The image of the Beast
The Image of the Beast?
The following is a transcript from a lecture from Pastor Stephen Bohr entitled The Image of the Beast. I pray that you might find some time to watch Pastor Bohr’s lectures as I have always found his talks to be informative, and in harmony with scripture. These studies on the two beast’s from Revelation, as well as “The Image to the Beast”, “The Number of the Beast”, and “The Mark of the Beast” are an absolute must watch series, and you will learn volumes if you invest some time in watching these video’s, and then studying the attached transcripts. Pastor Bohr heads a media based ministry called Secrets Unsealed and you can visit his website by clicking here.
The image of the Beast
Let’s bow our heads for prayer.
Our Beloved Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of calling You our Father.
We thank You that You have not left us in this world without guidance, without information about what is happening in the world, and what will soon transpire,so that we can prepare.
We ask, Father, that as we open Your Word today that Your Holy Spirit be with us.
Show us the times we’re living in so that we might prepare properly for the great events that are soon to
take place in this world.
And we thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer, for we ask it in the precious name of Your
Beloved Son, Jesus, Amen.
12 The Image-of the Beast Pastor Stephen Bohr
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12 The Image-of the Beast Pastor Stephen Bohr
plus what I’m going to present in the lecture today, is found in a book that I wrote which is titled, Prophecy’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
There’s a lot more material in the book than what I’ve been able to share in the lectures.
So if you are interested, you can call Secrets Unsealed with the information at the end of the presentation, and they’ll tell you how to get a copy of this very, very important book.
Now we want to review, very briefly, what we studied in the last two lectures.
And we’re going to do it quickly, because we have a lot of material to cover in our lecture today.
First of all, we want to talk about the sea beast. The sea beast, according to what we’ve studied, represents the papacy, the Roman Catholic papacy. The image of the Beast
And then as we studied last night, the land beast of Revelation 13 represents the United States of America. And as we studied the two horns like a lamb, on the head of that beast that rises from the earth, represents two kingdoms: the kingdom of the church, and the kingdom of the state. In other words civil and religious liberty. But Revelation 13 tells us that this second beast is going to do some rather strange things. The image of the Beast
This second beast is going to help the first beast recover its power. In fact this second beast, that rises from the earth, is going to lead the whole world to worship the first beast, and to worship an image of that first beast, and also to receive the mark of the beast, or the number of the beast, which means that this second beast that rises from the earth is functional. Its purpose in prophecy is to restore the first beast to power. And in our lecture today we’re going to talk about the image to the beast.
Of course, an image is a likeness. And so the image is going to be very much like the first beast. So if we know what the first beast was like, we’re going to know what the image of the beast is like as well. Now, as we’ve studied, the two horns like a lamb represent two kingdoms: the church and the state, separate from one another, or we could say that they represent civil liberty, and religious liberty. Civil liberty would have to do with the kingdom of the state, and religious liberty would have to do with the kingdom of the church. But the question is, In Revelation 13 what is represented by the voice of the dragon?
Because the book of Revelation says that this second beast that rises from the earth has two horns like a lamb. In other words, it has these two kingdoms separate from one another, full civil and religious liberty, but then this beast begins speaking as a dragon. What does it mean that this beast speaks as a dragon? Well, we need to understand what the dragon represents in the book of Revelation. And I’m going to go through this quickly, because we don’t have time to read all of the Bible verses. But the best place to understand the meaning of the dragon is in Revelation 12. And I’m just going to give you the picture. We don’t have time to look it up right now. But I’m going to give you the picture of what we find in that chapter. The image of the Beast
The chapter begins by showing a woman that has a child in her womb, and that child is about to be born. And then a dragon is seen who wants to devour the child as soon as the child is born. Now it becomes very obvious that that child who is going be be born is none other than Jesus Christ. And the dragon is waiting for him, to kill him the moment that he’s born.
