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    11 HE DOETH GREAT WONDERS

    IN further predicting the work of the two-horned beast, the prophet says, “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” This language is urged by some to prove that the two-horned beast must be some power which holds the reins of government in the very territory occupied by the first, or preceding beast, which is the papacy; for, otherwise, how could he exercise his power?MANA 146.1

    If the word “before” denoted precedence in time, and the first (or papal) beast passed off the stage of action when the two-horned beast came on, just as Babylon gave place to Persia, which then exercised all the power of Babylon before it, there would be some plausibility in the claim. But the word rendered “before” is enopion, which means, literally, “in the presence of.” And so the language, instead of proving what is claimed, becomes a most positive proof that these two beasts — the leopard papal beast and the two-horned beast — are distinct and contemporary powers.MANA 146.2

    The first beast is in existence, having all its symbolic vitality, at the time the two-horned beast is exercising power in his presence. But this could not be, if his dominion had passed into the hands of the two-horned beast; for a beast, in prophecy, ceases to exist when his dominion is taken away. What caused the change in the symbols, as given in the seventh chapter of Daniel, from the lion, representing Babylon, to the bear. representing Persia? — Simply a transfer of dominion from, Babylon to Persia. And so the prophecy explains the successive passing away of the beasts, by saying that their “lives were prolonged,” but their “dominion was taken way” (verse 12); that is, the territory of the kingdom was not blotted from the map, nor the lives of the people destroyed but there was a transfer of power from one nationality to another. So the fact that the leopard beast, here in Revelation 13, is spoken of as still an existing power, when the two-horned beast works in his presence, is proof that he is, at that time, in possession of all the dominion that was ever necessary to constitute him a symbol in prophecy.MANA 146.3

    What power, then, does the two-horned beast exercise? Not the power which belongs to, and is in the hands of, the leopard, or papal beast, surely; but he exercises, or essays to exercise, in his presence, power of the same kind and to the same extent. The power which the first beast exercised, — that alone with which the prophecy is concerned, — was a terrible power of oppression against the people of God (verse 7); and this is a further indication of the character which the two-horned beast is finally to sustain in this respect.MANA 147.1

    The latter part of the verse, “And causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed,” is still further proof that the two-horned beast is no phase nor feature of the papacy; for the papal beast is certainly competent to enforce his own worship in his own country, and from his own subjects. But it is the two-horned-horned beast which causeth the earth (the territory out of which it arose, and over which it rules), and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast. This shows that this beast occupies territory over which the first beast has no jurisdiction.MANA 147.2

    “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men.” In this specification we have still further proof that our own government is the one represented by the two-horned beast. That we are living in an age of wonders, none can deny. Time was, and that not twoscore of years ago, when the bare mention of achievements which now constitute the warp and woof of every-day life, was considered the wildest chimera of a diseased imagination. Now, nothing is too wonderful to be believed, nor too strange to happen. Go back only a little more than half a century, and the world, with respect to those things which tend to domestic convenience and comfort, — the means of illumination, the production and application of heat, and the performance of various household operations; with respect to methods of rapid locomotion from place to place, and the transmission of intelligence from point to point, stood about where it did in the days of the patriarchs. Suddenly the waters of the long stream over whose drowsy surface scarcely a ripple of improvement had passed for three thousand years, broke into the white foam of violent agitation. The world awoke from the slumber and darkness of ages. The divine finger lifted the seal from the prophetic books, and brought that predicted period when men should run to and fro, and knowledge should be increased. Then men bound the elements to their chariots, and, reaching up, laid holdMANA 148.1

    PICTURE.

    upon the very lightning, and made it their message-bearer around the world. Nahum foretold that at a certain time the chariots should be with flaming torches and run like the lightnings. Nahum 2:3, 4. Who can behold, in the darkness of the night, the locomotive dashing over its iron tracks, the fiery glare of its great lidless eye driving the shadows from its path, and torrents of smoke and sparks and flame pouring from its burning throat, and not realize that ours are the eyes that are privileged to look upon a fulfillment of Nahum’s prophecy? But when this should take place, the prophet said that the times would be burdened with the solemn work of God’s “preparation.”MANA 150.1

    “Canst thou send lightnings,” said God to Job, “that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?” Job 38:35. If Job were living to-day, he could answer, Yes. It is one of the current sayings of our time that “Franklin tamed the lightning, and Prof. Morse taught it the English Language.”MANA 150.2

    So in every department of the arts and sciences, the advancement that has been made within the last half century is without precedent in the world’s history. And in all these the United States takes the lead. These facts are not, indeed, to be taken as a fulfillment of the prophecy, but they show the spirit of the age in which we live, and point to this time as a period when we may look for wonders of every kind.MANA 150.3

    The wonders to which the prophecy (Revelation 13) refers are evidently wrought for the purpose of deceiving the people; for the verse 14 reads, “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast.”MANA 150.4

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