Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. Revelation 13:1-2 (NKJV)
The Bible references various beasts, describing kingdoms, world powers, and empires. The portrayal of this fearsome monster emerging from the sea is typical phraseology employed in apocalyptic literature to conjure up the awesome and frightening reality of a human power that defies all normal descriptions. One must refer to the Book of Daniel to grasp the full significance of all the symbols employed to describe this apparition. It would seem that the author of the Book of Revelation would prefer his readers to have some knowledge of the prophetic tradition.
The sea is a symbol of “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Revelation 17:15. A beast is the Bible symbol of a nation or power. It sometimes represents the civil power alone, and sometimes the ecclesiastical in connection with civil. Whenever a beast is seen to come up out of the sea, it denotes that the power arises in a thickly populated territory. If the winds are represented as blowing upon the sea, as in Daniel 7: 2, 3, political commotion, civil strife, and revolution are indicated. DANIEL & THE REVELATION By Uriah Smith, p. 561
According to “The Moody Handbook of Theology,” the official beginning of the Roman Catholic church occurred in 590 C.E., with Pope Gregory I. This time marked the consolidation of lands controlled by the authority of the pope, and thus the church’s power, into what would later be known as “the Papal States.” LEARN RELIGIONS: Origins Of The Roman Catholic Church By Mary Fairchild Updated May 26, 2024.
Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, “the mystery of iniquity” carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ. THE GREAT CONTROVERSY: Era Of Spiritual Darkness, By E.G. White, p.49.2
For political reasons, Clovis, King of the Salian Franks, destroyed the Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli. When the Arian influence was eliminated, the Church in Rome established herself as the guardian and defender of the universal (or catholic) Christian faith. QUORA.COM
Emperor Justianian went out to destroy the Vandals and the Ostrogoths, while the Catholic Emperor Zena went after the Herulis. QUORA.COM
The year 538 A.D. became the turning point in the history of the Roman Empire since so many aspects on political, administrative and economical levels were already switched off that when Justinian declared himself to be a theologian from this year and no longer a soldier, he crossed the barrier of his mandate between what is purely civil obligation and what is religious obligation, similarly to Constantine before, and entered in competition with the papal function and this role is evidence of Justinian’s ongoing caesaro-papism. The quest for unification of the empire by unification of the church, the fever for church-building projects with his wife Theodora, the persecution of enemies of the church and heretics, his disdain with the Sabbath although his second name was Sabbatini, his support for suppressing any eschatological fever in line with the church fathers and Oecumenius and yet trying to build the ‘Kingdom of God’ on earth, all this indicate the problem 538 was for the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church. Archaeological and historical original sources of Justinian and contemporaries of popes, biographer of Justinian and a commentator on Revelation (Oecumenius) are very revealing of these times and the shift or transition of what belonged to the Roman Empire handed over since 538 A.D. to the church and the papal function. The Code of Justinian was a persecuting instrument. Justinian upheld the supremacy of the papacy. He permitted through the Council of Orleans actions to be done on Sunday that Constantine prohibited like travel and preparation of food and cleaning the house. In Novellae CXLIV Justinian instituted a Seventh-day Sabbath persecution. He changed the times and laws ad hoc as his Novellae XLVI and coins of 538 A.D. (XII year) indicate. SELECTED WORKS OF TREVOR O’REGGIO: 538 AD And The Transition From Pagan Roman Empire To Holy Roman Empire
As seen from the preceding excerpts, establishing the papacy was not an overnight occurrence. It took decades and even centuries. But gradually, the seventh world empire morphed into the monstrosity described in Revelation chapter 13. The fact that popes ruled over kings was not achieved solely by papal authority. There were monarchs such as Justinian who facilitated the establishment of an ecclesiastical system where the goals of the church and state were united. The Pope was originally a bishop but as time progressed he became a king and then an ecclesiastical emperor. Exercising authority over church and nations.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
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