The Story of the Seer of Patmos

The seventeenth chapter of Revelation is a divine history of the power represented by the beast, which John saw arising from the sea, and which is distinguished from all other beasts by its seven heads and ten horns with crowns. The prophet Daniel wrote the history of the world from the standpoint of nations. He mentions religion, and especially the people of God, but he deals primarily with nations. On the other hand, the history presented to John on the isle of Patmos was primarily an ecclesiastical history. In order to understand thoroughly the record of events which have taken place on earth, it is necessary, therefore, to study together the two prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, for one is the complement of the other. However, in the last days of the world's history, there will be such a close union between the church and the state that, in order to comprehend the outpouring of the judgments of God in the plagues, John was given a view of [1] both the church and the state. The seven last plagues come as the result of a certain course of action. God does not arbitrarily withdraw His mercy from the earth, and torment men because He has the power to do so. Divine law has been revealed to man age after age; and yet, contrary to that law, men and nations have paved the way for their own destruction. In the history of every nation which has arisen and fallen, God has given an object lesson to the world of the ultimate results of continued disobedience to laws which rule in the universe, and in harmony with which, alone, the universe itself continues to exist.

After showing John the destruction which comes when the last cord of mercy binding heaven and earth is broken, one of the angels, holding the vial, in which was one of the plagues, came to the prophet, to give him a reason for the terrors which had just been portrayed. This angel controls certain elements, the proper working of which, preserves life. From the beginning of history, he has watched the growth of nations. He has seen them rise in beauty and strength, prosper for a period, and suddenly disappear, as if the earth had opened and swallowed them; and immediately in the same place another nation would arise, repeat the same deeds, and after a brief space, cease to be. Yet man did not learn wisdom, although God sought by these providences, and by His whole system of revelations, to warn him against certain pitfalls. Only a few scattered individuals from each generation have heard the voice of Heaven, and have been saved.

One of the seven angels which had the vials [2] full of the wrath of God, carried John into a secluded spot, where, undisturbed, he could understand the history, viewing it as from a mountain peak, where each object was seen in its relation to every other object. And he saw a whore, a prostitute woman, arrayed in gorgeous apparel, in purple and scarlet color, decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, carrying a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication.

Woman was the crowning work of the Creator, when she came from the Maker's hand, God Himself pronounced her very good. She who was the highest, falls the lowest in sin, and as her power for good is unlimited when God directs, so she drags men to the brink of hell when her heart is possessed by Satan. A pure woman represents the church of Christ; a prostitute represents this church when it turns from its lawful husband, and commits adultery with the kings of the earth. "Fine linen, clean and white," is the apparel for the wife of our Lord, but when the character is lost, earth's eye is attracted by the purple and scarlet colors, the gold and precious stones. Purity of life is what God wants; royal apparel and wealth are what the world seeks. The whore sitteth upon many waters, wielding a wide influence, causing multitudes to worship at her shrine; for, said the angel, "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." From all the earth come those who pay their money to this base creature, and drink from the golden cup which she holds in her hand. Some have drunk once as an experiment, but having tasted her wine, [3] they are intoxicated. The picture is that of the orgies of ancient Babylon or the mysteries of Greece. "The kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."

On the forehead of the woman was a name written, "Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth." This is the mystery of iniquity, which Paul said was at work in the days when he wrote to the Thessalonians.

The apostolic church is represented as a chaste virgin clad in white linen. The history of the seven churches of the second and third chapters of Revelation, describes the decline. The first love was lost, and that made it easy to commit fornication. The church tolerated those who held false doctrines, and certain sects of philosophers who applied the reason of the Greeks to the study of God's Word. The simplicity of early days was changed for worldly habits, teachings, and ways of living. The inward change may be read in the outward manifestations in the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira. Paganism walked bodily into the church, and the leader of Paganism claimed the once pure church as his bride. A false spirit of prophecy, false interpretation of the Scriptures, the exaltation of reason, the love of worldly ways, the desire for money and positions in the government, and finally a demand for the crown itself,-these are what wrought the change from purity, simplicity, and gentleness, to the condition of the prostitute.

The change was not wrought in a day. For [4] five centuries after Christ sent out His first disciples, the transformation was going on. Again and again during that time, Christ, like a true husband, sought the return of His church. "Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to Me, saith the Lord. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hast a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. . . . And I said after she hath done all these things, turn thou unto Me." Hearken unto the pleading of Jehovah with His church, and judge whether or not He views the plagues with pleasure. "Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever." But the church heeded not the call to return. Through the days of Constantine she made greater advances until she took her seat on the beast. "This was Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth." She who had once been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, filled with the wine of His love, which heaven through her had offered to the world, turned from Him, decked herself with worldliness, and held to the lips of her admirers a golden cup full of poison. She had fallen, and those who drank of her wine fell also.

