CHAPTER XXIII.

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REV. chap. xvii. ver. 1, 2. "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters; with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." "There came one of the seven angels," one of the many spirits whom God would employ in the last great war with the powers of darkness. He talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:" this signifies that one of the many justified spirits of men would be qualified by the gift of God, to show unto men these wondrous things concerning the great whore. "The kings of the earth have committed fornication with her:" the civil power and spiritual authority have been joined together in a manner forbidden by God. "The inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication;" the fruit of her doings has been the degradation and debasement of mankind; making them mentally and morally as stupid and brutish, as if continually under the influence of inebriating liquors.

Ver. 3-5. "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarletcoloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet-colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication. And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." John was carried away in spirit to the time of the world's history when the abomination that maketh desolate would be fully revealed; it would be a dreary and dark time of the world's history, like unto a wilderness. The woman is the church of Rome. The scarlet-coloured beast is the persecuting and tyrannous civil powers that have been allied with her. Full of names of blasphemy, denotes its unparalleled wickedness. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sitteth; and the ten horns are the ten kings who have given their strength and power unto the beast. The woman being arrayed in purple and scarlet-colour, and decked with gold, and prcious stones, and pearls, indicates the great pomp and earthly splendour of the Romish religion. The golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication, signifies the great corruption and moral pollution of which she is the occasion upon the earth among men. The name upon her forehead means, that in the Romish church, the mystery of iniquity, would be fully manifest; that she would be the great Babylon, of which Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, in its tyrannous aspect, was but a figure; and that as he led the Jewish church captive, so would she lead the christian church.

into captivity; that she would be the parent of all error and delusion, and of every abomination that is named among men.

Ver. 6, 7. "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 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." The church of Rome has made war with the saints, and has slain them, because of their refusal to be subject unto her. So great has been the slaughter, that she is said to be drunken with their blood; even the blood of the saints of God, the excellent of the earth, of whom the world was not worthy; the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, who loved not their lives unto the death. John wondered with great astonishment when he saw her. The angel said unto him, Wherefore didst thou marvel? and then proceeds to explain to him the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carried her, which had the seven heads and ten horns.

Ver. 8. "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." "The beast was it existed in one form; "it is not, and yet is ”—it ceased to exist in its first form, being revived in another. It originated in the spiritual wickedness of mankind-the bottomless pit-and its end is perdition or destruction. They whose names are not written in the

book of life-they who are disobedient and impenitent spirits, shall wonder when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

Ver. 9-11. "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there 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. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." The ninth verse is so obscure and mysterious that no man can interpret it without wisdom from God. The seven mountains, as already explained, are the four earthly monarchies of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, and the Jewish, Asiatic, and Roman churches, in all, seven. The seven kings are the seven forms of the Roman government as an earthly monarchy; five were then fallen-kings, consuls, dictators, decemvirs, and military tribunes; one was then in existenceheathen emperors-this form or head was wounded to death by the sword of the gospel; then appeared the last the christian emperors-which continued but a short space, for the Roman empire in a short time began to manifest symptoms of dissolution, and was ultimately broken into many fragments. The beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth; the dominion of the papal chair in Europe has exceeded the geographical limits of the old Roman empire; and he is the eighth king, and of the seven; for although some time elapsed ere he reached the summit of his power, during which period the old empire was divided into several smaller states, the pope revived all the power and dominion of ancient Rome; and is therefore of the seven, in regard to tem

poral power, while he is the eighth, or a new form, in his conjoining the civil power with spiritual authority, and shall be destroyed.

Ver. 12-14. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful." The ten horns are ten kings or states, which were not then in existence: France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Bavaria, Sardinia, Naples, Lombardy, Duchy of Rome, and Exarchate of Ravenna. These received power one hour, or at the same time with the beast. They have been of one mind, and still continue to give their power and strength unto the beast. They have made war against the Lamb; opposed His Spirit, hindered the spread of His gospel, and have shed the blood of His saints. But the strife is unequal; Christ will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: His word is a sharp two-edged sword, and His power is almighty. They who are with him, on His side fighting for Him, are called to eternal life, chosen to bring forth fruits unto righteousness, and faithful even unto death.

Ver. 15-18. "And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree,