Chapter 4:The Image to the BeastPLEASE STOP! Do not read this chapter until you read chapters 2 & 3 first. One More Beast
About the time that John sees the composite beast [the Papacy] receive its deadly wound, he beholds another beast coming up out of the earth. If the sea, as we have already learned, represents "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues," from which all the previous beasts arose out of, then what does the earth here represent? It must represent the very opposite - uncivilized territory. Then the two-horned beast must spring forth from a new territory previously unpopulated by the Old World. Note also that the two-horned beast is said to be "another beast", therefore, it cannot come from or be part of the composite beast or any of the prior beasts that came up before it. It is altogether separate and coexists for a time with the composite beast. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, was one of many reformers that understood the time-frame in which this prophecy was to be fulfilled. In 1754 in his notes on Rev. 13 he wrote this concerning the two-horned beast: "He has not yet come, though he cannot be far off. For he is to appear at the end of the forty-two months of the first beast." This two-horned beast is at first depicted like a lamb. The symbol of a lamb represents youth, therefore it must still be quite young in 1798 when the papacy received its deadly wound at the end of its 1260 year supremacy. A lamb is also a symbol used to describe the character of our Lord, as John the Baptist declares of Jesus, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. And John the Revelator calls Him"..the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13:8. Then the nation in question in its youthful state must be founded upon the Christ-like character and principles of the Heavenly government, upon God’s "law of liberty." James 2:12. Notice also that the two horns cannot represent monarchies since they have no crowns as do the composite beasts horns. They must be symbols of a representative form of leadership based on religious and civil liberty of which only a true Protestant, Democratic Republic could secure for its citizens. Take time now and think this through. What notable nation was coming into power in 1798 at the end of the forty-two months of Papal supremacy, that was Protestant and a Democratic Republic? Looking at the European continent we can find no nation that fits this description. As a matter of fact, looking in all of the Old World we can find none that meet it, but just as soon as we are obliged to turn our eyes to the New World they inevitably rest upon the United States as the power in question. The timing and conditions are perfect. The struggle of the American colonies for independence began in 1775. They declared themselves a free nation in 1776. In 1777, delegates from the thirteen colonies met together in Congress and adopted Articles of Confederation. The Revolutionary War ended in 1783 with a peace treaty of which Great Britain acknowledged their independence. In 1787, the Constitution was framed, by July 26, 1788 it was ratified, and on March 1789 was in full effect. Beginning with less than one million square miles of territory and less than four million citizens the U.S. had, by 1798, grown to be the formidable world power John had envisioned coming up at the end of the 1260 years. The manner in which this country has grown to power should be taken into consideration as well. Unlike the other beasts that arose out of the churning sea of strife and conquest, the U.S. has expanded its borders by offering freedom and asylum to those that seek escape from political tyranny and religious intolerance. Note also the word used in verse 11 that describes the manner in which the two-horned beast comes up. It is very expressive. It is the Greek word, anabainon, meaning "to spring up as a plant." Many historians and political writers have used the very same imagery to describe the rise of this nation. George A. Townsend stated: "...like a silent seed we grew into empire," and Edward Everett, in an oration on the English exiles who founded this government, had this to say: "Did they look for a retired spot, inoffensive for its obscurity, and safe in its remoteness, where the little church of Leyden might enjoy the freedom of conscience. Behold the mighty regions over which, in peaceful conquest-victoria sine clade [victory without strife]- they have borne the banners of the cross." Dec. 22, 1824, Orations and Speeches, p. 42 The United States in Prophecy"Many find it hard to believe that the government of the United States of America is a subject of Bible prophecy, but I ask, ‘why not?’ The chief theme of prophecy, next to the coming, work and second advent, of our Lord Jesus Christ, to set up His everlasting kingdom, is the story of the rise and fall of cities, nations and kingdoms on this earth. Why shouldn’t our own nation come into consideration as well as others? "The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Tyre and Sidon, Nineveh and Jerusalem, the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the ten kingdoms which arose out of old Rome, all have had their place on the prophetic page. Their rise, history, decline, and fall, were all plainly foretold, and every prophetic utterance concerning them has been fulfilled to the very letter. May we not, therefore, look for the same respecting a government so prominent and influential as our own? And if so, shouldn’t it be a theme of paramount interest to us? "Scanning the field of prophecy, and noting the character of the nations which all agree are mentioned in the Bible, two reasons at once appear to explain why they have been made prominent in the prophetic page: First, if they have been nations which