Five Classes That Have Martyred Saints:

(1) Jews (Acts 7:51-60; 8:1; 9:1). Their religious prejudice caused many to be put to death.

(2) Pagans of the old Roman Empire. History records the martyrdoms of many Christians by pagan emperors because of religious differences.

(3) Mohammedans slew Christians in all their conquests.

(4) Greek Catholics have also persecuted and martyred Christians.

(5) Roman Catholics have been guilty of martyrdoms in many centuries and many lands.

Martyrdom of saints will again be revived in the old Roman Empire territory between the rapture and the second advent. In the first 3 ½ years of Daniel's 70th week, the great whore will murder the saints of Jesus (Rev. 17:6). In the middle of the week when Antichrist comes to power over the 10 kingdoms the great whore will be destroyed and martyrdom of Christians will be carried on by the beast and the 10 kings until the second advent (Rev. 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 17:9-17; 19:11- 20:6).

11.The hatred and destruction of the great whore by 10 kings inside the Roman Empire territory prove her to be a religious system dominating them until they tire of her and give their power to the Antichrist. They then turn on the great whore and destroy her so that the Antichrist might establish the beast worship the last 3 ½ years (Rev. 17:12-17).

12.The woman sits on the beast itself, not on the heads and horns in succession (Rev. 17: 1, 3, 7, 15). The 7 heads and 10 horns on the beast are a part of him and this is the only sense in which she rides the heads (Rev. 17:9). Since the beast is the 8th world empire (Rev. 17:11), it is clear that she is something separate from the empire, and only rides or dominates the peoples of that empire. What could she be other than religion ?

13.The angelic explanation of the great whore proves her to be a religious system reigning over kings spiritually. The Gr. reads, "And the woman whom thou sayest is the city the great, which has a kingdom over the kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:18). She has a kingdom within the kingdoms and over them. She is to be a religious system inside the old Roman Empire territory; one that has headquarters in a great city; and one that has a religious kingdom or reign over the kings of the earth.

We must recognize in the symbol two things: a great religious system and a great city where she has headquarters. The great whore will hold power over her loyal subjects, not through superior military forces, but by the deceptions of her spiritual harlotry and abominations.

18 Reasons Babylon the City:

1.     Literal Babylon is definitely the subject of Rev. 16:17-21 and 18:1-24.

2.     Mystical Babylon is another subject inserted between these two passages, a parenthetical one to explain the religious aspect of Babylon.

3.     The fact that the great whore is called mystery Babylon proves a connection with literal Babylon (Rev. 17:5).

4.     Literal Babylon is the site of the first great rebellion against God after the flood of Noah (Gen. 11) and it will be the site of the last great rebellion (Rev. 14:8; 16:17-21; 18:1-24).

5.     Literal Babylon is always associated with demon religions and idolatry in Scripture (Isa. 21:9, 47:9-10, Rev. 18:2-3, 23).

6.     Many prophecies concerning literal Babylon in both testaments are yet unfilled (Isa. 13:1-22; 14:1-27; 43:14; 47:1-15; 48:20; Jer. 50-51; Zech. 5:5-11; Rev. 14:8, 16:17-21, 18:1-24). On the other hand, the city of Rome is not once mentioned in any prophecy, fulfilled or unfulfilled.

7.     Of all the empires taking part in the times of the Gentiles-Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, Revised Rome and Revived Greece, the capital city of only one (Babylon) is mentioned in prophecy with a latter day fulfillment. Memphis, Ninevah, Shushan, Rome, etc. are completely ignored in prophecy, while the capital city, Babylon is mentioned repeatedly. See scriptures under point 6 above.

