Joseph Herrin (04-29-09)

The Harlot and the Beast System

Revelation 17:3-5, 16-17
And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names… And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH…” and the beast… will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose…

The harlot that rides upon the beast is the Christian religious system that is also called Babylon. The name Babylon denotes confusion and mixture. The kings of Babylon conquered many people and nations. They allowed the people to continue to worship their gods, but they led them to adopt many other gods in addition to the ones they knew.

When Israel and Samaria were conquered by the Assyrians, and Judah and Jerusalem were conquered by Babylon much idolatry and confusion was introduced. Alongside the worship of Yahweh there was introduced the worship of many other gods.

II Kings 17:30-33
And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of Sepharvaim. They also feared Yahweh and appointed from among themselves priests of the high places, who acted for them in the houses of the high places. They feared Yahweh and served their own gods according to the custom of the nations from among whom they had been carried away into exile.

The church today has repeated the error of Israel and Judah. The people of God have been espoused to Christ as pure virgins (II Corinthians 11:2), but they have become harlots in their affections. The church has lusted after the idols of the nations in which they dwell. In America there are many idols, including the love of money, of pleasure, of entertainment, ease and comfort. The church has gone whoring in her affections, yet she says she fears Yahweh.

This confusion and mixture is observed everywhere today. Christ said that no man could serve God and mammon, yet the church in America has adopted many false doctrines which declare that Christ’s words were a lie. Many shepherds have arisen to herd swine rather than sheep. A people who can discern the difference between truth and error, but who do not love the truth, preferring a lie of prosperity, ease and comfort to Christ’s message of the cross, have transformed themselves from sheep into swine. There is an important parable of the state of the church found in one of the miracles of Christ.

Yahshua crossed with His disciples in a boat to the land of the Gerasenes (Gadarenes). There He met a man filled with many demons. The name given by the demons was legion, for there were many. Christ cast the demons out of the man and they begged to enter into a herd of swine which were being tended by herdsmen. Christ gave the demons permission, and in this event we see a great parable of the current church age.

The Scriptures reveal that there were “about two thousand” swine, and this is a parable that there would be “about two thousand years” when the kingdom of God would be depicted as swine who are inhabited by demons and who are destined to run headlong into the sea of death.

Many Christians today are offended at the suggestion that the church age would be typified by a herd of swine tended by swine herders. Yet the Scriptures reveal in many ways that this would indeed be the character of the church during the two thousand years following Christ. There would only be a “little flock” of overcoming saints, while there would at the same time be multitudes of swine and swine herders.

This fact of the pollution and mixture of the church age is brought out in the parables of Christ. He said the kingdom of God would be like leaven that was mixed into three pecks of meal until it was thoroughly leavened (Mark 13). Leaven symbolizes sin, and the affect of the leaven increases over time until it reaches its zenith at the end of the age.

Christ compared the kingdom of God to a mustard tree that grows up into the largest bush in the garden, in which the birds come and nest in its branches (Mark 13). The birds of the air are symbolic of Satan and his demons and emissaries.

Christ compared the kingdom age to a field of wheat in which an enemy sowed tares (Mark 13). The tares represent false Christians and false disciples, and Christ declared that it was an enemy (Satan) who sowed the tares there.

The apostle Paul declared that the last days of the church would be typified by men who are “lovers of pleasure, lovers of self… rather than lovers of God.” He said that the church would heap up to itself teachers (swine herders) to tickle their ears and tell them the things they want to hear. Swine do not love truth, as is symbolized in the fac that they do not chew the cud. Swine do not have any appreciation for pearls of truth, and will turn and rend those who cast pearls before them.

In the miracle at Gadara we read that the swine herders fled in fear at the presence of Christ, and all their herds were lost to death in the sea. This is also the fate of those who follow preachers of confusion and mixture in this hour. For this reason the Spirit has persistently been proclaiming an urgent message to the people of God.

Revelation 18:4
Come out of her, my people, that you may not participate in her sins and that you may not receive of her plagues…

Come out of Babylon! Come out of confusion and mixture. Come out of the pigpens of the Christian religious system where much that is impure and defiled is served up week after week to a people who once were able to discern truth from error, but lost their sensitivity, for the impure fodder of an apostate religious system appeared very attractive to them. There have been few who have had the heart of Daniel and his three friends, refusing to defile themselves with the meat of Babylon.

The harlot then is Babylon, and she is impure even as swine are impure. The harlot glorifies herself, and lives luxuriously, sating herself as a pig would do, living to gratify the appetites of the flesh. Rather than subduing and ruling over the beasts (Genesis 1:28), the harlot has seated herself upon the beast.

