Mortals may well be astonished at sin, sickness, and death. They may well be perplexed at human fear. The dragon as a type. They may be still more astounded at hatred, which lifts its hydra head, showing its horns in the many inventions of evil. But why should they stand aghast at nothingness? The great red dragon only symbolizes a lie, — the belief that substance, life, and intelligence can be material. This dragon stands for the sum total of human error. The ten horns of the dragon typify the belief that matter has a power of its own, and that by means of mind in matter it can break the Ten Commandments.
The Revelator lifts the veil from this embodiment of all evil, and beholds its awful character; but he also sees The sting of the serpent. the nothingness of evil and the allness of God. The Revelator sees that old serpent, whose name is Devil, or Evil, holding untiring watch, that he may bite the heel of Truth, and devour the offspring of the spiritual idea, which is prolific in health, holiness, and immortality.
Revelation xii. 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of Heaven, and did cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
The serpentine form stands for subtlety, winding its way amidst all evil, but doing this in the name of Good. Trail of the fiend. Its sting is spoken of by Paul, when he refers to “spiritual wickedness in high places.” It is the animal instinct in mortal minds, which would devour each other, and cast out devils through Beelzebub.
As of old, evil still charges the spiritual idea with