Now we need to understand that the dragon has a double meaning in this passage. Of course, we know that the dragon is a symbol of Satan, because he’s called the Ancient Serpent, the Devil, and Satan in Revelation 12. So in the first instance the dragon represents Satan. But let me ask you, Through whom did Satan attempt to kill the child? Was it him personally who did it? No. The Bible tells us that it was through a ruler of the Roman Empire; a ruler called Herod. In other words, Satan did it through the medium of a king, King Herod, who was a king of the Roman Empire. In other words, the dragon represents Satan, but the dragon also represents the civil power through which Satan attempted to kill the child. Then you find there in Revelation 12, that the woman, after the child is born, and the child goes to heaven, and he’s caught up to God and to His throne, the Bible tells us the woman has to flee away to the wilderness for years. The image of the Beast
We’ve encountered that prophecy before, haven’t we? She has to flee for 1,260 years from the presence of the dragon. Interesting! The same dragon that wanted to kill the child is the dragon that wants to destroy the woman, or wants to destroy the church. So if at the beginning of Revelation 12 the dragon represents Satan, working through Rome, what must be represented by the dragon who wants to persecute and destroy the woman? It must also be Satan working through whom? through Rome. And we noticed that the little horn is the persecuting power during the 1260 years. And, of course, the little horn represents Satan working through papal Rome. The image of the Beast
So, in other words, the second stage, the dragon trying to destroy the woman, is Rome. The first stage when the dragon wants to destroy the child is Rome. So let me ask you, When this beast that arises from the earth has two horns like a lamb, but it speaks like a dragon, it must mean that it speaks like Satan, but it also speaks like whom? It’s going to speak like Rome. In other words, like the first beast, the sea beast. Are you following what I’m saying? Because all the way through it’s Satan working through the medium of Rome.
Now this second beast is a very unique beast, because every beast in Daniel 7 conquered the beast that came before it. But this is the only beast in Bible prophecy that actually helps the previous beast recover its power. That makes this beast absolutely unique. This beast helps the first beast, or the sea beast, recover its power which it lost. Now it’s become very common in the United States for people to talk about the need to be Christian, and to be patriotic. And many Christians believe that in order to be both, you have to be in favor, for example, of school vouchers, and you have to be in favor of school prayer, and you have to be in favor of federal funds for charitable choice, and you have to be in favor of religious displays on public property, etc. etc.
They say if you don’t believe in those things, you’re not really Christian, and you’re not really patriotic. But let me tell you something, if you’re in favor of those things, of the state mandating those things, which have to do with religion, that is unpatriotic and unchristian. And you say, How do you say that? Let me explain why. You see, the Lord Jesus taught that we’re supposed to render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s. You do not blend the two. And so when Christians are in favor of the government mandating religious things, that is not Christian, because that’s not what Jesus Christ taught. And it’s also not patriotic. And you say, Why isn’t it patriotic? For the simple reason, folks, that the founding fathers of the United States separated church and state.
We found it in our last study in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States the principles upon which this nation is based are the principles of civil and religious liberties, separation of the things of the church from the things of the state. So when Christians say, We need to join the church and the state, that is not patriotic, because it goes against the principles upon which the United States was built; the two principles that are the secret of its power. Now in order to understand the work of the beast of Revelation 13, the beast that rises from the earth, we need to go back to a prophecy that we find in the Old Testament. It’s the prophecy of Daniel 3. The image of the Beast
You see, in Revelation 13 this beast raises an image. It commands everybody to worship the image. Whoever does not worship the image is to be killed. Now that scene comes directly from Daniel 3. And so in order to understand this, we need to go back to Daniel 3. Actually folks, do you know it’s very, very interesting to notice that Daniel 3 is illustrating one of the clauses, actually the First Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. You say, Well, how is this? Let me explain. Nebuchadnezzar was the civil ruler of Babylon, wasn’t he? He was to preserve the civil order. But Nebuchadnezzar raised up an image, and he commanded everyone to what? to worship. Let me ask you, Was this the civil power trying to establish religion? Most certainly. He’s trying to establish a religious observance by raising an image, and saying to everybody, You need to worship this image. Was he overstepping his bounds? Yes, because he had the right to legislate when it came to civil matters, but he did not have a right to command people to worship in a certain way. Let me ask you, When he established this religious observance, what was the immediate result? The image of the Beast
