At Armageddon This deceiving religious ruler will still be active clear down to Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ! In Revelation 16:13 are described three foul spirits. They come from the dragon, which is the devil; from the beast, which is the civil Roman ruler; and from the mouth of the false prophet associated with him. “For,” continues verse 14, “they are the spirits of devils [demons], 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.” And they are gathered, finally, at Armageddon! (verse 16). Note it! Yet future, the Roman ruler, as the Roman Empire, is again restored, along with a great religious leader—and all in the power and influence of the devil! Working miracles! All prophecies concerning them show these powers doing the same things! Now notice the last battle of “the great day of God Almighty.” In Revelation 19:19-20 is pictured the beast—“and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.” Note it! Compare with the two-horned beast of Revelation 13:11-17: 1. Both perform miracles. 2. Both perform them before, or in the sight of, the beast. 3. With them, both the false prophet and two-horned beast deceive them that have the mark of the beast—cause them to receive that mark (Revelation 13:16). Certainly, then, this two-horned beast, the false prophet and the woman that rode the beast are all picturing a counterfeit Christianity. Did the two-horned beast deceive the very ones who have the mark of the beast? He did! Continue in Revelation 13: “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth”—how? “…saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell [trade, earn a living, hold a job], save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (verses 14-17). So, notice: This two-horned beast not only caused people to receive the mark of the beast (compare Revelation 19:20), but also perpetrated the forming of an image that caused the martyrdom of saints. As many as would not worship this image were caused to be killed. This false church did not kill them—she caused them to be killed. History shows that the civil government martyred millions who were declared “anathema from Christ” or “heretics.” Compare with the woman who rode the beast in Revelation 17: “And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus …” (verse 6). Certainly these are one and the same. Now this ecclesiastical organization, which is a twofold government, deceived the people by saying they should make an image of the beast. Note it (Revelation 13:14)—that is how it deceived people. What is an image? Dictionaries define it as a “likeness,” or a “copy, representation, model, semblance, counterpart.” So here is a church saying, “Let us make a model, or counterpart, of the civil Roman government”—for that is what the beast is. Jesus Christ proclaimed the Kingdom, or government, of God—divine government by will of God and by God’s law—not paganized human government by will of man and man-made laws. His Church includes all Spirit-begotten saints who have and are led by the Holy Spirit. Christ is its only Head, and His Kingdom is not of this world! Where, then, did human church government derive its present form? “The first pope, in the real sense of the word, was Leo I (A.D. 440-461),” says the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Volume 7, page 629. To him the form of government of the Roman Empire was the most marvelous thing on Earth. He applied its principles to the church, organized the church into a government, forming the papacy. This church government, or organization, is the image of the beast. Says Myers’s Ancient History: “During the reign of Leo I, the church set up, within the Roman Empire, an ecclesiastical state [government] which, in its constitution and its administrative system, was shaping itself upon the imperial model.” This church government, then, according to this historical authority, is in fact a model, a counterpart, an image of the beast, which is the Roman Empire government. The Britannica calls it an ecclesiastical world empire! This image—man-designed and man-ruled church government—compelled people to worship the church! And since the church was organized into a worldly government, this was worship of the image—false worship—idolatry! But this church became a mother, and daughter churches came out of her in “protest,” calling themselves “Protestant.” And all have worldly, political church government. “[U]pon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS …” (Revelation 17:5). Her daughters are called “harlots.” Together they are called “BABYLON.” They are pagan, teaching pagan doctrines and customs, cloaked in the name of Christianity! And all nations are deceived! Yes, human-organized churchianity, not Bible-designed spiritual-organism government, is the image of the beast. It is the pagan political counterfeit of God’s government. “Come out of her,” God says (Revelation 18:4). God help us to heed! ▪
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 03:06:23 +0000
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