Earlier text: THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUESTHE BEAST WITH SEVEN HEADS.
By Joseph Bates
"The beast that thou sawest, was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is." Rev. xvii, 8. I. "The beast that was."
II. "And is not."
III. "And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition." I. "The beast that was." What is it? We answer, Republican Rome. Roman history gives but three general forms of government; first, Republican in its Pagan state to B. C. 48; second, Imperial to A. D. 538; from thence Papal to the fifth or everlasting kingdom. Republican Rome instituted five different offices under that particular form of government. 1. Consular, B. C. 509. 2. Tribunate. 3. Decemvir. 4. Dictatorial. 5. Triumvirate. Cæsar, Pompey and Crassus were the executive in this last office of the Roman commonwealth. We will here give an extract from their history. "From Pompey's death we may date the extinction of the republic. From this period the senate was dispossessed of its power; and Rome henceforward was never without a master. Pompey died 48 years before Christ was born." See Pinnock's Goldsmith's Rome.—pp. 215, 393. Also 88, 93, 96, 186, 191. The end of the Roman republic, was the end of the rule of five heads on the beast. Heads denote supreme power. See Dan. ii, 38; Eph. i, 22; Rev. xix, 11, 12. The seven heads of the beast undoubtedly refer to the seven forms of the Roman government. The passing away of five forms in this republic, prove the rule of the beast that was, at an end. II. "And is not." This denotes another period, existing after the first had passed, and is the sixth form, called Imperial Rome, or the reign of the Emperors. The 12th Cæsar was now closing up his reign, which had embraced a series of 144 years since the beast "that was" had passed away. This was ninety-six years after Christ, and the sixty-fifth year of his mediatorial office in the Heavenly Sanctuary; and 442 years before the seventh head on the beast, or the seventh form of government in the Roman empire was formed, called the Papal power; which was established A. D. 538. III. "And shall ascend out of the bottomless pit and go into perdition." What power is this? The question may be answered by referring to the prophecy. The last clause of the text reads thus: "The beast that was, and is not, and yet is." Whiting's translation reads "the wild beast that was, and is not, and will be." This divests the text from all ambiguity, and shows that it was a power yet to come out of the bottomless pit. "The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there (Whiting translates it 'they') are seven kings: five are fallen and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." Verses 9, 10. "And the angel said unto me, wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns." Verse 7. What is the meaning of the word mystery? Campbell, Bernard, and Whiting translate it secret. The mystery or secret of God "should be finished" when the seventh angel began to sound as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.—Rev. x, 7. Paul shows that this mystery or secret of God was given him by revelation from God. Eph. iii, 2, 3. Also to the holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. Verse 5. And was from the beginning of the world hid in God. Verse 9. And that this mystery or secret, which was hid with God, was the gospel to the Gentiles. See verses 6—8. This is in agreement with Rev. x, 7. Then in A. D. 96, God reveals things to his Son Jesus Christ, See Rev. i, 1. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches." See chap. xxii, 16. This also is the same gospel, because it is for all the churches under the gospel dispensation. Then the mystery or secret of God means things that are hid, or only in the mind of God, and may be known whenever he reveals them. "He revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets." Amos, iii, 7. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Deut. xxix, 29. If we have now based the word mystery or secret on Bible ground, from where it cannot be wrested, then we will try to get the angel's meaning of the beast with seven heads. He says "the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth. And they are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a short space." We understand that the word mountain is not to be used in a literal sense here, for the following reasons. First, because of the caution given.—"And here is the mind having wisdom." Judging spiritually, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. See 1 Cor. ii, 13—15. The carnal mind can understand what a literal mountain is without the aid of the Spirit. In Rev. vi, 14, 16; xvi, 20; and xxi, 9, John speaks of mountains, but is not told that there is any mystery, or rule whereby they are to be better understood. The reason is obvious: they were literal; but the one under consideration is to be understood symbolically. Second, because the angel comes to John to shew him the mystery of the woman, and the beast which carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. Something that had been hid with God, therefore it was a secret never before known, and was to be explained for the first time. Literal women, beasts and mountains were literally understood long before. Third, because to explain it as a literal mountain would be doing violence to the rule that Jesus adopted