THE BEASTS from REVELATION

 he Book of Revelation provides information of coming events that will affect everyone on earth. This information is presented in the form of prophetic symbols. Using these symbols, Heaven warns that one of the greatest persecuting powers known to history will again arise to prominence and take an active role in persecuting the elect of Yah.

For over 1,000 years, the Roman Catholic Church was the main instrument of persecution wielded against the faithful, those who wanted to worship Yah according to the dictates of their consciences.

Revelation 13 contains a prophecy covering the span of past history as well as looking into the future when this once-great power will again seek to trample the rights of Yahuwah’s people:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and 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 unto 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. 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 unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against [Elohim], to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto 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. (Revelation 13:1-8, KJV)

In prophecy, “beasts” are symbols of world-wide powers that persecute Yahuwah’s people. John sees this beast arising out of the “sea.” In the Bible, the sea is a symbol for a greatly populated area:

“The waters . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Revelation 17:15, KJV)

This is the first identifying characteristic that ties the beast of Revelation 13 to the Roman Catholic Church: it arose in the “Old World” – a place heavily populated and it was there that it exercised its power.

The beast from the sea that John saw had the body of a leopard, the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. This is significant because these very beasts were used in Daniel to represent the three world-wide powers that persecuted Yah’s people before the rise of Rome. John’s beast is an amalgamation, combining the characteristics of the three preceding world powers.

The Roman Catholic Church, which took over from Pagan Rome as a persecuting power, contains the humanism of Greece (the leopard), the exaltation of Sunday from Medo-Persia (the bear) and worship calculated on a continuous weekly cycle from Babylon (the lion).

Scripture states the beast from the sea receives his power from the dragon, which is a symbol both of paganism and Satan himself:

“The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world . . . .” (Revelation 12:9, KJV)

To a great degree, Roman Catholicism received its power from paganism. By adopting and accepting pagan practices into the Church, Catholicism gained in power and popularity, extending her reach, literally, around the world.

Pope Gregory XIII, best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally accepted civil calendar to this date.

In no other area is this seen more clearly than in the modern calendar, devised for and named after Pope Gregory XIII. The entire world is united in the use of this counterfeit calendar with its counterfeit days of worship.

Catholics even boast that the sign of their authority is the fact that they changed the Sabbath to Sunday.

“Who Do We Reverence and Pay Homage to by Keeping Sunday Holy? From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God – an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church.” (Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, #2, 9th edition, vol. 1, pp. 341-342.)

At the Council of Nicæa, the Biblical calendar was abandoned and the pagan Julian calendar was adopted for establishing times of worship.

This fact is symbolized by the amalgamated beast having seven heads on which are ten horns. The Church of Rome rejected the ancient luni-solar calendar in favor of the pagan planetary week of seven days with its continuous weekly cycle.

“To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skilful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity – now far sunk in idolatry . . . to shake hands.” (Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, p. 105.)

This amalgamation of Christianity with paganism is further identified in Revelation 17:5 as: “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

In Scripture, a woman is used as a symbol of a church. A "harlot," therefore, stands for a corrupt church.

The Roman Catholic Church is the “mother” because all other religions, not just Christian denominations, calculate their worship days off of the calendar created by the Catholic Church.

“Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles...From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.” (Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August, 1900.)

But the beast John sees has received a “deadly wound.” This occurred in 1798 when the dominating power of the Catholic Church was taken away by a quick series of events. In February of 1798, that power which had caused kings to tremble under the power of its interdict was humbled to the dust when French General Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a Huguenot, took Pope Pius VI prisoner on Napoleon Bonaparte’s orders.

Two months later, on April 3, the French government enforced the use of its own calendar, consisting of 10-day weeks.

This realignment of the calendar destroyed the papal day of worship. By removing Sunday from the week, it struck right at the papacy’s claim of authority: the change of worship day to Sunday from the Biblical Sabbath. This was the “deadly wound,” received by the papacy.

The timing of this series of events happened exactly according to the prophecy which stated that “power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”

In prophetic time, one day equals one year and each month has 30 days in the majority of cases. “I have appointed thee each day for a year.” (Ezekiel 4:6, KJV) This Biblical principle applies to all prophetic time-periods within the 2300 year prophecy, the longest time prophecy in the Bible. The fulfillment of this time prophecy marks the commencement of "time of the end." The principle of one day equals one year cannot apply to time prophecies that will be fulfilled during the "time of the end." For "time of the end is too short to accommodate this principle.

