A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse Part 13

The flood of water cast out after the woman, is an appropriate symbol of the various tribes which subsequently overran the Western empire. Waters symbolize peoples, 17:15; and by hordes of barbarian Huns, Goths, and Vandals, Rome was inundated as by a flood, in the 5th century; and in A.

D. 476 its government was entirely subverted.

Such an irruption of barbarians might be expected to extirpate Christianity from the earth; but help came from an unexpected quarter. The woman had retired to her secure retreat, and the earth swallowed up the flood. Those barbarous tribes were absorbed by, and mixed with, the previous population of the empire, and const.i.tuted the clay ingredient with the iron, in the feet of the metallic image.-Dan. 2:41. They rapidly a.s.similated to the character and habits of the previous inhabitants; and ultimately adopted the forms of government and religion which for a time they subverted; and within the limits of the Western empire, in the place of the Imperial head, const.i.tuted ten contemporary kingdoms. These were a continuation of the former government, and were symbolized by:

The Ten-Horned Beast.

"And I was standing on the sand of the sea, and saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of reviling. And the wild beast, which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world admired and followed the beast. And they wors.h.i.+pped the dragon, for he gave power to the wild beast: and they wors.h.i.+pped the wild beast, saying, Who is like the wild beast, and who is able to make war with him?"-Rev.

18:1-4.

The sea, from which this beast emerged, is evidently the turbulent state of anarchy, to which the people of the fourth kingdom had been reduced, on its subversion. And the beast which came up out of the sea, represents the forms of government which then arose.

Its heads and horns synchronize with those of the dragonic monster, which had preceded it, and disappeared from the view of the revelator. And they doubtless symbolize the same forms of government. See pp. 145-148.

The ten crowns encircling its horns, indicate that an era is foreshadowed, when the sovereignty of the kingdom shall have been transferred from the forms of government symbolized by the heads,-which had before been encircled by the crowns,-to that represented by the horns. There is great unanimity among Protestant writers, in regarding these as the first ten kingdoms which existed in the western empire arising during the period of its decline, viz:

1. The Huns in Hungary, from A. D. 356.

2. The Ostrogoths in Mysia, from A. D. 377. They invaded Italy, and conquered the Heruli in 493; and were defeated in 538 by Justinian, when the Pope was placed in quiet possession of the capital of Rome.

3. The Visigoths in Pannonia, from A. D. 378 to 408, when they removed to the south of France till 585. They then removed to, and subjugated Spain.

4. The Franks in France, from A. D. 407.

5. The Vandals in Spain, from A. D. 407 till 427, when they removed to Africa, and continued an independent kingdom till subjugated by Justinian in 533.

6. The Suevi and Alans in Gascoigne and Spain, from 407 till 585.

7. The Burgundians in Burgundy, from A. D. 407 till 524, when they became subject for a time to the Franks; but afterwards they arose again to an independent kingdom.

8. The Heruli, who advanced into Italy under Attila, and in 476 terminated the imperial rule by the dethronement of Agustulus. They were in turn conquered by the Ostrogoths in A. D. 493.

9. The Saxons and Angles in Britain from about A. D. 450. And,

10. The Lombards in Germany, from A. D. 483.

The name of blasphemy, on the heads of this beast, identifies it as the successor and representative of the persecuting power which sought the life of the Man-child, (12:4), and caused the woman to flee to the wilderness, 12:14.

Its characteristics resemble those of the lion, bear, and leopard, of Daniel's vision (Dan. 7:4-6), which respectively symbolized the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian kingdoms. These mark it as their successor-synchronizing with Daniel's ten-horned nondescript beast, (Dan.

7:7); which was the fourth kingdom that should exist on the earth, and the ten horns of which, symbolized the same ten-fold part.i.tion of the Roman empire.

His power, seat, and great authority being given by the dragon, is another evidence that it is a continuation of that fourth kingdom succeeding to its sovereignty. The laws of the ancient empire were generally adopted by the ten kingdoms, which a.s.sumed and exercised the prerogatives of ancient Rome. Says Bossuet: "Whoever carefully examines the laws of the Theodosian and Justinian codes against heretics, will see that they are the source of the decrees against them, that the church, aided by the edicts of princes, enacted in the third and fourth Lateran councils."

