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dragon is upon the scene long after these times, and continues in action even at the end of another long period, a period of a thousand years*. He there pursues his ancient artifices, " 'deceiving the nations," even till his final catastrophe, in ch. xx. 10, when the warfare of the Church is finished. Can this dragon then be an emperor of Rome? or any race or dynasty of emperors? Can he be any other than that ancient and eternal enemy of the Christian Church, who in this, as in all other Scriptural accounts, is represented as the original contriver of all the mischief which shall befall it? In this drama, he acts the same consistent part, from beginning to end. He is introduced to early notice, as warring against the Church; as possessing a seat, or throne of power, in a great city inimical to the Christians; as the author of doctrines corruptive of Religion, which are: called the depths of Satan." The evils brought on the Church under the Trumpets, particularly the. third and fifth, are ascribed to him. In the succeeding conflicts, the Church is attacked by his agents; by the wild-beast and false prophet §, who derive their power from him; and at length he himself is described, as leading the nations against the camp of the Saints . Nothing appears more plain than the meaning of this symbol. The only ap

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pearances which may seem to favour the application of it to Imperial Rome are, the seven crowned heads, and the ten horns of the dragon. But the number seven is of great universality: and although seven heads, or seven mountains, are in another prophecy

.7.

* Ch. xx. § Ch. xiii.

+ Ch. ii. 10. 13.
Ch. xx. 9.

Ch. ii. 24.

applied

applied to Rome in a particular sense, which may properly designate that city; yet, they have a much more extended and general signification, expressive of the immense influence of Satan in the councils of this world. In a particular sense also, the seven mountains and ten horns of the latter Roman empire are fitly attributed to Satan, because during the period of 1260 years, and perhaps beyond it, he makes use of the Roman empire, its capital city, and ten kings or kingdoms, as the instruments of his successful attack on the Christian Church. Joseph Mede, when he had no favourite hypothesis immediately in view, clearly saw and acknowledged the obvious interpretation of this symbol; and, in one of his learned sermons, has justly described the parties engaged in this spiritual conflict: 1. Satan, and his angels; 2. the woman and her seed *. If the Roman emperors are at all concerned in this warfare, it is only as subministrant agents of this arch-enemy of the Church, The dragon therefore appears to me, as he did to Venerable Bede, eleven centuries ago, to be “ Dia"bolus, potentià terreni regni armatus t." worldly agents, whom he principally employs to carry on the warfare thus begun, will be described in the ensuing chapter.

* Mede's Works, p. 236.

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The

+ Bedæ Com. in loc.; the Devil, armed with the power of worldly dominion,"

PART

PART IV.

SECTION HI

The IVild-beast from the Sea.

CHAP. xii. 18.

18 Καὶ ἐτάθην ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμμον τῆς θαλάσ 1 σης. Καὶ εἶδον ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης θηρίον αταβαῖνον, ἔχον κέρατα δέκα και κεφαλὰς ἁπλὰ· καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κεμάτων αὐτῇ δέκα διαδήματα, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτὸ ὄνομαία βλασφημία 2 ας. Καὶ τὸ θηρίον ὃ εἶδον, ἦν ὅμοιον τσαρθάλει, και οι πόδες αὐτῷ ὡς ἄρκλε, καὶ τὸ δόμα αὐτῇ ὡς ςόμα λέοντα· καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ δράκων τὴν δύναμιν αὑτῶ, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐξεσίαν μεγάλην. 3 Καὶ μίαν ἐκ τῶν κεφαλῶν αὐτὸ ὡς ἐσφαγμένην εἰς θά καίου καὶ ἡ πληγή τα θανάτε αὐτό ἐθεραπεύθη καὶ ἔθαυ μάσιν ὅλη ἡ γ ὀπίσω τα θηρία. 4 Καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ δράκουλα, ὅτι ἔδω κεν τὴν ἐξεσίαν τῷ

CHAP. xiii. 111.

18 And I was stationed on the sand of the sea. 1 And I saw a wild-beast rising up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and upon his ten horns diadems, and upon his

heads names of blas2 phemy. And the wild

beast, which I saw, was like a leopard; and his feet as those of a bear; and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his

throne, and great au3 thority. And I saw one of his heads as having been smitten unto death, and his deadly wound was healed. And the whole earth wondered after 4 the wild-beast. And they worshipped the dragon, because he had given the power to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying; "Who is like

1 And I stood upon the sund of the sea, and saw a beast rise out up of the sea, having seven heads and ten horus, and upon his horns. ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of 2 blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as

the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and 3 great authority. And I saw one of his heads, as it were wounded to death; and his deadly healed: wound and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?

was

who is able to make 5 war with him? And

θηρίῳ, καὶ προσεκίνησαν τῷ θηρίῳ, λέγοντες Τίς ὅμοιος τῷ θηρίω; καὶ Τις δύναται πολεμῆσαι 5 μέ αὐτό; Καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ τόμα λαλῶν μεγάλα καὶ βλασφημίας, καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξεσία

.

[ποιησαι] μῆνας τεσσαράκοντα δύο.

6 Καὶ ἄνοιξε τὸ σόμα αὑτὸ εἰς βλασφη μίαν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, βλασφημῆσαι τὸ ὅ νομα αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτῷ,[κ] τὸς ἐν τῷ ἐξανῷ σκηνἔν* τας. Καὶ ἐδόθη αυτ τῷ πόλεμον ποιῆσαι μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων, και νικῆσαι αὐτές· καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξεσία

5

"unto the beast, and "who is able to make

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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:

ἐπὶ πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ | 8 And all who dwell on the earth shall worship him; they whose name is not written in the book of life of the Lamb, which was sacrificed from the foundation of the world.

8 λαὸν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ ἔθνος. Καὶ προσκυνήσεσιν αὐτ τὸν πάντες οἱ καλοι κανες ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν ἐ γέγραπίαι τὸ ὀνόμα ἐν τῷ βίβλιω τῆς ζωῆς τὸ ἀρνία | τῇ ἐσφαγμένη, ἀπό καταβολής κόσμο. 9 Εἴ τις ἔχει ἐς, ακο 10 σάτω. Εἴ τις αιχ μαλωσίαν συνάγει, εἰς αιχμαλωσίαν ὑπάγει εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρα αποκλενεί,

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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 9 world. If any man

have an ear, let him 10 hear. He that leadeth

into captivity, shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword, must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of saints.

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Ver. 1. And I was stationed on the sand of the sea.] 'Esabν, not son, 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. Ac-cordingly, 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 f.

Ib. And I saw a wild-beast rising up out of the sea.] The sea, in prophetic language, language, signifies in general the heathen world; numerous and powerful

* See the lect. var. in Griesbach. See note, ch. viii. 7. 8.

† Ch. xi. 7.

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