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The "Beast" of the Bible
We are first clearly introduced to the “beast” of the Bible in Daniel chapter seven. There it is described as one of four animal-like creatures which were symbols of the nations destined to rule the world of their times.
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Daniel 7:
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. 2 Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. 3 And four great beasts [living creatures] came up from the sea [a heavily populated area of the world], diverse one from another.
4 “The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5 “And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus to it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh’.
6 “After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast [the living creature] had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had GREAT IRON TEETH: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with THE FEET of it:
and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it
and it had ten horns [on its head].
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn [making eleven in total], before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots [totally destroyed, leaving seven plus one]:
and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things [it was part head, because it had eyes and a mouth; it was both a nation and a religion, a church and state] . . .”
15 “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. 16 I came near to one of them that stood by [his angel companions], and asked him the truth of all this.
So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. 17 “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth [to control it]. 18 But [but don’t worry, in the end] the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever”.
[“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes upon him with his teeth. The LORD shall laugh at him: for He sees that his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as be of upright conversation [conduct]. Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken”. Psalm 37:10-15.]
19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse [different] from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet. 20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout [more religious] than his fellows. 21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints [as well as the three horns], and prevailed against them
22 until
[1] the Ancient of days [God the Father] came,
and
[2] judgment was given to the saints of the most High;
and
[3] the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
23 Thus he said, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
24 “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings [minor nations with a strong religious bent] that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first [ten], and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High . . .”
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We know now that the four kingdoms were: (1) the winged lion of Babylon; (2) the heavy-footed bear of Medo-Persia; (3) the four-headed leopard of Greece; and (4) the iron beast of Pagan Rome. But Daniel knew instinctively that there was something special about the fourth symbol. The angel confirmed his belief by saying that it would be “diverse from all kingdoms”. The other symbols are based on recognisable animals, but this one has no counterpart in natural living, for it was totally satanic.
The features which stand out are its great iron teeth, and the way in which it would use its feet to destroy, and Christians have rightly attributed it to Pagan Rome. The feet and teeth are the common folk of the nation, while the head represents its leaders. Roman soldiers certainly marched all over the then known world at the behest of their generals, and later, at the command of the bishop of Rome. We also believe that the little horn which came up among the ten smaller nations was the Papal power which eventually completely destroyed three of them. (“Uprooting” means that there is no remnant of them left to grow up again.) Our understanding is that those three were singled out because of their religious beliefs.
But is there more to this? In verse 21 we are told that it would fight against God’s people who are called “saints [sanctified ones]”, and it would “prevail” or overcome them (as Satan “overcame” Christ on the cross)! The first three animal/nations also fought against Israel and Judah and overcame them from time to time, for they were politically motivated by the lust for territory and power. But this last one also fights for religious ideas, against “saints”. That’s what makes it different. The “little horn” carried on the persecution of Christians which the body of the beast began in the second century AD. (To be a Christian in Pagan Roman times was to fight against the state religion and therefore become a traitor.)
But the world changed after Calvary. Why do men draw up a new will (aka testament)? Because circumstances have changed. And that’s how it was with God. After the Son of man’s life and death on earth many more men and women were able to see the spiritual nature of God’s way. Jesus told the earnest seeker after His kingdom, “ . . . the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”. John 4:23-24.
That which was national first and religious second in the Old Testament times, became religious first and national second in the New. That which had been seen as literal was then to be read as spiritual.
The physical city of Jerusalem became a synonym for the church of God. The physical city of Babylon in the Old Testament became a pattern for the New Testament “Babylon”. For instance, it is written, “And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth [the politicians] have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies”. Revelation 18:1-3.
It had always been that way, but the god of this world had succeeded in veiling that truth from most of the world. In the New Testament it has been revealed to many in great glory!
Sadly, however, even today there are still a lot of Bible students who see it in the old way.
However, when we come across this “beast” again in the New Testament its symbolism is greatly expanded to help us in understanding the controversy.
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Revelation 12:
1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon [a winged snake with great feet and claws], having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven [the rebel angels], and did cast them to the earth [took them with him]:
and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered,
for to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a Man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron [the justice of pure love]: and her Child was caught up to God, and to His throne. 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness [a place where God is not known clearly], where she has a place [of witness] prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days [the 1260 years between 538AD and 1798].
7 And there was war [of words] in heaven [that’s how God fights]: Michael [the Son of God] 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 deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
[In another place the Spirit says of them, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but LEFT their own habitation, He has [p]reserved in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day”, for God rejects no one. Jude 1:6. In fact, He only protects everyone. Notice that the same phrase “cast them to the earth” is used of Satan in verse 4. ]
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come [is seen] salvation [at Calvary], and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brothers [and sisters] is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives to the death. [The Pilgrim Fathers etc. emigrated to the new world of the Americas near the end of this period.]