The immediate result folks, was persecution. As you read the book of Daniel, was Daniel a very good citizen of Babylon? Did he respect the king? Did he pray for the king? Did he obey the legitimate civil laws of Babylon? He most certainly did. But when the king overstepped his bounds, and he legislated, he established a religious observance with its civil power, these three young men practiced civil disobedience. The story shows us that the time when we can practice civil disobedience is when the state oversteps its bounds, and legislates the first table of God’s law. It legislates worship. It establishes a worship observance. So let me ask you, In this story, do you find an illustration of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States? Yes. Because the First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law respecting the what? the establishment of religion. And the reason for that is because when the state, or when the civil power establishes religion, the immediate result is what? persecution. The image of the Beast
By the way, Did God intervene to deliver those three young men? Yes. There was no hope to be delivered from the hands of the civil power who wanted to enforce this religious observance. There was no escape unless God directly intervened. And God, actually Jesus Christ, came into the furnace, and He delivered the three young men who obeyed God rather than man. Now in Daniel chapter 6 we have another story that illustrates the Second Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution. You see, we have this story of Daniel 6. The Second Clause of the First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the what? the free exercise thereof. In other words, the government cannot prohibit you from practicing your religion, and it cannot establish a religion and tell you that you have to follow that religion, or you have to follow this practice in this certain way. The image of the Beast
Now where in Daniel do we find an illustration of the free exercise part of the First Amendment to the Constitution? It’s in the story that we find in Daniel 6. Interesting that the first two clauses of the First Amendment to the Constitution are illustrated in the book of Daniel. You say, what story is that? You remember that King Darius, deceived by his advisers, gave a law, or a decree, that no one could pray to any God during a period of how long? During a period of 30 days, no one could pray to their God. Let me ask you, Was Darius establishing religion? No. What was he doing? He was prohibiting the free exercise of religion. He was saying, You can’t pray. He wasn’t saying, You have to pray this way. He said, No, you can’t pray. He’s, in other words, trying to eliminate the free exercise of religion. And you know what happened. Daniel, as usual… He was very obedient to the king’s civil laws. He was greatly respectful of the king. He prayed for the king. He was loyal to him. But when it came to the civil power making this religious decree violating the Free Exercise Clause, so to speak, he opened the windows to his room as he always did three times a day. The image of the Beast
The Bible tells us that he was arrested, and he was thrown into a den of lions. Let me ask you, What happens when the Free Exercise Clause is violated? The immediate result is what? persecution. That’s what happened in the days of Jesus. That’s what happened in the Middle Ages. That’s what’s going to happen at the end of time. This second land beast is going to make an image of the first beast, which means that because the first beast joined church and state, it used the sword of the state. It must mean that this second beast from the earth is also going to use what? is going to use the sword of the state. Because an image is a likeness. The image of the Beast
This beast that rises from the earth is going to be similar to the beast that dominated during the Middle Ages. And, by the way, what was Daniel’s only escape? The law of man could not deliver him, because the laws of the Medes and Persians could not be changed. So who had to intervene to deliver Daniel? God had to intervene to deliver Daniel from the mouths of the lions. By the way, Do you know that neither Nebuchadnezzar, nor Darius really understood what God was trying to teach them?Because immediately after this experience… It’s interesting. Nebuchadnezzar says, Now I forbid anyone to say anything against the God of Daniel. Because if you say anything against the God of Daniel, I’m going to raze your house to the ground, and I’m going to chop you up in pieces. Let me ask you, Did he have a legitimate right to do that? Absolutely not! He was a civil ruler.
He could not say that of the true religion, or of a false religion. And Darius didn’t understand either, because after this experience he says, I command everyone to tremble and to fear before the God of Daniel. No king can command to tremble and to fear before the God of anyone. Because the government has been placed to govern in civil matters, not in religious matters. Are you understanding the picture that we’re talking about here? The Establishment Clause, and the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution of the United States were divinely inspired, because these clauses are actually found illustrated in Holy Scripture. Somebody might say, Pastor Bohr, do you really think that it’s possible in the end time that such a scenario is going to take place? That the United States of America, this beast that rises from the earth, which we clearly identified last time from the Bible, that it would violate the Free Exercise Clause, and the Establishment Clauses of the Constitution of the United States?
Do you really believe that such a thing is possible? Not only do I believe that such a thing is possible, but prophecy tells us that that’s exactly what is going to happen. You see, the papacy destroyed the view of Jesus, and the apostles of the separation of church and state. We studied in one of our lectures that Jesus taught that Caesar’s things, and God’s things are to remain separate. They are not to be blended or mixed. In fact, when the two kingdoms came together, when the Jews used the civil power of Rome the result was persecution and the death of Jesus Christ. The apostles also, in the book of Acts, they never used the civil power of Rome to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Never! They preached the word of God. They used the sword that God gave them. And people were converted, and they joined the church. But they never used the civil power of Rome.
