REVELATION 13: PART 2 • THE BEAST REEXAMINED

In the previous section, we allowed the Bible to highlight the characteristics of the beast. In this section, we want to make application of these characteristics so that we might define who the beast is. If you are not fully familiar with the various characteristics of the beast derived from our previous study, please take a moment to review them. Just from the Bible clues, many may already know or may have a guess as to who the beast is. Hopefully, by the time you finish this chapter, you will know for a certainty.


“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea”

Seas represent nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples; therefore, a populated area of the world. A beast in prophecy is a kingdom. This verse depicts a kingdom, represented by a beast, coming up in a populated area. In Daniel 7, we learned that the little horn is the same power as the beast of Revelation 13, and the little horn would come up in the same territory as the fourth beast of pagan Rome.

The little horn came from the midst of the ten horns, three of which would be destroyed. The seven that remained now exist as part of the European Union. So the beast arose in the “sea” of the people of Europe. Appearing in this manner and in this location applies to the rise of the Roman church/state system.

“Having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns and upon his heads the name of blasphemy”

This creature with the seven heads and ten horns is introduced in Revelation 12 and is called the dragon, or Satan. In the narrative of chapter 12, this dragon first persecuted Christ, then went on to persecute His people, His church. This persecution was through the Roman Empire. After that, for a period of 1,260 years, the Roman church was the power that persecuted.

The Roman church/state system was used by the dragon during this time, and it was helped by the crowned heads or kings of Europe, represented by the ten horns with crowns. The heads of the papal system are represented as seven in number, for seven shows the completeness of power that resides in the heads. They are also identified as being blasphemous in character, which we will examine further as we go on.

“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”

John was shown, in Revelation 13, the same beasts or kingdoms that Daniel saw and recorded in chapter 7. This beast or kingdom would come out of the sea, or a populated area, and would come up after Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. As John writes, these kingdoms accept for Rome, were in the past, which is why he lists these beasts in descending order, showing us that the arrival of the beast out of the sea would come after these kingdoms.

In this beast would be characteristics of the previous beasts. The papal system has elements of the Babylonian religion in it. Like Media-Persia it is a two-fold power—in this case, a mixture of church and state. Elements of Greek philosophy are found within its teachings and dogmas. The Roman connection comes because the Roman church is the descendent of the ancient Roman Empire.

“The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority”

Revelation 12 reveals that Satan is the seven-headed, ten-horned dragon. Satan uses humans and their institutions, including churches and governments, to accomplish his purposes. In chapter 12 he used the Roman Empire which secondarily is symbolized as a dragon. The ten horns on a beast were first introduced in Daniel 7. These were horns or kingdoms that arose from the territory of Rome as it fell. From the midst of these ten horns rose a little horn—the same power described as a beast in Revelation 13.

The beast or little horn rose out of the sea of peoples of Europe and sprang from the Roman Empire. Here John says the Roman Empire, the dragon or instrument of Satan, gave to the beast its power, seat, and authority. After Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and pagan Rome, John places the beast in the geographical area of Europe. This tells us that the beast comes up after pagan Rome, or after A.D. 476, when the Roman Empire fell. We learn from history that the kings and kingdoms of Europe supported the beast.

The heads themselves would have complete authority vested in them and be blasphemous in nature, meaning that this beast is both political and religious in function. The blasphemy of the heads comes about because of the counterfeit gospel and substituting the commandments and traditions of men in place of God’s truth. The following statements establish the historical fact that Roman Catholicism did indeed develop from and take the place of the pagan Roman Empire.

“The Bishop of Rome became increasingly important, especially when the Imperial Court was transferred to Constantinople in the fourth century. That left an enormous political, administrative and emotional gap. The Bishops of Rome were on hand, so to speak, to fill it.”1

“In the year 380 something happened to Christianity that would have astonished Jesus and Peter: it became the established religion of the Roman Empire. In Acton’s words, the church became ‘the gilded crutch of absolutism.’ With the church’s new prestige went ever present dangers.

“In the beginning, the state trespassed on the church’s domain, trying to mould faith to its requirements of law and order. …

“In time, the church began to turn the tables, trespassing on the rights of princes. Popes appointed and sacked even emperors, demanded that they impose Christianity on their subjects under the threat of torture and death.”2

“Long ages ago, when Rome through neglect of the Western emperors was left to the mercy of the barbarous hordes, the Romans turned to one figure for aid and protection, and asked him to rule them; and thus, in this simple manner, the best title of all to kingly right, commenced the temporal sovereignty of the popes. And meekly stepping to the throne of Caesar, the vicar of Christ took up the scepter to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to bow in reverence through so many ages.”3

“Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left standing in the provinces—and they were not few—were ecclesiasticised and at the same time put under the protection of the Bishop of Rome, who was the chief person there after the Emperor’s disappearance. But in Rome the Episcopal throne was occupied in the fifth century by men who understand the signs of the times and utilized them to the full.

“The Roman church in this way privily pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation; the empire has not perished, but has only undergone a transformation.

“If we assert, and mean the assertion to hold good even of the present time, that the Roman Church is the old Roman Empire consecrated by the Gospel, that is no mere “clever remark,” but the recognition of the true state of the matter historically, and the most appropriate and fruitful way of describing the character of this Church. … The continued influence of the old Empire and its institutions may be traced in detail, down to individual legal ordinances, nay, even in the very clothes.

“That is no Church like the evangelical communities, or the national Churches of the East; it is a political creation, and as imposing as a World-Empire, because the continuation of the Roman Empire. The Pope, who calls himself “King” and “Pontifex Maximus,” is Caesar’s successor. The Church, which as early as the third and fourth century was entirely filed with the Roman spirit, has established in itself the Roman Empire.”4

“The removal of the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople in 330, left the Western Church, practically free from imperial power, to develop its own form of organization. The Bishop of Rome, in the seat of the Caesars, was now the greatest man in the West, and was soon [when the barbarians overran the empire] forced to become the political as well as the spiritual head. To the Western world Rome was still the political capital—hence the whole habit of mind, all ambition, pride, and sense of glory, and every social prejudice favoured the evolution of the great city into the ecclesiastical capital. Civil as well as religious disputes were referred to the successor of Peter for settlement.”5

“One of his heads as it were wounded”

The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy. When the pope was taken captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity” (Revelation 13:10).

Papal political power received a deadly wound on February 15, 1798, when the military chief in Italy, General Berthier, was ordered by the French government to declare a republic in Rome. The general took Pope Pius VI captive to France, where he died the following year. This event brought the religious and political dominance of Europe by the papacy to an end 1,260 years after it was established.

