Europe and the Church, Part 12: A Period of Change for the Papacy
In 1870 the First Vatican Council declared the pope infallible while solidifying his role as supreme spiritual and administrative head of the church. As Europe became embroiled in two World Wars, this decision laid the foundation for Pope Pius XII, whose influence in political events of the time has become a subject of investigation.
by Melvin Rhodes
In my New King James Version of the Bible, Revelation 17 carries the title: "The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast." The chapter is a prophecy about seven revivals of the Roman Empire that culminate in the second coming of the Messiah (verse 14).
"The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits" (verse 9). These are seven great empires that involve the church, the "woman" mentioned here.
The two women of Revelation
A woman is sometimes used to symbolize religion. In Ephesians 5 we see the analogy between marriage and the relationship Christ has with His Church. Just as the Church submits itself to Christ, so the wife should submit herself to the husband (Ephesians 5:22-25).
In Revelation 12 we read an account of "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars" (verse 1). This woman symbolizes God's people Israel, both the physical nation of Israel in the Old Testament and the spiritual nation of Israel, the true Church, in the New Testament. Satan hates the woman and goes to war with her and her offspring "who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (verse 17).
