The Papacy in the Apocalypse.
By John Nevins Andrews
IN our last number we have shown, in reply to M. C. B. of the Eglise Libre, that the dragon of Rev. 12 is the pagan Roman Empire through which Satan ruled the world at the birth of Christ. We have also shown that the seven heads and ten horns of the dragon do not pertain to the person of Satan, but symbolize the different forms of the Roman Government. Thus the fact that the seven heads are successive and exist one at a time shows that the Roman Empire was to have seven successive forms of government before being divided into separate kingdoms. Thus also the ten horns represent the Roman Empire after being divided into ten kingdoms, for the horns are cotemporary; that is, they all exist at the same time. But the seven heads represent seven forms of government that must precede the ten kingdoms; for John was told by the angel that the ten kings were yet future, whereas five of the seven heads had already fallen, one then existed, and one had not yet come. Rev. 17 : 9-12. The dragon had crowns upon his heads (Rev. 12 : 3), showing that he bore rule while the empire was undivided. The beast had crowns upon his horns (Rev. 13 : 1), showing that he bore rule after the division of the empire into ten kingdoms. The dragon certainly represents the government which ruled the world at the birth of Christ. Rev. 12 : 4. This government had its throne at Rome. Luke 2 : 1. But the dragon gave his power and his throne to the beast. Rev. 13 : 2. This shows that the beast must bear rule in Rome where the dragon had ruled before him, and that the power of the beast is a continuation of that of the dragon. Thus the seven heads and ten horns of the dragon are the same seven heads and ten horns which are seen upon the beast, the heads representing the dominion of the dragon, and the horns representing the dominion of the beast. Now we see how definite is the prophecy concerning the beast. 1. His throne is to be found at Rome. 2. His dominion commences after the Roman Empire is divided into ten kingdoms. This division was represented to Daniel by the ten toes of the image (Dan. 2 : 41, 42), and by the ten horns of the fourth beast. Dan. 7 : 7, 8, 20, 24. These ten kingdoms arose between the years 356 and 483. This blasphemous king, symbolized by the beast of Rev. 13 : 1, must therefore make his appearance at Rome soon after the commencement of the sixth century. It is the same king that was represented to Daniel by his little horn which arose after the ten horns on the fourth beast. Dan. 7 : 8, 24. Thus also the beast of Rev. 13 : 1 does not bear rule until the ten horns appear with crowns. Moreover all the things which Daniel predicts concerning the little horn, John predicts concerning the beast. Each was to blaspheme God. Dan. 7 : 25; Rev. 13 : 6. Each was to make war against the saints and to overcome them. Dan. 7 : 21; Rev. 13 : 7. Each had a mouth that spoke great things and blasphemies. Dan. 7 : 8, 20; Rev. 13 : 5. Each was to have dominion 1260 days, or a time, times, and a half. Dan. 7 : 25; Rev. 13 : 5. We know therefore that the little horn of Dan. 7 and the beast of Rev. 13 : 1 each symbolize the same kingdom. Whatever kingdom or government is symbolized by this beast may be known by these important facts: 1. By the time of its appearance, which is when the Roman Empire exists as ten kingdoms. 2. By the place where it is to bear rule, which is Rome itself. 3. By the acts which it is to perform, which are, first, to speak great words and blasphemies; second, to make war upon the saints and to overcome them; third, to have dominion 1260 days, which signifies 1260 years, for when kingdoms are represented by beasts, the years of their continuance are represented by days. Eze. 4 : 6. Since the early part of the sixth century, or immediately after the rise of the ten kingdoms, there has been seen in the city of Rome a priest-king who has spoken great words and blasphemies. This priest-king has claimed dominion over all kings; he has often humbled the mightiest monarchs, and he has made war upon the humble people of God because they would read the Bible, and would not acknowledge him as the head of the church. Witness the wars against the Waldenses of the Alps, against the Albigenses of the south of France, and against the heretics of Spain by means of the inquisition. Moreover, the period of 1260 years intervenes between the decree of Justinian constituting the pope the head of the church and the overthrow of the papal government in 1798 by the French. Is not this priest-king the Antichrist? When Antichrist cometh shall he do greater things than have been done by Gregory VII., Innocent III., and Alexander VI., and by those popes of the tenth century, whom Cardinal Baronias, the greatest of Romanist historians, pronounces "monsters of iniquity"? Prof. Gaussen tells us that it was once the 31st article in the confession of faith of the Protestants of France, that the pope is the Antichrist and the son of perdition. It does