to the terms applied to this antichristian power,
the following quotation from the People's Cyclopaedia will throw some
light on the subject: "In the mythical history and legendary poetry of
almost every nation, the dragon appears as the emblem of the destructive
and anarchistic principle.... Like the serpent, the dragon is always a
minister of evil ... the object of which is to fight order, harmony, and
progress. In Christian art, the dragon is the emblem of sin.... It is
often represented as crushed under the feet of saints and martyrs....
Sometimes its prostrate attitude signifies the triumph of Christianity
over Paganism." Art. Dragon. Considering this usage of these terms for
ages, it is not strange that they were applied also to that great
antichristian, persecuting system of Paganism, which stood before
Christianity as its greatest barrier to "order, harmony, and progress."

The angel that overthrew this public system of Pagan infidelity
symbolizes the primitive host of Christians, the ministers in
particular. Some have supposed that he represented Christ; but, as
already shown conclusively, Christ can not be symbolized by an inferior
intelligence, hence always appears upon the scene in his own character,
proclaiming his own eternal name. The fact that this angel possessed the
key of the bottomless pit is no proof that he is Christ, even though in
chapter 1:18 Jesus is said to have certain keys; for in chapter 9:1 we
find that a _fallen star_--the symbol of Mohammed--is said to have "the
key of the bottomless pit" also. At the most, this expression is only a
symbol of power and authority, be it good or bad. In the gospel the same
figure is applied to God's ministers, where they are given authority to
bind the powers of wickedness on earth. Mat. 16:19; 18:18. The chain is
a symbol of the power to bind.

When Christianity first commenced its warfare with this huge system of
error, almost the entire then-known world was under its deceptive
influence; but by a long conflict, in which thousands of the noble
followers of the Lamb were slaughtered, this antichristian public system
of Pagan infidelity was at last completely overthrown, and the final
result was, that the civilized world became as completely Christian
(nominally at least) as it ever had been Pagan. This great
transformation could never have been effected without the undying
heroism and whole-hearted consecration of the first disciples of Christ.
From this