which are the Word of God] clothed [invested] with
the sun [the Gospel light], and the moon [corroborative types of
the Law Covenant] under her feet, and upon her head
[intellectually guided or authorized] a crown of twelve stars [Apostles.
Please note the difference between the "seven stars" of Revelation 1:20,
who are the seven messengers to the churches, and the "twelve stars," who are
the twelve apostles of the Lamb.]
2. And she [the early church] being with child
[caused by apostate elements, see 2 Thessalonians 2:7] cried [expressed
discomfort], travailing in birth [having childbirth spasms of trouble to
precipitate the separation], and pained to be delivered [to separate].
3. And there appeared another wonder in heaven [the spiritual realm];
and behold a great red dragon [Civil Rome stationed in the ecclesiastical heavens
starting with Constantine. We know Satan was cast out of God’s true heaven long
before this time from Luke 10:18 and that he now "walks to and fro in the earth."
(Job 1:7)], having seven heads [successive and distinct forms of
government] and ten horns [territorial divisions of power], and
seven crowns [authority by Divine grant to rule] upon his heads
[the crowns being on the heads is where they normally should be during the time of Gentile
rule].
4. And his tail [a tail can be false or true teacher; here it is the
false power of civil Rome under Constantine in the ecclesiastical condition] drew
the third part of the stars of heaven [faithful light-bearers who had spiritual
influence], and did cast them to the earth [the common earthly level
divesting them of authority in the church]: and the dragon [civil Rome] stood
before the woman [early Christian church] which was ready to be delivered
[about to have its schism], for to devour [appropriate] her child
[the man of sin faction] as soon as it was born [became organized].
5. And she brought forth a man child [from the church evolved a man
child, the incipient apostasy, the mystery of iniquity], who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron [strong authority]: and her child
[the apostasy of the church] was caught up unto [the position of] God
[2 Thessalonians 2:4], and to his throne [ruling
authority—while Constantine lived he was the Pontifex Maximus, the Chief Religious Ruler,
however, he was soon succeeded by Julian the Apostate—a noble pagan who wanted nothing to
do with Christianity or the church—this provided the bishops the opportunity to take
command of the ecclesiastical heavens and to drive the civil Roman authority out of the
ecclesiastical realm].
6. And the woman [church] fled into the wilderness
[of separation from Babylon], where she hath a place [condition] prepared
of God, that they [the faithful teachers] should feed her there a
thousand two hundred and threescore days [1260 years from CE 539-1799].
7. And there was war [conflict—Jesus is not interested in controlling
the present "heaven" for from his face "the earth and the heaven fled
away" (Revelation 20:11) and he will rule in a "new heaven and a new
earth"] in heaven [among the powers of spiritual control]:
Michael [One supplanting God] and his angels [representatives] fought
against the dragon [civil Roman power—we note that Michael could not be Jesus,
for he never fought for any position in heaven or earth—all were given to him by his
Father]; and the dragon [civil Roman power] fought and his angels
[its representatives were contending],
8. And prevailed not [the civil Roman power was not strong enough];
neither was their place found any more in heaven [ecclesiastical authority].
9. And the great dragon [civil Roman power] was cast out
[of ecclesiastical authority], that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan
[adversary], which deceiveth the whole world [present evil order]:
he was cast into the earth [put out onto the level of the laity], and his
angels [its representatives] were cast out with him.
10. And I [the John Class] heard a loud voice [an
apostate proclamation] saying in heaven [in ecclesiasticism], Now
is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:
for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night [the opposition to the antichrist was
cast out of the church].
11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death [this refers to the man of
sin martyrs who suffered and died accompanying the centralization of power in the bishops
under the pagan persecution before Constantine exalted the church].
12. Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens [ecclesiastical rulers],
and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth [members of
earthly society] and of the sea [the restless masses]! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a
short [fixed] time.
13. And when the dragon [civil Roman authority] saw that he
was cast unto the earth [was divested of sacerdotal authority], he
persecuted the woman [the faithful church class] which brought forth the
man child [from whom had been separated the Man of Sin].
14. And to the woman [church class] were given two wings of a
great eagle [the support of the Old and New Testaments], that she might
fly into the wilderness [of separation from the world], into her place
[condition], where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time
[1260 years from CE 539-1799], from the face of the serpent [civil Roman
authority].
15. And the serpent [civil Roman authority, which in this case was
merely trying to reinstate itself in its once held power—being instigated by Satan] cast
out of his mouth [pieces] water [infidel truths on human rights
and dignity which emanated in the French Revolution] as a flood after the woman,
that he might cause her [the faithful church] to be carried away of the
flood [overwhelmed with the great amount of truth].
16. And the earth [stable elements of society] helped the
woman [faithful church], and the earth [stable elements of
society] opened her mouth [received a great amount of truth], and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon [civil Roman authorities] cast
out of his mouth [through its infidel agencies].
