THE FRENCH EMPIRE.
“SPIRITS OF DEMONS DOING WONDERS.”
BY THE EDITOR.
The text at the head of this article occurs in Revelation 16: 14, and signifies the same thing as “unclean spirits” in the preceding verse. An unclean spirit is a power, or political jurisdiction or influence paramount in a country. I do not mean to say that “unclean spirit” would be correctly defined thus in all texts where it occurs; but this I do say, that when the phrase occurs in a prophecy which treats of things political, it signifies a potential influence belonging to some particular government.
This use of the phrase is manifest in Zechariah’s prophecy of the deliverance of Israel’s land from the desolating abomination at the time when Judah “shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn for Him”—Zechariah 13: 2. His words are—
“And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I shall cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the Unclean Spirit to pass out of the land.”
It is clear that this still refers to the future, seeing that “the names of the idols” are yet remembered in Israel’s land. The “images of the saints” are still worshipped or remembered there by Catholics, Latin, Greek and Armenian. Their prophets pervade the land, “speaking lies in the name of the Lord,” and the “Unclean Spirit” protects them in their ministrations from destruction by each other’s hands. This is the present condition of Palestine, but as the prophet teaches, not its final one. The Ottoman, nor the power destined to supersede him for a short time, is not always to reign lord paramount there. It is to “pass out of the land,” and to defile it no more for ever.
The answer to the question then, “What is the unclean spirit now in Israel’s land?” is that it is the Ottoman power’s, which power is for the time being answerable to the Dragon, out of whose “mouth,” or government, an unclean spirit is seen by John to go forth. Three unclean spirits are three political emanations or policies proceeding from those several governments exercising jurisdiction over the territory off the Great City, known in history as the Roman Empire. Rome, Constantinople, and Vienna, are the seats or thrones of these dominions, symbolised by the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet. Their heads, or chiefs, are the daemons, (not devils) who enunciate the “spirits” characterised as “unclean.” They are evil demons because the spirits that issue from them are unclean, and consequently unholy. The Emperor of Turkey, the Emperor of Austria, and the Pope, are the genii or demons, who preside over the utterances of the symbols indicated; and if the reader have been observant of old-world affairs for the last four years, he will not have failed to remark, that their “spirits,” or several policies, have been and continue to be, originated and shaped by the movements of the French nation, the symbol of which I have before shown to be THREE FROGS. For this reason John styles them, like to Frogs—policies, Turkish, Austrian, and Papal, adopted in consequence of events in France.
These three Frog-like Spirits of Demons are said by the apostle to be miracle-workers; that is, poiounta semeia, demon-spirits, effecting prodigies. In Revelation 13:13, the Two-Horned Beast is said to “do great wonders,” (seemeia,) which in the next verse are termed “those miracles which (ta seemeia ha) he had power to do in the presence of the Beast” with ten horns. This power of the two-horned dominion to work prodigies was manifested in its “causing fire to descend from the heaven,” by which it compelled the dwellers upon the earth out of which it arose, to set up an Image of the Sixth or Imperial Head of the ten-horned dominion; which image it so energised by its power as to enable it to speak, and cause to kill the rebellious. History shows that this was effected by prodigious wars—the fire descending from the heaven; which is the apocalyptic mode of representing war originating from the powers that be. Paul refers to seemeia of this kind in speaking of the appearing of the lawless power, when he says its coming is according to the energy of the Satan in all authority, (dynameis,) and prodigies, (seemeia,) and false miracles, (terasi pseudous;”)—political authority, wars, and falsehood of every kind, emanating from the civil and ecclesiastical Satan, or adversary of the saints, are the well-known historic energy which has established the two-horned and image, or Little-Horn-of-the-West, dominion existing upon the earth, or Holy Roman territory, at this day.
The middle-age image of the old pagan Roman imperiality being set up and vitalised, it becomes a worker of prodigies in its turn. In Revelation 16 and 19 its mouth is styled “the False Prophet,” and is, in the latter text, said to “have worked the prodigies in the presence of the Beast” with two horns; that is, by its policy it has involved the two-horned dominion in wars with other powers, ultimating in great changes, and them with it.
The mission of the three Frog-excited spirits is warlike. They are to “go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole habitable (tees oikoumenees holees,) to gather them together for the war (eis polemon) of that great day of the Almighty God.” Their sending thus defined presents them with an arena coextensive with the Turkish, Austrian, and French empires, together with the kingdom and principalities of papal and protestant Europe. An imbroglio will be formed from which no European state will be exempt. Its results will be politically wonderful, the earnest of which is found in the rapid and extraordinary resurrection of the Napoleon empire. The Frog-power has proved itself wonder-working in the development of its own imperiality; we need not therefore be incredulous or surprised at the idea of future and greater wonders being manifested as the result of its policy antagonised by the daemons of Constantinople, Vienna, and Rome.