But the Jews used the civil power of Rome to persecute the Christians. You see, the apostolic view was to keep the things of the church, and the things of the state separate. But the papacy changed that during the Middle Ages. The founding fathers of the United States of America returned to the view of Jesus and the apostles when they established the government of the United States of America; a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; a government that recognized that there are two kingdoms in the United States. And we can be citizens of both kingdoms: a civil kingdom, and the religious kingdom, but they should remain always separate. That was the view that Jesus and the apostles had held. But prophecy tells us that in the United States of America these principles will be repudiated, and the United States will return to the position that the papacy had during the 1260 years. In other words, they will make an image of that. And you say, Pastor Bohr, you’re crazy! That could never happen in the United States of America; the land of the free, and the home of the brave. Listen, you don’t think so? You say, Well we have the Constitution. We have the First Amendment. How could this ever happen? Listen, prophecy tells us that this beast that rises from the earth, has two horns like a lamb, but at the same time that it has the horns, it speaks like a dragon.
Let me ask you, Is that kind of like a split personality type? Absolutely! You say, How is it possible that it has two horns like a lamb, the two principles that Jesus recognized: separation of church and state, civil and religious matters, separate one from another. And you’re saying that at the same time that it has those two principles, that it’s going to speak like a dragon? It’s going to speak like Rome? It’s going to persecute like Rome? It’s going to join church and state like Rome? How could you say such a thing? The fact is that prophecy tells us that it’s going to be that type of thing, because it’s still going to have the two horns like a lamb, which we’ve identified as civil and religious liberty. But at the same time that it has those, it’s going to speak like a dragon. In other words, the United States is not necessarily going to eradicate, or get rid of the First Amendment, but it is going to act contrary to the First Amendment. And you say, How is this possible? Well, the United States government has three branches. And you know which ones they are. They’re the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The image of the Beast
The Executive Branch enforces the laws. The Legislative Branch makes the laws, or writes the laws. And the Judicial Branch primarily the Supreme Court, interprets the laws, and tells you whether they are Constitutional or not Constitutional. Let me ask you, What if Congress should write a law and actually give it for enforcement, and it’s taken to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court says this law is unconstitutional. What happens? The law does not go, right? But what happens if the Congress enacts a law that is unconstitutional, and somebody appeals it to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court says it is Constitutional. Let me ask you, Will that law be enforced? It most certainly will be enforced. Even if a law goes against the Constitution, if the Supreme Court says that that law goes, it goes. So let me ask you, Which is the most powerful branch of government? You know, most of the time when I ask this people say, the Executive; they enforce the law. But not really. The most powerful branch of government is the Judicial Branch; primarily the Supreme Court of the United States of America. And if you don’t believe that, all you have to do is remember the election of the year 2000; a very contemporary event.
Do you remember what happened in Florida? all the hanging chads? Ha! Well, you know, that will stick in our memory forever, the fiasco of the hanging chads. And, you know, that you had lawyers involved, and they were taking it to this Circuit Court, and to the Appeals Court, and the lawyers were fighting it. But when the Supreme Court said George Bush won; case closed. George Bush became President of the United States of America. And, actually, the Supreme Court elected the President of the United States of America. The image of the Beast
Now this is the scary thing; the Supreme Court presently has five Roman Catholic Judges: John Roberts, the Chief Justice, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Anthony Kennedy, and Samuel Alito. Within the next eight years or so some of the more liberal judges on the Supreme Court, you know, Judge Justice Ginsburg, for example, was just operated on for, I think it was pancreatic cancer. And so many of these more liberal judges are going to pass. What if we had one or two more Roman Catholics named to the Supreme Court? You say, Well, the Justices are red blooded Americans, you know. They’re patriotic and they’re really Christian. But you know, Roman Catholicism teaches that your first loyalty is to the church. Whatever the church commands, that’s what you do. Even if it means setting the civil power on the back burner you always do what the church says.
You see, the problem is many Protestants today are fascinated by the papacy. And the reason why they’re fascinated by the papacy is because the papacy fights for human rights. It fights for the poor. It fights for morality. It fights for conventional marriage. It fights for religion in America. It even fights for religious freedom. And so Protestants in the United States say, Well, this system has definitely changed. But, you know, I’ve looked in vain for any change in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. They have changed not one dogma. And as we looked at the book, The Keys of This Blood, by Malachi Martin, he clearly expressed that the Roman Catholic papacy has the desire for geopolitical world power once again, as she had during the Middle Ages. In other words, she has not changed. She presents a new facade after Council Vatican II, but inside she’s the same.
