The Papal Beast

270 A.D. – 530 A.D.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.”  Rom. 15:4

The Following is a paragraph from Wickersham’s 1900 Year Church History – Page 104)

“Another great even which marks the close of this period is the division and the decline of the Roman Empire.  At this time almost half of the inhabitants of the roman Empire professed faith in Christ.  Christianity became the popular belier among the nations and money became the power.  But instead of nations following the Lord, they denied the Biblical authority as Christ being the head of the church, and they injected a change, favoring bishops, who were given higher degrees of power and authority than they formerly possessed, and they assumed in many places a princely authority, particularly those of whom had the greatest number of churches under inspection and presided over the most wealthy congregations.

They assumed the authority of a temporal magistrate and dazzled the eyes of the multitude by wwearing sumptious clothing.  The example of the bishops was neglecting the sacred duties of the spiritual phase of the work and to feed the flock spiritually, and boldly usurped their rights and piviledges and effects of this corruptness spread through every rank of the church.

Paul, of Samosata, acting as bishop at Antioch prepared himself an exclusive seat or place where he decided cases as a magistrate.  He attained to excessive wealth by means of the money for his services, depressing the injured and the poor, promising them aid in their troubles.

(others began to carry out the same type of business and this corrupt work spread and historically making the beginning of Popery at this time, which was 270 A.D.

Papal Rome was not fully developed however until 530 A.D.

Later Constantine, Emperor of Rome about the year, 323 A.D. favored Christianity and opposed Pagan worship, strongly thus developing popery further.

More History Concerning this age:

(Daniel Webster Kurtz’s History “Nineteen Centuries of Church History.” Page 46)

“The heresies within the church forced the Christians to a rule of authority.  They sought for the true writings of the Apostles.  A great flood of literature was read in the church attributed to the apostles.  The process determining which was the true, and false work, lasted from A.D. 140 to A.D. 325.  by the end of that year the agreement upon the matter was practically determined.

As the church entered the Greek and Roman territory and prevailed in conflict with Paganism, this heathenistic religion became more and more a matter of creeds.

During the apostolic age, elders and bishops, were of equal rank, or were the same persons, and there were several of these in each congregation.  But now, bishops were exercising authority over others.  This change was ordered by the Roman government which as they though was a model, to all Gentile converts.

This was generally accepted all over, which developed the powers of popery.

According to historical facts and prophecy popery began to be promoted in a small measure as far back as 270 A. D., but was not fully developed in its complete working power until around 530 A.D.

What followed the Dragon in John’s vision was the Beast in Rev. 13:1, “the papal beast”.  This represent popery, or papal Rome.  He resembles his father the dragon, in that he also has seven heads and ten horns.  The only difference is this, the dragon had his cowns on his heads, (Rev. 12:3), while the beast had his crowns on his horns.

Under the pagan form seven heads or forms of government, were the ruling civil power of the empire.

1. Regal Power                 Where Kings Reign
2. Dictatorship                  A military  Tribune Government
3. Decemvirate                 A Governing Counsel of 10 Men
4. Consulor                      A Counsel of 2 Men Reign
5. Triumvirate                   A Counsel of 3 Men Reign
6. Imperial                       
7. Patricate                       Charlemayne

While under the papal form the ten horns or ten kingdoms were the ruling civil power.  These are the 10 minor kingdoms that were under Roman rule during the time of Papalism.

The Ten Horns (Temporal Powers)

1.      Huns

2.      Ostrogoths

3.      Visigoths

4.      Franks                         Germany

5.      Vandals

6.      Suevi

7.      Burgundians

8.      Heruli

9.      Anglo Saxons              England

10.  Lombards

This beast had an appearance life a Leopard, which was spotted which represented as being sinful, feet life a bear, represented being a crushing power, and the mouth like a lion represented His devouring power.  And such were Papal Rome. Anyone who stood in its way were crushed and devoured.

It is an undisputed fact that this beast (Papal Rome) received its power from Pagan Rome.  The Ten Kingdoms of the Roman Empire gave civil power and authority  to the Papal Beast. So we see how Church and State became combined.  In other words the Pagan Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire, The Roman Catholic Church.  The Beast in Revelation the 17^th chapter illustrates this very fact. 

About the year 323 A.D. as stated earlier in this lesson, Constantine “ A Roman pagan Emperor” favored Christianity, mixing it with many pagan rites, thus developing popery further.  When Constantine removed the seat of his empire from Rome to Constaninople in A.D. 330, the city of Rome was given up to the bishop of Rome.  The bishop of Rome in 538 became the head of all the churches by the work of Justinian, the ruling emperor of the Romans.  Thus Rome became the seat of the Papacy”.  Croly on the Apocalyse. Pp. 114,155.

