Originally published on Sunday, January 24, 2010, 4:46 pm in German at www.letztercountdown.org

As the Papal Coat of Arms page showed, one of the unusual features of Benedict XVI’s coat of arms is that the previously ever-present tiara was replaced by the plain miter, which has three “modest” gold bands instead of the three crowns. Even the absence of a thing can have important implications, as we shall soon see. If the tiara, which for centuries has illustrated the papacy’s clear claim to power, suddenly disappears, we should be thinking about that a lot. The papacy’s claim to power certainly has not disappeared.

Ellen G. White says this:

And let it be remembered, it is the boast of Rome that she never changes. The principles of Gregory VII and Innocent III are still the principles of the Roman Catholic Church. And had she but the power, she would put them in practice with as much vigor now as in past centuries. Protestants little know what they are doing when they propose to accept the aid of Rome in the work of Sunday exaltation. While they are bent upon the accomplishment of their purpose, Rome is aiming to re-establish her power, to recover her lost supremacy. Let the principle once be established in the United States that the church may employ or control the power of the state; that religious observances may be enforced by secular laws; in short, that the authority of church and state is to dominate the conscience, and the triumph of Rome in this country is assured.

God’s word has given warning of the impending danger; let this be unheeded, and the Protestant world will learn what the purposes of Rome really are, only when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. She is piling up her lofty and massive structures in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. Stealthily and unsuspectedly she is strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is already being given her. We shall soon see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will thereby incur reproach and persecution. {GC 581.1–2}

Let us first of all ask ourselves: what is the official or exoteric explanation for the tiara? Wikipedia answers our question as follows:

The three crowns symbolize the main duties of the papacy: to hallow, to direct and to teach which are the Sacred Orders, the Jurisdiction and the Magisterium, respectively. In another interpretation, they symbolize the divine Trinity. [translated from de.wikipedia.org]

First of all, we get two possible interpretations of the symbolism of the three crowns:

1. The duties of the Supreme Pontiff: Sacred Orders, Jurisdiction, Magisterium, and
2. The divine Trinity

Of course these are the interpretations for the uninitiated, but let’s see what a Benedictine theologian, Dr. P. Bernard Sirch (Order of Saint Benedict), says about it on ZENIT, the Catholic on-line newspaper:

An official interpretation for the Triregnum we find first in the Roman Pontifical of the 16th Century, which is over 200 years after the introduction of the Triregnum. This formula is still valid today. The sub-prior of the cardinal deacons takes the miter from the head of the pope, and the prior of the cardinal deacons puts the tiara on the head of the pope with the words: “Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art (1) father of princes and kings, (2) the ruler of the world and (3) the vicar of our Saviour Jesus Christ on earth, to whom is honor and glory through all ages. Amen.” In the following time it was not clear what the tiara with the three bands or crowns meant. It would certainly be wrong to interpret that the three crowns mean the pastoral ministry, magisterium and priesthood. (Source: ZENIT, The New Papal Coat of Arms Without the Tiara, the Symbol of Papal Power [translated])

First, notice that the initial interpretation as the Sacred Orders, Jurisdiction and Magisterium from Wikipedia is clearly false according to this Catholic theologian, and that there are many other possible interpretations. Please also notice the statement about the uncertainty of the interpretation, that “in the following time it was not clear what the real meaning of the tiara was.” The still-valid coronation formula gives us another possible interpretation of the three crowns:

1. King (father) above all princes and kings of the world
2. King (ruler) of the earth
3. Vicar of Christ

Isn’t this very close to the truth? We know well the title “Vicar of the Son of God” within Adventism. Expressed in Roman numerals, the title “Vicarius Filii Dei” is indeed the famous 666 of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:18, and thus points to Satan himself, or his human representative the pope.

Even the titles “King above all princes and kings of the world” and “Ruler of the earth” show the open and typical arrogance of all popes, and they are a clear admission to their claim for world domination, and not just politically “above all the princes and kings of the world” but also religiously as “ruler of the earth”.

Dr. P. Bernard Sirch OSB gives us even more information:

Many possible interpretations occurred in the aftermath, probably including ones that the number 3 has inspired. In my dissertation on the tiara, I could give about 15 possible interpretations. Martin Luther, for example, interpreted the three crowns like this: “And that is why the pope with his three crowns is rightly called: A Caesar in the heavens, a Caesar on the earth, a Caesar under the earth. If God would have something more, then he would also be a Caesar beyond and would have to wear four crowns.” When Luther says here: “If God would have something more”, we have to understand that from the mid-14th century God the Father also wore the tiara in paintings. So Luther thought that because God wore the tiara, the pope bears it too as his representative on earth. (Source: ZENIT, The New Papal Coat of Arms Without the Tiara, the Symbol of Papal Power [translated])

On one hand, the clear indication of the different possibilities of interpretation is very interesting, but it is also interesting what our Reformation predecessor, Martin Luther, who was even a Roman Catholic monk, has to say about its significance:

1. Caesar in heaven
2. Caesar on earth
3. Caesar under the earth (hell)

So, what could it mean that the tiara is gone now? If these crowns were actually crowns of Christ, which the pope wears as His representative, then has Christ now been “decrowned”? And who was then crowned in His stead? But if these were never crowns of Christ—and this makes sense, because Christ is the God of the living and not of the dead or the underworld (third crown) and His Kingdom is not of this world (first and second crowns)—then these were always crowns that the pope or the papacy themselves arrogated. What is the true esoteric meaning of these three crowns?

