Revelation Chapter 12
Verse 3 continued, “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
In what sense of the word could the dragon, Imperial Rome, basically a civil power, (a political entity) have ever been IN “heaven” (the ecclesiastical realm), prior to its being cast to earth as stated in Verse 9?
Remember the “Great City”, “Babylon the Great” is composed of three controlling elements, 1) political, 2) financial, and 3) ecclesiastical each with its own distinctive sphere of power and influence over the people. But now here we have two elements vying for the same position, the political or civil governing element, and the religious or ecclesiastical element both struggling for ecclesiastical supremacy over the people.
“The Roman Empire had not only conquered the world and given it politics and laws, but, recognizing religious superstitions to be the strongest chains by which to hold and control a people, it had adopted a scheme which had its origin in Babylon, in the time of her greatness as ruler of the world. That plan was that the emperor should be esteemed the director and ruler in religious as well as in civil affairs. In support of this, it was claimed that the emperor was a demigod, in some sense descended from their heathen deities. As such he was worshiped and his statues adored; and as such he was styled Pontifex Maximus--i.e., Chief Priest or Greatest Religious Ruler.” (B 288)
“Since Pagan Rome existed a considerable length of time before the woman or the Church appeared on the pages of secular history, why, here in Verse 3, is the dragon introduced upon the scene after the portrayal of the woman in heaven?
The answer: Because the time frame of the vision is later, when the dragon (or more particularly its already comfortably ensconced Balaam priesthood) began to take note that the woman (more particularly her yet unborn child) posed a potential threat to the security and the perpetuation of its religious role in the empire. The woman clothed with the true gospel, the “Sun” (the righteousness of Christ) was now seen to place in jeopardy the pagan priesthood’s false SUN worship.
Thus the dragon and the woman appear in the same nominal religious arena (the ecclesiastical “heavens”). Both are symbols. The confrontation is not in earth’s atmosphere, not in Tartaroo; nor is it in God’s heaven. It is in the ecclesiastical heavens. Two systems, two composite bodies, two seeds, are at odds with each other. Clearly, an allusion is being made to a much broader, a much deeper long-term significance than the limited activity in this twelfth chapter of Revelation. The allusion is to the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15).
The portent of Verses 1 to 3 can now be better understood as beginning to converge upon the events of the “ten days” (Rev 2:10) of the Diocletian persecution from A.D. 303 to 313, wherein the woman suffered the late labor pangs of ambitious leadership within, and persecutions without, at the hands of the dragon or the “devil.”
“Pagan Rome fought the development of Christianity (false as well as true), but pagan Rome was on its way out of power, soon to disintegrate, making way, as Paul points out, for the “mystery of Iniquity”, the Tare Class which would soon dominate Christianity and make Babylon such an anti-Christian institution.”
“The Apostle Paul foretold that this iniquitous principle (the “mystery of iniquity”) would work secretly for a time, while some opposing thing stood in the way, until, the hindrance being removed, it could have a free course, and progress rapidly to the development of the ANTICHRIST He states, "Only he that now hinders will hinder, until he be taken out of the way." (2 Thess 2:7)
What does history have to show in fulfillment of this prediction?
It shows that the thing which hindered a rapid development of Antichrist was the fact that the place or seat aspired to was already filled by another, the Emperor of Rome.
The emperor was designated Pontifex Maximus, the Chief Priest or Greatest Religious Ruler at the time, and so the Papacy (the “Beast” of Rev 13:1 the “little horn” of Dan 7:8) would have to wait until he (and what he represented) was “taken out of the way”, until the dragon should give him “his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev 13:2). It should likewise be noted that ever since the Antichrist received this seat of power and authority this title of Pontifex Maximus has been claimed by and given to all the pontiffs or popes of the Roman hierarchy ever since.” (B 288)
We will continue with our examination of Verse 3 in our next post taking a closer look at this “great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
Verse 3 continued, “And another sign appeared in heaven: behold a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
In what sense of the word could the dragon, Imperial Rome, basically a civil power, (a political entity) have ever been IN “heaven” (the ecclesiastical realm), prior to its being cast to earth as stated in Verse 9?
Remember the “Great City”, “Babylon the Great” is composed of three controlling elements, 1) political, 2) financial, and 3) ecclesiastical each with its own distinctive sphere of power and influence over the people. But now here we have two elements vying for the same position, the political or civil governing element, and the religious or ecclesiastical element both struggling for ecclesiastical supremacy over the people.
“The Roman Empire had not only conquered the world and given it politics and laws, but, recognizing religious superstitions to be the strongest chains by which to hold and control a people, it had adopted a scheme which had its origin in Babylon, in the time of her greatness as ruler of the world. That plan was that the emperor should be esteemed the director and ruler in religious as well as in civil affairs. In support of this, it was claimed that the emperor was a demigod, in some sense descended from their heathen deities. As such he was worshiped and his statues adored; and as such he was styled Pontifex Maximus--i.e., Chief Priest or Greatest Religious Ruler.” (B 288)
“Since Pagan Rome existed a considerable length of time before the woman or the Church appeared on the pages of secular history, why, here in Verse 3, is the dragon introduced upon the scene after the portrayal of the woman in heaven?
The answer: Because the time frame of the vision is later, when the dragon (or more particularly its already comfortably ensconced Balaam priesthood) began to take note that the woman (more particularly her yet unborn child) posed a potential threat to the security and the perpetuation of its religious role in the empire. The woman clothed with the true gospel, the “Sun” (the righteousness of Christ) was now seen to place in jeopardy the pagan priesthood’s false SUN worship.
Thus the dragon and the woman appear in the same nominal religious arena (the ecclesiastical “heavens”). Both are symbols. The confrontation is not in earth’s atmosphere, not in Tartaroo; nor is it in God’s heaven. It is in the ecclesiastical heavens. Two systems, two composite bodies, two seeds, are at odds with each other. Clearly, an allusion is being made to a much broader, a much deeper long-term significance than the limited activity in this twelfth chapter of Revelation. The allusion is to the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Gen 3:15).
The portent of Verses 1 to 3 can now be better understood as beginning to converge upon the events of the “ten days” (Rev 2:10) of the Diocletian persecution from A.D. 303 to 313, wherein the woman suffered the late labor pangs of ambitious leadership within, and persecutions without, at the hands of the dragon or the “devil.”
“Pagan Rome fought the development of Christianity (false as well as true), but pagan Rome was on its way out of power, soon to disintegrate, making way, as Paul points out, for the “mystery of Iniquity”, the Tare Class which would soon dominate Christianity and make Babylon such an anti-Christian institution.”
“The Apostle Paul foretold that this iniquitous principle (the “mystery of iniquity”) would work secretly for a time, while some opposing thing stood in the way, until, the hindrance being removed, it could have a free course, and progress rapidly to the development of the ANTICHRIST He states, "Only he that now hinders will hinder, until he be taken out of the way." (2 Thess 2:7)
What does history have to show in fulfillment of this prediction?
It shows that the thing which hindered a rapid development of Antichrist was the fact that the place or seat aspired to was already filled by another, the Emperor of Rome.
The emperor was designated Pontifex Maximus, the Chief Priest or Greatest Religious Ruler at the time, and so the Papacy (the “Beast” of Rev 13:1 the “little horn” of Dan 7:8) would have to wait until he (and what he represented) was “taken out of the way”, until the dragon should give him “his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev 13:2). It should likewise be noted that ever since the Antichrist received this seat of power and authority this title of Pontifex Maximus has been claimed by and given to all the pontiffs or popes of the Roman hierarchy ever since.” (B 288)
We will continue with our examination of Verse 3 in our next post taking a closer look at this “great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.”
