to destroy, and it breathed out smoke and flame in order to reach or frighten its victims at a distance from its claws.
In Revelation the its seven head signified insanity from the truths of the Word falsified, or as the dogma of Faith Alone, and its ten horns signified much power, for horns in animal life are the means with which the animal fights, "Ten" covers the idea of "all," as for example, the ten fingers on both hands.
When we read that its tail drew down the third part of the stars of heaven, (this signifying—in another aspect—as purpose, cause and effect—three or "all") and cast them to the earth we learn that by the falsification of the truths of the Word in sinuous reasonings all the spiritual knowledge of the good and the true were falsified; but we also learn that practically all were of Christendom drawn to accept its infernal teachings.
If one thinks this a fanciful picture, and has no real relation to the church, he should remember that the followers of the Dragon, who accepted the teaching of Luther that Faith Alone saves, came to have great power, for the church became thoroughly imbued with this false teaching. John Calvin, one of the great supporters of this doctrine, who was led to believe that some people were predestined to hell regardless of their lives, or predestined to heaven regardless of their characters, was able to have an opposer of the Dragon, Michael Servetus, burnt at the stake because he opposed the Dragonistic teaching of three Gods.
And people everywhere in the middle ages when Protestantism became powerful became afraid to think for themselves in matters of religion because of the persecution of the Dragonists. History records such persecutions because of denial of accepted dogmas.
But their power is waning despite the fact that hundreds of voices over the radio today constantly broadcast to the entire country devastating doctrine. And there are many voices in countless pulpits at work to make people believe that they are saved only by the Vicarious Atonement, even though they most inconsistently preach as indispensable repentance and the changed life!
The two ideas are obviously absolutely opposed. If nothing that a