This began in A.D. 538 when General Belasarius, acting for the Byzantine emperor, Justinian, freed Rome from the power of the Arian Ostrogoths after a siege lasting a year and nine days.

While the power of the Ostrogoths over northern Italy was not immediately broken, the acceptance of Belasarius by Pope Silverius and the subsequent freeing of Rome from the Ostrogoths paved the way for the Roman Catholic Church to enforce their pagan doctrine of the trinity – a doctrine the Christian Ostrogoths vehemently rejected.

This despotic iron rule extended 1,260 years during which millions of true-hearted Christians were martyred for their faith. It ended, right on time, in 1798, with the capture of the pope and the removal of Sunday, the sign of papal power, as a holy day.

The vision does not end there, however. Yahuwah reveals that this same persecuting power shall again exercise power over all the earth. John states:

“His deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” (Revelation 13:3, KJV)

This has been done as the entire world regulates its work days and holy days by a creation of the Roman Catholic Church. Since World War II, the entire world has been united in using Pope Gregory XIII’s calendar.

The Roman Catholic Church may have been largely absent from world events since receiving the deadly wound, but the sure word of prophecy warns:

And it was given unto 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. (Revelation 13:7, 8, KJV)

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All who seek to honor the Creator by returning to worship on the seventh-day Sabbath of the ancient Biblical calendar, will incur the wrath of the dragon and the beast. But Yah’s eye is upon His people and His ears are open to their cry.

The passage ends with a promise for the faithful:

“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:10)

All powers that persecute the righteous will, in the end, face divine justice. Here is the patience and faith of the saints, the promise that holds them strong in the face of the fiercest persecution – which is yet to come!

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but Yahuwah upholdeth the righteous and forsaketh not his saints; He shall help them, and deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him. (See Psalm 37.)

The Book of Revelation is one of the most widely discussed and debated books among both Bible students and secular scholars. In its pages are recorded the most dire warnings and vivid prophecies imaginable.

". . . Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." (Revelation 22:7, NKJV)

One of the most captivating, yet misunderstood, symbols in the apocalyptic writings of Revelation is chapter thirteen's beast from the sea, often referred to simply as "the beast."

For centuries, men have incessantly speculated as to the identity of "the beast." The Bible, however, is its own interpreter. By comparing Scripture with Scripture and allowing the Bible to interpret itself, the identity of "the beast" becomes incontrovertibly clear.

Note: A "beast" in Bible prophecy simply represents "a kingdom." (Daniel 7:23)

The Beast from the Sea (Revelation 13) is inexorably tied to two other symbols employed in Scripture, all representing the same power and the same kingdom.

• The Harlot riding the Seven-Headed Beast (Revelation 17)
• The Little Horn (Daniel 7)

When comparing Scripture with Scripture, the identity of this Antichrist power becomes inescapably evident...

15 Identifying Characteristics of "the beast" power:

(1) . . . is both a Church and a City.

"And the woman [harlot] whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth." (Revelation 17:18, NKJV)

Note: A "woman" in prophecy = a church (Jeremiah 6:2)
A "harlot" woman, therefore = an unfaithful/apostate church.

(2) . . . is seated upon Seven Mountains.

"Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman [harlot] sits." (Revelation 17:9, NKJV)

(3) . . . is arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones.

"And the woman [church] was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls . . ." (Revelation 17:4, KJV)

(4) . . . asserts power over ALL the inhabitants of Earth.

" . . . And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation." (Revelation 13:7, NKJV)

(5) . . . arose within a densely populated area with cultural diversity.

"Then he said to me, 'The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.' " (Revelation 17:15, NKJV)

(6) . . . completely eradicated three other kingdoms when rising to power.

"I was considering the horns [kingdoms], and there was another horn [kingdom], a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns [kingdoms] were plucked out by the roots." (Daniel 7:8, NKJV)

Note: A "horn" in prophecy = a king/kingdom (Daniel 8:21-22)

(7) . . . makes war with the Saints.

"I saw the woman [harlot], drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Yahushua." (Revelation 17:6)

(8) . . . has a Single Man acting and speaking for the whole.

" . . . And there, in this horn [kingdom], were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." (Daniel 7:8, NKJV)

(9) The sovereign of this kingdom exalts himself as high as Yahuwah.

