Who-What is the Beast-2

There are several spiritually significant numbers that are associated with this beast that must be addressed which will also fit in with the description and history of Rome. Those numbers are 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10.

THREE - E. W. Bullinger writes, "In this number we have quite a new set of phenomena. We come to the first geometrical figure. Two straight lines cannot possibly enclose any space, or form a plane figure; neither can two plane figures form a solid. Three lines are necessary to form a plane figure; and three dimensions of length, breadth, and height, are necessary to form a solid. Hence three is the symbol of a cube - the simplest form of solid figure. As two is the symbol of the square, or plane contents (x²), so three is the symbol of the cube, or solid contents (x³). Three, therefore, stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire." (Number in Scripture, p. 107).

Three, in essence, is the number for the world we live in for we live in a three dimensional world. We can visualize a one dimensional world as a straight line (point A to point B). We can visualize a two dimensional world as a square, rectangle, etc. (length x width). Because we live in a three dimensional world, we have no problem visualizing it (length x width x height). But we cannot visualize a fourth dimensional world or any dimension beyond our dimension, the third.

That is why the fourth beast of Daniel seven was indescribable as far as any known earthly beast was concerned. The first three were recognizable and describable for they fit in with and complete the third dimension, but the fourth beast was diverse from the first three beasts (Dan. 7:7, 19, 23 [Note: the word diverse used 4 times in verses 3, 7, 19, 23. It is used once in relation to all the beasts but four times in relation to the fourth beast and a fifth time in relation to the little horn]). Three, therefore, is a number representing dimensional perfection.

FOUR - Four is 3 + 1 which would denote the beginning of a new dimension. A good example is the creation account. The dimension of light was created the first day. This would be one dimensional because the light shone only from point A to point B. The second dimension was created the second day for a vault, space or heaven was made between the waters. On the third day the earth was brought fourth, a solid, third dimension. Then plant life was made possible.

On the fourth day the fourth dimension was introduced for YAHWEH went beyond the confines of the three dimensional earth into heaven itself to establish the sun moon and stars. This dimension though studied intensly and even worshipped by man, yet is not understood, nor will it be by third dimensional man.

Is it a coincidence that pagan sun worshipping Rome was raised up before the end of the fourth millenia and given power over the earth from that time onward until the end of the age? Is it a coincidence that the Savior appeared at the time just ending with the fourth millenia and beginning with the fifth? I think not.

Rome was the fourth kingdom that had power over the earth, signifying the introduction of a fourth dimension; which man sees and attempts to describe and understand, but cannot. It is a dreadful, terrible and exceedingly strong kingdom that breaks, bruises and crushes while it also breaks, bruises and crushes into other kingdoms itself (Dan. 2:40). Such is the history of Rome which broke in pieces, bruised and subdued other kingdoms while it in turn, was broken in pieces, bruised and subdued. But Rome has never disappeared. It has continued to exist down through the ages and is more extant in most kingdoms and countries of this world than is realized. That is the enigma of the fourth beast and the fourth dimension.

SEVEN - The number seven is 6 + 1. It took six days of miraculous creation in which the physical creation was worked with and finished. On the seventh day came rest. YAHWEH commands us to follow His example by working the first six days of the week and resting the seventh. YAHWEH added one day to the work week for rest, rejuvenation and spiritual purposes. Seven, therefore, is the number for rest, spiritual perfection and completion.

EIGHT - "In Hebrew the number eight is Sh'moneh, from the root Shah'meyn, 'to make fat,' 'to cover with fat,' ' to super-abound.' As a participle it means, 'one who abounds in strength,' etc. As a noun it is 'superabundant fertility,' 'oil,' etc. So that as a numeral it is the super-abundant number. As seven was so called because the seventh day was the day of completion and rest, so eight, as the eighth day, was over and above this perfect completion, as was indeed the first in a new series, as well as being the eighth. Thus it already represents two numbers in one, the first and eighth....It is 7 + 1. Hence it is the number specially associated with resurrection, regeneration, and the beginning of a new era or order." (Number in Scripture" by E. W. Bullinger, p.p. 196, 200).