For twelve hundred and sixty years the [5] whore, from her capital at Rome, the seven hilled city, controlled the nations of Europe. She offered them her wine, Most men drank freely, and partook of her sins without restraint; but when man, or nation refused, he paid the penalty with his lifeblood. "The woman (was) drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." "The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." It was the power which dominated Europe for forty-two months, of which Daniel, the prophet, says, "He shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of 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 times." This is an inspired picture of the church which started out pure, but soon mingled the true religion with paganism. She first asked aid of the nations, then took the reins of government, and ruled both kings and nations. God calls [6] this church a whore, "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots."

Governments are ordained of God, and rulers are His ministers to execute wrath upon evil doers, and to minister good to those who do right. As long as sin exists on earth there will be governments, but their province is to deal with acts, not thoughts and motives. To the evil doer only, they are divinely appointed a terror. In all pagan nations the religion is under the government, and the gods are worshiped because the government so ordains. This was true in all the heathen kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, until after the birth of Christ. So in each of these monarchies, the devil sought to destroy the truth, and those who adhered to it. The history of these nations is but the record of this attempt. Each government was an attempt on the part of Satan to rival the government of heaven, and the utter failure of the attempt put the prince of this world to open shame before the rulers of other worlds, when Christ came into His own territory, and built up a spiritual kingdom within the hearts of the subjects of Rome itself. When at the crucifixion of Christ, Satan was cast from the council of the representatives of worlds, knowing that his time was short, he revolutionized his former methods, and made governments subject to the religious organization. This revolution was a slow process. It was begun soon after the death of Christ. The master hand, which had swayed nations since creation, worked in two directions, hoping that when his forces met he would have accomplished what he had failed to accomplish heretofore. [7]

The Roman nation was the recognized mistress of the world in the days of the Saviour. In its development, all the known forms of administration had been tested, and the very essence of the strong features from each of the preceding kingdoms had been combined in the Roman Empire. The changes from the rule of a king to the consuls, the tribunes, the decemvirs, and then to the triumvirs, and finally the revolution which turned it into an empire, had each placed the nation more completely under the control of the principles of that prince who strove to exalt his throne above God. The history of Rome shows this to be true. The complete suppression of individuality, and the exaltation of the state, were as nearly accomplished in Rome as in any earthly government.

Then the mystery of iniquity changed the church from a pure woman to a harlot, and seated her on the beast. The beast had seven heads and ten horns, identifying it with the government of the Western Roman Empire, described in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation and in the seventh chapter of Daniel. Moreover, the angel gave John the interpretation; for, said he, "The seven heads are seven mountains," mountains being a familiar symbol of governments used by Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah. The seven forms of government have already been mentioned. "The ten horns . . . are ten kings which (in the days of John) have received no kingdom as yet." These are the ten divisions of the Roman Empire, prophesied of in the eighth chapter of Revelation, and symbolized by the mixture of iron and clay in the image of Dan. 2:42-44, [8] which helped to prepare the beast to be ridden by the woman, the church, when she was ready to mount it. The ten divisions were formed before a. d. 476. Between a. d. 533, when Justinian published his decree, recognizing the head of the Roman diocese as head of the government of Rome, and a. d. 538, when the last obstacle in the form of a rival power was taken out of the way in Italy, the woman mounted the beast. Henceforth lordly Rome, which, like Babylon of old, had prided itself upon the fact that it was the master of the world, was guided and controlled by a prostitute woman. This in the eyes of nations would be considered the basest of things. The woman who would so rule, would have gone beyond all bounds of propriety, and the nation so ruled would be pitied for its absolute loss of self-respect. If this is true in the actual relationships of life, how must it have appeared in the eyes of heaven, when the very principles in accordance with which nature was created, were so revolutionized as to make this condition of things possible? But the devil was foiled. This was his masterpiece. Amalgamation of species, a thing contrary to divine law, and self- destruction in the end, was practical in Rome. The woman became the mother of harlots. The ten horns, or kingdoms, have one mind with the beast, and give their strength unto the beast.

