Throughout this age this enemy of God also endeavors to control the
earth politically and rule the nations. The Roman emperors mostly all
aimed at world-dominion and did the devil's bidding to obtain their
object. What horrible things were done and the depths of wickedness
history makes known to us. Throughout the centuries of our age, again
and again, he raised up instruments and inspired them to great deeds in
bloody wars to control nations and kingdoms. Napoleon is a notable
example. His ambition was to become the head of a great European
empire. A cartoonist of 1812 pictured Satan holding Napoleon in his
lap and saying to him, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well
pleased." If this was true of Napoleon that he was of the seed of the
serpent, doing his will, how much more is it true of the Hohenzollern,
William II. His deeds and the deeds of his associates in this war of
all wars surpass the deeds of Nero, Attila and Napoleon. The devil's
bait was swallowed by this Prussian emperor and he hoped to gain world
dominion, but has now found out that the devil is a liar.
Nor must we forget the popes with their spurious claims of being
Christ's vice-regents on earth and their attempt to exercise temporal
power. Behind their claim there stands the same dark shadow.