The head, which was as it were wounded to death, would indicate that under the government symbolized by that head, the life of the beast had become apparently extinct. This was the case when the empire was subverted. In the succession of the previous forms of government, the empire itself was not in any particular peril. They gave place, each to its successor, without any subversion of the government. But when the seventh head ceased to exercise sovereignty, the beast itself was apparently dead. The wound, however, did not prove mortal. The beast still lived. Its sovereignty was perpetuated by the decemregal governments; which const.i.tuted the eighth form of government-symbolized by the beast that was, is not, and yet is again in existence and will continue till the day of perdition, 17:11; 19:20.

They wors.h.i.+pped the dragon and beast, by regarding the latter as a continuation of the former power, and regarding the sovereign power of Rome as unparalleled and invincible-as is shown by the questions: "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" Those combined governments were regarded by their subjects with wonder and veneration.

Says Mr. Lord: "The serfs and common people, sunk for ages to the most degraded va.s.salage, revered the monarchs, the various ranks of n.o.bles, and their armed followers, as a superior race, while poets and historians celebrated their warlike exploits, and philosophers and priests justified their usurpations, and eulogized the wisdom and benignity of their rule."

The Mouth of the Beast.

"And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and revilings; and power was given to him to make war forty-two months. And he opened his mouth in reviling against G.o.d, to revile his name, and his tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. And it was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over every tribe, and people, and tongue, and nation. And all, who dwell on the earth, will wors.h.i.+p him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the slain Lamb, from the foundation of the world. If any one hath an ear, let him hear. If any one leadeth into captivity, he will go into captivity: if any one killeth by the sword, he must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."-Rev.

13:5-10.

The mouth of the beast, must symbolize the agency by which utterance is given to the great things and blasphemies which are spoken by it. Its likeness to the mouth of the lion, shows its resemblance to the Babylonian wors.h.i.+p of the dead. Moses was "not eloquent,"-he was "slow of speech and of a slow tongue," and the Lord said to him, Aaron "shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of _a mouth_," Ex. 4:10, 16. As Aaron was a mouth to Moses, so did the Papacy become a mouth-piece for the Roman kingdoms. It was the agency by which the people were taught; and through which utterance was given to the blasphemies of the beast. It fills a place a.n.a.logous to that of the image afterwards symbolized, which also had like power to speak blasphemies. See p. 188.

The beast had power to continue to utter blasphemies by the mouth given to it, forty-two months. This identifies the mouth with that of the "little horn" (Dan. 7:25), of which it was said, "He shall speak great words against the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time"-_i.e._ 1260 prophetic days.

1. This mouth uttered blasphemy against G.o.d by claiming to be Christ's vicegerent-usurping the prerogatives of the Almighty. The Pope claimed that he was "Judge, as G.o.d's Vicar, and could himself be judged by none."

In A. D. 799, a Roman council declined to hear accusations against the Pope, declaring that "he who was Judge of all men, was above being judged by any other than himself." Febroni wrote of the Pope: "He is the Prince of princes and Lord of lords. He is, as it were, a G.o.d on earth. He is above right, superior to law, superior to the canons. He can do all things against right, and without right. He is able to free from obligation in matters of positive right, without any cause, and they who are so released are safe in respect to G.o.d." a.s.suming such prerogatives, and the power to forgive sins, the Holy name of G.o.d was blasphemed.

2. He blasphemed the tabernacle of G.o.d by "exalting himself above all that is called G.o.d, or that is wors.h.i.+pped; so that he as G.o.d sitteth in the _temple_ of G.o.d, showing himself that he is G.o.d," 2 Thess. 2:2. The Pope claimed to be the head of the church and that from himself was derived the authority of all bishops and other clergy. He usurped the powers in the church, which only Christ, its Supreme Head and Lawgiver can exercise.

