When the Dragon went from the woman to make war with
the remnant of her seed, this Beast arising out of the earth assisted in
that war, and _caused the earth and them which dwell therein to worship_
the authority of _the first Beast, whose mortal wound was healed_, and to
_make an Image to him_, that is, to assemble a body of men like him in
point of religion. He had also _power to give life_ and authority _to the
Image_, so that it could _both speak, and_ by dictating _cause that all_
religious bodies of men, _who would not worship_ the authority of _the
Image, should be_ mystically _killed. And he causeth all men to receive a
mark in their right hand or in their forehead, 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_; all the rest being excommunicated by the Beast with two horns.
His mark is [Cross] [Cross] [Cross], and his name [Greek: LATEINOS], and
the number of his name 666.
Thus the Beast, after he was wounded to death with a sword and revived, was
deified, as the heathens used to deify their Kings after death, and had an
Image erected to him; and his worshipers were initiated in this new
religion, by receiving the mark or name of this new God, or the number of
his name. By killing all that will not worship him and his Image, the first
Temple, illuminated by the lamps of the seven Churches, is demolished, and
a new Temple built for them who will not worship him; and the outward court
of this new Temple, or outward form of a Church, is given to the
_Gentiles_, who worship the Beast and his Image: while they who will not
worship him, are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads, and retire
into the inward court of this new Temple.
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