The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 305

L IT HAB A KA~D DBVBLOPIIEN'l', The huge and monstrona forms that seem to pass before the imagination of the lonely prisoner on Patmos, u here recorded, are full of fol'DlB, grotesque, huge, and hideous. Here-is a huge beast rising out of the aea, the .-ne of tumults, His power is great-he has "ten home;" his intelligence is great- JJ.e has " seven heads ; " his influence is great-he has " ten crowns [diadems]." In form " be was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion• (ver. 2), Then there is another beast "coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he epake u a dragon" (ver. 11). He, like the former, is endowed with tremendous power, invested with extraordinary attribute~, and is one in spirit and aim with the former, the beast that ri.sos out of the realm of tumult, the sea. So that from the sea and from the land, the whole terraqueoua globe, monetroui forms of evil appear in the domain of antichrist. What imagination can depict and what arithmetic could compute the hideous and monstrous forms in which antichrist appears in the world to-day 1' In the commerce of the world, in the govern- ments of the world, in the campaigns of the world, in the literature of the world, in the religions of the world, in fact, in the social, industrial, and professional life of the world, antichrist appears in aspects as hideous and in a spirit as savage and blasphemous as the monsteni depicted in this vision. Where in.any part of the world do we not find anti- ehriet in some form or another? Whatever the form it assumes, it is hideous and monstrous. What can be more monstrous than to find a human being rising and acting in opposition to him who is the all-loving and all-blessed, the Christ of God and the Saviour of the world? Concerning this domain of antichrist it is suggested that-- II. IT HAB on .IIABTER-BPIBIT. The dragon is here represented as the presiding geni1111 over alL "The dragon gave him his power, and his seat [throne], and great authority" (ver. 2). The presiding genius in this chapter and in the preceding one is called the dragon. Reason and analogy concur with the Bible in teaching that there is on this earth a great master-spirit of evil, one that leads the world "captive at his will." He is, In spirit, character, and aim, against Christ. He is, in a pre-eminent sense, anti• chriet. There is nothing Cbristly about him, but otherwise. Satan is the enemy of Christ, the old serpent, the " prince of the power of the air," that " worketh in the children of disobedience." The record of this vision serves to illustrate several things concerning t.his master-spirit of evil. 1. He i, endowed with wemendous power. It Is said of this dragon that "he doeth great wonders [signs1, so that he maketh (should even make] ire come down from [out of] heaven; " that he works " by the means of miracles [signs)" (vers. 13, 14). The Jewish Scriptures speak of him as a being of tremendous energy, leading the world captive at his will, and even Christ who knew him seems to speak with dl}ference oonoerning hie extraordinary power. 2, His grand P!_M',auit '8 moral milchuJ. (1) He promotes blasphemy. "He opened his mouth in Lfor) blasphemy [blasphemies] against God, to blaspheme his Name, and his tabernacle, ana them that awelt in heaven" (ver. 6). His grand aim seems to be to bring the Infinite himself into contemrt. (2) He promotes deception. "And deceived them that dwell on the earth" (ver. 14). Ile la a liar and the father oflies. The first stone of his empire in the world was a lie, and by lies he has built it up and supporta it. A life of wickedness is a life of delusion. All his followers walk In "a vain show.• (3) He promotes destruction. "It was given unto him to make war with the saints,and to overcome them" (ver. 7). Malignity is his inspiration. His battle is with the saints. He works to destroy good- ness, and to destroy goodness is to destroy souls. He has no fight with fiends, but with saints. 8. His sphere i, coe:,;tenaive with the world. "He causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor," etc. (vers. 15-17). One of his prime ministers, or rather chief generals, came out of "the sea,,. and the other came up from "the earth." The whole terraqueous globe ill the arena of this arch-enemy of souls. He is the god of this world. Wherever falsehood, dishonesty, impurity, revenge are, there he is. And where are they not. P -l. Howewr great hia influence, A, u under a restraining law. An old writer has Aid, • He is limited in point of time ; his reign is to contl"nue forty and two months. Be is also limited aa to the persons and people that he shall entirely subject to his will and power; lt will be only those whose • names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.' '!'hough the devil and antichnst. might overcome their bodily strength and take away their natural life, they could never eonquer iuir 10ul&, nor invail wi;h iliem to forme thoir Saviour and revoU to hia on. SOL 1-18.1 'l'RE REVELATION OF ST. ,JOUN THE OIVINB. 845