Here, then, are yet three more descriptors of the antichrist, this time from the book of Revelation, and this is where the prophecies become even more precise:
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and 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. 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. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 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 tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leads into captivity shall go into captivity: he that kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 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. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceives 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 causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six." (Revelation 13:1-18)
First of all, again, there are two distinct "beasts" or "kingdoms" being spoken of here. The first "beast" is still referring to the antichrist and the "another beast" who comes up is seen working in conjunction with this first "beast" or in conjunction with the antichrist. I'm not going to discuss the identity of this "another beast" at this time (I've previously suggested who it might be), but, instead, I'm going to keep my focus upon the first "beast" or upon the antichrist. In relation to the same, we find three more descriptors in what we just read:
1. The number of his name is "six hundred threescore and six" or the famous/infamous "666"..
2. This "beast" or this "kingdom" is administered a "deadly wound which is healed".
3. The whole world "wonders after the beast".
Let's start with the "666".
Back on April 18th, 1915, the following question and answer appeared in "Our Sunday Visitor", the largest Catholic weekly in America:
http://biblelight.net/OSV1915.gif
If you follow the link and then click on the image, then you can read the following to the left of the bicycle image:
What are the letters supposed to be in the Pope's crown, and what do they signify, if anything? The letters inscribed in the Pope's mitre are these: Vicarius Filii Dei, which is the Latin for Vicar of the Son of God.
Now, the very fact that this question was not only asked, but also answered, leads one to firmly believe that such a mitre was actually in existence at that time and that it also bore an inscription upon it. After some people rightly added up "the number of this name", it was denied that such a mitre actually existed and this publication of "Our Sunday Visitor" has mysteriously disappeared from the archives...or so they claim. Anyhow, for those of you who not only remember your Roman numerals, but who also recall that the "u" and the "v" were originally the same, here is "the number of his name":
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
A = no numeric value
R = no numeric value
I = 1
V = 5
S = no numeric value
F = no numeric value
I = 1
L = 50
I = 1
I = 1
D = 500
E = no numeric value
I = 1
Add it all together and what do you get? Well, you get the following...
112 + 53 + 501 =
666
...just as prophesied.
Now, if anybody should seek to refute that such a title was ever used in relation to the Roman Pontiff or seek to insist that such a title ONLY appears in the allegedly forged "Donation of Constantine", then I shall gladly counter refute any such attempted refutations.
Moving on.to our next descriptor, we read:
"And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed." (Revelation 13:12)
Again:
"And deceives 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." (Revelation 13:14)
According to prophecy, this "beast" or the "kingdom" of the antichrist is going to be administered a "deadly wound" from which it will be "healed" and "live". Well, what's that all about? Furthermore, in relation to this same "deadly wound", we read:
Revelation chapter 13
[1] And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and 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.
[2] 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.
[3] And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
Whoever this "beast" is whom John is describing, "one of his seven heads is wounded to death and his deadly wound is healed". Well, what, then, is a "head" in Bible prophecy? Again, there's no need to guess for we read:
"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth." (Revelation 17:9)
Huh?
A "head" is a "mountain" or a "hill" (this same underlying Greek word which is here translated as "mountain" is translated as "hill" in Matthew 5:14, Luke 4:29 & 9:37)?
How the hell can a "mountain" or a "hill" receive a "deadly wound" which is later "healed"?
Friends, not only is this possible, BUT IT'S PAST HISTORY AND IT PERTAINS TO THE PAPACY/THE VATICAN!
First of all, ROME has long been known for its "seven hills". In fact, here is a map of the same:
Although the Papacy currently resides in Vatican City which is on the northwest side of the Tiber River and it is therefore not now situated upon one of Rome's seven hills, such was not always the Papacy's location. In fact, the Papacy once found its residency in the Lateran Palace situated upon Caelian Hill:
CHURCHES OF ROME
The Edict of Milan (313) secured Christians' freedom and legal recognition. By imperial edicts, Constantine restored Christians' property and strengthened the Church hierarchy (without giving too much offense to Rome's influential pagans!). He ordered basilicas built over the cellae memoriae marking St. Peter's, St. Paul's, and other martyrs' tombs. And he donated his personal property, received in dowry from his wife, for the first papal cathedral and residence in Christian history. So begins the story of St. John Lateran.
HISTORY
It was to Pope Melchiade (311-314) that Constantine gave the palace on Monte Celio, formerly property of the patrician Laterani family (hence the basilica's appellation "Lateran"),which his second wife Fausta (Maxentius' sister) had brought to the marriage. Soon after, the Emperor razed the adjoining imperial horse-guards barracks (allegedly the equites singulares had supported Maxentius against Constantine) and commissioned the construction of the world's first Christian basilica on that site.
Henceforth, the Lateran palace, known as the Patriarchate, was the Pope's official residence until the fifteenth century. The basilica, consecrated in 324 by Melchiade's successor, Pope Sylvester I (314-335), was dedicated, by will of the Emperor, to Christ the Savior. In the tenth century, Pope Sergio III (904-911) added St. John the Baptist, and in the twelfth century, Pope Lucius (1144- 1145), St. John the Evangelist, to the basilica's dedication.
