Revelation 12

Chap. XIII. ver. 1.—and saw a beast rise up &c.] Here the beast is described at large, which was only mentioned before, (chap. xi. 7;) and a beast in the prophetic style is a tyrannical idolatrous empire. The kingdom of God and of Christ is never represented under the image of a beast. No doubt can exist that this beast was designed to represent the Roman empire; thus far both ancients and moderns, Papists and Protestants, are agreed. The only doubt has been whether Pagan or Christian, imperial or papal, Rome is meant; but that the latter is intended, will be fully and clearly determined by what follows. St. John saw this beast rising out of the sea; but the Roman empire was risen and established long before St. John’s time. And therefore this must be the Roman state, not in its then subsisting, but in some future, shape and form. The beast has seven heads and ten horns, which are the well known marks and signals of the Roman state. See note at chap. xii. 3. Bp. Newton.

—upon his heads the name of blasphemy.] Signifying that it made use of its power to establish the blasphemy of idolatry in all the places within its jurisdiction. Daubus.

Revelation 12:2

2. — cried, travailing in birth.] St. Paul had made use of the same metaphor, and applied it to his preaching and propagating the Gospel in the midst of tribulation and persecution, Gal. iv. 19. But the expression here of St. John is much stronger, and more emphatically expresses the pangs and struggles and torments, which the church endured from the first publication of the Gospel to the time of Constantine the Great, when she was in some measure eased of her pains and brought forth a deliverer. Bp. Newton.

2.—was like unto a leopard, &c.] As Daniel’s fourth beast (chap. vii. 7.) was without a name, and devoured and brake in pieces the three former; so this beast is also without a name, and partakes of the nature and qualities of the three former, having the body of a leopard, which was the third beast, or Grecian empire; and the feet of a bear, which was the second beast, or Persian empire; and the mouth of a lion, which was the first beast, or Babylonian empire; and consequently this must be the same as Daniel’s fourth beast, or the Roman empire. The beast therefore is the successor and substitute of the dragon, or of the idolatrous heathen Roman empire; and it is well known what other idolatrous power has succeeded to the heathen emperors at Rome. Bp. Newton.

—and the dragon gave him his power, &c.] The old serpent, the devil, who had hitherto persecuted the true worshippers of God by the several great monarchies of the world, engaged this new power, advanced to the seat of the last of these monarchies, the Roman

as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.

Revelation 12:3

3. And there appeared—a great red dragon.] Which is the well known sign or symbol of the devil or Satan, and of his agents or instruments. We find the kings and people of Egypt, who were the great persecutors of the primitive church of Israel, distinguished by this title in several places of the Old Testament, Ps. lxxiv. 13; Isai. li. 9; Ezek. xxix. 3; and with as much reason and propriety may the people and emperors of Rome, who were the great persecutors of the primitive church of Christ, be called by the same name, as they were actuated by the same principle. For that the Roman empire was here figured, the characters and attributes of the dragon plainly evince. He is “a great red dragon;” and purple or scarlet was the distinguishing colour of the Roman emperors, as it has been since of the popes and cardinals. His seven heads, as the angel afterwards (chap. xvii. 9, 10) explains the vision, allude to the seven hills on which Rome was built, and to the seven forms of government which successively prevailed there. His ten horns typify the ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was divided; and the seven crowns upon his

3.—one of his heads as it were wounded &c.] By this description of one of the beast’s heads being wounded, and the wound being healed, is signified that this new power arose in the Roman empire, after that empire had received such a blow in one of its heads or forms of government, as left no human probable prospect that Rome would ever rise to power and empire any more, and that it would be greatly to the astonishment of the world, to see its power revive in the new form represented by the beast. Allusion is made to the time when the Roman empire was overturned by the northern nations, when the very name of emperor ceased in Augustulus, and Rome was no longer the seat of government, being reduced to a poor dukedom. Afterwards the new power, here represented, arose, when the government fell into the hands of the popes, and the Roman name again became formidable. Lowman, Bp. Newton.

Revelation 12:4

4. And his tail drew &c.] That is, he subjected the third part of the princes and potentates of the earth; and the Roman empire is represented as the third part of the world. “He stood before the woman,” &c.: thus the Roman emperors and magistrates kept a jealous watchful eye over the Christians from the beginning. As Pharaoh laid snares for the male children of the Hebrews, and Herod for the infant Christ, the son of Mary; so did the Roman dragon for the mystic Christ, the son of the church, that he might destroy him even in his infancy. Bp. Newton.

5. And they worshipped the dragon &c.] The generality of the subjects of these idolatrous Christian governments soon ran into compliance with, and admiration of, the prevailing powers, and submitted to all their superstitious injunctions; and thereby in effect became the subjects of that old serpent, the first deceiver of mankind. Pyle.

