Page:Anastasis A Treatise on the Judgment of the Dead.pdf/44

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AT THE APPEARING OF CHRIST.
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Little Horn represented in Dan. vii. 8, by "Eyes like the eyes of a man, and a Mouth speaking great things." In verse 20, the Mouth is said to speak "very great things"; and the look of the Eyes is said also to give the horn in which they are set, a stouter, bolder, or more audacious aspect than its fellow ten horns. John describes this same Mouth in Rev. xiii. 2. He there styles it, the Mouth of the Beast as the mouth of a lion: which lion is Daniel's symbol of the power of Babylon. In verses 5 and 6 he says, that this Babylonian Mouth speaks great things and blasphemies against Deity, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them who dwell in heaven. The Mouth being associated with the Eyes, represents the blasphemer as Episcopal. To this Blasphemous Bishop were given his power, and his throne, and great authority, by a decree of the Constantinopolitan power, styled by John "the Dragon." By the power given, he was enabled to make war upon the saints and to overcome them; by the throne given, he was enabled to establish himself in Rome; and by the great authority given he was enabled to assume spiritual jurisdiction "over all the kindreds and tongues and nations" of Daniel's fourth beast dominion. But this Roman Pontificate was not intended by Deity to be eternal. He told John that its authorized continuance should be "forty-and-two" symbolic "months"; a period equal to 1,260 years from the time when the power, throne, and authority, were decreed to the Blasphemer. These were decreed to him in the epoch a.d. 606–608; which, in the current epoch 1866–1868, is the end of the required period of 1,260 years.

Now, it was told Daniel, that the saints should be given into the hand, or power, of this episcopal and blasphemous horn "until a time, times, and, the dividing of time"; which is a period equal to John's "forty and two months." They cannot be subject to him when he ceases to reign. Their subjection to him, and his reign or supremacy, necessarily terminate in the same epoch. Hence, the fall of the Papal sovereignty will be the rise of the saints: that is to say, the next series of events will develop their resurrection; when judgment will be given to "the called and chosen and faithful"; "who, with Christ, the Ancient of Days, will take away his dominion," in all its relations, "to consume and destroy it to the end."

The apocalyptic "Holy City" is symbolical of the "saints." The Gentiles were to tread this under foot for the same period as that allotted to the supremacy of the Roman Mouth. This is the measure of their subjection, which began when, as "heretics," they were given into his power. The 1,260 years of their measure, and the 1,260 of the Mouth, are parallel periods, beginning and