The Image to the Beast

In order to understand what would constitute an image to the beast, we need to fully understand what is involved in the beast power itself. We cannot comprehend the image of a thing until we have seen the thing itself. After examining what "the beast" is |0+| , we can move on to summarize some chief characteristics.

The full development of the beast, or rise of papal supremacy, dates from the famous letter of Justinian, which was made effective in AD 538, establishing the pope as the head of the church and the corrector of heretics. At this time, the papacy was clothed with civil as well as religious power--an ecclesiastical body having authority to punish all dissenters with confiscation of goods, imprisonment, torture, and death. This, the papacy did with a vengeance all through the dark ages lasting 1260 years until the pope was taken captive and the "deadly wound" was inflicted.

Understanding that the beast is the papacy, what would an image of the papacy be? Why, simply another ecclesiastical body with civil power, in other words, another union of church and state. How could such an image be formed in the United States?

Let the Protestant churches be clothed with power to define and punish heresy, to enforce their dogmas under the pains and penalties of the civil law, and should we not have an exact representation of the papacy during her dark days of supremacy? To be sure we would! But can this happen in our country which is founded upon the two horns of civil and religious liberty?

Indeed, this image is even today being formed. There are many quotations in the file that called this footnote that show the intention of Protestants to enforce their wishes to make America a Christian nation with a "Christian day of worship", namely Sunday. Protestant America will push for civil power to support her "reforms" until she is given what she wants. Then we will have an "image to the beast."

One final observation about the image. Notice how in the recent past the attitudes of Protestants have change dramatically toward the papacy. Within most of our lifetimes we can remember when the papacy was viewed with suspicion and almost revulsion. There was a broad breach between papal ideals and those of Protestantism. If the Pope would have made a public visit to our nation 40 years ago, he would have been taunted in the streets. Yet today, the Pope is revered. His image is transmitted into millions of televisions, his picture appears on the cover of many magazines, and his voice is heard regularly on the radio. He is a "man of peace" and his world travels exceed those of any other world leader. Certainly "all the world wondered after the beast!" Look at how eagerly the Protestants now stretch their hands across the gulf to clasp the hand of the papacy. But notice, in all the talk about "uniting upon those points of doctrine we hold in common," look at who is doing the compromising. Has the papacy changed her face? No! Perhaps the mask has been changed, yet, the face behind that mask remains unchanged by the ages. What do you think the Pope is doing when he steps off of a plane and kisses the ground? He is not simply happy to have landed, I can assure you! He is kissing the ground as a symbol of having claimed that nation for Roman Catholicism.

Many Protestants have sacrificed their identity separate from the papacy. They keep the same day of worship, believe the same doctrines about the state of the dead, baptize in the same manner, have the same beliefs about the nature of Christ, and look so like the papacy in so many ways that it is really a small step for them to use the same methods of civil enforcement that gained the papacy such dominion and power. In fact, many relish the thought of waging their own "holy war" to save the United States from itself. They are so determined to "save" and "reform" the United States that they fail to really see what the United States will be when they are done with it. Civil and religious liberty will be the first martyrs in their modern effort to replicate the papal methods and mission.