Chapter 13 THE LAODICEAN STATE

II SECOND GENERAL DIVISION OF THE SEVEN SEALED SCROLL

I. BEAST OF THE SEA

1. Preliminary Remarks

In the first year of Belshatzar, the prophet Daniel saw in a vision of the night, Four Beasts. The first resembled a Lion; the second, a Bear; the third, a Leopard; but the fourth was like nothing seen among beasts.  It was diverse from all the beasts that were before it," which signifies, according to the interpretation given in Ch. 7:23, "diverse from all kingdoms."

The vision was communicated to him with special reference to this Incongruous fourth beast. It had a head, and upon his head Eleven Horns, and claws of brass, and teeth of iron. Daniel saw it arise in a stormy period out of the Great Sea; and he perceived that it continued until the Ancient of Days came, when, judgment having been given to the Holy Ones, or Saints of the Most High Ones, they destroyed it with fire and sword.

This simple statement of facts identifies the Fourth Beast of Daniel with the Scarlet-colored Beast of John in Apoc. 17:3,11. The light shed upon the subject in these texts, reveals that the head seen by Daniel was the Sixto-Octavian, or the last; and gives us to understand what was concealed from the prophet, that the nameless beast he saw had Eight Heads. John's Scarlet Beast 'goeth into perdition." Daniel saw this consummation; and John saw the perdition inflicted by the same agents -by the Lamb, and his called and chosen, and faithful companions-the Saints (Ch. 17:14).

Now, a beast with an eighth head and ten horns, contemporary with the advent of the Ancient of Days, implies its previous existence, either under seven heads coevally extant, or under seven heads successively existing. The revelator disposes of this alternative by telling John that five of the heads had fallen, that the sixth was in being in his day, and that the seventh had not then as yet come. Hence this succession of heads, and development of horns upon the imperial head, implies the subjection of the Fourth Beast to successive revolutionary changes. Daniel saw one revolution connected with its horns, in which an Eleventh Horn with Eyes and Mouth, came up upon the head after the I considered the horns and behold there came up among them another little horn before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man and a mouth speaking great things (Dan 7 8)  the Papacy in power ten horns, of which it rooted up three; but in regard to the head he saw nothing.

Thus there is a great lack of particulars in Daniel's vision, which the Deity "reserved in his own power," as not important to be made known at that time. He gave Daniel a general outline of "the matter," in symbol and its description; but he deferred the details, or a more particular representation, until he sh6uld give them to "the Son of Man" in actual manifestation. When the Son had received them of the Father, he sent his messenger and signified them to John in Patmos. Among the signs exhibited were the Great Fiery-Red Dragon, the Catholic Dragon, the Beast of the Sea, the Name of Blasphemy, the Beast of the Earth, the Image of the Beast, and the Woman-Bearing Scarlet-Beast. All these apocalyptic signs are contained in Daniel's Fourth Beast. They are a symbolical analysis of this beast, which they exhibit in its chronological, geographical, and constitutional relations at different periods of its long and eventful, or its "dreadful and terrible," career.

Thus, Daniel's Fourth Beast commences its career with the Foundation of Rome, B.C. 753, and does not finish it until after the advent of Christ and the resurrection, of which long period 2,621 years are now in the past. It was predestined to "devour the whole earth, and to tread it down, and to break it in pieces" (Dan. 7:23). This is the extent of what is styled in Apoc. 16:14, "the earth and the whole habitable" - its territorial dominion in its amplest extent; and comprehending the countries represented by the dynastic sovereignties of the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay, of Nebuchadnezzar's Image. This is the whole earth, and exhibits the reason why Britain, France, and Russia, elements of Daniel's Fourth Beast, have been so much occupied of late In China, Cochin-China, India, Mexico, Algiers, and Central Asia. These countries added to Europe, Turkey, and America, are "the whole earth" subdued to the authority of the Fourth Beast.

But, besides Daniel's Four Beasts, and their appendages, the prophet saw a class of people, for whose sake all things consist (2 Cor. 4:15). These he styles, "the Saints of the Most High Ones." They are the Seed of the Woman, against which the Fourth Beast in many centuries of his career, would have great and deadly "enmity;" for all the elements of said beast are "the Serpent" and his seed; or, in the words of Christ, ~the Devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41; Gen. 3:15). He was to make war upon them, and to prevail against them till the end of "a time, times, and the dividing of a time," when the Ancient of Days would come, and join them in the execution of judgment unto the utter and complete destruction of their enemy.

Now this, in the estimation of Deity, is an all important matter; and all worthy of ample illustration for the support and strengthening of "the faith and patience" of the sufferers in so long and sanguinary a conflict with the beast. Hence the signs apocalyptically exhibited to John. This one, especially, which he calls attention to as "the Beast ascending out of the Sea;" for, like Daniel's beast, it makes war upon them, and over-comes them; yea, and kills their allies, the witnesses (Apoc. 11:7; 13:7): but then, there is hope in their end. For, as this great sea monster "gathereth them into a captivity and killeth them with the sword" -fills his prisons with them and puts them to death; so the serpent-seed he represents are to receive measure for measure, heaped up and shaken down; or, as Daniel expresseth it, "he shall be slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame." "Here is the patience and faith of the Saints."

But the saints were not to be scattered over "the whole earth," or fourth-beast habitable in its amplest signification; but, for two distinct, and partly parallel periods of 1260 years, to be fed and nourished in the Two Wings of the Great Eagle. Because of the Serpent's relations to them in the wilderness, or Court of the Gentiles, in their long antagonism, it was deemed necessary for the illustration of the times, to exhibit the Fourth Beast analytically. And this is the analysis with reference to him in his conflicts with the saints. The Fourth Beast made war upon them from the crucifixion of the Captain of their salvation, until A.D. 324. Daniel did not see this war in his vision; but John saw it; and predicted that the saints' would come out of the conflict victorious. This victory we have seen celebrated in the twelfth chapter, tenth and eleventh verses. In this relation the fourth beast appears as "the Great Fiery-Red Dragon." While this constitution of power obtained, its jurisdiction extended over "the whole habitable," but not over "the whole earth," as when the Ancient of Days comes. Had this particular been revealed to Daniel, it might have been in these words, "And the Great Fiery-Red Dragon made war upon the Saints; but the Saints overcame him, and cast him out of the heaven." But the Spirit condescended to be more specific; and instead of this brief and summary statement, represented the stages of the conflict ultimating in that result, in the prophetic symbols of the first six seals.

But the Fourth Beast, though vanquished in this war of two hundred and ninety-one years, was not subdued: for afterwards, as we have seen, he put on a new uniform, and in all the sanctimonials of Lodiceanism, "he went away to make war with the Remnants of the Woman's Seed." He was the Fourth Beast in catholic uniform; and although he inflicted great cruelties upon the saints, he did not overcome them, nor have they as yet conquered him.

But Daniel saw the saints conquered by the Fourth Beast. That is true in part. He saw them conquered by a horn of the fourth beast, styled "a Little Horn that had eyes, like the eyes of a man, and a Mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows." This Little-Horn power subdued them, and prevails against them until the Ancient of Days come. Representative of this prevalance, we have the symbols of this thirteenth chapter. The Beast of the Sea, like the Catholic Dragon, who, since the cession of his throne, has assumed the uniform of Mohammed, is the enemy of the saints; and for the very obvious reason, that the Mouth of the Sea-Monster is the veritable Mouth of Daniel's Little Horn whose "very great things" John characterizes as "blasphemy concerning the Deity to have blasphemed his Name, and his tabernacle, and those tabernacling in the heaven." And for the same reason the Beast of the Earth is their enemy; for the Speaking Image he sets up is the embodiment of the same Mouth which commands all be killed who will not worship it. This command brings it into collision with the Saints, who worship no power but the Deity in manifestation. Hence war ensues between them and the beasts. This is the war Daniel saw; and both he and John testify that the Saints were prevailed against; while John goes further and explains the prevalence by saying their allies, the Two Witnesses, were killed.

