afflicted the Church may be summed up in these seven: Judaism, paganism, Arianism, Mohammedanism, Protestantism, rationalism, and atheism.
The dragon is seen in heaven which is here a symbol of the Church, the kingdom of heaven on earth. This indicates that the first troubles of those days will be inaugurated within the Church by apostate bishops, priests, and peoples, the stars dragged down by the tail of the dragon.
4. The tail of the dragon represents the cunning hypocrisy with which he succeeds in deceiving a large number of people and pastors a third part of the stars. Arianism led a way many bishops, priests and peoples. The pretended Reformation of the sixteenth century claimed still larger numbers but these cannot be compared to the numbers seduced by Satan in the days of Antichrist.
The dragon stands before the woman ready to devour the child that is brought forth. Tn other words, the powers of hell seek by all means to destroy the Pope elected in those days.
5. The woman brings forth a son to rule the nations with a rod of iron. These are the identical words of prophecy uttered by the Psalmist concerning our Saviour Jesus Christ. [1] They confirm our application of this vision to the Pope, the vicar of Christ on earth to rule the nations in His stead and by His power.
- ↑ Psalm ii, 9.
