SYMBOL—" I saw a Woman sit upon a scarlet colored BEAST, full of names of blasphemy, having SEVEN HEADS AND TEN HORNS. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 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.”
INTERPRETATION—" Here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven HEADS are seven MOUNTAINS, on which the woman sitteth. And they 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. 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 the WOMAN which thou sawest is that GREAT CITY, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17:18,3-6,9-14.)
ORIGIN OF THE WILLFUL KING.
The beast, who is here set before us as carrying the woman, represents the fourth empire—the Roman—in its last form, consolidated under one head during Daniel's seventieth week (Dan. 9:24-27); while in the woman we see the professing church fully developed in connection with temporal power. The seven heads, though in the vision seen all at once on the beast, are in reality so many successional kings, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar, and ending with the willful king, or first beast of Rev. 13 They represent the whole period of royal empire as transferred to the Gentiles for the chastisement of the disobedient nation of Israel, each of them possessing in common the essential feature of dominion over the Jews. As to the question, who these heads or kings are, we reply, that the primary heads of the four great empires naturally present themselves as four out of the seven; while in Dan. 11, as we believe, we find the other three—three kings of the north—each possessing the characteristic feature of dominion over Israel and the Holy Land.
And now as to the seventh head, under whom the empire in its last state will be united, whom we have before stated to be the willful king, or the beast; we begin by seeking to trace his origin, to show him to be the last Icing of the north. With this view we quote the following passage: "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god.... at the time of the end shall the king of the south [Egypt] push at him: and [he, the willful king,] the king of the north shall come against him [the king of the south] like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many-ships; and he [the willful king] shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt [the south] shall not escape." (Dan. 11:36, 40-42.) This passage, as it is commonly read, seems to speak of three kings, namely, the willful king, the king of the north, and the king of the south; and to show at the same time the two latter making war on the former; whereas, if the above reading be true, we here find but two kings, the willful king and the king of the south; the former and the king of the north being one and the same. That such will be the case—that the beast will arise out of Syria, here termed the north" because of its position in relation to Palestine, before he attains to universal dominion—may reasonably be inferred from the mode of his introduction into the scene. Observe how this is. After a line of kings of the north (one of the four sections of the divided empire of Alexander the Great), from Seleucus Nicator to Antiochus Epiphanes, "THE VILE PERSON," as he is termed in scripture (ver. 21), he, the willful king, next comes in order. (Ver. 36.) The Roman head, of whom we shall presently speak, not being noticed, who, after a long line of centuries, abruptly appears on the prophetic page, as though he were destined in the latter day to wield the scepter once wielded by Antiochus Epiphanes, and, his father before him, namely, Antiochus the Great, both willful kings in their day, and both of them chiefly remarkable on account of their connection with the Holy Land and God's people. This was especially so as to Antiochus Epiphanes, by whom the temple was defiled and the daily sacrifice taken away; who was so signal a type of the beast, that to a great extent we may infer what the character of Israel's last great oppressor will be, from the prophetic history of him who oppressed them of old. The same spirit animates both: they are both willful kings; they both defile the temple of God; and, although they are two distinct individuals, there is a sort of moral identity between them, their histories so blending as to seem but as one. This it is which naturally suggests the thought, that from the beginning they were destined by God to fill the same throne, and that it is His object in this passage to give us to know that the beast will arise out of Syria, that he will commence his career as king of the north, before the ten kings give him their power. Thus, if all this be true, the introduction of the kings of the north, the successors of Alexander in the kingdom of Syria, has this double object in view, namely, to trace the willful king's origin, and also to point out, as we shall presently see, three of the seven heads of the Gentile beast of Rev. 13 and 18.
Observe, the above does not interfere with what many believe, namely, that the beast will by birth be a Jew, inasmuch as while he may be of Gentile lineage on one side, he may prove to be of Jewish descent on the other. The God of Israel being spoken of as the "God of his fathers," seems a sufficient proof of his Jewish extraction.
SEVEN HEADS.
