4. The first had ten horns signifying ten temporal kingdoms; the second had two horns, referring to but two temporal powers that supported it. 5. The first blasphemed God and his tabernacle, and was therefore antichrist; the second claimed to be the true prophet of God and brought down "fire from heaven" to attest his claim, but he was in reality a "false prophet" (chap. 16:13; 19:20). 6. The first obtained his power and authority from the dragon which preceded him; while the second derived his power from the ten-horned beast "before him." 7. The first caused people to worship the preceding power styled "the dragon"; while the second caused people to "worship the first beast." 8. The first was to continue 1,260 years; while the reign of the second is not here stated, but is covered in a parallel prophecy to which we shall refer later. The first beast came up out of the sea, which signifies the empire in an agitated state; and it is a fact of history that the ten kingdoms came up through great political convulsions. The empire was in a state of comparative quiet, however, when the second beast "_came up out of the earth_." This beast stands as the symbol of Protestantism in Europe, although his power and influence was afterwards to extend to "the whole world" (chap. 16:14). But this beast existed first on the same territory occupied by the papacy; therefore the two horns doubtless signify temporal kingdoms also, and two of the original ten. The two nations first to turn violently against the papacy and to become the chief supporters and defenders of Protestantism were Germany and England. It is evident that the second beast of Revelation 13 was not to be such a terrible power politically as was the first beast, for it is described merely as having "two horns _like a lamb_." But as soon as we enter the department to which _speaking_ by analogy refers us, we find him to be a great religious power, and it is in this character alone that he is delineated in the remainder of the chapter. That his religious power is his leading characteristic is further proved by the fact that in every subsequent reference he is styled the "false prophet" (chap. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10). Every reference which I give to the second beast must therefore be understood as signifying the religious system known as Protestantism. This beast was to exercise great power--"all the power of the first beast before him." By this expression we are to understand that Protestantism was to exert a universal influence; that it was to become a leading factor in the world's history, as was Romanism before it. This has already been fulfilled. The leading nations of the world today, the nations that have contributed most to the development of modern civilization and to the light and progress of the age, are Protestant nations. Those countries that have retained the yoke of Romanism are still withering under its blighting influence.