“The papacy was extinct, not a vestige of its existence remained; and among all the Roman Catholic powers not a finger was stirred in its defense. The Eternal City had no longer prince or pontiff, its bishop was a dying captive in foreign lands; and the decree was already announced that no successor would be allowed in his place.”6

“One day the Pope was sitting on his throne in a chapel of the Vatican, surrounded by his cardinals who had assembled for the purpose of offering him their congratulations on his elevation to his high dignity. On a sudden, the shouts of an angry multitude penetrated to the conclave, intermingled with the strokes of axes and hammers of the doors. Very soon a band of soldiers burst into the hall, who tore away from his finger his pontifical ring, and hurried him off, a prisoner, through a hall, the walls of which were adorned with a fresco, representing the armed satellites of the Papacy, on St. Bartholomew’s day, as bathing their swords in the blood of unoffending women and helpless children.

“Thus it might seem as if he were to be reminded that the same God who visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation, had made him the victim of His retributive justice for a deed of atrocity which had long been crying aloud to Him for vengeance. The Pope, after having been hurried away from his territory, and treated with every indignity, at length died at Valence in Dauphiny, in 1799.”7

“His deadly wound was healed”

The San Francisco Chronicle, on February 12, 1929, exploded with the headline “Mussolini and Gasparri Sign Historic Pact … Healed Wound of Many Years.”

It is unlikely that the correspondent and editors of the San Francisco Chronicle had any concept of the prophetic significance of the dramatic event they were reporting. The previous day, February 11, 1929, Cardinal Gasparri (representing Pope Pius XI) and Benito Mussolini (representing King Victor Emmanuel III) signed the Lateran Treaty, returning to the papacy its sovereignty.

Some of the highlights of the Lateran treaty are noted in the following excerpts:

1. CONCILIATION TREATY

“In the name of the Most Holy Trinity.
Whereas the Holy See and Italy have recognized the desirability of eliminating every reason for dissension existing between them and arriving at a final settlement of their reciprocal relations which shall be consistent with justice and with the dignity of both High Contracting Parties, and which by permanently assuring to the Holy See a position de facto and de jure which shall guarantee absolute independence for the fulfillment of its exalted mission in the world, permits the Holy See to consider as finally and irrevocably settled the Roman Question which arose in 1870 by the annexation of Rome to the Kingdom of Italy, under the Dynasty of the House of Savoy;

“And whereas it was obligatory, for the purpose of assuring the absolute and visible independence of the Holy See, likewise to guarantee its indisputable sovereignty in international matters, it has been found necessary to create under special conditions the Vatican City, recognizing the full ownership, exclusive and absolute dominion and sovereign jurisdiction of the Holy See over that City;

“His Holiness the Supreme Pontiff Pius XI and His Majesty Victor Emanuel III, King of Italy, have agreed to conclude a Treaty, appointing for that purpose two Plenipotentiaries, being on behalf of His Holiness, His Secretary of State, viz. His Most Reverend Eminence the Lord Cardinal Pietro Gasparri, and on behalf of his Majesty, His Excellency the Cav. Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister and Head of the Government; who, having exchanged their respective full powers, which were found to be in due and proper form, have hereby agreed to the following articles:

Article 1
“Italy recognizes and reaffirms the principle established in the first Article of the Italian Constitution dated March 4, 1848, according to which the Catholic Apostolic Roman religion is the only State religion.

Article 2
“Italy recognizes the sovereignty of the Holy See in international matters as an inherent attribute in conformity with its traditions and the requirements of its mission to the world.

Article 8
“Considering the person of the Supreme Pontiff to be sacred and inviolable, Italy declares any attempt against His person or any incitement to commit such attempt to be punishable by the same penalties as all similar attempts and incitements to commit the same against the person of the King.

“All offences or public insults committed within Italian territory against the person of the Supreme Pontiff, whether by means of speeches, acts, or writings, shall be punished in the same manner as offences and insults against the person of the King.

Article 12
“Italy recognizes the right of the Holy See to passive and active Legation, according to the general rules of International Law. Officials accredited by foreign Governments to the Holy See shall continue to enjoy, within the Kingdom of Italy, all the prerogatives of immunity enjoyed by diplomatic agents under International Law, and their headquarters may continue to be within Italian territory whilst enjoying the immunity due to them under International Law, even in the event of their State not having diplomatic relations with Italy.

Article 19
“Diplomats and envoys of the Holy See, as well as diplomats and envoys of foreign Governments accredited to the Holy See, and the dignitaries of the Church arriving from abroad and traveling to the Vatican City, provided with passports of the States whence they come duly furnished with the visa of the Papal representative abroad, shall be allowed free access to the Vatican City over Italian territory without formalities.”

Rome’s loss of the pope to sit in the chair of Saint Peter in 1798 constituted the deadly wound.

“Many of the men in those days imagined that the dominion of the Pope had come to an end, and that the knell of the temporal power was then sounding among the nations. This supposition, however, proved to be erroneous. The French republicans were very anxious that Rome should not have another Pope. But as the reverses of the revolutionary armies had left Southern Italy to its ancient masters, the cardinals were able to proceed to an election at Venice. They elected, on March 14th, 1800, Barnabas Chiaromonti, who assumed the name of Pius VII.”8

The election of a new pope in 1800 was followed by several decades of weakness, including when “the newly formed kingdom of Italy annexed the Papal States. In 1871 the Italian government guaranteed to Pope Pius IX and his successors the use of the Vatican and the Lateran palaces and a yearly income of 3,250,000 lire as indemnity for the loss of sovereignty and territory. The church, claiming the necessity for independence of any political power in its exercise of spiritual jurisdiction, refused to accept this settlement, and the popes thereafter considered themselves prisoners in the Vatican, a small, limited area inside Rome.”9

In 1929, with the signing of the Lateran Treaty, the healing of the wound began in earnest. The wound will be fully healed when the political religious system of the beast again dominates not just western Europe but the whole world.

The following statements are contemporary examples indicating that the wound is indeed continuing to heal as prophecy has declared. “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” (Revelation 13:3).

“On January 11, 1992, diplomats representing over a hundred nations gathered in the ‘sumptuous frescoed Royal Hall of the Vatican,’ as the Associated Press release put it, to hear ‘the pope’s major foreign policy statement of the year,’ as John Paul II gave his annual New Year’s address to all the ‘diplomats accredited to the Holy See’ (South Bend Tribune, January 12, 1992). Over 100 nations sent their diplomats to hear what John Paul II would have to say about 1992. …

“‘Papal Foreign Policy.’ Written by J. Bryan Hehir, professor of ethics and international politics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a counselor for social policy for the United States Catholic Conference, the article describes what he calls ‘the most activist papacy in modern history.’ In fact, “Not since the Middle ages can a comparably broad conception of papal activity be found.’ (p. 27).

