Revelation 13:12 Revelation 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. The beast had his power given him by the dragon, \ here he exerciseth his power; and he spake as a dragon. And he exercised all the power of the first beast both political and ecclesiastical; for he made war against the emperors, deposed kings; and his holiness also exercised ecclesiastical power to excommunicate churches, synods, counsels, bishops, kings, and emperors. And causeth the earth, and them that dwell therein, to worship the first beast. By the dwellers of the earth, we are to understand those inhabiters of the earth, whose names are not written in the Lamb’ s Book of Life. See Revelation 13:8 whose deadly wound was healed. The beast had seven heads; that is, imperial sovereign power and dominion over the earth. And his seventh head had a wound by a sword, \ that is, by the sword of the Barbarians, who waged war against the Roman Empire, did sack and burn Rome, and forced the Pope of Rome to fly to Vienna, as historians testify. This deadly wound was healed, when the Barbarian armies were driven out of Italy, and the Pope returned to Rome again; and was by the Emperor Phocas made universal bishop, and head of the Catholic Church (so called) about the year 426 of Christ, and 666 from the first beginning of the fourth metal kingdom.