Revelation Chapter 12
Verses 15 and 16 “So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.”
“In brief: Elements of the civil power were tired of being under the thumb of the Pope. They revolted. They revolted by what history calls the “Age of Enlightenment.” There was a large and dramatic spread of TRUTH (water) -- so much truth that it was a flood. This was a flood designed in large part, to do away with the oppression of religion (false or true, it made no difference). This movement was centered in France and erupted into what we know as the French Revolution. Among other things, it OUTLAWED RELIGION. Things didn’t quite work as expected. The earth (society everywhere) liked the idea of truth. Revolution spread everywhere. But many also liked religious truth also. By accepting revolutionary trends, the world actually opened the way for religious freedom. This helped the woman. Since 1799 A.D. Papacy has been unable to control the rapid rise of religious truth -- seeking and investigation. In terms of the Elijah picture: it rained everywhere!”
“The ‘flood’ in or during which these 1260 years of Papal power terminated—as shown by the angel standing upon (above) the flood, declaring the limit of the times [Dan 12:7]—symbolized a condition of things during the French revolution.
The posture of the angel above the river signifies control of the waters; that is, the containment of the turmoil and tumult of the anarchistic forces, the restraint of the turbulence of the masses. The French Revolution began with the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and lasted for ten years, ending in 1799 A.D.
This is the same ‘flood’ mentioned in Rev 12:15, 16, where it is shown more fully, as coming out of the mouth of the serpent or dragon, and where its real object, from Satan’s standpoint, is explained to be to overwhelm the ‘woman’ (the protesting Church of God), as her three and a half times (1260 years) of wilderness-hiding were about closing, and she was coming forward into prominence ‘leaning on [the arm of] her beloved,’ The Word of God.—Song of Solomon 8:5
“In symbol, water generally represents truth (but likewise can represent nations, peoples, See Rev 17:15), nevertheless the symbol as representative of truth preserves its meaning even though it be said to issue from the mouth of the dragon or serpent. The thought conveyed by this symbol is that truth would issue forth through evil agencies, and with an evil intent. And just this we find: the strength of the French revolution lay in the fact that it was instigated by many stern truths, regarding priest-craft and king-craft, and regarding the individual rights and liberties of all. ‘The Rights of Man’ was indeed the watchword of that revolt against civil and ecclesiastical oppression. Truths regarding human rights were seen and expressed there which cause us surprise when we consider the ignorance, superstition and servility of that day, under which the masses had so long rested. Many of the truths which then swept as a ‘flood’ over France, deluging it with blood, are now very generally accepted among all civilized peoples; but they were too strong, and too suddenly put, for that time.
“Indeed, the prophecy clearly shows that the serpent, Satan, did not intend what under God’s providence has resulted, but the reverse. In this he overreached himself, as he has done on other occasions. Satan will never send forth the waters of truth to bless and refresh and release from bondage; on the contrary his effort has all along been to blind and securely bind mankind under ignorance and superstition; and this sudden flood of waters (truth) was designed to act as an emetic (used to cause vomiting), to lead to the casting out of the food of liberty already being received by the people from the Bible, as the result of the Reformation, and thus to force rulers and teachers to oppose the truth through fear of anarchy.
Continued with next post.
Verses 15 and 16 “So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. But the earth helped the woman and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.”
“In brief: Elements of the civil power were tired of being under the thumb of the Pope. They revolted. They revolted by what history calls the “Age of Enlightenment.” There was a large and dramatic spread of TRUTH (water) -- so much truth that it was a flood. This was a flood designed in large part, to do away with the oppression of religion (false or true, it made no difference). This movement was centered in France and erupted into what we know as the French Revolution. Among other things, it OUTLAWED RELIGION. Things didn’t quite work as expected. The earth (society everywhere) liked the idea of truth. Revolution spread everywhere. But many also liked religious truth also. By accepting revolutionary trends, the world actually opened the way for religious freedom. This helped the woman. Since 1799 A.D. Papacy has been unable to control the rapid rise of religious truth -- seeking and investigation. In terms of the Elijah picture: it rained everywhere!”
“The ‘flood’ in or during which these 1260 years of Papal power terminated—as shown by the angel standing upon (above) the flood, declaring the limit of the times [Dan 12:7]—symbolized a condition of things during the French revolution.
The posture of the angel above the river signifies control of the waters; that is, the containment of the turmoil and tumult of the anarchistic forces, the restraint of the turbulence of the masses. The French Revolution began with the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and lasted for ten years, ending in 1799 A.D.
This is the same ‘flood’ mentioned in Rev 12:15, 16, where it is shown more fully, as coming out of the mouth of the serpent or dragon, and where its real object, from Satan’s standpoint, is explained to be to overwhelm the ‘woman’ (the protesting Church of God), as her three and a half times (1260 years) of wilderness-hiding were about closing, and she was coming forward into prominence ‘leaning on [the arm of] her beloved,’ The Word of God.—Song of Solomon 8:5
“In symbol, water generally represents truth (but likewise can represent nations, peoples, See Rev 17:15), nevertheless the symbol as representative of truth preserves its meaning even though it be said to issue from the mouth of the dragon or serpent. The thought conveyed by this symbol is that truth would issue forth through evil agencies, and with an evil intent. And just this we find: the strength of the French revolution lay in the fact that it was instigated by many stern truths, regarding priest-craft and king-craft, and regarding the individual rights and liberties of all. ‘The Rights of Man’ was indeed the watchword of that revolt against civil and ecclesiastical oppression. Truths regarding human rights were seen and expressed there which cause us surprise when we consider the ignorance, superstition and servility of that day, under which the masses had so long rested. Many of the truths which then swept as a ‘flood’ over France, deluging it with blood, are now very generally accepted among all civilized peoples; but they were too strong, and too suddenly put, for that time.
“Indeed, the prophecy clearly shows that the serpent, Satan, did not intend what under God’s providence has resulted, but the reverse. In this he overreached himself, as he has done on other occasions. Satan will never send forth the waters of truth to bless and refresh and release from bondage; on the contrary his effort has all along been to blind and securely bind mankind under ignorance and superstition; and this sudden flood of waters (truth) was designed to act as an emetic (used to cause vomiting), to lead to the casting out of the food of liberty already being received by the people from the Bible, as the result of the Reformation, and thus to force rulers and teachers to oppose the truth through fear of anarchy.
Continued with next post.
