8, 9; Dan. vii. 13, 14, &c. At ver. 9, this dragon is termed the old serpent, called the devil; which will naturally lead us to his first exploit, mentioned in Gen. iii. 1, &c. 13. When the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth (Luke, x. 18; John, xii. 31), HE PERSECUTED THE WOMAN, &c.* Ver. 17. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to MAKE WAR WITH THE REMNANT OF HER SEED, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus." From these passages, I think it must be evident, that the first prophecy relating to the mysterious birth and triumph of the Messiah, mentioned in Gen. iii. 15, is referred to: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between THY SEED AND HER SEED; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel," see p. 218, where the same view has been taken of it. The Apocalypse here, therefore, goes back to the first intimation given in Holy Writ of the warfare to be * The comment of Hippolytus is, I think, worthy of being given in this place. "Mulierem amictam sole," says he, "clarissimè ecclesiam significavit, Paterno indutam Verbo, quod sole micantius splendet....Lunam sub pedibus ejus, cœlesti claritate lunæ in morem ornatam ostendit. Quod autem ait, In capite ejus corona stellarum duodecim, duodecim Apostolos designat, per quos fundata est ecclesia.... Raptus est filius ejus ad Deum, et ad thronum ejus, CELESTEM REGEM, non terrenum esse significat....uti etiam David pronuntiavit dicens, Dixit Dominus, &c. Ps. cix. 1. Et vidit, inquit, draco, et persecutus est, &c. ... Hi sunt dies mille ducenti sexaginta (dimidium scilicet hebdomadæ, Apoc. xi. 3; Dan. ix. 27), quibus Tyrranus rerum potietur, persequens ecclesiam fugientem de civitate in civitatem, et in solitudine in montibus latitantem," &c. Mal. iv. 2, is then cited by way of consolation; and, in order to identify the times, Matt. xxiv. 15; Mark, xiii. 14; Luke, xxi. 20; 2 Thess. ii. 1-12; Dan. xi. 31. xii. 11; and Is. xxvi. 10, according to the Septuagint. After this the second coming of Christ is entered upon, in whom, it is said, we have hoped. Luke, xxi. 28; Matt. xxiv. 26-31; Ps. xviii. 7; Is. xxvi. 20, and Rom. i. 17, are then cited as referring to this event. In the next place, on the resurrection and the kingdom of heaven, Dan. xii. 2; Is. xxvi. 19; John, v. 25; Ephes. v. 14; Rev. xx. 6-14; and it is added, "Nam secunda mors, stagnum est ignis urentis." Here, I believe, this father understood by the resurrection and kingdom of heaven, a spiritual resurrection on earth, and an introduction into Christ's Church. In the next, and last, portion of his tract, he undoubtedly meant the general judgment; and on this point he cites Matt. xiii. 43. xxv. 34; Rev. xxii. 15. xxi. 8; ls. lxvi. 24; 1 Thess. iv. 12; Tit. ii. 13; although it may well be doubted whether all these passages allude to that event.—(Hipp. de Antichristo, edit. 1716.) sustained by the saints with this enemy; and it is remarkable enough, that he here also enounces the victory, just as it has been done there it or he shall bruise thy head, i. e. the dragon was cast out. The power and success of this enemy is noticed in ver. 3, 4: he had seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads; and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. By this last passage, is probably meant, that he had obtained considerable power even among believers, such as to make them earthly, sensual, devilish. At ver. 7, this is again taken up, and a war is said to be carried on against Michael, the prince of the Jewish people, by this enemy and his adherents, till victory is proclaimed on the part of the Church, and the enemy is cast out. I think it extremely probable, that allusion is here made to the bruising of Christ's heel, as mentioned in that prediction; the third part seems to mean a schism in his mystical body. Whether the crucifixion of our Lord is also had in view, I will not say. From the analogy of Scripture, however, I should think it is not; because I do not see, how that which was voluntarily submitted to, in order to magnify God's law, and by which, in truth, the Church received its great triumph, can be classed among the victories of Satan. I am, therefore, disposed to fall in entirely with St. John's comment on this remarkable and interesting passage. See ver. 10, 11. 6 and 14. By the woman's flight and protection, and the length of time mentioned, I can see nothing more than God's faithfulness in never losing sight of this his ancient promise; the time mentioned is 1260 days; and a time, times," and half a time, i. e. the number three years and a half, or the last half of Daniel's prophetic week. See the concluding remarks. 10, 11. The song of victory is sung in heaven (i. e. in the Church, see on chap. i. 3) because the accuser is cast down; and which is ascribed purely to the blood of the Lamb as the efficient cause, and to the testimony and perseverance of the saints as the means employed. We have here, therefore, the most ancient, and, as some have thought, a very obscure part of Scripture, taken, explained, and applied, as a source of consolation and encouragement for the suffering believers of these times. In this point of view, this chapter must be very important and interesting, inasmuch as it gives us an authoritative interpretation of this passage; and cites the faithfulness of God from the very beginning, to shew that all his promises are sure and steadfast. CHAP. XIII. We now come to a second recital of the attacks to be made upon the Church and people of God, by Daniel's fourth monarchy. Ver. 1. John sees a beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns (exceeding great power, see chap. xii. 3), and upon his heads are the names of blasphemy. This is, I think, beyond all doubt, nothing more than Daniel's fourth beast, chap. vii. 7, where it is said to be exceedingly dreadful, and to have ten horns. At ver. 8, he is said to have a mouth speaking great things. Ib. vii. 25; xi. 36-38; comp. 2 Thess. ii. 4. Such were the persecutors generally, and particularly Diocletian and his colleagues. 