8.     Never has it been necessary to re-identify any city named in prophecy. Predictions in Scripture about Sodom, Gomorrah, Ninevah, Tyre, Sidon and others have been fulfilled regarding the cities known by the names referred to in the various passages. Why should Babylon be an exception? The word mystery simply defines the religious aspect of the literal city-Babylon

9.     Literal Babylon is the only city in Scripture called the lady of kingdoms (Isa. 47:5, 7)

10.   Babylon is the only city of the last days that will be the headquarters for every demon and unclean spirit (Rev. 18:2). If this be true, then Rome or no other city will be the center of false religions fulfilling prophecy.

11.   Babylon is the only city named making all nations drunk with the wine of her fornication (Rev: 18:3). The great whore unnamed is the only other Babylon causing nations to be drunk with the wine of her fornication, so the references must be to the same city-mystery Babylon being the religious aspect of literal Babylon (17:2).

12.   Babylon is the only city in the last days to be the center of sorceries, enchantments, etc. (Rev. 18:23; Isa. 47:9-10,12-13). Rome could not take Babylon's place in this.

13.   Babylon is the only named city singled out as the object of God's wrath and plagues (Rev. 16:19; 18:4, 6). If Rome was to be the great city fulfilling such prophecy it surely would have been mentioned instead of Babylon, for Rome was as well known as Babylon at the time John wrote the Revelation. The very absence of the name Rome is no mere accident. God never leaves us in doubt as to the true meaning of His revelation of events to come.

14.   Babylon is the only city God commands His people to come out of, in the last days (Rev. 18:4; Jer. 50:4-9; 51:4-8,45). The application of this to Rome is out of harmony with Scripture.

15.   Heaven is commanded to rejoice over the destruction of literal Babylon because God has taken vengeance on her (Rev. 18:20). This is the same as judging the great whore of Rev. 17, proving that the great whore or mystical Babylon is the same as literal Babylon as far as a place or a city is concerned (Rev. 19:2). The only difference is that the great whore is the religious aspect of the city of Babylon.

16.   Babylon is the only city named which is to be judged in the last days for martyrdoms (Rev. 18:24). Since both mystery and literal Babylons martyr the saints there must be some relationship. If two different cities as far from each other as Rome and Babylon were to be guilty of the same things after the rapture, then two places would be referred to and not one only as in Rev. 18:24.

17.   The 16 points of contrast, 7 points of similarity and 31 facts about Babylon in Rev. 16-18 are in harmony with the idea that the one Babylon, a literal city is the headquarters of the other, mystery Babylon, a religious system.

18.   Antichrist will be king of Syria with Babylon as his capital (Isa. 14:4). This will fulfill Dan. 8:8-9,20-25;11:35-45. The great whore will ride the beast (Antichrist's kingdom) in his rise to power over the 10 kingdoms (Rev. 17:3, 7). It should be recognized then, that she symbolizes a religion in his capital even before he gets power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome (Rev. 17:12-17).

What religion is symbolized by the great whore with headquarters at Babylon? Could Apostate Christendom have headquarters in Babylon ? That is possible, but not probable due to the fact that the religion predicted in Rev. 17 is anti-Christian. Could it be Mohammedanism, the religion of the eastern part of the Roman Empire territory ? It could be as there are about 416,600,000 Moslems compared to 480,000,000 Roman Catholics in the world. Moslems control the northern part of Africa, including Egypt, all of Arabia, Trans-Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey and other parts of the old Roman Empire territory. Catholicism is the prevailing religion in Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, and some other parts of the old Roman Empire territory. Between the two religions most of the old Roman Empire territory is covered religiously, but this does not prove a thing regarding mystery Babylon of Rev. 17.

Babylon's could be a new religion entirely, or a revival of ancient sorcery, witchcraft, enchantments, and astrology which characterized the ancient city. It is clear that such will be the prevailing religion of the whole Roman Empire territory in the last days, as in point 12, above.

Jesus predicted many false prophets who would show great signs and wonders to deceive men just prior to His coming to earth again (Mt. 24:24). Paul predicted the coming of Antichrist with all power, signs, and lying wonders by the power of Satan (2 Th. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:1-18, 19:20). All nations will be deceived by the sorceries and manifestations of demon powers concentrated in future literal Babylon (Rev. 9:20; 14:8; 16:13-16, 19; 18:23; Isa. 47:9-10, 12-13).

