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Revelation 13 Revelation 12

Symbols
Revelation 13 shows Jesus as the judge. Here we see the final evidence of His case against Satan. Satan is exiled from heaven, so he builds an empire on earth to rival God. Here we see him recruiting two beasts on earth in this fight against God and the church. The symbols used involve the beast empires from earth who try to take away the role of God by replacing His covenant and corrupting the sanctuary.

Background
In our last study, in Revelation Chapter 12, we learned about a series of persecutions of the church. Satan uses the kingdoms of the world to terrorize the church. Rome persecuted Christ but He escaped to Heaven. Then the early church is persecuted but a remnant escapes the long persecution. Finally it pursues the remnant who have escaped to the United States. This remnant would rise up in defense of God and in opposition to the beast. They would have certain characteristics:

- Commandment Keepers. They worship the creator God and keep the commandments of God, including the Seventh day Sabbath.
- Prophecy. They have the Testimony of Jesus Christ, which is "the spirit of prophecy".
- Last Warning. They teach the three angel's messages.
- Global. They would become a world wide movement.

Revelation 12 to 22 chronicles the attempts of Satan to set up his own empire. We saw from Revelation that the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12: 17)
So, Chapter 12 ended with the warning that the Devil would also come after the Remnant, just as he persecuted the church before them. So we start Revelation 13 where we will learn about the persecution of the Remnant during an issue called the Mark of the Beast.

- Woman and Son Persecuted (Revelation 12). The iron fist of Rome is used to oppress the righteous.
- Children Persecuted (Revelation 13). Satan pours out his wrath on the remianing children. Satan creates an empire that is an amalgamation of the worst of all the evil empires that he has led. This monstrosity separates his loyal subjects from the righteous and persecutes the saints.
- The Mark On The Wicked (Revelation 14). God warns the wicked.
- Sevenfold Punishment (Revelation 15-16). God pours out His wrath on the wicked.

Challenging The Creator
Revelation 12 to 14 chronicles a challenge to the creator by the evil one who has been trying to usurp the throne of heaven. At the end of time, the objective of the Plan of Salvation is to redeem the sinner by creating a new man. Satan intends to create his own empire.
The Virtuous Woman (Day 6). And there appeared a great wonder (sign) in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The Dragon From Heaven (Day 5). And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and look a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
The Fallen Stars (Day 4). And his tail drew the third of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth:
The Male Child In Danger. and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a male child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up to God, and to his throne.
Nourished In The Wilderness (Day 3). And this woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days. (Revelation 12: 1-6)

Containers Created | Containers Filled | Rest
--- | --- | ---
1 Heaven | 2 Sea | 3 Earth | 4 Heaven | 5 Sea | 6 Earth | 7 Heaven
Dark | Light | Air | Sea | Sea | Land | Trees | Sun | Moon | Stars | Fish | Birds | Beasts | Man | Woman | Sabbath
Sin | Gospel | Waters | Food |  |  | Christ | Saint |
Sin | Messiah | Covenant Holy Spirit | Wilderness |  |  |  |  | Antichrist | Whore
Dragon In Heaven | Cast Out Separation | Wilderness Prepared | Dragon Casts Down Stars | Dragon In The Sea | Beast Comes Out Of Earth | Image To Beast | Mark of The Beast
3.5 Days/Years (The Son Is The Light) | 3.5 Days/Years (The Woman Reflects The Light)

- Persecuting The Pregnant Woman. The recreation begins when God expelled the darkness and separated the heavens from the raging sea where He cast the dragon. God sends the light in the form of a special child, the Promised Seed of a woman.
- Persecuting The Pregnant Woman. As the woman seeks to rest from the labor of child birth, she is denied this rest and appears to flee backward in time through the creation order. She finds a place prepared for her where she is nourished. The plants and food were prepared on the third day, before man came. There God nourishes her until she can recieve strength and courage to defeat the dragon.
  She is nourished for the same length of time it takes to reach the period of rest, three and a half prophetic periods of time.
- The Iron Rule Of The Christ And The Antichrist. Both rule with a rod of iron. However, the Antichrist has ruled the nations with the iron kingdom of Rome for over 2000 years. Even after the fall of Rome, the remnants of the Roman empire ruled the rest of the world under the rod of slavery, exploitation and oppression.
  Jesus Christ reclaimed the right to rule by being pierced by iron nails. In His kingdom we are royalty, not slaves.
- Genetically Engineering A Vicious Creature. At the creation, the beasts were created from the earth (Genesis 1: 24). Only the fish and birds were created out of the waters. Now, Satan engineers a beast from the sea after his kind, contrary to the laws of creation. Standing between the sea and the shores of the earth, the dragon engineers a terrifying beast from the sea. It was constructed from the parts of many of the previous beasts that he had influenced. This beast pursues the children of the woman.
- In The Image Of A Creator. On the sixth day God made the man and beasts out of the earth, but He made man in His image, male and female. The dragaon makes a beast come out of the earth which makes the world worship an image made in the likeness of the beast.
- The Sabbath. The next thing God makes is the Sabbath rest in which there is no buying or selling, only worship. The beast makes a mark to enforce worship, otherwise there is no buying or selling any day.
- The Murderer's Mark. When Cain murdered his brother, God placed a mark on him which protected him from persecution and vengeance (Genesis 4: 15). At the end of time, the beast gives a mark which protects the murders and gives them the right to destroy the innocent.
- Sevenfold Vengeance. The earth was cursed from the ground because of Cain's sin, but God had spared his life. Anyone who harmed Cain was subject to revenge by God. Anyone who hurts the saints who were forgiven will receive the seven last plagues.

The Beasts And Their Mark
The Dragon
We learned in Revelation 12 that the Dragon would pursue the child, then the church and then the Remnant. Revelation 13 explains how the Dragon (Satan) accomplished this through the political and religious powers of the world. The dragon is Satan and he worked through the Roman empire. There are several characteristics that identify this beast and link it to the dragon

The Beast From The Sea With Seven Heads
And the dragon stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast 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. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:
Transfer of Power. and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
Deadly Wound. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell therein. (Revelation 13: 1-6)

1. European Origin: The Beast From The Sea.
   And he, the dragon who is Satan, stood on the sand of the sea ... (Revelation 13: 1)

   Satan's Diminishing Access
   Time | Heaven | Sea | Earth
   --- | --- | --- | ---
   After Sin | Accuses saints | Corrupts people | Corrupts
   Crucifixion | None | Persecutes |  | Corrupts
   Second Coming | None | None. The sea dries up | Bound in the Millennium
   Third Coming | None | § Short time | None
   § With the second resurrection, Satan tries to regain access to the sea (the resurrected wicked). So he is loosed a short time. They make a plan to start the battle of Armageddon so that they can possess the earth, but they are destroyed.

   The Bible says that this beast arises out of the sea. Daniel 7: 17,23 tells us that a "beast" represents a kingdom. In Revelation 17: 15 John tells us that water represents peoples, multitudes, and nations:
   And he said to me, the waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Revelation 17: 15)
   Therefore, this power arises in a place where there are many nations and peoples.
   » Satan Invades the Earth and Sea. Immediately after sin Satan still had access to heaven where he constantly made accusations against the church. After the crucifixion, he was thrown to the earth. Specifically, he was confined to the sea. This is a prophetic representation of the wicked people on Earth. He no longer had access to heaven, only to the sea of people on earth. After the Second Coming he no longer has access to the "sea". All the wicked people will be dead. At this time he will be confined to the empty earth.
   Revelation 13 describes him as standing between the earth and the sea when the final beast power emerges from the sea, the populated places of the "old world".

2. Ancient Origin: The Former Empires Of Satan
   This characteristic is implied by other prophecies, but stated very clearly here. The Bible says it receives its seat of government, power and authority, from Pagan Rome (Revelation 13: 2). When the Roman Empire split into the eastern and western sections, the emperor moved to the new capital in Constantinople and left the church in charge of the old capital of Rome. Therefore the dragon did give the church its seat.
   And the beast which I saw was like 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. (Revelation 13: 2)
   There are two characteristics that are immediately apparent. Its composition and the source of its power.
   1. Composition. The body is a combination of the beasts in Daniel 7.
   2. Source of Power. It received its power from Rome who had received their power from Satan.