One thing already seems to emerge clearly: we are talking about a universal claim to power, and we need to find an interpretation that represents this claim to power in three parts.

Let’s look for the answer on the Church of Rome’s own website: (Kath.de [translated]):

According to the constitution of the Catholic Church, the Pope has unrestricted primacy in all areas and unites in his person the three traditional branches of government: the legislative authority (to establish the law), judicial (to judge by the law) and the executive (to enforce the law). He is the supreme and final authority for all matters within the Catholic Church; in this sense, there is no one who could be his deputy.

The pope in the position of an absolute monarch, impersonates the three powers, the legislative, the executive and the judicial, in his person.

Some popes, like Urban VI, considered themselves solutus a lege or above the law. (see History of the Conclave)

Non-Roman churches have retained the description, e.g. the head of the (Egyptian) Copts. In history, the pope was competing with secular rulers as priest-king, priest-emperor (Caesaropapism).

Leo XIII was “Il Papa re” – the Pope King. Even today, he is an absolute monarch as the holder of the spiritual and secular power within the Roman Universal Church and the Vatican State. Throne and throne-seat (“eminence”) are seven levels elevated. Up to Paul VI, the outward sign was the tiara, the triple crown (regnum – kingship). He has an own household (famiglia pontificia – pontifical family whose members are the spiritual and secular dignitaries).

In the papacy, we are dealing with a power structure wherein a created being is over everything, and absolute power is granted him in all areas of political and religious life. To use a different word, this is called “fascism”. In the Roman Empire, a Caesar (Kaiser), normally controlled by the Senate, became Emperor or tyrant when the Senate gave him all three state powers: legislative, executive and judicial.

Strictly speaking, we are dealing with a fascist system in the Vatican “constitution” which can be traced back to the special form of government of the Roman Empire, when senate-controlled Caesars were in times of crisis made emperors who possessed political and religious omnipotence. Unfortunately, most of them developed into tyrants and were to be worshiped as gods, and that seems to clearly reflect Satan’s preferred leadership style: diversion of worship of the true God to his person and the persecution and oppression of all dissenters.

Let’s stay with this interpretation for a moment. If in the feet of the statue of Daniel 2 there is still iron which symbolizes the Roman Empire, then we expect to see exactly this form of government at Christ’s return: a world government based on the model of the Roman Empire. This form of government was preserved and archived in the Vatican “constitution”, over the centuries for the right moment. All five of the empires of Daniel’s statue have a single goal: total fascism, the achievement of world domination for Satan. All power is concentrated in the person or the representative of Satan, who in turn controls the senate and the three branches of government. You could also call this form of government an “oligarchic dictatorship,” if you allow me this liberty.

All this does not necessarily mean that world government has to be manifested by a human person, as it was the case with the papacy and the Roman emperor. Satan himself wants to rule! The pope was and is the representative of Satan himself, and the three crowns were reserved by him during the long centuries for the three powers of government. Once Satan would have obtained total dominion over the earth, they would be used to crown his chosen state organs. So, the pope serves as Satan’s governor for a predetermined time. Even Satan has to organize his world government through state organs, and the legislative, executive, and judicial powers must also be manifested in his “global government” and his “New World Order”.

Therefore, we must look for these three branches in the symbols of the Moor, bear, and shell, because the crowns have indeed disappeared and have apparently been reassigned. One can compare this with the fact that the Roman emperors returned the governmental powers to the individual state authorities, when the corresponding crisis had passed, which was often the case in Roman history. The true interpretation of the tasks of the Supreme Pontiff that we found in Wikipedia becomes clear: the Sacred Orders, Jurisdiction, and Magisterium are legislative, judicial, and executive authority over the entire planet.

Now, let us return to Luther for a moment. We had asked the question, what spiritual and religious claims does Satan make, which are for him undoubtedly of even greater importance than just to master this planet? Luther’s criticism in the text above also clearly shows the arrogance of the papacy, as he points out that God the Father Himself had only three crowns. Wait a minute: God the Father has three crowns? What could they mean, if hell does not exist? Couldn’t we rule out many false interpretations, if we understand that Satan wants to occupy the seat of God and usurp the crown of God the Father? What could three real, divine crowns mean? And what blasphemous claim does Lucifer raise here?

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12-14)

Satan claims to be like the Most High, God the Father. So, he claims His three crowns. We have already asked: what could the three crowns of God symbolize? Since God is the Creator of the entire universe, and His dominion is universal and cannot be divided into three parts (hell does not exist as we know, and the earth is just one of a myriad of planets), the three crowns can be only a symbol of the Divine Council: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit: three Persons of the Godhead, therefore three crowns.

