7 And there was war in heaven: Woe to the dred and threescore days. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And preailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 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. 10 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. 11 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. 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. THE Second Part of the Revelation is a sort of SUPPLEMENT to the First Part; and is intended to elucidate and dilate upon several particulars which had been but briefly hinted at, or obscurely expressed therein; more especially with reference to the events connected with the three last Trumpets, distinguished as the Woe Trumpets. After a description in this verse, as to the manner in which the heaven was opened to the prophet's view, somewhat similar to the account before, (ch. iv. 1, 2.) St. John resumes his subject from the beginning; and he represents the Church (v. 1 to 7.) as a woman bearing children unto Christ. The pains of travail metaphorically represent the propagation of the Gospel, amidst long continued persecutions; these were stirred up by the "great red dragon,” i. e. by Satan and his instruments, of which the Roman Empire, "the third part of the world," was the chief, as the attributes thereof plainly imply. The "seven heads" with "seven crowns," and the "ten horns," typify the seven hills on which Rome was built; and the seven forms of government which successively prevailed there, and the ten kingdoms into which it was divided. "He stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as it was born;" even as the Roman powers kept a watchful eye against Christians from the beginning. She, however, "brought forth a man child, which was to rule all nations with a rod of iron." Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, seems to be here intended; against whom many snares were laid; but by God's providence he escaped, and was raised to the throne of Rome, called here the "throne of God," because, probably, it was so ordained of God. His subjugation of the Scythians, and various other hitherto unconquered barbarous nations, may be typified by his "ruling with a rod of iron." The flight of the woman is here proleptical: other events will intervene; but the prophet, before he passes on to those new subjects, anticipates somewhat, and gives a kind of general account of what happened to the woman afterwards 1. In the next six verses (7 to 13) is a representation of the struggles and contentions between the Christian and heathen religion; wherein the good angels, "sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation," are the invisible agents on the one side, and the Devil and his evil agents on the other; whilst the visible actors in the cause of Christianity were the believing emperors, ministers, martyrs, and confessors; and their opponents the persecuting emperors, heathen magistrates, priests, &c. The issue of the contest was, that heathenism was deposed, and Christianity established. Whereupon a triumphant hymn of thanksgiving is introduced for the victory which the saints had won, by spiritual armour, through "the blood of the Lamb." But still new woes are threatened; the dragon was not destroyed, though he was deposed; pagan idolatry would still cause disturbances; and the more so, because "he had but a short time;" and The actual time of the woman's flight seems to be after the events mentioned in the xiiith Chapter had taken place; viz. after the establishment of the Anti-Christian power spoken of therein. soon Christianity should prevail through the Roman empire. 66 The next five verses (13 to 18) contain some account of these persecutions of the dragon against the woman, the Church. Her flight is again proleptically introduced; as is also the protection afforded her by the Roman power, under the simile of "eagle's wings1." Previously, however, to this event, the serpent cast out waters as a flood" to wash her away. By this were typified the inundations of various nations stirred up by the dragon, to overwhelm Rome, and utterly subvert the Christian Church. But his project failed; for the "earth helped the woman;" i. e. the heathen conquerors, instead of imposing their own pagan superstitions, submitted to the religion of the conquered Christians. The dragon, thus foiled, did not, however, desist, but adopted other methods of persecution, as the next chapter records, against those "faithful to the testimony of Jesus." 1 The subsequent condition of the true Church is exhibited under the simile of her being "nourished for a time, times, and half a time," in the wilderness. This period, in prophetic computation (a day for a year), is twelve hundred and sixty years, during which time the power of Antichrist was to prevail; God continuing, however, providentially to support the cause of Christ by methods of His own, till its eventual triumph should come. As to the manner in which this period synchronizes with the "little horn and the mighty king," prophesied of by Daniel, see Dissertations XIV. and XVII.-the latter part of each. THIRTEENTH CHAPTER. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were 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. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear. 10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and |