The Book of Daniel - Number Ninety-Three

The book of Daniel identifies that it is Rome that establishes the vision, and that understanding was opposed by the Protestants of Millerite history when William Miller identified this fact. In the last days, it is still Rome that establishes the vision, and today Laodicean Adventism now upholds the fallen Protestant view that the robbers of thy people are Antiochus Epiphanes. The covenant people that were being passed by in Millerite history resisted the very same truth, that is now resisted by the covenant people of the last days that are now being passed by. Solomon said it well:

Prophetically there are three manifestations of Rome, and the first two manifestations identify the characteristics of the third, for truth is established upon the testimony of two.

The religion of pagan Rome was paganism, and paganism is a counterfeit of true religion. It is not so much a counterfeit in the sense that counterfeit currency is understood, for paganism actually looks nothing like true religion. But prophetically it has counterfeit characteristics. The City of Rome is a counterfeit of Jerusalem, and it has a temple (the Pantheon) that was a counterfeit of the temple in Jerusalem. The religious practices of paganism are unsanctified and devilish, but they represent Satan’s counterfeit religious practices. The head of pagan Rome’s religion was titled Pontifex Maximus. “Pontifex Maximus” originally referred to the chief priest of the Roman state religion in ancient Rome, with its origins dating back to the early Roman Republic. Over time, it became associated with political and religious authority and eventually evolved into the title used by the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church today.

The title of the chief priest of pagan Rome was Pontifex Maximus, and it was also the title of the chief priest of papal Rome and it is a Latin term that means the “Greatest of Supreme Pontiff.” He was the chief priest of the Roman state religion, particularly the cult of the god Jupiter. The Pontifex Maximus had significant religious authority and responsibilities, including overseeing various religious rites and ensuring the proper functioning of the Roman religious calendar. The Pontifex Maximus was the head of the College of Pontiffs (Collegium Pontificum), a group of priests responsible for interpreting and maintaining the rituals of Roman religion.

The chief priest of both pagan and papal Rome was Pontifex Maximus, therefore the title of the head of modern Rome will naturally also be Pontifex Maximus. The religion of pagan Rome was paganism, and the religion of papal Rome was, and still is, paganism, but cloaked by a profession of Christianity, and the religion of last-day modern Rome will be paganism, cloaked by a profession of Christianity.

Both pagan and papal Rome had a specific period of time that they would rule supremely. Pagan Rome was to rule supremely for three hundred and sixty years in fulfillment of the time prophecy of Daniel chapter eleven, verse twenty-four.

The subject of verse twenty-four is pagan Rome, for they became the subject in verse sixteen, and continue as the subject until verse thirty-one. We will address these verses specifically in coming articles, but here we are simply pointing out that prophecy identified that pagan Rome would rule supremely for three hundred and sixty years, as represented by Rome “forecasting” their “devices against the strong holds, even for a time.” The word translated “against” actually means “from,” and the verse is saying that Rome would direct the world “from” the “strong holds,” which was the City of Rome, and it would do so for a “time”, which is three hundred and sixty years.

Pagan Rome began to rule supremely at the Battle of Actium, in 31 BC, and continued to rule supremely until the year 330 AD, when Constantine moved the capital of the empire from the stronghold of the City of Rome, to the City of Constantinople. Then the empire began its infamous decline. The City of Rome was the prophetic “strong hold” for pagan Rome, and when it ruled from that city it was invincible. In the warfare that followed Constantine’s transfer of power, the City of Rome became the target of attack for Genseric and the invading barbarian tribes, who are represented by the first four Trumpets of Revelation chapter eight.

For this reason in Daniel chapter eleven, verse thirty-one, the “arms” (pagan Rome) that stood up for the papacy, first polluted the “sanctuary of strength.” The City of Rome is the prophetic “sanctuary of strength” for both pagan and papal Rome, for in the year 330, with the transfer of pagan authority to Constantinople, the City of Rome was left to papal Rome that was on the rise. For this reason, Revelation chapter thirteen, verse two says the dragon (pagan Rome), gave papal Rome its “seat.” A “seat” is where a power rules from, and from the year 538 through to 1798, papal Rome ruled supremely as had pagan Rome ruled supremely for “a time”.

Prophecy identifies a specific period of time when both pagan and papal Rome would rule supremely, and when they did so it would be from their seat of authority, which was the City of Rome. Pagan Rome’s invincibility ended when they left the City of Rome, marking the end of the three hundred and sixty years, represented as a “time” in verse twenty-four, and when the twelve hundred and sixty years of papal rule ended in 1798, Napoleon had the pope taken out of the City of Rome and he died in exile.

