Pope Francis tightens controls at Vatican Bank: A prelude to Revelation 13:16-18?

Pope Francis (Source: presidencia.gov.ar)

Pope Francis has been working on financial controls:

Pope Francis tightens Vatican bank controls

August 8, 2013

The Pope recently set up a commission to investigate the bank and report back to him personally…

Pope Francis’s number one priority this summer is to sort out the financial mess at the Vatican bank and a parent body which looks after the financial assets of the Holy See, the BBC’s David Willey reports from Rome.

Bank review

The new decree is intended to tackle “money-laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”, the Vatican said.

It sets up a financial security committee to coordinate the anti-corruption effort.

Church spokesman Federico Lombardi said the decree would help the Vatican resist “increasingly insidious” forms of international financial crime…

The Vatican bank, which is known officially as the Institute for Religious Works, handles the payroll for some 5,000 Vatican employees. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23621235

The USA seems to be the country that introduced a lot of financial controls and reporting (spying) at banks within its borders, in these times. Because of its financial influence, this has spread to other countries (where the USA pressures them and/or their banks to provide information to the USA).

While there is nothing obviously nefarious about what Pope Francis is doing (especially, as in his case there reportedly was a lot of Vatican-bank related corruption that he needed to deal with), I cannot help but feel that his actions, combined with those of others nations, are truly a prelude to the fulfillment of the following prophecies:

16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666. (Revelation 13:16-18)

As far as USA espionage goes, there have been articles about how its Drug Enforcement Administration has tapped into various databanks in order to go after Americans. While the USA is NOT the Beast of the sea nor the Beast of the land of Revelation 13, some of its policies and practices are making it easier for those Beasts to rise up.

Some items of related interest may include:

Could Pope Francis be the Last Pope and Antichrist? According to some interpretations of the prophecies of the popes by the Catholic saint and Bishop Malachy, Pope Francis I is in the position of “Peter the Roman,” the pontiff who reigns during tribulations until around the time of the destruction of Rome. Do biblical prophecies warn of someone that sounds like Peter the Roman? Could Francis I be the heretical antipope of Catholic private prophecies and the final Antichrist of Bible prophecy? This is a YouTube video.
The Malachy Prophecies and “Peter the Roman” An Irish bishop allegedly predicted something about 112 popes in the 12th century. Pope Benedict XVI was number 111. Francis would seem to be number 112–if he is that one–and if so, he is to reign until Rome is destroyed. May he be an antipope/final Antichrist?
Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? 1964 article by David Jon Hill, originally published in the old Good News magazine.
The Last Pope Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Why might Pope Francis be the last pope? What happens if he is? Biblical and other prophecies help explain what to expect.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Amazon Book What does the Bible say about a pope near this time? Is the final pope to be an antipope and antichrist? Does Catholic prophecy point to Pope Francis as being the dreaded “Peter the Roman”? This 186 page book provides information and answers.
The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle This electronic version of the printed book which is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Kindle.
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions. [Português: Qual é fiel: A igreja católica romana ou a igreja do deus?]
Will USA Spying Help the Beast Power? Various allegations have surfaced about the United States government spying on its own citizens as well as its supposed allies in the European Union. Whether or not all the allegations are true, and the main ones have not been publicly denied by the government of the USA, the reality is that this does have prophetic ramifications and will help the Beast of Revelation. This video provides quotes from the Bible showing how this is so. The USA is placing itself in a position to be taken over and its response to the allegations will make it easier for the Europeans to do so. This is a video.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?