12 “Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them.
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time”.
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Here the animal is identified as a “dragon”, a “red” dragon, and is a symbol of the sinning angel, Lucifer. (A “dragon” is a fiery snake with wings and feet. It was as a serpent that he deceived Eve. Genesis 3:1-5.) Thus the creature is a picture of God’s great adversary and his allies. But this time it has seven “crowned” heads as well as ten “uncrowned” horns distributed amongst them. The head is the thinking part of the animal, and this creature having seven of them shows that Satan has seven different ways to use in his problem of controlling the multitudes of the earth. To confirm this we are shown crowns on the heads. (Breathing “fire and slaughter” is a description often given to men bent on destruction.) See also Note 1.
Lateral thought:
Just as God has a seven-branched candlestick to represent His church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so Satan is described as having a seven-headed beast by which he controls his nations. He loves to counterfeit God's ways!
We know that the first head is a picture of the Babylonian kingdom, the second, the Medo-Persian union which eventually became mainly Persian. The third is the Greek realm, and the fourth the Pagan Roman empire. This is also confirmed for us in the vision of Daniel 2. There the head of gold represented the Babylonians, the chest and two arms of silver showed the union of the Medes and Persians, while the brass belly depicted the Greeks. But the belly portion also included the two thighs, which indicates to us the split of Alexander’s empire [first four like the leopard’s heads, then two, Daniel 8:8,22] into what is known in the Bible as the “king of the north” and the “king of the south”, respectively Syria etc. (as a picture of false Christianity) and Egypt (as a symbol of heathenism and atheism).
This duality was carried on in the statue with the two legs of iron indicating both the Pagan and the Papal aspects of the Roman Empire. The changeover from the Old Testament to the New Testament occurred during this period. Why was a new testament drawn up? Because the circumstances had changed.
“Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they broke, although I was a Husband to them, says the LORD. But this shall be the covenant that I will [be able to] make with the house of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will [be able to] put My law in their inward parts [their minds], and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD’ [through a priest or Levite]: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the great of them, said the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”. Jeremiah 31:31-34.
And we are certainly aware of the fact that the Papal part of Rome carried on a great religious persecution of the saints, and to all intents and purposes, overcame them for a very long period from 538AD to 1798, after having disposed of three nations and their religious backgrounds completely, with them never to be seen in the world again.
However, this new depiction of Satan’s kingdom AFTER Calvary has TEN “horns” again, which are obviously not the same ones that we were shown before in Daniel 7:8! They came BEFORE the appearance of the Papacy and these come AFTER. In this vision the Papacy is shown by a head. (But the new horns are paralleled by the feet and toes of the statue, for there they come after the legs.) Predominantly religious in character as all “horns” are, they are ten and not seven. Like the “little horn” which rode on the head of Pagan Rome, these latter ten also ride on their respective governments, although we are not told of their distribution amongst the heads. (Although past their “use by” date, the old heads are still among us as prophesied. “As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time”. Daniel 7:12.)
Here we are given a clearer portrayal of the beast’s behaviour, as well as learning that it is a pictogram of a sinful creature. It is a fighting creature like the others, because that is the natural activity of all sinful beings, whether against God or amongst themselves. (When God wants to depict those who follow His way, He uses a lamb.) But humanity is separated into two great aspects, the natural man (the king of the south) and the religious man (the king of the north), and Satan uses one or the other (even both at times) to oppress God’s people when it suits him, for both attributes exist in the same individual, even in baptised paganism. Every man and woman is a member of a nation by birth, as well as a religion. This division is also pictured in the iron (the state) and the clay (the religion) in the feet of the statue.
In the vision we are told of the church of God “travailing in birth”, which is a picture of the appearance of the Son of God as a man. It is at this time that the red dragon is introduced as waiting to “devour her child as soon as it was born”. We know that Satan hates the Son of God, but he did not personally attempt to kill Him at that time, for it was through an intermediary that he tried. Herod the king of the Jews was used as we would expect, from one of the “heads”. The fourth head to be exact, for he held his position by permission of the Pagan Romans.
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Matthew 2:
13 And when they [the wise men] were departed, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be you there until I bring you word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him”. 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 and was there until the death of Herod [after some months]: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called My Son”. [Hosea 11:1.]