at the opening of the vision. "The mystery or secret of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." Rev. i, 20. This is the rule then. Surely no one for a moment will pretend to argue that the seven golden candlesticks are the seven literal churches composed as it has been, and still is, of literal men and women, during the 1820 years of the gospel age. But he has said that the seven candlesticks are the seven churches. Symbolically so they are; because he states in the outset concerning the mystery or secret which had until then been hid, and now he would illustrate it. Just so the angel does in chap. xvii. He says the seven heads are the seven mountains, and they are seven kings. Symbolically so, they are. If he contended that the mountains and kings must after all be understood literally, then the vision cannot be explained, for the literal view stands something like this.—The seven mountains are the seven mountains on which Rome stands; and Rome, or the Catholic priesthood, or the Catholic church, is Babylon. Now the angel says that five of these mountains are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. Can it be proved that five of the mountains on which Rome stood fell down; and thus five-sevenths of that great city was destroyed before John had this vision in A. D. 96? Can it also be proved that Rome stood on but one mountain alone in A. D. 96? And can it be proved that another mountain was to come after A. D. 96, and continue a short space and then go into perdition? Further, how could one of the mountains be wounded to death by a sword? How can a mountain be healed that has received a deadly wound by a sword? Now let the angel interpret the mystery or secret which he came to tell John. "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, is peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." Verses 15, 18. Then the beast on which the woman sits is nothing more nor less than literal peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, and she reigns over the kings of the earth; certainly as far as the ten kingdoms extend, which are symbolized by the ten horns on the seven heads of the beast. The sequel will show still farther. The boundary of the beast is not confined then, to the one isolated spot of earth, marked out on the western shores of Italy, bounded within 15,000 square miles; no, nor to Rome, its capital. Then the mystery or secret of Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth; drunken with the blood of the saints, and the martyrs of Jesus, is made manifest. "For all nations have drank of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her." This awful drunken harlot mother, and her harlot daughters, are now reigning with ecclesiastical power over all nations. It would be wrestling the language of verse 8 to say that the daughters of this harlot mother did not reign somewhere. To say, that they were virtuous and chaste would be equally without foundation. The Catholic church is said to be a unit; but Babylon signifies confusion, mixture. The Catholic church abstractly has its unit at Rome; but Babylon has her seat upon many waters. The woman, which is the great city, called Babylon, symbolizes the fallen apostate churches. The beast symbolizes the kings, and people of these fallen churches. The heads of the beast symbolize the different kinds or forms of government among these kings, and people. The seven mountains. The angel says, "the seven heads are the seven mountains, and they are seven kings." Verses 9, 10. Therefore the seven mountains and seven kings are of the same character as the seven heads, symbolizing the government, and the governors of them, the most of which are kings. "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Verse 11. "The beast that was," we have shown to be Republican Rome, with five heads fallen. The one that is not, is the eighth, and is of the seven. The beast had but seven heads, says the reader, where then shall we find the eighth united with the seven. We think Rev. xiii, clearly describes them both. "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads. * 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." Verses 1—3. We understand it thus: The dragon denotes the imperial power of Rome. The beast with seven heads, Papal Rome, or Popery. "His power, seat and great authority, Justinian, the emperor of Rome, clothing his head bishop with authority to become the Pope of Rome in A. D. 538, civil power. Wounded to death, the seventh form of government overthrown, the seventh form restored. Again in vision the Papal power of Rome coming up among nations of Europe in A. D. 538, with power to continue forty-two months. [1260 years.] At the expiration of this period "one (the seventh) of his heads is wounded to death." By adding 1260 years to A. D. 538, we come down to A. D. 1798, at which period the French nation conquered Rome, and destroyed the seven-headed power of Papal Rome. Thus that government was wounded. The Pope was led away; prisoner4in A. D. 1799. His fate was seen as it is recorded in verse 10. At length after all the ruling powers of Europe had conquered France, and exiled their leader, and had signed treaties of peace with one another on both sides of the Atlantic, in A. D. 1815, then a general restoration of dominions, kingdoms and thrones took place, in which Rome, with its Pope, was once more reinstated in its ancient domain, with civil and ecclesiastical power.