The woman was drunk with the blood of saints; this was represented by the scarlet color of the beast upon which she rode. Rome, as a pagan nation, often shed blood; all the universal [9] kingdoms came into power by the shedding of blood; but neither the lion, the bear, nor the leopard were scarlet colored. The nation was painted red with the blood of martyrs when the government submitted itself to the ecclesiastical power, and the church made war with the saints. During the twelve hundred and sixty years of tyranny, the church claimed that it never took the life of a single individual. The church merely decided who were heretics,-so they argue,-and the state executed the judgment. The beast ridden by the woman cannot do otherwise than carry out her will. Thus Rome became a scarlet beast.

That there might be no mistaking the scarlet colored beast, the angel explained still further. He spoke of it to John as "the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven." Throughout the history of the first five heads, paganism was the prevailing element; in the sixth, the empire, it was still the ruling principle; during the papacy, the seventh, it disappeared to all outward appearances, but was nevertheless the controlling power; for the papacy is baptized paganism.

Following the Reformation, when the whore was hated by the horns, the papacy was crushed; but in the last days the principles of paganism as shown in Spiritualism, the supreme manifestation of which will be the personal appearance of the devil, who claims to be the Christ; and of the papacy and of the false prophet, the daughters of Babylon, the mother of harlots, will all stand forth in the earth as persecuting powers to oppress the people of God. These forces will gather at Armageddon, [10] and upon these the plagues fall. They ascend out of the bottomless pit; for they are foreign to God and have no place in heaven; they go into perdition; for they have defied the God of heaven; they have turned from every principle of life, and they die the death of a harlot, cursed by their own course of action, having contaminated all with whom they came in contact.

The entire existence of these governments has been in open conflict with the Lamb. God has sent unto them prophets and wise men, and even His own Son, and they have slain them all. But at His coming they are slain by the brightness of His countenance. Truth, when allowed to shine forth in its strength, consumes error, and the beast and the image and the false prophet go into the lake of fire, together with the Dragon, that old Serpent, and Satan, who has inspired all against the God of truth and love. This is the history, and this is the end, of the union of Church and State. [11]

Questions for Study

1. Of what is the seventeenth chapter of Revelation a history? What distinguished the beast that John saw rise from all other beasts? From what standpoint did Daniel write his history? What does he mention in connection with the nations? standpoint did Daniel write his history? What does he mention in connection with the nations?
2. In order to get a thorough understanding, what two prophets should be studied together? What will be in the last days? How does John describe it? What is the cause of the seven last plagues? Does God arbitrarily withdraw His mercy from the earth?
3. What has God revealed to man age after age? How have men treated the divine law, and what has been the result? How has God given an object lesson of the ultimate result of a violation of His law?
4. What follows the breaking of the last chord of mercy binding heaven and earth together? What does this angel control? What has been his work from the beginning of history? How has it been with the nations? Did man learn wisdom by this experience? Of what should these revelations have warned him?
5. Who has heard the voice of God in this? Where was John carried by one of the seven angels? How could he view these events? What did he see?
6. What relation did woman sustain to the work of creation, and what did God pronounce her? What is the influence of woman for good or evil? What does a pure woman represent? What does a prostitute woman represent?
7. What is the apparel of the wife of our Lord? When the character is lost what attracts the eye of the church? What does the Lord want? What does the world seek?
8. Where, and for what purpose does the whore sit? What do waters symbolize in the Scriptures? Who pay their money to this base creature? From what do they drink? When they have drunk once, what effect does it have? Of what is this a picture?
9. How does John describe the nations? What was on the forehead of the woman? What does Paul say of the "mystery of iniquity"?
10. How is the Apostolic church represented? What does the history describe? What was their attitude towards those who held false doctrines? How could the inward change be read?
11. In what way did paganism come into the church? In what way did they treat the Scriptures? What did they finally demand?
12. What was going on for the first five centuries after Christ? What does He say of His people? Did the church heed this call? How did she deck herself ?
13. For how long a time did the capital of Rome control the nations of Europe? How does God describe the woman? Who was represented by the woman?. How does Daniel describe this power? What did she first do that led her into this condition? What does God now call her?
14. For what purpose are governments ordained of God? What is the province of government? How is religion maintained in all pagan nations?
15. What has the devil ever sought to destroy in nations? What is the history of nations? What did Satan attempt to do in each government?
16. What did Christ do when He came into His own territory? How did the death of Christ affect Satan? What change did Satan then make in civil government? When did this change begin?
17. In how many directions has Satan worked to accomplish his object? How was the Roman nation recognized in the days of the Saviour? In its development, how many forms of administration had been tested? What were these changes of rule called? What was suppressed, and what was exalted?
18. What change did the "mystery of iniquity" accomplish? How many heads and horns did the beast have? With what do the seven heads and ten horns identify the beast? What further explanation does John give of the seven heads?
19. What do mountains symbolize in prophecy? How is this divided state described in Daniel 2? Before what year were the ten divisions formed? When did Justinian publish his decree recognizing the Roman diocese as the head of the government?
20. In what year was the last obstacle removed? From this time onward, what position did Papal Rome occupy? By whom was she controlled? Did the devil succeed in his plans?
21. What did the woman become? With what was she drunk? How did kingdoms come into her power? Was the lion, bear, or leopard scarlet? What painted this nation red? When was this nation red with the blood of martyrs?
22. What did the church claim during this 1260 years? What did the church do? Who executed the judgment?
23. What further explanation did the angel give? What prevailing element existed in the government during the reign of the first five heads? What was the principle during the sixth head?
24. When did paganism disappear to all outward appearances? What is real papacy? What followed the Reformation?
25. What will take place in the last days? What will be the supreme manifestation? Where will these forces gather? What will fall upon them? From where do they come? Why do they go into perdition? What is the nature of the death they die?
26. With whom have these governments been in conflict? What has been their crime? When and how are they slain? What will consume error?
27. Where will the beast and his image finally go? Who will go with them?