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Then we are told about Christ’s ascension back to heaven after the crucifixion when He was “caught up to God”. Revelation 12:5. But before that, He had at Calvary bruised the head of the serpent by causing the murderous intent of Satan (the dragon beast operating through the fourth head) to be fully exposed to the point where the inhabitants of the universe no longer had any sympathy for him or his followers. To describe that action the Spirit has included a mini version of the original “war [of words]” which took place in heaven at the outset of the rebellion, for that dispute reoccurred at Calvary. In fact, the Son of God and Lucifer “crossed swords” all through His incarnation, particularly in Matthew chapter 4:1-11. But it was by submission that Christ won at Calvary. And only as we come face to face with death will we be able to make the same decision. As we see others falling all around us we will need to base our faith very strongly on the word of God and trust in His delivering power.
Lateral thought:
We follow in the footsteps of our Father when we act as these words teach us. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh [and neither does God]: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [physically of this world], but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ . . .” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. The warfare is fought in the realm of the heart and mind, for “belief” is the stronghold of the Christian and “faith” his shield. Ephesians 6:16.
When they had swords raised during His arrest, the Son of man told His disciples not to use them, for although many thought of Him as a transgressor as it had been prophesied in the Old Testament, it was not true! (See Luke 22:35-38 and 47-51.) And to show His compassion He healed the wound of the man whom Peter struck in his enthusiasm.
During the crucifixion of Christ the character of Satan was clearly revealed to the angels and to the inhabitants of the unfallen worlds. Until this time the arch apostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings as intelligent as the angels had not understood his principles.
They had not clearly seen THE NATURE of his rebellion. They had not seen him as the “beast” because up until then he had always used one of his co-rebels on earth and blamed the results on the sins and failures of the people. But Christ, the sinless One, by enduring all his actions to the death, exposed his motive, for Satan could not keep himself from exulting as he saw the Son of man die, and the loyal angels witnessed this.
Why and how had they been so easily deceived all that time?
It was a person of wonderful power and glory that had set himself against God. The LORD says of him, “You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty”. Ezekiel 28:12. Lucifer had been one of the covering cherubs. Verse 14. In the symbol he had stood in the light of God's presence. Exodus 25:18-20. He was the highest of all created beings, and had been foremost in revealing God's purposes to the universe. After he had rebelled, his power to deceive was the more deceptive, and the unveiling of his character was the more difficult, because of the exalted position he had held with the Father.
God could have destroyed all the rebels as easily as one can cast a pebble to the earth; but He did not do this, for in his kingdom rebellion is not to be overcome by force. Compelling power is found only under Satan's government. The LORD's principles are not of this order. His authority rests upon goodness, mercy, and love; and the presentation of these principles is the means to be used to establish His kingdom. God's government is moral, and truth and love are to be the prevailing powers, so He had to wait until Satan revealed himself (and so will we).
After that, it was only on the earth that Satan could find any with like motives, so from that time on he and his angels were “cast down” to it. Before that he had been a constant thorn in the side of the loyal angels as they went about their duties by his continuous criticisms and accusations of Christ and His followers, but the loyal angels had listened politely as all Christians should, and because they were not absolutely sure of God’s word. Now they were certain and wanted nothing more to do with their former friend and leader, and ignored his suggestions, so he concentrated on humans.
The subsequent departure of the people of God (the Sabbath-keepers), from Europe for the 1260 years (verse 6) left him with virtually total sway over the minds of the nations of that continent. (The majority of the saints travelled to many other parts of the world in fulfillment of their commission, “And He said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”. Mark 16:15.)
During those years there are records of Sabbath-keepers in the “wildernesses” of India, Africa, China and the Far East. They were even sent from Scotland and Ireland to the Americas! Check out;
http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/Centuries/centuries.html
The few Sabbath-keepers that remained in Europe were cared for in a different way. They were looked after as they died as martyrs during the persecution by the fifth head, the Papal power. Along with their far-flung brethren, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony [not with literal swords]; and they loved not their lives unto the death”. Revelation 12:11. But when we look into history we find that a surprising number of those who were attacked by the Roman Church (and who often fought back) were actually Sunday-keepers, of her own “daughters”, for she is the “mother of harlots”, i.e. churches which use the strength of the state to gain their own ends. Revelation 17:5.
But after the followers of God began to recognize that the “daughters” of Babylon were also in a fallen rebellious condition (Revelation 14:8), the church of God came back into the limelight (around 1846) and began to lift up God’s Sabbath day as a symbol of His gift of “rest” in justification. He had said, “Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them”. Ezekiel 20:12. They began to call men and women out of those false churches into the light of truth, and they are still doing it today, albeit half-heartedly at the moment.
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Revelation 12:
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man Child [and who was actively promoting the Sabbath “rest” of “peace with God”. Romans 5:1].