Behind the variable appearance of the chameleon there is the invariable venom of the serpent. Now let me read you a couple of statements here from my favorite book on Bible prophecy, The Great Controversy. This, folks, was written over 100 years ago, what I’m going to read now,over 100 years ago! And when it was written the United States wanted nothing to do with the Roman Catholic papacy. It was a Protestant country, and nobody wanted anything to do with this system when she wrote this. But she said the following: The image of the Beast
In order for the United States to form an image of the beast, the religious power must so control the civil government that the authority of the state will also be employed by the church to accomplish her own ends.
Is that what happened in the Middle Ages? Yes. That’s what the image would be; a replica, or a copy of what existed in the Middle Ages; the church using the state to accomplish her purposes. Also in the same book, The Great Controversy, Page 581, this visionary writer says this:
Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.
If she needs to re-establish, it is because she what? lost it. See, the word recover. And this country, folks, will speak like a dragon. It will speak like Rome. On Page 445 she says this: The image of the Beast
When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.
You see, at that time the issue will be global survival. The same argument will be used as was used when Jesus was condemned by the Jewish Sanhedrin. Do you remember what they said? It is better for these dissenter to die, than for our nation to perish. And so the same argument will be used once again, and everybody will say, This is Christian. This is patriotic. We need to do this for the land of the free and the home of the brave. And, folks, there’s a growing intimacy between Protestant America, and Roman Catholicism. The image of the Beast
For example, Protestants have delighted in participating with the Roman Catholic Church on social issues such as abortion, gay marriage, judicial activism, electing people to the Supreme Court that they feel they should elect there. Documents of great significance have been signed; for example, Evangelicals and Catholics together were great leaders of Protestant denominations, and great leaders of the Roman Catholic Church basically said, Let’s stop proselytizing one another’s members, and lets just go out and preach the gospel together. Also, the Lutherans and the Catholics, of all people folks, the Lutherans? Martin Luther was the one who began the Protestant Reformation in the year 1517 when he put the the 95 Theses on the cathedral door in Wittenberg. Lutherans and Roman Catholics signed the Joint Declaration on Righteousness by Faith. And basically the Lutherans are saying it was just a battle over words, over semantics. We basically agree on the doctrine of righteousness by faith.
You see, Protestants in the United States have forgotten history. And when we forget history, we are doomed to repeat the errors of history. On a state level, the United States has drawn very, very close to the Roman Catholic papacy. From the time that Ronald Reagan joined forces with John Paul II to overthrow Communism in the Eastern Block, to giving a Congressional medal to John Paul II, a Congressional Medal of Freedom to establish diplomatic relations with the papacy to three presidents, a president’s wife, and a Secretary of State kneeling before the body of John Paul II, to the pope visiting the White House. All of these things show us that there’s a political correctness involved. There’s this desire to draw forces together. In other words, there’s no longer any desire to be different, to be separate. In fact, many are saying, We are all in this together. Let’s just love one another, and preach the gospel together. The image of the Beast
The question is, Which gospel? Is it the gospel that the Bible presents, or is it the gospel that is presented by the Roman Catholic Church? You know, if history proves right, and I believe that history does prove right, because history repeats itself. Unscrupulous, and self-serving legislators in the United States of America will repeat the same mistake that Pontius Pilate committed back in the times of Jesus Christ. They will give in in order to preserve their position of power, in order to continue being elected by the people, in order to gain popularity they will deliver people whom they knowingly know are innocent. Let me just read Mark 15:11 where it speaks about the trial of Jesus, and it says there: In other words, the enemy of Jesus was not the state.
Pilate didn’t have any gripe with Jesus. Even the multitudes were not really, technically, the enemies of Jesus. It was the religious leaders. And the religious leaders influenced the people to clamor to the state that they would destroy and kill public enemy number one. That’s exactly the way that it’s going to happen in the future in the United States of America; exactly the same thing that happened during the Middle Ages. Ellen White, once again in the book, The Great Controversy, Page 592, has this rather chilling description of this time. She says: The image of the Beast
Those who honor the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be put upon their motives
And you say, Pastor Bohr, that could never happen in the United States of America. Well, folks, that’s not what prophecy says.