The Beast system is typified by the governments of this fallen world system that is under the dominion of Satan. Daniel spoke of numerous images of beasts that he was shown in visions and dreams. He tells us clearly that these beasts represent kingdoms of this earth.

Daniel 8:20-21
“The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. And the shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece…”

The Spirit has been testifying that America is a beast nation, given into the hands of a beast ruler. The day the election results were announced proclaiming Barack Obama as the next President of the United States, the pick three lottery from Obama’s home state of Illinois came out as 6-6-6. Indeed, this man won the lottery. He was given the prize of ruling over a beast kingdom.

This image was further revealed when it was announced that the Secret Service had prepared a brand new limousine for the President to ride in. This heavily armored vehicle was nicknamed by the Secret Service “The Beast.” Vehicles represent ministries, and the ministry entrusted to Barack Obama was to be ruler of a Beast System.

There are many swine herders among the church today who find it very attractive to yoke themselves to the beast system of this fallen world. As the harlot is depicted riding on the back of the beast in Revelation, so too does the church today ride on the back of the world system. This was profoundly demonstrated in the news not long ago.



Barack Obama is well known to be a champion of abominations. He is an advocate of homosexuality and a staunch promoter of the most despicable forms of abortion (they are all abominations). This man invited a homosexual clergyman to pray at his inaugural festivities.

All this corruption did not trouble Rick Warren, who is pictured to the right of Barack Obama above. The two are seen at a forum hosted by Warren’s megachurch in California. Rick Warren was invited to give the invocation during Obama’s inauguration, and was happy to yoke himself to this man who calls evil good, and good evil.

Note the symbol of Warren’s church behind the head of the President. It appears that horns are arising from his head. Yet what is most symbolic is the name of Warren’s church. The church is called “Saddleback.” Truly the harlot is riding on the back of the beast, and Yahweh is revealing these things that the wise might have understanding.

It is great folly for the people of God to embrace the Beast System of this fallen world. Those who do so will suffer the fate spoken of in the book of Revelation.

“and the beast… will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to execute His purpose…”

It is a great parable in this hour that an epidemic called by the name “swine flu” is stirring up fear in many hearts. Just before I sat down to write this post a sister sent me a link to a news item on the swine flu. The nation of Egypt has issued order to slaughter all swine in the nation as a preventive measure to keep this disease out of their country. It was mentioned in the article that 90% of Egypt is Muslim and does not eat pork. The only ones who eat pork in Egypt are the Christians who comprise 10% of the population.

Egypt is a symbol of the world. Only Christians have the ability to discern between the holy and the profane, for such distinctions belong to those who are partakers of the HOLY Spirit of Christ. Yet Christianity does not love the truth and consequently have become as swine, and at this time Yahweh will pour forth His plagues upon the harlot, Babylon, who has become as a swine in His sight. Those who have refused to come out of Babylon have much to fear, but the righteous need not fear.

This event, and many coming events, will be used of God to make a division among His people. Those appointed to salvation will find themselves being led in troublous days to cast themselves wholly over into the hands of God. They will be led to trust Yahweh for their health, for their safety, for their food and shelter, and for all things. Yet a great multitude will be led into the embrace of the Beast System.

The Beast System will present itself as an ark of safety and refuge for all mankind in very dark days. Those who do not know the voice of God will run into this systems embrace, urged on by ministers who serve as herders of swine. These ministers will tell the people that it is the will of God that they flee into the arms of the Beast, and the Beast himself will be depicted as a savior and messiah.

People of God, the hour is very late. Multitude will find themselves in the valley of decision in coming days. Terrors will be on every hand, and these frightful things will be used to herd mankind into the full embrace of the Beast system which is found in the governments of this world. Those who are driven by fear will risk running headlong into the sea of death.

We live in an hour when all the saints of God must distinguish between the voices that arise from their own soul, and the voice of the Spirit of Christ. The saints are to be led by faith, not driven by fear. The Scriptures declare that “faith arises out of hearing, and hearing comes by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

As saints, we must wait patiently to hear a word from God, and then we must quickly obey what Yahweh speaks to us. In this way we will be able to abide in a place of peace when all the world around us is shaking.

I have heard from some who are hearing the voice of the alarmists who are inciting much fear and causing stormy waves to begin to arise in the souls of many. It is difficult to remain at peace when our eyes are upon the wind and the waves. We must place our eyes upon Christ, then we will be able to walk upon the water and the stormy waves will be under our feet.

Yahweh would have His people to discern the parables that are being given in the events occurring all around. At the same time He would have them to not be driven by fear, but to walk by faith.

It is my hope and prayer that those appointed to salvation in this last hour would enter into the true ark of safety, which is God. Do not allow yourselves to be driven as a herd of swine into the arms of the Beast system. That path leads only to the sea of death.

May you be blessed with peace and understanding in these days.