The Church of the Beast

empire always needs a prophet

The vision begins with beasts rising from the sea. Daniel writes of four in succession: the lion with eagle’s wings, the bear with ribs between its teeth, the leopard with four wings and four heads, and finally the nameless monster with iron teeth, trampling and devouring everything in its path (Daniel 7:2–7). These were not bedtime stories; they were coded descriptions of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. John, writing Revelation centuries later in exile, takes those beasts and stitches them into one. “And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power.” (Revelation 13:2). A composite of every empire rolled into one body — fangs, claws, crowns, blasphemous power.

The lesson is obvious when you strip away the apocalyptic poetry: empire never dies. It changes flags, uniforms, and languages, but it keeps the same teeth. And every time the beast rises, it requires a prophet — someone to sanctify its violence, to wrap power in the language of God. The priest walks beside the emperor, the bishop crowns the king, the preacher tells the crowd that obedience to empire is obedience to heaven.

Constantine’s vision in 312 sealed this pattern. He claimed he saw a cross in the sky with the words, “In this sign, conquer” (source). What had been the gallows of a rebel messiah became the battle standard of Rome. From that moment, the persecuted faith became the chaplain of empire. Revelation’s warning was already being fulfilled.

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historical betrayals: christ’s name in blood

Constantine & the Imperial Church

After Constantine, Christianity was legalized, but at the cost of its soul (source). Bishops became political functionaries. Councils served the throne. The faith that once resisted Caesar now crowned emperors. The false prophet had arrived in miters and robes.

The Crusades

When Pope Urban II preached in 1095, he promised “All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins” (source). With that line, mass murder was sanctified. Armies swept through Europe and the Middle East leaving slaughtered towns in their wake, convinced they were serving God by serving empire. Revelation 17’s “woman drunk with the blood of the saints” (Rev. 17:6) had a body count.

The Inquisition

Bernard Gui, the notorious inquisitor, wrote coldly: “For the suspicion of heresy, men are to be held guilty until they prove themselves innocent.” (source). Entire generations grew up knowing that the church was not a refuge but an interrogator. The beast’s teeth were sharpened by priests who believed torture was justice.

Colonialism

Papal bulls such as Inter Caetera (1493) gave Spain and Portugal permission to seize lands and “reduce” their peoples to the Catholic faith (source). The cross arrived with the sword. Indigenous cultures were wiped out under banners declaring Christ’s love. The false prophet preached while the beast devoured continents.

Slavery in America

In the American South, pulpits defended slavery with scripture. Joseph Ruggles Wilson, father of President Woodrow Wilson, declared slavery had “divine warrant” (source). James Thornwell argued it was “divinely sanctioned” (source). Basil Manly Sr. taught that God ordained whites as masters (source). Revelation 18:13 lists “slaves, that is, human souls” among Babylon’s cargo. America’s churches fulfilled it to the letter.

Nationalism and Fascism

In 1933, the “German Christians” movement declared Hitler’s rise a divine gift (source). Pastors blessed fascist rallies. Bibles were rewritten to strip out Jewish roots. Babylon draped itself in swastikas.

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babylon reborn in sneakers and stadiums

John’s Babylon was adorned in scarlet and jewels, drunk on wealth and power. “For thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” (Rev. 18:23). In his day, that meant Roman traders. In ours, it looks like megachurches.

Kenneth Copeland boasts: “I’m a billionaire because… the Lord said: ‘I want you to begin to confess the billion flow.’” (source)

Joel Osteen preaches: “It’s God’s will for you to live in prosperity, instead of poverty.” (source)

Peter Popoff, exposed decades ago as a fraud using radio earpieces, still sells “miracle spring water” and rakes in millions (source).

This is Babylon in sneakers and LED lights. A marketplace disguised as a sanctuary. And Revelation’s warning is blunt: when Babylon falls, merchants will weep — not for souls, but because nobody is buying their cargo anymore (Rev. 18:11).