have had a leading influence in the affairs of men; and, secondly, if they have been so closely connected with the people of God, and the great events in the development of the plan of man's redemption through Jesus Christ, that the history of the true church, and the Lord's work in the earth, could not be written without making mention of them." America’s Crisis, Uriah Smith. All must agree that the United States certainly meets both of these criteria. One would be hard pressed to find an educated person who would deny the political power of the U.S. and its far-reaching influences into global affairs. As to its connection with the people of God and the events related to the redemption of mankind, who can deny that the United States of America has been foremost responsible in spreading the Gospel and Christian ethics throughout the world. The Bible based principles of living brought here by the Puritans, the principles of "separation of church and state" and "freedom to worship God by the dictates of conscience" expounded by Roger Williams (see appendix C), founder of Rhode Island, are the foundational basis of our Constitution. The framers of our Constitution and founders of this great nation sought to form "a kingdom without a king and a church without a pope" so that God may be all in all in the lives of the people. Speaking as a Dragon"...he spake as a dragon. 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."Rev 13:11,12.Though the United States of America was founded upon the principles of freedom and continues to profess to uphold them, the lamblike horns and the dragon’s voice presented in this verse point to a striking contradiction between its professions and its practice. The "speaking" of this nation is the action of its legislative and judicial authorities. By its legislation it will change its profession into a lie and undermine the principles which it has put forth as the foundation of its policy. The prediction that it will speak "as a dragon" and exercise "all the power of the first beast" plainly foretells a development of the spirit of intolerance and persecution that was manifested by the nations represented by the dragon and the composite beast. And the statement that the beast with two horns "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast" indicates that the authority of this nation is to be exercised in enforcing some observance which shall be an act of homage to the papacy. A Flex of Muscles"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 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." Rev. 13:13-15. Satan has his miracles too. It's called technology! He teaches mankind about the wonderful mysteries of God’s universe and then manipulates man into using it for self-destructive purposes. Oh yes, there are many good things that come out of technology. How else could Satan convince mankind to delve into these areas of science if there were not some benifit to be found? Atomic power is a perfect example. It supplies a near perfect form of energy to run electric plants and has found a multitude of applications in the medical field. How unfortunate that it is also one of the greatest threats mankind has ever had to face. Can anyone doubt that the United States has become the world leader in technological military might, even bringing fire down from the sky in the sight of men (Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki)? But the U.S. has always claimed to use its power against oppression and in defense of the defenseless. Prophecy tells us that this has changed, for it is the purpose of the U.S. to "deceive them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles." By using the appearance of defender for human rights the United States will wield its power to convince "them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast." To understand what this image to the beast is we only need understand that an image is a copy or exact representation of something else. The image to the beast must be a copy of what the beast, the papacy, once was; a combination of church and state that controlled the conscience of the people with oppressive laws and had the power to persecute those that opposed its policies. In order for the United States (the two-horned beast) to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the state will be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends. The "image to the beast" represents that form of apostate Protestantism which will be developed when the Protestant churches shall seek the aid of the civil power for the enforcement of their beliefs. In other words, when the body of Protestant churches shall unite and become so involved in the legislative system of this nation as to control what laws do and don’t get passed, so that they can force the consciences of the people with their laws, they will have formed an image to the beast. The "power" given to the image to "speak" is its power to enforce legislation. As the scriptures tell us, when boycotts and sanctions fail to compel God’s children to accept the "mark", they will eventually resort to the death penalty "and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." verse 15
Does this all sound far-fetched? Actually, anyone who is keeping an eye on the moral degeneracy of this country can see that the times are ripe for religious organizations to control legislation. High crime rates and domestic problems are calling for desperate actions by the government who seem more willing than ever to listen to the religious organizations of this country for answers. Just to give you some examples that this is not so far-fetched, I give you H.R. 2431 and H.R. 1865, House bills that rewrite the first amendment and give congress the right to make laws concerning religion (see text box below).