[Daniel 7:22 tells us that Daniel saw that there were to be three periods of great persecution. The first lasting “until” the Ancient of Days commenced the judgment of the dead (in 1844); the second stretching from the loud cry “until” the second coming; and the last between the third advent and “until” the new world.]
14 And [when she had finished her task] to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle [extra speed], that she might fly [back] into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent [this will be for a literal 3½ years some time in the future].
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood [the peoples of the whole world] after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth [sparsely populated areas of it] helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed [those who had survived the persecution], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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How Satan is going to do this is explained in the next chapter of The Revelation (the thirteenth), but first we need to read the seventeenth chapter, which we will do shortly.
However, it is the Roman Catholic Church’s firm boast that she has never persecuted anyone to death, because she has always handed them over to the civil power to do that. So we see that the second “leg” of the statue was dependent upon the first leg, which is why she is depicted as coming out of the head of the iron beast in Daniel 7:8, and living parallel with the other leg in the statue.
Of course, God is always trying to change natural man’s attitude and get as many as He can to “come out” from the beast (Revelation 18:4), but relatively few ever respond and so in the last days it will still be very strong. In fact, we are told that at that time, “ALL the world wondered [followed] after the beast” in Revelation13:3, and “worshipped” him in verse 4. Why? Because they ARE the beast and they love and worship themselves!
Maybe we should here distinguish between the church organization (the hierarchy) and the followers of it (the laity). I suggest that you see the diagram at the end of the article. The “hierarchy” are those who work for the church, and the laity are those who follow the leaders.
We can thank God that amongst the leaders as well as the led He can find hearts that will respond to His call, such as Crispus (Acts 18:8), many priests (Acts 6:7), Saul who became Paul (Acts 9), and even Nebuchadnezzar the king of old Babylon! (See Daniel chapter 4.)
Which brings us to another thought:
Since 1798 there has not been as much obvious control of the world by the seven-headed beast as there used to be. Why is that? Because we are now no longer managed by the fifth head, but by the sixth! In 1798 when the 5th head of the beast was finally “wounded to death” by “the sword of God [the Bible]”, that “head” has been stricken almost beyond life by being separated from the state authority. (The wounding began with John Wycliffe around 1382AD when he translated the Bible into English, but was not complete till the Sabbath was restored around 1846.) God says, “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword [the Bible] in their hand . . .” Psalm 149:5-6. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. Hebrews 4:12.
But as we read on we will find that the 5th head is in the process of being healed (restored to its former position in the minds of men), for the modern translations of the Bible (and the people who read them) can no longer keep the Roman church and its attitudes clear in their minds. (Who didn’t love John Paul II?)
So who or what does control the world these days?
The American love of independence and patriotism has been used by Satan in preparation for his master-stroke, and since the industrial revolution which started in the late 18th century, the love of money has taken over men’s minds and hearts. It has become their “religion”. Yes, the sixth “head” is a picture of “materialism”, for Satan tried a new way after his “religious head” had been discredited, and up till now has been very successful with it. Very few men or women can manage to stay with the God of life when they love the god of money. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon”. Matthew 6:24.
Actually, Satan HAD to go this way because the independent spirit of the people of America who wrote the constitution did not allow him to put a “crown” on this head. (That is, one man, or a small group, in charge of the nation, at that time called “the divine right of kings”.) Therefore, in a way, he is frustrated and getting angry, for religious liberty is abhorrent to him.
Consider this quote about the ideal conditions under the fifth head:
http://boards.history.com/topic/History-Of-Christianity/Religious-Liberty-And/520019205
3rd and 4th paragraphs (emphasis and additions added by the authors.)
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“The Roman Catholic Church, convinced,
through its divine prerogatives, of being the only true church, MUST DEMAND THE
RIGHT TO FREEDOM FOR {{{HERSELF ALONE}}}, because such a right can only be
possessed by TRUTH, never by ERROR. As to other religions, the church will
certainly never draw the sword {OH REALLY}, but she will REQUIRE that by
LEGITIMATE means they shall NOT be allowed to propagate false doctrine.
Consequently, in a STATE where the majority of the people are Catholic, the
church will REQUIRE that legal existence be denied to error, and that if
religious minorities actually exist, they shall have only a DE FACTO existence
without opportunity to spread their beliefs. We ask Protestants to understand
that the Catholic Church would betray her trust if she were to proclaim,
theoretically and practically, that ERROR can have the same RIGHTS as TRUTH.”
SOURCE: F. Cavalli, in La Civilta Cattolica {a Jesuit
organ published at Rome}, april [sic], 1948, quoted in an editorial in, The
Christian Centuiry [sic], June 23, 1948, p. 623.
It was the above kind in [sic] thinking which was responsible for the MILLIONS of Protestants who were killed by the hands of the Church of Rome, during her days, as being the KING of the hill, regarding the subject of God, and religion.
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So today’s situation is not enough for Satan: he wants to utterly destroy all of God’s people from off the face of the earth. Soon, the beast will exercise his religious strength again (this time through the seventh head), for that is the only way he can identify the true followers of the LORD. (Consider Daniel chapter 3 and the purpose of its image.) There are many who would reject outright a Roman Catholic inspired Sunday veneration, but a Protestant one?
We need now to look at another chapter in The Revelation.
It’s a long chapter but we need to read it all.
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Revelation 17:
1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials [of the last plagues], and talked with me [John], saying to me, “Come here; I will show to you the judgment of the great whore [prostitute] that sits upon many waters:
2 with whom the kings of the earth [the politicians] have committed fornication [joined together unlawfully], and the inhabitants of the earth [the rest of the people] have been made drunk [incapable of correct reasoning] with the wine of her fornication [her false doctrines]”.
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness [not into the “sea” of Europe, but into the comparative emptiness of the USA at that time, 1798]: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns [where are the crowns?].
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet [varieties of red] 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 results of the union of church and state]: 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 [How can she get away with it?]. 7 And the angel said to me, “Wherefore did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns [but no crowns right now. We’ve seen why on pages 11 and 12.]
8 “The beast that you saw was [once in control of the world through religion], and is not [right now]; and [but] shall ascend out of the bottomless pit [into the world], and [after that shall] go into perdition [everlasting destruction]: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were NOT written in the Book of Life [which began to be written] from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 “And here is the mind which has wisdom.
The seven heads are [also] seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10 “And there are seven kings: five are fallen [are in the past], and one is [right now], and the other [the seventh] is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space.
11 “And the beast that was, and is not, EVEN HE IS THE EIGHTH, and is of the seven [he is the seven all rolled into one], and [the whole creature] goes into perdition [everlasting destruction].
12 “And the ten horns [the religious side of the powers of the world] which you saw are ten kings [leaders], which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour [a short time] with the beast [at the end of time].
13 “These have one mind [a confederacy], and shall give their power and strength to the beast [the uniting of the clay (religion) and the iron (the state) in one last push for supremacy]. 14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them [as the stone hits the feet of the statue, Daniel 2:44-45]: for He is LORD of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful”.
15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the whore sits [she was on the beast in verse 3], are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 “And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore [she is the “mother” church, they are the “bastard” daughters], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire [when they realize their position]. 17 For God has put in their hearts to fulfil His will [He has allowed them their choice without restriction], and to agree, and give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. [Miry (wet) clay and iron cannot mix for long – as soon as the clay dries out, they must separate.]
18 “And the woman which you saw is that great city [the one with seven hills], which reigns over the kings of the earth”. [See again the diagram at the end.]
***************(End Quote)
So let’s establish that this vision refers to the time of the sixth head: “five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come” the angel said in verse 10, and that puts it squarely in our time. Then, when all has been fulfilled, the whole thing working together is to be known as the EIGHTH king/head. Therefore when we read the words they should be applied to our time, for the fifth head, the Papacy, has received its deadly wound and yet is being received back into men’s favour in the background. In this depiction God tells us that the Roman church is like a paid provider of immorality and is causing the peoples of the world to be very confused (drunk). We know that the woman is the church of Rome for verse 18 tells us that she is also “that great city” which sits on seven hills.
But WHERE will this action begin? Not in the “sea” of Europe, but in the “wilderness” of North America. Although born in Europe, it was there that one of her “harlot daughters” grew up. Protestant in name, it will soon become dragon-like in action. (We’ll see more of that later.)
More important right now is WHEN is it taking place? It is set in the time when there is little or no religious persecution. It is set in the time AFTER five king/heads have fallen (are in the past), and BEFORE the seventh head begins it work. In verse 10 we are told that when it (the seventh) does come, it won’t last long before the whole world will wonder after the eighth head. Then will come the time of the new ten horns which will reign for “one hour with the beast” (also a short time). “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened”. Matthew 24:22.
So the time of the vision is NOW.
Another question:
WHO are the ten horns? One of them grew
up in the USA, as a daughter of Great Babylon, and likes to persecute
Sabbath-keepers, for, like its mother, it wor
ships
on the day of the sun. But all ten have an uneasy relationship with their
mother, and will eventually hate and destroy her! Verse 16. It is very clear
that one of them represents the so-called Pro-testants of the United States who
no longer protest, but act out the dictates of their hearts, which are the same
as the scarlet coloured woman who sits on the beast.
The remaining nine represent the other religions from various parts of the world, for “ALL THE WORLD” is going to worship the beast, Satan, including the heathen religions of the orient. How will he be able to do that? Because their fundamental belief is EXACTLY the same! (We’ll find out what that is later.)
Let’s return now to the 13th chapter of The Revelation and see more on this. We’ll divide the chapter into two sections for easier understanding.
***************(Begin Quote)
Revelation 13:
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [the original animal, the dragon symbol of Satan] rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. [Notice that the crowns have reappeared and that the horns now have the power.]
2 And the beast which I saw was like to 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.
3 And I saw one of his heads [the fifth] as it were wounded to death; and [later] his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And [in doing so] they [unwittingly] worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the [seven-headed] beast, saying, “Who is like to the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
[Satan fools everybody who is not closely attached to the Son of God. Paul wrote: “For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only He who now lets [protects] will let [continue to protect], until He be taken out of the way [by rejection]. And then shall “that Wicked” be revealed, whom the LORD shall consume with the spirit of His mouth [His word], and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: even Him, whose coming is AFTER the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them [a] strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness [they want it that way]”. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12.]
5 And there was given to him [the seven-headed beast] a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty-two months [three and one half years]. 6 And he opened his mouth [which one of the seven?] in blasphemy [false teaching] against God, to blaspheme His name [character], AND HIS TABERNACLE, and them that dwell in heaven.
[It is the seventh head that is speaking. And he particularly attacks the truth that God has a High Priest in the temple in heaven. He wants to draw men’s attention to himself on earth. See Matthew 4:8-10.]
7 And it was given to him [the dragon] to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations [by their choice].
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are NOT written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
***************(End Quote)
By the way, did you notice that the other “heads” were mentioned in the first two verses? The “beast” was “like” the leopard (Greece), and the bear (Medo-Persia), and the lion (Babylon). It has the speed of the leopard, the brute force of the bear, and the courage of the lion. Or, put another way, the Babylonian cunning in religion, the Greek philosophy regarding the “immortal” soul, the Persian ruthlessness in forcing its views on others, and the Roman lifestyle of selfishness. We are also told that the dragon beast is still the guiding force. And did you notice that the crowns have moved in this vision? They are now on the horns! That is a significant move, for power in the world is denoted by those crowns. This is a new manifestation of Satan as the beast – religious first, then national.
Now the religious element of “blasphemy” is introduced into the mouth of one of the heads. This tells us that there is coming a time when religion will again be the focus of the beast. Since the wounding of the fifth head (the Roman Church), the heads have been partially controlled by their horns, for even the love of money has a religious motive. Do you remember the words, “You cannot serve God and mammon”? But the power of the horns will soon come into full swing and the seventh head will galvanize the people of the beast into a great religious persecution (“such as never was since there was a nation”, Daniel 12:1) by the teaching of a false gospel, which actually pictures God as an angry destroyer of His enemies, an angry beast. Sound incredible? – just read on, for the mystery of iniquity is already working.
When the seven-headed dragon beast resumes the persecution of those who love God, he has the whole world with him. No fence-sitters then! How can he do that? Why does he do it THEN?
What is the false gospel which is being preached in all the world right now? It is that Christ “paid the price” for us, to appease the “wrath” of God. Because “wrath” is an old English word it is not always easy for us to define just what that means.
Allow me to quote from my library, for this author puts it much better than I can. I have added the emphasis.
***************(Begin Quote)
Notwithstanding this, we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. That was what we thought about it. We said, God is doing all this; God is killing him, punishing him, to satisfy his wrath, in order to let us off. That is the pagan conception of sacrifice.
The Christian idea of sacrifice is this. Let us note the contrast.
"God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." That is the Christian idea. Yes, sir. Indifference KEEPS, hatred KEEPS, selfishness KEEPS, or gives, if at all, but grudgingly, counting the cost, and figuring on some LARGER RETURN at some future time.
But love, and love only, sacrifices, GIVES FREELY, gives itself, gives without counting the cost; gives because it is love. That is sacrifice, whether it is the sacrifice of bulls and goats, or of him who is the Lamb of God. It is the sacrifice that is revealed throughout the entire Bible.
But the pagan idea of sacrifice is just the opposite. It is that some god is always offended, always angry, and his wrath must be propitiated in some way.
If it is an ordinary case, the blood of bulls and goats will suffice; but if it is an extraordinary case, the blood of some innocent virgin or child must flow; and when the god smells the blood, his wrath is appeased. We talk of pagan immortality, pagan Sunday, pagan idolatry, etc.; but it seems to me that the LOWEST THOUGHT is that men have brought this pagan idea of sacrifice right into the Bible, and applied it to the sacrifice of the cross.
So the Methodist Discipline uses these words: “Christ died to reconcile the Father unto us;” that is, to propitiate God so that we could be forgiven - [this is] paganism straight out.
Why, brethren and sisters, it is the application of the pagan conception of sacrifice to the sacrifice upon the cross, so that that wonderful manifestation of divine love, which God intended should cause all men, all beings in the universe, to wonder and adore, HAS BEEN TURNED AROUND and made a manifestation of wrath to be propitiated in order to save man.
***************(End Quote)
By G. E. Fifield, from a sermon given in 1897.
Consider this URL for more on the love of God; http://www.oocities.org/weprotest.geo/agape.html
One of the favourite illustrations of this propitiation of wrath is the one where we are told of a loving man who is willing to lay down his life to save a murderer. He will give a life for a life to satisfy “the law”. There are many ways of expressing it, but in one form or another, it is PAYMENT. This is so close to the truth that we are told that it will fool everybody except “the very elect”. Matthew 24:24. Paul wrote: “Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: and not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remains the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the LORD, the veil shall be taken away”. 2 Corinthians 3:12-16. Satan has always had a veil over the truth to blind the minds of men, but soon it will be torn aside for those who have eyes to see.
Caiaphas the high priest came up with the same idea from a different angle when he said, “ . . . it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that THE WHOLE NATION perish not”. And this spoke he not of himself: but being high priest that year [by payment to the Romans], he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad”. John 11:50-52. Again, this is Paganism straight out! But this is what the people will be told in the last days – that if the “remnant” of the “lawbreakers” is exterminated then God will bless the whole world. “Christendom needs to be saved” will be the cry. It is the “rather them than us” syndrome.
What is the truth?
As we read before, God GIVES, but not without cost to us. Jesus told us, “The kingdom of heaven is like to treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and SELLS ALL THAT HE HAS, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and SOLD ALL THAT HE HAD, and bought it”. Matthew 13:44-46.
To GET all we have to GIVE all, for that is the price of love. Christ does not make a payment to placate an angry God, but EXCHANGES with us a life for a life! We get His life and He gets ours. That’s what it means when we read, “Knowing this, that our ‘old man’ is CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is ‘dead’ is freed from [the power of] sin”. Romans 6:6-7. Then a loving God can be both gracious and just. He does not pretend to see us “in Christ” but actually sees “Christ in you [us] the hope of glory”. Colossians 1:27.
Can you see how close the truth and the error are? And yet how far apart! His is not a one-off payment, a “vicarious” sacrifice, but a real one – one which He will bear for eternity. It’s an eternal marriage. The holes in His hands tell us that. See John 20:26-29.
As we have read before, the people of the world will believe a lie BECAUSE that is what they want. Rather than die to self today as God asks, they want someone else to die for them. In their gospel it is Christ alone who dies (for them), and in their practice it is others who die to please an angry god. This looks like the truth, but isn’t, for Satan’s favourite trick is to use as much truth in his error as he can without actually teaching it.
How can YOU know which side you are on? We are told in the word, “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace”. James 3:17-18.
Here we have listed the fruits which are marked evidences that one who has been walking in the vigour of natural life has met with a change at conversion – a change so marked as to be represented by death. From a living, active life of selfishness, to death! What a striking figure! None need be deceived here. If this transformation has not been experienced by you, don’t rest. Seek the LORD with all your heart. Make this the all-important business of your life, or else you will receive the mark of the beast and want to destroy those whom you will think of as “God’s enemies”! Remember that very religious man, Saul of Tarsus? Acts 26:4-11.
And where will Satan start from? From a place few will suspect until it is too late!
Let’s read about it.
***************(Begin Quote)
Revelation 13:
11 And I beheld another [head of the] beast [the 6th] coming up out of the earth [a relatively uninhabited place]; and he had two horns like a lamb [at first], and [then] he spoke as a dragon [this “beast” is actually a head]. 12 And he exercises all the power of the first [the old] beast [Babylon] before [in front of] him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast [through the seventh head], whose deadly wound was healed [that wound was actually on the fifth head].
13 And he [the seventh head] does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men [as God has done in the past], 14 and deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do [real ones] in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth [the people], that THEY should make an image [a copy] to the [fifth head of the] beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
[Here is clearly presented a form of government in which the legislative power rests with the people; a most striking evidence that the United States is the nation denoted in the prophecy.]
15 And he [the seventh head] had power to give life to the image [the copy] of the [fifth head of the] beast, that the IMAGE of the beast [the eighth head] should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the IMAGE of the beast should be killed [this is the ultimate religious persecution by the 7th and 8th heads].
