THE TWO-HORNED BEAST by Joseph Harvey Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 29, 1877

THE TWO-HORNED BEAST.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

Seeing a notice in a San Francisco paper, not long since, that Eld. A. C. Long was going to give a discourse on this subject, I went to hear. He said the ten-horned beast was the Roman Empire, but did not say what was the dragon, which gave its power and seat and great authority to the beast. He said the two-horned beast was not civil, but ecclesiastical, and that it came up peaceably, which the United States did not, and referred to “the battle of Valley Forge” as evidence on the latter point. But in that respect mark the difference between the United States and the governments which rose before it. They all came up by aggression; by subduing other powers and possessing their territory. Not so the United States. It grew up in a new world, and only fought to resist the usurpations and tyranny of a power three thousand miles away, to defend its rights on the soil which it had reclaimed from the wilderness. Since it maintained its rights, and secured freedom, it has multiplied its thirteen states by three and its three millions of inhabitants by thirteen, and all by purchase or original possession, and by peaceful immigration. The like is found nowhere else in the world.

He said it arose out of the “Roman earth.” This term has been some time in vogue with a certain class, but from what vocabulary they derived it I am at a loss to imagine. The expression appears to be neither sensible nor scriptural. He cited Rev. 14:6, 7 and 17:18 to prove that the earth is not confined, in this prophecy, to the United States. But no one ever supposed that the word earth always applied to America in the book of Revelation. Neither does “the sea” always refer to that locality where the first beast arose. See chap. 10:6; 14:7; and 18:17, 19, 21. The same words are not always used in the same sense in this book. Sometimes they are used as symbols—sometimes not. But we do claim that “the sea,” as representing the dwelling place of the multitudes of people (see chap. 17:15), where the first beast arose, is in distinction from the unpeopled “earth” where the two-horned beast came up.

He said that exercising the power of the first beast before him, in his sight, means in his own territory. But of this he gave no proof; he said if it is the United States then it must put millions to death. But it is evident that the term “causes” in this text is used in the sense of decreeing or purposing to do as well as of executing. If not, let us look at the other side. Did the Roman power “cause all” to receive its mark? Did it kill “as many” as would not worship it? Its decrees included all, and its anathemas were against as many as would not worship. But the Lord preserved thousands of his true followers from its power. And just so in this case. No doubt the decree will regard all, but deliverance will come at that hour.

He said the ten-horned beast did not mean the church, for in Rev. 17 the church as a woman controls the beast. This objection grows out of a misapprehension of the use of symbols, and a disregard of the relation of things. So Bishop Purcell ridiculed the views of Mr. Campbell, because, as he averred, Mr. C. sometimes had the Catholic church the man of sin, and sometimes a woman on a beast. The same power is seen at different times under different circumstances. Rev. 13 presents the Roman hierarchy, church and state firmly united, the church in full possession of the civil power. Chap. 17 gives a closing view of the same powers, differently related; after the church has been divorced from civil power, but retaining sufficient influence to be upheld by the civil power for a short time.

He said the two-horned beast caused the people to worship the first beast—and itself. But therefore it cannot apply to the Catholic church, for that took all the honor to itself. And he asked, as in astonishment, “Will the United States cause its citizens to worship Rome? Catholics made them worship Rome.” But, query: Did the Catholics make them worship the “Roman Empire,” which preceded the Catholic power? No; they made them worship the power which had its seat in Rome, or to worship Rome as Catholic. The reader will bear in mind that Eld. Long teaches that the Sunday institution, already enforced by the laws of the States, and recognized as a day of rest by the United States, and in favor of which great efforts are now put forth to amend our Constitution so as to enforce it by the general government, is an institution of the Roman church. The United States will cause its citizens to worship Rome in a matter where one of “the commandments of God” is involved. Hence the necessity of the warning of the third angel’s message.

He explained the bringing down of fire in the miracles and wonders wrought by the two-horned beast, as meaning indignation! The Catholics brought down the fire of their indignation upon their enemies. He said they had two ways to enforce their power; one, by the civil arm, the other, by professing to work miracles. If anything can be weaker and more childish than this, I cannot imagine what it can be. Mark the plain difference between truth and error:—

1. The Scripture says he deceives them that live on the earth by those miracles which he had power to do. Eld. Long says he deceives them by professing to work miracles which he had not power to do. A direct contradiction.

2. The Scripture shows that its deceptions or wonders prevail over its worshipers. Eld. Long says the fire—of its indignation—which was the greatest of its wonders, prevailed over those who refused to worship. Another contradiction.

3. The Scripture says it deceived by its wonders, the chief of which is bringing down fire.

But Eld. Long would have it that it deceived men by its persecutions, and its greatest deception was that of the martyrs, whom it deceived so greatly as to burn them at the stake! A powerful deception must rest upon those who thus cover up the truth of this prophecy.

He said verse 14 proves that the image was not of the beast but to the beast. We were left to imagine how he felt when he immediately read in verse 15 that it is the image of the beast. These expressions are equivalent, as any one may see by the reading.

He said the image is the pope, and the mark is the cross, and tried to make it appear that the people took part in the creation of a pope; which is an instance of a laborious effort to make the prophecy fit a theory.

But now, he said, Babylon is fallen; the civil power is taken from the church; this prophecy is fulfilled, and now we may look for the Lord’s coming. But if the fall of Babylon was the taking away the civil power of the papacy, and this was completed, as he said, quite recently, then it is just the time to give the third angel’s message! For this message follows the fall of Babylon, and is given just before the Lord comes. See Rev. 14:8–12. Strange that opposers of this message cannot see the order and relation of events in Rev. 14. Perhaps we should not consider it strange, however, knowing that opposition to important truth and to plain duty has a powerful tendency to blind the mind.

By omitting all notice of the dragon, an important link is wanting for the identification of these symbols. He also passed in entire silence the dragon’s giving power to the beast, the receiving and healing of the deadly wound, and the forty-two months of the first beast. In fact, he omitted every point essential to the identity of the powers, and in not a very ingenious manner obscured the few points he did notice.

The dragon is Pagan Rome. It gave its power to the beast, to papacy. By comparing Dan. 7 and Rev. 13, it is seen that the little horn of the former is identical with the beast of the latter. The time, times, and half, of the former are the forty-two months of the latter. The characteristics of the two symbols are identical in every particular.

Eld. Long accused those who teach that the third angel’s message is yet to be given of saying, “My Lord delayeth his coming.” We do not believe the third angel’s message is entirely “to be given.” A very important part of the work is already accomplished, and it is going on with constantly increasing power. It is in the direct providence of God that it is fast taking hold of inquiring minds in the nations of Europe, some of them having embraced its precious truths solely by studying the Bible, without any co-operation or knowledge of believers of the same faith in America. “This is the Lord’s doing; and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

But we have one question to propose which we will leave Eld. Long to settle with his brethren. Is there greater probability of the Jews’ returning to Jerusalem before the Lord comes, than that the third angel’s message will be given before the Lord comes? If he says he does not believe they will return to Jerusalem till after the Lord comes, he will still have the question to settle with those of his brethren who believe they will return before he comes.

The third angel’s message is winging its way to the nations of the earth. “Babylon is fallen,” of a truth. “And the third angel followed them.” The fulfillment is in the order of the prophecy. All is harmony and order in God’s work. May the light increase and spread, and darkness continue to flee before it.

J. H. WAGGONER.

Oakland, Cal., March 11, 1877.