The lateran pack allowed the Pope to be a "head of State"(the 70 Acres of the Vatican property only). This allow him to have a voice in international meetings like the UN today. Before that, he had no voice and no state and was in continual conflict with Italy.

I agree that the Pope has gained an influence over "religion" with the aid of the ecumenical movement and other concordats. However, the fact remain that the RCC still do not have an EMPIRE and are not the head over the current world's events. And it is speculative to think that they will because it is not specified in the Bible and it is contrary to previous interpretations of a new Beast that arising denoting a new EMPIRE. The 1st Beast was the RCC, the 2nd Beast of Rev 13, is an entire new EMPIRE.

Any proper judgment or analysis needs to consider ALL important factors before coming to a proper conclusion. You are not considering an important event that took place in 1815 that has given this group of people the World Empire today. I understand that we have not been taught this part of history in our Church. However, our loyalty is to the Lord and what is happening historically, and currently today is His work in fulfilling His prophecies. We need to consider His work in this very important and most influencial eventful time of history that is climaxing today.

Here's a simple historical explanation of the Holy Alliance of 1815 describe by Stephen Jones.

The Church-Rothschild Unholy Alliance

"The Holy Alliance" of 1815 was preceded by a rather unholy alliance many years earlier between the Jesuits and the Freemasons. The popes themselves denounced the Freemasons often, but Papal threats of excommunication affected only the faithful. Those whose intent it was to infiltrate the Roman Church only laughed at the threats.

Yet there was another member of this unholy alliance that would prove to be even more dangerous. It was the Jewish money power--possibly by Sabbateans, who were themselves a semi-secret Jewish sect. Their founder's conversion to Islam in 1666 was forced by threats of torture and death, so he "converted" in the same manner that many Jews had converted to the Roman Church. Shabbatai Zevi's conversion was really an infiltration of Islam, which still has ramifications to this day.

Hence, the beast arising from the earth in Rev. 13:11 is said to resemble a lamb, but spoke like a dragon. It was a counterfeit messianic movement.

According to William Guy Carr, a Canadian Naval Commander during WW2, Adam Weishaupt was funded by Moses Mendelssohn, a very wealthy Jewish banker in his acquaintance. Why would a wealthy Jewish banker fund a Jesuit founder of the Illuminati? They had something in common--the desire for power, and a hatred for the Roman Church.

Amschel Bauer (Rothschild) was still a rather poor antique and coin dealer in 1776 when the Illuminati was founded. It was not until 1785 that Bauer met and developed a relationship with Prince William IX of Landgrave, who had come to the throne in that year. His relationship with the Prince was the key to his later wealth.

Amschel Bauer Rothschild was not a real factor in the French Revolution itself. It appears to have been the brainchild of Moses Mendelssohn, who died in 1786 three years before the start of the Revolution. Nesta Webster writes in Secret Societies and Subversive Movements, page 230,

"Whether, then, Weishaupt was directly inspired by Mendelssohn or any other Jew must remain for the present an open question. But the Jewish connexions of certain other Illuminati cannot be disputed. The most important of these was Mirabeau, who arrived in Berlin just after the death of Mendelssohn and was welcomed by his disciples in the Jewish salon of Henrietta Herz. It was these Jews, 'ardent supporters of the French Revolution' at its outset, who prevailed on Mirabeau to write his great apology for their race under the form of a panegyric of Mendelssohn."

Though Freemasonry itself was thought to be as anti-Jewish as it was anti-Catholic, it was neither--except perhaps among those in the lower degrees. The Jewish Encyclopedia itself says in its article on Freemasonry, "Jews have been most conspicuous in connexion with Freemasonry in France since the Revolution."

In 1794 Bauer also met Karl Buderus, who tutored William's illegitimate children. Buderus recommended that Bauer be allowed to join a firm bidding for the sale of English bills. Bauer was finally accepted in 1796. This was stated by Niall Fergusson in his book, The House of Rothschild, Vol. 1, page 62. He also says on page 45,

"At the beginning of the 1790s, Mayer Amschel Rothschild was no more than a prosperous antique-dealer. By 1797 he was one of the richest Jews in Frankfurt, and a central part of his business was unmistakably banking."