“Hehir further observes: ‘the Vatican acts like a state but not simply a state’ (p. 47). But it is ‘its capacity to act like a church and a state’ that creates a “paradox in this papacy. [For] the pope has established himself as a major figure in world affairs. But he consistently denies any political interest’ (pp. 36, 37). Such denial notwithstanding, Hehir notes that ‘John Paul II’s role, especially but not only in Eastern Europe, has been a political event of vast proportions’ (p. 36).10

“Presciently [having or showing knowledge of actions or events before they take place] as well as by planned design, the Pontiff’s first step into the geopolitical arena was eastward into Poland, the underbelly of the Soviet Union. In John Paul’s geopolitical analysis, Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals is a giant seesaw of power. Europe from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea is the center of that power. The Holy Father’s battle was to control that center.

“World commentary and opinion aside, therefore, the point of John Paul’s foray into Poland was not merely that he was a religious leader. The point was he was more. He was a geopolitical Pope. … Now he had served notice that he intended to take up and effectively exercise once more the international role that had been central to the tradition of Rome, and to the very mandate Catholics maintain was conferred by Christ upon Peter and upon each of his successors.

“No one really suspects him of seeking territorial aggrandizement, gold, political power or personal pleasure. At his vaguest—and this is already specific enough to be disturbing to our secularist world leaders—he insists that just as no system of politics is viable unless it is based on the spirituality of genuine religious belief in God and in Christ, so no religious belief is viable unless it is deeply involved in political systems. At his most specific, however, he insists that men have no reliable hope of creating a viable geopolitical system unless it is on the basis of Roman Catholic Christianity.”11
“Today it is possible to say that everything that happened in Eastern Europe during these last few years [regarding the fall of communism] would not have been possible without the presence of this Pope, without the leading role, even the political role, that he was able to play on the world scene.”12
Solidarity Is Human Family’s First Challenge, Says Pope
Welcomes Seven New Ambassadors to the Holy See
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 16, 2005— The Pope had the opportunity today to launch an urgent appeal for a more just distribution of wealth, when he received the letters of credence of seven new ambassadors to the Holy See.The envoys were from Azerbaijan, Guinea, Malta, New Zealand, Rwanda, Switzerland and Zimbabwe.13
“And all the world wondered after the beast”

And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. (Revelation 13:12)

And the whole earth went after the beast in amazement and admiration. (Revelation 13:3 AMP)

This portion of the prophecy has begun to unfold before us, and it will reach its culmination when the two-horned beast or kingdom of Revelation 13:12 makes an image or likeness to the papal kingdom—in other words, when the state enforces a distinguishing mark or characteristic of the beast. Even now the process of the healing of the wound, and the subsequent increase of global influence, is developing.

Pope Says Politicians Must Conform Civil Laws to God’s Law

“Pope John Paul II said political leaders must conform civil laws and policies to God’s objective moral law and to principles of solidarity and justice.

“An estimated 15,000 public officials from 92 countries attended the Nov. 4–5 Jubilee for Politicians and Government Officials. During an all-day assembly Nov. 4, some 3,000 participants unanimously approved three motions calling for the cancellation of foreign debt to poor countries, the defense of religious freedom and human rights, and greater international cooperation in fighting negative aspects of globalization.

“The largest delegations were from majority Catholic countries like Italy, Poland and Argentina, which were each represented by hundreds of lawmakers. Participants also included legislators from Israel and Muslim-majority Iran, Libya, Kuwait, Morocco and Jordan.”14

“The Pope evaluated the state of the world from a Gospel perspective when he received the 172 ambassadors of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

“Among the main issues he cited during his traditional New Year meeting were violence in the Holy Land and social difficulties in Latin America. Representatives of the United States, Iraq, Russia, the Republic of Georgia, Cuba, Sudan, Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization were among those who heard the Holy Father today.

World Reaction to Papal Election Well-Wishers for Benedict XVI

World religious leaders:

Paul Spiegel, President of the Jewish Association in Germany
I am sure that he will intensify the successful route toward understanding between Christians and Jews to the benefit of both religions.

Nadeem Elyas, President of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany
He expressed the hope that the new Pope would continue the dialogue between Christians and Muslims. …

Lutheran World Federation
As Pope Benedict XVI prepares to assume his high spiritual and temporal responsibilities, the Lutheran World Federation accompanies him with the prayer that he will be given the grace to continue the ministry of his predecessors in a process of steady renewal, for the benefit of the church universal, and of humanity.

Samuel Kobia, General Secretary of the World Council of Churches
We give thanks to our common Lord Jesus Christ for granting the Roman Catholic Church a new Bishop of Rome, known for his theological integrity and ecclesial loyalty, his evangelical simplicity and pastoral sensitivity, a successor to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XV, both known as “Primates of peace.”

Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia
I hope that Your Holiness’ time as Pope will see the development of friendly relations between our Churches and the fruitful dialogue between the Orthodox and the Catholics.

Dr. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom
We welcome the new Pope and wish him every success in the daunting challenges that lie ahead. As a global leader in a global age, his voice will be important in framing some of the great challenges of the 21st century.

Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League
We welcome the new papacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. …

Rowan Williams, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury
His election is also of great significance to Christians everywhere. I look forward to meeting him and working together to build on the legacy of his predecessor, as we seek to promote shared understanding between our churches in the service of the Gospel and the goal of Christian unity. …

Civil testimonies:

Gerhard Schröder, German chancellor
This is a great honor for Germany. I think he will be a worthy successor to Pope John Paul II. I congratulate him on behalf of the government and all Germans.

Horst Köhler, president of Germany
That a compatriot has become pope fills us in Germany with special pleasure and also a little pride. I’m convinced that Pope Benedict XVI will continue the late Pope John Paul II’s great engagement for people’s dignity and peace in the world.

George W. Bush, President of the United States
He’s a man of great wisdom and knowledge. He’s a man who serves the Lord. We remember well his sermon at the Pope’s funeral in Rome, how his words touched our hearts and the hearts of millions. We join with our fellow citizens and millions around the world who pray for continued strength and wisdom as His Holiness leads the Catholic Church.

Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the United Nations
His Holiness brings a wealth of experience to this exalted office. The United Nations and the Holy See share a strong commitment to peace, social justice, human dignity, religious freedom and mutual respect among the world’s religions.

Jacques Chirac, president of France
I send Pope Benedict XVI my warmest congratulations and sincere good wishes for the high mission that has just been entrusted on the head of the Catholic Church.

Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister of Italy
I certainly express the feelings of all Italians, and am particularly delighted, when I present Your Holiness with the warm and respectful homage of the Italian government.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain
Please receive in the name of the Spanish government and the people of Spain our warmest congratulations for your election as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and my best wishes for the papacy which you begin today.