16 And he [the image head] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond [all over the world], to receive a mark in their right hand [through expediency], or in their foreheads [because they believe the lie]: 17 and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name [character] of the [image of the] beast, or the number of his name [character].
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the [image] beast: for it is the number of a man [aka the beast]; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six [the totality of evil].
***************(End Quote)
What was the fifth head like? It was a persecuting union of church and state with the state doing the church’s bidding – as pictured by the woman riding the beast and epitomised by the Spanish Inquisition. It was imposed from above, by the church leaders on to the laity.
Here is a sample of its voice:
http://www.reformedreader.org/history/wylie/ch03.htm (Paragraphs 14-15.)
***************(Begin Quote)
The first step of the Pope [Innocent VIII] was to issue a bull [this decree was made in 1487], denouncing as heretical those whom he delivered over to slaughter. This bull, after the manner of all such documents, was expressed in terms as sanctimonious as its spirit was inexorably cruel. It brings no charge against these men, as lawless, idle, dishonest, or disorderly; their fault was that they did not worship as Innocent worshipped, and that they practised a “simulated sanctity,” which had the effect of seducing the sheep of the true fold, therefore he orders “that malicious and abominable sect of malignants,” if they “refuse to abjure, to be crushed like venomous snakes.” [The bull is given in full in Leger, who also says that he had made a faithful copy of it, and lodged it with other documents in the University Library of Cambridge. (Hist. Gen. des Eglises Vaud., part ii., pp. 7-15.)]
To carry out his bull, Innocent VIII. appointed Albert Cataneo, Archdeacon of Cremona, his legate, entrusting to him the chief conduct of the enterprise. He fortified him, moreover, with Papal missives to all princes, dukes, and powers, within whose dominions any Vaudois [aka Waldenses] were to be found. The Pope especially accredited him to Charles VIII. of France and Charles II. of Savoy, commanding them to support him with the whole power of their arms. The bull invited all Catholics to take up the cross against the heretics; and to stimulate them in this pious work it “absolved from all ecclesiastical pains and penalties, general and particular; it released all who joined the crusade from any oaths they might have taken; it legitimatised their title to any property they might have illegally acquired; and promised remission of all their sins to such as should kill any heretic. It annulled all contracts made in favour of Vaudois, ordered their domestics to abandon them, forbade all persons to give them any aid whatever, and empowered all persons to take possession of their property.”
***************(End Quote)
This document clearly reveals the master spirit behind the scenes. It is the roar of the dragon, and not the voice of Christ, that is heard here. It is the characteristic, or “mark”, of the beast.
What will the 7th head be like? Similar, and yet greater than the 5th head, it will have persecution IMPOSED BY THE PEOPLE after a suggestion by the leaders! It is written, “that THEY should make an image”. Revelation 13:14.
John saw the 6th head of the beast arising from the earth with two small horns like a lamb, but it was destined to speak through laws like the fifth head, once it made the copy. Without a king, and without a pope, it was a peaceable and tolerant nation to start with, but would soon lose that and become a religious persecutor. (That part has yet to happen.)
The Federal Government of the United States will be persuaded by the so-called “Protestant” church leaders to lift up the sacredness of Sunday as a day of rest and worship by means of Sunday law restrictions. Then, through the use of miracles as well as coercion, these leaders will persuade the people to make a copy of the Old World’s religion of church and state, which will force objectors to comply. Helped by the many natural disasters which will be occurring, they will convince the population that these restrictions are necessary for survival. They are “the sacrifice” that their god wants!
The 8th head is made up of all the other religions joining the 7th because they have the same character – they believe in the use of force to save themselves. They rightly believe that their god wants a sacrifice of blood! And so it will be one great confederacy of appeasement, and the people of God will come face to face with death as a reality. They will see it happening all around them and will need great faith in the Son of God to survive it.
From my library:
***************(Begin Quote)
When the land which the Lord provided as an asylum for His people, that they might worship Him according to the dictates of their own consciences, the land over which for long years the shield of Omnipotence has been spread, the land which God has favored by making it the depository of the pure religion of Christ -- when that land shall, through its legislators, abjure the principles of Protestantism, and give countenance to Romish apostasy in tampering with God's law -- it is then that the final work of the man of sin will be revealed. Protestants will throw their whole influence and strength on the side of the Papacy; by a national act enforcing the false sabbath, they will give life and vigor to the corrupt faith of Rome, reviving her tyranny and oppression of conscience [in their own land]. Then it will be time for God to work in mighty power for the vindication of His truth.
***************(End Quote)
That’s when the next chapters in The Revelation will have their place, but that’s another story!
oooOooo
Note 1:
“A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate”.
oooOooo
To Ancient SDA's ............ To "What's New?"