Revelation 13 is crucial because it outlines key prophetic events related to the rise of global religious and political powers that will play a central role in the final crisis. Despite having separate names, the first beast and the image that is forming are one in purpose and one in spirit. The image of the beast cannot exist apart from the beast, just as a shadow cannot exist without the body that casts it. This connection is something that is revealed in the writings of inspiration.
“The professed Protestant world will form a confederacy with the man of sin” (Last Day Events, p. 130).
Once the fiercest opponents of papal authority, Protestants today have rejected their historical and biblical stance and abandoned the “protest.” Instead of warning the world about Rome’s plan to reclaim its lost spiritual and temporal supremacy, Protestants are courting her with flattering gestures of unity and embracing her influence.
“Protestant America will [form] an image to the Roman hierarchy.” (Great Controversy, p. 445).
In their pursuit to form an image of the Roman hierarchy, mirroring the Catholic Church’s union of church and state, God’s prophetic word tells us that the Protestant churches will be cozying up to the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3), a title identified with the papal system and head of the Roman Catholic Church. A reflection in the mirror is merely an image of the original object—it looks like the real thing but lacks its true substance and identity. The image depends entirely on the existence of the real entity; without the original, there can be no reflection.
In the same way, when Ellen G. White warns that Protestant America will form an “image of the Roman hierarchy,” she is saying that Protestants, while maintaining a separate name, will mirror the principles and structure of the Papacy by seeking control over civil power to enforce religious laws. Just as a reflection in a mirror cannot exist without something real to reflect, Protestant America’s apostasy will only exist as a copy of Rome’s historical system of church-state union, showing that it has lost its original identity and purpose.
“The enforcement of Sunday-keeping on the part of Protestant churches is an enforcement of the worship of the papacy—of the beast.” (Great Controversy, p. 448).
“Laws enforcing the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath will bring about a national apostasy from the principles of republicanism upon which the government has been founded. The religion of the papacy will be accepted by the rulers, and the law of God will be made void” (Last Day Events, p. 132).
Whatever Protestants do here in America in seeking to enforce religious laws through the power of the state, they are doing it as an image of the Roman hierarchy, meaning they are not acting independently but as a reflection and extension of Rome’s authority. By adopting Rome’s methods of uniting church and state, enforcing doctrines through civil power, and suppressing dissent, they are essentially carrying out the very work Rome desires but may not be able to accomplish directly. In doing so, they become Rome’s agents, furthering her agenda under the guise of Protestantism while betraying the very principles that once defined them.
This means that when Protestants push for Sunday sacredness, religious legislation, or the restriction of conscience, they are not acting on their own authority but in behalf of Rome, reviving her oppressive power in a new form. Their actions, though seemingly separate, are in reality fulfilling the goals of the Papacy, making Protestant America the vehicle through which Rome regains dominion over religious and civil affairs. In fact, whatever Protestants (the image) do, they are actually doing it for Rome (the beast). Protestants are not just following Rome; they are opening the door for Rome to regain all of its lost power.
“In the movements now in progress in the United States to secure for the institutions and usages of the church the support of the state, Protestants are following in the steps of papists. Nay, more, they are opening the door for the papacy to regain in Protestant America the supremacy which she has lost in the Old World” (Great Controversy, p. 573).
Ellen G. White is foretelling a time when Protestant churches in the United States, instead of remaining true to their foundational principle of sola scriptura and their historic opposition to papal authority, will unite on shared doctrines and seek government support to enforce their religious beliefs. This marks a betrayal of Protestantism’s core identity, as it mirrors the very system of church-state union that characterized the Roman Catholic hierarchy during the Middle Ages—a system that used civil power to enforce religious laws and punish dissenters. When this happens, Protestant America will have created an “image of the beast” (Revelation 13:14-15), a replica of the persecuting power of the Papacy, leading to the suppression of religious freedom.
And just as an image, or reflection, moves in lockstep with its true source, so apostate Protestants and Catholics will work together in concert to limit our religious liberties and pass Sunday laws:
“Protestantism shall give the hand of fellowship to the Roman power. Then there will be a law against the Sabbath of God’s creation” (Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p. 910).
“The Word of God teaches that these scenes are to be repeated as papists and Protestants shall unite for the exaltation of the Sunday” (Great Controversy, p. 578).
Many Protestants are uniting with Catholics in America and are increasingly promoting a Christian nationalist agenda. This movement often advocates for laws and policies that align with conservative Christian values, pushing for greater influence over public life and political institutions. Soon, they will work in concert to pass Sunday laws. By doing so, these churches mirror the historical actions of the Roman Church, which once united religious authority with state power, leading to what many Protestants historically denounced as apostasy. Protestants today are creating an image of the very system they once protested—removing the separation that should exist between church and state in a way reminiscent of the Roman Church’s historical dominance.
Seventh-day Adventists believe in religious liberty and see the formation of the “image of the beast” as a prophetic fulfillment pointing to increasing restrictions on conscience and worship. In response to such developments, God’s people should remain faithful to His word by upholding biblical principles and maintaining allegiance to God’s commandments, even if societal pressures challenge them. We must proclaim with greater urgency the Three Angels’ Messages and warn the world about the deceptions of the end times (Revelation 14:6-12). By doing this we will be able to demonstrate the love of Christ—giving a powerful testimony in times of crisis.
“The peculiar work of the third angel has not been seen in its importance. God meant that His people should be far in advance of the position which they occupy today. But now, when the time has come for them to spring into action, they have the preparation to make. When the National Reformers began to urge measures to restrict religious liberty, our leading men should have been alive to the situation and should have labored earnestly to counteract these efforts” (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 714).
0
0
0
Leave a Reply