In this thirteenth chapter, we have presented to us Daniel's Fourth Beast under the analytic symbols of the Dragon, the Beast of the Sea, the Beast of the Earth, and the Image of the Beast. The throne of the Dragon was Rome, so long as the Roman Senate existed there, and the Seven Heads of the Dragon were incomplete. But when this throne was "yielded," and the Roman Senate expired, the throne of the Dragon was confined to Constantinople exclusively. The jurisdiction the Dragon-Power was able to reserve extended over all the habitable Eastward of a line following the Rhine up to its point of nearest proximity to the source of the Danube, that is, half way between Strasburg and Basle; thence down the Danube to Belgrade; and thence southwardly to Dyrrachium, now called Durazzo, and across the Adriatic and Mediterranean to the Syrtis Major and the great Desert of Africa. All to the east-ward of this line was the Constantinopolitan Dragon, or Greek division of the Great Roman Eagle, and comprehended MCSIA, or Bosnia, Servia, and Bulgaria: THRACE, or Roumelia; Macedonia, Greece, ASIA MINOR, Armenia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt. This was a great diminution of the original Dragon dominion; still it was ample, and sovereign over rich and fertile regions.

The Beast of the Sea divided the Roman habitable with the Catholic Dragon of the East. They are the two limbs of Nebuchadnez-zar's Image. The dominion of this Sea Monster was, as John predicted, "extensive". It ruled all the habitable to the Westward of said line, including France, Spain, the Roman Africa, Italy, and the region between the Alps and the Rhine, Danube, and Save, anciently known under the names of Rhtia, Noricum, and Pannonia, but in our times as Switzerland, half Suabia, Bavaria, and Austria and the western part of Hungary. In this outline I have not included England, Scotland, and Ireland, for reasons which need not be mentioned in this place.

The beast, which John styles "another Beast," and which he says "ascended out of the earth," came up among the Horns of the Sea Beast, and after they had made their appearance (Dan. 7:8,24). The Beast of the Earth was to be "diverse" from the Beast of the Sea, and to subdue three of its horns. These three horn-territories were so much of the Dragon Fourth Beast habitable taken from the Beast of the Sea; and conferred upon it the Roman characteristic. A map of Central Europe will exhibit the Beast of the Earth with sufficient accuracy. Its acquisition of ROME conferred upon it the quality of holiness in the estimation of its worshippers; so that by them it came to be styled "THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE." It comprehended Italy, Austria, Bavaria, Hungary, and Germany to the North and Baltic seas. Its secular throne, in the beginning, was at AIX-LACHAPELLE, but afterwards at VIENNA; and its spiritual seat in ROME. The Beast of the Earth is an extension of Daniel's Fourth Beast northwards through the forests of Germany, in which the Romans of the old world could never effect a permanent settlement.

The Beast of the Sea emerged after the collapse of the western Empire in 475 A.D.  It was superseded   by the Holy Roman Empire, or Beast of the earth in 800. The Dragon resented the military power of eastern Rome centered in Constantinople which fell to the Turkish Power in 1453.

As, then, the moon hath her different phases, called new, half, gibbous, and full, nevertheless the same moon; so also Daniel's Fourth Beast hath his phases, which are different constitutional manifestations, yet the beast remains the same to the end of his "dreadful and terrible" career. He has nearly passed through his Sea-Beast and Earth-Beast phases; that is, in certain relations: but there yet awaits him a vast extension, and a constitutional development of thirty years duration which will be final. In this future and last phase of his existence, he will stand before the nations in his most dreadful and terrible aspect, scarlet of body with sin and blood, with his SIXTO-OCTAVIAN HEAD diademed with Ten Horns, and a Drunken Harlot sitting upon his back. Thus panoplied with the Mystery of Iniquity in Church and State, he will have consummated the mission revealed to Daniel, in the full discharge of which, he was to "devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break, it in pieces." Having accomplished this, "he goeth into perdition," where in the popular abyss, he is bound for a thousand years (Apoc. 17:11; 20:1-3).