Rev. 13: 3, we see that the beast was wounded, so what befell one of heads?

It was one of the seven heads that was wounded.  I will re-list the seven heads below so that we may keep our train of thought consisted.

Under the pagan form seven heads or forms of government, were the ruling civil power of the empire.

8. Regal Power                 Where Kings Reign
9. Dictatorship                  A military  Tribune Government
10. Decemvirate                 A Governing Counsel of 10 Men
11. Consulor                      A Counsel of 2 Men Reign
12. Triumvirate                   A Counsel of 3 Men Reign
13. Imperial                        Caesars
14. Patricate                       Charlemayne

So we see one of the seven heads wounded, and after that the head was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast and worshipped it. 

Turn to Revelation 17:8-11.

Here it describes these seven forms of government in the following words,

“five are fallen”,  (past tense)

“one is”,  (present tense).  This is the Imperial power which existed at the time the book was written.

“and the other is not yet come”, (future tense),.  This is speaking of the Patricate power, or the empire of Charlemagne, which lasted only a short space, about 26 years, from A.D. 425 to A.D. 451.

Charlemayne was crowned Emperor of Rome, thus receiving the empire of the west wholly under papal form, thus becoming the Holy Roman Empire.

So we see the same old imperial power of Caesars revived under a Christian garb in the form of the papacy, thereby constituting, the (eight Roman Power or the eight beast), but in reality was one of the seven (Imperial Caesars).   So the head which received such a deadly would was healed and formed the eight ruling power in a ecclesiastical form of the Papacy, which is the Pope in Rome.

John spoke of it in these words: “The beast that was, (did exist as the sixth head – power, Imperial Rome, and is not, (not in actuality, as seen by the natural eye), and yet is, (in reality, as seen by the spiritual eye), is Rome revived again under the form of a religious system.

See Revelation 17:11.

The powers exercised by the popes during the reign of the papacy was nothing more or less than the old imperial power of the Caesars of Rome.  This in another sense explains how the ten horns serve as horns both on the Dragon and the Beast, sine the papacy is made up of nothing but the old imperial power of the Caesars cloaked in a religious garb.

What did the beast worshippers really worship? (The Dragon), See. Rev. 13:4/.

Papal Rome has rites which she brought from pagan Rome, doing penance, worshipping images, using holy water, etc.  Catholics in observing these things simply worship the old Dragon, Paganism.

1. The high Priest of the Imperial Romans Pagan Religion was called Pontifex Maximus, and he claimed spiritual and temporal authority over men.  The Pope of Rome barrowed the title and made the same claims, even being clad in the same attire.

2. The pagans of the Roman Empire wore scapular, medals, and images for personal protection.  Romanists wear these things and for the same purpose.

3. Pagans by the official process call deification, raised men, after their death, to a dignified position and accord them special honors, and worship.  Papists, by a similar process called canonization, exalt men after their death to the dignity of saints and then offer up prayers to them. 

4. Papist adoration of idols and     images was also barrowed direct from the Paganism; for all such            practices were absolutely forbidden by the Mosaic Law and had no place in primitive Christianity.

5. The religious orders of monks and nuns were also in imitation of the virgins of antiquity.

6. The manner in which the Pagan Pantheon Temple at Rome was re-consecrated for the use of the Church of Rome shows clearly the heathen origin and nature of many of that church’s principles.  This old temple is still standing.  It was built by Marcus Agrippa in 27 B.C. and consecrated to all the gods.

Pope Boniface IV, about A.D. 610 re-consecrated it to the blessed Virgin and all the saints.  From that time the Romanist prostrated themselves in the very same temple and before the very same gods and images and devoutly implored them by the same form of prayer, and for the very same purposes, as did the heathens of old, of course, the names of idols was changed, the same idolatrous worship is still conducted there at the present day.

What did John hear this Beast say?  See Rev. 13:5,6.

Part of this was fulfilled in the following great assumptions of the pope of Rome. 

The Pope of Rome stated that; “I am King of Kings, and Lords of Lords, Holy father, Vicegerent of the Son of God.  I’ am infallible.  I have power to forgive sins, to release from purgatory, to damn and to save.

How did this power treat the saints?  See Rev. 13:7

This was fulfilled in the bloody persecution received from the papist.

Was the power to have universal sway?  Rev. 13:7,8.

How long was this beast to rule over God’s people?  Rev. 13:5.

42 months, counting 30 days to the month equal 1,260 days or years.  This covers the same period of time that the church was to continue in the wilderness.  Rev 12:6, 14, as before observed.

What finally happen to this beast?  Rev. 13:10.

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