TEN - The number ten has already been addressed. It is the number for ordinal perfection or completion, in other words, perfection, completion of order. Rome completed or perfected the order of the beast kingdoms, and had its own order of completion as we will soon see.

Rome was the fourth world ruling kingdom over the earth. It was diverse from the first three; indicating with its appearance that a new dimension, not easily comprehended by the human mind, had been entered.

The beast had ten horns. A horn is a symbol of power usually indicating a person who begins a thing, e.g. the two horns of the ram of Daniel 8 represent the kings of Media and Persia (Darius, the Mede and Cyrus of Persia, v. 20). The one horn of the goat of Daniel 8 represented the first king of Greece, Alexander the Great (v. 21). The four notable horns that came up replacing the one notable horn (v. 8) represented the four generals who divided his one kingdom into four kingdoms and dynasties after his death.

Who would the ten horns of the beast of Daniel seven represent? There were seven original leaders or kings who were instrumental in raising up the Roman Republic. They were Romulus, Hostilius, Ancus Marcus, Titus Tatius, Numa Pompilius, Tarquinius Priscus and Servius Tullius (Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th Ed., Vol. 19, p. 475). Toward the latter end of the Republic it came to be ruled by a triumvirate consisting of Crassus, Pompey and Julius Caesar.

The last three men or horns brought the total to ten signaling the end of the order of the Republic. The republic degenerated into the disharmony of anarchy, violence and bloodshed. Upon the deaths of Crassus, Pompey and Julius Caesar; Mark Anthony, Lepidus and Octavian succeeded their positions in the triumvirate. The triumvirate was completely overthrown by Octavian who also brought the republic to an end establishing the Roman Empire under the dynasty of the Caesar.

The little horn of Dan. 7, therefore, is Octavian who arose among the ten horns plucking up the last three horns which left the seven original. He became the eighth, signifying the new beginning, the regeneration of Rome as an empire.

Daniel was considering the ten horns when another little horn came up among them. Three of the ten are plucked up by their roots. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things (Dan. 7:8). Verse 24 points out that the ten horns are ten kings of this fourth kingdom. The little horn is another king who rises after them. He subdues three and is diverse from the first ten.

As pointed out previously, ten is the number for ordinal perfection. The old order of Rome as a republic had come to an end. The little horn is an eleventh. It is diverse from the first ten. Eleven begins a new order which is what this little horn does, for a diverse new order (dynasty) of kings began to rule in a diverse new kingdom (the republic became an empire).

This horn has eyes like a man. What would this mean? YAHshua said, "The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." Mt. 6:22-23.

Is there light in man? "YAHshua answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is not light in him,'" Jn. 11:9-10.

There is no light in man. When there is no light shining and all is dark, man cannot see. He is just as blind as the blind. Man must have an outside source of light e.g. the sun, a flashlight, light bulb, etc. if he is going to be able to see.

YAHshua said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world," Jn. 9:5. He also said, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," Jn. 8:12. If our eye is set on the true Savior, YAHshua, then we have the light of life. Our eye will be single and our body will be full of light.

But this little horn has the eyes of a man. What does man love? "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, becasue their deeds were evil. For every man that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved," Jn. 3:19-20.

Man loves darkness rather than light, because darkness provides a cloak of secrecy to work the evil that man loves. We shall soon see that the eyes of the little horn were eyes of man that loved darkness, evil and wickedness rather than light.

This little horn has a mouth speaking great things. The character of these great words is revealed in Dan. 7:25 for they are against the Most High. The word "against" comes from the Hebrew word "tsad" which also means; concerning, as, on the side of, an adversary, or to sidle off. "Sidle" means, to move sideways, especially in a shy or stealthy manner.

During the reign of the triumvirate there was chaos, confusion, disharmony, unrest, crime and civil war. With the overthrow of the power of the triumvirate, the seven original horns were left denoting rest and such is what took place in Rome once the triumvirate was overthrown leaving Octavian in sole undisputed rulership. Rome was given peace from within and without. Octavian was the little horn who overthrew the three of the ten leaving the seven original founding horns to which he was added making eight. From that time the Roman Empire did super-abound. It waxed fat and prosperous and so did the little horn and its dynasty of successors who were the Caesars. The Roman Republic had been laid to rest. Rome was regenerated into the superpower of Empire.

Octavian means eight and he was the eighth horn. Eight is also associated with oil which was used for anointing, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over," Psa. 23:5. "Thy throne, O Elohim, is forever: the sceptre of Thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore Elohim, Thy Elohim, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows," Psa. 45:6-7. "I have found David my servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him," Psa. 89:20.

Interestingly, these Psalms have to do with the anointing of David as king over Israel and his Son, the Savior, YAHshua, Who was anointed as King over YAHWEH'S kingdom and also being called Elohim.

Octavian (eight, oil) was declared the savior of Rome (Ency. Brit., 14th Ed., Vol. 2, p. 687). He was anointed "Augustus" by the Roman Senate and was deified during his lifetime and after his death.

Julius Caesar's body had been cremated in the Forum. Octavian erected a permanent temple on that spot giving it the religious title divus Iulius (Ency. Brit., 14th Ed., Vol. 19, p.p. 460 & 502). The deifying of Julius Caesar, who had adopted Octavian as his son and heir apparent (Ency. Brit., 14th Ed., Vol. 2, p. 686) made him to be proclaimed son of Divi or son of god.

Octavian was given the title "Augustus" on Jan 17, 27 B.C.E. ushering in the Roman Empire under the princeps (first citizen). Augustus means, reverend, consecrated, holy, venerable, majestic, etc. It was derived from two Latin words, augeo and augur.

Augeo has to do with "increase" (eight and oil). Augur is linked with the Greek word "sebastos" meaning, reverend and one consecrated by religion, which came to form one of the German imperial titles "Mehrer des Reichs" (extender of the empire). [ISBE, Vol. 1, p. 364.]

The words august and augur in the English language convey the same meanings as their Latin counterparts. August is shown by Webster's New World Dictionary as; adj. [L. augustus, orig., prob. "consecrated by the augurs"] 1. inspiring awe and reverence; imposing and magnificent 2. worthy of respect because of age and dignity, high position, etc.; venerable - SYN. see GRAND.

Grand - adj. [ME. graunt < OFr. grand, grant < L. grandis, full-grown, great (replacing magnus in LL. & Romance languages), prob. < IE.base *gwrendh-, to swell up, whence Gr. brenthos, pride] 1. higher in rank, status, or dignity than others having the same title [a grand duke] 2. most important; chief; main; principal [the grand ballroom] 3. imposing because of great size, beauty, and extent; magnificent [grand scenery] 4. handsome and luxurious; characterized by splendor and display [a grand banquet] 5. eminent; distinguished; illustrious 6. self-important, pretentious; haughty 7. lofty and dignified, as in style 8. overall; comprehensive [the grand total] 9. [colloq.] very good; excellent, delightful, admirable, etc.: a general term of approval 10. Music full; complete [a grand chorus].

Augur - n. [L. orig., a priest at rituals of fertility and increase; prob. < OL. *augos, *augeris, increase, growth < augere (see AUGMENT); meaning infl. by auspex, AUSPEX] 1. in ancient Rome, any of a body of officials who interpreted omens as being favorable or unfavorable in connection with an undertaking 2. a fortuneteller; prophet; soothsayer - vt., vi. [L. augurari < the n.] 1. to foretell or prophesy from omens 2. to be an omen (of).

Augury - n., pl. -ries [ME. augurie < L. augurium, divination < augur, AUGUR] 1. the practice of divination from omens 2. a formal ceremony conducted by an augur 3. an omen; sign; portent; indication.

Augment - vt. [ME. augmenten <OFr. augmenter < L. augmentare < augmentum, an increase < augere, to increase < IE. base *aug-, to multiply, increase, whence Gr. auxein] 1. to make greater, as in size, quantity, strength, etc.; enlarge 2. Gram. to add augment to - vi. to become greater; increase - n. 1. [Obs.] an increase 2. Gram. a prefixed vowel or lengthening or diphthongization of the initial vowel to show past time in Greek and Sanskrit verbs - SYN. see INCREASE.

Auspex - n. [L., contr. of avispex < avis, bird + spicere, to see] in ancient Rome, an augur, or diviner, esp. one who watched for omens in the flight of birds.

The meanings of these words reveal the true nature of the word augustus and the one receiving such for a title or name. Is it any wonder that this little horn had a mouth speaking such great things (about himself). Through the title or name Augustus, Octavian (eight) was seeking to rise above all of his fellow man, and above the earth, exalting himself into heaven itself. But he is not the only one. All of his successors proclaimed the same and even greater magnification for themselves and their position.

When Octavian overthrew the Egyptian forces of Mark Antony, one of the members of the second triumvirate, and Cleopatra, he was able to have the title of Augustus bestowed upon himself in 27 BCE. The death of Lepidus, the other member of the triumvirate in 12 BCE opened the final door of opportunity to completely uproot and overthrow the triumvirate allowing him to be elected Pontifex Maximus.

The old Roman Republic had made war with and overcome most of the city states and kingdoms surrounding the Mediterranean. Excursions north and west had brought most of the Gauls, Celts and some Germans under control. When war was waged against the various peoples resulting in their defeat, the Romans would also capture the people's temples and priesthoods, in effect taking their deities prisoner. They would then take all temple vessels and appurtenances along with the deities to Rome where temples in their honor would be erected. Thus Rome became the center and stronghold of all paganism.

The office of Pontifex Maximus gave Augustus and his successors power over all religion. Toward the end of the Roman Republic, when anarchy, crime, and general chaos was extant, interest in religion had waned. The priesthoods had suffered and the temples had fallen into disrepair. Augustus rebuilt 82 temples, re-established the old priesthoods and filled once more the office of flamen dialis. (Ency. Brit., 14th Ed., Vol. 19, p.p. 460-1). This restoration along with the office of Pontifex Maximus gave him power over all religion. The religious attitude and feelings were now diverted to the reigning house (ibid.).

Pontifex comes from two Latin words, pons and facere. Pons means "bridge." Facere means, "to do" or "make." Pontifex means "bridge builder." Maximus means "great." Pontifex Maximus was the office of the "great bridge builder" or "great high priest." It has to do, specifically, with building a bridge over or filling the gap between heaven and earth. A high priest officiates between Elohim and man. Thus Augustus (Octavian) sought to become the "Mediator" between YAHWEH and man.

When Julius Caesar visited the eastern areas of the republic, he discovered that Alexander the Great and his successors the Ptolemies and Seleucidae were worshipped and adored by their subjects as deities (elohim, gods). When he returned to Rome he attempted to establish himself as dictator, desiring also deification. Several members of the Roman senate ended his designs through assassination.

Octavian carefully consolidated his position after Antony's defeat. He had himself proclaimed under the lofty title "Augustus" by the Roman senate and permitted the bestowal of divine favors upon himself in Asia and Egypt while wisely forbidding such in Italy.

However, there was a large contingent of oriental ex-slaves dwelling in Rome who followed the ways of the East. They were instrumental in raising shrines to Augustus even in Italy. The shrines were said to be dedicated not to Augustus, but to his "genius." These Oriental cults crept in gradually. Roman life no longer focused on the abstract notion of state, but on the imperial house.