The foregoing remarks treat of the willful king and his origin. We now desire to explain the mystery of the SEVEN HEADS OF THE GREAT GENTILE BEAST. Three kings, as we have seen, stand prominently forth in Dan. 11 in connection with Israel; three kings of the north, ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT, ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES, and the Willful KING. (See ver. 16, 28-31, 41.) But in addition to these there are others, whom, if we trace the times of the Gentiles from the Babylonian captivity to Christ's second coming, we find connected in a similar way with the Jews; namely, four heads of four mighty empires, to whom God's people are shown to be subject. The four empires are these-the BABYLONIAN, MEDOPERSIAN, GRECIAN, and ROMAN; and their heads are, NEBUCHADNEZZAR, CYRUS, ALEXANDER, and CESAR. Thus we have seven kings altogether, the three above named, and these last four. And now, if we view them in their historical order, thus:—1st. NEBUCHADNEZZAR; 2ndly, CYRUS; 3rdly, ALEXANDER; 4thly, ANTIOCHUS THE GREAT; 5thly, ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES; 6thly, CÆSAR; 7thly, THE Willful KING; we reach our conclusion-we find that which marks the times of the Gentiles, which characterizes Gentile supremacy over the disobedient and therefore subjected descendants of Abraham, from the Babylonian captivity down to the end. The symbol of this is twice found in scripture; namely, a beast with seven heads rising out of the sea, in Rev. 13:1; and in Rev. 17 the same beast again, who is represented as carrying the woman, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. As to these heads, observe, in the angel's interpretation thereof, it is as follows: "THEY ARE SEVEN KINGS: FIVE ARE FALLEN, AND ONE IS AND THE OTHER IS NOT YET COME;" meaning that, in the days of the evangelist John, Cesar, the Roman or sixth head, being then in authority, five out of the seven had ceased to exist; while the seventh, the greatest of them all, had yet to arise. And now as to this last head, the word seems enigmatical: he is "THE EIGHTH," and at the same time is OF THE SEVEN." Its meaning however is simple. It is this: At the outset, when he confirms the covenant with many for one week, that is, when he is known at the first and merely followed as a man, he is the seventh; but when he, having had his deadly wound healed, having ascended out of the bottomless pit, is wondered after, and (together with the dragon, who gives him his power), is worshipped on earth as a god, then he is the eighth.
As to this beast, observe, that all which pleases the flesh or the natural mind will center in him; but mark what lie is in God's sight. His number is six hundred and threescore and six (666), the number of a man or humanity; the number of imperfection, of deficiency, being one short of seven, which is the number of perfection according to God. Trebly depraved in body, in soul, and in spirit, how truly to him that solemn word will apply, "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting" (Dan. 5:27); and again, "That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered." (Ecc. 1:15.)
TEN HORNS.
The fourth empire will be divided into ten kingdoms, as shown by the toes of the Gentile image of Daniel; while the ten horns show, not kingdoms, but kings, who, reigning over these kingdoms, will share the last empire among them; being subject to one greater by far than themselves, even the seventh head, or the beast, to whom they will unitedly yield up their power and strength.
Observe, the beast who rises out of the sea in Revelation 13:1, and the beast who in the same chapter is worshipped, while closely connected one with the other, are not exactly the same; one being the imperial system, the other an individual, a man, the supreme head of that system. In a word, we see in him the seventh head, who is identified with the territorial beast, being spoken of himself as "the beast." (Rev. 13:3.) As to the beast—the system we mean—it is important, to see that, in addition to its ten horns, it has the characteristics of the three former beasts; namely, of the LION, the BEAR, and the LEOPARD, the well-known symbols of BABYLON, PERSIA, and GREECE; showing that when the fourth empire, divided and dismembered as it is at present, shall hereafter revive, to be united and concentrated under one head, these countries will form part of his empire. This we believe to be the meaning of Dan. 7:12; wherein, after having said, "I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame," he proceeds thus, "As CONCERNING THE REST OF THE BEASTS, THEY HAD THEIR DOMINION TAKEN AWAY: YET THEIR LIVES WERE PROLONGED FOR A SEASON AND TIME;" showing that, while as empires or beasts, having universal -dominion, they are forever extinct; as kingdoms simply, or states, they are to take part in the great infidel action of the last days.
