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MARK OF THE BEAST IV In my last post, I proved that the beast from the earth was an unregenerate, pseudo-Christian. I then proved that the Roman Catholic bishops wear two-horned miters, fulfilling the prophecy, "and he had two horns like a lamb," (Rev. 13:11). Previous to that I had proved they dispense the indelible Mark, CHARACTEREM, of the Beast in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and holy orders through the signing of the cross on the forehead. Verse 12 of Rev. 13 explains how the beast from the earth, (the 2nd beast), "EXERCISES all the POWER of the first beast before him….." [Emphasis mine.] From this we are to understand that the first Beast, the Beast from the sea, is the greater of the two. To confirm the superiority of the first Beast, verse 12 informs us that the second beast causes the earth to worship the first Beast. The first Beast authorizes the second beast to perform certain similar functions, as well as share jurisdiction over the Beast's territories worldwide. The term "before him" may also be translated from the Greek text ("enopion") to mean "in the sight of; in the presence of." The Greek word for bishop is "episkopos," literally meaning "overseer." The first Beast "oversees" all that the second beast does. Thus, he is "overseer" of the second beast, who is "overseer" of the laity. The laity comprise the small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, (verse 16). This would imply that the first Beast is a superior "bishop" who governs over the second beast, a lesser bishop. Let us test this theory. If the second beast is symbolic of the body of Roman Catholic bishops and priesthood, from which they are chosen, then we would expect the first Beast to be none other than the body of men who hold the office of the Papacy, the highest office in the Roman Catholic Church. For who else but the Pope could rule over them? The Pope, of course, is himself a bishop - the Bishop of Rome. So far so good. But can we confirm this prophecy in the authoritative decrees of the Catholic Church? Yes, we can. The Documents of Vatican II provide our answer. In the 'Decree on the Bishops: Pastoral Office in the Church,' Preface, section 2, we read, "In this Church of Christ the Roman Pontiff……holds, therefore, a primacy of ordinary power over all the churches…..Together with the Supreme Pontiff and under his authority, [the bishops] have been sent……" Section 3 continues, "…..bishops EXERCISE this episcopal office of theirs, received through episcopal consecration, in communion with and under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff." Furthermore, Chapter 1, 'The Relationship of Bishops to the Universal Church,' section 4, states, "Together with its head, the Roman Pontiff, and never without this head, the episcopal order is the subject of supreme and full POWER over the universal Church. But this POWER can be EXERCISED only with the consent of the Roman Pontiff." The reader is asked to note the exact phraseology of the prophecy with the decrees of Vatican II. So here we have it confirmed. The second beast, the body of Roman Catholic bishops, is given the authority to exercise its power by the greater first Beast, the reigning Pope in office.
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