Part 16

“So shall the world go on, To good malignant, to bad men benign, Under her own weight groaning: till the day Appear, of respiration to the just, And vengeance to the wicked; at return Of him—thy Saviour and thy Lord: Last in the clouds from heaven, to be revealed In glory of the Father, to dissolve Satan, with his perverted world; then raise From the conflagrant mass, purged and refined, New heavens, new earth, ages of endless date, Founded in righteousness, and peace, and love, To bring forth fruits, joy, and eternal bliss.”—Milton.

“The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring New heavens and earth, wherein the just shall dwell, And after all their tribulations long, See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth.”—Ib.

The Woman and Dragon.

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and she, being with child, cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. And his tail dragged the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman, who was about to be delivered, to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a male child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron; and her child was snatched up to God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the desert, where she hath a place there prepared of God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”—Rev. 12:1-6.

With this chapter commences a new series of events, extending through the entire gospel dispensation; the former series being terminated by the events of the last trumpet.

The heaven, where these great “wonders” are exhibited, must symbolize the theatre of their fulfilment—the station to be occupied by the agents symbolized, which must be as conspicuous as heaven is relatively high above the earth.

The woman, according to the use of the symbol in other places, must be a representative of the church. As the harlot on a scarlet-colored beast (17:3), is a symbol of a corrupt and apostate church, so a virtuous woman is a chosen symbol of the true church.

The “Jerusalem which is above is the mother” of all true Christians (Gal. 4:26); she is also “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (21:9); and “the remnant of her seed,” are those “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” v. 17. Her robe of light, her position above the moon, and her crown of stars, indicate her greatness and glory.

The epoch symbolized, as appears from the relative position of the woman and dragon, is evidently just prior to the first advent of the Messiah, when his coming was eagerly anticipated and ardently desired by the church, and the Roman power had thereby been excited to jealousy.

The church is the same in all ages, comprising only the true people of God; all of whom will have part in the first resurrection, 20:6. The Jewish church was continued by the breaking off of unbelieving branches, and the grafting in of believing Gentiles with believing Jews, who alike partake of the root and fatness of the same olive-tree, Rom. 11:17.

Previous to the first advent, the Jewish church occupied a high political position, above that of the inferior officers of state, and was in the enjoyment of imperial favor. Patriarchs and prophets—the messengers of the church—were stars in her crown of rejoicing, 1:20. From the utterance of the prediction that the woman’s seed should bruise the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15), the coming of the promised deliverer was the great desire of the church. Even Eve exclaimed, at the birth of her first-born (literally), “I have gotten the man from the Lord,” Gen. 4:1. For his coming,

“Kings and prophets waited long But died without the sight.”

They “inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow,” 1 Pet. 1:10, 11. “Many righteous men desired” to see his day (Matt. 13:17); Abraham rejoiced and was made glad at its prospect, when in the distant future (John, 8:56); and Hezekiah lamented that because of death he should not see “the Lord in the land of the living,” Isa. 38:11.

The seventy weeks indicated to the Jews the time of “the Messiah, the Prince,” Dan. 9:26-27. When these were near their termination, to the pious and devout Simeon who was “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” it “was revealed by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ,” Luke 2:25, 26. And the opinion was so general, that when the Baptist preceded him, “the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or no,” Luke 3:15. This expectation is testified to by the Jewish historians Philo and Josephus; and it was that which so troubled Herod, when wise men came, saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” Matt. 2:1-3.

The belief that some remarkable personage was about to appear in Judea, was not confined to Palestine, but extended to Egypt, Rome, Greece, and wherever the Jews were scattered abroad. Says Suetonius, a Roman historian: “An ancient and settled persuasion prevailed throughout the East, that the Fates had decreed some one to proceed from Judea, who should attain universal empire.” And Tacitus, another Roman historian, says: “Many were persuaded that it was contained in the ancient books of their priests, that at that very time the East should prevail, and that some one should proceed from Judea, and possess the dominion.”

