Revelation 13:7-10

"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."--13:7.

Another fact in the history of the beast is given. It shall make war upon the saints and for. season shall overcome them. After what has been said, it is needless that. should long dwell upon the pitiless, bloodthirsty, and persecuting character of Rome. From the reign of Justinian, when, according to Gibbon, the "Catholic soldiers burned the conventicles with their congregations," down through the awful crusades against the Protestants of the Cevennes and Alps, the massacre of Bartholomew, the autos da fe of the Inquisition, to the murders of Barletta in the States of the Church, in our own memory, her history has been stained with blood. Some historians have roughly estimated that the persecuting hands of Rome have been reddened by the blood of 50,000,000 saints, but. rather believe that no man can estimate the number.

" And overcome them. " The Church was driven into the wilderness for 1260 years. During many generations Rome carried her work with. high hand, and was "drunken with the blood of the saints." But the day of retribution shall surely come, for he who leads the saints "into captivity shall be led captive, and he who slays with the sword shall himself be slain with the sword" (v. 10). The day of retribution will surely come, yet for many centuries Rome lorded it over "all kindreds, tongues and nations" of the civilized world (v. 7).

The first ten verses of chapter XIII. describes the seven-headed and ten-horned beast which arose out of the sea. The rest of the chapter describes another beast, different, yet allied to the first. The second arises from the earth. Dean Alford remarks that both the beasts are alike as to genus. The original term denotes that they are both ravaging powers, hostile to God and his fold. The second, arising from the earth, grows up with the history and progress of man. It is subsidiary to the first and exists in order to preserve the existence of the first and to subserve its ends. It is described as follows: