Here then is a new state of things—ten horns as well as the beast; not the beast alone as in ancient days, nor ten horns alone as in the middle ages, but the beast and the ten horns. You who desire to be under history as the rule for interpreting prophecy, do you not hear history? Can it be intelligently said that such a state of things has ever yet been? This is the state, I feel no hesitation in affirming, that will be. John shows us most clearly what we are to expect for the future of this age, and more particularly in the west. Naturally this must be of so much more solemn interest to us, inasmuch as our country forms a part of it. The continental powers with ourselves, the western powers, compose the material of the future ten horns or kingdoms. The countries of Europe, which boast of themselves as the flower of civilization at the present time, are destined to be redistributed into ten kingdoms when the beast rises up from the abyss; that is, when an imperial power is allowed with Rome as the center to become Satan's leader of the west. Such will be the beast, a Roman emperor with his satellite kings. When this future empire becomes established again, it will not be such an absorbing power as to blot out separate nationalities. There will be the combination of an imperial authority with each power acknowledged in its own quasi-independent state. I grant that there may be only a sham in such subordinate kings: still there has been usually no lack of vapor in the earth, and the future in question will be a day of shams. The grand point, however, will be this, that the chief who governs all will govern as firmly with iron hand as if the separate kingdoms belonged to himself exclusively. Such is the state of things described here.
It is not imagination: the word of God is perfectly plain about all. “These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.” And they “receive power as kings one hour with the beast.” They have their kingly authority for one and the same time with the beast; not after nor before the beast, but contemporaneously and in association with him. How comes this to pass? It is explained a little afterward. “God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will.” It is not their own. National independence would refuse such servility. Is there anything for which a kingdom would be more ashamed of itself than to be merely the vassal of a grinding active power? But here they are absolutely subservient: it is the common lot of all the western powers that they for the first time in Europe do the bidding of one ruler. Who can say that such a state of things was ever known in the west? Under the Caesars there was no room for it, as there were no such divided kingdoms. Since the day that the German barbarians broke up the empire, since the Goths, &c. (our forefathers, as you know), set up separate nationalities throughout the west, independence has been the ruling feature of all these little kingdoms. They have each had a will of its own; and all have fought; most determinedly to have their own way. They have valued above all things their right to be governed as they liked. A total change will pass over the west. When the redistribution comes (which will be as usual out of a revolutionary state; and a man must be rather blind not to see tokens of the storm brewing, not in our own country only, but in every country where free thought and discussion have prepared the way); when all respect for what is ancient and has been in honor shall have passed away; when men are seized with a passion for destroying everything that used to exercise influence and hold in check; when the demon of revolution has acquired throughout the west full force, and broken up all that still survives, this is to be the shape it will take. There will be a dividing afresh into ten separate kingdoms of no great size; but what gives them importance is, that all will be under the central power which is here called “the beast.” It is not of course a mere kingly power, which is styled a “horn” in the language of prophecy. The beast is the overruling corporate bond under which these horns range themselves as constituents and sinews of its strength. Accordingly there will be a novel unity unexampled in Europe or elsewhere. “They will have one mind, and give their power and strength unto the beast.” And what use does he make of it? To what end does the beast lead the horns? “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, called, and chosen, and faithful.”
In the midst of such a dreary future, what a comfort that we shall be with Him then! You, if you love the Lord, will be with Him. Whoever you may be, if you are Christ's, you will come with Christ's in that day. He will appear from heaven, and so will you in glory. It will not then be a question of gathering His people to Himself. Not a hint of such a removal is given in this context. The faithful are already with Him. They had been therefore caught up to Him before. How this could be we know from other parts of Scripture; but I do not enter into them now. Keeping myself to the passage that lies before me, I say that it is quite plain that the faithful, chosen, and called, will be then with Christ. Further, these are not angels, but saints. Angels are never said to be “called,” nor are they ever said to be “faithful.” It is not a question of the dealings of grace for an angel. The angels who are kept of God are holy no doubt, and, if holy, are “chosen” or elect. Such is the language of Scripture about them. But an angel never is or could be said to be either “faithful” or “called.” What is the meaning of “calling"? When man fell and went away from God, “calling” was the means grace used for bringing him to God by the faith of a Savior of the world. This is not and never can be the history of an angel; it is only open to man. For he only of all fallen beings is called by grace—man when he calls on the name of the Lord Jesus—man visited in the infinite mercy of God, when His grace has shone upon him from on high, and brought him to Himself by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Such then shall be with the Lamb when the beast challenges the conflict which ends not in his perdition only, but in the ruin of the kings and their armies from these very lands. “But the Lamb shall overcome them (for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings).” It is no question of human resources in that day: the Lord shall be exalted, and we shall reign with Him.
Observe another thing. “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” This beyond controversy distinguishes between the whore and all other religious systems; for where do you find anything corresponding to this save with “the whore"? No doubt there are many religious systems bad enough. I am far from meaning that Romanism is the only corruption of Christianity. But is there no tangible difference? Others may influence for ill in their own land; but the dreadful plague-spot of Rome is that she, claiming to be the universal mother and mistress, is the corrupter of every land. Her claim of ecumenical dominion is the thing that points her out as the city of confusion, which answers to the Holy Spirit's warnings in this chapter. Thus the very boast of universality with corruption and idolatry determines at once what she is. Babylon is the harlot of the western kings, the most corrupting influence religiously of all the world. Hence “the waters, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” There may be, I repeat, grievous departure from Christ elsewhere; still this is a mere party, or at most a national blunder in religion; but, as for Babylon, she is according to Scripture the common nuisance of all nations and tribes and tongues. The result will be that her lovers will all turn on her. The ten horns—those that she most of all sought to win and hold—will hate her in the end.