   The Extended Life And Transformation Of The Beast (The Frankenstein Monster).
   Here we see a picture of the beast inheriting its power from the dragon. It was formed out of the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.
   When the dragon is described it has crowns on its horns - this must be the phase before the monarchies fell. Then the dragon (Rome) gives its power and seat to a new beast. This beast is a composite of the beasts in Daniel 7 (lion, bear, leopard and dragon). It was prophesied that these creatures would have an extension of life. This is the fulfillment.
   Extension of Life. "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. (Daniel 7: 12)

   Nation | Animal | Body | Meaning
   --- | --- | --- | ---
   Babylon | Lion | Mouth | Laws
   Persia | Bear | Feet | Army tramples
   Greece | Leopard | Body | Territory
   Rome | Dragon | 7 Heads | Leadership
   Iron teeth | Cruel laws
   Bronze claws | Armed forces
   Eyes of Man | Usurps God
   Mouth boasts | Breaks laws
   Babylon is now part of Rome because the mouth belongs to the head. The Extension of Life. Babylon the Great is also part of all the previous kingdoms.

   Here is where the transition occurs. After power is transferred, it becomes a dragon with seven heads and ten horns. It also has the body of the previous empires. It starts to look like its father - the dragon who also has multiple heads. The chronology of events matches history. When Rome broke up it had ten monarchies.

   - Mouth Of A Lion. Like the vision of Daniel 7, this beast comes from the sea and it is a composite of the beasts from Daniel. A lion, bear, leopard and a beast with ten horns. This beast which was built from the previous empires had the mouth of the Lion. From Daniel 7 we saw that the Lion was Babylon. Therefore, this beast has the mouth of Babylon - it speaks like Babylon.
     Here, we have our first clue as to why the final powers are called Babylon. By their legal system, by their words they will act and speak like the ancient power. Of all the four powers which captured Israel, Babylon was the only one that tried to enforce a religion of idolatry on the people. This same symbol of building an image for worship is repeated in Revelation.
     - Daniel 3. Nebuchadnezzar ordered death by fire for those who would not bow down to the golden image. The entire image has become gold and the world will be forced to worship it in the end. The "extension of life" may be similar to Nebuchadnezzar making the entire image of God.
     - Daniel 6. Medo-Persian king Darius was tricked into giving a death penalty in the Lion's den for not giving up worship time and honoring the king.
   - Feet of a Bear. This is the military tactics of Persia as they trampled down nations.
   - Body of a Leopard. Swift, global spread of their territory like Greece and influence over this territory.
   - Head of a Dragon. The leadership of Rome and authority of Satan. A union of church and state.
     Babylon the Great is symbolically the mouth in the head of this dreadful final power.
     Just as Revelation 13 describes this beast as a composite of previous beasts, Daniel 7 describes this dragon as a composite of the previous powers.
3. Political Origin: Transfer Of Power (Dragon Gives Power To The Beast)
   Notice that the beast got its power from the dragon. Not only did it get the dragon's spiritual power, but also its geographical seat and political authority.
   See the history of the transfer of the capital from Rome to Constantinople. When the capital of the Roman Empire was moved from Rome to Constantinople, the bishop of Rome was left in charge of the old capital and the western empire.
   » Seat or Throne ("The City of Rome"). History tells us as Rome grew less important in trade and political influence, power shifted to the East. In 330 AD, Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Constantinople on the Black Sea. After this Constantine the Great gave gifts to the church, including the city of Rome to Pope Sylvester 1. He became the bishop of Rome from January 314 to December 335. After this, the city was to be the seat of papal Rome and it became its center of worship, government and thought.
   » Power and Authority ("An Army and a Kingdom"). In 410 AD, Barbarian hoards sacked Rome. A terrible state of upheaval followed. In 533 AD, Justinian, the Emperor of Eastern Rome, sent word to the Bishop of Rome, known as the Pope, that his hands were full in the East. He, therefore, declared by an imperial edict in the Code of Justinian that the Pope in Rome would become the religious leader of the West. They became the de facto political leader because the emperors moved the capital to the east and left the bishop of Rome on the throne of the old capital with an army to support him.

   > Religious Leader. We therefore decree that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome is the first of all the priesthood, and that the most blessed Archbishop of Constantinople, the new Rome, shall hold the second rank after the holy Apostolic chair of the elder Rome.

   From the succession of the Caesars came the succession of the Pontiffs. In Stanley's History, page 40 we read:

   > The popes filled the place of the vacant emperors at Rome, inheriting their power, prestige, and titles from paganism ... Constantine left all to the Bishop of Rome ... The papacy is but the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon its grave.

   Bishop of Rome Established | 3 Barbarian Nations Removed | Pope Rules Europe | Revolution
   --- | --- | --- | ---
   315 | 330 | Pope Sylvester 1 | 382 | Heruli | 493 | Vandals | 534 | Ostrogoths | 538 | Pope Vigilius | 1798 | Pope Pius VI
   Christianity Established by Law | Christianity Established by Force | 1260 Years Rule by Force | Papacy Falls
   Constantine 1 | - | Justinian (527-565) Armies of Rome | Napoleon
   By Law | 315 Constantine legalized Christianity. 382 Emperors give title "Pontus Maximum" or "Leader of the church" to the bishop of Rome. Paganism actively abolished by removing civil rights, controlling property, education and symbols. 529 Academy of Plato in Athens taken over by the state. All non-Christian teachings banned. 533 Code of Justinian made the bishop of Rome supreme over all bishops. | By Force | No Peace. Rome was not at peace because of the Barbarians. 410 Visigoths under Alaric sack Rome. 455 Vandals under Gaiseric sack Rome. 493 Ostrogoths under Theodoric take Rome. War Against Barbarians. 533-540 Belisarius conconquered the Vandals and recaptured Rome in 536 536-553 Justinian's war against the Goths.

   So the papacy filled the void of the departed Roman Empire in the West. So the dragon gave its seat, power, and authority to the Roman church as a direct fulfillment of Revelation 13: 2! From Biblical prophecy and history, we can see that the papacy is the beast of Revelation 13. There is no mistaking it. In the Bible beasts only refer to political kingdoms. And the Roman church did not become a beast until it abandoned the gospel of peace and took the sword of the state to enforce religious authority.
4. Global Religion. Revelation 13: 3,4,7 depicts the beast as a world wide religious system. It is a Catholic power. The word Catholic simply means "universal."
   And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast saying, who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? (Revelation 13: 3-4 )
5. 1260 Year Rule.

   1260 Year Prophecy Repetition
   1260 days | Revelation 11: 3
   1260 days | Revelation 12: 6
   42 months | Revelation 11: 2
   42 months | Revelation 13: 5
   Time, times and half a time | Revelation 12: 14
   Daniel 12: 7
   Time, times and dividing of time | Daniel 7: 25
   Many days | Daniel 11: 33

   Here the Bible teaches that the beast would reign supreme for 1260 years. This time period is repeated in many prophecies.
   And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given to him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13: 5)
   So the year 538 AD marks the beginning of the exercise of political authority by the Roman church. This continued for 1260 years uninterrupted until the year 1798 when the pope was taken captive.
   The Deadly Wound (Captivity).
   If any man have an ear, let him hear. 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. (Revelation 13: 9-10)
   In 1798, when God's time had come, Napoleon sent his French general, Berthier, to the Vatican. Berthier took Pope Pius VI captive in France on February 20. Just as God had predicted, at the precise moment in history, the political power of Rome was broken. God predicted in Revelation 13: 10 the exact manner of the papacy's deadly political wound. For 1260 years, the Christians, Muslims and Pagans of Europe suffered under the heavy hand of Rome. On 29 August 1799, the leader of that corrupt religious system, Pope Pius VI died a lonely exile in France. The leader of the power who had taken the church into captivity died, himself, in captivity. In the second fall the pope will be killed.