Pagan Rome and Papal Rome establish that modern Rome will rule supremely for a specific prophetic period in the last days. “Time is no longer”, but the period of papal persecution of the last days is a specific period that begins at the soon-coming Sunday law in the United States and continues until human probation closes, when Michael stands up and pronounces, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

Pagan Rome persecuted Christians in the Colosseum in the City of Rome during its bloody history, and Christian historians have estimated that during the Dark Ages of papal rule one hundred million martyrs were murdered by the papacy, but the papacy denies that claim and sets the estimate at about fifty million. Pagan and papal Rome both persecuted God’s faithful, and modern Rome will also persecute God’s faithful people in the last days.

Pagan Rome overcame three geographical obstacles as it took control of the world. Papal Rome overcame three geographical obstacles as it took control of the world. Modern Rome overcame the King of the South (the atheistic Soviet Union) in 1989, and will next overthrow the glorious land (the United States) at the soon coming Sunday law. It will then overcome Egypt (the entire world).

In order to defend the truth that identifies the “glorious land” of Daniel eleven verse forty-one as a symbol of the United States, the Lion of the tribe of Judah opened to the students of prophecy of the last days the principle of the triple application of prophecy. The light from those last six verses, have been established by applying the history represented by “the daily” in the book of Daniel, as set forth in verse thirty-one of Daniel eleven, unto the last six verses of the chapter. The same bedrock truth (“the daily”), that became the key of Miller’s prophetic framework, also produced the prophetic framework of the last days. Miller’s framework was based upon the two desolating powers of paganism and papalism that persecuted God’s people, and the framework of the last days is based upon the three desolating powers that persecute God’s people in the last days.

The increase of knowledge represented in the last six verses of Daniel eleven, that represent the increase of knowledge that arrived in 1989, and that are represented by the Hiddekel River, was resisted by the enemies of truth. That resistance led to an understanding of the principle of the triple application of prophecy, which was first recognized as a triple application of Rome, which is the subject that establishes the vision of prophetic history.

The triple application of the three manifestations of Rome identifies that pagan and papal Rome’s religion is paganism, and that their religion is governed by a man titled Pontifex Maximus. Those two manifestations of Rome identify that three geographical powers are removed in advance of them ruling supremely for a specified period of time, and that they will rule from the seven-hilled city of Rome, which is their sanctuary of strength. They both witnessed to the fact that they persecuted God’s faithful people. Therefore, based upon these two witnesses we know that modern Rome’s religion will be paganism, and that she will be directed by the pope of Rome whose title is Pontifex Maximus.

Before the great whore takes control and rules supremely modern Rome will need to overcome three obstacles, and the first obstacle is past history with the demise of the Soviet Union in 1989, Rome’s atheistic enemy that resisted Rome’s power in Europe. The next obstacle is overthrown at the soon coming Sunday law in the United States, and then the United Nations will give its authority unto modern Rome for a short space. Once it is fully enthroned the persecution of the last days will take place.

The book of Daniel, and especially Revelation chapter eight, provide the prophetic characteristics of Rome, which contribute to the correct understanding of modern Rome. One of those characteristics was the division of the Roman Empire into East and West as accomplished by Constantine in the year 330. Pagan Rome and papal Rome, when considered together, also speak to the twofold nature of Rome. Constantine’s division that produced western and eastern Rome is a second witness to pagan and papal Rome. Constantine set up the civil authority in the east, and left the ecclesiastical authority in the west. Pagan Rome represented statecraft and papal Rome represented churchcraft. The east was statecraft, the west was churchcraft as typified by the iron and clay of Daniel two, or the masculine horn and feminine horn of Daniel eight, or the beasts of prey of Daniel seven, and the sanctuary beasts of Daniel eight.

Modern Rome will also be twofold in nature, consisting of a combination of church and state, of iron and clay, and of churchcraft and statecraft, but Modern Rome is also threefold in nature. In Revelation chapter eight both western and eastern Rome were literally and symbolically divided into three. Constantine ruling from eastern Rome literally divided his kingdom to his three sons, and western Rome was symbolically represented by the sun, moon and stars that represented the threefold form of government that was employed by the Roman Empire. Thus, Modern Rome, though being twofold of churchcraft and statecraft, would also represent a threefold union represented by the dragon, the beast and the false prophet.

The manifestations of pagan and papal Rome identify the complex prophetic makeup of the final Modern Rome. It is the threefold union that takes place at the soon coming Sunday law that leads the world to Armageddon. It is the worldwide “Image of the Beast” which is a symbol of the combination of Church and State. Its head is Pontifex Maximus, who rules from the City of Rome, which is the seat of his power. The man of sin’s civil authority will be provided by the United Nations, and the world will be forced to accept the threefold, yet dual system of the antichrist, by the coercive power of the United States. Thus, just as pagan Rome (the dragon) in Revelation thirteen, verse two, gave the papacy “his power, his seat and great authority”, the United States, as typified by pagan Rome, accomplishes the same three works for modern Rome. The seat is Vatican City in the seven-hilled city of Rome, the authority is the United Nations, and the power is the United States. Together they lead the world to a place where the papacy “shall come to his end, and none shall help him”.

We will continue this study in the next article.