The other Beast, religious political propaganda

Rev. 13:11-18 (ESV)
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. [12] It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. [13] It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, [14] and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. [15] And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. [16] Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, [17] so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. [18] This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Oscar Cullmann identifies this second beast with the “religious politico Propaganda machine.” The state employs the church on its behalf to boost it up. Can we think Glen Beck? Even Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson? This happens on both the right and the left. They talk about God in the abstract and what they really mean is the state. Why worship this abstract god? So the country can get back on track, so we can get out of a recession. It is sickening. Of course Oscar Cullmann lived through worse manifestations of this with the socalled “German Christian” movement and so on. But wherever the two kingdoms are not divided, whether it be the church using the state or the state using the church you have a massive confusion of law and gospel, and a false god. The church lives on the gospel alone, the forgiveness of sins, it admonishes with God’s word of law also, but it dare not employ the sword of the state to make people behave like Christians. The idea is to convert their hearts so they are Christian and desire to live like Christians willingly. There is no sense in trying to make people behave like Christians. There is sense in keeping the peace etc. But to make them think that Christianity is about dos and and don’ts and to force this morality on them in the name of the church by use of the sword is a perverse sickness and manifestation of the beast recorded here. At times the state makes you go along with this sort of thing in order to buy and sell. It has happened in Russia, and in Nazi Germany, where things almost basic to the needs of man, were forbidden a person unless they were a member of the ruling political party.