The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

"What appears most probable is, that this 'image' and representative of the 'beast' is the
Pope. He is probably the idol of the Church. . . . He is nothing more than a private person,
without power and without authority, till the two-horned beast or the corrupted clergy, by
choosing him pope, give life unto him and enable him to speak and utter his decrees, and
to persecute even to death, as many as refuse to submit to him and to worship him."
Stephen N. Haskel, a Seventh Day Adventist, in The Story of the Seer of Patmos, published in
1905, thus writes about this matter:
"The beast which came up out of the earth in the sight of the Prophet [St. John], symbolizes
the United States; and the two horns represent the two foundation principles of the
government, Protestantism and Republicanism. . . . The life of Protestantism is gone, the
life of Democracy is lost. The professed Protestant nation is imitating the Papal power of
Rome, thus forming the image to the beast. As time progresses, it will be seen that the
image will receive, more and more, the life of the beast. . . . America is the home of
Protestantism, but her churches today are Protestant only in name. . . . Two things
characterize the Remnant [true Church] people during the formation of the image of the
beast. According to Rev. 12:17, they keep the commandments of God and have the spirit of
prophecy."
Mrs. E. G. White, another Seventh Day Adventist expositor, in The Great Controversy
Between Christ and Satan, a work published in 1888, has thus commented on this vision:
"The prophecy of Rev. 13 declares that the power represented by the beast with lamb-like
horns, shall cause 'the earth and them that dwell therein' to worship the Papacy--there
symbolized by the beast 'like unto a leopard.' The beast with two horns is also to say 'to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast'; and,
furthermore, it is to command all, 'both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond' to
receive 'the mark of the beast.' It has been shown that the United States is the power
represented by the beast with lamb-like horns, and that this prophecy will be fulfilled
when the United States shall enforce Sunday observance, which Rome claims as the special
acknowledgment of her supremacy."
It will be noted that all these expositors, except Adventist, apply this vision of the twohorned
beast, to the Papacy--the Roman Catholic Church or hierarchy in some one or other
of its forms or aspects. We cannot concur in these interpretations, as it would seem hardly
proper to apply the vision in any sense to Papacy in its association with the ten kingdoms
of Western Europe, for the simple reason that it is definitely stated to be another, a second
beast.
Another strong objection to thus applying the vision is that the Scriptures interpret horns
to represent kingdoms or governments. In Dan. 7:24, the ten horns are explained by the
revealing angel to represent ten kings or kingdoms. In Dan. 8:20 the two horns seen on the
ram are explained to be two kings or kingdoms--the kingdoms of Media and Persia; and
the "notable horn" that is seen on the goat is explained to be the king of Grecia, understood
quite generally to be Alexander the Great and his sons, the latter reigning for a brief time