Let no one deceive you by any means… the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Eloah (God) or that is worshiped, so that he sits as Eloah in the sanctuary of Yahuwah, showing himself that he is Eloah. (See 2 Thess. 2:3-4.)

(10) The sovereign of this kingdom is identified with the number "666."

"Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666]." (Revelation 13:18, KJV)

(11) . . . speaks pompous words and blasphemies.

"And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies . . ." (Revelation 13:5, NKJV)

(12) . . . has attempted to change Yahuwah's Calendar and Law.

"He . . . shall intend to change times [calendar] and law." (Daniel 7:25, NKJV)

(13) . . . ruled supreme for 1,260 years.

". . . and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months." (Revelation 13:5, NKJV)

Note: One prophetic day = One literal year (Ezekiel 4:6)

• Lunar Year = 354 days;
  Solar Year = 365
  Luni-Solar Year, Average = 360 days

• 42 months = 3 ½ years = 1,260 days

• 1,260 prophetic days = 1,260 years

(14) . . . was stripped of authority by a civil power and taken into "captivity."

"He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword . . ." (Revelation 13:10, NKJV)

Note: "The sword" here indicates civil power. (See Romans 13:1, 4.)

(15) . . . was mortally wounded, but will ultimately recover.

"And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast." (Revelation 13:3, NKJV)

Only one power in history fits every detail of the prophetic description . . .

The Roman Catholic Church! Let's Review.

The Roman Catholic Church . . .

(1) . . . is both a Church and a City. (Revelation 17:18)

The Roman Catholic Church and the Roman Vatican City-State are synonymous. The Lateran Treaty (Mussolini-Pope Pius XI, 1929) gave Vatican City “independent status” and recognized the pope’s sovereignty within the city.

“The agreements included a political treaty, which created the state of Vatican City and guaranteed to the Holy See full and independent sovereignty.” (Encarta Reference Library, 2004)

(2) . . . is seated upon Seven Mountains. (Revelation 17:9)

Rome: “The City of Seven Hills”

1. The Palatine
2. The Capitoline
3. The Aventine
4. The Caelian
5. The Esquiline
6. The Viminal
7. The Quirinal

“The historical site of Rome on the famous seven hills . . . was occupied as early as the Bronze Age.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol.10, p.162)

(3) . . . is arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones. (Revelation 17:4)

“The color for bishops and other prelates is purple, for cardinals scarlet… The pectoral cross should be made of gold and… decorated with gems…” (Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia, 1991, p. 175, 178, 466)

Note: There were four colors, given by Yahuwah, to be worn by the High Priest: gold, blue, purple, and scarlet. (Exodus 28:1-6)

What is the relevance of the Catholic Church's missing color? Blue

Again Yahuwah spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a BLUE thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the Commandments of Yahuwah and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My Commandments, and be holy for your Eloah." (See Numbers 15:37-40)

(4) . . . asserts power over ALL the inhabitants of Earth. (Revelation 13:7)

“We define that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff [pope] hold the primacy over the whole world . . .” (Laetentur Coeli, Council of Florence, 1439)

There is “no higher authority . . .” (Pastor Aeternus, 1870)

Pope Gregory (reigned 1073-85) “presented himself as heir to the unlimited commission . . . over all souls.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol.26, p.927)

(5) . . . arose within a densely populated area with cultural diversity. (Revelation 17:15)

The Roman Catholic Church-state rose to power from within the ten original tribes (monarchies) of divided Europe:

1. Anglo-Saxons (England)
2. Alemanni (Germany)
3. Visigoths (Spain)
4. Franks (France)
5. Lombards (Italy)
6. Burgundians (Switzerland)
7. Suevi (Portugal)
8. Heruli
9. Ostrogoths
10. Vandals

(6) . . . completely eradicated three other kingdoms when rising to power. (Daniel 7:8)

Gold tremissis of emperor Zeno (474-491)

History records that the Roman Papacy wiped out three of the original ten tribes (monarchies) of divided Europe:

1. The Vandals (454 A.D.)
2. The Heruli (493 A.D.)
3. The Ostrogoths (538 A.D.)

"The Catholic emperor Zeno (474-491) arranged a treaty with the Ostrogoths in 487 which resulted in the eradication of the kingdom of the Arian Heruls in 493. And the Catholic emperor Justinian (527-565) exterminated the Arian Vandals in 534 and significantly broke the power of the Arian Ostrogoths in 538. Thus were Daniel's three horns' the Heruls, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths--'plucked up by the roots.' " (C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares, Vol. 1, p. 129)

Today, there is not a single bloodline that can be traced back to any of these three kingdoms. They were literally eradicated (“plucked out by the ROOTS")!

