in their hands. Cast
down from his exalted position in the heavens--the religious sphere--his
ecclesiastical prestige lost, he had no place to abide but in the
earth--the political kingdom--whence he took up arms, and "woe to the
inhabitants of the earth." But "the days of Paganism in the empire were
numbered." The Devil knew that he had but a short time, therefore he
came down in great wrath. This is in accordance with the facts of
history. Paganism did not die an easy death, but struggled hard and
long.

When cast from his high position, however, the dragon "persecuted the
woman which brought forth the man-child." The true idea expressed in the
original is that he _pursued_ the woman, and this signification is
indicated by what follows--"To the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she
is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of
the serpent." The _time_ as a definite period signifies one year; hence
a time, times, and half a time would be three and one-half years, or
twelve hundred and sixty days, as before explained. There is an apparent
incongruity or contradiction of statement in reference to the symbols
here; but it is a contradiction that when rightly understood throws
light upon the whole subject. It will be noticed that the woman and
Michael with his angels symbolize the same object--the people of God.
Under the latter figure they were triumphant and the dragon was
defeated. Yet after he was cast down, he turned upon the woman and
pursued her, and thus, the church appeared to be the defeated party.
According to this, then, the Pagan party is represented as _prevailing_
soon after he met _defeat_ and the church apparently _defeated_ soon
after her period of _triumph_. Here again we have two separate symbols
of the same object in order to represent two of its different phases.

This is explained satisfactorily by noticing carefully the facts. The
woman, who is always the true church composed of holy people, was at
first identical with the visible church, or the great body of
Christians, and in this condition was successful in spreading the pure
gospel and casting down the powers of iniquity symbolized by the dragon.
But the dragon politically, as symbolized by his being a beast from the
natural world, with heads and horns, remained in power for some time,
his religious prestige only being lost. Christianity did not at