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forty-two months: empire’s clock

Revelation 13:5: “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things… and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Daniel mirrors it: “time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 7:25).

It’s not numerology. Three and a half years, incomplete seven — broken order. It means empire rules hardest in cycles, burning bright, fading, then flaring again. Rome’s persecutions followed that rhythm. Today it’s election cycles, financial crashes, pandemics, wars.

• 2001: 9/11 and endless war.
• 2008: collapse, austerity.
• 2020: pandemic, lockdowns, surveillance.
• 2024–25: authoritarian agendas, AI militarization, climate breakdown.

Every forty-two months, another blow. People stagger from one crisis to the next, exhausted into obedience. And the false prophet sanctifies it: “God is in control. Submit to the rulers.” Babylon thrives by cycles of exhaustion.

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the strong delusion

Paul warned: “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” (2 Thess. 2:11). That delusion is not red horns and pitchforks. It’s pulpits preaching wealth as holiness. It’s churches waving flags and calling nationalism faith. It’s billionaires branded as chosen.

John wrote: “Even now are there many antichrists.” (1 John 2:18). Antichrist isn’t a single tyrant. It’s a system. A spirit. The inversion of Christ into empire’s image. And Christianity itself has become that inversion.

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christ’s warnings fulfilled in headlines

Matthew 24 is uncanny: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Wars, rumors, pestilence, false prophets, love growing cold. “If it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matt. 24:24).

Look around: pastors on television promising miracles in exchange for money. Churches endorsing politicians as God’s choice. Nationalist movements baptizing cruelty. The very elect deceived because the deception came from the pulpit.

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the remnant — stubborn thread through history

Revelation 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The remnant is weary but enduring.

When Constantine fused church and empire, the desert fathers walked into wilderness caves to preserve simplicity. The Waldensians preached poverty against Rome’s wealth and were massacred. The Anabaptists refused both papal and Protestant crowns, drowned as heretics. Enslaved Africans in America built “hush arbors,” singing Exodus and Revelation as songs of resistance. In Nazi Germany, the Confessing Church published the Barmen Declaration: “We reject the false doctrine that the state… should and could become the single totalitarian order of human life.” (source).

The remnant never has wealth, armies, or television networks. They have refusal. Refusal to clap for Babylon. Refusal to call the beast Christ. They hold the line when everyone else kneels.

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empire devours its lovers

Revelation 17:16 is savage: “The ten horns… shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” Empire always turns on its lovers.

History proves it. The papacy crowned kings but was stripped by revolution. German Christians aligned with Hitler, only to be disgraced after the Reich fell. American evangelicals tied themselves to politics, but presidents discard them once their utility ends.

Megachurches implode when scandals hit. Jim Bakker went to prison. Ted Haggard was exposed. Ravi Zacharias was disgraced after death. The beast devours Babylon because empire uses religion, but never shares power.

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the inversion complete

The church was born in resistance. It was meant to stand with the oppressed, refuse idols, call out empire. Instead, it baptized empire, defended slavery, blessed conquest, and built Babylon under stained glass.

Today, the inversion is total. Christians wave flags over pulpits. Preachers anoint billionaires. Churches bless surveillance states and authoritarian leaders. They warn of Antichrist while serving him.

Revelation isn’t waiting to happen. It’s happening. The sanctuary is the beast’s stage. The false prophet preaches with perfect lighting and wireless microphones. Babylon’s merchants sell salvation like stock options. And the remnant — small, stubborn, scattered — are the only ones refusing to kneel.

When John sees the rider on the white horse, “Faithful and True,” judging and making war in righteousness (Rev. 19:11), it is the image of empire’s inevitable collapse. Babylon burns. The beast and the prophet are thrown into fire. The remnant remains.

The bitter truth is simple: the loudest Christians are the ones carrying out the betrayal Revelation warned about. The end isn’t coming. The end is now.

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Stay curious.

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