Thabo Mbeki, president of South Africa
Pope Benedict XVI assumes leadership at a critical time in which the world’s collective wisdom and leadership including that of the religious community is most important to face up to challenges of deepening poverty and underdevelopment afflicting many people of the world.

Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian leader
We congratulate His Holiness and wish him every success. We hope the strong and historic relations between Palestine and the Vatican will be as strong as ever and that the Vatican’s support for a just peace in the Holy Land will continue.

Mary McAleese, president of Ireland
The world responded in grief and wonder to the passing of John Paul II. The election of his successor became the concern of very many people throughout the world. You embody their hopes for greater unity among peoples and a more just and caring human family. Your guidance and leadership amid the complexities of modern life will be crucial.

Jan Peter Balkenende, prime minister of the Netherlands
I hope this pope will continue on the same path as John Paul II, that he seeks dialogue with others, will fight for peace and democracy and against poverty.

Jose Socrates, prime minister of Portugal
“I express my sincere happiness to the Catholic Church for the choice of the new pope.” Socrates said he hopes “the Pope continues with the ecumenical spirit” of his predecessor, considering “the dialogue between important religions for world peace.”

Tony Blair, prime minister of the United Kingdom
I offer Your Holiness, on the assumption of your high office, congratulations and my very best wishes for the success of your pontificate. I look forward to continuing our cooperation with the Holy See on issues of international importance such as Africa and development.

Pervez Musharraf, president of Pakistan
I hope the Pope will help to bring harmony between the two worlds [Islam and Christianity]. The Pope can bring harmony to the way people think and perhaps create a better environment to solve disputes between peoples.

Vladimir Putin, president of Russia
Russia is committed to continuing its constructive political dialogue and interaction with the Holy See in the interest of solving global problems, strengthening the values of goodness, justice and humanism.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil
The president of Brazil, the world’s country with the biggest number of Catholics, voiced hope the new pontiff would promote “peace and social justice at the same time as reviving the spiritual and moral values of the Church.”

Vicente Fox, president of Mexico
I tell him that we are on his side, that we want to build and keep growing this magnificent, extraordinary relationship that has been built between our country and the Vatican.16

“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast”

Here, the people of the world are worshipping what Paul described as “the god of this world [who] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Is it possible that the whole world will worship Satan, being deluded enough to give honor and respect and deference and even worship to Satan’s vicar, the papal system?

Satan worship is not limited to those involved in the occult and strange ceremonies and beliefs. Satan’s worshippers are average, everyday people like you and me—people in business, government, religion. They include presidents and peasants, rich and poor, all ethnic backgrounds and religious persuasions.

The Bible tells us who the real Satan worshippers are—those who do not believe, those who have not yielded their lives in love and trust to the lordship of Christ, having accepted His sacrifice on their behalf and having been born again to experience the transforming power of the gospel.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Further, Jesus declared He was “the door,” meaning He is the only means and entrance to heaven. He also said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). Men, thinking they can get to heaven on their own terms or following their own ideas of religion, are ultimately worshipping Satan. They are left unregenerate and still in their sins.

The world has not received the truth of the gospel, the truth of God’s will and word. Rather, it takes pleasure in unrighteousness, which is sin or lawlessness, which means to be carnal and unregenerate, therefore not subject to God’s law. Thus the world is left to accept strong delusion and believe a lie. The world is seeking a way to God that will actually be a way of forgetting God. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:10–12; Romans 8:6–8.)

As you read the texts below, you will see that the Satan worshippers of this world are average people—the criminal and the law-abiding citizen, the professedly religious and the non-religious. By living their lives in an unregenerate condition, men are worshipping or giving deference to Satan. When they follow the religion of men rather than the Word of God, they are children of disobedience and will eventually accept Satan’s vicar and receive his mark.

And you [He made alive], when you were dead (slain) by [your] trespasses and sins. In which at one time you walked [habitually]. You were following the course and fashion of this world [were under the sway of the tendency of this present age], following the prince of the power of the air. [You were obedient to and under the control of] the [demon] spirit that still constantly works in the sons of disobedience [the careless, the rebellious, and the unbelieving, who go against the purposes of God].

Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God’s] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind. (Ephesians 2:1–3 AMP)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19–21)

So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will). (Colossians 3:5–6 AMP)

“They worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”

This kingdom is like no other, for all kingdoms—including the world’s superpower, the United States—have enemies that make war against them. But no man can make war against the beast because it is the great voice of peace upon the earth. Its seat of government occupies a mere 110 acres in Rome. How can anyone war against a church? Therein lies the deception, for this power, seemingly insignificant, is depicted in prophecy as moving nations.

The time will come when to protest against the beast—that great spiritual kingdom on earth—will be considered to be speaking against God; therefore, no one will dare make war against the beast. The statements below reveal why warring against the papal church state system will be futile and difficult. While the beast is at war with God in its doctrines, and committing fornication with its political intrigues and involvement with the kings of the earth, it nevertheless accomplishes much that is good.

Holy See Plans a Coalition for Financing of Development

VATICAN CITY, July 6, 2004 —The Holy See plans to establish a “Coalition of Support and Promotion for the Financing of Development,” and has appealed to financial experts and others for ideas.

To that end, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has organized a study seminar this Friday, to be attended by officials of the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and representatives of governments, Catholic nongovernmental organizations, and the ecclesial hierarchy. …17

ROME, MAY 25, 2003 —The Holy See is a world power—a moral power that gives voice to the conscience of people,” says a Vatican official. Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states, made that observation Saturday at the conclusion of a congress on “The Church and the International Order,” held at the Gregorian University. As a moral power, the Holy See has, “if one can put it this way, a strategy: to give voice to the conscience of persons and peoples, constituting a sort of international moral corpus,” the archbishop said.18
Vatican Gathers OSCE-Nation Envoys to Discuss Iraq and Russia
Peace, and Expulsion of Priests, Among Holy See’s Concerns

VATICAN CITY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 — The Vatican convoked the ambassadors of countries in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to express itself on issues such as Iraq, and Russia’s expulsion of Catholic priests.

According to diplomatic sources contacted by ZENIT, during the meeting Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states, also expressed John Paul II’s claims in regard to the European Constitution and the Church’s position on development, in the wake of the Johannesburg summit. …19

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things”
 
The great things the beast system speaks are often good and reasonable. They attract the attention of the world for its moral stand and as the voice of social justice and peace.