In the course of its history, St. John Lateran suffered just about as many disasters and revivals as the papacy it hosted. Sacked by Alaric in 408 and Genseric in 455, it was rebuilt by Pope Leo the Great (440-461), and centuries later by Pope Hadrian I (772-795). Almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 896, the basilica was again restored by Pope Sergius III (904-911). Later the church was heavily damaged by fires in 1308 and 1360.
When the Popes returned from their sojourn in Avignon, France (1304-1377), they found their basilica and palace in such disrepair, that they decided to transfer to the Vatican, near St. Peter's. (That basilica, also built by Constantine, had until then served primarily as a pilgrimage church.)
Pope Sixtus V (1585-1590), in one of his frenzied urban renewal projects, tore down St. John Lateran's original buildings, replacing them with late-Renaissance structures by his favorite architect Domenico Fontana. Later, Pope Innocent X (1644-1655) engaged one of the Baroque's most brilliant architects, Francesco Borromini, to transform St. John Lateran's interior in time for the Jubilee of 1650. Finally, Pope Clement XII (17301740) launched a competition for the design of a new facade, which was completed by Alessandro Galilei in 1735.
Of the original Lateran basilica and palace, only the Popes' private chapel, the Sancta Sanctorum (See Inside the Vatican, August-September 1995) remains. Sixtus V removed this magnificently-frescoed shrine to what has become a grimy traffic island. As an approach to the chapel, Sixtus moved from the Lateran Palace the Scala Santa, the staircase which Jesus is believed to have ascended to Pontius Pilate's palace in Jerusalem, and according to tradition, was brought to Rome by St. Helena herself.
Many important historic events have taken place in St. John Lateran, including 5 Ecumenical Councils and many diocesan synods. In 1929 the Lateran Pacts, which established the territory and status of the State of Vatican City, were signed here between the Holy See and the Government of Italy.
Constantine gave the Lateran Palace on Monte Celio or Caelian Hill...
Monte Celio (the Caelian Hill) | Hills of Rome
...to Pope Melchiade and it was the official residency of the Papacy until the fifteenth century. IOW, it originally rested upon one of Rome's seven hills or upon one of the "seven heads" of "the beast". Well, if you know your Roman history, then you know that between the years of 1870 and 1929 the Vatican didn't recognize the Italian state nor did the Italian state recognize the Vatican. Yes, this is what was known as "The Roman Question":
Roman Question - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Roman Question (Italian: questione romana) was a political dispute between the Italian Government and the Papacy from 1861 to 1929.
The Roman Question began when Rome was declared Capital of Italy on March 27, 1861, and ended with the Lateran Pacts between King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy and Pope Pius XI in 1929. After the capture of Rome on 20 September 1870, the popes considered themselves "prisoners in the Vatican".
After the Lateran Pacts were signed in 1929, the Popes regularly visited parts of Rome outside the Vatican. In particular, they took possession, after their election, of their cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, situated on the opposite side of the city.
It was during this timeframe that one of Rome's "heads" or "hills" received its "deadly wound" in that "the Popes considered themselves prisoners in the Vatican". Yes, it wasn't until 1929 when "The Lateran Treaty" was signed AT THE LATERAN PALACE ON CAELIAN HILL WHERE THE PAPACY ORIGINALLY RESIDED that "the deadly wound was healed". First, here is a papal artifact which is an original picture of the historic treaty being signed:
February 11, 1929: The Signing of the Lateran Treaty
Next are two newspaper headlines and stories from that historic day in 1929 which speak of "the wound being healed". In fact, the headline for this first article is entitled "Heal Wound of Many Years":
http://biblelight.net/lateran2.gif
If you click on the article after following the link, then it will be enlarged and you will be able to read the following:
The Roman Question tonight was a thing of the past and the Vatican was at peace with Italy. The formal accomplishment of this today was the exchange of signatures IN THE HISTORIC PALACE OF ST. JOHN LATERAN by two noteworthy plenipotentiaries, Cardinal Gasparri for Pope Pius XI and Premier Mussolini for King Victor Emmanuel III.
In affixing the autographs to the memorable document, HEALING THE WOUND WHICH HAS FESTERED SINCE 1870, extreme cordiality was displayed on both sides.
In this next article entitled "Historic Scene
in the Lateran Palace" (the original residency of the Papacy) from another newspaper on that historic day...
http://biblelight.net/lateran3.gif
...we read the following:
Their meeting was to have been a secret guarded for the inner circle, but the story. like so many of its kind, leaked, and a crowd, tense with excitement, is here to witness the passage of these two men whose pens WILL HEAL A WOUND OF 59 YEARS.
THIS, friends, is what we're actually reading about and, like I said, IT IS PAST HISTORY AND IT PERTAINS TO THE PAPACY/THE VATICAN!
Anyhow, all of the descriptors given in relation to "the beast" in both Daniel and Revelation have to fit AND THEY DO IN RELATION TO THE PAPACY/THE VATICAN!
I'll get to how "the whole world wondered after the beast" in a future post. Right now, I have some other things to attend to.