Prophecy tells us that this beast from the earth is going to make an image of that first beast. It’s going to join church and state, and eventually it is going to condemn God’s people to death, as happened with Jesus Christ. You see, people today have been unwilling, to a great degree, of learning from the experience of the earliest church. The image of the Beast
You see, what happened in the early church is that the early church lost its power. And as a result of losing its power, the moral condition of society deteriorated. And so the church said, We need to straighten things out. And so, basically, what they did was unite with the civil power to enforce morality, and to enforce religion to moralize society.
Protestantism today is experiencing a drought. You see, Protestants today want to do the same thing that the church did in the third and fourth centuries of the history of the Christian church. You see, the church had gone astray from its roots. It had gone astray from preaching the word of God. The Holy Spirit had slowly but surely been withdrawn from the church.
Therefore the church said, In order for society to be moral, we have to appeal to the arm of the state to force people to be moral. In the United States Protestants today believe that by having on our currency, In God We Trust, and by saying in the Pledge of Allegiance, One nation under God, and by the government mandating prayer in public schools, and by posting the Ten Commandments in our court rooms, and by having Christmas displays on public property, or by enacting a Constitutional Amendment against gay marriage we say society is going to become moral. Let me tell you, folks, what makes people moral is not what the government says, but it is God, through the Holy Spirit, taking the law and writing it on the human heart.
Then you don’t need any human laws. You don’t need any civil laws to enforce morality in society. Because Jesus is in the heart through His Holy Law. You see, Protestantism has lost its power. Instead of preaching the unadulterated word of God, through the powerful ministration of God’s Holy Spirit, Protestants today preach a prosperity gospel. They say, Oh, plant a seed in my ministry and you’ll get rich. Many Protestant churches major in signs and wonders, and people just love signs and wonders. Other Protestant denominations major in psychological self help courses. And many even major in political involvement, thinking that this is going to better people’s lives. The image of the Beast
But Scripture tells us that that which can improve people’s lives is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, which penetrates deep, and transforms the heart of the human being. You know what’s going to happen folks, is described in Revelation 17. We’ve studied this before, but let me review some of the details. In Revelation 17 you have a harlot, and that harlot is sitting on many waters. The many waters on which the harlot sits are multitudes, nations, tongues, and peoples. In other words, this fallen church, this apostate church, sits on the multitudes of the worlds. She governs them, and she controls them. And she also fornicates with the kings of the earth, which means that this is an apostate church, a harlot church that has illicit relations with the kings of the earth. The image of the Beast
It says there in Revelation 17 that this apostate church is clothed in purple and scarlet. Those are her favorite colors. And she’s adorned with gold and silver, and with precious stones. And she has a golden cup in her hand. And with the golden cup are found her abominations, or her wine. And she gives those false doctrines, or abominations, to the nations. And the nations drink, and the nations become drunk. And along with her, they want to shed the blood of all of those who are not in harmony with her teachings.
And she appeals to the kings of the earth to be the enforcers. But as we studied, the Bible says in Revelation 17:16, 17, that the kings will hate the harlot, and they will make her desolate, and naked, and eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. Basically what this is saying is that the political powers with which this apostate church fornicated, the political powers that she used to accomplish her purpose, are going to eventually rise against her to destroy her. I’d like to read you another statement that we find in The Great Controversy, Page 655,that describes this climatic moment when people realize that they’ve been deceived by this system.
The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. “We are lost!” they cry, “and you are the cause of our ruin;” and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that once admired them most will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels will be raised for their destruction. The swords which were to slay God’s people are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed.
It’s a serious thing to be a minister. If you’re a minister don’t deceive people. Study your Bible, and make sure that you’re teaching the truth. The day is coming; the reckoning day is coming. She continues saying: Interesting that she uses the words swords.
Let me ask you, What happened at the French Revolution? Did you have a small scale model of this event in the French Revolution? What did this beast, this sea beast do during the 1260 years? The image of the Beast
It used the state to persecute and kill everyone who was not in harmony with it. Is that true, or is that not true? It is absolutely true.