The great red dragon sustains a relation to the woman, analogous to that sustained by the nondescript beast (of Dan. 7:7), to the saints of the Most High; and his position respecting the man-child is like that of the exceeding great horn (Dan. 8:9), to the Prince of princes, Dan. 8:25. Like the beast referred to, the dragon has ten horns; and its characteristics indicate that it also symbolizes the Roman empire,—“the fourth kingdom upon earth,” Dan. 7:23. The dragon is a monster serpent. “That old serpent” who seduced Eve (Gen. 3:5), “called the devil” (Matt. 4:1-12), and “Satan” (2 Cor. 2:11), “who deceiveth the whole world,” is an appropriate representative of Rome.

The “head” of a beast, sustains a relation to the beast analogous to that of the government to the people of an empire. It is that by which the beast is directed and governed. When distinguished from the body of the beast (Dan. 7:11), according to the analogy, it must be understood as a symbol of the directing and controlling power, in the kingdom indicated by the beast. Several heads on the same beast, on this principle, must indicate the several forms of government to which the nation is subject. As these cannot be contemporary, like the divisions of a kingdom represented by the horns, they must be successive. To suppose they represent different governments, destroys the analogy, and makes them separate beasts, instead of heads of the same beast; and no government can be subject to more than one head at the same time.

The “seven heads” of the dragon, then, symbolize the directing and controlling powers which ruled the Roman empire,—the seven successive forms of government under which it existed. Rome was founded about B. C. 753, from small beginnings, on the summit of Mount Palatine, and gradually increased in extent, till it spread over seven hills: the Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Esquiline, Cœlius, and Quirinalia; and its population of about three thousand in the time of Romulus, increased to about two millions in the time of Augustus Cæsar.

Previous to the subversion of the empire, Rome existed under different forms of government, as follows:—

1. Kingly.—The first government established was a monarchy, and lasted two hundred and forty-four years, under seven kings, viz., Romulus, Numa, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martius, Tarquin Priscus, Servius Tullius, and Tarquin the Proud, who was afterwards expelled from the throne. This was denominated the infancy of the Roman empire.

2. Consular.—In B. C. 509, the constitution of Rome was remodelled, and the executive power committed to two consuls, to be elected annually. This commenced the “Commonwealth of Rome.”

3. Dictatorial.—The office of dictator was the highest known in Rome, and was only resorted to in cases of emergency. He was elected for six months only, and usually resigned his authority, which, for the time, was nearly absolute, as soon as he had effected the object for which he was chosen.

4. Decemviral.—In B. C. 451, the government was so changed, that, instead of the two consuls, the government was committed to ten men, to be chosen annually, and jointly exercise the sovereign power. After two years the decemvirs were banished, and the consular government was restored.

5. Tribunitial.—In B. C. 426, Rome having become a military state, military tribunes were substituted for the consular power, till B. C. 366, when the latter was again restored.

6. Pagan Imperial.—With the battle of Actium, B. C. 31, the Roman Commonwealth terminated; and Augustus Cæsar united in his own person not only the offices of Consul, Tribune, &c., but also that of Supreme Pontiff,—the head of the pagan hierarchy. This last office, says Gibbon, “was constantly exercised by the emperors.” Thus were united the highest civil and ecclesiastical powers of the state.

7. Christian Imperial.—In A. D. 312, the government was revolutionized, by the accession of Constantine to the throne. He effected important changes in the relations of the people to the monarch, opposed idolatry, and by the introduction of Christianity, effected a political change in the laws and administration of the empire. This continued, with a slight interruption under Julian the Apostate, till the subversion of the Western empire, A. D. 476.

Mr. Elliott, in explanation of the first five heads, says: “I adopt, with the most entire satisfaction, that generally-received Protestant interpretation, which, following the authoritative statement of Livy and Tacitus (the latter great historian, St. John’s own contemporary), enumerates kings, consuls, dictators, decemvirs, and military tribunes, as the first five constitutional heads of the Roman city and commonwealth; then as the sixth, the Imperial head, commencing with Octavian.”—Horæ Apoca., vol. III., p. 106, 4th ed.

Those heads are shown to symbolize seven forms of government, by the explanation that “they are seven mountains where the woman sits on them [mountains also symbolizing governments], and are seven kings,” 17:9, 10. And they are shown to be successive, by the fact that, when John wrote, the first five had passed away, one only then existed,—the Pagan Imperial,—and the other head was then in the future, 17:10.