Revelation 12:5

5. And she brought forth a man child.] After all these hardships and persecutions under which the Christian church laboured, during the first three hundred years, the time was to come when she should be delivered from them by a famous prince, who was to embrace the Christian faith and be exalted to the throne of this empire, to abolish idolatrous and heathen worship, and defend and support the religion of Jesus Christ. All which was fulfilled in Constantine the Great, whom the other tyrants and princes of the empire endeavoured to destroy. Thus the “child” of the church was brought forth, and, in the prophetic language, exalted to heaven. See chap. vi. 12—17. Pyle.

5.—a mouth speaking great things &c.] Thus papal Rome called herself the queen and mistress of all churches. Pyle.

—and blasphemies:] All acts of idolatrous worship may be called blaspheming God and His name. Lowman. This beast perfectly resembles the little horn in Daniel. As the little horn (Dan. vii. 8, 25) had “a mouth speaking proud things,” and “spake great words against the Most High,” so “there was given unto the beast a mouth speaking great things.” As the little horn (Dan. vii. 21) “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them,” so “it was given unto the beast to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.” As the little horn prospers (Dan. vii. 25) “until a time and times and the dividing of time;” that is, three prophetic years and a half, so “power was given unto the beast to continue,” to practise and prosper, “forty and two months;” which is exactly the same portion of time as three years and a half. We see then, that not only the same images, but almost the same words, are employed; we cannot therefore doubt that they both bear the same allusion. Bp. Newton.

Revelation 12:6

6. And the woman fled &c.] This is here said by way of anticipation. For the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon, and other subsequent events, were prior in order of time to the flight of the woman into the wilderness: but, before the Prophet passes on to a new subject, he gives a general account of what happened afterwards to the woman. Bp. Newton.

Revelation 12:7

7. And there was war in heaven: &c.] It might be reasonably presumed that all the powers of idolatry would be strenuously exerted against the establishment of Christianity, and especially against the establishment of a Christian on the imperial throne: and these struggles and contentions between the heathen and the Christian religions are represented, ver. 7, by “war in heaven” between the angels of darkness and the angels of light. Michael was (Dan. x. 21; xii. 1) the tuxter angel and protector of the Jewish church. He and the good angels were the invisible agents on the one side, as the devil and his evil angels were on the other. The visible actors in the cause of Christianity were the believing emperors and ministers of the word, the martyrs and confessors; and in support of idolatry were the persecuting emperors and heathen magistrates, together

Anno DOMINI 96. The dragon, cast out of heaven, persecuteth the woman. Anno DOMINI 94.

Revelation 12:13

13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast &c.] When the dragon was thus deposed from the imperial throne, and “cast unto the earth,” he still continued to persecute the church with equal malice, though not with equal power. He made several attempts to restore the Pagan idolatry in the reign of Constantine, and afterwards in that of Julian, and rent and troubled

Revelation 12:14

14. — were given two wings of a great eagle.] To bear on eagles’ wings, (see Exod. xix. 4,) is an allusion to the strength and swiftness of an eagle’s flight, and well expresses the readiness and power with which God often delivers His church out of its dangers. Lowman.

There were given to the church, by the gracious providence of God, many strong and speedy means of deliverance, that she might retire into a place of security, where He provided for her nourishment and preservation during all the time of her persecution. Bp. Hall.

Revelation 12:15

15. And the serpent cast out — water as a flood] Accordingly, when this great adversary of truth, and his instruments in the empire, found that they could no longer attack the Christian church by way of open force and persecution, they entered into measures to distract and confound the religion of it by heresies, schisms, animosities, and divisions, amongst its own members: which was fulfilled in the terrible disturbances between the Arians and orthodox in Constantine’s reign, and long afterwards. This was the flood out of the serpent’s mouth, agreeably to the scriptural manner of expressing such events, Isai. fix. 19; Prov. xviii. 4. Or else this flood was the inundation of the northern people, who would have destroyed both the empire and the church, had not the empire defended itself for some time, and the northern people themselves afterwards embraced the Christian religion. Pyle.

Revelation 12:16

16. And the earth helped the woman, &c.] The figure in general is a natural representation of stopping the course of a flood, by receiving it into some opening or gap in the earth; and “the earth,” taken in its most natural interpretation, for our habitable world and the inhabitants of it, will fully answer the meaning of the figurative expression. Thus the general sense is, that the providence of God raised up persons to aid and support the church and all true Christians, notwithstanding the violence of persecution. Lowman.

Revelation 12:17

17. And the dragon was wroth &c.] In succeeding ages, the same restless adversary pursued the church with fresh fury and vigour, by introducing into it such

Anno DOMINI 94. A beast riseth out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns, And God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. # CHAP. XIII.