Finally, after Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna met to redraw the boundaries of European nations according to "The Holy Alliance." Niall Ferguson again writes on page 16 of Vol. 1 of The House of Rothschild, "the Rothschilds were notoriously the 'chief ally of the Holy Alliance'."

Therefore, it is clear that Napoleon was not the only one to arise out of the French Revolution. The House of Rothschild also rose to a position of wealth and prominence within 20 years. But whereas Napoleon lost power at Waterloo in 1815, the Rothschilds made a fortune out of his loss. Nathan Rothschild personally observed the battle from a safe place, and when the outcome was certain, he crossed the English Channel in a storm that night, and arrived at the London Exchange the following morning.

He arrived with a worried look on his face and began dumping stocks. Everyone knew he had seen the outcome of Waterloo, and they assumed that Napoleon had beaten the English general, Wellington. This started a selling frenzy, and stock prices collapsed. What they did not know was that Rothschild's agents were buying stocks as fast as he sold them. When the news arrived of Wellington's victory over Napoleon, everyone knew that they had been tricked. Stock prices returned to their normal high, and Nathan Rothschild is said to have quadrupled his portfolio within a day.

Niall Ferguson writes further in Vol. 1, page 6,

"Indeed, it can be argued that, by modifying the existing system for government borrowing to make bonds more easily tradable, the Rothschilds actually created the international bond market in its modern form."

This is the international bond market that is in trouble today. "Government borrowing" is now the leading cause of the economic problems in Europe and America. The "international bond market" is dangerously close to collapse, due to the threat of default by Greece, Italy, and Spain.

In the early 1800's, the Rothschilds came to dominate the governments of Europe by the power of money and loans. In doing so, the power of money replaced the spiritual power that the Roman Church had enjoyed over the European monarchs in past centuries. Hence, Rev. 13:12 says of this new beast, "And he exercises [poieo, "acquired"] all the authority of the first beast in his presence."

Yet at the same time, the Rothschilds had allied themselves with the Roman Church in an unholy "Holy Alliance." The Rothschilds became the bankers of the Church as well as of the monarchs. The Rothschilds had little interest in changing men's religious affiliation, and so Rev. 13:12 continues, "And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed."

The Holy Alliance has made it difficult for historians to figure out who exactly is in control of this beast. Some say it is the Vatican; others say it is the Rothschilds. In my view, these two represent the two beasts of Revelation 13, and although both continue to function, the second beast has dominion over the first beast whose deadly wound was healed.

Throughout the 1800's, the Revolutionary Movement evolved into various forms of Socialism, perhaps culminating in 1848 with Karl Marx's treatise, The Communist Manifesto. While they gained popularity by promising equality and prosperity to the masses, the real goal was to overthrow the authority of the monarchs and the spiritual authority of Rome. Their desire was to gain hidden power over the monarchs and the popes.

So in spite of the Holy Alliance, the two beasts continued to fight each other for dominance. But the Church's power had receded since its fatal head wound and its power continued to be eroded. Finally, the Pope lost the Papal States, and a united Italy was formed in 1861, ruled by King Victor Emmanuel. In 1870 the king took control of Rome itself, and the Pope was reduced to the 70 acres of the Vatican itself. It was another near-fatal head wound."

Sister Elle,

We have a more sure word of prophecy, Niall Ferguson was not inspired by God as Mrs White and John the Revelator was.

But think about this sister.

Who was in power when Jesus was born and died? Rome; and some would argue that Rome was the foundation of the current world superpower banking system, (oldest current banks are in Italy since the 14th century) the word 'bank' comes from the old Italian word 'Banca' which means bench. In the time of Christ money changers sat on a bench in the temple exchanging common currency to temple currency, getting the Roman cut.

In time of Christ BANKING was a part of Roman worship. They held their wealth at the shrines of their gods.

Mussolini's day was the reinstatement of that system of monetary theocracy. Huge sums of money are laundered through the bank of Rome. They have been at the center of every major banking scandal since Jesus threw them out of the temple, twice.

Then you factor in America, the bold and the brash, and factor in the current vapor left from the housing bubble.

Look at the open statements from the Pope about the new world banking system, then get a picture of how the mark of the beast will be enforced. They are out for blood and they are using covert tactics to topple the worlds capitalistic financial infrastructure to gain their purposes.

Men like Rothschild and everyone in the Bilderberg Group and all of the current current 1,226 U.S. dollar billionaires worldwide are just the main benefactors of the wealth currently; because they happen to have the corruptible crown in their mitts at the moment. The Catholic church hates this because they want to have and control it all, but soon it will all go away.

The players are in play, the play is at the end of the first scene of it's final act.

The 'three fold union' is the key.

America is the second beast who sets up the image to the first beast Rome, but the main event, the "masterpiece of Satan" is, when he appears to the whole world as an angel of light, the man of sin. America's Hollywood has prepared the world for ghosts to be accepted and Satan is orchestrating it all.

I'm not so sure that history has explained it to some depth in this thread.

Re 13:11 And I saw another beast

Re 13:12 And he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast
"he"= 2nd beast.

Re 13:13 And he doeth great signs,

Re 13:14 And he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by reason of the signs which it was given him 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 who hath the stroke of the sword and lived.
"he"= 2nd

Re 13:16 And he causeth all,
In the link, you said "he" = 2nd, right?

Re 13:17 and that no man should be able to buy or to sell, save he that hath the mark, even the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Which beast? Which beast has it been talking about the 2nd making an image to which "beast who hath the stroke of the sword and lived"? Sounds like the mark is related to the first to me.

It's the second beast that elevates the first beast back into its primacy.

The papal church has always depended on getting strong political governments and legislation to enforce her brand of religion and "mark" of authority.

So yes, when apostate protestantism of America knocks down the separation of church and state and starts legislating religious matters while joining with Catholism (ecumenical movement in which the pope claims primacy) then the first beast's wound is healed and the papal mark which it claims as proof that the church tradition has authority over and above the commandments of God will be enforced.

The second beast enables the complete healing of the first beast, and will enforce the mark of the first beast. Thereby acknowledging its primacy on religious matters as higher than God's authority.

People might find it interesting to research "We are all Catholics now" on the internet

It does seem that Rev. 13:17 refers to the mark of the image beast.

Ellen White says in at least two passages that the mark is of the beast and of his image, that is, of both:

Those who would not receive the mark of the beast and his image when the decree goes forth, must have decision now to say, Nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast. {EW 67.2}

I saw all that "would not receive the mark of the Beast, and of his Image, in their foreheads or in their hands," could not buy or sell. [Revelation 13:15-17.] I saw that the number (666) of the Image Beast was made up; [Revelation 13:18.] and that it was the Beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had followed on after, and kept the Pope's, and not God's Sabbath. And all we were required to do, was to give up God's Sabbath, and keep the Pope's, and then we should have the mark of the Beast, and of his image. {WLF 19.1}

Notice also that what she implies in this last passage is that the number 666 is of the image beast.

Exactly Rosangela.

It is all a matter of worship.

Cain received the 'mark', which crosses names from the book of life, by killing his brother Able after his altered form of worship was not accepted by God. By forcing his ideas in rebellion against God mandated form of worship, he cut himself off from God's redemptive power, sealing him for death.

The first beast receives the mark of death when their 'head' leads God's people into captivity and kills them during the 1,260 years.

After the head wound is healed, Babylon falls again when the so called protestants of America force their second beast to enforce the laws of the first beast. The daughters receive the mark as they do the killing in the first beasts honor.

The mark is more than a Sunday law that the second beast calls for, but an altered form of worship, a complete system, enforced by law, honoring ghosts.