From the pulpit they speak in elegant, flowery language of Jesus and heaven, and give great promises of blessings to their hearers, while they themselves are walking in sin and under bondage to the flesh.
It is not difficult for all who are not entombed in the mystic fogs of Babylon delusion to locate the fulfilment of this prophecy. Were Peter living today and should look over the Catholic and Protestant ministry he could not pen a better description of them than he has here done.
The Prophecy Of Jude.
"Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities." Ver. 8.
"But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." Ver. 10-13.
"These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own l.u.s.t; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men"s persons in admiration because of advantage." Ver. 16.
We believe that comment here is unnecessary since commenting on Peter"s prophecy. In verses seventeen and eighteen Jude tells us these are the mockers of Christianity that should come in the last time, who should walk after their own unG.o.dly l.u.s.t. Jude foresees the great dark beastly manism that was to darken the earth in the clear day, the same as was seen by the Savior, Paul, and Peter.
When quoting the twelfth verse the Spirit of the Lord referred us to the wonderful prophecy of Ezekiel: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord G.o.d unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves!
should not the shepherds feed the flock? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them." Ezek.
34:2-4.
These shepherds feed and clothe themselves. They are more concerned for their own personal gain than for the souls of the people. If they do not receive an ample salary they will leave the souls to perish. They are unlike Paul, who labored with his own hands for his support while he fed starving souls upon the words of life. He was a light in the world, and the covetous, greedy shepherds are creators of darkness. These prophecies are all true of the present day sectarian ministry. They are the hireling shepherds that flee when they see the wolf coming. When poverty comes, they flee to a place where they are better supported. The prophecies concerning the apostasy are more particularly against the ministry than the laity, because the ministers are the leaders, leading their followers on in darkness.
The Revelation Of John.
The prophecies of the book of Revelation have long been a mystery to the people. Occasionally some honest soul, laboring under the confusing mists of sectish night, has attempted to reveal the secret things of this book.
His interpretations were so obscure and erroneous that he has only added confusion to confusion and mystery to mystery. However in the past few years as we are nearing the "time of the end," G.o.d by his Spirit has made clear these prophecies unto his humble, devoted people. Trusting in G.o.d to give the proper interpretation by his Spirit we will ask the reader to consider with us some of the prophecies of this book.
_Chapter 13._
Ver. 1. "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."
"Beast" means a fleshly, human, or mannish power. "Sea" is often used to represent trouble, upheaval, and commotions. History abounds with accounts of the upheavals in the ecclesiastical heavens between bishops in the third century. Out of these contentions and strivings and confusions arose in the year 325 A.D., a beastly or mannish form of ecclesiastical government; namely, the Roman Catholic church.
The "seven heads" have by some writers been interpreted to be the seven mountains on which the city of Rome is situated. For proof of this interpretation they quote Rev. 17:9. How that inanimate, literal mountains can represent heads, since the head contains the power of intellect and authority, lies beyond our comprehension.
That the ten horns are the ten kingdoms spoken of by Daniel (chap. 7, ver.
24) is, we consider, unquestionable. Now it may be a little obscure why the Revelator will make use of ten stately kingdoms to represent the ten horns of an ecclesiastical government. It is because this ecclesiastical government is human the same as a state government; and because the beastly Romish church was supported, and became what they were pleased to call both church and state.
The seven heads are seven supreme forms of government. These seven heads are seven mountains (not literal) and the seven mountains are seven kings.
Rev. 17:9, 10. History tells us there were seven distinct forms of government in the Roman empire. The first, a royal or kingly government, continued about 428 years. The second was republic in form under the administration of dictators. This form of government continued eighty and eight years. The third form of government was under the absolute control of ten magistrates called decemvirs, and are also called praetors. The duration of this form of government exceeded three hundred years. In the year 336 B.C., the third form of government came to an end by the Latins being conquered by the Romans, and the consulate government succeeded, which continued until about the year 50 B.C. The fifth form of government was under the control of three men, and therefore called a triumvirate.
The triumvirate form of government came to an end before John"s vision of these heads. These are the five "fallen ones." Rev. 17:10. The power that then was, which was the sixth head of the beast, was the imperial power of the Caesars, which continued more than four hundred years. The seventh power was the patriciate, which continued about fifty years.
These are the seven heads and ten horns-the seven forms of government, and the ten kingdoms out of which grew the eleventh horn which Daniel saw, or the beast which John saw. Thus we have the beast with its seven heads and ten horns.
Ver. 2. "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."
Sins and worldliness are termed spots by the Bible. The leopard is a spotted beast, so no other animal could better represent the Romish sect with its dark spots of sin and crime. The bear makes use of the foot to deal the deadly blow upon an enemy. The papacy with its tyrannical feet has trodden down all that would dare rise against it. Great thunderings and loud roarings proceed out of the mouth of the lion in his strength and glory. So this beast fitly represents the Catholic church in her boasted strength, power, and authority.
The dragon that gave this ecclesiastical beast its authority and seat was the Roman state. In connection with this we will consider the first three verses of the twelfth chapter of Revelation. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Ver. 1. The woman is the church. By believing or standing upon the Word a soul is brought into the church by the Spirit. Thus the church stands upon the moon (the Word of G.o.d), clothed by the sun (the Spirit). This is no disagreement with a former use we have made of the sun and moon as symbols. An object may be used to symbolize different things in different prophecies.
"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns." Ver. 3. This dragon is the same as the dragon that gave power to the beast of Rev. 13:2; namely, the Roman state. The Roman empire, pagan as it was, endeavored to devour the church as is said of the dragon in Rev. 12:4.
We will now return to Rev. 13:3: "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."
As we have before observed, the seven original heads were the seven princ.i.p.alities, or forms of government, which gave rise to the Roman empire. A head or an ecclesiastical form of government in Romanism received a wound. The world wondered after the beast. This beast religion-manism-the Catholic sect, was now looked upon as the church. It was considered the only way to heaven. There was no salvation outside her walls. The true church was hidden. The sun, moon and stars were eclipsed.
Christ had given his authority over to the pope, so it was believed, and the Romish sect stepped into the place of the true church. Christ and his church-the lights of the world-were no longer seen. The pope and his church stood up in their sins and abominations, and the world looked upon them as the church. This is certainly sufficient cause for darkness at the noonday.
Ver. 4. "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?"
The people worshiped not only the church of Rome, but both church and state; for they were now consolidated. So the people worshiped the dragon and the beast, and boasted of their greatness.
Ver. 5. "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."
From this text there opens a wide field before us, which we will enter for a while, and then return again to the further consideration of this chapter.
The pope"s claims of power to forgive sins, to be infallible, to be the vicegerent of the Son of G.o.d, to have power to deliver from purgatory, and a number of other shameful pretensions, are certainly shocking blasphemies. Power was given him forty and two months.
In Rev. 12:6, the woman (the church) is described as fleeing into the wilderness prepared for her of G.o.d, there to be fed a thousand two hundred and three score days. Here we learn that the woman fled from before the dragon and was protected of G.o.d (or fed) from the dragon"s power for a thousand two hundred and three score days. This is virtually the same power; namely, the Romish state and church, that continued forty and two months as spoken of above.
In Rev. 11:3 we have another allusion made to the church of G.o.d at this period. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in sackcloth." A day in Scripture is used in different texts to represent different lengths of time. In some texts quoted in the introduction of this work a day is used to represent the whole of the Christian dispensation. Again it is said that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." In Rev. 11:11, a day is used to represent one hundred years; and in Ezek. 4:6, we learn that a day is often used to represent one year. A day in Rev. 11:3 and 12:6 signifies one year. Forty and two months (as mentioned in Rev. 13:5) are equal to 1260 days, allowing 30 days to the month. Here also a day signifies a year. Thus the beast supported by the dragon had power 1260 years. While this beast was in authority the woman was in obscurity, which was 1260 years. While the beast was in power and the woman in silence the two witnesses could only testify in sackcloth, which was 1260 years. These two witnesses in the church of G.o.d are the Word of G.o.d, and the Spirit of G.o.d.
A sackcloth dress is one donned in a time of grief or lamentation. The Word and Spirit of G.o.d, because of the sad state of the church, were draped in mourning or sackcloth.
We have before learned that the date of the rise of the apostasy was 270 A.D. By these prophecies made plain by the Holy Spirit we clearly understand the first beast as seen in the apostasy was to continue 1260 years, which added to 270 years will bring us down to 1530 A.D. At this date we have the Lutheran reformation, when the power of Catholicism as a universal state church was broken. The world as a whole no longer looked upon that dark, unG.o.dly inst.i.tution as the only way to heaven. They saw there was salvation outside the pales of Romanism.
Now we will return to Rev. 13th chapter. Ver. 6. "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against G.o.d, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven."
We have already spoken of how the papacy uttered blasphemy against G.o.d and his name, his church and his true people.
Ver. 7. "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."
Catholicism numbers her slain by the thousands. If your human heart can endure the reading of a book on martyrdom and the tortures of the inquisition, you would there learn that it was the Romish sect that made war with and overcame the saints. To her was granted power over kings and nations. While the state gave her her power, she in turn rose to power and rule over the state.
Ver. 8. "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names were not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
Ver. 9. "If any man have an ear to hear, let him hear."
Ver. 10. "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."
All worshiped the papacy except those who were really spiritual, and those were slain. The tenth verse is a prophecy against her; as she killed with the sword, so she shall be killed with the sword (the Word of G.o.d).
Ver. 11. "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."
Here appears upon the scene another beast. A human ecclesiasticism, a manism. Protestant authors who brand the first beast as the Roman hierarchy are confounded at the appearance of this second beast. By these two beasts we understand the apostasy to be under two forms. We have no hesitancy in branding this second beast as Protestantism. In the church of G.o.d all is controlled exclusively by the Holy Spirit. There is no manism in the church of G.o.d, therefore it is not animal or beastly. All sectism is controlled largely by man, therefore is a beast power. At first Protestantism had a mild, gentle, lamb-like appearance compared with Catholicism.
The two horns are two state powers that gave support to the beast. Germany and England supported Protestantism, therefore are the two horns. The dragon spoken of in this eleventh verse is, like in the second verse and also in chapter 12:3, a state power.