And the dragon.—Imperial Rome, represented by Constantine.
Stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered.—The early Christian Church.
For to devour her child.—Absorb it, make it a subordinate feature of the Roman system of government.
As soon as it was born.—As soon as the development of the clergy class and others equally unfaithful to Christ had made it impossible for them to be retained longer in the true Church.
12:5. And she brought forth a man child.—The papacy.—Z. '79-12-2.
Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron.—“In a bull, or edict, Sixtus V declares: ‘The authority given to St. Peter and his successors, by the immense power of the eternal King, excels all the power of earthly kings and princes. It passeth uncontrollable sentence upon them all. And if it find any of them resisting God's ordinance, it takes more severe vengeance on them, casting them down from their thrones, however powerful they may be, and tumbling them down to the lowest parts of the earth as the ministers of aspiring Lucifer.’
“A bull of Pope Pius V., entitled ‘The damnation and excommunication of Elizabeth, queen of England, and her adherents’ reads as follows: ‘He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, committed one holy, catholic and apostolic church (out of which there is no salvation) to one alone upon earth, namely, to Peter, the Prince of the apostles, and to Peter's successor, the bishop of Rome, to be governed in fulness of power. Him alone he made prince over all people and all kingdoms, to pluck up, destroy, scatter, consume, plant and build.’ ”—B. 311.
And her child was caught up unto God, and [to] UNTO His throne.—“St Bernard affirms that ‘none except God is like the pope, either in heaven or on earth.’ ‘The Emperor Constantine,’ says Pope Nicholas I., ‘conferred the appellation of God on the pope; who, therefore, being God, cannot be judged by man.’ Said Pope Innocent III.—‘The pope holds the place of the true God;’ and the canon law, in the gloss, denominates the pope—‘our Lord God.’ Innocent and Jacobatius state that ‘the pope can do nearly all that God can do,’ while Decius rejects the word nearly, as unnecessary. Jacobatius and Durand assert that ‘none dare say to him any more than to God—Lord, what doest Thou?’ ”—B. 311.
Pope Martin stated the matter in his own behalf as follows: “All the earth is my diocese, and I am the ordinary of all men, having the authority of the King of all kings upon subjects. I am all in all, and above all, so that God Himself, and I, the vicar of God, have both one consistory, and I am able to do almost all that God can do. In all things that I list my will is to stand for reason, for I am able by the law to dispense above the law, and of wrong to make justice in correcting laws and changing them. Wherefore, if those things that I do be said not to be done of man, but of God—What can you make me but God? Again, if prelates of the church be called and counted of Constance for Gods, I then, being above all prelates, seem by this reason to be above all Gods. Wherefore, no marvel if it be in my power to change time and times, to alter and abrogate laws, to dispense with all things, yea, with the precepts of Christ”—B. 314; Dan. 7:25.
12:6. And the woman.—The true Church of God.