The Kingdom of God

THE BINDING AND LOOSING OF THE DRAGON

  Throughout the book of Revelation there are three Antichrist religions spoken of. These are symbolized by a "dragon," a "beast," and "his image," or "the false prophet." They are: the Pagan, symbolized by the "dragon ;" the Papal, symbolized by "the beast ;" and the Protestant, symbolized by the "image" or "false prophet." These religions have always been antagonistic to the true church of God. "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; and she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days."—Rev. 12:1 6.

  "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven." By turning to Rev. 4:1, 2 the reader will observe that John, "in the Spirit," was caught up into heaven and was shown things that were to transpire upon the earth. While there, he saw in symbols what would be on the earth in reality. The woman here described represents the true church of God—the bride of Christ—in her primitive unity and purity. She was "clothed with the sun," a striking emblem of Jesus Christ, the Sun of righteousness, the light and glory of the church. She was clothed with his light, purity, and power. The twelve stars in her crown represent the twelve apostles. Her travail in birth, and pain to be delivered, represent the earnest labor of the [97] apostolic church for the salvation of the world. The fruit of matrimony is offspring. The church sustains the same relation to Christ that a wife does to her husband: and like a true companion she joined heart and soul with him in the great cause which drew him to earth. Thus the whole church is a unit made up of "workers together with God" in the salvation of lost souls. Both "the Spirit and the bride say, Come." "As soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children."—Isa. 66:8. She "is the mother of us all."—Gal. 4:26. It is said that she "brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron." This man child stands for the great and mighty host of children who were brought forth by the pristine church, just as the man of sin in 2 Thess. 2 stands for the great apostasy. This child was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. This is the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy concerning the church, that "the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever."—Dan. 7:18. The Lord himself applies the foregoing language to his people, in Rev. 2:26, 27—"He that overcometh . . . to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron." Thank God, they overcame; yea were "more than conquerors."

  But it is said that John saw another wonder in heaven —a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads." This dragon represents Rome under the Pagan religion. The seven heads represent the seven supreme forms of government which the Roman Empire had which were as follows: the regal power, the dictatorship, the decemvirate, the consular, the triumvirate, the imperial, and the patriciate. The angel said to John: "Five are fallen, and one is [The sixth head, or that which existed in John's time, was the imperial power of the heathen Caesars.], and the other is not yet come." —Rev. 17:9, 10. The ten horns of the dragon represent the ten kingdoms which grew out of the Roman empire. An exposition of these has been given in the preceding chapter. The "tail" of the dragon signifies the latter end of his reign. The casting down of the stars doubtless refers to the thousands of bright luminaries who were [98] martyred during the reign of Paganism; for it is said that the dragon stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as it was born. This alludes to the bloody persecutions of Pagan Rome, which terminated near the end of the third century. But as fast as they were daughtered, the souls of the martyrs ascended to Paradise, or, as the Revelator saw it, the child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. Immediately following this, it is said that "the woman fled into the wilderness." This 'wilderness" signifies the great apostasy into which the church went. It is a fact that the apostasy rapidly developed at the end of the Pagan persecutions. The Papacy was substantially set up about A. D. 270. Every history of the church records a rapid decline in all the virtues of the same at that time. The woman, or church, was to remain in this wilderness "a thousand two hundred and threescore days." This is not to be understood in a literal sense; for 1260 natural days would be but three years and a half. In scripture a day is frequently used to signify a year. In Gen. 29 we read of Jacob serving Laban seven years for Rachel. And when the time was fulfilled, Laban gave him Leah, Rachel's older sister, instead. This displeased Jacob; for he loved Rachel. "And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first born. Fulfill her week, and we will give this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also."—Verses 26 28. Here the reader will observe that seven years are called "a week." "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, . . . even forty years."—Num. 14 :34.

  I have appointed thee each day for a year."—Ezek. 4:6. Applying this rule, the 1260 days represent 1260 years. As before stated the Papacy was substantially set up about A. D. 270. Counting forward 1260 years brings us to A. D. 1530, when the first Protestant creed was formed—the Augsburgh Contession—in Germany. It is also a fact that about that time the Reformation was rapidly spreading, and thousands of people dropped the doctrines of the Papacy for the truths advocated by the reformers. Thus [99] after twelve hundred and sixty long years in the dark wilderness of Popery, the church comes out into clearer light. This is one description. Again we are taken over the same ground.

  "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.... And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, unto her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."—Verses 7 14. Some teachers assert that his war took place in the eternal heavens, the place of God's throne. They say this is the true origin of Beelzebub. Such is preposterous in the extreme. The "war in heaven" is to be understood the same way as the wonders which appeared in heaven. Verses 1 and 3, namely, John while in the Spirit (Rev. 4:1, 2) saw in vision and symbols what took place on the earth in reality.

  But who is Michael ? "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."—Jude 9. Jude calls him the archangel—chief or head of the angelic host. This in a sense is true of Christ. See Heb. 1 3 6; 1 Pet. 3:22. But Jude further states that Michael, when contending with the devil, said, "The Lord rebuke thee." This contention is recorded in Zech. 3 1, 2. We will give it as rendered in the Septuagint Version. "And the Lord [100]

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