Man Isn’t “a Useless Speck” Lost in the Universe, Says Pope Rather, “Part
of a Wise Plan” Stemming from God’s Love

VATICAN CITY, MAY 5, 2004 — A believer knows that he is not “a useless speck of dust” lost in the universe, but part of a plan of God’s love, says John Paul II. …20
Innsbruck Symposium on Papacy: Catholics, Protestants, and
Orthodox Discuss Role in Modern World
INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA — The Pope often has the duty to be ‘a voice crying out in the desert,’ according to Bishop Alois Kothgasser of Innsbruck. He was speaking at a symposium on the meaning of the Papacy in today’s world at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Innsbruck, reports the Catholic News Agency ZENIT in Rome. The symposium, entitled ‘Papacy: Hope, Opportunity, Offence,’ was held on March 23–24, 2000.

“In a time and a world where everything that can be done is done, the office of Peter is needed as an advocate of life, especially for the poor, for human dignity, for freedom from globalising pressures and the misuse of science and power,” explained the Bishop. In the ethical realm, the Pope is one of the only voices that “protects man from man.”21

“And blasphemies”

The words of the beast, its teachings, its proclamations, its stand for social justice and world peace may seem good, even great. Nevertheless, we must judge the beast—the papal Roman system—not by the good things it says and does, but by what it teaches. Herein lies the problem, for it speaks blasphemies, some of which we will note below under Revelation 13:6.

“And power was given unto him to continue forty and two months”

This period of forty-two months is the same as the “time and times and the dividing of time” of Daniel 7:25 and is repeated in Revelation 11:2–3 as “forty and two months” and “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” This same prophetic period is mentioned in Revelation 12:6 and 14 as the time when the woman, or the true church, would be persecuted and seek refuge in the wilderness. All these references refer to the same 1,260 years of papal dominance in Europe.

In 538, for the first time since the fall of the Roman emperors, the city of Rome was freed from the domination of Arian kingdoms. In 538 the Ostrogoths, under pressure from the armies of Justinian, emperor of the eastern Roman Empire, abandoned Rome. Then the decrees of Emperor Justinian, first proclaimed in 533, which confirmed the bishop of Rome as the “head of all the holy churches” and “head of all the holy priests of God,” could be implemented.

Thus 538 marks the start of the 1,260-year prophecy, during which time the papacy would grow in influence and power. This period terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was taken captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prophecy was fulfilled: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.”

“He opened his mouth”

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. (Daniel 7:25)

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:7–8)

The beast’s doctrines and teachings to a large degree counterfeit the truth of Scripture, though they are often mixed with beautiful and good sentiments. Nevertheless, if we judge the beast’s teachings by the Word of God, we find that they constitute “blasphemy against God.”

“In blasphemy against God”

“Remember our thirst while you sit and drink, our hunger while you are feasting, our restless watch while you are sleeping, our sore and grievous pain while you are playing, our hot burning fire while you are in pleasure and sporting. So may God make your offspring … remember you, so God keep you away or not long here, but bring you shortly to that bliss, to which, for our Lord’s love, do you help to bring us and we shall set hand to help you there. (St. Thomas More wrote this primarily to reply to the attacks against Masses for the Dead.)”22

Purgatory—“a place in which souls who depart this life in the grace of God suffer for a time because they still need to be cleansed from venial sins, or have still to pay the temporal punishment due to mortal sins, the guilt and eternal punishment of which have been remitted. Purgatory is not a place of probation; for the time of trial, the period during which the soul is free to choose eternal life or eternal death, ends with the separation of soul and body. All the souls in purgatory have died in the love of God, and are certain to enter heaven. But as yet they are not pure and holy enough to see God, and God’s mercy allots them a place and a time for cleansing and preparation.”23

“How great is the punishment of purgatory? St. Thomas teaches, that both punishments of purgatory, as well as of sense, exceed all the punishments of this life. St. Bonaventure and Bellarimine teach that the greatest punishment of purgatory, is indeed more severe than the greatest punishment of this world; not however, that the least punishment of purgatory is greater than the greatest of this life. At all events, although this thing is uncertain, it is still certain that the punishment of purgatory is very grievous and bitter. …

“The communion of saints shows very evidently, that souls in purgatory may be assisted by the suffrages of the living. … The principle means of assisting the souls in purgatory, are, above all—the sacrifice of the mass; then indulgences applied to the dead; and finally, prayers, alms, and any other good works performed from charity. It is very probable that the suffrages infallibly benefit those deceased souls for whom they are offered. …

“The belief of purgatory is enjoined upon the members of the Romish Church as an article of faith, according to the bull of Pope Pius IV, in which the following confession is made: ‘I do constantly hold that there is a purgatory, and that the souls there detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful.’”24

“Is this not blasphemy, vilifying the name and character of God, as if the sacrifice of Christ was not enough to save man, and God’s anger requires bodily suffering to atone for sin? Worse, it is taught that by our acts here on earth we can help souls in purgatory to gain release.

“Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in purgatory.”25
Incarnationis Mysterium

Bull of Indiction of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000

John Paul Bishop Servant of the Servants of God to All the Faithful Journeying
towards the Third Millennium Health and the Apostolic Blessing

“Another distinctive sign, and one familiar to the faithful, is the indulgence, which is one of the constitutive elements of the Jubilee. The indulgence discloses the fulness of the Father’s mercy, who offers everyone his love, expressed primarily in the forgiveness of sins. Normally, God the Father grants his pardon through the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Free and conscious surrender to grave sin, in fact, separates the believer from the life of grace with God and therefore excludes the believer from the holiness to which he is called. Having received from Christ the power to forgive in his name (cf. Mt 16:19; Jn 20:23), the Church is in the world as the living presence of the love of God who leans down to every human weakness in order to gather it into the embrace of his mercy. It is precisely through the ministry of the Church that God diffuses his mercy in the world, by means of that precious gift which from very ancient times has been called ‘indulgence.’ …

“This doctrine on indulgences therefore ‘teaches firstly how sad and bitter it is to have abandoned the Lord God (cf. Jer 2:19). When they gain indulgences, the faithful understand that by their own strength they would not be able to make good the evil which by sinning they have done to themselves and to the entire community, and therefore they are stirred to saving deeds of humility.’ Furthermore, the truth about the communion of saints which unites believers to Christ and to one another, reveals how much each of us can help others—living or dead—to become ever more intimately united with the Father in heaven.

