Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/265

 Kingdoms of this Wwld* 2g

himself to appear as an angel of light (2 Cor. n r i4)> as Home transformed itself from heathenism and claimed to be Christian the Kingdom of Christ*

After giving some details regarding this last or Roman beast, and especially of its peculiar or Papal horn, the Prophet states that judgment against this horn would be rendered, and it would begin to lose its dominion, which would be consumed by gradual process until the beast should be destroyed.

This beast or Roman Empire in its horns or divisions still exists, and will be slain by the rising of the masses of the people, and the overthrow of governments, in the "Day of the Lord," preparatory to the recognition of the heav- enly rulership. This is clearly shown from other Scrip- tures yet to be examined. However, the consuming of the Papal horn comes first. Its power and influence began to consume when Napoleon took the Pope prisoner to France. Then, when neither the curses of the Popes nor their prayers delivered them from Bonaparte's power, it became evident to the nations that the divine authority and power claimed by the Papacy were without foundation. After that, the temporal power of the Papacy waned rapidly until, in Sep- tember, 1870, it lost the last vestige of its temporal power at the hands of Vidor Emmanuel.

Nevertheless, during all that time in which it was being "consumed," it kept uttering its great swelling words of blasphemy, its last great utterance being in 1870, when, but a few months before its overthrow, it made the declaration of the infallibility of the Popes. All this is noted in the

personal devil : rather the reverse. It is because there are such beasts ae lions, bears and leopards, with known characteristics, that govern- ments were likened to them; and so, it is because there is a Devil, with known characteristics, that the fourth empire is likened to him-
 * The fact that Rome is called *<the Devil" by no means disproves a

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