Thoughts on the Revelation.
By Uriah Smith
Verses 1-10. 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 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. In commenting on a chapter with which the readers of the Review are already so familiar, we shall only give a definition of the symbols introduced, and a brief reference to the historical facts by which they are fulfilled. The sea, or waters, denotes peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. Rev. xvii, 15. A wild beast is the Bible symbol of an unrighteous nation or power. Whenever a beast is seen to come up out of the sea, it denotes that the power arose through strife, war, or political revolution among the people. Dan. vii, 2, 3. By the dragon of the previous chapter, and the beast first introduced in this, we have the Roman power as a whole brought to view in its two phases of paganism and papacy; hence these two symbols have each the seven heads and ten horns. The dragon, pagan Rome, gave to this beast, papal Rome, its seat, the city of Rome, and great authority. The beast that was wounded, as it were, to death, was the papal head; fulfilled when the pope, in 1798, stripped of his powers, both civil and ecclesiastical, was taken captive by Buonaparte, and died in exile. But this deadly wound was healed. The papacy was not entirely abolished. It was re-instated, though it has never since enjoyed all its former power. People worshiped the dragon and the beast: showing that this beast is but a continuation of the same power in another form. The acts and characteristics ascribed to the beast in verses 5-7, show him to be identical with the little horn of Dan. vii, 8, 20, 21, 25, which among Protestants is universally conceded to symbolize the papacy. They both have a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; both make war with the saints and overcome them; both continue the same length of time, 1260 years; and both at the end of that time go into captivity. This beast opens his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name. What can be more blasphemous than for a mortal man to assume the titles which the pope assumes? He calls himself, Lord God, the pope; King of kings, and Lord of lords; King of the world; Holy Father; Vicegerent of the Son of God; &c., &c. He blasphemes his tabernacle. How? By turning the attention of his subjects to his own throne and palace instead of to the tabernacle of God in Heaven; by turning their attention away from the city of God, Jerusalem above, and pointing them to Rome as the eternal city. He blasphemes them that dwell in Heaven. Does the pope do this? Most effectually, by assuming to exercise the power of forgiving sins, and so turning away the minds of men from the mediatorial work of Christ and his heavenly assistants in the sanctuary above. By verse 10 we are again referred to the events of 1798, when that power that had for 1260 years led the saints of God into captivity, was led into captivity itself, as already noticed. Verses 11-18. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And 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 in the sight of the beast; 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. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. A few decisive considerations will show that this other beast is a symbol of these United States. 1. It is another beast, from the papal beast; consequently it cannot arise in the territory occupied by that beast; neither can it occupy any territory of the beasts previously introduced into prophecy; for each beast must have a territory peculiarly its own; and as all the leading powers of the Eastern continent are embraced in previous symbols, we must look to this Western continent for the location of the power in question. In this respect, the United States, the leading power on this continent, answers to the prophecy with admirable fitness. 2. This nation arose at the right time. The beast was seen "coming up" at the time the previous beast went into captivity in 1798. No other nation but this was at that time rapidly rising to a position of splendor and power. 3. It arose in the right manner. Other beasts are said to have come up out of the sea, denoting that they arose through political revolution and conquest. This comes up out of the earth; from which we may justly infer that the rise of this power would be of an opposite or peaceful character. In this manner has the government of the United States arisen. Its development has been through the arts and policy of peace. 4. It sustains just the character given it in the prophecy. It has two horns like a lamb. Its outward appearance and profession is the most pure, peaceful, and harmless, possible. It professes to guarantee to every man liberty and the pursuit of happiness in temporal things, and freedom in matters of religion; yet about four millions of human beings are held by the Southern States of this nation in the most abject and cruel bondage and servitude, and the theological bodies of the land have adopted a creed-power, which is as inexorable and tyrannical as is possible to bring to bear upon the consciences of men. Verily with all its lamblike appearance and profession, it has the heart and voice of a dragon; for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 5. There are no crowns upon the horns of this beast; showing that this power is not monarchical or kingly. The expression in verse 14, "saying to them that dwell on the earth," shows that the supreme power is vested in the people, and that the government is consequently republican. These considerations are altogether conclusive as fixing the application of this symbol. The acts ascribed to this power are mostly future. He exerciseth all the power of the first beast, before him, that is, in his presence, as the original word signifies; showing that these two powers, the papal beast, and the two-horned American, protestant beast, are co-temporary. This power is to be a wonder-working power, to be accomplished as we understand through the agency of Spiritualism, the wonders to be wrought for the express purpose of deceiving the people preparatory to the erection of the image. The image is to be an image to the papal beast. That was a church clothed with civil power. An image to it would be something resembling it. Must we not understand therefore that the image will be the church of this country, the protestant church, clothed with power to punish heretics, and enforce its dogmas on pain of death. When this image is instated in power its first act is to cause, or decree, that all who will not yield allegiance to it, shall be put to death. It will never be able of course to carry this decree into effect; for deliverance is promised to the people of God. Dan. xii, 1. A decree is also made that all shall receive a mark, a decree cutting off from all business transactions all those who do not have the mark of the beast, or his name, or the number of his name. To receive the mark of the beast in the forehead, is, we understand, to give the assent of the mind and judgment to his authority, in the adoption of that institution which constitutes the mark; to receive it in the hand is to signify allegiance by some outward act. The mark is the mark, not of the two-horned beast, nor of the image of the beast, but of the papal beast. The name and the number of the name pertain to the same beast. From the 11th verse to the end of the chapter, the expression "the beast" in every instance refers to the papal beast: the two-horned beast is designated by the pronoun, he. The mark of the beast is understood to be the papal institution of Sunday-keeping in opposition to the Sabbath of Jehovah which is the seal of God. An exposition of the name or the number of the name, we trust the reader will not be expecting. Light upon these points will undoubtedly come in due time. And here, with the powers of earth and hell combined to make war upon them, and the decrees of death and banishment from society out against them, the people of God are left by this chapter. But here God does not leave them, as further investigation will show.