   First Fall | Rises to Power Again | Second Fall
   --- | --- | ---
   538 | Persecution | Deadly Wound | 1798 | Healing | Healed | Admired | ? | Persecution | Sword | Second Coming
   1260 Years | Captivity | 1929 - 1981 | 2005 | Mark of the Beast | Killed

6. Blasphemy. He goes to total war with God by attacking the character and the property and people of God.
   And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Revelation 13: 6)
   - God. This is the first commandment.
   - False God. He sets himself up as a rival, even creating an image to worship (verse 14).
   - Blasphemes the Name. This is the third commandment. He curses God.
   - Tabernacle. This is the fourth commandment. They violate His place of rest.
   - The People of God Everywhere. They curse the worshippers. He also makes war with the saints on earth.
   There are at least two definitions of blasphemy in the Bible:
   - Equality with God. A man claiming to be equal with God. (John 10: 33) Reading from the Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Dictionary:

     > The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God ... He is likewise the divine monarch and supreme emperor and king of kings so that if it were possible that the angels err the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the pope."

     Pope Leo XIII says in the National Catholic Counsel:

     > "We hold upon the earth the place of God almighty."

     > The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land ... He is the vicegerent (replacement) of Christ, who is not only a Priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords." - La Civilia Cattolica, March 18, 1871, quoted in Leonard Woosely Bacaon, An inside view of the Vatican Council (American Tract Society ed.), page 229

   - Authority to Forgive Sins. A man claiming to forgive sin. (Mark 2: 5-7) From the book, Duties and Dignities of the Priest by Antonio Leguori, a book used in Catholic seminaries to train priests, page 39, the following is quoted

     > "Were the redeemer to descend into a church and sit in the confessional to administer the sacrament of penance, and a priest to sit in a confessional, Jesus would say over the penitent: "Ego te absolvo." The priest would likewise say over each penitent: "Ego te absolvo." And the penitents of each would be equally absolved."

     » Other Intercessors. This authority extends to others who are worshipped.

     > her Son, the Judge of the world, cannot bring Himself to condemn the criminals whom she defends", and that (page 193) "when God is angry with a sinner whom Mary takes under her protection, she restrains her Son, that He may not inflict chastisement, and saves the sinner". The Glories of Mary, by of Alphonsus Liguori (page 282).
     > "Sometimes we shall be heard sooner by invoking the intercession of Mary than by praying to Jesus our Savior" (page 209).

7. Oppression. The Bible teaches that the beast is a persecuting power.
   And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations 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. If any man have an ear, let him hear. 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. (Revelation 13: 7-10)
   - Murder. God allowed His people to be conquered by the beast. Here is a picture of a counterfeit religious system that uses the power of the state with the sword to enforce its beliefs and bring people into line. It is a fact of history that between 50 and 100 million men, women, and children were martyred during the Dark Ages because they did not conform to Papal claims. There were nine crusades, three inquisitions and the virtual extermination of the Hussites, Waldensians, Vaudois, Huguenots and Albigensians. But what is most troubling about this activity are the cruel methods and the deliberate attempts to prolong the tortures of the people in the name of God.
     In the History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Volume 11, page 3537 W. E. H. Kecky declares:

     > That the church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a complete knowledge of history.

     > He is a heretic who does not believe what the Roman Hierarchy teaches. ... A heretic merits the pains of fire. ... By the Gospel, the canons, civil law, and custom, heretics must be burned." - Directory of the Inquisitors 148, 169
     > The church may by Divine right confiscate the property of heretics, imprison their persons, and condemn them to the flames." - Vatican II

     The destiny of the leader will be captivity and death. He will suffer one event at each of the two falls.
   - Captivity. In 1798, when the church fell in the French Revolution, the pope was captured by General Berthier and placed in prison. Because they were captured and not killed, the church had the opportunity to be healed and to rise again.
   - Sword. At the Second Coming in Revelation 19, Christ comes with a sword to kill His enemies.
8. 666 (The Number Of His Name). In Revelation 13: 18 the Bible says that the number of his name is 666. In Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic weekly printed in Huntington, Indiana, on November 15, 1915, we read:

   > The title of the Pope of Rome is Vicarius Filii Dei. This is inscribed on his miter.

   By applying a common tradition of counting the value of a name, if we used this official title and applied it to the Roman Numeral System, and assign the value of the letters that have numeral equivalents (and "0" for the others), we get the following:
   5 + 1 + 100 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 50 + 1 + 1 + 500 + 1 = 666
   In our next lesson we will study this mark of the beast in depth.

The Beast From The Earth (The United States Of America)
And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon . And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those who live there to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13: 11-12)
John, in these verses, prophetically saw the rise of "another beast" - another "kingdom" or political power, that would rise "out of the earth", out of the sparsely populated area. We learned during our Study in Revelation 12 that this is referring to the rise of America.
The Lamb With Two Horns. Initially, America would be "like a lamb". Therefore, its origin would be Christian. But John also foresaw that it would "speak as a dragon". Eventually it would do the works of Satan.

Two Horns. A horn represents a power, division of an empire and sometimes a strong powerful leader. There are several possible meanings of these horns of the United States.
- United States and Britain. When the country first formed and it was in the lamb phase, it was a colony of Britain.
- Two Party System. The method by which a leader is chosen. It has been from one of the two parties.
- Democracy and Republicanism. The two principles which has kept it from religious tyranny.
- The Two Phases. The lamb phase and the dragon phase.
- Babylon the Great. The combination of the United States and the Papacy. The church is the invisible power behind our politicians. By 2004, we started hearing priests telling politicians how to vote "because it is their Catholic duty". We even heard them threaten to withhold communion. Cardinal Ratzinger issued the letter authorizing priests to deny communion to those who supported teachings that were against church dogma. This is the equivalent of guaranteeing them a long stay in purgatory or hell. This tactic was used by the priest, Pere La Chaise, to convince Louis XIV to revoke the edict of Nantes and exterminate the Huguenots.

The Lamb That Speaks Like A Dragon.
Since 2001 we have clearly shown that we have passed this phase in our new persecution laws and with the change in our attitude towards torture. We have also shown our intention to remove the rights of minorities based on Christian interpretation of morality. While attempts such as a secret meeting to pass a constitutional amendment against certain marriages may appeal to conservative Christians, one wonders what other infractions of Christian interpretation of a moral society are they willing to legislate in secret.
This lamb speaks with the mouth of a dragon just as the previous beast had the mouth of the dragon.

- The Patriot Act ("A Law of Oppression for a Modern Inquisition"). The law clearly allows the government to declare any group a threat to the society and then remove all their civil rights guaranteed in the United States Constitution and agreed on by the world at large under the Geneva Convention. These people are subject to all the horrors of the inquisitors, such as removal of property, torture, indefinite detention, and no access to a lawyer.
- A Policy of Torture. A nation speaks through its laws.
  - War Crimes Immunity and Exemptions. Did we intend to commit war crimes from the beginning? Yes!
    International War Crimes Immunity. The administration signaled their intention from as early as 2001 when it asked for and received from the United Nations a special exemption for American soldiers from immunity from prosecution for war crimes.
    Domestic War Crimes Immunity. In September 2006, with the prospect of losing political seats in the elections, the present has asked the Republican-controlled congress and senate to pass a law, retroactive to September 2001, giving immunity from prosecution of war crimes under the Geneva Convention and the War Crimes Act.
    By September 22, the congress agreed on a compromise. They would not reinterpret the Geneva Convention but they rewrote the United States law to allow the president to do what he wants. He wants to torture. He can write executive orders to give him any additional powers he needs without going through congress again. All he has to worry about is "grave breaches" of the Geneva convention and he can interpret that at his own discretion. The result is that the CIA can still torture.
  - Abu Ghraib (2004). This policy bore bitter fruit when we discovered the disgrace that is Abu Ghraib, but no leaders were questioned or punished. We are keeping prisoners indefinitely, off United States soil in Guantanamo Bay. By 2005 we learned of other secret prisons even in the sites of old Russian Gulags. Here we bring prisoners to be tortured by other governments who are just as vile. We are spreading our security image around the world.
  - Demanding the Right to Torture. In 2005 we saw the unusual but bold intention of the president and vice president to reserve the right to torture while they kept denying that we were torturing people. The vice president stated that they would veto any law that took away their right to torture. Despite the claim that they were holding "the worst of the worst", most of them were innocent.
    Studies showed that only 5% were picked up on the battle field by the United States and over 90% were turned in for the bounty. These could be innocent people turned in for revenge, by crooks or by anyone seeking free money. This is absolutely disgraceful.
  - Signing Statement. Troubled by our change in policy, in January 2006, a group of congressmen drafted new legislation that once again outlaws torture. Forced to sign the law, the president wrote his intention to exempt himself from that law.

    > Law. United States interrogators cannot torture prisoners or otherwise subject them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
    > Signing Statement. The president, as commander in chief, can waive the torture ban if he decides that harsh interrogation techniques will assist in preventing terrorist attacks.

    The congressmen declared victory, but the president reinstated his right to torture. Nothing was accomplished, but the congressmen pretend that they passed a law against torture. That is politics!
  - Military Manuals and Policy. On June 5, 2006, the news reports stated that the military is updating their manuals to remove all prohibitions against torture and against any agreements to the Geneva convention on torture. Finally, when the President says he is obeying American laws he will no longer be a liar on that point. In September 2006, the new rules were publicized and they banned some "extreme interrogation methods". But the president said that the rules do not apply to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and those rules are secret. So the law still allows torture. Because the word "torture" needed to be redefined to mean "anything that causes death", the law is now full of ambiguous and confusing terms that are designed to be interpreted by the will of the future inquisitors of Babylon.
- The Immoral Majority. Certain Christian leaders showed great pride in the fact that they called the president every week to give advice and pray with him. After all, he is the hand-picked man of God who would bring Christianity, candy and flowers to the grateful Muslims. Apparently, they forgot to advise him on torture.
  These are the men who waxed eloquent about the sins of adultery and threat to family life by immoral leaders. They were all missing and silent on the issue of torture and rape of children as coercive and "harsh interrogation techniques". Some actually preached that we may have to be bold and take such morally questionable actions. Disgraceful, whores! All of them.
- Spying on American Citizens. Then there is the acquisition of technical methods for electronic spying which we learned is against everyone not just terrorists. Our phone calls, snail mail, electronic mail, medical records and all private information is now the property of the government to use and abuse at will without any oversight. They have also created at least two citizen militia and citizen spying programs. Now your neighbor can spy and report on you without fear of a law suit for any malicious lies. These are the social dynamics of the Inquisition.

How close are we to persecution? Some groups might say that they are already victims. There is nothing legal that now prevents them from declaring your group a threat that puts you in this place where there is no civilized law that will protect you. And there is nothing about their reckless treatment of the law that does not guarantee that at any time we could suddenly be under an oppressive religious law that has secretly been put in place. Just put yourself in the place of minorities who are losing their rights and see how quickly the process is executed. Substitute the words "gay marriage" for "Sunday laws" and "Muslim fanatics" for "Adventist fanatics" and see how the same rhetoric and arguments apply to you in their attempt to "protect the family" and build a righteous nation. Europe is lost to the papacy, the United States will soon be the new seat of Rome. The church is already buzzing around both the candidates for president, ensuring that its members will have the very best positions, if not a closet Catholic for president.

The United States |
--- | ---
Symbols | Actions
Beast from the Earth | A new power from a different part of the earth
Lamb | Christian origin
Dragon's Mouth | Becomes a persecuting power
Image to the Beast | Does the work of the church
The Seventh Head | It takes over after defeating communism (the sixth head)
Babylon the Great | Combines with the Catholic church which controls Europe and enforces religious laws around the world
Conquers ancient Babylon (Iraq), taking the title

The Dragon: The Last Super Power.
This second "beast" (America) is predicted to eventually exercise the power of the first beast. That is, the Religious - Political power, on a global proportion. So, we see that a time is prophetically predicted when the initial lamb-like nature of America would move toward the dragon-like religious and political characteristics. (that is - initially, there was total separation of Church and State. But there will be a greater and greater blending of Church and State in America). And this "second beast" is predicted to cause the "earth and those that dwell there to worship of the first beast".
As of 1991, it began this dragon phase. It is in this phase that it becomes one with the church. Since the end of communism (1989-91), it has exercised its political power at will around the world. In addition, its transition to the dragon phase came at the same time that it conquered Iraq, the old Babylon in 1991. It became Babylon the Great. Here are the highlights of this transition.

- The Union of the Heads (1981). Many strange coincidences happened in 1981. These mimicked the events of prophecy.
  - The Great Tree. The prophecy of the Great tree shows that Babylon would return 2520 years after it fell. This is in 1981. Political circumstances forced the United States to beak the alliance with Persia (Iran) and switch to Iraq (Babylon). So it politically became Babylon the Great.
  - Ten Horns. Greece became the tenth member when it joined the European Union on January 1, 1981.
  - Seven Heads. The G-7 is the powerful union of the most wealthy countries in the world. But this probably does not point to the G-7 but to the fact that the historical seventh head was formed in this year. Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Pagan Rome, Papal Rome, Communism and the seventh head is the Union of the United States and the Papacy. They formed a union to end communism.
  - Head Wounded. Both President Reagan and Pope John Paul II suffered severe wounds from failed assassination attempts. These two leaders would work in secret as one power to topple communism.

    The Inauguration of the Antichrist
    These popes were crowned on significant Jewish feast days. John Paul II. October 22, 1978. This is Tishri 21, 5739 (Hosana Raba). This is the day that judgment is delivered in Jewish tradition. As one of the heads of Babylon the Great, is this a sign that this is the Babylon the Great that will be judged? Benedict XVI. April 24, 2005. This is Nisan 15. This is the Passover. On the eve of the final exodus, was the last pope inaugurated?

  - Pope Benedict XVI. Joseph Ratzinger, the cardinal who would become the next pope became the head of the "Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith" on November 25, 1981. This is the new name for the old office of Inquisition which defended the church from heresy. So for twenty four years he has been vigorously defending and laying the foundation for their doctrine. He is the ideal candidate to defend it as his medieval predecessors.
    Even his small stature reminds us of "the little horn" that will rule the world. He was called the "panzer cardinal" and the "pope's rottweiler" because of his brutal defense of church doctrine against heresy, even burning books. He said that Catholicism was the only true religion. He thought that the recent pedophile priest scandal was overblown by the media! At a service to start the conclave, he gave a stern warning about "the dictatorship of relativism that questions the doctrines of the church". His choice of a name may signal his ecumenical and evangelistic goals. Saint Benedict is credited with evangelizing Europe. Therefore, their show of unity and dialogue is only a one way communication. Rome has not changed its beliefs. It has solidified them. It is Protestants that will change.

    > The union will not, however, be affected by a change in Catholicism, for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. Ellen White. Review and Herald, June 1, 1886.

    About 120 years ago, the Adventist church predicted these times. So instead of reading such nonsense as "The Da Vinci Codes" and gaping at blasphemous images on dirty walls, it would be prudent for you to read these prophecies, keeping in mind that they sounded impossible then.

    Dating a Prophecy
    The Babylonian captivity was supposed to last seventy years according to the prophecy. However, two waves of exiles occurred. One for the ruling class in 597 BC and for the rest of the nation 586 BC. Freedom came in 539 BC. That gives a total of 62 years or 47 years. Not seventy years. Prophetically, the dating began in 609 BC when Israel lost its independence and came under Babylonian control after the Battle of Meggido. So years before the physical exile, the counting had started. The fall of communism came eight years after the last powers united. So Babylon the Great probably formed in 1981, not 1991.

