The company that employed me in 1997 had a dental plan in their benefits package. While having a check-up at a dentist who honored this plan, the receptionist asked me about a follow up appointment. After several days didn’t work for both of us, I asked about the dentist coming in on a Saturday. He walked through the reception area as I said that, looked at me rather incredulously, and said, “that’s blasphemy!” He then smiled, and asked me if I knew what that meant. What instantly came to me was to say that blasphemy is to speak with an authority that one doesn’t actually have. His face suddenly lit up and he said, “Wow! I like that.” The fact is, the only exposure I’ve had to that word was from reading the Bible, and had never looked it up in a dictionary before.
In the Bible, the English word blaspheme is made up of the Greek words for hurt and fame. In other words, to commit blasphemy is to say or do something that misrepresents the character of another. “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 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 all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear.” Revelation 13:1, 6-9.
This beast is a progressive conglomeration of all the state powers that have misrepresented the kingdom of God by making a decree, or using force against the people of God. The first was Egypt, when the Pharaoh ordered that all the male children of Israel be killed. The second was Israel during the reign of its apostate kings that persecuted, and killed the prophets of God. The third was Babylon when the king made a decree demanding that everyone worship the idol he built. This was succeeded by Medo-Persia whose king made a decree forbidding people from worshipping anyone but himself. Next came the Greek Empire which desecrated the temple in Jerusalem when the king sacrificed a pig, which God had previously revealed as being an unclean animal. The Greek Empire was followed by the Roman Empire. The persecutions of Rome against the people of God are legendary. In the generations following the deposing of the last Roman Emperor in 476 AD, the various hordes of Germanic tribes that fragmented the empire were made into the nations of western Europe through the intercession of the Vatican. There were ten in particular that are represented by the ten horns on the seventh head of this beast.
The significance of the horns having crowns in this passage denotes that it is during the reign of these powers during the Middle Ages when John sees this beast arise. How the Vatican has “hurt” the “fame” of God’s kingdom, and impacted the worship of everyone who is not written in the book of life is by assuming the authority to change the law of God in a way that appeals to the unconverted heart. It is also widely known of the atrocities that the Vatican has directed against Protestants, and other non-Catholic entities throughout the Middle Ages.
Another way the Vatican has blasphemed the name of God has to do with the concept of personhood. By
definition, a person is a mask that an actor wears on stage. By putting a theological mask on God, men have attempted to make Him comprehendible to the natural mind of man. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor. 2:14.
The word theology means, “the science of God.” Like the other sciences of this world, it is an empirical science. Empiricism is a philosophical construct that starts with nothing, a
tabula rasa as it were, and builds from there. One with a theological mind will make statements like, “He must do it this way, otherwise he can’t be God.” What can be a greater expression of blashpemy than to say how the Almighty can or can not operate? Such people worship a god that they created in their imagination, and believe they have jurisdiction over.
One of the effects of this theological religion was the French Revolution, which was a war against Christianity that has not ceased, but has only mutated. And, it will continue until all things come to their final conclusion which is even now unfolding.
“And I beheld another beast (state power) coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb (a “nation under God”), and he spake as a dragon (“the great Satan”). And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast (democracy), that the image of the beast should both speak (legislate), and cause (enforcement) that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed ('Murica). And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand (productivity- i.e. taxes), or in their foreheads (agreement- i.e. a pledge of allegience): And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” Revelation 13:11-18.