Wonder-working is characteristic of the times. The revolutions of 1848 were extraordinary. They proposed results which have remarkably and signally failed in every instance. After the shaking the thrones experienced, the triumphs of absolutism must astonish even the tyrants themselves. The people have accomplished nothing they desired, and the governments have succeeded beyond their most sanguine expectations: the purpose of God alone has progressed in the confusion of the times. That purpose has been the re-establishment of the French Empire, which, as I have already shown, is the democracy armed and imperialised. L’empire c’est la paix—“the empire is peace”—is the mission proclaimed for it by its chief. But this, like all the public professions of Louis Napoleon, is unworthy of belief. The empire is war and not peace. “There is no peace for the wicked, saith God.” He hath revived it in his providence as his sword, which he is about to bathe in the blood of nations. The time has come to gather their armies against Jerusalem, and the resuscitation of this empire, which was never peace, is the preparation initiative of that tumult of the world whose uproar will at length encompass the holy city.
But the end is not immediately. The map of Europe must be first politically changed. That is, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Naples, Switzerland, the States of the Church, the Italian States and Principalities, and Greece, are to be distributed temporarily among three imperial rivals. The treaties of 1815 will be repudiated, and the old Roman territory subdivided into three parts. This is deducible from the saying which is written, “And the Great City was divided into three parts.” Peace cannot effect this. Wars, and they desolating ones too, must supervene. The policy of the new empire will disturb everything, and leave nothing settled but the purpose of God. Already the shadow of coming events may be discerned. Since writing our article on the Tripartite Division of the Great City, its territory acknowledges the sway of three emperors. His Highness the Sultan of the Sublime Porte has changed his title to that of Emperor of Turkey; and the President of the imperial republic has assumed the style of Emperor of the French. So that, with the Emperor of Austria, there are now three to claim imperial sovereignty over the rest of Europe. In the coming strife, however, the Sultan will doubtless give place to the autocrat of Russia, whose manifest destiny is to overshadow and eclipse the glory of the other two. The shock of embattled hosts must be fearful ere this conclusion can be arrived at. But it is inevitable. No peace policy can be devised by the powers to avert this war. It must come. God has not prospered Louis Napoleon’s policy for the advantage of Napoleon the Third; but for the execution of that purpose represented in the going forth of the unclean spirits like frogs to the kings of the earth.
The French Empire, then, is not to be regarded as an olive branch, but as a great sword, with which the angels of God (to whom is subjected the present world, and whose administration is His providence) are about to advance him in affairs another stage toward the fulfilment of the times of the Gentiles. French intrigues in Belgium, Sardinia, and Constantinople are bringing the hands of the world’s rulers to their swords’ grasp, by which they are in motion towards the preparation of that war to which they are exhorted by the prophet Joel—Joel 3: 9-17—a war which is begun by the policy of the Frog-power, and terminated by the King of Israel and the saints, whose hope he is, as well as the strength of Israel’s tribes. The French Empire is a meteor. It will blaze forth with dazzling lustre to be extinguished in the blackness of darkness for ever. Its mission accomplished, and it will perish to rise no more. When “the cities of the nations fall,” its overthrow will be imminent, and its “mountain” a dissolving view.
There are some expecting the appearing of the Lord, and the resurrection of the dead in 1853. They will find this expectation as fallacious as that of 1843. They err, not knowing the Scriptures concerning “the time of the end.” The event is not far off, but it is not so near as we would have it. The work of dividing the great city into three parts will take time. Host will encounter host, and many battles fought and victories won, ere such a subdivision will be acquiesced in by the powers that be. After this the fall of the nations’ cities supervenes, by which the formation of the Feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s Image is effected, and the Toes attached to them. The seat of war is then transferred to Israel’s land, and Jerusalem is besieged and taken by the army of the Goat-nations confederated under Gog. When these predicted events have become history, there will then be reason in the expectation of the immediate, the daily, appearing of the Son of Man in power and great glory. The great thing for the believer to attend to now is preparation for appearance in his august presence. No one, however pious, is fit to stand there who has not obeyed “the gospel of the kingdom,” as well as believed it. Put on the wedding garment and keep it clean, if you would be approved when the Lord comes. How readest thou the wholesome words of Jesus? Is there such a passage in the book of God as be immersed and believe the gospel, or “He that is immersed and believeth shall be saved?” No. Faith in the kingdom’s gospel must precede immersion if you would be invested with God’s robe; styled in his word—
“The righteousness of God witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is through faith of Jesus Christ to all and upon all that believe”—Romans 3: 21-22.
Blessed are such who watch, having garments to cover them when the Lord appears. Being wise, they will understand and discern these portentous times aright.
MOTT HAVEN, N. Y., December 28, 1852.
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