    Then ask yourself, how could we have made such a bold and accurate interpretation. America would be the final super power, along with the Catholic church. It sounded ludicrous then. It is a fact now. Wait until you hear the rest of the story in the book, "The Great Controversy"!
- 666. This is a minor point, but the Latin version of his name adds up to 666. It is the name written on his tomb.
  » Ioannes Pavlvs Secvndo (John Paul II). Since it is his Latin name, and this adding of the number in a name was a legitimate Roman activity, and since the prophecy was given to someone under Roman rule, then this is legitimate. But it should be used only as a sign that he is important, not a fulfillment.
  » Ronald Wilson Reagan. However, counting the number of letters in this name is not legitimate.
- The Seventh Head (1989-91). So logically, if the sixth head has been defeated, then the seventh head is now active. The powers that would construct this head made a secret alliance in 1981 and their work succeeded in 1989. After this point, they became the unchallenged head of the political, military and religious world.
  But the prophecy states that they will last for only a short time or a little while (Revelation 17: 10). Thank God, the Second Coming is near.
- The Title of Babylon (1991). In 1991-92, the United States defeated and controlled Iraq (ancient Babylon). It formally became Babylon the Great because it defeated Iraq in 1991 and controlled it with economic sanctions. It has occupied Iraq since 2003.
  Law Of Inheritance. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; your border will be from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the river, the river Euphrates, as far as the western sea. (Deuteronomy 11: 24)

  Laws Establishing Religion
  Action | Country | Status
  --- | --- | ---
  Sunday Laws | Europe | Employers are only allowed to give Sunday off as of August 2003. The laws were enacted in 1993 and a ten year transition period was allowed.
  USA | Not enforced
  Religious Symbols | Europe | 2004, France passed legislation to ban the wearing of religious symbols in public schools. This affected scarves worn by Muslim women, hats worn by Jews and Sikhs. Christians can still wear a small cross. In January 2005, Germany passed similar laws affecting teachers. Nuns can wear their hats because Catholicism is "historically the culture of the region".
  USA | Not an issue ... yet
  Education | Europe | European governments fund private schools and in places like Germany and some South American countries, the church runs the public schools. Schools open Monday to Saturday. Sunday is the only day off
  United States | School voucher bills and government supported charter schools
  Charities | Europe | In Germany, the government collects church taxes. In Spain, the government helps only the Catholic church although there is officially no state religion.
  United States | Faith based initiative proposed by John Ashcroft allows the government to support the work of the church. Unfortunately, only some churches qualify. 65% of these funds go to Catholic charities which get over 60% of its funding from the government!
  These tactics of using laws and targeting education are the same that were used by Justinian to establish the papacy.

  The significance is that a few weeks after we gained the title of the seventh head, we engaged in an action that legally gave us the title of Babylon. All the prophetic repetitions that used different symbols suddenly had their symbols converge at this time. The seventh head is Babylon the Great and it is the King of the North.
- Control Of The World (1991). The whole world now recognizes that the United States does what it wants to do. It sets up and removes kings. It makes other nations accept our business policies. It even forced the United Nations Security Council to give it immunity from war crimes prosecution between 2002 and June 2004, until the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison forced the members to stand up to the United States.
  The world "wondered" as we made war. "Shock and Awe" were the terms used by the president. It was a prophetic description.
  The Little Horn. The Vatican is the smallest country. It occupies 103 acres, has an army of 100 Swiss guard and has diplomatic relations with 174 out of 192 countries. Yet, it is the little power that rules the world.
- Uniting. Daniel 2 says that the former nations of the Roman Empire will not unite successfully. In the past, wars, jealousy and other human agencies have been used to ruin such attempts to unite. The last person who tried to defy a prophecy of God was Saddam Hussein. He tried to rebuild Babylon and become the new head, until he was defeated by the real Babylon the Great. Because all prophecy and personalities and systems have converged and assumed power, I believe that this attempt to unite Europe and the world will be stopped by God Himself.
- Support Of The Church (2000). The United States has now made several laws that allow the church to be funded by the government. This is despite the law that establishes the separation of church and state. This country not only supports the educational and charitable institutions of the church, since Reagan it carries out its foreign policy by refusing to give aid through birth control medication.
  Pharmacists are refusing to fill normal birth control prescriptions. This is Catholic policy.
- Financing Religion. Some European governments openly support only the Catholic church. In the United States we have begun to do the same through "faith based programs". While news reports show black congregations praising the paltry grants of $50,000, few realize that the Catholic church receives billions under the same program. So far, there is no accounting of where our money is being spent. If we looked only at the reports, ads and public service announcements we would assume that black and minority churches are the greatest beneficiaries of these programs. When the government gives the churches money to run social programs, this allows churches to use their funds to propagate the gospel. Therefore, government is promoting religion because it allows finances to be reallocated from social to religious programs. And, the church that receives the lion's share is the designated state church.
- Enforcing Religion (Beginning!). This is the next phase. But we can see an escalation of these efforts in democratic nations since the 1990's. Now that communism has been defeated, democracies feel that they can meddle in religion. In the war on terrorism, religious control will be allowed as an excuse to fight the incursions of a militant Islam. It is already being done in France.
  » Social Symbols. France has banned the wearing of religious symbols as a means to fight terrorism. This reasoning seems ridiculous in light of the fact that militant Muslims take this action as an aggressive step to control their religion.
  The reasoning is clearly religious by the fact that Christians are allowed to wear a small cross. In a useless token gesture, Jews are allowed to wear a small star of David. But religious Jews want their yarmulke, not jewelry.
  » Education. Some countries, like Germany, require children to go to school for six days each week. Sunday is the day of rest. This creates a burden for Sabbath keepers. Germany is also wiping out the home school movement, arresting parents and confiscating children in 2008 saying,

  > The public has a legitimate interest in countering the rise of parallel societies based on religion and alternate world views ...

  So the Catholic church runs the public school and Sabbath keepers neither have the option of home schools or rest on Sabbath for church schools.
  » Business And Labor. Sunday laws are also being enforced as labor laws in the European Union. The policy does not allow an employer to give one day off in seven days. It states that the only day that the employer is allowed to give is Sunday.
  Article 5 of the European Union Working Time Directive which regulates weekly rest states the following.

  > Member States shall take the measures necessary to ensure that, per each seven-day period, every worker is entitled to a minimum uninterrupted rest period of 24 hours plus the 11 hours daily rest referred to in Article 3. The minimum rest period referred to in the first subparagraph shall in principle include Sunday. If objective, technical or work organization conditions so justify, a minimum rest period of 24 hours may be applied.

  The eleven hour period comes from article 3 which regulates daily rest. But the weekly rest period does not guarantee one day in seven. It only guarantees Sunday. Soon, certain workers will have no protection.
  In the dark ages, Sabbath keepers existed in many parts of the world in portions as large as 25% in Bohemia. The church took over these governments and instituted financial policy that saw the removal of Sabbath keepers within a generation. With the current labor laws, religious pressure can instantly be placed on Sabbath keepers as their employers suddenly require them to come to work on Saturdays or Friday Evenings.
  Europe is legally positioned to implement the Mark of the Beast persecution overnight.
- Defeat of Communism (1989-91). The February 24, 1992 Time Magazine cover story "The Holy Alliance", revealed how Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II combined forces to defeat communism in Eastern Europe. They were acting like the leaders of the seventh head in a plan to defeat the sixth head.

Deadly Wound Was Healed.
I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?" (Revelation 13: 3-4)
In 1798, when General Berthier took the Pope captive, the Papacy received what appeared to be a deadly wound. It lost its world wide political authority and the papacy's civil authority was limited to the Vatican until 1929.
Then, in 1929, Mussolini and Pope Pius XI signed the Lateran Treaty, making Roman Catholicism, by national law, the official state religion of Italy, and beginning the process of the "Healing of the Deadly Wound". The Roman Catholic system of religion again became a religious and political power. With time, the world wide political - religious power of the papacy has continued to grow, until now it is the only religious organization to be recognized by many world powers with ambassadors (legates).
A Sign Of The Healing. Since the time between the first deadly wound and the healing would be almost 200 years, God gave us a sign that repeated the symbolism of the wound being received. The time for healing had arrived, so we had a minor replay of the wounding. God linked the wounded power of 1798 to its successor in 1981 by giving it a transition wound. The healing would be accomplished by this successor.

Deadly Wound | Wound Healed | World Admires
--- | --- | ---
Wound | Transition Wound | Political Control | Religious
Pius VI French Revolution | Ronald Reagan March 30 | John Paul II (May 13) | European Union 10 Nations | Communism falls | Iraq War | Patriot Act Homeland Security | Sunday Laws Europe | Iraq War | Accepts Torture | Christian Churches Together | Coverage of the death of John Paul II
1798 | 1981 | 1981 | 1989-1991 | 1991 | 2001, 2002 | 2003 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2005
Papacy falls. Pope imprisoned | Wounded | Seventh Head forms. Babylon the Great forms Greece is the tenth EU country | Persecution laws and enforcement agency | Mark of the beast action | Babylon acts and speaks like a dragon | Political churches union | A popular, powerful church emerges

All the World Wondered
Who could have watched the ten day Catholic infomercial, the ceremonies and heard the titles, the praise, the adoration and media coverage of the death of Pope John Paul the II and not thought about the fulfillment of this prophecy? An estimated two million went to Rome to view the body as it lay in state for three days and three nights. And a potential audience of two billion watched the funeral services on television. The crowds outside the church were so large it could be seen from outer space. About 200 world leaders attended the funeral, including four kings, five queens, assorted princes and princesses, and seventy prime ministers and presidents. Who can make war with him? Stalin once asked "How many divisions does the pope have?". After the fall of communism the pope apparently said "More than he thought".
The Wound has been Healed!

As part of the rapid healing process, the two powers are controlling the world with war-like tactics and precision. We have been surrounded on every side and we were unaware.

- Propaganda. They have extraordinary control over the media and stories related to public policy. The government controls the stories given by the established media. The vast majority of the news personalities and hosts on political programs are Catholic. Therefore, at any point in time, they can steer public opinion in any direction. So, while the Protestant churches were publicly controlling the political agenda of the Republican party, the media focused on them. However, during that time, the Catholic church also formed Political organizations but it was silently controlling the media by placing members into top positions that controlled our political messages and our courts. We bore the fruit in 2000. Simultaneously, our secular entertainment started to promote Catholic membership, doctrine and apocalyptic beliefs. The United States also promoted its own beliefs through a series of global communication systems.
- Laws.
  - Persecution. The Patriot Act and may other global laws allow governments to target any group by applying the "terrorist" label. The church has defined the spreading of Protestant doctrine as terrorism that destabilizes nations.
  - Communications. The secular world has made laws that have a broad definition of inciting hatred. Most secular businesses label this as unacceptable speech that should not be given air time. Under this definition, religious speech is being outlawed. Therefore, the gospel and the warnings of the three angels and the prophecies are not allowed. A careful analysis of media businesses might uncover extraordinary control at that level also.
- Control. Both powers are exercising control. The Catholic church has a foothold in most Protestant Political Action group. Why? The United States routinely forces governments to do its will through economic and military threats. In January 2005, the western nations proposed a plan to help poverty stricken nations. They would give financial help if they can have some control over the government.
- Free Speech. Both powers are controlling free speech by putting previously uncensored speech in the category of hate speech. The major speech affected is religious speech. With this logic, the European Union broadened its definition of Internet crime.

  > "any written material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual or group of individuals, based on race, color, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as pretext for any of these factors."

  Inciting change of religion is also being outlawed! I categorically deny that our religious speech incites hatred. However, it does incite change. We must call people to come out of Babylon as God asks. So I must obey God.

It is only a matter of time. The gospel will be preached rapidly. The last prophetic action that remains is the persecution, the occupation of Israel and the seven last plagues. Every thing is just window dressing intended to remove the shades of grey and separate issues into black and white. These events are a warning to us that prophecy is being fulfilled. Open your eyes.

The Fall Of Iraq And The Fall Of Babylon
As this incredible war wages on in Iraq, I am constantly amazed at how the motives, behavior and result mimic the fortunes of Babylon the Great which also mimics the fortunes of ancient Babylon. It is as if everything that is happening locally in Iraq is demonstrating the coming global fulfillment. The management of the Iraqi conflict is our proving ground as a righteous nation. We are failing. We are becoming Babylon the Great. We will be judged by the standards that we are now imposing on others.

- Loss of Freedom. Americans lost their freedoms with the Patriot Act and Iraq lost its freedoms with the new constitution. Iraq is worse off physically, economically, militarily, socially and religiously. This is what America will experience.
- Installation of a Religious Government. We replaced a secular Islamic, brutal dictatorship, that we had installed and supported, with a religious Islamic government. The fact is that Iraq gave more freedom to other religions, women and other groups than any other Islamic nations in the region. And it is very ironic that a war to find weapons of mass destruction which became a war to bring freedom had done the opposite. The draft constitution says.
  - Islamic Law. Islam is a primary source of legislation.
  - Other Law. Any law that contradicts Islam will not be tolerated.
  In other words, Islam is the primary source of legislation.
  » Christians Lose Freedoms. In October 2008, the Iraqi government voted to abolish a guaranteed seat for minorities. The ancient Christian community is scattered, threatened and under persecution.
  A religious government will also be installed in America and we will lose our freedoms.
- Persecution and Torture. Americans tortured. They tortured children. They raped young children.
- Civil War and Destabilization. Babylon the Great will split in three according to Revelation 16: 19. Iraq is already split into three factions and is in danger of being deluged by a civil war. There has been a civil war since 2005, with 3500 dead and tortured and mutilated every month in Baghdad alone. About the same number are blown apart by suicide bombs and improvised explosive devices (IED). 5,000,000 people will be homeless by the end of 2007. Another 1,000,000 have been estimated to be killed.
  - Sunni Muslim. A minority in the north west who controlled the country in the previous government. There is almost no oil in their region. But Al-Qaeda now controls the Anbar province where they live.
  - Shia (Shi'a) Muslim. A majority, concentrated in the south, who had no power in the previous government. Oil fields are located in their region. The other country with a majority Shi'a population is Iran. Fears of a Shia-Iranian union linger.
  - Ethnic Kurd. A Sunni population, but an ethnic minority. The Kurds are the largest ethnic population without their own country. They are concentrated in the north and they had some autonomous rule under Saddam. Oil fields are located in their region. A large Kurdish population also exists in eastern Turkey. Turkey does not want a large Kurdish population with such power because it fears a Kurdish uprising in their country.
- The Threat of a Communist Resurgence. The failed policies actually made communist nations bolder and richer and strengthened our enemies. Now China and Russia are holding joint military exercises. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is propping up Fidel Castro because he got richer with the higher oil prices. North Korea is creating a nuclear bomb. But in Iraq we could not find even one firecracker and two matches. We did not even find a rock to throw.
- Religious Leaders. The leaders advocate war, mock peace, accepted torture as being a necessary evil, advocate assassinations and the bombing of the property of other religions. These are the same people who will enforce religion under a brutal regime.
- Private Army. One troubling development is the use of private armies who are accountable to nobody for their crimes. These armies will be turned against our own people. The church that used other armies may find that control of these businesses may also be in their best interest. The business of public opinion and pundits seems to populated with its members as it prepares for the propaganda war. Blackwater's CEO and his family financially support the Christian Coalition and other very conservative Christian groups. It also seems that oil companies use private armies to wage war with the blessing or cover of bankrupt governments.
- War with Iran. This is a copy of the war between Babylon and Persia that caused the fall of ancient Babylon. Reports now show that there is a "proxy war" between the USA and Iran. The USA cites development of nuclear weapons and supplying weapons which are killing American soldiers as a reason to strike openly.
  On 27 September 2007, the senate declared that the Iranian Republican Guard and Quds force are a terrorist organization by a vote of 76 to 22. In retaliation the Iranian parliament called the American army and the CIA terrorist organizations on September 29.

