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Eureka

AN EXPOSITION OF THE APOCALYPSE
Sixth Edition, 1915
By Dr. John Thomas (first edition written 1861)

 

 

Chapter 13

Section 1 Subsection 12

The Mouth of the Beast


 
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"2. And his Mouth as the Mouth of a Lion. 5. And there was given unto him (the Beast of the Sea) a Mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. 6. And he opened his Mouth in blasphemy concerning the Deity, to have blasphemed his Name, and his Tabernacle, and those who tabernacle in the heaven."

Every living, and many inanimate, things, have their mouth in a literal or figurative sense. In man, it is the hollow between the jaws, Shut or opened by the lips, which are, therefore styled "the doors of the mouth." In him, it is the outlet of that which defiles, or of wisdom, graciousness, and blessing. It is that which proceedeth out of the mouth by which the character of the inward man is in a great degree determined. A man whose mouth speaks the wisdom of the Deity, gracious words, and blessing, and whose conduct is in conformity with what he speaks, is one whose heart is right with the Deity, and from which no blasphemy can find utterance: "the heart of the wise teacheth his mouth," therefore, "the mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment" (Prov. 16:23; Psa. 37:30).

But the Mouth of the Beast evidently doth not belong to mouths of this class; for it "speaks blasphemies concerning the Deity." Hence, the heart of the Beast must be desperately wicked; for "out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaketh." The character of the inward Beast, therefore, or of that system of things spiritual and temporal, doctrinal, practical and political, hidden in the symbols before us, must be essentially "the Mystery of Iniquity in all the deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish" (2 Thess. 2:7,10). The Mouth of the Beast is the mouth of the wicked in their politico-religious organization. It is a mouth which "speaketh vanity," and "poureth out evil things:" the words thereof "are smoother than butter, but war is in their heart; their words are softer than oil, yet are they drawn swords." With this Mouth "the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom Yahweh abhorreth: Through the pride of his countenance he will not seek, the Deity is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous; thy judgments, 0 Yahweh! are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved; for I shall never be in adversity. His Mouth is full of cursing, and deceit, and fraud; under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent; his eyes are privily set against the poor. He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den; he lieth in wait to catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones. He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: He hideth his face; he will never see it" (Psa. 10:3-11). If John had written this as descriptive of the Lion-Mouth of the Beast, nothing could have more accurately recorded what have been the facts developed in the many centuries of its wickedness and blasphemies. The words proceeding out of it have been "softer than oil" towards its wor-hippers; but they have been "drawn swords" against the poor saints and witnesses of the anointed Jesus. He has puffed at his enemies; for, though but feeble in arms, he has set the most powerful of his enemies at defiance; and by his spiritual thunders reduced them to the most abject submission. The Name of Blasphemy speaking by his Lion-Mouth, de-clares the eternity of his rule; and that he shall "see no sorrow" from which he shall not ultimately be delivered: "He saith in his heart, I shall not be moved; for I shall never be in adversity" (Apoc. 18:7); and, as for cursing, deceit, fraud, mischief and vanity, his mouth is indeed full; for in the atmosphere of these he lives, and moves, and has his being. The judgments of the Deity are indeed "out of his sight" far above him. He discerns them not. This is highly characteristic of him at the present time. Even his worshippers are hating him, and making him desolate and naked, as it has long since been predicted they would (Apoc. 17:16); yet so blind are his eyes with which he surveys the world, and so infatuate and unteachable his obdurate and beastly heart from his long surfeit and intoxication of blood (verse 6), that he can see nothing; so that, persisting in his obstinacy, the fate of the blind when they undertake to lead the blind, will come upon him in an hour when he thinks only of future glory, and he will suddenly "go into perdition," and there will be none to help.

When a man becomes a spokesman for another he is regarded as a mouth to him. This was the case with Aaron. He was appointed for a mouth to Moses, who was slow of speech, and of a slow tongue; and Moses was to be to him in the place of God (Exod. 4:16). Hence, Aaron was Moses' prophet, who spoke as he was moved by Moses. So of all in old time who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit; they became mouths to Him who moved them to speak; and therefore, it is written, "the Deity spake to the fathers by the prophets." There were such mouths of the Deity in the ecclesia at Corinth. They were styled prophets, and their utterances, prophesyings; or, speaking unto men to "edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). And so also in relation to the worshippers of the Beast. They needed A PROPHET to teach and build them up in their superstition, and to be for them a bond of union in all things pertaining to it. As they designated their superstition "the Holy Catholic Apostolic," they required a Prophet, who should be the Mouth of that system; and would expound and defend it against the Holy Scriptures, Deity Himself, and all who claimed to be His witnesses. The utterances of this Mouth would be his prophesyings; and by no means to be despised by those who should enjoy the favor of the Beast; or, of that Name of Blasphemy upon his heads. The requirements of the worshippers were provided for by the Dragon, who gave them "a Mouth speaking great things and blasphemies"; and to the Mouth himself, he "gave authority over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations;" so that "all that dwell upon the (Mediterranean) earth should worship him, whose names are not written, from the foundation of the world, in the book of the life of the Lamb slain." To these millions of worshippers, upon whom the Deity sent "a strong delusion that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" - the Mouth given became the spokesman of Anti-christendom - "the Mouth of the False Prophet," or Name of Blasphemy - (Apoc. 16:13; 19:30). He is styled a false prophet, because his utterances, or prophesyings, are mere fraud, deceit, and vanity; because the signs, and lying wonders wrought in the presence of the Beast-authorities by him, are an imposture, and his preaching, allocutions, decrees, and so forth, the falsehoods of a lying oracle, by which they are deceived who have received the mark of the beast, and who worship his image (Apoc. 19:20). His end is perdition by being "cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone."

 

 


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