If Antichrist can start a religion and martyr millions during the last 3 ½ years of this age (Rev. 7:9-17; 13:1-18; 14:9-11; 16:2, 6; 16:13-16; 19:20; 20:4-6), then it stands to reason that mystery Babylon as a revival of ancient magism backed by a concentration of demon powers dominating the nations of the old Roman Empire territory from Babylon could martyr many saints of Jesus during the first 3 ½ years of Daniel's 70th week and until Antichrist comes to full power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome (Rev. 17:1-2, 5-6, 12-17).

As to Catholicism and Mohammedanism, both these religions would have to change completely to fulfill prophecies of these events. Neither religion is anti-God.

One thing seems certain-mystery and literal Babylons are two aspects of the same city and power that will fulfill prophecy in the last days after the rapture of the church. Mystery Babylon is a religious system with headquarters in literal Babylon and will fulfill Rev. 17 until Antichrist comes to full power over the 10 kingdoms of Revised Rome in the middle of Daniel's 70th week (Rev. 17:12-17). Then Antichrist, who will be king of Babylon (Isa. 14:4) and the Assyrian (Isa. 10:20-27, 30:18-33; 31:432:20, Mic. 5:3-15), will destroy this religious system and start his own worship the last 3 ½ years of this age (Rev. 13:1-18; 14:8-11; 15:2-4; 16:2, 6; 17:12-17; 20:4-6).

One thing must be kept in mind, all of these events will take place after the rapture of the church, so mystery Babylon need not be some religion now prominent inside the Roman Empire territory any more than the religion Antichrist will start must be some prominent religion now in existence. Religions can begin in one day and so it will be easy for two religions (Antichrist's and Babylon's) both to start and martyr millions between the rapture and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The Destruction of Literal Babylon (Rev. 16:17-21; 18:1-24)

The word Babylon is used 283 times in Scripture and only once in a symbolic sense (Rev. 17:5). Many do not believe in a future literal Babylon and argue that it is in ruins today and will be forever, and that the Babylon of Rev. 18 is the same as the one in Rev. 17. Such line of argument does not prove that there will not be a literal Babylon that will be destroyed as in Rev. 16:17-21; 18:1-24, nor does it prove that it is the same as Rev. 17. There is to be a destruction of a literal city called Babylon under the seventh vial (Rev. 16:19), for no earthquake could destroy a religious system. All the other cities destroyed by the same earthquake are literal so why not Babylon? Is it so impossible to believe in a future literal city called Babylon? That there will be such a literal city in the land of Shinar is very clear from the following Scriptures:

Scriptural Proofs That Babylon Will be Rebuilt Again

A. Babylon will be overthrown as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah (Isa. 13:19; Jer. 50:40). This prophecy has never been fulfilled by judgment from God in "one hour" (Rev. 18).

B. Babylon will never be inhabited after its final overthrow (Isa. 13:20; Jer. 50:39, 40; 51:29, 37, 43).

C. The final overthrow must be followed immediately by blessings on Israel (Isa. 13:6-17; 14:1-7; Jer. 50:4-7, 17-20, 33-35; Rev. 18-20).

D. The stones of ancient Babylon were not to be used for building purposes again (Jer. 51:26). Stones from the present ruins are being used again.

E. Babylon must be in existence in the future "day of the Lord" (Isa. 13:6-13; Rev. 16:17-21; 18:1-24; 19:1-3).

F. Babylon must be destroyed under the seventh vial and at the second advent of Christ or in "the day of the Lord" by a supernatural destruction (Isa. 13:6-13; Jer. 50:20, 40; 51:8; Rev. 16:17-21, 18:8, 10, 17, 19, 21).

G. Babylon is to be destroyed at the end of the great tribulation when the planets are affected (Isa. 13:9-13; Matt. 24:29-31; Rev. 16:17-21).

H. Babylon is to be totally desolate and all sinners in it destroyed (Isa. 13:9, 19-22; 5:3, 23, 39, 40; 51:26, 29, 37, 43; Rev. 18:19, 21-24; 19:3). People now visit the ruins of ancient Babylon.

I. Babylon is to be destroyed at the time the world is punished for its sins at the second advent (Isa. 13:11; Rev. 18:1-24).

J. Babylon is to be destroyed when Christ comes with the armies of Heaven to fight at Armageddon (Isa. 13:1-5,11-13; 14:5, 25-27; Rev. 16:17-21; 18:8; 19:1-3, 11-21).

K. The site of Babylon is to be one of the openings of Hell on Earth where men will see the wicked in an everlasting burning Hell. Thus Babylon, the site of the first and last great apostasy against God, will be an everlasting monument of God's wrath, as will also all rebels of all ages who go to Hell (Isa. 14:9-17; 66:22-24; Rev. 19:3).

L. Babylon is to be destroyed in the day of Israel's final restoration and blessing at the second advent (Isa. 13:12; 14:1-8; Jer. 50:4-7, 19; 51:50, 51; Rev. 11:25-29).

M. Israel is to rule over her oppressors in the day of Babylon's final destruction (Isa. 14:1-4; Rev. 16:17-21;18:1-24; Zech. 14).

N. The generation of Israel who enter the Millennium will sing a triumphant song over the Antichrist, the future king of Babylon, who will have persecuted them (Isa. 14:3-27).

O. Babylon is to be "suddenly" and in "one hour" destroyed (Isa 13:19; Jer. 50:40; 51:8; Rev. 18:8, 10, 17, 19). This has never been fulfilled for ancient Babylon fell into ruins gradually.

P. Babylon is to be a world commercial center after the rapture of the church. Rev. 4-22 will be fulfilled after the churches. Zech. 5:5-11 predicts the rebuilding of such a center of commerce in the land of Shinar. There are 28 articles of commerce mentioned in Rev. 18, proving it to be a literal city.

Q. Babylon must again be a world political center (Rev. 18:3,9,10).

R. Babylon must again be a world religious center (Rev. 18:2-10).

S. Babylon's latter-day sorceries will deceive the world (Rev. 18:23; 2 Thess. 2:9-15).

T. Orders for the martyrdom of saints during the great tribulation will be decreed from this city (Rev. 18:24).

U. Babylon must be burned with fire (Rev. 18:8-10,18; 19:3).

V. Babylon must be destroyed by an earthquake (Rev. 16:17-21).

W. Babylon must be thrown down with violence (Rev. 18:21).

X. Babylon must never be found after her destruction (Rev. 18:21).

Y. Babylon must sink into the Earth (Jer. 51:62-64; Rev. 18:21).

Z. Babylon must be destroyed by God, not by man (Rev. 18:20) and it must be followed by the Millennial reign of Christ (Rev. 19-20).

 

None of these Scriptures have been fully fulfilled, so they must refer to the future destruction. Babylon was still a city in New Testament times for Peter refers to a church at Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13) and the Babylonian Talmud of the Jews was produced there about 500 years after Christ. Since then Babylon has more or less been deserted and has gone into decay, but it has never been destroyed suddenly by God, as has been prophesied in the above Scriptures.

Rev. 18 definitely proves the existence of a literal city which will be destroyed under the seventh vial at the same time many other cities are destroyed. In Rev. 18:1-3 we have the indictment of literal Babylon. In Rev. 18:4-8 we have God's verdict for her destruction. In Rev. 18:9-19 we have the lamentation over her destruction by the governmental, commercial, and maritime worlds. In Rev. 18:20 we have the rejoicing in Heaven over her destruction, and in Rev. 18:21-24 we have the cause and utter doom of Babylon predicted. The language is too simple and literal to make it mean anything but a description of the destruction of a literal city by an earthquake as is plainly stated in Rev. 14:8; 16:17-21; 18:1-24; Isa. 13-14; Jer. 50-51.

A boom could start in Shinar at any time and Babylon could be restored in a short while. In fact, a city called Hillah is already located near the site of ancient Babylon. This could be enlarged and be called Babylon and could fulfill the requirements of Scripture. At least seven years will transpire after the revelation of Antichrist to the destruction of Babylon under the seventh vial. All the above Scriptures will be fulfilled in due time regardless of how impossible it seems to us of there being such a city in the last days. We conclude, therefore, that there are two Babylons in Rev.1 and 18, Mystical Babylon and Literal Babylon.

We have studied thus far the Revelation down to Rev. 19-22. In these chapters we have the revelation of the marriage of the Lamb, the second coming of Jesus, Armageddon, the Millennium, and the New Heaven and New Earth which we shall discuss in coming lessons.

 

—Dake's Topics

Whore is Identified by Her Attire,The

The Whore is Identified by Her Attire

"And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication" (Rev. 17:4).

 

This is a divine portrait of the colors and riches of this religious system. Scarlet is the color of Romanism, being reserved for the pontiff and cardinals. The inner surface of the popish cloak is scarlet, his carriage is scarlet, the carpet on which he treads is scarlet. The hats, cloaks, and stockings of the cardinals are scarlet. Five of the various articles of attire which the pope wears upon installation are scarlet. Scarlet color upon the woman is the same in meaning as upon the seven headed beast, and symbolizes her murderous sins in bringing all under control even by punishment of death. The woman is to be drunk with the blood of the saints, Rev. 17:6. Purple is also a papal hue and represents dignity and rulership.

This religion is the richest in existence as pictured here under the figure of a woman "decked with gold, and precious stones and pearls." At the coronation of the pope, a vest covered with pearls, and a mitre adorned with gold and precious stones are worn. She is also seen as having a golden cup "full of the abominations and filthiness of her fornication" which has already been dealt with.

 

—Dake's Topics

Whore is Identified by Her History, The

The Whore is Identified by Her History

The whore is identified as Roman Catholicism by her history, from her inauguration some centuries after John until the present day. The history of Romanism is that of Christendom from its beginning, through the gathering of local churches into an organization, and culminating into the one great religious apostate system known today as the Roman Catholic Church.

During the first century the churches were composed of small groups of believers in a heathen community. Most of them were poor, outside the local congregation at Rome, which included believers of the higher social rank. Everywhere Christians were distinguished from the heathen by their brotherly love, moral earnestness and purity, confident gladness in Christian teachings, hope of the Lord's coming, etc. They were hated for these differences and from the time of Nero (54-68 A.D.) the Roman Government was hostile to them and tried suppression. Their worship was informal and was generally held in private houses. In the public meetings the services were carried on by the people, who took part as the Spirit moved them. Prayers, testimonies, singing of psalms, reading of the Old Testament and the writings of the apostles were all a part of the worship. Sometimes there was such eagerness to take part that disorder resulted. They often had a love feast or a common meal, the symbol of brotherly love, from which the unbeliever was barred. They did not have creeds or formal statements of belief. The so-called Apostle's Creed was not used before the second century. All Christians held that they belonged to the universal church, for all were one in Christ. There was no general organization having control of the scattered churches. The apostles exercised certain authority over them but it was not formal or official as in an organization. Each congregation managed its own affairs. The churches had elders and presbyters, sometimes called bishops, meaning one who has oversight, whose duties were the pastoral care, discipline, and financial affairs. They also had deacons which performed subordinate services of the same kind.

