The term “Rome” is loosely used when looking at the prophetic and political landscape of the world. The term however, may conjure up thoughts of Italy’s capital city, with its ancient columned ruins, or of the Roman Catholic Church and its clergy; and when we think of it in either of these ways, then it becomes difficult to mentally grasp how Rome could control the world as a hidden power influencing world events.
The pagan Roman Empire collapsed long ago, but it revived as a religious power. Still, this does little to help in our quest for a satisfactory answer. For sure, Italy is among the world’s strongest economies, and the Roman Catholic Church is the richest organisation in the world; but how does any of that translate into a global influence and control?
Daniel 10:13 records how the angel Gabriel was withstood by the prince of the kingdom of Persia. In the time when Daniel lived, the Babylonian Empire had been replaced by the Persian Empire. However, in the unseen realm, the Persian Empire was under the control of a demonic entity known as the prince of the kingdom of Persia.
Further on, in Daniel 10:20, the angel told Daniel that the prince of Persia would be followed by the prince of Grecia. In the physical world, the Persian Empire was replaced by the Grecian Empire; yet in the unseen realm, the prince of Grecia too was a demonic entity. The same can therefore be said of the Roman Empire, that it was controlled by the prince of Rome, also a demonic entity.
The hierarchical structure of Rome places Satan first and foremost at the top, and his expressed power is threefold: (1) demonic; (2) political; (3) religious. His unique ability to oppose God on the earth is not limited to his use of the pope seated on the papal chair, or of the scarlet-robed cardinals that run the Catholic Church. The Roman spirit of Satan has spread into every form of religion since Babel (Genesis 11), and its machinations are at work in government bodies and other powerful organisations of this world.
There are of course many zealous Catholics worldwide in powerful positions of government, military, finance, and other large and influential bodies; but to be under Rome’s control has nothing to do with practicing Roman Catholicism, or to know anything about religion for that matter. The Roman spirit of Satan is adaptive and expansive. It has infiltrated the United States of America, the European Union, the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, Wall Street, Hollywood, and so many others.
The prince of Rome’s influence filtered its way down into all the world’s industries, as can be seen in Revelation 18; and although the Roman Catholic Church is singled out in Revelation 17, yet it works indirectly, making proxies of powerful nations, organisations, industries, and political figures to spearhead a Luciferian agenda that is both subtle and diabolical.
The use of the word “Rome” is therefore a term that embodies this larger collective that we have just discussed, and we are to think more broadly of its expressed nature than limiting it to a religious organisation headquartered in the Vatican City State.