those not barbarians], and saw a
beast [papacy] rise up out of the sea [in ascendancy over the
restless masses of mankind], having seven heads [successive divisions of
government ruled by emperors], and ten horns [during each phase of the
Roman empire there were ten (more or less) contemporaneous territorial divisions of
government], and upon his horns ten crowns [we notice here the horns were
crowned and not the heads, and these ten territorial divisions of government ruled on the
premise of the divine right of kings], and upon his heads [seven
successive division of governments] the name of blasphemy [a false claim
of Christianity and of being the Kingdom of God on earth].
2. And the beast [papacy]* which I [the John
Class] saw was like unto a leopard [the Grecian Empire was leopard-like
in that it was camouflaged and adapted to its environment, bringing sudden death to its
prey], and his feet [agencies of its advancement] were as the
feet of a bear [Medo-Persian Empire had bear-like feet that were versatile, slow
and deliberate, yet strong and crushing when once it had its prey], and his mouth
as the mouth of a lion [the Babylonian Empire was lion-like in that it had loud,
paralyzing utterances]: and the dragon [civil Roman authority] gave
him his power, and his seat [the dragon was unwilling to give up its seat in the
heavens of ecclesiasticism, but quite a gentleman in giving civil power in the Roman
government to the papal beast], and great authority.
3. And I [the John Class] saw one of his heads [a
successive division of Charlemagne’s empire, actually the fourth and greatest
division or "head" (CE 800 to 1799) being focused upon in the reformation period
under Luther] as it were wounded to death [a death blow by the
reformation and a final coup de grace by the French Revolution]; and his deadly
wound was healed [was not fatal]: and all the world [society] wondered
after the beast [papacy that successfully survived the Reformation and also the
following French Revolution and its terrible assault on it].
4. And they [society] worshipped the dragon [civil
Roman authority] which gave power unto the beast [papacy]: and
they worshipped the beast [papacy], saying, Who is like unto the beast
[papacy]? who is able to make war [successfully] with him
[the rest of the story is given in Rev. 19:11-20 where the "King of Kings" makes
short work of this beast]?
5. And there was given unto him [the papacy] a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies [made great false claims of Christianity];
and power was given unto him [the papacy] to continue forty and two
months [1260 years from CE 539 to 1799].
6. And he [the papacy] opened his mouth in blasphemy
[its utterances cast reproach] against God, to blaspheme his name [cast
reproach upon his name], and his tabernacle [His true church where God
dwells], and them that dwell in heaven [the spiritual condition, the
heavens of earth, accomplishing this blasphemy by their false claims of Christianity as
well as by actual blasphemous claims—see THE TIME IS AT HAND, p. 307]. 
7. And it was given unto him [the papacy] to make war
[persecute] with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given unto him
[the papacy] over all kindreds, and languages, and nations.
8. And all that dwell upon the earth [society] shall worship
him [the papacy], whose names are not written in the book of life of the
Lamb [the meek and humble one] slain from the foundation of the world
[foreordained to sacrifice in God’s plan from the beginning].
9. If any man have an ear [be teachable], let him hear
[be instructed].
10. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth
with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience [incentive to
patient endurance] and the faith of the saints.
11. And I [the John Class] beheld another beast [the
church-state system of England and Ireland] coming up out of the earth
[stable society]; and he had two horns [subdivisions of power] like
a lamb [temperate by nature], and he spake as a dragon [with
civil authority].
12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast [papacy] before
him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein [society individually and
collectively] to worship the first beast [papacy], whose deadly
wound was healed [the wound of the Reformation which culminated in the French
Revolution].
13. And he [the English and Irish church-state system]
doeth great
wonders [manifestations of power], so that he maketh fire [destructive
judgments and punishments by its huge navy of gun boats blockading and punishing any not
yielding to her sovereignty and trading terms] come down from heaven [the
ecclesiastical realm] on the earth [society], in the sight of men
[Daniel 3:1 tells us Nebuchadnezzar built an image, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide,
which he set on the Plain of Dura for all to see and worship].
14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth [in society] by
the means of those miracles which he had power to do [power which it exercised] in
the sight [in full view] of the beast [papacy]; saying
to them that dwell on the earth [suggesting to society], that they should
make an image to the beast [something that would be a likeness of the papacy],
which had the wound by a sword [of the Reformation], and did live.
15. And he [the two-horned beast composed of the English and Irish
church-state system] had power to give life unto the image of the beast
[the World Council of Churches], that the image of the beast [the World
Council of Churches] should both speak [make authoritative
pronouncements], and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast [the Protestant Federation of Churches] should be killed
[ostracized, not recognized as Christians].
16. And he [the World Council of Churches]
causeth all, both small
[not influential] and great [influential], rich and poor, free
[independent] and bond [dependent], to receive a mark in their
right hand [produce evidence of allegiance to it by rendering cooperation or by
working with them], or in their foreheads [intellectual assent to the
ideology of the papacy—which all in the federation could do in that they are an
"image to the beast"]:
17. And that no man [Christian] might buy [be
instructed] or sell [instruct others], save he that had the mark
[characteristic of the papacy], or the name of the beast [intimate
association with the papacy], or the number of its name [value of its
title].
18. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the
beast [papacy]: for it is the number [standing or value] of
a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six [666—which
is the total value of the pope’s crown inscribed with these words—VICARIVS FILII DEI. This title
translated means Vicar of the Son of God and by accepting such a one as an earthly head,
it would constitute one as a part of the anti-Christ].
