The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

Harlot, and Antichrist in Rome and the Popedom; a step of advance actually taken ere the
termination of the twelfth century, by the Waldenses, or orthodox associated Paulikians,
and other sectaries. Just at this time the mighty act was done of the translation and
circulation of the Scriptures, far and wide, in the vulgar tongue. Then the witnesstestimony
might indeed be considered to have been brought to its culminating point and
perfected.
"And what then followed? Forthwith the Popedom--of which previously, the separate
members alone, acting independently of the Head [the Pope] had moved against heretics-roused
itself collectively in the third Lateran General Council of 1179, and declared war
against them."
Putting the witnesses to death
In Rev. 17:7-18 we learn that the ten-horned beast represented the Papal Roman Empire in
its divided state, the ten horns representing the ten European kingdoms under the power
or control of the Papacy; the Papacy itself being represented by the beast's head; or in
other words the beast's head was the ruling power at Rome. In Rev. 13:7 we have reference
made to this "war against the saints": "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 in verse 5 it is stated that his dominion will continue "forty and two
months."
This awful beast, representing a masterpiece of satanic ingenuity in the form of a great evil
system, was said to come forth from the abyss (the deep), that is, it was born of the
invisible powers of darkness, and originated out of the ignorance, superstition, and
depravity of humanity--of which Satan took advantage. The kingdoms presided over by
Papacy for a long time before the Reformation were all united together as persecutors of
Christ's true followers, being incited by Papacy; but up to a certain time the object of such
war was to cause them to recant and to join themselves to the Roman Catholic
communion. The warring mentioned in the Scripture under consideration, however,
differs from the other in that the avowed object of this war was to kill, exterminate,
destroy them, and thus silence their testimony. This seemingly successful attempt of
Papacy to exterminate Christ's faithful witnesses is recorded by all historians, and meets
fully all the requirements of this symbolic vision. We quote in this connection:
"At the third Lateran Council (AD 1179), the Popedom roused itself collectively to a war of
extermination against heretics. Previous to this, separate members of the system, acting
alone and independently, had opposed the truth by force and cruelty. But in the thirteenth,
fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, Romanism then in the plenitude of its power, gathered
itself together for a great, determined, united, and persistent effort to crush out all that
opposed its supremacy, and to clear Christendom of heresy. . . . During these three
centuries . . . the furnace was heated seven times hotter than it was wont to be heated.
Persecution raged systematically. The fourth Lateran Council in 1215, sanctioned all
former plans for the extirpation of heresy, urged their adoption with renewed vigor and