R
E V E L A T I O N
CHAP. XIII.
We
have, in this chapter, a further discovery and description of the church's
enemies: not other enemies than are mentioned before, but described after
another manner, that the methods of their enmity may more fully appear. They
are represented as two beasts; the first you have an account of (ver. 1-10)
the second, ver. 11, &c. By the first some understand
Rome
pagan, and by the second Rome
papal; but others understand
Rome
papal to be represented by both these beasts,
by the first in its secular power, by the second in its ecclesiastical.
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The First Beast.
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A. D. 95.
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1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw
a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 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 great authority. 3 And I saw one
of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: 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? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and
his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 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 upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 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 the saints.
We have here an account of the rise, figure, and progress of the first beast;
and observe, 1. From what situation the apostle saw this monster. He seemed to
himself to stand upon the sea-shore, though it is probable he was still
in a rapture; but he took himself to be in the island Patmos, but
whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell. 2. Whence this beast
came--out of the sea; and yet, by the description of it, it would seem
more likely to be a land-monster; but the more monstrous every thing about it
was the more proper an emblem it would be to set forth the mystery of iniquity
and tyranny. 3. What was the form and shape of this beast. It was for the most
part like a leopard, but its feet were like the feet of a bear and
its mouth as the mouth of a lion; it had seven heads, and ten horns,
and upon its heads the name of blasphemy: the most horrid and hideous
monster! In some part of this description here seems to be an allusion to
Daniel's vision of the four beasts, which represented the four monarchies,
Dan. vii. 1-3, &c. One of these beasts was like a lion, another like a
bear, and another like a leopard; this beast was a sort of composition of
those three, with the fierceness, strength, and swiftness, of them all; the
seven heads and the ten horns seem to design its several powers; the ten
crowns, its tributary princes; the word blasphemy on its forehead proclaims
its direct enmity and opposition to the glory of God, by promoting idolatry.
4. The source and spring of his authority--the dragon; he gave him his
power, and seat, and great authority. He was set up by the devil, and
supported by him to do his work and promote his interest; and the devil lent
him all the assistance he could. 5. A dangerous wound given him, and yet
unexpectedly healed, v. 3. Some think that by this wounded head we are
to understand the abolishing of pagan idolatry; and by the healing of the
wound the introducing of the popish idolatry, the same in substance with the
former, only in a new dress, and which as effectually answers the devil's
design as that did. 6. The honour and worship paid to this infernal monster: All
the world wondered after the beast; they all admired his power, and
policy, and success, and they worshipped the dragon that gave power
to the beast, and they worshipped the beast; they paid honour and
subjection to the devil and his instruments, and thought there was no power
able to withstand them: so great were the darkness, degeneracy, and madness of
the world! 7. How he exercised his infernal power and policy: He had a
mouth, speaking great things, and blasphemies; he blasphemed God, the name of
God, the tabernacle of God, and all those that dwell in heaven; and he made
war with the saints, and overcame them, and gained a sort of universal
empire in the world. His malice was principally levelled at the God of heaven,
and his heavenly attendants--at God, in making images of him that is
invisible, and in worshipping them;--at the tabernacle of God, that is, say
some, at the human nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, in which God dwells as in
a tabernacle; this is dishonoured by their doctrine of transubstantiation,
which will not suffer his body to be a true body, and will put it into the
power of every priest to prepare a body for Christ;--and against those that
dwell in heaven, the glorified saints, by putting them into the place of
the pagan demons, and praying to them, which they are so far from being
pleased with that they truly judge themselves wronged and dishonoured by it.
Thus the malice of the devil shows itself against heaven and the blessed
inhabitants of heaven. These are above the reach of his power. All he can do
is to blaspheme them; but the saints on earth are more exposed to his cruelty,
and he sometimes is permitted to triumph over them and trample upon them. 8.
The limitation of the devil's power and success, and that both as to time and
persons. He is limited in point of time; his reign is to continue
forty-and-two months (v. 5), suitable to the other prophetical
characters of the reign of antichrist. He is also limited as to the persons
and people that he shall entirely subject his will and power; it will be only
those whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life. Christ
had a chosen remnant, redeemed by his blood, recorded in his book, sealed
by his Spirit; and though the devil and antichrist might overcome their
bodily strength, and take away their natural life, they could never conquer
their souls, nor prevail with them to forsake their Saviour and revolt to his
enemies. 9. Here is a demand of attention to what is here discovered of the
great sufferings and troubles of the church, and an assurance given that when
God has accomplished his work on mount Zion, his refining work, then he will
turn his hand against the enemies of his people, and those who have killed
with the sword shall themselves fall by the sword (v. 10), and those
who led the people of God into captivity shall themselves be made captives.
