east
religion--manism--the Catholic sect, was now looked upon as the church. It
was considered the only way to heaven. There was no salvation outside her
walls. The true church was hidden. The sun, moon and stars were eclipsed.
Christ had given his authority over to the pope, so it was believed, and
the Romish sect stepped into the place of the true church. Christ and his
church--the lights of the world--were no longer seen. The pope and his
church stood up in their sins and abominations, and the world looked upon
them as the church. This is certainly sufficient cause for darkness at the
noonday.

Ver. 4. "And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast:
and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is
able to make war with him?"

The people worshiped not only the church of Rome, but both church and
state; for they were now consolidated. So the people worshiped the dragon
and the beast, and boasted of their greatness.

Ver. 5. "And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months."

From this text there opens a wide field before us, which we will enter for
a while, and then return again to the further consideration of this
chapter.

The pope's claims of power to forgive sins, to be infallible, to be the
vicegerent of the Son of God, to have power to deliver from purgatory, and
a number of other shameful pretensions, are certainly shocking
blasphemies. Power was given him forty and two months.

In Rev. 12:6, the woman (the church) is described as fleeing into the
wilderness prepared for her of God, there to be fed a thousand two hundred
and three score days. Here we learn that the woman fled from before the
dragon and was protected of God (or fed) from the dragon's power for a
thousand two hundred and three score days. This is virtually the same
power; namely, the Romish state and church, that continued forty and two
months as spoken of above.

In Rev. 11:3 we have another allusion made to the church of God at this
period. "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy a thousand two hundred and three score days, clothed in
sackcloth." A day in Scripture is used in different texts to represent
different lengths of time. In some texts quoted in the introduction of
this work a day is used to represent the whole of the Christian
dispensation. Again it is said that "one da