“Drawing on these doctrinal reasons and interpreting the motherly intuition of the Church, I decree that throughout the entire Jubilee all the faithful, properly prepared, be able to make abundant use of the gift of the indulgence, according to the directives which accompany this Bull (cf. attached decree). Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 29 November, the first Sunday of Advent, in the year of our Lord 1998, the twenty-first of my Pontificate. Joannes Paulus II

CONDITIONS FOR GAINING THE JUBILEE INDULGENCE

“The plenary indulgence of the Jubilee can also be gained through actions which express in a practical and generous way the penitential spirit which is, as it were, the heart of the Jubilee. This would include abstaining for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g., from smoking or alcohol, or fasting or practising abstinence according to the general rules of the Church and the norms laid down by the Bishops’ Conferences) and donating a proportionate sum of money to the poor; supporting by a significant contribution works of a religious or social nature (especially for the benefit of abandoned children, young people in trouble, the elderly in need, foreigners in various countries seeking better living conditions); devoting a suitable portion of personal free time to activities benefitting the community, or other similar forms of personal sacrifice.” Given in Rome, at the Apostolic Penitentiary, on 29 November 1998, the First Sunday of Advent. William Wakefield Card. Baum Major Penitentiary.26

The Bible teaches that man cannot save himself, for “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). However, the Catholic church teaches that indulgences gained from the church for various works remove punishment due for sin in this life and in purgatory.

But the Bible is clear: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–9). Works are clearly the fruit of a genuine Christian experience, but in no way add to our salvation, gain merit with God, or remove guilt or help departed souls supposedly in purgatory.

“Blaspheme his name”

Rome, through its doctrines, distorts God’s name and character, and undermines His authority in the eyes of others. The head of this system is addressed by church officials, lay Catholics and by secular officials and government leaders as “your holiness” or “holy Father.” This designation though intended to show respect, has developed over centuries of tradition and has no biblical basis. On the contrary it is actually placing man were God should be, even if done unintentionally. Listen to the prayer of Jesus a short time before His crucifixion. “I come to thee Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11, emphasis added).

Jesus only recognized one Holy Father, and it was not Peter or his supposed successors at Rome. Further God has said, “I am the Lord: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images” (Isaiah 42:8). Titles and attributes that belong to deity alone, are not to be applied to any man or class of men including popes. Further God does not share his name or glory with false ideas, idols or any man centered  religious symbol whose effect turns people away from the one true God. By the veneration of images, relics, and the like, the Roman church is guilty of blaspheming the name of God.

John Paul II’s Prayer to St. Augustine When Receiving the Relics of a Church Father

ROME, NOV. 15, 2004 — When receiving the relics of St. Augustine last week, John Paul II prayed that history be read in the light of Providence and that goals be set to attain peace. …

When he received the relics in his private chapel, the Holy Father recollected himself in silent prayer for a long time before the urn containing St. Augustine’s remains, which priests of the order left in the Apostolic Palace for one night.27

Security Tightened for Exposition of Francis Xavier’s Relics Basilica in India Will Ask Pilgrims for Identification

GOA, INDIA, NOV. 18, 2004 — In the wake of violence by Hindu extremists and a recent fire at a basilica, security measures have been stepped up for the imminent exposition of St. Francis Xavier’s relics.

The exposition, from Nov. 21 to Jan. 2, is expected to attract 3 million pilgrims to the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa.

The basilica, which houses the relics of the Spanish Jesuit missionary, will expose for veneration the remains of the great apostle of the East.28
Relics of Curé of Ars Make Stop in Papal Chapel

VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2005 — Benedict XVI prayed before relics of St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, which had been brought to the Pope’s private chapel for an overnight stop.29

Relics—remains of saints or sacred objects—cloth or other items—that were once in contact with the saints’ bodies. The Church recognizes three classes of relics. The first is an actual part of the saint’s body. The most revered type of relic, it is to be given particular veneration. Relics of martyrs are often placed in the altar stone at the consecration of an altar in a church. The second class of relic is an item actually worn or used by a saint during his or her lifetime. The third class is an item that has merely been touched to a first class item. Most often, third-class relics are cloth.”30

The veneration of relics of the dead is blasphemy, and nothing in the Bible tells us to do such things. In fact, the whole Catholic system is built around the worship of the dead. They pray to and venerate dead saints, they worship, venerate,       pray to, and seek the intercession of Mary, who is dead, and the decayed remains of relics are worshipped and venerated.

They worship a dead Christ, whom they think is sacrificed daily by the priests in the mass. Truly, Rome “is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Revelation 18:2). The Roman system is the beautiful side of evil, for it appears outwardly pious and religious, but most of its teachings are contrary to the way of the Lord.

Those who truly follow God reverence His name and His word. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). While the papal system may claim to reverence the name and character of God, they distort His Word and by this blaspheme His name.

“You have received the Bible from the Catholic Church: you know that the Bible is the inspired word of God, only because you have received it as such from the infallible authority of the Catholic Church.

“From the Bible itself you cannot prove its inspiration. You cannot discover in it a list of the inspired books. You cite in vain such passages as the following from the second Epistle to Timothy: ‘All Scripture is divinely inspired.’ Neither this nor any other passage tells you whether this or that particular book is of Divine inspiration: the precise books that are to be received as the inspired word of God, you can only learn from the Catholic Church. St. Augustine was right in saying, ‘I would not believe in the Gospel, if the authority of the Church did not oblige me to do so.’”31

“Tradition transmits in it entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching.

“As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, ‘does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scripture alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.’”32

“The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”33

“Man can obtain a knowledge of God’s Word [only] from the Catholic church and through its duly constituted channels.

“When he has once mastered this principle of divine authority [residing in the church], the inquirer is prepared to accept whatever the divine Church teaches on faith, morals and the means of grace.”34

The assertion that the church is the sole medium to teach the Word of God leaves the believer to accept what the church says rather than what the Bible teaches. The result of accepting this heresy is to reverence God with our lips while our hearts are far from Him.

“To blaspheme … His tabernacle”

The tabernacle is a reference to the sanctuary, where the plan of salvation was shown in types and shadows. Jesus, our High Priest, “is set on the right hand of the throne … a minister of the true tabernacle” (Hebrews 8:1–2). The beast must somehow disrupt or pervert the plan of salvation and the ministry of Christ. Daniel 8 11–12, says this is what this power would do.

Rome has profaned God’s way of salvation by teaching confession of sin to a priest, not to God.

“Rebutting a belief widely shared by Protestants and a growing number of Catholics, John Paul on Tuesday dismissed the widespread idea that one can obtain forgiveness direct from God; and exhorted Catholics to confess more often to their priests.”35

Q.    Does the priest truly forgive the sins, or does he only declare that they are forgiven?
 
A.    Keys are not given to a person that he may declare the gate to be open, but that he may have the power either to open or shut it. Thus also the power of forgiving sins is not given to priests, in order that they may declare sins to be forgiven, but that they really and truly forgive or retain them. …

Q.    But would not God forgive our sins if we were to confess them to Him alone?

A.    By no means, as otherwise the full power which Christ gave to priests, of forgiving and retaining sins, would be vain and useless.

