Ver. 1. And I was stationed on the sand of the sea.] 'Esalny, not ¿san, appears to be the true reading*. The scene is now changed, and the Prophet is so stationed as to behold it. It had been removed from the earth and sea, where the angel of the tenth chapter had begun to disclose the fortunes of the Church in the western kingdoms of the Gentiles; it had been removed to Heaven, to shew the prime mover of all the warfare. Both the combatants were of heavenly extraction, and had fought in Heaven. These conflicts therefore were first described; and the scene was changed to accommodate to them. But the battle, which had been begun in Heaven, is now continued on earth; and is to be brought to its conclusion under the seventh Trumpet. Therefore before the final conflict, wherein the heavenly Leader will again appear, the combatants on earth are also to be exhibited; first, those who continue the warfare on behalf of the dragon; then, those who engage on the part of the woman, or Church. Accordingly, the scene is again opened upon earth, and at the brink of the sea; because a formidable agent of the dragon, or satan, is to arise from that quarter f. Ib. And I saw a wild-beast rising up out of the sea.] The sea, in prophetic language, signifies in general the heathen world; numerous and powerful * See the lect. var. in Griesbach. See note, ch. viii. 7. 8. † Ch. xi. 7. armies 350 APOCALYPSE. The four so many [Pt. IV. § 5. armies of the Gentiles, marching against the people of God, are figuratively represented by the stormy waves of the sea. Thus the ascent of the wild-beast out of the sea seems to signify his rise in worldly power, and probably also from the western gentiles, who are more especially represented under this symbol. wild-beasts of the prophet Daniel, representing successive tyrannies which overran the earth, are described, all of them, as ascending from the sea. There is a very striking resemblance between the wild-beast of the Apocalypse and those of this Prophet. It will be useful to exhibit them together: and it will be done most effectually in the Greek. The translation of Daniel into that language appears to be very close to the original, as given in Mr. Wintle's version. From this comparison, it must appear, that the Beast of the Apocalypse (including the second beast, the false prophet, who is cotemporary with him, exercises his power, and exalts him to universal worship) bears striking resemblance to the beast of Daniel; to all four of them in some respects; but more especially to the fourth, which, like the beast of the Apocalypse, has the same period of continuance allotted to him, at the end of which he is to be destroyed in like manner; and the destruction of both is followed by the establishment of the Messiah's reign. It will further appear, by a similar comparison, that the visions of the Apoca lyptic beast, and of this of the prophet Daniel, have a nearer resemblance to each other than the two famous visions of Daniel (of the beasts and of the image), yet these two visions of Daniel, on very satisfactory grounds, and by report of the best ancient and modern commentators, are supposed to represent the same history *. The three first beasts of Daniel resemble those which appear to have been most formidable to the ancient world; the lion, the bear, the leopard; and which are enumerated as such by Hoseat; but the fourth beast is a non-descript. He was diverse from the other beast; exceedingly terrible; had iron teeth, and ten horns; and, among the ten, one more dreadful than the rest, which sprang up after them. The beast of the Apocalypse is described as possessing the most terrible parts and properties of all the beasts of Daniel. He is in his general shape like a leopard; uniting uncommon agility with ferocious strength; he has the mouth of the lion; the paw of the bear §. But his resemblance is much nearer to the fourth beast, whose more dreadful power he seems to possess. He has his ten horns, his ten kings, or kingdoms. He has the "mouth, "speaking great things and blasphemies," which is seen upon the little additional horn of the fourth beast of Daniel. To which little horn, the second beast of the Apocalypse, (intimately connected with the first, rising up after him to exercise his power and to increase his dominion) will be found to bear strong resemblance, when we proceed to consider them together, and * See particulars in Bp. Newton's Diss. on Prophecy, vol. i. 454. 8vo. Kett on Prophecy, vol. i. p. 320, &c. 4th ed. + Ch. xiii. 7, 8. 1 Sam. xvii, 34, 38. Psalm xxii. 13; 2 Tim. iv. 17. to to apply Saint Paul's comment to them both. This will be done in the succeeding section, where the second beast becomes the object of more particular attention It is enough at present to observe, that this resemblance will be shown. But sufficient evidence appears, already, to enable us to conclude, that since the beasts of Daniel, and especially the fourth, bear strong resemblance to the beast of the Apocalypse; their time of continuance being the same, as also their office (" to make "war upon the Saints, and to overcome them"); their destruction by fire, preceding and making way for the reign of the Messiah and his Saints; -the interpretation of one will lead us nearly to that of the other. Now the four beasts of Daniel appear by Divine interpretation* to be four successive empires, established in worldly power, administered with tyranny and oppression, and hostile to true Religion. And the fourth empire is the most cruel, and the most oppressive to the Saints; principally by producing "the little horn," a power of an extraordinary nature, divers from the rest; which, from a slender beginning, usurping the power of all the preceding empires, converts it to the establishment of a blasphemous religion, and of persecution for righteousness' sake. Commentators seem generally agreed, that the fourth beast of the prophet Daniel represents the Roman empiret. This beast continued till the times of the Messiah; and was the basis on which the ten horns, * Dan. vii. 17, 23. or See the arguments which are weighty, and the authorities which are of the first antiquity, clearly stated by Bp. Newton. (Dissert. on Proph. vol. i. p. 451, &c. 8vo edit.) Archbishop Secker, who, with his usual accuracy and diligence, had studied this prophecy, as ex pounded |