Let me mention at this point a fact in illustration which, as all may not have noticed it, it is as well to name now. A remarkable change has even now taken place over the nations of the earth. They are not getting better, but the form of their evil is changing. The last Ecumenical Council held at Rome is the only one which neither had nor invited crowned heads to send representatives. The time is not yet come for the ten horns to receive authority as kings for one and the same hour with the beast. But there are practically no Catholic powers at the beck of Babylon. They are no longer her vassals, if they are not yet the minions of the beast. This is another serious state. In that council the pope could count on no civil supporters, unless perhaps some petty ones which would have only made the absence of the great powers conspicuous. Hence the invitations were exclusively to Romish ecclesiastics. No representative of Austria, Bavaria, Belgium, France, Italy, &c., was there. Even Spain and Portugal sent no plenipotentiaries to declare their adhesion to the pope : those that always had proved most submissive were for one reason or another passed by. By Babylon's own confession the western , powers though called Catholic could no longer be trusted. For the first time since they formed part of Christendom they were not called to an Ecumenical Council—none but ecclesiastics. It is not that the time is come for the horns to take their place, with the beast and to devour Babylon; but certainly there seems to be somewhat of a preparation for it in so striking a sign of her actual mistrust in her old paramours.
“The ten horns that thou sawest, AND the beast,” &c. It is not “upon the beast,” as in the common text, —an unquestionably spurious reading, which no critic would think of defending. The true text runs, “The ten horns . . . and the beast.” And this is of importance. Here one regrets that the strength of mere Protestant prejudice tends to make men false to Scripture. Is it not raceful for anyone, be he Catholic or Protestant, keep up an error in what professes to be the word? Why should a Christian have an interest but in the truth? If we accept the best authorities, “upon the beast” must be rejected as unquestionably erroneous; if we are not swayed by the feeblest possible testimony, we cannot evade the overwhelming evidence that the true reading is “the ten horns . . . and the beast.” And why, think you, should anyone be so anxious to perpetuate the blunder of “the ten horns upon the beast"? Because the true reading is fatal to the old delusion that the beast is the pope—a delusion completely refuted by “the ten horns. . . . and the beast,” unless one can credit the pope with destroying his own city. It is too hard a saying even for that fanciful school that the pope should turn out so fierce a foe of his own capital. Yet the words are certain, “the ten horns. . . . . and the beast, these shall hate the whore.”
On the other hand it cannot be denied to be perfectly intelligible that the Roman empire with all the ten subject kingdoms in its sphere will burn with implacable fury against ecclesiastical Rome, the old object of their deepest, superstitious, and passionate devotion; as I believe they will. We see that the power which has possessed itself of the papal temporalities is naturally by no means palatable to the pope; as it also has shewn but little scruple in taking his goods, we could not expect love or respect between the two parties. We know that the kingdom of Italy that is growing p has enriched itself very considerably by the spoils of the “church” so called. When the day comes for the beast and the ten horns the spoliation of Babylon will be complete. The beast will first enrich himself and his followers, and then destroy her. All that ecclesiastical Rome has—earthly power, wealth, grandeur, rank—will seem but lawful spoil for them.
It will be thus seen how important the various reading is in verse go; and when we speak of a “various reading” here, it is not meant that any want of certainty exists. There are often various readings which have no real value. No man ought to adopt a reading lightly or for a fancy. My own sympathy is strongly with the man who is averse to change; but there are some various readings so amply supported and certain in themselves that to hold out against them would be high treason to the word of God. The authority for “and the beast” is so preponderant that nothing but stubbornness can account for any man rejecting it, unless there be gross ignorance also.
Hence there cannot be the smallest doubt that “the ten horns.... and the beast” are to join against Babylon. This makes the meaning of the chapter substantially plain. After the closest links of religious attachment, we see the turning of the tide at the end. It is the day when the beast will no longer permit Rome in any way to guide the temporal powers, when the civil power, become proud of its imperialism, will turn and rend the harlot who was once the object of the most debasing affection and honor. But the greater the false love then shown to Rome, so much the more by and by will be the hatred with which the beast will turn and destroy what had been so extravagantly loved and honored. “These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.” They execute God's destructive judgment in His providence. Such is the explanation: “God hath put in their hearts to do his will.”
More I need not add to-night, considering the lateness of the hour. But the subject is commended to your prayerful attention; for the Lord would have you study not only His revealed will but His word, that you may judge rightly of what is working now by seeing the end disclosed with divine clearness and certainty. You will thus also prove by experience that the prophetic word is most practical, “whereunto ye do well to take heed as unto a lamp that shineth in a dark place.” Instead of giving it up as precarious or unintelligible; you will learn increasingly how definite and interesting and important is every word for every child of God. May the present occasion stimulate you to read with confidence in His grace, honoring the word of Him who will strengthen and refresh you thereby for His service.
[W. K.]
(Concluded from page 349)