THE STORY OF THE "IMAGE OF THE BEAST" TABLE OF CONTENTS Part I The "Image of the Beast" Defining the "Image of the Beast" Part II The Patience of the Saints God's Response to "Image" Worshipers The Three Hebrews "Them That Had Gotten the Victory" "Song of Moses and the Lamb" Part III Why the "Image" Remains Lifeless A Financial Collapse May Occur What Will the Vitalized  "Image" Do? The Rider without a Horse Part IV What Happens to the "Image"? The "False Prophet" What Happens to the "Scarlet Colored Beast"? Part I "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. Two-Horned 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. "And he doeth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, 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." Revelation 13:11-16     Adam was first formed, and subsequently God "breathed into his nostrils the breath life." Man then became a sentient being. In like fashion, the Church of England and Ireland (the "beast" with "two horns" that spake as a "dragon") first suggested to those that "dwell on the earth," that they make an "image to the beast."      Who would want an "image" to that ugly and mean "leopard-like" beast?     Certainly no one with an eye for beauty would. As though the four "beasts" of Revelation that already existed were not enough, this "beast" with "two horns" wants yet one more, and it is very specific in what it wants those who "dwell on the earth" to make.     It wants a powerful and mean "beast" that would perform in similar fashion to the "leopard-like" papal "beast." Those who "dwell on the earth" succeed in making this "image." They make an "image" to the papal "beast," but there it lies comatose and inanimate. It needs to be given "life." Only the "beast" with "two horns" has the power to do this. It has not done so yet, it seems.     The "beast" with "two horns" was formed during the reign of Henry VIII. He wished to have his marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon annulled. He wanted an heir and she apparently could not provide one for him. He sent his request to Pope Clement VII (Giulio de’ Medici) in 1528. King Henry VIII Ann Boleyn Married King Henry VIII After he divorced Catherine of Aragon Sebastiano del Piombo, Pope Clement VII c. 1526, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples     Two papal representatives, Cardinals Compeggio and Wolsey, decided against granting Henry VIII his divorce. Normally, if Catherine of Aragon had been some ordinary woman, the annulment would have been granted in a heartbeat. However, she was the aunt of Charles V, emperor of Germany, to whom the pope was closely allied.     Pope Clement VII’s nephew, Alexander de Medici, married the daughter of Charles V. This brought tremendous new power to the pope on the one hand. However, in politics you win some and lose some.     The decision to refuse Henry VIII of England his request was a disaster for the pope. The king formed his own church and rid himself of Catherine of Aragon, killing two birds with one stone, as it were.     Thus, the new Church of England and Ireland came into being. Subsequently, under the reign of "Bloody" Queen Mary, the papal powers tried to retake England back to the mother church. However, despite the cruelty of Roman Catholic persecution, the Protestant movement in England could not be stamped out. "Bloody" Queen Mary I Catholic Queen of England     To this day, the English church and state are united under the banner of the crown of England and the Episcopal Church.     The Church of England and Ireland prospered greatly. Breaking away from the papal power may seem to have been a small event, because it started out as a king wanting to rid himself of his queen.     Little events such as this led to a tremendous change in history. The new freedoms of Protestants in England (first led by Wycliff, starting in 1378, and then enhanced by the birth of the English Church) now changed the course of British history.     Under papal rule, total subjugation of thought was required. As papacy lost its grip over England, the Protestants found an open door for reform. This enabled England enormous freedom of thought, business, trade, etc. The British were able to harness the industrial revolution while at the same time spreading their empire over the earth. England also embraced education and freedom of thought in science.     The British navy cast its shadow over the world. Britain would take the natural resources of its far-flung empire at dirt-cheap rates and return manufactured goods at high rates. It became rich as it became the banking center of the world. Banking was also to become an incredibly powerful tool in the emerging industrial world.     England's educational system became the inspiration of many nations. Little did Pope Clement VII realize how badly the papal fortunes would suffer from the loss of England. British Ships Ruled the Seas as the Sun Never Set on the British Empire The Church of England and Ireland went on to greatness while the papacy looked on green with envy as the British flag spread over the whole world. With its gunboat diplomacy Britain ruled the waves and much of the world.    Britain even took the Holy Land for a season, something the papacy wanted to do but could not do. Yes, the "beast" with "two horns" was able to do all of this "in the sight," in full view of, the "leopard beast," the papacy (Revelation 13:14).     