must be killed with
the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints."--Rev.
13:5-10.

The mouth of the beast, must symbolize the agency by which utterance is
given to the great things and blasphemies which are spoken by it. Its
likeness to the mouth of the lion, shows its resemblance to the Babylonian
worship of the dead. Moses was "not eloquent,"--he was "slow of speech and
of a slow tongue," and the Lord said to him, Aaron "shall be thy spokesman
unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of _a
mouth_," Ex. 4:10, 16. As Aaron was a mouth to Moses, so did the Papacy
become a mouth-piece for the Roman kingdoms. It was the agency by which
the people were taught; and through which utterance was given to the
blasphemies of the beast. It fills a place analogous to that of the image
afterwards symbolized, which also had like power to speak blasphemies. See
p. 188.

The beast had power to continue to utter blasphemies by the mouth given to
it, forty-two months. This identifies the mouth with that of the "little
horn" (Dan. 7:25), of which it was said, "He shall speak great words
against the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall
be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of
time"--_i.e._ 1260 prophetic days.

1. This mouth uttered blasphemy against God by claiming to be Christ's
vicegerent--usurping the prerogatives of the Almighty. The Pope claimed
that he was "Judge, as God's Vicar, and could himself be judged by none."
In A. D. 799, a Roman council declined to hear accusations against the
Pope, declaring that "he who was Judge of all men, was above being judged
by any other than himself." Febroni wrote of the Pope: "He is the Prince
of princes and Lord of lords. He is, as it were, a God on earth. He is
above right, superior to law, superior to the canons. He can do all things
against right, and without right. He is able to free from obligation in
matters of positive right, without any cause, and they who are so released
are safe in respect to God." Assuming such prerogatives, and the power to
forgive sins, the Holy name of God was blasphemed.

2. He blasphemed the tabernacle of God by "exalting himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
_temple_ of God, showing himself that he is God," 2 Thess. 2:2. The Pope
claimed to be the head of the church and that from himself was derived the