And now as to these three kingdoms or beasts, a question arises. What position, we ask, will they then hold in the earth? Will they be among the ten kingdoms, or distinct altogether from them? In answer to this we say, that if they are not to be included among these, then the conclusion clearly is, that instead of ten, there will be no less than thirteen, Gentile kingdoms, contrary to what the image shows us as to the partition of the empire into ten parts. Hence the inference is inevitable, namely, that Babylon, Persia, and Greece will, as component parts of the empire, be among the ten kingdoms. Again, concluding that it will be as stated above, another question arises, viz., Are we to view these three horns (three kings as we know them to be) whom the little horn plucks up by the roots, as connected with the three extinct empires? In other words, Is it too much to say, that these three horns express the kings of BABYLON, PERSIA, and GREECE, at the closing period of the times of the Gentiles? and if so, would not the beast (or rather Satan, of whom the beast is but the tool) have an intelligible object in singling out these three from among the ten who will have made him their head, and in taking possession himself of their kingdoms? To Nebuchadnezzar, to Cyrus, to Alexander, the heads of the first three Gentile dynasties, dominion was of old successively given over the holy city and temple. Hence, to fill the place which they filled, both territorially and in relation to Israel, will be one very especial object with him in whom all Gentile greatness in the latter day is to center, as well as Gentile hostility to God and His people. All that ever was or will be distinguished and mighty on earth, all that is opposed to God and His people, must meet and be embodied in him. He therefore deposes these three kings, the successors of Nebuchadnezzar, of Cyrus, of Alexander, in order that he, without even the semblance of rivalry, may rule in their place. That the beast will in one case act thus seems likely from Isa. 14:4. Who, we ask, is the KING OF BABYLON there mentioned? Who but THE BEAST? It can be no other. An evidence this that the Chaldean horn, originally the first of the three, and the greatest, will have been uprooted ere this, in order to make way for him whom Satan is to exalt as the supreme head of the whole Gentile world of that day.
And here a question arises: At what period of the week are these three kings uprooted? Not, we think, till after the middle of the week, when we find them acting with the beast in the destruction of the false church. But if the three are then uprooted, how is it that at the close of the week we again find ten kings making war with the Lamb? (Rev. 17:14; 19:19.) Is it that these three kings will, after their deposition, revolt against the beast and recover their power, and then when the Lord comes in judgment, although up to that time they and the beast may be opposed to each other, yet in that moment of common danger, forgetting their enmity, they will (as in the case of Pilate and Herod) make common cause against Christ; the ruling principle among them being deep, deadly, satanic opposition to Him? Thus, though the beast in uprooting these horns may disturb for a while the order of God as to the organization of the empire, we find that it returns to its original condition; the ten kings, with the willful king as their chief, appearing at the end just as they were at the outset.
Here it may be asked, whether there is any scripture to show that these horns will revolt. In the case of one of the three there certainly is: for in Isa. 21; 22, we find that Elam (or Persia) and Media lay siege to BABYLON, and also to JERUSALEM, each of these cities being a center and stronghold of bestial power.
THE LITTLE HORNS.
We find two little horns in Daniel, one in chapter 7., the other in chapter 8. The former will, as we here seek to show, be a successor of Seleucus Nicator, the king of the north (chap. 11:6), one of Alexander's four captains; while the latter comes forth from another of the four-which we do not venture to say. That which marks the distinction between them is, that to the little horn of chapter 7. belongs dominion, entire and supreme; while as to that of chapter 8., his power is limited as to sphere, and subordinate as to character. The former sways the whole bestial empire, as we find from chapter vii. 11, where judgment is executed on the beast, "because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake," thus evidencing that he rules the beast, that is, the empire; whereas the rule of the second is limited to a part of the empire, viz., "toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land;" and his power, though mighty, is "not in his own power;" though a king, he holds a subordinate place. We thus have evidence of the distinct character and existence of these two horns, without going farther than these chapters in which they are described; and perceiving this, we have no difficulty in recognizing them as the two beasts in Rev. 13, in which chapter the points of difference are more fully brought out. The first beast, to whom is given power over all kindreds, and tongues," and who is moreover an object of worship, being identical with the horn of Dan. 7; while the second, who exercises the power of the first beast before him, and causes him to be worshipped, is identical with that of chapter 8. This last act of impiety is clearly connected with the action of Dan. 8:11, 12, where he is seen to magnify himself even to (or against) "the prince of the host," viz., CHRIST, from (not by) whom (see margin) the daily sacrifice will be taken away, and his sanctuary cast down. In this ecclesiastical act he takes the lead; but as to temporal power, he is dependent on the horn or chapter 7.
A SEASON AND TIME.
