Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. WarnerByers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Religion
Birth of a Reformation; Or, The Life and Labors of Daniel S. Warner
Byers, A. L. (Andrew L.)
Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) -- History; Warner, D. S. (Daniel Sidney), 1842-1895
Another scene is presented in the 13th chapter, where the rise of
the papacy, or Roman Catholic power, is represented by a leopard
beast having the same "mouth speaking great things" that appeared in
the "little horn" of Daniel seven. "And power was given unto him to
continue forty and two months" (v. 5), which is the same time-period,
again, of twelve hundred and sixty years. Following this the period
of Protestantism is represented by a beast "coming up out of the
earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon"
(v. 11). The length of the time-period of this second beast is here
omitted, but the sphere of its activity is succeeded (in chap. 14) by
a victorious church, the fall of Babylon, and the present reformation
work in which the everlasting gospel, the gospel that really saves,
is once more preached "unto them that dwell on the earth." In
connection with this also is the judgment which Daniel says is "given
to the saints of the Most High;" that is, the judgment against the
false religions of spiritual Babylon.
In the 18th chapter, in connection with Babylon's fall, we have God's
people called out of her. "And I heard another voice from heaven,
saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have
reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward
her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to
her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double" (vs.
4-6). Thus the time is come that 'judgment is given to the saints'
and the 'saints possess the kingdom.'
Spiritual Babylon represents Rome first, and Protestantism second.
In the Critical Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, in the
comments on Rev. 18:4, we have the following quoted from Hahn in
Auberlen: "The harlot is not Rome alone (though she is preeminently
so), but every Church that has not Christ's mind and spirit. False
Christendom, divided into very many sects, is truly Babylon, i.
e., confusion." The literal Babylon was an ancient city situated on
the Euphrates River. In it God's people Israel were held captive
for seventy years, or until liberated by the Persian king Cyrus.
This is used as a figure of the captivity of God's spiritual Israel
in spiritual Babylon. The word Babylon means confusion, and it is
fittingly applied to the confused religion as represented by the
whole picture of Roman Catholicism and the Protestant sects.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account