  > "We, the representatives of great Iranian great nation condemn the aggressions by the (U.S. Army), particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, and call on the United Nations to intervene in the global problem of U.S. prisons in Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and secret jails in other countries," the statement said.

- The Bush Doctrine. This is the acceptance of preventative war not a "just war". This is the attitude of the dragon and the medieval inquisitors - to punish people by what they might do or because of your suspicions, even in the face of no evidence.

Fire From Heaven
John describes this last deception of the beast.
And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. (Revelation 13: 13)
This Lamb beast causes "Fire" to come down "out of heaven", and deceives men by the "miracles" that it did "in the sight of the beast". There are some examples where fire came down from heaven.

1. At Pentecost. Tongues of fire came down and empowered the disciples to win many for Christ (Acts 2: 1-4).
2. By Elijah. He challenged the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and God sent fire to devour the sacrifice Elijah offered. (1 Kings 18)
3. Sodom and Gomorrah. God destroyed them because of sin. (Genesis 19: 24)
4. Testing Job. The "fire of God" destroyed property and people. (Job 1: 16)

In the first two cases, the "fire from God" was used to draw people back to God. In the third case it was the punishment of God. In the last case, God is blamed for an act of Satan.
In the end, the "false fire" brought down "in the sight of the beast" is used to deceive and draw men away from God. It can be used to prove that a certain group have access to divine power, or it can be used as a sign of God's wrath for our sins. It will propel a movement to bring the world back to God. People will be taught that they can prevent the terrible desolations at the end if they obey the pope and Catholic mystics.
Interestingly, our cultural messages are beginning to teach us these principles and prepare us for this transition in thinking.

The Economic Persecution

All Systems Ready
Let me be clear. I am not suggesting that any current leader even believes that they would persecute anyone for religious beliefs. What I am illustrating is that social events have caused them to create and staff systems with people who are ideologically committed to the virtue of certain policies. The systems are available to be used for good or for evil. These people will be puppets of a future terror which will allow them to deploy these systems for purposes that they never expected or thought that they would be capable of doing. Because of their absolute commitment to these beliefs they will come to believe in the necessity of any methods that will guarantee their victory. Look at Abu Ghraib. We have accepted it for the virtue of "peace and security". Soon it will be to stop the wrath of God.

We see that this second Beast will give "life" (power) to the image of the beast, and will cause those who do not worship the image of the beast to be persecuted and killed. So, we see a prophecy of the time coming when "forced false worship" will be required. The prophetic example of this is Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. We see the same issues in the prophecy of the end time fulfillment here.
The inability to "buy or sell" points to the use of economic methods to force compliance. We now have the structures to enforce this on a national an individual level.

- National. The World Bank is now being led by a former military administrator. This militarization of the World Bank is to implement the policy that compels debtor nations to do the will of the United States. The European Union has indicated that it will help third world countries if they had some control over their politics.
  The United Nations imposes sanctions and embargoes to force nations to comply with their rules. Sometimes they force nations to stop activities that they allow other nations to do.
  The author of the book "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", describes how the policy of the United States was to deliberately get poor countries into debt that they could not repay so that they could exercise political control over them and their votes at the United Nations. We even see them being forced into business ventures and economic contracts that benefit wealthy corporations. Prophecy indicates that they will capitalize on this economic power to enforce religious dogma.
- Individual. Many people are now discovering that any purchases that they make are subject to binding arbitration in cases of dispute. They have given up their rights when they applied for financial services. Businesses are now being used to bind people and nations into contracts that strip them of their rights. In addition, the electronic and integrated nature of modern financial transactions with government systems makes economic enforcement of persecution policies instantaneous.
  - No Fly List. Names found on this list are not allowed to travel.
  - No Buy List. Credit bureaus became very efficient at denying purchases and credit. Real time purchases can be denied for lost or stolen cards or purchases over the limit. Soon your credit score was used to raise interest rates, deny credit or loans for many purchases such as homes or cars. Now the credit bureaus have teamed up with the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to deny even the purchase of a rocking chair to any person found on the list. The government sends a list of names with some other identifying information to the credit bureaus and they process these names through their normal credit verification system.
  Fuzzy Match. These lists are a source of problems to people with similar names because the system does not seem to be concerned about narrowing the match with other identifying information.

Punishing The Wealthy
No wonder prophecy singles out one other group for punishment in addition to the church and the world governments. Revelation 18 describes the punishment of the business men as the loss of trade and wealth consumes the world.
And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargoes any more. (Revelation 18: 11).
Their misery is echoed in James.
Come now you rich, weep and howl for the miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have been eaten by moths. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Look, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields which you withheld, cries out against you; and the cries of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous; he does not resist you. (James 5: 1-6)

Homeland Security And The Image To The Beast
And deceives those who live on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to those that live 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 to 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. And he caused all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. (Revelation 13: 14-16)
The United States causes the whole world to implement a system that is used for persecution. This system is modeled after the medieval system.
It is interesting that testimony to congress on June 10, 2005 on abuses under the Patriot Act demonstrates that the United States has caused other countries to implement strict laws and systems like the ones we have implemented for Homeland Security. This is a plan to implement some kind of global security. Unfortunately, the testimony was cut off, the microphones were turned off and CSPAN was told to stop broadcasting.
They are creating their image everywhere.
So while the total fulfillment may be forced obedience to the laws of the church, this implementation of a unified set of global persecution systems that is controlled by the Western nations, must be part of that fulfillment.
When the Real-ID law was put in a bill to appropriate money for the war, there was an attempt to place the following into law that was meant to build fences for border security.
Section 102 of H.R. 418, the REAL ID Act of 2005. Waiver of Laws Necessary for Improvement of Barriers at Borders.

> (1) Waiver. In general. - Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall have the authority to waive, and shall waive, all laws such Secretary, in such Secretary's sole discretion, determines necessary to ensure expeditious construction of the barriers and roads under this section.
> (2) No judicial review. Notwithstanding any other provision of law (statutory or nonstatutory), no court shall have jurisdiction -
> (A) to hear any cause or claim arising from any action undertaken, or any decision made, by the Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to paragraph (1); or
> (B) to order compensatory, declaratory, injunctive, equitable, or any other relief for damage alleged to arise from any such action or decision."

The broad language of the law would place the secretary of Homeland Security above all law and forbids interference from any court. And it was not the first time that they tried to do this. So the potential broad interpretation of "barriers" and "all laws" is not an accident.

» Church and State: The Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Executive order 13397, which was signed on March 7, 2006, places faith-based organizations under the jurisdiction of the department of homeland security. Why is this critical department concerned with expanding opportunities for churches for establishing community needs?

» Secrecy and Absolute Power. Under HR5710, the secretary also has broad powers to declare a biological emergency without the consent of congress. He can force all people to be inoculated with vaccine and "any substances" or to be quarantined for refusal. This same law also relieves drug companies of any financial responsibilities for any biological accidents and does not protect whistle blowers who may know that something is wrong. Why are they going to this extent to hide and protect wrong doing? Absolute power in the hands of the beast!
The office of Homeland Security might not be the image to the beast or the beast. But it seems to be the organization through which the beast will terrify the righteous. When this level of power comes under the control of the beast, we will be persecuted.

The Mark
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for that is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty six. (Revelation 13: 17-18).
In our next lesson, we will study this mark in detail. Those that receive the mark "in their foreheads" are those that "accept" it in their minds and follow it willingly. Those that have the mark "in their right hands" are those who, though they may not mentally ascribe to it, they choose to follow or obey it for convenience sake. The mark accomplishes two things that show a contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

1. Name of the Beast. The wicked do not get the name of God in their forehead. They belong to the beast.
2. Number of his Name. The wicked are not numbered with the twelve tribes or 144,000. They are counted as part of one evil tribe of one man whose census is 666.

