The Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet.
By O. Nichols
The dragon is a power that sought the death of the child Jesus, persecuted the church of Christ, continued his warfare and persecutions against the church while in the wilderness, and overcame them by putting them to death. And his last acts are to make war with the remnant of the church which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. xii, 4, 11—17. The dragon is also mentioned in Chap. xvi, 13, in connection with the beast, and the false prophet, from which "the spirits of devils working miracles proceed out of their mouths, and go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." The beast is a power that has authority given him by the dragon "over all kindreds and tongues and nations, whom all shall worship, whose names are not written in the book of life;" Chap. xiii, 2—8; and the third angel's message is a warning unto all, not to worship the beast, or his image, or receive his mark, under the penalty of drinking the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation. Chap. xiv, 9, 10. The false prophet is another instrumentality of the old serpent, that was to work miracles before the beast, and deceive them that receive the mark of the beast, and them that worship his image. Chap. xix, 20. As the dragon, the beast, and the false99prophet, are three influential powers, acting together in the catastrophe of this world, [Rev. xvi, 13, 14,] it may be necessary to enquire what they are. I. WHAT IS THE DRAGON? AND, WHAT IS HIS MOUTH? The Dragon according to the inspired testimony in chap. xii, 9, and xx, 2, is "that old serpent, called the devil and satan, which deceiveth the whole world." He is also called "the Prince of this world," John xii, 31, and is "the god of this world." He is "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience." Eph. ii, 2. He boasts of having all the kingdoms of this world at his disposal, and the glory of them, and to give their power and glory unto whomsoever he will, especially to those that serve and worship him. Luke iv, 5—7. As the Pagan nations publicly worshiped devils, and sacrificed unto them, 1 Cor. x, 20; Rev. ix, 20, hence the figure of a great red dragon was the most appropriate symbol to represent the civil executive powers of Pagan Rome. Red or scarlet was the distinguished colours worn by the Pagan Emperors and Senators; and also the mules and horses on which they rode are said to have been covered with scarlet cloth. Thus the executive powers of Pagan Rome, were the instrumentality of the dragon, or devil, to carry his purpose into effect. And as long as the Pagan authorities held the sovereignty over the people of God, they were the mouth of the dragon. King Herod was this mouth, when he sent forth the decree to slay the infant children of Bethlehem, Matt. ii, 16. When the Pagan supremacy was put down by the nominal christian Emperors, it became necessary that the old serpent's mouth should be transferred to those successive powers that held the control over the church and state governments. The Emperor Justinian became the head of the civil and ecclesiastical governments, and consequently was the instrumentality, and mouth of the dragon, that gave the beast his seat, and power, and great authority. Chap. xiii, 2. During the Papal supremacy, his mouth was invested in the popes of Rome, who were a mouth that spake very great things, and blasphemies. Dan. vii, 20; Rev. xiii, 5. "The dragon cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, [the church of God,] that he might cause her to be carried away." Rev. xii, 15. The popes were the most effectual servants of the devil; they claimed to be the vicegerent of God, and the head of the church, and the supremacy over the civil governments, whom they made subservient, in carrying into execution their mandates for putting to death the saints. Rev. xii, 13—16; xiii, 7. The last agency of the dragon makes war with the remnant of the saints, that "keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Chap. xii, 17. This power is evidently the two-horned image of the beast. He has a mouth that "spake as a dragon." He not only speaks, but causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, to receive a mark, that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast; and he causeth that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Chap. xiii, 1, 15—17. In the beginning, "God said unto the serpent, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, [the figure of the church of God,] and between thy seed, [the children of the devil,] and her seed." [the children of God.] Gen. iii, 14, 15; see Matt. xiii, 38, 39. "The good seed are the children of the kingdom; the tares are the children of the wicked one." Jesus said unto the Pharisees, "ye are of your father the devil." John viii, 44; Acts xiii, 10. It has been the chief purpose of the devil for six thousand years, to effect the destruction of the children of God; and there has been a constant warfare, carried on through the "old serpent's" agents, by persecutions, cruel bondage, deception, enchantments, by false prophets, and every cunning invention which is calculated to deceive, if possible the elect, and ultimately cause their destruction. The beast is mentioned in chap. xiii, 1, 16, 19, 20. It is a definite ruling power, generally understood to be the ten-horned beast of chap. xiii and xvii,—the catholic government of the Roman Empire, under the restraint of the church of Rome, and sovereignty of the Pope, as their supreme head of the church. That is, the church of Rome clothed with civil power, and the civil governments made subservient to the Pope, in the execution of his decrees. The beast carrieth the woman; the woman is that great city (or church) which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Chap. xvii, 7, 18. It is "a scarlet colored beast." Verse 3. Scarlet and purple were the distinguished colors worn by the popes and their cardinals, "A cardinal is an ecclesiastical Prince in the Roman catholic church, who has a voice in the conclave, at the election of the Pope, who is taken from their number. They constitute the sacred college, and compose the Pope's council. Their dress is a red cassock, [a long frock coat] a rochet, a short purple mantle, and a scarlet hat." [Encyclopedia.] "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." Chap. xiii, 2. These three several figures of beasts, which represent the monarchies of the Chaldeans, Persians and Grecians [Dan. vii, 4, 5, 6] are here all put together to describe the character of Papal Rome, as if it were the gathering together of all the tyranny, cruelty, and ravenousness of all the former empires. The beast is called a "wild beast," [Whiting and other translations,] which more clearly designates its real character. The term "wild," in its natural application to beasts of prey, signifies a ferocious and cruel disposition, and destitute