θηρίῳ, καὶ προσε κύνησαν τῷ θηρίω, λέγοντες" Τίς ὅμοιος τῷ θηρίω; καὶ Τις δύναται πολεμῆσαι 5 μέν αὐτῇ ; Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ τόμα λαλῶν μεγάλα καὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξεσία [ποιήσαι] μήνας τεσσαράκοντα δύο. 6 Καὶ ἤνοιξε τὸ ςόμα αὑτῶ εἰς βλασφημίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, βλασφημῆσαι τὸ ὅνομα αὐτό, καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτῷ, [κ] τὰς ἐν τῷ ἐξανῷ σκηνένα 7 τας. Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτ τῷ πόλεμον ποιῆσαι μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων, καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτός καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξεσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ 8 λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. Καὶ προσκυνήσεσιν αὐ τὸν πάνιες οἱ καλοικαλες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, αν κ γέγραπίαι τὸ ὀνόμα ἐν τῷ βίβλιω τῆς ζωῆς τῇ ἀρνία | τῇ ἐσφαγμένες, ἀπὸ | καταβολής κόσμο. 9 Εἴ τις ἔχει ἧς, ακε10 σάτω. Εἴ τις αιχ μαλωσίαν συνάγει, εἰς αιχμαλωσίαν ὑπάγει· εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρᾳ ἀποκλενεῖ, "unto the beast, and "who is able to make 5 " war with him?” And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and there was given to him power [to continue in action] forty - two months. 6 And he opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, [and] those who dwell in 7 heaven. And it was given him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. And power was given to him over every tribe, and people, and language, and nation: 8 And all who dwell on the earth shall wor there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things, and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two 6 months. And he open ed his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in hea7 ven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell up on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the ship him; they whose |9 world. If any man name is not written in the book of life of the Lamb, which was sacrificed from the foundation of the world. 9 If any one have an ear, 10 let him hear. If any one leadeth into captivity, into captivity he goes. If any one shall slay with the sword, he must be slain with the sword. Herein is the patience have an ear, let him 10 hear. He that leadeth into captivity, shall gọ into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of saints. Ver. 1. And I was stationed on the sand of the sea.] 'Esalny, not ¿çal, appears to be the true reading*. The scene is now changed, and the Prophet is so stationed as to behold it. It had been removed from the earth and sea, where the angel of the tenth chapter had begun to disclose the fortunes of the Church in the western kingdoms of the Gentiles; it had been removed to Heaven, to shew the prime mover of all the warfare. Both the combatants were of heavenly extraction, and had fought in Heaven. These conflicts therefore were first described; and the scene was changed to accommodate to them. But the battle, which had been begun in Heaven, is now continued on earth; and is to be brought to its conclusion under the seventh Trumpet. Therefore before the final conflict, wherein the heavenly Leader will again appear, the combatants on earth are also to be exhibited; first, those who continue the warfare on behalf of the dragon; then, those who engage on the part of the woman, or Church. Accordingly, the scene is again opened upon earth, and at the brink of the sea; because a formidable agent of the dragon, or satan, is to arise from that quarter t. Ib.' And I saw a wild-beast rising up out of the sea.] The sea, in prophetic language, signifies in general the heathen world; numerous and powerful See the lect. var. in Griesbach. 4. See note, ch. viii. 7. 8. + Ch. xi. 7. armies of the Gentiles, marching against the people of God, are figuratively represented by the stormy waves of the sea*. Thus the ascent of the wild-beast out of the sea seems to signify his rise in worldly power, and probably also from the western gentiles, who are more especially represented under this symbol. The four wild-beasts of the prophet Daniel, representing so many successive tyrannies which overran the earth, are described, all of them, as ascending from the sea. There is a very striking resemblance between the wild-beast of the Apocalypse and those of this Prophet. It will be useful to exhibit them together: and it will be done most effectually in the Greek. The translation of Daniel into that language appears to be very close to the original, as given in Mr. Wintle's version. Rev. xiii. 118. xix. 20, ΧΧ. Θηριον — εξεσίαν μεγάλην. Ως σομα λέοντος. Οἱ πόδες αύτε ὡς Αρχιζε. Θηριον ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ δρα Κεράλα δεκα,κεφαλας έπλα. Δεκα βασιλεις. (chap. xvii. 12.) From this comparison, it must appear, that the Beast of the Apocalypse (including the second beast, the false prophet, who is cotemporary with him, exercises his power, and exalts him to universal worship) bears striking resemblance to the beast of Daniel; to all four of them in some respects; but more especially to the fourth, which, like the beast of the Apocalypse, has the same period of continuance allotted to him, at the end of which he is to be destroyed in like manner; and the destruction of both is followed by the establishment of the Messiah's reign. It will further appear, by a similar comparison, that the visions of the Apoca lyptic beast, and of this of the prophet Daniel, have a nearer resemblance to each other than the two famous visions of Daniel (of the beasts and of the image), yet these two visions of Daniel, on very satisfactory grounds, and by report of the best ancient and modern commentators, are supposed to represent the same history*. The three first beasts of Daniel resemble those which appear to have been most formidable to the ancient world; the lion, the bear, the leopard; and which are enumerated as such by Hoseat; but the fourth beast is a non-descript. He was diverse from the other beast; exceedingly terrible; had iron teeth, and ten horns; and, among the ten, one more dreadful than the rest, which sprang up after them. The beast of the Apocalypse is described as possessing the most terrible parts and properties of all the beasts of Daniel. He is in his general shape like a leopard; uniting uncommon agility with ferocious strength; he has the mouth of the lion; the paw of the bear §. But his resemblance is much nearer to the fourth beast, whose more dreadful power he seems to possess. He has his ten horns, his ten kings, or kingdoms. He has the "mouth, "speaking great things and blasphemies," which is seen upon the little additional horn of the fourth beast of Daniel. To which little horn, the second beast of the Apocalypse, (intimately connected with the first, rising up after him to exercise his power and to increase his dominion) will be found to bear strong resemblance, when we proceed to consider them together, and * See particulars in Bp. Newton's Diss. on Prophecy, vol. i. 454, 8vo. Kett on Prophecy, vol. i. p. 320, &c. 4th ed. + Ch. xiii. 7, 8. 1 Sam. xvii. 34, 38. Psalm xxii. 13; 2 Tim. iv. 17. to |