All you have to do is punch into the computer, inquisition, and that will give you all of the gory details of how the church used the state to persecute those who were not in harmony with the church. Well, the fact is folks, that what happened in 1798 is that, actually even before, during the French Revolution, the people said, We’re not going to put up with this anymore. In other words, the lid of the pressure cooker blew off. Because the people had been so oppressed, and so trampled upon, that they said, We’re not going to take it anymore. And they arose against the kings, and they arose against the religious system. In fact historians say that the blood flowed freely in the streets of Paris in France, because they rose against the church. The image of the Beast
Is that going to happen again when the people of the world see that this system has oppressed them, and has trampled upon them? Absolutely! Reckoning day will definitely come. The Bible describes this moment when God’s people are in jeopardy. Do you remember in Daniel 3 when the three young men were delivered from the fiery furnace? The word delivered is used several times in chapter 3.
Do you remember when Daniel was delivered from the lions den? The word delivered is used many times. Those stories are typological. In other words, those stories actually illustrate in small scale model, what is going to happen at the end of time. And you say, How is that?
Notice Daniel 12:1. Here is where you have the end times scenario of Daniel in the lions den, and the three young men in the fiery furnace. It says in Daniel 12:1, At that time…
If you look at the previous verses, it speaks about the King of the North that goes out to kill and slay God’s people. It says:
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Let me ask you, Was the time that Daniel spent in the lion’s den a time of trouble? Do you think it was a time of trouble for the three young men in the fiery furnace? You’d better believe it! And so it says: There’s the key word in Daniel 3 and Daniel 6. And you say, How do you know this is talking about the end time? Notice verse 2.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
It’s speaking about the resurrection, right? This is the end time. The image of the Beast
Now I would like us to take a look at two stories as we draw our presentation today to a close. Do you remember the story that we find in the book of Esther?
You see, you have a three fold alliance in the book of Esther that wants to destroy the Jews. You have, first of all the king, secondly you have a vile woman who is the wife of Haman, and in the third place, of course, you have Haman. And then you have Mordecai, who represents God’s faithful people. Now how does this story develop?
Go with me to Esther 3:8, Esther 3:8. It says: The image of the Beast
And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.
So how does the plot develop? Haman, because Mordecai does not bow before him, as the king has commanded… See, there you have a religious decree. The king has commanded that everybody needs to kneel and bow before Haman. Mordecai says, I can’t do that. I’m a Hebrew. Thou shalt not have any other God’s before Me. The image of the Beast
The Bible forbids idolatry, he said. So I can’t do it. So the Bible says that Haman was filled with wrath. And he said, I’ve got to destroy this individual. But he says, Not only him. I’ve got to destroy all of his people. Let me ask you, Did you have a union of church and state in this story? You most certainly did. The king was Ahasuerus. The image of the Beast
Who was the religious figure that really wanted the destruction of the Jews? Did the king want the death of the Jews? No! He was deceived by his what? by his religious adviser, right? And he actually thought that his religious adviser was doing him some good. He says, Wow, thank you so much Haman. These people are a risk to my kingdom. If we let them remain then the kingdom is going to disappear, and there’s going to be anarchy. Thank you for being so interested in my kingdom.
So for awhile the plot goes real well. But to make a long story short, instead of Mordecai and his people being destroyed. Who hung on the very gallows that he created for Mordecai? The image of the Beast
Haman and his wife hung on those gallows that they had made for Mordecai. And on the day of the battle God’s people were delivered from the hand of Haman. So in this story we find an illustration of what we’re talking about here. An illustration of the dangers of having a religious figure try to influence a political figure into punishing those who do not worship as this union says that it’s supposed to worship. And as a result what do you have? You have persecution. The image of the Beast
Now there’s another interesting story that we find in Scripture. And this will illustrate fully, and completely, the scenario that we’re portraying here that’s going to happen to the United States of America. Do you remember the story of John the Baptist? You know, John the Baptist was thrown into prison. Why was he thrown into prison? Because he told king Herod that it was not licit for him to have another man’s wife. The image of the Beast
By the way, what is that called? adultery. So what did John the Baptist denounce? He denounced adultery of the king with this vile woman. What was her name? Herodias. Interesting! And that landed him in jail. The fact that he denounced the fornication of the king with this vile woman, Herodias. The image of the Beast
And so the Bible says that Herodias hated John the Baptist. She wanted to get rid of him. But the problem is, evidentially the king didn’t listen to her very much, and so she was always looking for the opportunity. She says, How can I get rid of this man who denounces this relationship that I have with the king? The image of the Beast
So an opportune day came when king Herod was celebrating his birthday. And it just so happens that this vile woman had a daughter. And the name of the daughter was Salome. And this is when Herodias, this adulterous woman, this fornicating woman, who was fornicating with the king, because the king was not her husband. She said to her daughter… By the way, the king was under the influence. He had drunk wine. So he wasn’t thinking straight in this story. There’s music involved. Just like in Daniel 3 you have music involved. Which the wrong kind of music can bewitch you. The wrong kind of music can hypnotize you. Hello! The Devil knows that. That’s why he’s using it in the world today.