not therefore well become M. C. B. and the Eglise Libre to speak of our journal with contempt for holding fast this faithful testimony. Cardinal Manning the head of the Romanists in England has stated the exact truth in saying: "The papacy is either the kingdom of Christ, or the masterpiece of Satan." Those Protestants who seek a middle ground only deceive themselves. If the pretensions of the church of Rome are well founded, all men ought to submit to them. But if they are not well founded, they are in the highest degree blasphemous. The papacy is either the kingdom of Christ or the masterpiece of Satan. We bear no personal ill-will to any Romanist. We have only pity for those who suppose that they honor Christ by acknowledging the pope as the head of the church. It may be said that the terrible cruelties and blasphemies to which we have made reference are things of the past, and that they ought to be forgiven and forgotten. We should be glad to have all men do this, if first, the church which has stained her garments with these crimes would but acknowledge her past wickedness. But she is so far from doing this that she declares herself infallible and affirms that she has never erred! She has recently held a general council for the sole purpose of declaring that the pope is infallible. So we must believe that pope Gregory the Great was infallible when he said that whoever bore the title of universal bishop was Antichrist, and we must also believe that his successors who have all borne this title are also infallible. Even those men whose crimes were such that they cannot be mentioned, were the infallible pontiffs of the kingdom of Christ, unless indeed we judge them by their acts. M. C. B. cannot believe that the mouth which has spoken great things and blasphemies from Rome for more than 1,000 years is the subject of Prophecy. The pontiffs, to use their own language, have thundered, and our friend has not heard the sound. They have put forth the most arrogant pretensions, and these seem to him but harmless words. They have exercised the terrible power of the inquisition, and he sees no cruelty in this worthy to be denounced in the prophecies. But our friend supposes that the mouth of the beast which uttered blasphemies was the Emperor Caligula, though it would be hard to say why Caligula merits this distinction rather than Nero, except that the reign of Caligula from 37 to 41 did not vary greatly from 42 months, while that of Nero greatly exceeded that period. But the reign of Caligula was about four centuries previous to the rise of the last of the ten kings, and his brief career of wickedness bears no comparison in importance to that of the priest-king who has claimed universal dominion as the vicar of Christ. Our friend asserts that Rev. 13 : 5 should read simply that the beast had "power to make 42 months." This certainly does not make very good sense. But if we strike out the word "war" in verse 5, that word still remains in verse 7, so that while verse 5 is made to declare simply the duration of the power of the beast, verse 7 tells us how he was to use that power in making war on the saints. M. C. B. asserts that Julius Cæsar was the first head of the beast, and that Augustus was the second. But it is not possible that the seven heads should signify simply seven men who should successively rule over the Roman Empire; for there were twelve Cæsars and a long line of emperors. But the angel told John that five of the heads had fallen, that one then existed, and that one was yet to come. Rev. 17 : 10. This was true if applied to the seven different forms of Roman government, but wholly untrue if applied to seven different emperors, for the number of emperors was very great. Moreover the seven heads of the beast were without crowns, whereas all the emperors were crowned and exercised despotic rule. Our friend also supposes that the beast received her deadly wound at the assassination of Julius Cæsar. But assassination was the fate of a great number of emperors. M. C. B. asserts that if the beast with seven heads and ten horns is the successor of the dragon of Rev. 12, then the beast of Rev. 17, with the same heads and horns, is the successor of the beast in Rev. 13. But it is expressly shown by Rev. 13 : 2, that the beast of that chapter is the successor of the dragon, while the beast of chapter 17 is introduced for the purpose of explaining the seven heads and ten horns, and to show other important things which could not be given in chapter 13. It is also true that the beast is introduced in Rev. 17 to show its final history in immediate connection with its perdition. Rev. 17 : 8, 14; 19 : 19, 20. We hope shortly to print the discourse of Prof. Gaussen, in which he shows that the papacy has fulfilled several important prophecies found in Dan. 7, 2 Thess. 2, and Rev. 13. To this discourse we respectfully invite the attention of all our readers, but especially that of our contemporary at Nice, and that of our friend M. C. B. —Translated from "Signes des Temps."