Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 7: The Finished Mystery

by C. T. Russell

He that killeth with the sword must be killed by the sword.—“There were some who asserted that Papacy was a usurpation of the titles and power of the true Head and Ruler of the Church, and claimed their rights to the individual liberty wherewith Christ had made them free. Such used the ‘Sword of the Spirit,’ which is the Word of God, in defense of their liberty, and such were put to death by Papacy; it overcame the saints during its 1260 years of power.”—Z. '80-1-2.

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.—“This was a severe test of true saintship—Would they go into captivity and join in the usurper's ranks, or would they remain faithful to the true King and wait for the Kingdom which He promised to establish? Those whose names were written in Heaven stuck to the Word, and sealed their testimonies by death.” (Z. '80-1-2.) The same situation now confronts the saints, in the matter of aiding in some way the murderous spirit of the governments which are permeated by Antichrist's spirit.—Rev. 14:12.

13:11. And I beheld another beast.—“If the preceding wild beast represented an ecclesiastical power, as we have just seen, then this beast called another should be understood to represent a similar ecclesiastical or church power. As the first beast had ten horns, or powers, which gave it their strength, so this beast has ‘two horns’ which indicates that two powers or governments will support it. Again, notice that this beast ‘ascended (came gradually) out of the earth,’ while the first came out of the sea. Now, if our definitions be correct—as the coming of Papacy from among the irreligious masses of the Roman Empire was shown by its coming out of the ‘sea’—then [pg 200] the coming of this second beast out of the ‘earth’ should signify that it sprung up among a professedly religious people. The Two-horned Beast is one ecclesiastical system, and the two horns show that it is supported, and its authority recognized by two kingdoms. Remember that to be simply aided or supported by the empire does not make a symbolic ‘Beast’; a ‘Beast’ is a government, and to become a symbolic beast, a church must needs become an element in, or part of the government.

“There is but one church which this symbol fits perfectly, viz.: The established ‘Church of England and Ireland.’ This system, like the Papal, was a blending of church and state, an ecclesiastical empire. In the year 1200 England became subject to the Pope. In 1531, owing to a dispute between her king, Henry VIII, and the Pope, England withdrew from allegiance to Papacy. The Convocation of its clergy called the same year, in its decrees, declared King Henry VIII to be ‘The one protector of the English Church, its only and Supreme Lord; and as far as might be, by the law of Christ, its Supreme Head.’ Those are the exact sentiments of Papacy; that is exactly the sense in which the Pope is recognized as Christ's vice-gerent. What a glorious representation of the Lord Jesus they had in Henry VIII, who, out of six wives, was divorced from two, beheaded two, and by many is supposed to have poisoned one! He was a worthy rival of some of the Popes as an Anti-christian claimant of headship to the church. The Clerical Convocation which could acknowledge such a head was not far from being as corrupt as Papacy.

“The proof that the title, ‘head of the church,’ was not an empty honor, appears from the historian's words—‘At the same time it was ordained that no regard should be paid to censures which the Pope might pass on account of this law and that Mass should be said, and sacraments administered as usual. In 1534, all payments made to the apostolic chamber, and dispensations, were abolished; monasteries were subjected to royal government, and exempted from all other; the right to summon Convocations, approve or reject canons (laws or doctrines enacted by the Convocation of clergy), and hear appeals from the Bishops, was vested in the King alone. These matters are but imperfectly understood by people in general, and the same titles—“Supreme head of the church on earth,” etc., are still applied to English sovereigns. It is needless to remark that the Lord Jesus never gave this office to any one, but claims it Himself; and any others who claim it are usurpers. Paul said: “Christ is the Head of the [pg 201] Church,” and that we are to “grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ.” Again he repeats that “God gave Him to be the Head over all things in the Church, which is His body.” (Eph. 1:22 and 4:15, and 5:23; Col. 1:18.) It is the church on earth that Paul is speaking of, hence any Pope, Queen, Council, Assembly, Conference, or any other man or company of men, who claim or exercise the powers of the true Head—Jesus—are opposing Him. And all who support such by influence, presence or money, are abettors of evil and supporters of false systems. Now does this system (the English church) fill the picture? The second Beast had two horns; what two kingdoms (horns) supported this church? Bear in mind the distinction between a church supported by a government, as the Presbyterian in Scotland, and a church united in the government, as in England; it is the latter relationship that constitutes a “beast.” ’ ”—Z. '80-1-2; Rev. 13:14, 15; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 13.

Coming up out of the earth.—“From the visible church of God.”—Cook.

And he had two horns like a lamb.—“Now about the two horns. England, of course, was one of them, and Ireland the other. Let us see. History says that in 1537 the Irish Parliament in Dublin ‘passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring Henry VIII Supreme Head of the Church, prohibiting intercourse with the court of Rome, and making it treason to refuse the oath of supremacy.’ ‘Henry VIII also took the title of King of Ireland.’ Thus it is seen that the second horn came up within the brief space of five years after the first. The fact that Ireland was not a powerful horn matters not, for it was stronger than some that supported the Papal Beast. What effects result from the disestablishment of the Church in Ireland? From 1538 to 1871 (333 years), the title of the church was ‘The Church of England and Ireland,’ thus recognizing both ‘horns.’ On January 1, 1871 (by action of Parliament and the consent of the Queen, the head of the church) the Irish church was disestablished, or that horn was cast off. So, too, all of the horns which once supported Papacy have broken off from her; the difference being that in the case of Papacy the horns have turned against her, and in the case of the second Beast it casts off the Irish horn of itself, believing it to be a weakness rather than a strength. And it would not be at all remarkable if the other horn (England) would be separated from this Beast. ‘The two horns like a lamb,’ would seem to indicate that this Beast would be peaceably inclined—not aggressive, but merely using the horns for defense.”—Z. '80-1-2.

And, he spake as a dragon.—“ ‘He spake like a dragon.’ Notice, it is not said he spake like the dragon, but like a dragon. We understand this to mean that its utterances resembled those of a purely civil (dragon) power, and that in its words there would be little to denote that it is an ecclesiastical government.” (Z. '80-1-2.) England's conduct in forcing opium into China is evidence enough of its Satanic character. “China realizes that opium is her great curse; she has passed laws against the growth of the poppy and the manufacture of opium. But she finds that the imports of opium amount to 5,000,000 pounds per year. She cries out again, as in the past, that this Great Kingdom of Christ (?) (Great Britain) will have mercy upon her and cease to insist on this curse being introduced to blight China morally and physically. The young men of heathen China have started a monster petition for the cessation of opium importation. The text of this appeal appeared in the New York Herald, February 17. It recounts that a previous appeal, of similar character, was made without avail to the King's royal grandmother in 1858, when she was the representative of this branch of Christ's Kingdom (?).” (Z. '11-115.) “The False Prophet who causes the dwellers on earth to worship the Beast symbolizes the deification of the world and of the world power, throughout the conflict between the church and Antichrist.”—Cook.

13:12. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him.—“And the authority of the first Wild Beast—the whole of that authority—he exercises in his presence, and he causes the earth and its inhabitants to worship the first Wild Beast.” (Weym.) “This shows that the second does not take the place of the first beast, but that they exist contemporaneously.” (Z. '80-1-2.) It also shows that the sufferings of the last members of the Body of Christ, under the combination of governments dominated by Great Britain, may be expected to be as great as in Papacy's palmiest days.

And causeth the earth and them which dwell therein.—“We make a distinction between the earth and those who dwell on it. As the earth symbolizes those obedient to and supporting the Beast, so ‘those dwelling on the earth,’ we understand to mean independent Christians who do not support either of these systems.”—Z. '80-1-2.