Q.    What says St. Augustine on this subject?

A.    “Let no one say: I do penance privately before God; God, Who knows me, sees what is going on in my heart. Was it then said in vain: ‘Whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed in heaven’?” (Hom. XLIX. Chap. 3).36

Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? (Luke 5:21)

The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, maketh thyself God. (John 10:33)

For a man to claim to forgive sins by absolving the confessor from guilt is to be as God, who alone can read the heart of man and remove the stain of his guilt. For men to claim to do this is blasphemy.

Herein lies the problem, Rome speaks blasphemies, while it appears to be a sincere force for good, the good overshadows the deception it gives to its own people and the world in religious matters.

The Catholic church teaches the worship of the Eucharistic host as if it were actually Jesus. Is this divine revelation or the doctrines and traditions of men?

“There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that all the faithful ought to show to this most holy sacrament the worship which is due to the true God, as has always been the custom of the Catholic Church. Nor is to be adored any less because it was instituted by Christ to be eaten.

“… The mystery of the Eucharist should therefore be considered in all its fullness, not only in celebration of Mass but also in devotion to the sacred species which remain after Mass and are reserved to extend the grace of the sacrifice.”37

Basilica Seeks Volunteers for Perpetual Adoration

ROME, JUNE 15, 2003 — A pamphlet put out by the Basilica of St. Anastasia asks an intriguing question. “Did you know that near the Circus Maximus you can be with Jesus night and day?” runs the query.

It’s meant to publicize the program of perpetual eucharistic adoration at the basilica, and to find volunteers who will spend one hour a week in adoration. …

Eucharistic adoration—time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament solemnly exposed—has, as its objective, “to find time to be with God, for one’s own good, and the good of the whole of humanity,” the pamphlet points out. …38

The Catholic church teaches that the communion wafer made by human hands is, by the power of the priest, turned into the actual body of Jesus during the sacrifice of the mass; thus, it should be worshipped and adored as God present in the host. This is another example of how the Catholic system, the religious-political beast of Revelation 13, profanes the name, character, and truth of God.

“And them that dwell in heaven”

In teaching that Mary and the saints have mediatorial roles and power, the Catholic church blasphemes the godhead and its work for the salvation of men.

“This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation. … Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.”39

In contrast to this the Bible says:

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:5–6)
Pope’s Prayer to Mary for World Peace at Piazza di Spagna in Rome
ROME, DEC. 8, 2003 — Here is a translation of John Paul II’s prayer to Mary for peace in the world, which he recited at Piazza di Spagna in the evening, on the solemnity of her Immaculate Conception.

1. Queen of Peace, pray for us!

On the feast of your Immaculate Conception, I come to venerate you, O Mary, at the foot of this effigy, which from Piazza di Spagna allows your maternal gaze to extend over this ancient, and for me very dear, city of Rome

I have come here, this evening, to render you the homage of my sincere devotion It is a gesture in which I am joined in this Piazza by innumerable Romans, whose affection has always accompanied me in all the years of my service to the See of Peter I am here with them to start on the path toward the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the dogma that we celebrate today with filial joy.

2. Queen of Peace, pray for us!
We turn our gaze to you with intense trepidation, we take recourse to you with insistent trust in these times marked by not a few uncertainties and fears over the present and future fate of our planet To you, the first of humanity redeemed by Christ, finally liberated from the slavery of evil and sin, we raise a heartfelt and confident supplication. 40

The contrast between the words of Christ and the Pope’s prayer is significant.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33)

The apostle Paul, in addressing the Romans, said that peace was in the Father and in Christ, with no mention of Mary.

To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:7)
Pope’s Homily during Juan Diego’s Canonization
Sign of “New Humanity” That Makes No Distinctions of Race

MEXICO CITY, JULY 31, 2002 — Here is a translation of John Paul II’s homily during today’s canonization Mass for Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474–1548), the Indian witness of the apparitions of Guadalupe.

At this decisive moment in Mexico’s history, having already crossed the threshold of the new millennium, I entrust to the powerful intercession of Saint Juan Diego the joys and hopes, the fears and anxieties of the beloved Mexican people, whom I carry in my heart.

Blessed Juan Diego, a good, Christian Indian, whom simple people have always considered a saint! We ask you to accompany the Church on her pilgrimage in Mexico, so that she may be more evangelizing and more missionary each day. Encourage the Bishops, support the priests, inspire new and holy vocations, help all those who give their lives to the cause of Christ and the spread of his Kingdom.…

Beloved Juan Diego, “the talking eagle!” Show us the way that leads to the “Dark Virgin” of Tepeyac, that she may receive us in the depths of her heart, for she is the loving, compassionate Mother who guides us to the true God. Amen. [Original text: Spanish. Translation issued by Vatican Press Office.]41

Saint Juan Diego—to whom the pope is addressing his plea—certainly has great influence and power. However, where is it leading to? In John Paul’s own words, “It is to the Dark Virgin of Tepeyac … who guides us to the true God.” Yet, how does this compare with the Bible—indeed, Jesus’ own words?

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Matthew 28:18)

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:1–3)

The Bible is clear: Christ alone is our hope and peace, our intercessor and strength. Salvation is in Christ alone, and no help can be obtained from Mary or any other dead saint. For the beast, the church/state system of Rome, to teach otherwise, regardless of how sincere it may be, is to be guilty of the charge: “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).

For the Catholic church to nominate men and women as saints, and for the popes to declare them blessed and then canonize them as saints, is to take on the prerogatives of God, who alone knows the hearts of these deceased men and women and whether or not they were saved. The authority of the church and the popes to declare dead men and women to be in heaven, with the powers to intercede for the living, and worthy of veneration, is without biblical foundation.

An example of the blasphemy of this doctrine is seen in the case of St. Bridget.

“The first act of the *Council, after settling how the votes were to be taken—namely, by nations and not by persons—was to enroll the name of St. Bridget among the saints. This good lady, whose piety had been abundantly proved by her pilgrimages and the many miracles ascribed to her, was of the blood-royal of Sweden, and the foundress of the order of St. Saviour, so called because Christ himself, she affirmed, had dictated the rules to her. She was canonized first of all by Boniface IX (1391); but this was during the schism, and the validity of the act might be held doubtful.

“To place St. Bridget’s title beyond question, she was, at the request of the Swedes, canonized a second time by John XXIII. But unhappily, John himself afterwards deposed, Bridget’s saintship became again dubious; and she was canonized a third time by Martin V (1419), to prevent her being overtaken by a similar calamity with that of her patron, and expelled from the ranks of the heavenly deities as John was from the list of Pontifical ones.” 42

*[The Council of Constance was convened by Emperor Sigismund to deal with the turmoil, war and bloodshed caused by three popes reigning at one time, and each supported by different nations. It was further convened to condemn heretics such as John Huss.] Three popes declared Bridget a saint, but as we can readily see in the above historical account, her supposed sainthood rested on mans authority not heavens decree.

The miracles supposedly done through the intercession of these dead men and women—even if genuine—are subjective, for who can be sure the miracle came from the saint’s intervention? Moreover, since we have no biblical account of praying to the dead for help, could not the miracles just as well come from the father of lies?

Revelation declares that there will be spirits of devils at work in religious movements at the end of time. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13–14).

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them”

“Jean Antoine Llorente was secretary of the Inquisition of Spain, and when the institution was suppressed in 1809, ’10,’11, all the archives were placed at his disposal. … They were carefully examined, and furnished him much of the valuable information communicated in his published ‘History of the Inquisition.’ He says that the ‘horrid conduct of this holy office [Inquisition] weakened the power and diminished the population of Spain by arresting the progress of arts, sciences, industry and commerce, and by compelling multitudes of families to abandon the kingdom; by instigating the expulsion of the Jews and Moors, and by immolating on its flaming shambles more than three hundred thousand victims!’”43

“And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations”

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

“For century after century, the Catholic Church was the foremost political force in Europe. It meddled in the workings of every country as and when it pleased. Popes, almost at will, deposed emperors and kings. Pius X, in his first consistory on 9 November 1903, said:

‘We shall offend many people in saying We must of necessity concern ourselves with politics. But whoever judges the question fairly must recognize that the Sovereign Pontiff, invested by God with the Supreme Magistracy, has not the right to separate political matters from the domain of faith and morals.’”44

What Rome was and what Rome did during the prophetic rule of 1,260 years in Europe, Rome will do worldwide when its deadly wound is fully healed. And notice the expression, “power was given him.” In the next chapter, we will learn what power it is that gives aid and help to the beast. The vision of Daniel 2 ends with iron, the power of the state, combined with clay, the kingdom of the church. In the days of these combined kingdoms, God will intervene to destroy the kingdoms of men and redeem His people.
 
Revelation 17 reveals that ten as-yet-unknown kings or kingdoms will come to the aid of the revived beast, whose deadly wound will then be fully healed. This healing is when the woman “Mystery Babylon” (i.e., the church) is reunited with and sustained by the state, the beast. “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Revelation 17:12–13). In understanding who the beast is and what transpired in the past, we have a glimpse of what the future will be like. We are told that God’s people will need “the patience and the faith of the saints” to overcome (Revelation 13:10; see also Revelation 14:12).

Endnotes

1.  Peter De Rosa, Vicars of Christ: The Dark Side of the Papacy (Crown Publishers Inc., 1988), p. 25.

2.  Ibid., p. 37.

3.  The American Catholic Quarterly Review, Reverend James P. Conroy, April 1911. Cited in W. A. Spicer, Our Day in the Light of Prophecy (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1918), p. 145.

4.  Adolf Harnack, What Is Christianity? (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1908), pp. 269–271.

5.  Alexander Clarence Flick, The Rise of the Medieval Church,(New York: Burt Franklin, 1909), p. 168–169.

6.  George Trevor, Rome: From the Fall of the Western Empire (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1868), p. 440. Cited in C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares (Pacific Press Publishing Association 1985), p. 329.

7.  Arthur Robert Pennington, Epochs of the Papacy, (London: George Bell and Sons, 1882), pp. 449–450.

8.  Ibid., p. 450.

9.  “Lateran Treaty,” Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia, 2006. http://encarta.msn.com.

10.  Dwight K. Nelson, Countdown to the Showdown, (Hart Research Center, 1992), p. 38.

11.  Malachi Martin, The Keys of this Blood, (New York: Simon and Shuster, 1990), pp. 22, 492.

12.  Mikhail Gorbachev, “La Stampa,” March 3, 1992. Cited in Timothy Tindal-Robertson, Fatima, Russia and Pope John Paul II (Gracewind Publishing, 1998) p. 102

13.  Zenit News, June 16, 2005.

14.  John Norton, Catholic News Service, November 6, 2000.

15.  Zenit News, January 10, 2002.

16.  Ibid., April 23, 2005.

17.  Ibid., July 6, 2004.

18.  Ibid., May 25, 2003.

19.  Ibid., September 19, 2002.

20.  Ibid., May 5, 2004.

21.  From the Worldwide Faith News archives (www.wfn.org). Received by the WFN Archive: April 8, 2000, 2:10 AM.

22.  Susan Tassone, Praying in the Presence of Our Lord for the Holy Souls (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, 2001), p. 119.

23.  William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, “Purgatory,” A Catholic Dictionary (London: Virtue & Company Limited, 1916. Reprinted by Kessinger Publishing), p. 703.

24.  Joseph F. Berg, “A Synopsis of the Theology of Peter Dens,” as prepared for the use of Romish Seminaries (J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1856), pp. 504–505.

25.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Number 1498 (Africa: Paulines Publications /Mambo Press, 1994), p. 371.

26.  This document may be found at www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/docs/documents/hf_jp-ii_doc_30111998_bolla-jubilee_en.html.

27.  Zenit News, November 15, 2004.

28.  Ibid., November 18, 2004.

29.  Ibid., May 23, 2005.

30.  Matthew Bunson, D. Ministry, OSV’s Encyclopedia of Catholic History Revised (Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2004).

31.  Francis Xavier Weninger, D.D., Missionary of the Society of Jesus. Protestantism and Infidelity: An Appeal to Candid Americans, (New York: Sadlier & Co., 1865), p. 165.

32.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, op cit., Number 81–82, p. 50.

33.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, op cit., Number 85, p. 51.

34.  Reverend Peter Geiermann, C. SS. R., The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, (B. Herder Book Co., Imprimatur Joannes J. Glennon, S.T.D., Archiepiscopus, 1930). pp. vi, 25–27.

35.  Don A. Schanche, “No Forgiveness ‘Directly from God,’ Pope Says,” Los Angeles Times, 1984-12-12, p. A11.

36.  Reverend Michael Müller, “Familiar Explanation of Christian Doctrine,” (New York: Catholic Publication Society, 1875), p. 375, 377–378.

37.  Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik S. V. D., St. Joseph’s New American Catechism, number 89 (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1985–1987), pp. 108–109.

38.  Zenit News, June 15, 2003.

39.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, op cit., Number 969, p. 254.

40.  Zenit News, December 8, 2003.

41.  Ibid., July 31, 2002.

42.  J. A. Wylie, The History of the Reformation, Vol. 1 (Rapidan, VA: Hartland Publications, 2002), p. 156.

43.  D. Jean Antoine Llorente, The History of the Inquisition of Spain, (London: William Clowen, 1826), p. xvi, xvii. Cited in R. W. Thompson, The Papacy and the Civil Power (Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1876), p. 82.

44.  Peter De Rosa, op cit., pp. 140–141.
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