What Is the Beast? by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 15, 1909

What Is the Beast?

By George I. Butler

GEORGE I. BUTLER

“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 [or names, margin] of 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 great authority. 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. And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 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. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 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. 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. If any man have an ear, let him 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 the saints.” Rev. 13: 1-10.

This scripture is in the chapter immediately preceding the one in which the third angel’s message is found, the principal burden of which is to warn all who will receive it of the terrible consequences of worshiping “the beast,” etc. Therefore, in order to get a clear understanding of the third message, it is absolutely necessary to understand what “the beast” is.

The book of Revelation is quite largely a book of symbols. A symbol is something which stands for something else because of a similarity or resemblance to it. The prophet beheld in his vision a beast, or monster, emerging from the sea, which the winds were lashing into furious waves. This creature seemed to have seven distinct heads, from which grew ten horns. The creature was in appearance like a leopard. It had feet like a bear, and a mouth like a lion. The dragon (of chapter 12) gave it his power and seat and great authority. In symbolic prophecy, we have this forcible figure: the great sea of humanity is represented by the sea of waters; when lashed into immense waves, monsters appear, symbolizing empires, kingdoms, nations: as, in the sea of humanity, when wars and tumults and fearful collisions of mankind occur, great nations and political powers emerge to do their work in the earth. It is very clear that this symbolic beast was used to represent a great and mighty world-power. It is plainly stated that the sea out of which the beast emerged was a sea of peoples: “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17: 15. Thus arose the power symbolized by this beast, the great Roman empire, universal in the days of its prosperity, the mightiest political force in history. It appeared in two great phases: first, as a pagan or heathen power; second, as a papal or professed Christian power.

But, lest we be considered as taking too much for granted, it will be well for us to consider quite carefully at this important point of the last, closing message for mankind, the true identity of this Roman beast or symbolical creature. Therefore we will briefly compare the prophecy of Daniel 7 with the one we have been considering. It would be well for the reader to turn and read the seventh chapter of Daniel and compare it with Rev. 13: 1-10. We want to make no mistake in this matter.

Daniel beheld in this vision the same great sea of peoples that John beheld. In his case, four great monsters arose out of this symbolic sea. The first resembled a lion, having wings; the second, a bear; the third, a leopard with four wings and four heads; and the fourth was a nondescript beast, too fierce and terrible to be fitly symbolized by any creature on earth. It had great iron teeth, and ten horns upon its head. He calls it “dreadful and terrible.” It devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. As he beheld it, a change took place among its ten horns: three disappeared, and in their place a sturdy “little horn” appeared; “and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” The next event in the vision was the great judgment scene of the last day, the Ancient of days presiding, and more than a hundred million million angels in attendance: “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”

The leading commentators of the Protestant world have agreed as to the meaning of this wonderful prophecy, that it points out the successive empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, and then the coming of the great judgment day. The last of these prophetic powers was greater than any of the others; first, as pagan Rome, and second, as Rome ruled by the popes. An angel appeared on the scene, and explained the substance of the vision, especially the last portion, that relating to papal Rome, in these words: “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth. . . . And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings [or kingdoms] that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings [that is, kingdoms]. And 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 the law [American Revised Version]: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Dan. 7: 23-25.

Most certainly this is a prophetic description of the papacy. So the great Martin Luther and his fellow Reformers understood it; and so John Wesley, Adam Clarke, and other leading Protestant commentators believed; and so the facts of history demonstrate. This scripture is the declaration of the angel of God to Daniel and to all mankind of the character and work of the papacy. The great words spoken against the Most High refer to the blasphemous titles borne by the popes,—“God on earth,” “Christ’s Vicegerent,” the “Vicar of the Son of God,”—and the claim that the church has power to forgive sins, etc. He should “wear out the saints of the Most High.” From fifty million to one hundred million martyrs slain by this power, often tortured by the Inquisition, fully justifies the use of the words, “wear out,” a most forcible expression of the long-continued persecutions of this power. He should “think to change” the times and the law of the Most High, that is, claim power to do it. In multitudes of passages from Catholic authors, catechisms, etc., the claim is put forth most positively that “the church” (the Roman Catholic Church) has the right to change even the law of God; and most surprising of all, Catholics boldly taunt Protestants with keeping the Sunday, which the Catholic Church has made to take the place formerly occupied by the Sabbath of the fourth commandment,—one of the immutable ten words spoken and written by God himself. As there is not in all the Bible one single text of scripture in behalf of Sunday sacredness, the Catholic claim of changing the Sabbath seems clearly demonstrated. History also emphatically demonstrates the same conclusion.

The foregoing scripture also teaches that this power would have apparent ability, for a given period,—“a time and times and the dividing of time,”—to accomplish the work already specified. “A time” is an expression meaning a year. The ancient year of the Jews was 360 days. One “time,” therefore, would be 360 prophetic days, or years; plus “times” (plural), twice 360, that is, 720; plus half a time, 180, would equal, in all, 1260 years. The papacy received power from the emperor of Rome, Justinian, going into effect in the year A. D. 538, to make the pope, or bishop of Rome, head over all the churches, conferring also power to correct heretics. This bestowal of power by the emperor of Rome is considered by Roman Catholics themselves as a most important era in the history of the papacy. The three horns were plucked up at about the same time by the armies of Justinian, under the influence of the papacy, to make way for its power to become well established. Thus, A. D. 538 becomes an established era of importance in the pope’s history and assumptions. It marks the beginning of his political power, and becomes the proper date for the commencement of papal supremacy. But when must the supremacy end? The period of its continuance, 1260 years, added to A. D. 538, the time of its commencement, would mark 1798 as its close. Did anything remarkable in the history of that power occur that year?—Most certainly; the French republic, then existing, sent an army under General Berthier, who entered Rome, put an end to the papal government, established a republic in its place, carried the pope a prisoner to France, where he died in exile. For a brief period then there was no pope in existence. These are very plain historical facts, easily verified.

Here we have a chain—A. D. 538, the 1260 years of papal supremacy, and 1798, marking its close—which is a wonderful demonstration of the truthfulness and inspiration of the prophetic writings. The year 1798 marks the beginning of the time of the end, during which special light and truth concerning the second advent of our Saviour should go forth.

What has all of this to do with the third angel’s message?—Much every

way. Daniel gave a description of the rise, characteristics, and fall of this power some six hundred years before John the revelator described the same power, and foretold the message which would go forth in the very last days of human history, warning us of its final doom and the terrible consequences of obeying its teachings. We reserve for another article an explanation of the beast power warned against by the third angel’s message.

Bowling Green, Fla.