During the second and third centuries prior to the reign of Constantine, Christianity spread in many places and among all classes and ranks, through the medium of traveling missionaries, apologists or literary defenders of the Christian religion, teachers, and Christians generally. The Christians were persecuted in the first three centuries by the Roman Government, not only for their clean lives which were a standing condemnation of the prevalent religious customs and moral conduct, but also because they would not honor the state religion by paying worship to the statutes of the emperors. The churches went through ten persecutions until the time of Constantine who established religious liberty, chiefly for the benefit of Christians. He caused a radical change in Christianity, raising its position in the empire and changing the standard of admission to the churches until thousands of pagans were admitted with all their pagan ideas and superstitions. Through this supposed liberation of Christianity by the emperor, who entered actively into the affairs of the churches, endeavoring to settle doctrinal disputes, and exercising authority among Christians, certain errors crept into the churches.

 

Rise of the Roman Catholic Church

The churches by this time had become organized so that Constantine could deal with an organization. In the second century, a loose federation of churches sprang up, having one form of belief, expressed in confessions much like the Apostles Creed, and one form of local church government. These churches in this federation called themselves the Catholic Church-Catholic meaning universal. There were many churches which differed from this Catholic Church in belief and government. The statement of faith became the test of membership. The test of man's Christianity became, not so much his loyalty to Christ as his agreement with the church as to doctrine.

Distinction between the clergy and laymen, unknown in the apostolic age, was marked. Bishops, presbyters, and deacons were separated from the members of the churches. As the sacrificial idea of the Lord's Supper grew, the clergy were more and more called "priests." The office of bishop was magnified and those in that office sometimes thought they had authority from God to correct error and to forgive sins. The idea that asceticism was the way to holiness grew and led them to believe that the clergy ought not to marry. Later came the idea that when several churches were established in one town they should be under a bishop and naturally, the bishops of larger towns rose to importance over those of the smaller towns. They were called "Metropolitans" and each of them began to rule over several bishops and their districts or dioceses. By a further centralization, five bishops rose to a higher rank, that of patriarchs. These were the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch.

In the fifth century, Augustine taught his doctrine of the nature of the Catholic Church, which was generally accepted. He believed that the first bishops of the church were appointed by the apostles, that the apostles received from Christ the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the care of the church, who, in turn gave them to their first successors, the first bishops; that the successors of the first bishops held the original faith and could give Christian teaching which brought salvation; that only in the Catholic Church, the Church of these bishops in apostolic succession, was there salvation. Augustine was not the first to teach these ideas but he worked for their acceptance more than anyone before him.

There came another step in the centralization of the government of the Catholic Church. Among the five patriarchs, the two most prominent were those of Rome and Constantinople, the two principal cities of the world. Several causes concurred to raise the Roman bishop to the higher place, the greatest being the fact that he was bishop of the ancient capital of the world. For centuries Rome had ruled the world. The bishop of Rome naturally had an authority that none other had, or could have. Another cause was the custom which sprang up making the bishop a court of appeal in church disputes. This was brought about by the influence of the emperors of Rome who encouraged the centralization of the church in Rome. From the fifth century, the so-called Petrine claim was accepted, which made the bishop at Rome head of the church by divine right, since he was supposedly the successor to Peter, the first universal head of the church. The general acceptance of this made it as certain as if it were really true. Then the policy of the Roman bishops of holding all the authority that this claim bestowed upon them and claiming still more, and taking every opportunity to use this power to further the elevation of the Roman bishop over all others was carried on. Leo I, sometimes called the "first Pope" (444-461) asserted his universal authority in the strongest terms and claimed the right to give commands to bishops everywhere. His claims were denied by the bishop at Constantinople and were resisted somewhat in the West, but opposition helped to increase his power as the universal bishop. The word "pope" was used in the fourth and fifth centuries as the title of any bishop, but it gradually came to be reserved for the bishop at Rome.

The full title of "Roman Catholic Church" did not come into use until the power of the Roman bishops as the universal head of the church was fully recognized. Thus, out of the independent churches of the apostolic age, grew the Catholic Church, having its complete graded organization, its clergy possessing spiritual authority over the people together with a definite creed calling those who would not accept their rule, heretical. This Catholic Church later became the Roman Catholic Church, completely dominated by the bishop of Rome.

The centralization of the church continued toward Rome until about 600 A.D. Gregory I was crowned and recognized the first universal bishop and pope. The popes were for some time chosen by the emperors, but that order was changed when Hildebrand procured the establishment of the college of cardinals with power to elect the pope. The power of the emperor diminished so much as to be negligible from 1058-1061 A.D. Hildebrand also conceived the idea that the pope should be the supreme temporal ruler of the world as well as the absolute head of the church. The Roman Church reached the height of its power during the jurisdiction of Innocent III, who made and set aside rulers and did according to his will in the affairs of all the kingdoms of western Europe.

During the thirteenth century the church became master of the Holy Roman Empire and ruled without a rival. In 1294 A.D., after the papacy had lost much influence, Boniface VIII came to the throne. He attempted to surpass Hildebrand and Innocent III in manifestation of his power, endeavoring to excommunicate Philip of France, who answered him by sending men-of-arms and taking him prisoner for three days. This act of flagrant rebellion and humiliation broke the temporal power of the papacy and the popes went into "Babylonish Captivity" for sixty-nine years at Avignon, which is just across the Rhone River from French territory. Then the pope went back to Rome and the French cardinals elected a pope who set up his court at Avignon and two popes occupied the papal chair for a period of thirty years, being in opposition to each other during that time. A meeting for reconciliation was held and a new pope was elected, but the other two indignantly refused to resign and so there were three popes for a short time. The general council called at Constance, five years later, deposed two, caused the other to resign, with a closed breach resulting. Martin V was elected and acknowledged by the whole church in 1414 A.D.

The popes continued to wield an influence upon temporal rulers until the reformation gained such headway that the Emperor Charles V came to Germany to settle the religious dispute. He failed and despairing of a doctrine of love, at the Diet of Augsburg, 1530, the Roman Catholic majority decreed that the Protestant cause should be put down by war. The war started in 1546 and the emperor was victorious on all sides until Maurice drove him out of Germany. Then the emperor gave the German affairs of the empire into the hands of his brother Ferdinand, who made peace at Augsburg in 1555. The reformation spread to many lands until today practically all lands are blessed with freedom of worship.

The opening of the nineteenth century saw the papacy in great humiliation. In 1801 Napoleon, then ruler of France, concluded a concordat with pope Pius VII, which was a treaty defining the relations of the Roman Catholic Church and the government in France. By this "the church was harnessed to the state" being made in part subject to the government, yet also supported by it. These terms involved a serious loss of authority for the pope, but he was helpless before the all-powerful Napoleon. When the pope, as sovereign of the Papal States, disobeyed his wishes in a matter of European policy, Napoleon entered Rome with an army, annexed the Papal States and made the pope a prisoner in 1809. After Napoleon's downfall (1814) pope Pius VII returned to Rome and re-established the Papal States.

The rulers then controlling Europe were favorable to the church which seized upon this opportunity to acquire much power. The church set its face against all modern progress and attempted to develop its medieval elements. The order of the Jesuits, the soldiers of the papacy, strove to gain the absolute supremacy of the pope and was successful. Pope Pius IX (1846-1878) outlined the policy of the Roman Church which exists today, assuming with gross bigotry, that limitless authority was his by divine right. He thus took upon himself the power and right to define doctrine, which, in the past had been exercised only by the general councils. The Council of Trent (1545) determined the complete statement of doctrine for the church. The Vatican Council was the next held (1870) which added more decrees and gave the pope unlimited and immediate authority in every part of the activities of the church and made him infallible in defining the doctrines and morals of the church.