Many bills just like them are being introduced regularly. In Virginia a House bill has been introduced called HB 1. This bill is, supposedly, designed to protect your first amendment rights, but a quick examination will reveal just the opposite. Here is the main content of this bill:
S. 2148, the same bill verbatim, has been introduced to the Senate of the United States. Imagine the impact laws such as these would have on our rights if passed. These laws are not for our protection but for installing loop holes around the first amendment, placing the burden of proof on the victim. This kind of mind-set has been going on for years. In 1985, Chief Justice William Rehnquist had this to say: "The wall of separation between church and state is a metaphor based on bad history...It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned." Our first amendment states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," but in order for Religious leaders to establish more forms of control, like the examples above, the first amendment must be rewritten. Expect to see more bills introduced and passed in the near future to change our Constitution and set up a church-state government. The Image SpreadsThough this forming of an image begins here in the U.S. the Bible tells us that it does not end here. The two-horned beast (U.S.) convinces all "that dwell on the earth to form an image to the beast" and by doing so "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast." The policy of combining church and state will become world-wide with a common agenda. Their agenda is to form a New World Order with its own ideals and politically correct morals that will be enforced by law. A new religion consisting of all the common points between the various religions of the world will be the basis of the one world church-state, and the Pope will be set up as the figurehead of this one world church. A Vatican insider tells us that the new "religion will not be Christianity or Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism or any religion known today. It already has its own religion. It is called the New Age. The environment will be almost deified and sanctified, and man will build his own earthly home. The New Age movement is at this moment influencing our present policies. This is a new paganism. Even the old pagans had their gods, rites and prayers, but the new pagans are godless. (They worship self.) This is the new world religion." The Gospel Truth, "An Interview with Malachi Martin," p.4. The New Age is a combination of Catholic, apostate Protestant and pagan Eastern occultic beliefs.
"Under the courageous leadership of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican State has assumed its rightful place in the world as an International voice. It is only right that this country show its respect for the Vatican by diplomatically recognizing it as a world state." Dan Quayle, Appeal to the US Senate, September 22, 1983. "(John Paul II) insists that men have no reliable hope of creating a viable geopolitical system, unless it is on the basis of Roman Catholic Christianity." M. Martin, Keys of This Blood, page 492. "United Nations - Leaders of the Security Council nations were in New York today for their first summit, ready to place the United Nations at the center of a new world order and forge a common policy on peace making and arms control.... The gathering of leaders of the 15 Security Council nations marks the first time since the founding of the world organization in 1945 that the council, the most powerful U.N. body, has convened at the highest level." Birmingham News, Jan. 31, 1992. "Willing or not, ready or not, we are all involved in an all-out, no-holds-barred, three-way competition. Most of us are not competitors, however. We are the stakes. For the competition is about who will establish the first one world system of government that has ever existed in the society of nations. . . . The competition is all-out because, now that it has started, there is no way it can be reversed or called off." (Malachi Martin in Keys of This Blood, 15) That the basis of the New World Order shall be religious cannot be denied. The evidence of their own words speaks against them. "..the spiritual teachings of RELIGION must become the foundation for the NEW WORLD ORDER and that national sovereignty must be subordinate to the higher moral law of God." (Which god?) --American Institute of Judaism, excerpt from article in the New York Times (December 1942) "No serious attempt to set human affairs aright, to achieve world peace, can ignore RELIGION. Man's perception and practice of it are largely the stuff of history. An eminent historian described religion as a ‘faculty of human nature’...Religion is the greatest of all means for the establishment of order in the world and for the peaceful contentment of all that dwell therein...." The Promise of World Peace, A Statement by the Universal House of Justice, Haifa, Israel. The article goes on to say that all religions must break down their barriers and join together for the purpose of establishing world peace, no one orthodoxy should be tolerated to disturb the whole.
