The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

That this expositor at that time believed that the "image of the beast" began to meet its
fulfillment some years previous to the time he wrote these words, will be seen from the
following language:
"We have already pointed out a general organization of 'the image of the beast' effected in
1846, and are waiting for what in the symbol is referred to as the 'giving of life to the
image.'"
In order to understand this symbolic vision, which in some of its features evidently
describes the most prominent events connected with the closing scenes of the Gospel Age
now terminating, it will be helpful, indeed necessary, to have a clear understanding of the
present state of Christendom as it is viewed from the Divine standpoint. The reason for
this is that it has been from out of these conditions, undoubtedly, that the image of the
beast has been rising, and that its symbolic actions have been and will continue to be
gradually meeting their fulfillment. It is also quite essential to be acquainted with the
prophetic utterances of Christ and the Apostles that portray Christendom's (both Roman
Catholic and Protestant) present fallen condition. Let us therefore refresh our minds with a
brief summary of the present condition of Christendom as it appears from the standpoint
of enlightened Bible students, who have an understanding of the true mission and work of
the Church in this Gospel Age.
Western Christendom is divided into two parts, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
The Papacy since 1870 has ceased to be a "head" of the symbolic beast, in the Scriptural
sense of that term, for the reason that then it ceased to exercise even a limited civil or
political authority--no longer since then having a territory of its own over which it has an
autocratic control in either civil or religious matters. It lost every vestige of civil authority,
when in 1870 it was obliged to surrender the city of Rome to Victor Immanuel. As an
ecclesiastical system, however, it is still the most powerful and the most united of any
religious system in the world, and at the present time it is anticipating that soon it will
regain its former power. In this respect, and as noting Protestantism's attitude towards
Rome, the "mother," the words of a noted Protestant clergyman of New York, uttered on
the occasion of an Inter-church conference recently, are very significant:
"When an official of the Roman Church was approached on the question of cooperating
with Protestant Churches in this movement [of world evangelization], he pointed out that
while Roman Catholicism was united, Protestantism is going in every direction. He
observed that when Protestantism has found itself sufficient to unite, it will be time to
suggest cooperating with a united Roman Church. So it is (this clergyman proceeds to say)
that the world today looks eagerly to the Protestant Churches, and listens for their
message; pre-eminently for the necessity of a united Protestantism."
This unity, according to this Protestant (?) clergyman, has not been fully perfected as yet,
although from the rapid advances that have been made since the great war, it seems
evident that it will very soon be accomplished. When this is completed, the next logical
step will be to imitate Papacy and appoint an administrative head. In this respect the