—From thence it would seem that the deadly wound was healed. THE TWO-HORNED BEAST.—"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. * Saying to them that dwell upon the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword and did live." Rev. xiii, 11—14. As mild as this two-horned beast appears, inspiration has said that he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, [the seven-headed beast] and by his great wonders and miracles he deceives them that dwell upon the earth, and causes them to worship the first beast, the Papal power of Rome that was reinstated about thirty-six years ago. "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."—Verse 15. "An image signifies the likeness of a person or thing." [J. Butterworth.] The beast with seven heads speaks great things, and blasphemies against God, and his dwelling place, and makes war with his saints. The two-horned beast is to make an image like this, and cause all who dwell upon the earth to worship it or be killed. Bro. J. N. Andrews says: "And now we have something further. An image to the beast that received the deadly wound must be made. That beast was in truth a church clothed with civil power and authority by which it put to death the saints of God. Rev. xiii, 5—8; Dan. vii, 23—26. An image to the beast then must be another church clothed with civil power and authority to put the saints of God to death. This can be nothing else but the corrupt and fallen protestant church. If it be asked from whence the beast receives this power, we can only answer, that by permission of God, the dragon, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, is without doubt the very being who communicates this power to the beast." Review and Herald, No. 11, page 84. The location of this corrupt and fallen Protestant church, which is to be the image to the beast, cannot be in Europe, because there is the location of the beast with the seven heads, and ten horns. Then shall we not search in vain, if we seek for it beyond the limits of the United States of North America? The land of light, where the first and second angel’s messages were given, proclaiming the Second Advent of the Saviour. And where also the third angel’s message is now going forth, waxing stronger and stronger, with the solemn denunciation of destruction and death upon every one who worship the beast, and his image, and receive his mark in their foreheads, or in their hands.—How can the location of the two-horned beast, and the image which he makes, be found any where beyond the very spot of country where God in mercy is moving out his messengers to give the warning? It would be far more consistent for the great majority of citizens, were a cry of fire raised in their city, to cry vehemently that it was somewhere else, until they were all enveloped in the flames. Are we not perfectly safe in regarding the two-horned beast as the symbol of a civil and religious power, differing in some respects from the one preceding it? Will not our better judgment decide at once that the location of this power is in America, and that the civil power of one horn is the government of the Republic, and the religious power of the other horn Protestantism; and that Republicanism and Protestantism united will make itself an image to the seven-headed beast, and thus become united. Thus the text in chap. xvii, 11, is explained as follows: "The beast that was," denotes the ROMAN REPUBLIC, that was 1900 years ago. "And is not." That is, it was not when John was having his vision in A. D. 96, because Imperial Rome was then the form of government, and continued to be until A. D. 538, when the seventh form of government came, viz: Papal Rome. "Even he is the eighth." The eighth undoubtedly is, as we have shown, the two-horned beast with its image, a symbol of the people of Republican America, as they are, and will be. "And is of the seven." The eighth will cause all under his influence to worship the one that is called the seventh. He will also make an image to him, and require all, under penalty of death, to worship it. Although the seat of the seven-headed beast is separate from the two-horned, one-headed beast, by the broad Atlantic, yet so determined is that "old serpent, called the Devil and Satan," to have this one head united with the seven; that he is moving his agents with "all power, and signs, and lying wonder," to effect his object, even unto death. "Wo unto them that decree unrighteous decrees." Isa. x. "And goeth into perdition." The angel had so declared in verse 8. But where is perdition? At the supper of the great God, just before the coming of Christ, the seventh and the eighth are both slain together. See Rev. xix, 19, 20. A thousand years from that, at the judgment of the great day, they, with the devil that deceived them, are cast into a lake of fire and brimstone, and burned up root and branch. Chap. xx, 10. Gone to perdition. This is the final end of all the wicked. Mark: this is in perfect harmony with the third angel’s solemn warning, chap. xiv, 9—11. Here then is the clear family likeness between the harlot mother and her daughters. The mother begins under Republican Rome, the daughters unite with the mother in making war with the Lamb, under Republican America. The Lamb destroys the whole family, and leaves them in perdition. Spare thy people, Lord. Fairhaven, July 22, 1851.