Observe, with DANIEL'S LAST WEEK the times of the Gentiles conclude. Three things distinguish this week. First, Israel at the beginning thereof will be nationally restored, being openly dealt with again as the earthly people of God; secondly, the Roman Empire, including BABYLON, PERSIA, and GREECE (these three existing no longer as empires, but simply as tributary kingdoms), will at the same time be re-developed under one head thirdly, the unreckoned interval between the sixty-ninth week and the seventieth being passed, the times and the seasons will be reckoned again; that is, time, according to the Levitical law, will be measured by weeks of years, as of old. (Lev. 25:2-7.) This last fact explains the force of the term "A SEASON AND TIME" (Dan. 7:12), for which the first three beasts are to have their existence prolonged, seeing that it is during this week that these beasts—namely, the three countries above named-are to act their part in the latter day upon earth. The passage to which we allude is as follows: "As CONCERNING THE REST OF THE BEASTS, THEY HAD THEIR DOMINION TAKEN AWAY: YET THEIR LIVES WERE PROLONGED FOR A SEASON AND TIME." Observe, by "a season," six years, the period of agricultural labor in Israel, we believe to be meant; while by a "time" we understand the seventh or sabbatical year, these two taken together constituting, as here shown a WEEK.
That a "time" means a year, we judge from Dan. 11:13; where we read, "At the end of times, even years," &c. This, in our version, is rendered "after certain years;" but here we give the marginal reading according to the Hebrew, which, without any question, settles the point. So again, when Daniel refers to the half week, namely, the three years and a half of Israel's great trial, he speaks of it as "a time, times, and an half.”
As to the distinction between the "times or seasons," of which Christ, in Acts 1:7, tells His disciples, and "a season and time" in this place, it is this—by the former, the whole order of time is expressed; hence prominence is given therein to the sacred years, or, the Sabbaths: the word "times" stands first in this case; whereas, when a single week of years is in question, the word "time," because of the Sabbath or Sabbatical year closing the week, comes in last: "A season and time," in this case, is the fitting expression.
ROME, THE GREAT CITY ON SEVEN MOUNTAINS,
The Center and Stronghold of Babylon's Power, the Capital and Metropolis of Her Kingdom.
“And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." (Rev. 18:21-24.)
BABYLON THE GREAT, AND THE BEAST.
The Babylon whither Daniel and his people were led captive of old, and that here referred to, however morally connected, are distinct from each other; one being the great Chaldean city of yore, the other the mystical city of Rev. 17;18, “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." In this symbolical woman, seated on a beast with seven heads (these heads, be it observed, being doubly interpreted, namely, as seven mountains on the one hand, and as seven kings on the other), we see the false church, apostate Christianity; of which Rome is the most overt expression. For this reason it is that we see her in the first place connected with SEVEN MOUNTAINS, the object therein being to indicate ROME, THE SEVEN-HILLED CITY, as the center and focus both of her power and wickedness; to tell us that there, when the world's present iniquity is fully matured, she will reign over the kings of the earth; that from thence the evil influence of her principles will spread over those kingdoms which, in the time of the end, contribute to form the great bestial empire of that day.
And now, in the second place, as to the extent of her power, the range of her influence. Here the seven heads are to be regarded no longer as mountains, but as kings. SEVEN KINGS, FROM NEBUCHADNEZZAR TO THE BEAST, are here shown; and in this point of view the symbol signifies this—that Babylon, Persia, Greece, Syria, and Rome, all that the word of God represents through the whole period of Gentile supremacy, as under the power of seven heads successionally from Nebuchadnezzar to the time of the end, being compacted into one mighty system, and united under one head, will submit to the woman; and not only this, but that its willful head, the last of the seven, and at the same time the eighth, will himself bear her yoke, will profess what she teaches, until the time comes for this deceiver to cast off her authority, to throw aside a false profession of godliness, and (in the same way that he will do when he breaks his covenant with the Jews) to claim divine honors for himself. Thus, if we consider this woman in connection with SEVEN MOUNTAINS, we see her enthroned in her capital, the center of her wide-spread dominions; if connected with the SEVEN KINGS, we see how far the baneful effects of this false ecclesiastical system will reach.
Then there is another point, namely, the period of her power, as seen in Rev. 17; 18 From the time that the empire revives in Rev. 13 she appears in connection therewith through the whole course of the WEEK; but in two distinct aspects—that is, at first, as the apostate church, she sits on the beast, the political power being subject to the ecclesiastical; but afterward God is cast off, and man, even the man of sin, together with Satan, is worshipped. This enables us to understand the fall of Babylon at the opening of Rev. 18, and her fall again at the close of the chapter. In the former case she suffers at the hand of man, used as God's instrument, when the beast and the ten kings, in the midst of the week, turn against the false church and burn her with fire; in the latter she falls by the hand of the Lord, when the beast himself is destroyed at the close of the week, and with him the false prophet, together with all who worship the beast. Thus Babylon occupies the whole of the week, or seven years; because, whether men use the name of Christ as a cloak for their wickedness, or boldly cast it off and bow down to the beast, in both cases Babylon, the symbol of corrupt carnal religion, is seen-superstition at first, infidelity and idolatry in the end.
