17:13. These have one mind.—All are desperately anxious to stop the terrible waste of human life, now that they see what their father, the Devil, has accomplished through their worship and service of himself and his institutions.
And [shall] give their power and strength unto the beast.—Support it in its apparently laudable but actually selfish efforts in trying to stop the European war. “Deposit in his hands all the available means which they possess.”—Cook.
17:14. These shall make war with the Lamb.—Endeavor to suppress the message of Present Truth.—Rev. 16:14; 19:19.
And the Lamb shall overcome them.—Zion need not fear; for God is in the midst of her, and will help her. Her consecration is unto death, and her privilege is to prove her faithfulness: “The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as his Lord.”—Matt. 10:24, 25.
“It will probably be in an effort at self-preservation on the part of ‘Great Babylon’—‘Christendom’—when she sees her power in politics, priestcraft and superstition waning, that the work of truth-spreading will be stopped as detrimental to her system. And probably at this juncture the Elijah class, persisting in declaring the Truth to the last, will suffer violence, pass into glory and escape from the severest features of the great Time of Trouble coming—just in the crisis of affairs when men begin to feel that desperate measures must be resorted to, to sustain the tottering structure of Christendom. Although the exact time of the deliverance or ‘change’ of the last members of the Body of Christ is not stated, the approximate time is nevertheless clearly manifest, as shortly after the ‘door’ is shut (Matt. 25:10).”—C. 231.
For He is Lord of lords, and King of kings.—Has the entire situation under perfect control—is the real Pope.—1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16.
And they that are with Him are called.—When they hear, understand and heed the message of complete consecration even unto death (Rev. 19:9). This clause, in the Greek, indicates that these also, as well as the Lamb, shall overcome them.
And chosen.—Elected as soon as they comply with the conditions, provided there are any vacancies.
And faithful.—“The door of opportunity to engage, with Christ our Lord, in the work of the Gospel Age, will be closed when ‘the night cometh wherein no man can work.’ And all who have not previously, by faithful service, developed the necessary character and proved their sympathy, devotion, love and zeal for the Lord and His Truth (Matt. 10:37; Mark 8:38), will then be too late to do so. The closing in of this night will evidently put a stop [pg 271] to any farther labor to disseminate the Truth, which, misunderstood by the public generally, will probably be accused of being the cause of much of the anarchy and confusion then prevailing, instead of being seen in its true light as a foreshadowing of the Divine mind and revelation concerning coming troubles on the world and their true causes.”—C. 210; Rev. 2:10.
17:15. And he saith unto me, [The] THESE waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth.—See Rev. 17:1, 9.