Satan is a created being and therefore has only one Father, his Creator, and that is Jesus Christ. Satan has his biggest problem with especially this Creator Father. He denies his Father and Creator, and therefore he needs a new story of his creation. He will not admit in any wise that he is just a created being and thus fundamentally excluded from the possibility of being “like the Most High.” He wants to be worshiped like God with a triple crown, the triple crown of the Divine Council.

What do you suppose the creation story of Satan is? In almost all world religions since Babylon and the Tower of Babel up until today, we see sun worship. Whether it were the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, the Mayans or whomever, there was always a Luciferian creation story. In these religious systems, the father of the light-bearer Lucifer is always the sun, the mother is the moon, and the “son” is he himself. He is thus directly in the place of the Person of the Godhead whom he hates the most: Jesus Christ. So, it is a system in which one finds a father, a mother, and a son. “Father, mother and son,” or “sun, moon and star” symbolize this false or satanic Trinitarian system. Will we find this symbolism in the papal coat of arms?

We are talking here about the satanic trinity. The Bible also reveals these three spiritual or religious powers which will rule at the end of time:

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14)

The “Spirit of Prophecy” which was given to the Adventist Church by God as manifested in Ellen G. White said:

Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions. While the former lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience. . . .

Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium. {GC 588.1–3}

So, there is a false religious trinity, the trinity of Satan, which is composed of three religious powers. If we bring the verses from Revelation 16:13-14 together with Ellen G. White’s statements, the picture becomes clear as to what these three spiritual powers are:

1. The dragon, or Satan himself, which Ellen G. White called spiritualism
2. The beast, the papacy, the Roman Catholic Church
3. The false prophet, the Protestants of the United States

We will have to examine carefully to see whether these religious powers are also reflected among the symbols of the pope’s coat of arms. The three branches of political government are reflected in three spiritual or religious structures. We must not forget what Paul said:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

Moreover, it would also be very interesting to see if we could show that the political and religious power structures that are represented in Revelation 13 and 17 as animals or beasts, and which are clearly to be the carriers of the state authorities, can be discerned in the papal coat of arms.

If this were so, we would have to find a symbol of the first beast of Revelation 13, which is—as we know, of course—the papacy. Likewise, a symbol of the United States should be found for the second beast of Revelation 13. If we would really come to the end of time, then there should also be a symbol of the scarlet-colored beast of Revelation 17 which is ridden by the great whore “Babylon,” the mother of harlots, which is the final empire of Satan to be destroyed by the nations themselves shortly before the return of Jesus.

What would it mean if we would find all of those animals in Pope Benedict XVI’s coat of arms? It would mean that his policies and plans are to build these power structures during his tenure. We read on a Catholic website that, at the instigation of Cardinal Ratzinger, the last two popes and he himself refused to be crowned with the tiara, after Pope Paul VI had given it to the world’s poor in 1964 at the end of the Second Vatican Council. The Second Vatican Council had made profound decisions. The wound that the papacy received in 1798 was about to heal, and preparations needed to be made for the coronation of the three world-dominating powers. This act of abdication by refusing the tiara in 1964 was a signal to the Masonic secret society of the papacy, but not the last “crowning” act. The three crowns were still reserved in the coat of arms, which should show the initiate that the crowning of Satan’s world government had entered a crucial stage of preparation during the tenure of the last three predecessors of Benedict XVI. Now with the current pope, the crowns have also disappeared from the papal coat of arms, meaning that certain official coronations would take place during his tenure, and the New World Order would be prepared.

This is not a trivial question if even Catholic theologians are still unclear which of the many possible interpretations of the tiara is the correct one, considering that the tiara has been in all papal coats of arms and that the popes before John Paul I were crowned with it. It is a mystery that even the high dignitaries of the Catholic Church try to solve and write doctoral dissertations about it until today. There was never an official statement from the Vatican publishing what the correct meaning is. So we should expect Satan himself to choose the perfect moment to make a statement that reveals the true meaning of the crowns to all of his followers who have learned to understand the symbolism of the builders of the Tower of Babel. This time came in May 2005, when Benedict XVI chose his coat of arms. This coat of arms unveils who his global players will be and that Satan’s power takeover will be prepared during his tenure. In another article, you will even learn the date of the seizure of power of a political world government, which was already communicated in another symbolic “letter” of Satan published by the Vatican. So, we will see more and more that time is running out to wake up and prepare for the impending crisis.

Now we will address the different symbols on the coat of arms, and we will always ask the same basic questions for each symbol:

1. Do we discover there one of the three branches of government: legislative, executive, or judicial?
2. Can we identify one of the three beasts of Revelation 13 and 17?
3. Are we dealing with one of the three persons of the satanic trinity?
4. Is one of the three spiritual forces hidden in it that plays a role in the end-times according to Ellen G. White?

If you will please continue reading with the article The Moor of Freising, you will see that one crown has already been assigned during the brief tenure of Benedict. We will find the other two crowns also, but let’s go forward one step at a time...

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