“Except those days should be shortened, _there should no flesh be saved_: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” Matt. 24: 22. 14. Still bent on persecution, how does Satan manifest his enmity against the remnant church? “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.” Rev. 12:17. NOTE.—To the very end, Satan will persecute and seek to destroy the people of God. Against the remnant, or last portion of the church, he is especially to make war. Their obedience to God’s commandments, and their possession of the testimony of Jesus, or spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10), are especially offensive to him, and excite his intense ire. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Soldiers of Christ, arise, And put your armor on; Fight, for the battle will be ours; We fight to win a crown. We fight not against flesh, We wrestle not with blood; But principalities and powers, And for the truth of God. CHARLES WESLEY. A Great Persecuting Power (The Ten-Horned Beast of Revelation 13) [Illustration.] Early Christian Martyrs. "He shall ... wear out the saints of the Most High." Dan. 7:25. 1. What is the first symbol of Revelation 13? “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.” Rev. 13:1. NOTES.—As already learned from studying the book of Daniel, a beast in prophecy represents some great earthly power or kingdom; a head, a governing power; horns, a number of kingdoms; crowned heads or crowned horns, political rulership; waters, “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” Rev. 17:15. “The beasts of Daniel and John are empires. The ten-horned beast is the Roman power.... The head is the governing power of the body. The heads of this beast represent successive governments.”—_“__Romanism and the Reformation,__”__ by H. Grattan Guinness, pages 144, 145._ 2. How is this beast further described? “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_.” Verse 2, first part.