman is?
Revelation 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
It's known as THE GREAT WHORE. Mystery, BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS. And they put it on their own coin where the words that say "City of Prophecy." This Great Whore is the same Little Horn in Daniel 7, and the same Beast in Revelation 13, and GOD IDENTIFIED THIS BEAST AS THE VATICAN CITY OR THE PAPACY. This is the power that God WARNS us NOT to worship and NOT to receive the Mark of the Beast from. Now, one of the questions was where did this Beast get all his power and authority? WHO'S BEHIND THE BEAST POWER?
Revelation 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
God says that it's THE DRAGON THAT GAVE THIS BEAST ITS POWER, AND ITS SEAT THERE IN THE VATICAN, AND ITS GREAT AUTHORITY. So the next obvious question is, WHO IS THE DRAGON? This may shock you--
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
You may say, "What in the world?! Is God saying that THE DRAGON IS DEVIL AND SATAN HIMSELF?! That's a strong language for God! Satan is the one behind this Beast power? How can that be?!" In order to understand that, you've got to get the bigger picture. Notice it says in v9 "the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which," what does he do? "DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD." I want you to take that little sentence and just memorize it. And don't forget it. THE DEVIL HAS ONE GREAT WORK: He wants TO DECEIVE THE WHOLE WORLD. He wants TO DECEIVE YOU, he wants TO DECEIVE EVERYBODY. That is SATAN'S MASTER PLAN. Keep that tucked in your mind cos that's what we're gonna see will come up over and over and over again as we go through this prophetic study.
Next up, we're gonna look at the two sides of the controversy!