U.S. News & World Report, June 10, 1996, carried the following astonishing interview with Malachi Martin (a Vatican insider and close friend of the Pope): Plotting World Order in Rome. Vatican expert Malachi Martin tries to scope out papal succession. "Windswept House: A Vatican Novel" Conversation with Jeffery L. Sheler & Malachi Martin.
Sheler: "Your novel depicts an international plot by Vatican insiders and internationalists to install a new Pope and establish a "New World Order." How fictional is this story line?" Martin: "Not very. There is an unspoken alliance today between powers inside the Vatican and leaders of major international humanist organizations who would change the Roman Catholic Church from a sacred institution to one whose primary function is to act as a stabilizing social force in the world. They see the church as the only global structure able to do this. The one obstacle is John Paul II. He is seen as a defender of medieval traditions. They want a Pope who shares their more liberal, globalist view." Sheler: "Who are these powers?" Martin: "Cardinals of the church, the men who will elect the next Pope. I describe them as conciliarists. The Church today is divided. Monolithic faith is gone. The new rival factions: traditionalists who prefer the church as it was before the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and conciliarists who want to liberalize church doctrine on everything from divorce and contraception to abortion and homosexuality. The numbers are about even, but conciliarists hold the positions of power. They think John Paul II is too conservative; traditionalists don't think he is conservative enough." Sheler: "What about the non-church part of the alliance? Who are they?" Martin: "Academia, foundations, nongovernmental organizations, even some governmental agencies. They have vast resources devoted to population control, education and economic and social stabilization. If they can get the Roman Catholic Church to side with them in the social and cultural field in a world that is dysfunctional, they'll have another element of stability." Sheler: "This sounds rather conspiratorial." Martin: "It's not a conspiracy, but it's deliberate. Conciliarists and non-church globalists think the same way. Neither likes the Pope's policies. They are preparing for the selection of the next Pope." A Single Verse of ProphecyThere is a flaw, however, in their agenda of setting up a one world government based on Roman Catholicism. As we have already studied in Daniel chapters 2 and 7 there will only be four consecutive world governments before the second coming of Christ, and with the breaking up of the fourth, pagan Rome, there would be no more one world governments. "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Dan. 2:41-44 The attempt to develop a one world government since the collapse of pagan Rome has been tried again and again. Kings and Queens of various nations have intermarried in hopes that common blood would bind them together. Such attempts have failed miserably. Then there are the attempts to use force to unify the nations. Clovis tried it. Charlemagne tried it. Charles V tried it. Louis XIV tried it. Napoleon tried it. Hitler tried it. But none succeeded. A single verse of prophecy was stronger than all their hosts. Their own power was wasted, frittered away, destroyed, but the ten kingdoms did not and will not become one. Just as soon as it appears that they will succeed in bringing about a one world government, God will interceed. "...The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Daniel 2:45 The closeness of this event should make one ponder his or her relationship with their Maker. The "Rock cut out without hands" is about to strike the feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s image and destroy all kingdoms. They shall "blow away as the chaff" and will be seen no more. Christ is about to come and receive His own, to gather the citizens of His kingdom which He is about to establish. Are you ready? Will you be one of them? It is a soul searching question, and it is one we all must ask ourselves. If you are doubtful, now is the time to get ready, my dear friend. Read on to see what God wants to reveal to you.
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"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." Rev. 13:11
"It's a big idea: a new world order, where diverse nations
are drawn together in common cause . . . only the United States has
both the moral standing and the means to back it up." George
Bush, State of the Union address, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18,
1991.