rophetical reference
to the battle of Armageddon, which will be terminated by the coming of
the Son of God himself to overthrow completely all the powers of
wickedness.

15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues.

16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these
shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and
shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to
agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of
God shall be fulfilled.

18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The special thoughts contained in these verses have been so far
explained already that it is unnecessary to go over the same ground
again. Already the civil powers of Europe are beginning to cast this
woman aside as an old, wrinkled, haggard prostitute is cast off by her
lovers. Already they have deprived her of all temporal authority such as
she possessed in guiding this beast of chapter 17, as explained under
the fifth plague in the preceding chapter. Whether they are destined to
become a still greater enemy to her, the future will determine.

CHAPTER XVIII.

And after these things I saw another angel come down from
heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his
glory.

2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird.

3. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed
fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed
rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

A movement of mighty power is symbolized in these verses. The chronology
of the events described in the preceding chapter brings us down to the
time when the ten horns turn against the Papacy by depriving her of her
temporal authority. This, as we have already seen, was completely
fulfilled in 1870 and constituted the fifth plague. In the description
of the sixth plague which followed, it was shown that the great city
which was invaded was composed of three parts--Paganis