of piety or sympathy. This character will fitly apply to the popes, or the cardinals and bishops of the Papal church. They were like the savage beasts of prey, in their persecutions of the saints, subjecting them to torture, and cruel death. "The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." Chap. xiii, 2, 4, 7. The Emperor Justinian (who was the chief executive of the eastern empire of Rome) made the bishop of Rome the head of all the churches, in A. D. 538; and he gave him his seat, (Rome,) and the supreme authority over the church in "all nations, and tongues," to dictate and discipline, according to his will, in matters of religion, and chastise or put to death such as would not obey the dictates of the church of Rome; and the civil governments were subservient in executing the mandates of the Pope. "Power was given unto him to make war with the saints, and overcome them forty-two months." [1260 years.] Verses 5, 7; Dan. vii, 25. This power, which was invested in the Pope, the chief executive, was taken away, or restrained by the French government, after the Pope was carried a captive into France in A. D. 1798 or '9. This was "a deadly wound," unto the beast, but he "did live." Chap. xiii, 12, 14. The Papal beast, or power still lives; already he is beginning to "speak great words" again, as many that are now confined in the "gorged prisons" of Italy, Naples, and France, (for reading the Scriptures, and circulating them with protestant tracts,) could testify. See Dan. vii, 11. II. WHAT IS THE FALSE PROPHET? The false prophet is mentioned three times. Rev. xvi, 13; xix, 20; xx, 10. We can form an opinion of what he is by his character and profession; he wrought miracles before the beast, with which he "deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image." Rev. xix, 20. Thus his profession is to teach false theories, and confirm them by miracles. The same power is probably referred to in chap. xiii, 13, 14. "He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do, . . . saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and did live." From the last quotation, the false prophet is supposed to be the two-horned beast; he constitutes a part of the body, has an influence over the people, church, and the civil government, and is sanctioned by them; yet his profession proves him to be something different from the church as a professed body, and the civil government. His power influences the establishment of the image beast. He says to the people "make an image to the beast," and to confirm his power and authority, as from heaven, he maketh fire come down from heaven in their sight, and thus the people are deceived. His name is called "the false prophet;" and his power is to work miracles. Miracles are supernatural events, effected contrary to the established constitution and course of things, or a deviation from the known laws of nature. [Webster.] When miracles are performed under the cloak of religion, and by religious teachers, they will "if possible deceive the elect." Matt. xxiv, 24. Such teachers existed in the days of the prophets; they confirmed their teachings by miracles, effected under different names, as "sorcery," "divination," "enchantment," &c. See Jer. xiv, 14; xxiv, 9, 10, 15; xxix, 8, 9. Sorcery was practised in the days of the apostles, "to pervert the right ways of the Lord." The people called these enchanters "the great power of God." The apostles called them "false prophets." Acts viii, 9—11; xiii, 6—10. "Hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers which speak unto you; they prophesy a lie unto you in my name." Jer. xxvii, 9, 15. Sorcery is enchantment, (Ex. vii, 11,) causing irresistible influence and delight." It is now practised under various modern names, as Mesmerism, Pathetism, Biology, &c., through which miracles and wonders are performed; and "the rapping spirits" are not the least; they are getting to be very popular and sacred with professing christians, and the world. Mesmerism has been explained to be the influence through which Christ and his apostles performed their miracles. These professions under different names, are evidently the same enchantments as in Moses' time, and the actors as a body collectively under a religious garb, are the false prophet; in character the same as the false prophets of old times,—"perverting the right ways of the Lord." "As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth." 2 Tim. iii, 8. It may be asked, Have the false prophets ever caused fire to come down from heaven to the earth in the sight of men? There is strong inference that the 450 prophets in Elijah's time had caused fire in appearance to come down from heaven, and that they expected to effect this wonder in the presence of Elijah, and all the people. If this was not the case, why did they submit themselves to perform such a test as Elijah required of them? Would those prophets have called upon the name of their god for fire to come down, from morning until the evening sacrifice, and cut themselves with knives and lancets, until the blood gushed out, if they had not expected the fire would have come down and consumed the sacrifice? If they had never done, nor professed to do such things, it would seem to be unreasonable for Elijah to require such a test of them as he did. See 1 Kings, xviii, 23, 24. This is evidence that the false prophets had previously effected such wonders, and that they expected to confound Elijah. But the sequel proved that their gods were subject to Elijah's God. Thus, in review, "the mouth of the false prophet" is not the civil executive power, but the false teachers as a body,—the false witnesses that teach or prophesy lies, and confirm the same by mesmerism, or "enchantments," which cause irresistible influence, and by "signs and wonders." They are now incorporated with "the great city," "Babylon," which has since her fall "become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit; for by thy sorceries (enchantment, see Ex. vii, 11) were all nations deceived." Rev. xviii, 2, 23. "The mouth of the dragon," as has been shown, is in the head of the civil executive power, that has authority over the true witnesses or teachers, "that have the testimony of Jesus Christ, and keep the commandments of God." Rev. xii, 17. "The mouth of the beast" is in the head of the Papal power, as it now exists in Europe. He is yet to "speak great words," just previous to his destruction. See Rev. xvi, 13, 14; Chap. xix, 19; Dan. vii, 11. "I saw three unclean spirits come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; they are the spirits of devils which go forth unto the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Chap. xvi, 13, 14. "And I saw the beast, and the Kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and his army; and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet," &c. Chap. xix, 19, 20. "I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed." Dan. vii, 11. Amen.