At last papacy realized that the policy of keeping people ignorant and poor would not allow them to successfully function in an increasingly liberated and enlightened world. This forced papacy to reluctantly abandon the policy which for centuries had enabled the kings of earth to live "deliciously with her" (Revelation 18:9).     The papal powers have been a "Johnny come lately;" but in our time, by abandoning her old ways, the papal powers have regained stature and power in the modern world, while the Church of England languishes. The British Empire has experienced a setting sun, and the glories of her former days are gone. Its momentum has long since ended. Hence, with this brief overview of history, we see how the "beast" with "two horns" now might need a little help from an "image of the beast." Nothing succeeds like success. Defining the "Image of the Beast"     Our subject is not the "beast" with "two horns." However, we cannot speak about the "image of the beast" without acknowledging that the "beast" with "two horns" suggests the creation of this "image" to those who "dwell on the earth." The two-horned beast alone has the power to "give life unto the image of the beast" (Revelation 13:15).     The making of an "image of the beast" required a combination of church and state union. Papacy at one time had enormous land holdings. It virtually was a government in the earth, exercising religious and temporal power. The same was true of the "beast" with "two horns," the Church of England and Ireland. Two-Horned Beast Represents the Church State of England and Ireland     However, the United States of America, a predominantly Protestant nation, is a republic that forbids union of church and state. The exercise of religious influence without civil authority or power will not provide the conditions for a "beast" to exist in the United States if it is to be an "image" of the "leopard beast." The Protestants have long desired an organization for greater power and influence in the world.     The Evangelical Alliance formed in 1846 was an endeavor by evangelical Protestants to organize for power. Protestants have not been good at organizing. Various denominations have special interests and are steeped in doctrines that find them at odds with each other.     The very year the Lord finally cleansed his sanctuary was the very year that the Evangelical Alliance of Protestants was formed. After all was said and done, nothing came of this alliance. It never got off the ground. Finally the leaders of that movement turned over all their papers to the World Council of Churches.     The World Council of Churches came into being in 1948 at Amsterdam. The world had just emerged from the most deadly war in history. Nations of Europe were trying to heal their wounds and rebuild from the ashes of that terrible war.     The papal powers that had tried to ride the axis powers as the queen of the third Reich had failed miserably. The bloody charger the papacy had hoped to ride to power was shot out from under her. Gone were their hopes of gaining control of the Roman Empire and a return to her former glory.     Neither the "leopard beast" nor the "beast" with "two horns" had returned from the war with laurels of victory. Hence the Church of England provided leadership at Amsterdam to create the World Council of Churches. Even the papal powers begin to rethink their "go-it-alone" endeavors.     Perhaps the time had come to make a common cause with Protestant powers, at least until Papacy could seize their worldly objectives. In other words, they would use allied forces to gain their objective and then shaft the allies after their victory. One must remember that these "beasts" of Revelation are all bent on power. There never was and never will be any love found among them.     The evidence so far seems to point to the World Council of Churches as being the "image of the beast." The fact that it was formed and then remained lifeless fits into the present situation.     The World Council of Churches seemed to start off at a critical time in world history. The world had just emerged from the bloodiest war of history. There was chaos in civil affairs, and religion shared the chaos of that time. Everyone was looking for answers and for hope as they climbed out of the war-ravaged bunkers.     At Evanston, Illinois, the World Council of Churches' theme was "Christ the Hope of the World." That seemed to be its high point. What happened to this movement is that it was infiltrated with communists from the Eastern Orthodox Church. This council soon went off to engage in the social ills of the world.     The resources of the World Council were squandered in Africa fighting for social justice—which was nothing more than communist propaganda. Africa had started to sink into anarchy. Joining any of the various factions of anarchy would not save Africa. The World Council of Churches emerged bloodied, but wiser from this foolish excursion.     The World Council of Churches is waiting for a cause again that might bring it some credibility in the world scheme of things. When that moment comes, the "beast" with the "two horns" will step forward to give "life" to the "image." The Two-Horned Beast will give "Life" to the Image   Click to go to the following:          The Battle of Armageddon - 1912 Forward Topical Studies on: The Image of the Beast Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV The Leopard-Like Beast Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV Topical Study Home Page - Chapter Study Home Page   - Sinaitic Manuscript - Questions - Glossary. E-Mail Day7000@sbcglobal.net  with comments. Copyright 2001 John Class