11. Please support this conclusion with historical evidence and facts. Let us take each identifier to see how history points exclusively to the Roman Catholic Church. (1) The Roman Catholic Church combines religious and political power simultaneously: Saint John saw this union in a prophetic vision concerning the fourth and final kingdom of the world and described it as, "a woman sit [ting] upon a scarlet coloured beast" Rev. 17:3. In the Bible, a woman is a symbol of a church, "as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD." "For I...I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" Jeremiah 3:20; 2 Corinthians 11:2. In addition, it is unanimously understood in prophecy that a beast is a nation. Even in today's world, nations are symbolized as beasts. The USA is seen as an eagle, Russia is likened unto a bear, and China carries the image of a dragon. Many years ago, God unveiled to Daniel all the world empires until the End of time. In a vision, Daniel saw the last beast to be "diverse from all the others" Daniel 7:19. But how would it be diverse? According to Revelation 17:3, as seen above, this beast (nation) will have a woman (church) ruling it. Today, is there a church and state working together as one globally recognized power? The only entity in the world that has accomplished this is the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic pope is absolute religious leader of over one billion followers world-wide. "The Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful." Vatican Council II (1962-65)
