The Scarlet-Colored Beast.
By J. M. Stephenson
This is evidently the last phase of the Papal beast; [Rev. xiii, 1, 2;] for, first, he has the same number of heads; second, the same number of horns; third, the same location, i. e., the city of Rome; and, fourth, the same Papal, Anti-Christian church, is allied to both. The seven heads and ten horns of the red dragon, [Rev. xii, 3,] refer to the same facts in the world's history. These three beasts represent all the phases the fourth universal monarchy (i. e., the Roman Empire) will present, from its establishment, to its utter and entire subversion by the "stone cut out of the mountain without hands," and the establishment of the Kingdom of God under the whole heavens. If so, we must find the facts in the history of that Empire analogous to the seven heads and ten horns. We have them. They are these: 1. The Roman Empire has had seven distinct forms of government, or has presented to the world seven phases. We find a clue to this exposition in Rev. xvii, 10. "And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Five of those forms had past at the time John had his vision: the sixth was then in existence, i. e., the Imperial: the seventh (i. e., the Papal) had not yet come. The seven mountains (Rev. xvii, 9) mark the city of Rome as the seat of all these beasts. That the foregoing view of the seven heads is correct, is evident from the relation the sixth and seventh heads sustain to each other, and to the facts in the case. The dragon gave his power, (civil power,) and his seat, (the city of Rome,) and great authority, to another beast, having the same number of heads, horns, and the same location. Rev. xiii, 2. The facts are these: The Imperial form of the Roman government in the West, gave place to the Papal form of the same government. This took place A. D. 538, when the Roman Emperor invested the Pope with civil power to correct heretics, and gave him his seat in the West. But John saw one of this last beast's heads, as it were, wounded to death. Verse 3. If these heads represent forms of the Roman government, which of those forms received the deadly wound? Ans. The seventh, or Papal. This was fulfilled A. D. 1798, when one of Napoleon Buonaparte's generals deposed the Pope; led him captive into France, where he was retained until his death: thus he who had led millions of God's people into captivity, was, in his turn, led into captivity. See verse 10. His successor surrendered to Napoleon his civil power, except a small vestige in Italy. The life of the Papal head consisted in civil power to suppress heresy; consequently the deprivation of that power would constitute a deadly wound. But has the deadly wound ever been healed? I think not. That power which constituted the original life of the Papal head, and the deprivation of which inflicted "deadly" wound, has never been given back. Napoleon did not give it back: nor did the world's alliance: hence it must be a future event. The fact that John saw the wound healed, previous to his vision of the two horned-beast, is no objection to this view. We are in this, as in many other prophecies, dependent on the chronological order in which the events occur, for their prophetic order. John saw in one vision the whole history of the beast. He15subsequently speaks of the beast as he saw him in vision, without any reference to the order, or the time in which the events would occur. Now, I believe the scarlet-colored beast, and the woman who is riding him to judgment, symbolize the last phase which Papacy will present after the deadly wound is healed. This woman is analogous to the Papal part of the wild beast. The ten horns of both these beasts, together with those of the dragon, the fourth beast of Dan. vii, and the ten toes of the image, [Dan. ii,] all represent the ten kingdoms into which the Western Empire of Rome was broken, between A. D. 353 and 483. The deadly wound consisted in the separation of Papacy from a beast with ten horns. The ten horns represent ten kingdoms. The ten kingdoms the civil power, or life of the beast. Now, if the dissolution of the union between Papacy and those ten horns constituted the deadly wound; then their re-union would be a healing of the deadly wound. This re-union, or alliance of Papacy with the original ten kingdoms, is shadowed forth by a woman riding (in alliance with) a scarlet-colored beast, having seven heads and ten horns. Rev. xvii, 3. We are emphatically told that the ten horns of this beast are ten kings who have received no kingdoms as yet. Verse 19. These must be kings who shall be appointed (doubtless by Absolutists, after the now reigning kings, of the ten kingdoms, shall have been deposed by their Republican subjects, and those Republican armies shall have been defeated by the combined forces of Absolutists) to reign over the original ten kingdoms; for the image is to have but ten toes, the fourth beast of Daniel but ten horns, when Christ comes. To have twenty kingdoms in the dominion of the Papal beast would destroy the harmony of prophecy in reference to that power. But the following view is natural and easy, and in harmony with all the prophecies. Those ten kings who have received no kingdoms as yet, will be appointed to reign over the original ten kingdoms; and when they receive their kingdoms, they will agree, and give their power (civil power) and strength unto the beast, (Papacy,) and thus heal the deadly wound. See verse 12 and 17. "These have one mind and shall give their power and strength unto the beast; for God hath put it into their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God (what words? evidently that the deadly wound shall be healed) shall be fulfilled." Here is a literal fulfillment of the prediction, that the deadly wound was (shall be) healed: "an event yet future. This beast was, (Papacy united with a beast of seven heads and ten horns) and is not, (Papacy separated from the above named beast,) and yet is (or shall be) (Papacy re-united to the same beast. See verses 3, 12, 13, 17) verse 8. He is of the seven, (i. e., the same Papal church which was allied to the seventh. See Rev. xiii, 1-10) and is (shall be) the eighth, (a new alliance, or the eighth phase of the seventh beast) and goeth into perdition. [Verse 16] see verse 11. This alliance will continue one hour. (15 days.) The manner in which those ten kings [Rev. xvii, 3, 7, 12, 13, 17] come to their end, is analogous to the destruction of the ten toes of the image. Compare Rev. xvii, 14, with Dan. ii, 34, 35, 44, 45. Metomen, Fond du Lac Co., Wis., Dec. 18th, 1853.