The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

It will be our purpose before attempting to discover the fulfillment of this vision in
history--if indeed it has had a fulfillment--to consider the meaning of the symbols.
Concerning the Scriptural use of a beast as a symbol there should not be any difference of
opinion. A beast symbolizes an empire, a kingdom, or a worldly government.
"We might here remark [says Mr. Russell] that nothing in this word 'beast' [of itself] is
specially derogatory or invidious, neither in our use of the word, nor in the Scriptural use.
Throughout the. Scriptures, in the symbolisms of Daniel and the Apocalypse, beasts are
freely used as symbols for nations, governments, earthly powers, though never used as
representing the Divine power--the true Church, the true Kingdom, which shall ultimately
prevail."
We might add that for centuries governments have been represented by the symbol of a
beast, for instance, the British government is represented by the lion and the unicorn, and
the Russian government by the bear. In the Scriptures the nature and character of the
government is determined by the beast's actions and, when represented as speaking, by its
words.
It is very important to bear in mind, as definitely stated in the vision, that this is "another
beast." This, it would seem, cannot be consistently interpreted to mean anything else than
that it is to be considered as entirely distinct and separate from the power or government
represented by the ten-horned beast which preceded it, and which we have interpreted to
be, as is quite generally understood, the divided Western Roman Empire, united under one
ecclesiastical "head," the Papacy. In making application, therefore, of the vision in history,
we will need to look for a government separate and distinct from the government
represented by the first beast, considered in the previous chapter.
Another feature connected with the application of this vision in history is that it follows in
point of time the division of the Roman Empire into ten kingdoms, the rise of the Papacy,
and the Papacy's becoming a recognized ruling head in religious matters over these
kingdoms. We shall, therefore, look for it some time after this state of affairs has
developed in history. Another thing to be observed in an effort to identify it in history is
that after its rise, it continues contemporary with the ten-horned kingdom and the Papacy.
This is seen in the statement that it exercises in his sight all or, as is probably meant,
similar power to the ten-horned kingdom under its Papal head. A further very important
feature to be noted in an endeavor to locate it in history is that this two-horned beast,
unlike the ten-horned beast, which emerged from the sea, comes up from the earth. The
origin of the ten-horned beast and the Papal head, it will be recalled, was in connection
with the disturbances amongst the "sea" class--disturbances which were caused by the
invasions of the barbaric hordes of the north, and their establishing kingdoms in the
territory of the Western Roman Empire. The two-horned beast, on the other hand, rises out
of settled governmental conditions; that is, without disturbances among the people
incidental to warring invasions. One has said as denoting the symbolic significance of this
feature: