The Ten Horned Beast by Julia and Charles Lee

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THE TEN HORNED BEAST by Charles and Julia Lee

In the 13th chapter of the Book of Revelation we find a prophetic chain that is related to both the temporal and the ecclesiastical developments of the Roman power; it unravels the mystical work within the heart of Babylon, clear down to the second advent of Christ. It begins with the moulding of the great people into the Roman monarchy, and, as it were, gathers up the beastly elements referred to by Daniel and puts them together in a mystical, unnatural but powerful form.

The Revelator says that he, while standing on the seashore,

"saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and TEN HORNS, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy." He continues, "And the beast which I saw was like unto a LEOPARD, and his feet were as the feet of a BEAR, and his mouth as the mouth of a LION; and the dragon gave him his power and his seat, and great authority."

(v. 1,2)

The Roman monarchy absorbed not only the people that streamed down from the preceding universal kingdoms, but also the laws and customs of those powers. The monarchy in its shape or organization, resembled the kingdom of Greece - the LEOPARD; in its bloodthirsty march to subdue under its rule all nations, it had feet like the MEDIO-PERSIAN kingdom - the BEAR, and when it uttered its commanding voice the sound resembled that of Nebuchadnezzar - the ruler of the LION-monarchy.

It is the creation of Nimrod or Baal that the prophecy here portrays, and it follows it all the way down the stream of time to its final overthrow. The fear of wild beasts that controlled the people of Shinar, made them look up to Nimrod as their savior. When he built walls and towers to protect them, their fear of wild animals turned into reverence for their succourer. But what that brick-creation would accomplish in the course of time, they did not understand. This is what the prophecy brings to light.

The people turned away from the living God and put their trust in their own works which guaranteed them future protection from the wild beasts of the earth. In so doing they, in connection with the works of their hands, became a terrible beast, as it were, that finally (when it is fully developed) has no resemblance in the natural world. This is exactly what the prophecy unfolds.

The race of Shem was subject to the same ferocious beasts, but they trusted in Jehovah - he was their wall of protection. They dwelt in tents and sojourned in the wilderness. They did not need a standing army, something that was necessary for the race that trusted in human arms. It is that army that the prophecy describes under the appellation, "The Great Red Dragon."

The "DRAGON'S SEAT", or throne (commanding position) was given to the beast, also great authority. (We remember that in the monarchy of Babylon, a dragon - a dangerous serpent - represented the kingly power or the authority invested in the principal representative of Nebo's kingdom. Although Daniel slew that serpent, there still remains one in the center of the kingdom of Nimrod that has a tremendous power and is dangerous to the opposers of Babylon). The Revelator, in referring to the final capture and binding of the dragon by an angel, who puts "HIM INTO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT AND SHUTS HIM UP" for a thousand years that he may not deceive the nations during that time, calls him "the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan". How could the devil give his seat to the Roman empire? By adding the testimony found in the 12th chapt. and 3 v., which describes the dragon as being invested with the monarchial power, we shall be able to find what the devil has done in order to get a seat or a throne of power to give to the monarchs of the world.

The appellation, "that old serpent", refers to the act which took place in the "tree of knowledge" in Paradise. By alluring our first parents to eat of the forbidden fruit, he brought them into a destitute condition and in an unprotected state. As a result man either had to trust wholly in the help of the Creator - like Moses, who trustingly looked to the Invisible as if he saw him, (Heb. 11:27) or be in constant fear of an attack from an enemy, either man or beast. In order to lead man away from his childlike trust in God, the serpent inspired him to prepare self-defense. Thus two steps were gained by the serpent in which man became independent of the Creator and his laws. The next step was to make man not only defensive, but also offensive: i.e., having the ability to make and use weapons for the purpose of conquering and bringing into subjection any desired object. Here the foundation for the militia was laid.

In those three steps to lead man astray from his Creator, the spirit-power under the different names, the serpent, devil and Satan, has been brought to light. The name serpent signifies the alluring deceiver or tempter, the name devil means a false accuser or slanderer, and the name Satan means an adversary or opposer. In gaining his purpose of becoming the "PRINCE OF THIS WORLD", as Christ calls him, he has allured man to trust in the strength of arms, both in defense and offense until the nations are entirely helpless without that god-power to protect them. Thus the old serpent has erected himself A SEAT AND GREAT AUTHORITY, by which he can control the masses at will. "PEACE ON EARTH" is now kept by military forces.