So she notices that the king is drunk. And she says to the daughter, You know, go in and dance for the king, because the king had his eye on her. So she goes in. The king says, Please dance for me. I want to see you dance. She says, Only if you grant me a wish. And he says, Oh, yes, I’ll grant you any wish you want, up to half the kingdom. He had to be drunk to offer half the kingdom for a dance. The image of the Beast
The Bible says that he swore in the presence of the men that were in the court. He said, I will give you what you request, up to half the kingdom. And so Salome went in and danced. And then she went to… Listen to this, she went to her mother. She did not have a mind of her own. She was the image of her mother. She went to her mother, this adulterous woman that John the Baptist landed in jail, because he was denouncing this fornication. In Revelation is there a message against the fornication of Babylon at the end of time? Absolutely! The image of the Beast
You see, this literal story illustrates great spiritual and religious principles at the end of time; worldwide global movements at the end of time. And so she goes to her mother and says, Mother, what should I ask for? And her mother says, The head of John the Baptist. Let me ask you, Was she just like her mother? She was just like her mother. You say, How do we know that? You know, what would a normal daughter have done if her mother had said, I want the head of Pastor Bohr? Mother! I hope that that would be the case. Mother! How is it that you ask for the head of Pastor Bohr? No! That can’t be! The image of the Beast
You know what she said? Okay. Was she just like her mother? She was identical. She was an image of her mother. And so she goes to the king. She says, I want, on a platter, the head of John the Baptist. And now the king saw that he had been deceived, but it was too late. He was too embarrassed to go against his sworn statement before all of the courtiers that were in there. And so he did what Pilate did. He washed his hands. The image of the Beast
The Bible says that the henchman went into the prison and beheaded John the Baptist. And the interesting thing is the way that this story ends, folks. If you read this story that, by the way, is in Mark 6:14, all the way through verse 28. It says that the man who cut off John the Baptist’s head brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it, or the daughter gave it to her mother. Who is the dangerous figure in this story? The dangerous figure in this story is the mother. Not the king, not the daughter, but the daughter is used as an instrument for the mother to get her purposes accomplished. Let me ask you, Does the harlot of Revelation 17 have daughters? She’s called the mother of harlots, and the fornications of the earth. Are her daughters going to do her bidding? The image of the Beast
They were born from her in the 16th Century, and they sustain many of the same teachings that she sustains. And eventually they will join church and state, as she joined church and state. And eventually they will be the instrument; they are not the protagonist. They will be the instrument through which she, the mother of harlots, will give a death decree against God’s people; for God’s people to be eradicated from planet Earth. You say, Pastor Bohr, what you’ve presented is insane. It could never happen in these United States of America. Let me tell you, folks, in a time of severe crisis, natural disasters, a collapsed economy, crime such as never has been seen before, nations do very strange things. And they have the tendency to look for a scapegoat for what is happening. The image of the Beast
And you know, when I sit down and I think about these things, I’m saddened, because this is a great country. I wouldn’t have wanted to have been born in any other country in the world than the United States. Not because it has more people, or has more money, or because it’s scenery is more beautiful. No, but because of the wonderful principles upon which this country was established. And when I think that the United States is going to repudiate those principles, I’m deeply saddened. What could have been and wasn’t. Now the question is, What religious observance is the United States going to enforce? You say, It’s going to enforce religion, and it’s going to prohibit the free exercise of religion. So what religious observance, or observances is the United States going to enforce contrary to its principles? The image of the Beast
Would you like to know? Well, all I can say is don’t miss the next exciting episode. Allow me just to say that in our next lecture we’re going to talk about the number of the beast. Fascinating study! It’s the number of his name, the Bible says. You say, How do you get a number from a name? The image of the Beast
We’re going to talk about that tomorrow, and it’s going to be a fascinating subject. And I hope that you make it a point to come, because what we’re talking about are life and death matters folks.
This is not just intellectual information.
These are matters of life and death that we know them, or else we’ll come out on the wrong side.
I pray to God that we will choose to be on the right side. The image of the Beast