The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

Babylon being represented by a lion, Medo-Persia by a bear, and Grecia by a leopard. The
significance of the body of the beast being likened to a leopard is thus described:
"Well do the Scriptures symbolically represent Papacy as a leopard beast (or mottled
government--Rev. 13:2). In one place it is liberal, almost white in its professions or
appearances; in another quarter it is black, corrupt, degrading, brutal; and in still other
places it has various neutral and tawny shades of correspondence to the natural depravity
of the people it rules with its rod of eternal torment and its staff of purgatory.
"In Spain [one of the ten horns] which has been for centuries one of its dark spots--as dark
as the general civilization of the people will permit, the 'leopard' has been accustomed to
have its way, and is now incensed that freedom of worship, or even of thought, should be
dreamed of."
In regard to the beast being described as having feet like the feet of a bear, and a mouth
like that of a lion, we have this striking comment by Mr. Barnes:
"The idea here seems to be that of strength, as the strength of the bear resides much in its
feet and claws. At the same time, there is the idea of a combination of fierce qualities--as if
the blood-thirstiness, the cruelty, and the agility of the leopard were united with the
strength of the bear. . . . The mouth of the lion is made to seize and hold its prey, and is
indicative of the character of the animal as a beast of prey. John has thus brought together
the qualities of activity, blood-thirstiness, strength, ferocity, all as symbolic of the power
that was intended to be represented."
It is true that these characteristics are intended, doubtless, to apply to the ten kingdoms (as
well as Papacy), nearly all of which, as kingdoms, had embraced the idolatrous form of
Christianity that prevailed when the Roman bishop was constituted by the Emperor
Justinian's decree to be the supreme head of Christendom. Mr. Lord has thus described
them:
"These separate dynasties are with propriety united in a single symbol [ten horns], and
exhibited as one great combination of usurping tyrants, from the similarity of their
arrogations, policy, and rulers. . . . They all adopted, in a large degree, the laws of the
ancient [Roman] Empire as their common law. They united in the same usurpation of
Divine rights, in imposing the same false religion [paganized Christian] on their subjects,
and in a similar hostility to the true people of God. They all nationalized the Church and
all persecuted dissenters. They were to their subjects in strength, ferocity, and bloodiness,
what an animal would be to its victims that united in itself the agility of the panther
[leopard], the strength of the bear, and the mercilessness and voracity of the lion."
"And all the world wondered after the beast."--Ver. 3.
"The word wondered here used . . . means properly to be astonished; to be amazed; then to
wonder at; then to admire and follow. . . . And the general idea is, that the beast received
such a universal reverence, or inspired such universal awe, as to be properly called