The "imperial cult" marked the difference between the republican focus on the state while the empire focused on the family of Caesar. The image of the living emperor was installed on the army standards and was made the object of devotion. Refusal to perform libations to it became the ugly test of treason and heterodoxy.

The forbidding of outright worship of Augustus in Italy led to the establishment of shrines to his "genius." The Encyclopedia Britannica reports, "He (Augustus) erected on the spot where Caesar's body had been cremated in the Forum a permanent temple to his adopted father, under the definitely religious title of Divus Iulius. No doubt he also did much generally to revive the ancient cults. He rebuilt, as he tells us himself, 82 temples which had fallen into disrepair. He re-established the old priesthoods and filled once more the office of flamen dialis. But religious feeling was now to be mainly diverted to the reigning house, and this project was aided by the natural prominence in the palace of the cult of the genius of the emperor himself. As the palace cults became national, the worship of the genius was bound to spread, and ultimately Augustus sanctioned its celebration at the compita (crossways) together with the worship of the old lares." This is an interesting concept which must be explored in the pages of encyclopedias and dictionaries.

"Originally the genius of the Roman house-father and the iuno (Juno) of the house-mother were worshipped. The house-father and house-mother were the family's or clan's power of reproduction and continuation. At death this genius was passed on to the living heir. The genius was often conceived as appearing in the form of a snake, although in art it was depicted as a young man, generally in the act of sacrificing.

Upon the rise of individualism and owing to the rise of Greek ideas concerning a guardian spirit or daimon, the genius lost its original meaning, and came to be a sort of personification of the individual's natural desires and appetites. However, the development did not stop here. The genius came to be thought of as a sort of guardian angel, a higher self; and, as the Greek daimon was sometimes rationalized into the individual's character or temper, so also Horace half-seriously (Epp. ii. 2, 187) says that only the genius knows what makes one person so different from another, adding that he is a god who is born and dies with each one of us. This individual genius was worshipped by each individual especially on his birthday. A few inscriptions even mention the genius of a dead person.

To show reverence for the genius of another, or to swear by it, was a mark of deep respect; hence it is not unnatural that the genius of Augustus and of his successors formed objects of popular cult. Thus to worship the genius Augusti avoided the feeling against worshipping any living emperor, which remained fairly strong in Italy; for of course all genii were divine and might properly be worshipped." (14th Ed., Vol. 10, p. 116).

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia has this to say, "Augustus sought to gain support for his regime through the ruler cult, a concept that had for its background the god-king ideal of the ancient Near East and the efforts of successors of Alexander the Great to link worship of the ruler with loyalty to the state. During his rise to power Augustus had arranged the deification of Julius Caesar in an effort to win the loyalty of his troops, and he erected a temple to the divine Julius in the Forum. And in each of the 265 precincts of Rome he set up shrines dedicated to the genius of Augustus - the divine spirit that watched over his fortunes" (Vol. 4, p. 230).

Genius in Latin means "the beggetor." Our English word "genius" stems from the Latin and means the same. Webster’s New World Dictionary reveals the etymology of the word and its original meaning; [L., guardian spirit, natural ability, genius < base of genere, gignere, to produce: see GENUS] 1. a) according to ancient Roman belief, a guardian spirit assigned to a person at birth; tutelary deity b) the guardian spirit of any person, place, etc. c) either of two spirits, one good and one evil, supposed to influence one’s destiny d) a person considered as having strong influence over another.

Thus the true nature of Augustus, the little horn of Daniel 7, is exposed. He sought personal deification. His place of worship was at the crossways (cross). He was the protective geni over all religion. He became the "mediator" between Elohim and man (Pontifex Maximus). He was the begettor of the fourth and final beast power that would rule over the earth until YAHWEH'S kingdom would be established.
To Be Continued………..

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