Notes:

1. Who is like onto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? Rev. 13:4. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. (Dan. 7:17) Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. (Rev. 10:8) So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Rev. 17:3)


2. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. (Lam. 3:33-36) I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing. (Hos. 8:12) They have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. (Jer. 32:33) Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord. (Jer. 51:53) power and work of angels. (Heb. 1:14) They minister to mankind. (Rev.14:18) Power over fire. (Rev. 16:5) Power over water. (Rev. 21:12) Gatekeepers. (Dan. 10:16,20-21; 11:1) Control affairs of nations. (Acts 12:23) Power over disease. (Dan. 6:22; Dan. 9:20-23; Num. 20:15) Answer prayers. (Rev. 14:6,8,9) In charge of the gospel message. (Rev. 15:7) In charge of the plagues. (Matt. 24:31) Gather the righteous. He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again. (Job 12:23) A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent. (Prov. 15:5) Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. (Isa. 26:10)


3. And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. (Rev. 17:1-4) God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Gen. 1:31) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. (2 Cor. 11:2) The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. (Psa. 45:13-14) Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. (Matt. 5:8) O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness. (Jer.51:13; Rev. 17:15) Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. (Jer. 51:7)


4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (Jas. 4:4) And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (Rev. 17:5) I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Rev. 6:2) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Rev. 2:4) So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. (Rev. 2:15; Rev. 2:12-29) For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20:29-30) Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. (Acts 13:8) Their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. (2 Tim. 2:17-18) I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. (3 John 9)


5. O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. (Hos. 14:1-2,4; Jer. 3:2-7) Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. (Gen. 3:17) The earth also is denied under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. (Isa. 24:5) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? (Eze. 33:11) For their mother hath played the harlot: she that conceived them hath done shamefully: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. (Hos. 2:5) And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. (Rev. 17:6-8)


6. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other Is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. (Rev. 17:6-10) He shall wear out the saints of the most High. (Dan. 7:25) Wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. (Dan. 2:38) All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb. (Rev. 13:8) He opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. (Rev. 13:6) Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; o that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thess. 2:4) Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain. (Jer. 10:2-3) Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. (Deut. 12:30)


7. Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same. (Rom. 13:1-3) A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. (Jer. 50:38) The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? (Dan. 4:30) Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36) Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (John 12:31) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6:12)


8. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. (Dan. 7:12) There are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. (Rev. 17:10) In his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. (Dan. 11:21) I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (Rev. 17:3) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, be hold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, be hold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Dan. 7:7-8; Isa. 13:1-2; Jer. 51:24-25; Zech. 4:7; Rev. 17:12) Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. (Dan. 2:41-42)


9. The ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. (Dan. 7:24; Luke 2:1) As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. (Isa. 3:12) For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. (Isa. 9 16) Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death. (Ex. 22:19) For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. (Rev. 16:6) 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. (Rev. 13:7)


10. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. (Rev. 17:11-18) The earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. (Rev. 12:16) I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, together them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Rev. 16:13-14) Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite,


11. saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel. And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel: so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. (2 Kings 9 36-37) Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. (Hos. 4:1) Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers. (Acts 7:52) The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Rev. 19:20)