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THE PAPACY IN PROPHECY

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Nov 21, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 45.

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THE PAPACY IN PROPHECY

By Abdiel

THE TWO-HORNED BEAST.

The ten-horned, seven-headed beast of Revelation 13, representing the union of church and state in the Dark Ages, centering in the Papacy, at the close of its forty-two months' persecutions went into captivity. The Papacy lost its power to persecute in 1798 when Pius VI. was taken into captivity where he died.
Just at this time the prophet witnesses another scene which he describes as follows:
"And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like unto a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight. And he maketh the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose death-stroke was healed. And he doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him 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 who hath the stroke of the sword and lived. And it was given unto him to give breath to it, even to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as should not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Rev. 13:11-15, A. R. V.
Note the symbols: A "beast," government. "Another beast," a power in addition to, and outside of the Old World powers symbolized by the seven-headed beast. Out of the "earth" in contradistinction to the "sea," out of which the previous beast arose. As the sea represents in prophecy multitudes, people, nations, etc. (Rev. 17:12), the earth must indicate a section of territory outside of the great nations of the Old World.

What Power Is Symbolized?

What government or nation was coming upon the world's stage of action in the close of the eighteenth century? There were none in the Old World. There were none in South America. There was but one of any account and importance, which at that time was entering upon the stage of action and moulding the world; and that was this government and nation. Do the specifications of the symbol meet in this nation? There are two distinctive ones; he had two horns like a lamb; he had a voice like a dragon.
A "lamb" in the Revelation, and throughout the Bible, is the symbol or type of Christ Jesus. So He is represented in Rev. 5:6 as a lamb having seven horns, the fulness and perfection of power. Two of those elements of power possessed alone by the Lamb, peculiar alone to Christ's government or plan, is possessed by the government represented by the two-horned beast. These two elements of power are peculiar to both and to no others.
What two elements in the teaching of Christ can be applied to a civil government? There are two belonging to Christianity alone of all the religions in the world. These are the principles of the equality of man and freedom of choice in matters religious. In other words, civil and religious liberty. Christianity declares that the
"God that made the world" "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Acts 17:24-26.
Jesus declared to His disciples:
"One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." Matt. 23:8.
As to religious liberty, or freedom to believe or not to believe, Jesus Himself said:
"If any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world but to save the world." John 12:47.
When His chosen disciples wished to call down what they believed to be condign punishment upon those who would not receive the Master, He rebuked them, and said:
"Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9:50-56.
And therefore His chosen apostle to the Gentiles expressed most admirably the true thought of Christianity:
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." 2 Cor. 5:11.
"Not that we [apostles even] have lordship over your faith; but are helpers of your joy." 2 Cor. 1:24.
In the above is set forth in the most unequivocal terms man's equality before God, and his absolute freedom of choice to believe or not believe. Search as we will throughout the world, and we will find no other religion possessed of such principles. There are orders and decrees in the hierarchies of all religions outside of Christianity. There are and have been compulsion of conscience and enforcement of religious dogma, till peoples groaned under the mighty burden of inequality and intolerance. But when Christianity held these great principles before the world, the honest in heart, the longing of soul, flocked to its standard, willing to die if need be to uphold such a religion, holding such glorious principles.
Search as we may again throughout the world, but we will find but one of earth's governments which has emblazoned these principles on her escutcheon and boldly given them to the world; and that nation and government is that of the great Republic of the West, the United States of America.
In the very charter of her liberties and of her existence, we find this great truth:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men."
In the Constitution, or fundamental law, of this nation there is the following, adopted in the very morning of the nation's existence.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
The same wonderful document declared that no religious test should ever be required for those who might aspire to any of the offices within the gift of the people.
And these two principles, above all things else, were the lodestones of attraction drawing the oppressed and the liberty-loving from the tyranny of the Old World to take their place under the broad folds of the banner of the free republic.
Both specifications are met in Christianity, the religion of the Lamb, of all religions in the world, and both are met in this nation of all the nations of earth. The conclusion is therefore inevitable that the two-horned beast is a symbol of this government.
We will consider in our next the dragon voice of the two-horned beast.