This terrible beast was a form of government composed of three elements or component parts, namely, professional politicians, great financiers, and ecclesiastical leaders.

This Satanic organization became dreadful and terrible from the time that these three forces were united.

Of this unholy trinity, we see the Papacy, the ecclesiastical element, in the saddle, riding and directing everything.

The date of its beginning was at the overthrow of the Ostrogothic monarchy, which occurred in A.D.

539.
[397]The prophet Daniel was given a vision of the events following, yet he did not understand them; and he says: "I looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.