Here now is that which will be proper exercise for the patience and faith
of the saints--patience under the prospect of such great sufferings, and
faith in the prospect of so glorious a deliverance.
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The Second Beast.
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A. D. 95.
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11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of
the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth
the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose
deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he
maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them
that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which
had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to
give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both
speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast
should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he
that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred
threescore and six.
Those who think the first beast signifies Rome pagan by this second beast
would understand Rome papal, which promotes idolatry and tyranny, but in a
more soft and lamb-like manner: those that understand the first beast of the
secular power of the papacy take the second to intend its spiritual and
ecclesiastical powers, which act under the disguise of religion and charity to
the souls of men. Here observe,
I. The form and shape of this second beast: He had two horns like a lamb,
but a mouth that spoke like the dragon. All agree that this must be
some great impostor, who, under a pretence of religion, shall deceive the
souls of men. The papists would have it to be Apollonius Tyranæus; but Dr.
More has rejected that opinion, and fixes it upon the ecclesiastical powers of
the papacy. The pope shows the horns of a lamb, pretends to be the vicar of
Christ upon earth, and so to be vested with his power and authority; but his
speech betrays him, for he gives forth those false doctrines and cruel decrees
which show him to belong to the dragon, and not to the Lamb.
II. The power which he exercises: All the power of the former beast (v.
12); he promotes the same interest, pursues the same design in substance,
which is, to draw men off from worshipping the true God to worshipping those
who by nature are no gods, and subject the souls and consciences of men to the
will and authority of men, in opposition to the will of God. This design is
promoted by the popery as well as by paganism, and by the crafty arts of
popery as well as by the secular arm, both serving the interests of the devil,
though in a different manner.
III. The methods by which this second beast carried on his interests and
designs; they are of three sorts:-- 1. Lying wonders, pretended miracles, by
which they should be deceived, and prevailed with to worship the former beast
in this new image or shape that was now made for him; they would pretend to
bring down fire from heaven, as Elias did, and God sometimes permits his
enemies, as he did the magicians of Egypt, to do things that seem very
wonderful, and by which unwary persons may be deluded. It is well known that
the papal kingdom has been long supported by pretended miracles. 2.
Excommunications, anathemas, severe censures, by which they pretend to cut men
off from Christ, and cast them into the power of the devil, but do indeed
deliver them over to the secular power, that they may be put to death; and
thus, notwithstanding their vile hypocrisy, they are justly charged with
killing those whom they cannot corrupt. 3. By disfranchisement, allowing none
to enjoy natural, civil, or municipal rights, who will not worship that papal
beast, that is, the image of the pagan beast. It is made a qualification for
buying and selling the rights of nature, as well as for places of profit and
trust, that they have the mark of the beast in their forehead and in
their right hand, and that they have the name of the beast and the
number of his name. It is probable that the mark, the name, and the
number of the beast, may all signify the same thing--that they make an
open profession of their subjection and obedience to the papacy, which is
receiving the mark in their forehead, and that they oblige themselves to use
all their interest, power, and endeavour, to promote the papal authority,
which is receiving the mark in their right hands. We are told that pope Martin
V. in his bull, added to the council of Constance, prohibits Roman catholics
from suffering any heretics to dwell in their countries, or to make any
bargains, use any trades, or bear any civil offices, which is a very clear
interpretation of this prophecy.
IV. We have here the number of the beast, given in such a manner as
shows the infinite wisdom of God, and will sufficiently exercise all the
wisdom and accuracy of men: The number is the number of a man,
computed after the usual manner among men, and it is 666. Whether this be the
number of the errors and heresies that are contained in popery, or rather, as
others, the number of the years from its rise to its fall, is not certain,
much less what that period is which is described by these prophetic numbers.
The most admired dissertation on this intricate subject is that of Dr. Potter,
where the curious may find sufficient entertainment. It seems to me to be one
of those seasons which God has reserved in his own power; only this we know,
God has written Mene Tekel upon all his enemies; he has numbered their
days, and they shall be finished, but his own kingdom shall endure for ever.
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