Image to the Beast - Study Continued

Continuing from yesterday-  The Image to the Beast.

What is the image? Who is the image? Does the image already exist? Will the making of the image take time? What happens once the image is made?  

The image is and image of what, who? Rev. 13:11-15

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 exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

And deceiveth 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.

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The image once finished will be given life by it's creator. Once that image is given life it will speak. Once the image speaks it will demand that all who do not worship it be killed.

The beast who comes up out of the earth having two horns like a lamb, he tells those on the earth to make this image to the beast, the beast which had a wound by a sword and did live.

Rev 19:20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

The beast, the false prophet- miracle working to DECEIVE those that RECEIVED the mark of the beast,  and them that worshipped his IMAGE.

The questions are-

What is the image? The answer, well we have to know what the beast is so we know what its image is.

Do you remember this?

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

We know that mankind was made in God's image. So we know that God is like us, and yet, we know that we fell away from God we corrupted ourselves and tarnished our image. We were MADE in God's image- but we did not remain with God- so to say we are still as we were created to be might not be true. And yet, God took on flesh, our corrupted flesh. God took on our corrupted likeness. God became what we had turned ourselves into, and yet He did not sin, not once proving that it is not impossible for this flesh through HIM to keep from sinning.  Even though we - through sin - corrupted the image we were created with, we have been redeemed.

Now when we talk about an image being made of a beast we know that just as we were created in God's image this image is created in the beast image.   

So we have to conclude that we must know the BEAST.  If we know the beast then we can know its image, right?  

Can others know God by our image?

Joh 14:19  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Joh 15:4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Joh 14:21  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

It is possible, yes? We look upon each other and have a general idea about what we are, but we don't know, truly know each other by just looking. A murderer can masquerade as a loving person.  Evil can hide behind a smile and we never know.   

Our image is more than how we look though, isn't it?  Our image is what we are.  Tarnishing someone's image is making them appear bad in some way, right? It's smearing their name, it's making them look bad, ruining their reputation.  Having a good image, is appearing as a good, kind, generous, loving person.

Now, back to the beast.

The beast is without any doubt whatsoever Papal Rome after it's fall in 1798, and after it's wound is fully healed, something that has been accomplished. Papal Rome, a religious political power.  At one time Papal Rome was a very dominating power, it was stripped of it's dominating power in 1798 by Napoleon. Then in 1929 -

'The agreements included a political treaty which created the state of the Vatican City and guaranteed full and independent sovereignty to the Holy See. The Pope was pledged to perpetual neutrality in international relations and to abstention from mediation in a controversy unless specifically requested by all parties. In the first article of the treaty, Italy reaffirmed the principle established in the 4 March 1848 Statute of the Kingdom of Italy, that "the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Religion is the only religion of the State". The attached financial agreement was accepted as settlement of all the claims of the Holy See against Italy arising from the loss of temporal power in 1870.'  (Wikipeida- Lateran Treaty)

And since then -

'The Holy See—as distinguished from the city-state of the Vatican City—has long been recognised as a subject of international law and as an active participant in international relations. It remains such, and indeed one observer has said that its interaction with the world has, in the period since World War II, been at the highest point it has ever had.[

Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_the_Holy_See> '

Click on that link above and go read just how involved the Holy See is in world affairs.   There is way too much for me to put in this article.  

Rev_13:3  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.

Rev_13:12  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

Deadly wound.

That beast's deadly wound was HEALED.  And all the world is wondering after that beast.

Today, right now, October 17, 2013, the Holy See, Papal Rome, is very popular. Yes, there have been scandals throughout the years but right now with the new Pope- Francis- people are pleased with the Vatican more than they have been in many years.

The wound healed.

We have to know this beast - and its power.  The image of this beast, what this beast represents will be made here, right here in the United States.

The Pope has a unique position in the Vatican. He has Cardinals, Bishops, Priests and such all beneath him in power and yet he does little without their counsel.  It's a system - political and religious.  Here in the U.S we have a system political and intent to keep religion separate from the politics. Yet, all the while we have said that the two must be separate the confusion arises when it is realized that religion is a PART of a person if they truly have religion at all. To take religion out of all politics would necessitate all politicians have no religion- and that is a depriving them the right to have a religion- isn't it?  How can the people be represented if their belief systems are not represented? What Christian wants an atheist representing them in politics?  Everything is intertwine d. Our political system is corrupt we all know this, and people seem to be at the mercy of the system.

Do we have an image to the beast in the making?

Has our system taken, or is it taking steps to become a power controlling religion and politics? To worship the image after it has been created is to die eternally. We truly need to know what this image is, how far have we gone towards it's creation, and whether or not we will be compelled to worship it.

No signs are going to be held up, no engraving is going to be made, no tweet, no newsflash, none of that will made telling us it is here. Signs are given to us to watch for. Instructions are given to us.

We are told that it will be an image of a beast we can know everything about.

Truly, we do have to study the beast in order to recognize the image.

Are we doing that?

More tomorrow...by the grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST!

Some might think this is all unimportant nonsense, but why then did our Lord give this to us? Why? If we aren't to understand, then why?  Our Lord is returning and I want to be HIS when He returns. I don't want to be deceived. I don't want to worship a beast, I don't want to receive the mark of the beast! I want to be among the very elect! I want to belong to Jesus! Please Lord, bless us as we study, as we seek Your truth, Your love! Let the Holy Spirit guide us! All in YOU!