(7) . . . makes war with the Saints. (Revelation 17:6)

“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… It is impossible to form a complete conception of the multitude of her victims… and it is quite certain that no powers of imagination can adequately realize their sufferings.” (W.E.H. Lecky, History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Vol. 2; 32)

(8) . . . has a Single Man acting and speaking for the whole. (Daniel 7:8)

The pope “is the only spokesman for the entire Roman Church.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol.26, p.951)

(9) The sovereign of this kingdom exalts himself as high as Yahuwah. (2 Thess. 2:3-4)

“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”
(Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Dated-June 20, 1894)

(10) The sovereign of this kingdom is identified with the number "666." (Revelation 13:18)

The Pope's triple crown holds the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei, which is latin for "Vicar [Substitute] of the Son of God." The numerical value of this blasphemous title is 666.

• Vicarius = V(5), I(1), C(100), A(0), R(0), I(1), U(5), S(0) = 112

• Filii = F(0), I(1), L(50), I(1), I(1) = 53

• Dei = D(500), E(0), I(1) = 501
  
• Vicarius Filii Dei = 666

(11) . . . speaks pompous words and blasphemies. (Revelation 13:5)

Scripture defines blasphemy as:

(1) Claiming to be YAH on Earth (John 10:33)

“The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, hidden under a veil of flesh.” (The Catholic National, July 1895)

(2) Claiming the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:7)

“This judicial authority will even include the power to forgive sins.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 12, Article “Pope”, p.265)

(3) Persecuting the people of the Most High in the Name of the Most High (1 Timothy 1:13)

“[W]e must rank the Inquisition… as among the darkest blots on record of mankind.” (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol. 4, p. 78)

Some historians estimate more than 100 million people were killed by the Roman Church.

(12) . . . has attempted to change Yahuwah's Calendar and Law. (Daniel 7:25)

“The pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws.” (Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca, Article “Papa”, II Vol.6, p.29)

“Sunday is a Catholic institution and its claim to observance can be defended only on Catholic principles...From beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.” (Catholic Press, Sydney, Australia, August 1900.)

“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change [of the Sabbath to Sunday] was her act…And the act is a MARK of her ecclesiastical power.” (Letter by H.F. Thomas, chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons)

(Note: This change was not simply a change of worship days; it was a change of calendars. Rome, in the fourth century, adopted the modern counterfeit pagan calendar and outlawed the Biblical luni-solar calendar.)

The Papacy also removed the 2nd Commandment, which forbids idol worship. In order to keep 10 Commandments, they divided the 10th Commandment into two parts.

(13) . . . ruled supreme for 1,260 years. (Revelation 13:5)

538 AD – The Papacy, working through the civil government, broke the power of the Ostrogoths, leaving the Pope’s claim of ecclesiastical supremacy unchallenged. The Roman Church could (and would) now exercise her full authority.

1798 AD – “In 1798, General Berthier [of France] made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1941 edition)

The Papacy ruled supreme for exactly 1,260 years! (from 538 until 1798)

(14) . . . was stripped of authority by a civil power and taken into "captivity." (Revelation 13:10)

“The ultimate humiliation of the Church came when Pius VI was driven out of Rome by the French armies in 1798 and in the following year was taken captive by them and dragged back to France, where he died.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990, Vol.26, p.938)

(15) . . . was mortally wounded, but will ultimately recover. (Revelation 13:3)

The Papacy is mortally wounded…

1798 – General Berthier abolished the papal government.

The Wound begins to heal . . . and the Papacy is revived.

1929 – “Rome . . . was granted sovereign extraterritorial status in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty and Concordat.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1990 Edition)

"Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." (Revelation 22:7, NKJV)

This is not a new understanding, beloved. This is the historical Protestant view of the Roman Church. We live in a very privileged time, having the ability to see this evidence more clearly than our faithful predecessors. Yahuwah has given us these precious gems of prophecy so that we may know and understand. Soon, the beast's wound will be completely healed and she will again openly seek to destroy Yahuwah's faithful. May none be deceived by the beast, this mother of all harlots, the Roman Catholic Church.