In 1848 a movement began to free Italy from the papal supremacy and bring her under one standard. By 1860 both the northern and southern parts of Italy came under the rule of an Italian king, Victor Immanuel, of Piedmont. The Italians recognized that there could be no united Italy as long as the pope held full sway over the Papal States, stretching from sea to sea and with a population of 3 million. In 1870 the king added Rome and the Papal States to his domain, thus uniting the whole of Italy.

The pope was no longer the temporal ruler of Rome. Since then, it became the policy of the popes to remain voluntary prisoners in the Vatican and never walk the streets of Rome, for to do so, it was said, would be recognizing the claims of the government that ruled. Much was said and done concerning the restoration of the Papal States and finally on February 11, 1929, the Lateran Treaties were signed, the ceremony taking place at the Vatican Palace, which ended the long conflict between Italy and the Holy See and freed the popes from voluntary imprisonment.

One treaty, solving and eliminating the "Roman Question," which had existed since the loss of temporal power in 1870, and a second, a concordat designed to regulate the relations of the church and state in Italy, were signed. The canon law which is the subject of three of the four parts of the concordat was completed in 1917. It contains 2,417 canons, or rules regulating faith, morals, conduct, and discipline of church members, which have been gradually added by the church throughout the centuries. These treaties were ratified May 14 and 25 and became effective June 7, 1929.

The pope is again temporal ruler and sovereign over a territory the size of a town of 20,000 people, known as the Vatican State or State of Vatican City. It now has power to coin money, issue bank notes, postage stamps and do as any other sovereign state. The pope has his own railway station, wireless station, aviation field, army and navy, etc. He is to receive indemnity from the Italian government of $87.5 million. This is a great boon to Romanism, for she now has a "free" pope to enter personally into world affairs. The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with many nations.

"Father" Phelan in a recent sermon on the greatness of Romanism said, "The Catholics of the world are Catholics first and always: they are Americans, they are Germans, they are French, or they are English afterwards." The political aspirations of the pope and his legions are known to every thinking person. Even in this country, preparation for the impending conflict is being made through which it is hoped that the schools, and every vestige of human rights and liberties will be destroyed.

According to "Father" Chiniquy, the Jesuits have organized many secret Catholic societies into military ones which are scattered over the United States. They number nearly 1 million soldiers, who under the name of United States Volunteer Militia, are officered by some of the most skilled officers of this Republic.

Stores of ammunition are laid away in secret places for use when necessary. Many boastful statements may be found in Catholic papers for which there is not space to mention, but these few facts will suffice to show the purpose of this great whore in all lands. Whether she will be successful in other lands or not, we do know from Rev. 17 that she will be master once more of the nations of Revised Rome and those the whore will control until the middle of the Week when she will finally be destroyed by these nations.

 

—Dake's Topics

Funny, how men such as Dake totally missed the truth which is taught so CLEARLY in Scripture!  He was only going by the words of the church which he claims to be the whore.  He was totally indoctrinated with her. and her words.

 

He did not have the revelation of the truth of God's Word.

 

 

 

Jesus' own words:  (and the true identification).

 

<NOBR>Mt 23:24</NOBR>	Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
<NOBR>Mt 23:25</NOBR>	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
<NOBR>Mt 23:26</NOBR>	Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
<NOBR>Mt 23:27</NOBR>	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
<NOBR>Mt 23:28</NOBR>	Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
<NOBR>Mt 23:29</NOBR>	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,
<NOBR>Mt 23:30</NOBR>	And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
<NOBR>Mt 23:31</NOBR>	Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.
<NOBR>Mt 23:32</NOBR>	Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
<NOBR>Mt 23:33</NOBR>	Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
<NOBR>Mt 23:34</NOBR>	Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:  (were they listed by Dake as those who killed Christians?  nO)
<NOBR>Mt 23:35</NOBR>	That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
<NOBR>Mt 23:36</NOBR>	Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.
<NOBR>Mt 23:37</NOBR>	O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
<NOBR>Mt 23:38</NOBR>	Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

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