2. He is said to be like a leopard; and to have the feet of a bear, the mouth of a lion; and the dragon, i. e. the devil, gave him his power, &c. At ver. 5, we have the duration of his period, forty-two months, or three years and a half as before, and the mouth speaking great things; this last is at ver. 6 explained to signify blasphemy against God, his tabernacle, and people: and, at ver. 7, he makes war upon the saints and conquers them. In Dan. vii. 21, this same blasphemous power makes war upon the saints and prevails against them. Ib. 25: it is said, that he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints, &c. and that they shall be given into his hand for the period of a time, times, and half a time, i. e. three years and a half as before; and then, ver. 27, as also ver. 22, the kingdom shall be given to the saints (Luke, xii. 32; xxii. 29; Col. i. 13; Heb. xii. 28, &c.); and this kingdom is never to end. 8. All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, &c., i. e. the world shall be divided between his kingdom and that of Christ, the names of whose faithful followers are said to be written in the book of life. See Dan. xii. 1, and Phil. iv. 3, where this is expressly said to be the privilege of the Christians. The expression is first found in Exod. xxxii. 32. 9, 10. The believer's attention is arrested and we are told that, he (this power) that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword (Is. xxxiii.). Which, it is added, is a theme for the faith and patience of THE SAINTS (Tv ȧyiwv). These prophecies must, I think, be identical; and that of Daniel can mean no other than the Roman power.* * We are told (ver. 3,) that one of his heads was wounded to death, and that this deadly wound was healed. The antecedent to this must be, I think, the dragon mentioned in the preceding verse; if so, the allusion to the passage in Genesis (chap. iii.) is still carried on, and a reason thus assigned, why the dragon and the beast are permitted to make war upon the saints and to prevail. By being healed, is perhaps meant, that the dragon had this power conceded to him, which he delegates to the beast or secular power of That the Roman power instigated by the devil, was understood here by the primitive Christians, is beyond all doubt, as may be seen from Irenæus, Lactantius, Tertullian, and others. There is, however, a passage in the Shepherd of Hermas, a work perhaps earlier than any of the foregoing, which I cannot help noticing. In Vision IV. it is said: "I saw a vision, brethren, twenty days after the former vision, a representation of the tribulation that is at hand:....and behold I saw a great beast, as it were a whale; and fiery locusts came out of his mouth (Rev. ix. 3)....Now the beast came on in such a manner, as if it could at once have devoured a city." A virgin, whom he knew to be the Church (Rev. xiv. 4), passed by and told him, that he did well in this juncture to cast all his care upon God, and that he had, therefore, sent his angel, and had protected him from the beast. He is then commissioned to go and shew the Church that this beast is the figure of the trial that was about to come upon them. In the course of an explanation following, he is told, that by the fiery and bloody colour of a part of this beast is signified, that the age must be destroyed by fire (2 Pet. iii. 7) and blood, that the believers are thus to be tried, and that they who endure to the end shall be purified (Dan. xi. 35). The white colour denotes the world, or dispensation to come, in which the elect are to dwell (Rev. iii. 5, &c.).— Archb. Wake's edit. That all or most of this is copied from the Revelation, surely there can be no doubt; and if so, it shews how this part of the book was understood at a period either in, or exceedingly near, the apostolic times; which is all I cite it for. The following curious remark of Justin Martyr is preserved by Irenæus contr. Hær. lib. v. cap. xxvi.: "Well did Justin say, that before the coming of our Lord, Satan never dared to blaspheme God, because hitherto he knew not his own condemnation." Rome to execute, (see chap. xx. 7). In ver. 4, both the dragon and the beast are said generally to be worshipped. 11. Another beast arises out of the earth. This has two horns like a lamb, and he speaks as a dragon speaks. From the description following, this appears to be the same with the false prophet (or heathen priesthood), mentioned in chap. xvi. 13, where the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, follow in the order here preserved. 12. He exerciseth all the power of the first beast, (i. e. of the dragon, see ch. xii. the first of this vision), before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed: i. e. he seduces the nations, calling them to worship devils, and to make war upon the saints (xx. 8). 13-17. Then follow some particulars which manifestly relate to idolatry, most of which, such as receiving a mark on their hands, &c., are visible enough in heathen countries to this day. The exclusive oppressions, here mentioned, took place during the persecutions, as may be seen in the Apologists. : 18. Here is proposed a matter to exercise the wisdom of the believer "Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast," &c. Whatever may be said of the number 666 which follows, I am of opinion that, from the character of the preceding and following context, no one can for a moment doubt who and what this beast is, or that it is the Roman power, sustaining the office of a servant of Satan (the Pontifex Maximus, perhaps), and of a persecutor of the Church of God. The prophecies of Daniel, as already cited and limited by our Lord, even if we omit all the rest pointed out, are quite sufficient to identify this power; and, therefore, whatever the numerals 666 may mean, we cannot have the least difficulty is ascertaining the scope of the passage, Irenæus gives (AATEINO2) Lateinos among other interpretations, and this he applies to the Roman power, which, according to the numerical character of the Greek letters composing it, makes up the number 666. the number 666. Various other attempts have been made to ascertain these numbers, and to fix the person here meant, which I pass over; because I doubt, whether any reliance whatever can be placed on such a method of deduction and, when I believe that the passage can be satisfactorily made out without it, my opinion is, that we need not : |