I do not believe the mark is a microchip. However, the power of the government under HR5710 to inoculate people with "any substances" can give them to right to insert a microchip and use it to track and locate people. So while it is not the mark of the beast, it can be used by the beast to efficiently administer their persecution.

Prophesy Again: Babylon The Great.
Certain aspects of prophecy were to be unsealed at the end of time because only the final generation could put them in perspective. The technique of repetition and enlargement would have confused the issue because the events of the prophecies were not repeated over the same time period from a different perspective. Rather, at the end of time, the last power would follow the same pattern as before.
In giving us a clue God did several things in Revelation 13 and 17 to show us who and what is the copy.

- Babylon the Great. The final power is called Babylon the Great according to Revelation 17.
- Drying up the Euphrates. In Revelation 16, the fall of Babylon the Great follows the pattern of the fall of ancient Babylon.
- The Frankenstein Monster. The beast that is a combination of all the previous.

The Similarities In The Empires Pattern.
Now here is a remarkable comparison of the prophecies of Daniel with the beasts at the end of time. This is not another interpretation of their meaning. The prophecies of Daniel are used as just a pattern of the behavior of the final beast.

United States and Catholic Church | Christian Persecution Phase | Millennium | Judgment
--- | --- | --- | ---
Babylon The Great |  | Lamb (Two Horns) |  | Satan (Scapegoat) |  | Dragon
- | Ram (One Horn Higher) | Goat | Little Horn
Babylon | Medo-Persia | Greece | Rome

- Babylon The Great (The Frankenstein Monster). The symbols that best define this power is a combination of Babylon, Persia and Greece. The Greek-goat phase appears to be the millennium of the scapegoat. But the Persian phase is interesting. We know that the Babylon phase probably began when we controlled Iraq. The pattern indicates that there will be a confrontation with Iran because ancient Babylon fell because of the war with Persia.
- Persecution - The Second Coming. This phase is represented by a Christian dominance using the symbols of the lamb and the ram. This symbol of Persia is compared to both an enemy of God and the coming of Christ who defeats Babylon. As Christ, the symbol is the rescue of the people, the power that rebuilds the temple and the drying up of the Euphrates to attempt this rescue. But as the enemy of God this is the pattern of the rise of the power.
  - The Higher Horn Came Up Last. In the symbol of the lamb with two horns, one sees the ram with two horns. The most powerful one came up last. At the end of time there are two main powers. The United States takes the lead in dominating the world but the Catholic church will exercise its control last.
- Millennium. The time the scapegoat roams the earth. The symbols of Daniel 8 show a goat that follows the ram.
- The Little Horn. In the end, Satan is the little horn with a dirty mouth full of blasphemies at the final judgment.

The Uncreation Pattern

Structure | Filler | Sabbath Rest | Temple
--- | --- | --- | ---
| 1 | Babylon | 4 | Pagan Rome | 7 | Babylon The Great | Destroy
| 2 | Medo- Persia | 5 | Europe- Papal Rome | USA- Papal Rome | Rebuild Inferior
| 3 | Greece | 6 | Atheism | 8 | Satan | Corrupt

The seven days of creation can also be used as a pattern. The structures were made on the first three days. Then the components of the next three days were made out of the first. There is a third cycle which is supposed to represent the Sabbath rest. These events correspond with the "time of the end".

1. Babylon, Pagan Rome, Babylon The Great. All destroyed the temple and enslaved the people.
2. Medo-Persia, Europe-Papal Rome, Lamb With Two Horns. All rebuild an inferior temple. However, it was to this temple that the Messiah will come. In all, the higher horn came up last. The Papacy came out of the ten horns after three horns were defeated. The church will dominate the state.
3. Greece, Atheism And Satan. All corrupted the temple and the priests. Even when Satan is released for a short period after the millennium he tries to deceive the nations. This is also his work in his brief appearance at the end. Greek religion, philosophy, wisdom and institutional homosexuality characterize this period as it influenced Pagan Rome.

Repetition and Enlargement

The Beasts of Babylon the Great
The Dragon (Satan)
Beast from the Sea |  | Beast From the Earth
--- | --- | ---
One Head Wounded | Dragon | Lamb
Wound Healed | Acts like the Beast from the Sea
The Great Whore | Controlled by the whore

In Revelation 12 we saw a series of persecutions directed at Christ, then his church and finally the remnant. Revelation 13 enlarges on the persecution of the remnant.
We get more detail about another world power - the United States. Revelation 12 and Daniel 11 mentioned that this power helped the church to escape persecution.
But in Revelation 13, the dragon follows the church to this new world to persecute her. To do this, it relies on its previous tactic - taking over the government. You saw how it influences this new government to work on its agenda. This ultimately leads into enforced worship of the beast and His image.
It also enlarges on the wounded power. All of the other prophecies that mentioned the power that ruled for 1260 years stated that it would come to an end after that time because of God's actions. However, here we get more detail about this time.

The Persecution of the Woman
Persecution | Who | Text
--- | --- | ---
Israel | Woman | Revelation 12; Old Testament
Jesus | Her Child | Revelation 12; Daniel 9; gospels
Church | Woman | 1260 years. Revelation 12; Daniel
Remnant | Her Children | Daniel 12: 1 (Great trouble); Revelation 13 (Mark of the beast)

- Ruled for 1260 years.
- God sent help for the church. Then the following information appears as an enlargement:
  - Went into captivity or wounded.
  - The wound was healed and it rises again.
  - Was admired by the world.
  - Rose to world domination again by becoming allied with the power that God sent to help the church.
  - There is persecution again - involving the "mark of the beast". Daniel 12: 1 calls it a time of great trouble.
  - In the end there are two beasts which are both controlled by the harlot, which is the church.
    1. Beast From the Earth: Lamb with Two Horns. It is responsible for the global persecution. This is done with the full approval of the church.
    2. Beast From the Sea: Dragon with Seven Heads and Ten Horns. It is controlled by the church. According to Revelation 17, their major contribution is to cooperate with the United States and the church.
- Then it is conquered by God.

# | Power | Daniel 2 | Daniel 4 | Daniel 7 | Daniel 8 | Revelation 12-13
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Metal Man | Tree | Wild Beasts | Yom Kippur | Composite Wild Beasts
1 | Babylon | 609 | Head of gold | Leaves, fruit | Lion | - | Mouth of a lion | Four Heads
2 | Medo-Persia | 539 | Chest of silver | Axe, stump | 2520 Years (7 Years) | Bear | Ram | Feet of a bear
Two Arms | Two sides - one higher | Two Horns - one higher
3 | Greece | 331 | Belly and thighs of brass | Brass band | Leopard | Goat | Body of a leopard
Four heads | Four horns
4 | Rome (pagan) | 197 BC | Legs of iron | Iron Band | Terrible beast | Little horn: Horizontal | Dragon
5 | Rome (papal) | 538 AD | Little horn | Little horn: Vertical | Beast (7 heads) | 1260 Years | Deadly Wound
Europe | Ten toes | Roots in clay | Ten horns (Three uprooted) | Transgressors finish | Ten horns
6 | Atheism | 1798 | - | Beast from the abyss
7 | USA | 1981 | Clay (Earth beast) | Tree Revives after 7 Years | Eyes of a man | Insolent king | Lamb beast - 2 horns | Healed
Papacy | Iron (Dragon) | Boastful | Beast and Image

Study to show yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2: 15 | Time: 100 minutes Print: 18 pages
Copyright Updated : May 2008 Credits: Author: Laverna Patterson. Editor: Patterson (January 2008) ? Stanley's History of the Eastern Church. Arthur P. Stanley of Westminster, dean of ecclesiastical history at Oxford (1864-1881)