Revelation 17's religious system is significant as a coming worldwide, satanically inspired religious power that will promote worship of the Antichrist.
Les Feldick teaches that this future global religious system is already foreshadowed in the world and will be headed by a religious leader empowered by Satan. It will be characterized by tremendous wealth and will work with the political leader to cause humanity to worship him, forming a counterfeit trinity.
Revelation 17:4 — The woman's purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls symbolize the fantastic wealth of the religious system John sees.
Revelation 17:9 — The text says the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits, revealing the religious system's connection to political power and nations.
In Revelation 17, John sees a woman "arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls" (Revelation 17:4). The text then declares, "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth" (Revelation 17:9), and explains that these heads also represent seven kings (Revelation 17:10). This pictures a wealthy religious entity resting upon a political structure. Related to this, Revelation 13 describes another beast "coming up out of the earth" with "two horns like a lamb" but speaking "as a dragon" (Revelation 13:11). This beast "exerciseth all the power of the first beast" and "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast" (Revelation 13:12). It also has power to give life to the image of the beast (Revelation 13:15).
Les Feldick teaches that Revelation 17 is about a "great religious system that's going to come on the world" and that we are already seeing the seeds of it. He does not claim to know which particular religious organization will end up heading it up; in his words, "I don't know. There's a lot of speculation." This system is worldwide, and the false prophet will have a global religious system at the midpoint of the Tribulation. Les connects this religious system to the second beast of Revelation 13. He explains that this religious government comes up out of the earth and its leader has "two horns like a lamb" because he appears religious, but he "speaks like a dragon" because his power comes from Satan. Thus it is a satanic religious system. The religious leader will exercise the political leader's power and cause the world to worship the Antichrist, all under the cloak of religion and the inspiration of Satan. Les also points out that Revelation reveals a counterfeit trinity, with Satan as the counterfeit of God the Father. The woman in Revelation 17 represents the worldwide religious system. Her purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls symbolize tremendous wealth, which Les sees mirrored in opulent religious ministries today. In Revelation 17:9-10, the seven mountains and kings show the system's political connections: the woman sits on these political powers, and a future leader will come for a short time.
Les Feldick says Revelation 17 describes a future great religious system coming on the world, and the seeds of it are already visible. He does not identify which specific religious organization will head it up, acknowledging that there is a lot of speculation. This system is worldwide — the false prophet's religious system will be global, the whole earth will be involved, and Israel remains the vortex of all activity in Revelation.
Les identifies the religious leader as the second beast in Revelation 13. He comes up out of the earth as a religious government and has two horns like a lamb because he is a religious leader, but he speaks like a dragon. His power comes from Satan, making this a satanic religious system (Revelation 13:11).
Les teaches that the religious leader exercises all the power of the first beast, who is the political leader, the Antichrist. Under the cloak of religion and the inspiration of Satan, he causes the people of the earth to worship the political leader. He also notes that Revelation presents a counterfeit trinity with Satan as the counterfeit of God the Father (Revelation 13:12).
In Revelation 17:4, the woman is arrayed in purple and scarlet and decked with gold, precious stones, and pearls. Les says all of this speaks of tremendous wealth, and he points to wealthy religions and television ministries today as evidence. In Revelation 17:9, the woman sits on seven mountains, which Les interprets as seven nations with seven rulers or leaders, showing the religious system's political entanglements and a future leader who will come for a short time (Revelation 17:10).
The Coming Great Religious System
Les introduces Revelation 17 as the description of a great religious system that will come on the world, with its seeds already visible and its exact leadership unknown.
A Worldwide Religious System and the Image of the Beast
Les places the false prophet's religious system as worldwide at the middle of the Tribulation and connects the religious leader's power to giving life to the beast's image (Revelation 13:15).
The Woman's Wealth
Les identifies the woman's purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls as symbols of tremendous wealth in the religious system, seen even today in lavish religious ministries.
The Satanic Religious Leader
Les shows that the second beast is a religious government whose leader has two horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon, proving his power is from Satan and making the system satanic.
Daniel's Dream, the Antichrist & the Mark of the Beast
Now he sees another government of sorts coming up out of the earth. Now, you see, the first thing he sees in verse 1 comes up out of the sea, out of the mass of humanity. But this one is going to come up out of the earth. Now, some people take the tack that since this is the earth, and there's only one part of the earth that God ever concerns Himself with, and that's Israel, that this second beast…
Counterfeit Trinity and Forced Worship
Les teaches that the religious leader will exercise the political leader's power and cause the world to worship the Antichrist, forming a satanic counterfeit trinity with Satan as the counterfeit of God the Father.
Nebuchadnezzar's Dream That Predicted Every World Empire — Daniel 2
And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, which is the political leader, the Antichrist, and they're going to be working hand in glove now, remember. And so he exercises all the power of that first beast before him, and he causeth the earth and them who dwell therein to worship the first beast, or the first man of power.
The Seven Mountains and Kings
Les maps the seven heads of Revelation 17 to seven mountains or nations and explains that the woman, the religious system, sits on them, showing its political entanglement and the coming of a short-lived future leader.
Revelation 17:4: 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:
The woman's extravagant clothing and jewelry symbolize the corrupt wealth of the religious system John sees.
Revelation 17:9: And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
This verse directly links the woman to seven mountains or heads, revealing the religious system's connection to political power.
Revelation 17:10: And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
The seven heads are also seven kings, showing the political scene on which the religious system sits.
Revelation 13:11: And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
This describes the religious leader who looks harmless like a lamb but is actually satanic.
Revelation 13:12: And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
The religious leader uses the political leader's power and makes the world worship the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:15: And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
The religious leader also has power to give life to the beast's image, demonstrating his supernatural satanic authority.
It is a future worldwide, satanic religious system. Les Feldick says it is symbolized by a woman riding on a scarlet beast, arrayed in purple, gold, and pearls, and it will be led by a religious leader who derives his power from Satan.
No. Les says he does not know which particular religious system will end up heading it up, and there is a lot of speculation about it.
The religious leader will exercise the political leader's power and cause the inhabitants of the earth to worship the first beast, the Antichrist, while Satan works through them as a counterfeit trinity.
The purple, scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls represent tremendous wealth, something Les sees mirrored in lavish religious ministries today.
Watch the Teaching: Revelation 17 Explained: The Rise of the Antichrist's World Religion