THE WILLFUL KING OVERTHROWN.
DANIEL 11:36-45DAN 11:36-45
In Dan. 11 we see the willful king, (the king of the north, as we believe him to be,) on the eve of his fall, when the world, of which he will for a brief space be master, is turning against him, waging war on the king of the south, the king of Egypt; and, while thus engaged, hearing tidings out of the north and the east which alarm him. These tidings are such as to divert him from Egypt, and lead him to march northward against an enemy there, who, while he is away from the chief seats and strongholds of his power, had been plotting against him. These tidings I believe are that they both, namely Babylon and Jerusalem, have been taken, the Medes and Persians having possessed themselves of them. (Isa. 13:17; 21:2; Jer. 51:11; Rev. 16:12.) Hence he leaves Egypt, and, making straight for Jerusalem, the more important to him of the two, he plants the tabernacles of his palace, that is, I believe, he encamps south of the city, hoping to wrest it out of the hands of the "kings of the east," his vassals for a time, but now in open rebellion against him; and there he comes to his end: he falls, not by man's hand, but the Lord's, the helpless degraded victim of his own impious ambition which had led him to thrust himself into the place of power, sacred only to one, even the Messiah Himself. Daniel gives no details of his fall; these we find in Rev. 19; there we see the men of the earth gathered together, as we read, through the wiles of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, at war with each other, when lo, the heavens suddenly opening, the Son of man, at the head of the heavenly army, is seen: upon which the rage of men against one another is forgotten, lost in their hatred of Him. The issue, of course, is that the willful king is destroyed: he, the first beast of Rev. 13, with the other beast, the false prophet, is taken, and cast alive into the lake burning with fire and brimstone, while the remnant, even the rest of the wicked, are slain merely, being reserved for the same doom in the end.
Then again, there is one point of interest in connection with this which needs explanation. In Dan. 11:45, we read that "he," the willful king, is to "plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain." Now this, as we read it, can have but one meaning, namely, that taking possession of Jerusalem, the holy city, he will there encamp between the two seas that lie eastward and westward of it, the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. The passage, however, as to one word is wrongly translated, the true reading being " Between the seas and [not in] the glorious holy mountain." This therefore quite alters its meaning, leading us to inquire what seas are meant, and whether, instead of occupying the city, the willful king will not lay siege to it from outside. If this be the case, it may be said that his position will be either eastward, between the holy mountain and the Dead Sea, or westward, between it and the Mediterranean. In neither of these cases however would the fact agree with the word of scripture, seeing that it is "seas" in the plural, not sea, as it would be were either the Dead Sea or the Mediterranean intended. I therefore return to what I already have said, and maintain that the king will encamp south of Jerusalem, and not only that, but north, at the same time, of those two seas which form the boundary, east and west, of that terrible wilderness through which Israel had to pass on their way to the land of promise; the two arms, I mean, of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Elanah, or Acaba, and the Gulf of Suez. This, I believe, to be the meaning of the passage in question, "He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain." This to some may seem forced and improbable. But observe how it links the future history of Israel with the past. In this way—It was in the first of these two, namely the western gulf of the Red Sea, that the water divided to make a way for the people of God out of Egypt. And then again, towards the close of their forty years' journey, when about to enter the land, we find them brought into contact again with this sea, at the northern point of its eastern gulf, namely at Ezion-geber, which they had to pass, as they journeyed "by the way of the sea," round the land of Edom (which, by the way, they were forbidden to enter), on to the borders of their promised inheritance. Thus then we understand what is meant by "the seas," and also how it is that between them and the glorious holy mountain the willful king will take his stand at this critical moment, and there come to his end. And we ask is there not a meaning, a moral in this? Does it not connect Israel's last struggle with the whole of their past history, with Moses and the wilderness? Is there anything inconsistent in believing that the scene of God's ancient mercies to them will witness their final deliverance, as well as the overthrow of their great enemy, the Pharaoh, the Amalek of the last days, in the height of his power and fury—that between Mount where the law was proclaimed, and Mount Zion, where the glory of God filled the temple, defiled as it will be by him, this great apostate will fall-this foe of God's people will end his impious career? There is, I repeat, a moral in this which is very significant, which assuredly, raises it far above the level of a mere historical fact.