In following the history of the Romans we find that they arose from an insignificant colony and that by the arms of military force they gradually conquered and subdued their surrounding neighbors until they ruled like a mighty dragon over the nations then existing. The city of Rome, the capital of the Romans, grew up in strength and became the "mistress of the world" - the seat of arts and arms. It was fortified on all sides. The spirit of military conquest governed it and the whole people.

Now when the conquered people were moulded into a universal empire, that great dragon,, who with military arms had cleared the way for that great empire to arise, gave to the beast his seat - the fortified city of Rome, and with it great military power. The god of forces (Mauzzim) held both the temporal and ecclesiastical reins and became greater from year to year. When the empire was divided and the many kings came to rule, the militia and the war implements increased still faster. And to-day, how does it look? We see a fearful monster, a great red dragon, spread over the surface of the creation of God, daily devouring about ten millions of dollars, massed together by the toilers. It is that serpent, empowered with the most deadly weapons, that now rules the world and is recommended highly by the state and church. Their trust in God has been transferred to that blood-thirsty monster.

When the dragon gave his seat to the beast, he himself, of course, was merged into that organization as the very instigator of the monarchy. He was the principal guide in the bloody wars and persecutions that the beast carried on against the righteous in their defenseless condition.

This unnatural organization has "seven heads" - seven head-powers which control the great body. These seven heads did not crop out at once, but one came forth at each change of general rule. For instance, the first monarchial head-power was represented by Nebuchadnezzar, the next one to it by the Medio-Persian form of government, then the Greek, etc., until the seven heads are fully developed on that great organization body. A close study of the prophetic language plainly reveals that the entire chain of prophecy has one main object in view; namely, the revealing of Babylon as a whole and complete organization. The great people, when once they have been brought under the influence of their own inventions, have developed into that unnatural and beastly form; they are controlled by the fortified institutions, like oxen are controlled by the yoke.

Although the personal representations of the governments passed away, their offices and power still remained, and were merged into the succeeding organizations. The laws enacted to defend the power which had been created continued with the people, and when they were transferred over into a new government, a new ruling head was added to the great body. As the body (including man and his inventions) increased in quantity, the head-powers increased in number, and one succeeded the other.

In Rev. 17:9, we find a testimony illustrating the case:

"And here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth".

"The seven heads are seven mountains" - mountains or governments formed by the human law-makers to defend the creation of man. When the beastly organization is complete, it has seven such Nebo-mountains on its body. Since the formation of the beast, seven general head-powers will have been created and will have been in rule. 2520 years are set apart for the development of that unnatural creation, and at the end of that period all the seven mountains will have cropped out and will have ruled. If they cannot be seen without the prophetic telescope, they can be felt as a depressive seven-headed colossus. They hold the rich over the heads of the toilers, and crowd the toilers into hovels, into starvation and death. The working class, in order to live, is compelled to sustain these oppressive mountains, and the reward, in case they show signs of rolling the burden off their shoulders, is a deep sting from the red dragon.

These seven mountains are:

1. the Babylonian;

2. the Medio-Persian;

3. the Greek

4. the Roman;

5. the Papal;

6. the Protestant; and

7. a combination of the Papal and Protestant heads now in the act of formation.

(Written in the early 1900's)

The Revelator saw the "woman" sit on these mountains. That explains it. These mountains which have been brought into existence by human laws for the protection of the inventions of man, constitute, collectively, the very seat of all church organizations and their institutions. The power existing from one generation to another absorbs the additional institutions created which as a result, are made more valuable and are more highly esteemed from time to time in spite of the consequent oppression and suffering realized by those who are pressed beneath it all and who carry the whole thing on their shoulders. Is it any wonder that the Almighty who created all men equal and placed before them equal rights, says he will pour out his vengeance on Babylon? Speaking of his righteous judgment, he says by the prophet:

"At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images. In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough", etc.

(Is. 17:7-9).

When the dragon had established the temporal strength of the Roman monarchy in its heathen form of government, he persecuted the followers of Christ, with the object of rooting them out from the earth entirely. When he found this (rooting them out entirely) to be an impossibility, and that it only helped to promote the cause of the Christians, he changed about and slyly opened his seat for the agitated religious movement then prevalent in the whole Roman kingdom. He offered this religious movement a stronghold within the fortified Babylon. He opened for it the gates of Baal and invited it to come within the frame of brick walls.

THE LITTLE HORN

The prophet Daniel saw in a vision the future movements and formations of the great masses of the people, as they are forced down the stream of time by the influence of the strongholds of Babylon. He describes the vision in this way:

"I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the great sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a LION, and had eagle's wings. I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a BEAR, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a LEOPARD, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a FOURTH BEAST, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the EYES OF MAN, and a mouth speaking great things." (Dan. 7:2-80).

This prophecy, like the one of the 2nd chapter, sets forth the political development of the human family in its onward march among the continually increasing productions, the creation of man. The great multitude of people looked like a mighty sea in the prophetic vision. A power (seeming as though the four winds unitedly had tried their strength on that sea) sets in motion the whole multitude, the result of which is, that the masses of people are brought into certain forms - as if made to pass through a mould. The mould is the monarchical compress, that forms the masses into universal kingdoms.

The first form that appeared resembled a lion with eagle's wings. The monarchy of Nebuchadnezzar and its lofty career (denoted by the wings) is described here. While in power, it held the masses of the different classes of people under the rule of Nebo, the influence of Nimrod, both religiously and temporally. Inspired by that high majestic order, the whole monarchy was like a ravenous LION before which no other power could stand. It brought into subjection every kingdom then known.

The overthrow of the Babylonian kingdom brought the great people into another mould. A new shape appears, and it resembles a BEAR, raising itself up on one side of three ribs in its mouth. This is a description of the Medio-Persian kingdom which gradually rose up by the side of Babylon and finally conquered it. Its voracious character in bringing all elements into its monarchical organization, is seen because of the fact that it holds "ribs" in its mouth.

Another convulsion in the political laboratory and the people are remoulded again into another monarchy which now resembles a LEOPARD. The insidious and venturous character of the Greeks influenced and drew the masses into the Grecian monarchy where they were held by means of philosophy and craft.

The fourth and last mould in which the masses are moulded has no resemblance in nature. The shape of it was "dreadful and terrible". It was "exceedingly strong", and it had "TEN HORNS". Here the monarchy of Rome is described. It "devoured and broke" in pieces all other powers; then it united the different elements into one grand universal kingdom. As soon as that was done, the TEN HORNS cropped out.

Emperor Constantine, after he had conquered his rivals, divided the Roman kingdom into TEN MILITARY DISTRICTS and placed his TEN GENERALS as vassals over the same. They were to control the people under them by military laws and were to serve the emperor as his leaders in times of war. By that act of dividing the empire, the kingly power gradually developed and finally the TEN KINGS arose.

Having followed the wonderful development of the great people in their course through the national moulds, and having seen them divided and sub-divided by kings until ten such kings were seated on the HEAD (the government) of the people (the body), the prophet noticed a "little horn" coming up amidst the ten "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things".

What kingly power was it that arose after the rise of the ten kings or the forming of the ten divisions of the Roman empire?

The empire was divided into ten divisions between the years 356 and 483 A.D., consequently that power arose this side of 483 A.D. The papal power was then in its embryonic state - continually developing. When it needed more room for its universal growth, the opposing powers next to it; the VANDALES, the HERULIANS and the OSTROGOTHS, who opposed the union of the state and church, were subdued.

The LITTLE HORN had human eyes - denoting that it had moral and religious inclinations. The other horns represented only the temporal strength of the head-power of the beast. The depressive military laws made the people rebellious and uncontrollable; that opened the way for the bishop of Rome to act as arbitrator. Because of his religious influence in the name of Christianity, he succeeded and as a consequence, he grew up in power until finally he represented both church and state. The prophet follows the actions of that little horn with special interest. It also had a MOUTH THAT SPOKE GREAT THINGS. As the prophet listened to the great words of that mouth, he saw that the thrones of the kings were cast down, and the "ANCIENT OF DAYS" (the Almighty) took his seat at the head of the people. Thus the little horn must exist now and must continue to exist until the second advent of Christ occurs. We will notice some of the words already uttered by

THE MOUTH OF THE LITTLE HORN

The prophet says:

"I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake" (Dan 7 In verses 25,26, the same horn is called a king). "And", says the prophet, "he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end."

The space of time, times and a half has special reference to the 3 1/2 years that remain of the week of the covenant. At that time the kingdom of God will be proclaimed with power, and that heavenly movement, opposing the LEAGUE OF NATIONS (united nations), will cause the highest representative of said LEAGUE to raise his voice against the movement in the same manner as the high-priests of the Jews raised their voices against Christ and his kingly movement during the first half of the week of the covenant.

It intends to CHANGE TIMES AND LAWS. This, of course, has reference to the TIMES and LAWS ordained by God especially at the time of the end, when great Babylon will be overthrown in order to give room for the kingdom of Christ. The highest representative of the human inventions, as a matter of course, will put in all his ecclesiastical and temporal power to oppose a work which is destructive to the kingdom of his dominion. It is in that peculiar state of things that the Anti-Messiah will be fully developed. As long as the Babylonian fortifications shield the Anti-Messiah, and the true Messiah - for whom the dominion of the world was created - keeps himself away, the former rules under a cover, so that no one but the prophetic seers, who can look through the walls of Babylon, can detect him. But in his warfare against the "Prince that shall come", he will be revealed to every child of God.

Even in the times past, the papal power has "changed times and laws". Gregorious, the Great, changed the year of the birth of our Lord about four years out of the way by adding "Anno Domini" to the Roman reckoning. In regard to divine laws, if we compare the Catholic catechism with the 20th chap. of Exodus, we will find that the papal church has excluded the second commandment which forbids the making of images; instead it has split the tenth commandment in two in order to fill out the empty space. Even the Sabbath commandment which covers the seventh day of the week as a memorial of the creation of God, papacy has applied on Sunday, the first day of the week.

Papacy has also changed the order of God with respect to the distinction of the days of the week by adopting instead the names given by the heathens in honor of their idols. God named the days of the week thus: "the first day," "the second day," "the third day," etc.; the seventh day he set apart and sanctified as a memorial of the creation.

The papacy Christianized the Christmas feast which the heathens celebrated in memory of the birth of Tammuz or Baal incarnate, as the time for the birth of Christ. Yet that feast is really and originally a hog-feast in honor of Ashtaroth when she gave birth to Tammuz the 25th of December. In reading Luke 1:26, we are informed that the angel visited Mary in the sixth month. The first month of the Jews begins about the 15th of March. Therefore the sixth month would be some time in September. Hence we see that it is not the birth of Christ they commemorate at Christmas time, but the birth of the historical Tammuz. (See Ez. 8:14).

Great words and works have brought about these daring undertakings and changes. On the pages of history we find great words are spoken by the papal mouth that may sanction the expression of the prophet that "He shall speak great words against the Most High". (v. 25) "And he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every God and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods." (Chapt. 11:36)

Pope Martin V. said of himself in his address to his ambassadors to Constantinople:

"The most holy and most happy, who is the arbiter of heaven and the Lord of earth . . . the master of the universe, the father of the kings, the light of the world." (Rome As It Is. p. 181).

Archbishop Stephen of Petraca, at a council of the Lateran, said of Pope Leo, that he had "power above all power, both in heaven and on earth." (Decretals of Gregory III).

On authority of the papal council, Cardinal Bellarmine said:

"All the names which are given in the Scriptures to Christ, even these same names are given the Pope."

(B. II, Chr. XVII).

Pope Nicholas said:

"The Pope is God, and therefore man cannot judge him". (Dissertation 96. Chapt. 7).

"And there was given unto him a MOUTH SPEAKING GREAT THINGS AND BLASPHEMIES; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds and languages, and nations".

(Rev. 13:5-7)

HOW THE BISHOPS AROSE

Here it may be in its place to note how the Bishops arose into prominence within the primitive Church. The name Bishop (Gr. "Episcopos") signified an overseer, one that looked after the economical and social business within his "Episope" or office. Such were originally representatives of the state both in Greece and Rome. They represented the government as ministers, agents or executive officers who looked after the interests of the state and gave sustenance to colonies that had need for such.

In the primitive church, a similar office was instituted to look after the interests of the church, its civil or municipal affairs, so that the spiritual leaders, namely the apostles, should not be troubled with such duties. In the Philippian Church there were several such overseers. (Phil 1:1)

Such overseers were finally chosen from the richest and most influential men in the communities. Gradually they arose in authority in the very churches that originally had appointed them to care for the poor and for the common interests of the members of the church. After the death of the apostles, the bishops took a leading position; at the conferences they acted as presiding officers and finally they became a ruling power before which the churches had to bow. Finally, their words and ideas became more important than the words and doctrines of the apostles.

At the second great conference held in Constantinople, 381 A.D., a rank among the bishops was established and the most prominent among them were called archbishops. By that step the metropolitan power within the church was founded; the Bishops of Rome, Constantinople and Alexandria were the principal arch-bishops. Among these arose a continual strife, each one claiming to be the most prominent and to be nearest God. Finally the archbishop of Rome succeeded in conquering his rivals; the way then opened before him to the old seat of the much honored throne of the gods of the sun which the pagan Caesars had occupied before him.

Taken from the Dual Plan. Charles Lee died in 1926.