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. Ver. 1. _And I stood_] Where I might best see the beast that came out of the sea. _ I saw a beast_] The Church, f... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 2. _Like unto a leopard_] Which is the female among the panthers, the property whereof is, a... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 3. _One of his heads as it were wounded_] Either by the invasion of the Goths; or by that fatal schism in the Church of Rome, A.D. 1378, when there sat three pop... [ Continue Reading ]
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? Ver. 4. _And they worshipped_] Admiration bred adoration. Idolatrous Papists are worshippers of the devil; whom though in word they... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 5. _And there was given unto him_] As once was to Antiochus, that little antichrist,Daniel 7:25. What cracks the pope makes of his unlimited power and pr... [ Continue Reading ]
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. Ver. 6. _In blasphemy against God_] As when Pope Leo I and (after him) Nicholas III affirmed, that Peter their predecessor was taken into fellowship with the blessed Trinity,... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 7. _To make war with the saints_] As he did with the Albigenses, publishing his Crusades against them, as if they had been Saracens, and destroying... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 8. _Whose names are not written_] He then that lives and dies a Papist cannot be saved. _ Slain from the foundation_] _sc._ 1. In God's purp... [ Continue Reading ]
If any man have an ear, let him hear. Ver. 9. _If any man have an ear_] _q.d._ Let all that have souls to save, beware of this beast; for is it nothing to lose an immortal soul? to purchase an everliving death? _Purus putus Papista non potest servari._ Confer Revelation 19:21. It is confessed by al... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 10. _He that leadeth into captivity_] _q.d._ Be of good cheer; Antichrist shall one day meet with his match, drink as he brewe... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 11. _And I beheld another beast_] Another in shape, but the same in substance with the former. For here Antichrist appears not as an emperor, but as an impostor. That these two ar... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 12. _And he exerciseth_] The power of speaking blasphemies, of waging wars, of ruling over kindreds, tongues, and nations... [ Continue Reading ]
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, Ver. 13. _And he doth great wonders_] By his art of magic; for true miracles he can do none, nor his master the dragon to help him. Hence they are called lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9,10,... [ Continue Reading ]
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. Ver. 14. _That they should make an image... [ Continue Reading ]
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. Ver. 15. _Should be killed_] What slaughters Charles V made at Magdeburg and elsewhere by the pope's appoint... [ Continue Reading ]
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: Ver. 16. _All both small and great_] Emperor and else. The pope having by his nephew persuaded the king of Bohemia, Maximilian (afterwards emperor), to be a good Cat... [ Continue Reading ]
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Ver. 17. _Might buy or sell_] As at Rome, oaths, laws, vows, are soluble, and all things else are saleable. _Romoe omnia venalia._ " _Vendit Alexander cruces, altaria, Christum:_ Ven... [ Continue Reading ]
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number _is_ Six hundred threescore _and_ six. Ver. 18. _Here is wisdom_] That is, work for wisdom, as Revelation 13:10. Here is "the patience and faith of saints." _ It is the numb... [ Continue Reading ]