3. Those in heaven were blasphemed, by the ascription to them of the attributes and prerogatives of G.o.d; and by representing them as being well pleased with the bestowal on them of divine honors. Saint-wors.h.i.+p by the Papists and demon-wors.h.i.+p by the Pagans are alike. They both ascribe the same attributes to the spirits of the departed,-all the G.o.ds of the heathen being the ghosts of their departed heroes. A revival of this blasphemy, is subsequently symbolized by the frog-like spirits which emerge from the mouths of the beast, the dragon, and false prophet, 16:13,-see p. 255.

In connection with and in obedience to this mouth, the beast warred with the saints, and overcame them. Dissenters from the Papacy were subjected to unheard of cruelties and persecutions. And they whose names were not written in the book of life, sustained their rulers in these oppressive acts. In paying more deference to the edicts of government than to the requirements of Jehovah, they blasphemously bestowed on the beast an homage which was due only to G.o.d.

The revelator being shown what was to be endured by the saints during a long period of oppression, now receives an annunciation to which all were to listen,-all who had ears to hear. It was the announcement, that "if any one leadeth into captivity, he will go into captivity: if any one killeth with the sword, he must be killed with the sword." Most commentators have considered this as applicable to the fate of the wild beast,-that its end was to be effected by the sword and captivity, as it had in the same way tyrannized over the saints. Mr. Lord offers some reasons for supposing that it was a caution to the saints not to resist with the sword the attacks of enemies, nor to retaliate by making captives of the subjects of the beast who should fall into their power. He says:

"The prediction that he who led into captivity should himself become a captive, and he that slew with the sword be himself slain, had a signal fulfilment in the slaughter and va.s.salage of all those who attempted to deliver themselves by force from the religious tyranny of the European monarchs.

"The Albigenses were nearly exterminated by the cruel armies against which they attempted to defend themselves, and the small number that remained after the devastation of their fields, the conflagration of their cities, and the promiscuous slaughters to which they were subjected, were either forced to conform to the Catholic church, or driven into other lands. The Waldenses perished in far greater numbers by the sword, in their struggles for preservation and freedom, than by the fires of martyrdom; and sunk, after their contests, to a still more hopeless va.s.salage to their persecutors. The resort to the sword by the Bohemians and the Huguenots of France, to defend their religious freedom, resulted, after vast slaughters, in their defeat and helpless subjection to the tyranny from which they endeavored to extricate themselves. And the Protestants of Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Great Britain, who succeeded in delivering themselves from the dominion of their ancient tyrants, instead of securing thereby their religious liberty, only placed themselves, by the nationalization of their churches, under the tyranny of Protestant rulers in place of Catholics."-_Exp. of Apoc._ p. 384.

In this was to be exhibited the patience and faith of the saints, who, amid all their persecutions, made a wonderful manifestation of these. Of the many thousands put to death, or subjected to satanic cruelties for their faith, only a very few apostatized. Says Mr. Lord:

"Of those who, under the insupportable agonies and distraction of the scourge and the rack, recanted, or promised a recantation, a large proportion immediately on being released from the sufferings which had overcome them, abjured their retractions, re-professed with redoubled energy the faith of Christ, and met without faltering the hideous death to which they were immediately hurried. Such is their uniform history in whatever age they fell, or to whatever nation or rank they belonged."-_Exp. of Apoc._, p. 385.

If there was no other evidence of their constancy, faith, and patience, the horrid instruments of torture which were resorted to to terrify them, testify to their adherence to their principles, which required such engines for their subversion.

The end of this beast, will be effected by his being cast alive into the lake of fire and brimstone, when the Lord shall make war with him, 19:20.

This is also the end of Daniel's fourth beast, whose body is to be given to the burning flame (Dan. 7:11), and of the scarlet-colored beast on which the woman was seated, which is to go into perdition, 17:8.

The Two-Horned Beast.

"And I saw another wild beast ascending out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first wild beast, in his sight, and causeth the earth and those, who dwell in it, to wors.h.i.+p the first wild beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he performeth great signs, so that he causeth fire to come down from heaven into the earth in the sight of men. And he deceiveth those, who dwell on the earth, by means of the signs which it was given him to perform in the sight of the wild beast; saying to those, who dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the wild beast, that had the wound by a sword, and did live."-Rev. 13:11-14.