w&M^*?\>^0«fe 65 €\)t Cratlj figure. The Pope is standing in tile crown, holding a razor in his hand. At his feet is a wolf with a sword. The wolf here appears to attack Popery. He grasps his sword, and with it power and dominion. Magic gives us to believe that these wolves are of the scorpion species ; for the wolf represents the peasants, who will be the first to attach. The razor in the Pope's hand attests his consecration. The consecration of the Pope and all the clergy may be likened to a razor. The razor in his hand is the emblem of power, and by losing it he loses his power, and is no more than any other mortal. God never intended to place heavenly power at the discretion of the Pope. The Pope standing in the crown, and not on it, means that he is like a king in his realm, defended on all sides. The peasants will be the first to drive him from his stronghold ; the sword will be wrested from him, and the razor with Avhich he had shorn others, will be turned against him and his adherents. Magic gives us to understand that the crown comprises all his dominion, and the clergy over which he rules. Although he appears to be strong in his dominion, it will be wrested from him, like the crown, the sword, the keys, and the razor. The downfall of Romanism aud the Church is at hand. The wolves will tear them to pieces, particularly 66 those who belong to his caste. However, this is only the first attack against him and his adhe- rents ; his power will be weakened, but not quite annihilated. The wolf, so magic tells us, stands here for a priest, and wolves will attack him. He has consecrated them, and they will turn against him. 67 Fist. XL 69 €\)t Clmntlj figure. Here stands tine Pope, holding two keys in one hand, up- lifted by an angel ; in the other hand lie holds a rod ; at his feet a peacock, with the tail spread out* The former figure indicated the loss of the sword, which would fall into the hands of the wolves. As we know already that in the magic language wolves stand for priests, we must believe that they will be the ones to make an attack, and hold the power, which in their turn they will lose. God will send an angel to take the power from them, and after its loss they will no longer be able to bind and unbind. The confidence placed in them will be lost, as well as the immunities of Popery. ~No one should then be led to believe that the power of Popery will he everlasting. We read it in all magic and in all constellations. The Pope will lose all his power little by little, and like a tree that is withered, will be cut down, for the dry rod in his hand shows his decline and rapid fall. That which grows suddenly, also perishes suddenly ; but it is not so here, for we read in the Word of God that the fig tree suddenly dried up and grew no more. The rod signifying punishment, would indicate that he carries his pun- ishment in his own hand, like an unruly pupil who is pun ished by his schoolmaster. The peacock which appears to gladden his sight, indicates that the Pope will appeal to Austria, and that she will give him help. Magic says that a peacock is a merry bird, tlie emblem of Austria, and is at the side of the Pope to sustain him. Notwithstanding the punishment to which the Pope will be subjected, he will bo upheld by Austria. The angel lifting up the keys, is a sure sign that the grace of God has departed from, the Pope. None of those wlvo assist him will he saved. Timely circumstances will help him, hut he. will not he helped hy God. 71 Fig. XII. 73 €§t tolftjj /igurt Here is the Pope with a Pilgrim's stair, and before liiin u Man in armor, witli bloody swords and spears. The last two figures represented the misfortune and downfall of the Pope, through the "Wolf and the Angel — the third misfortune he will receive at the hands of warriors. The Pope will become a pilgrim and a stranger in Pome. The iron-clad man indicates that he will be driven from his seat by war ; but the warrior will not attempt to take the life of the Pope. Though death is threatening him, the hand which is outstretched from the clouds turns the wrath of the warrior away, the punishment of being driven from the seat is enough for the present. So anxious is the man to take away the Pope's life, that he wrathfully wounds himself by grasping violently the sharp edge of the sword. The wrath of the Lord is soothed. Swords and spears mean war, rebels and multitudes of warriors. The stars signify that the hand of the Lord turns the sword away, that the Pope may not entirely perish ; for, all that happens to us on earth, is decreed in heaven. Although that magic would make us believe that the end of the Pope is at hand, the decree of God is'different ; He breaks the power of the Pope's adversaries, so that he may have the opportunity of reforming ; for God 74 is very lenient ; it is long before lie punishes the wicked. This is the third in the series of the trials in- flicted on the Pope. We see him now driven from his home. Harken, ye most. obstinate of the Popes ! What else but luxury is meant to be driven away — for luxury is at the bottom of all this trial. What is the Pope to be punished for ? For his fasting, his praying and confession ? No ! But for his falsehood. God in his kindness will not as yet deprive him of his oflice. Fig. XIII. A4«\ MW&iW* 77 €l)t Cjm'fetittlj figure. Tile Pope surrounded mid attacked by tlii'cc bears, two at his sides and one on His bead. The decree of God being passed, another pun- ishment follows. The bears attack the Pope and will ultimately swallow him. One will take hold of his head, that is to say, the Pope will be op- pressed by the raging bears and torn to pieces by them. The three bears signify that the faith will be divided into three parts. Three new faiths will arise. And as the bears feed on prey, so will the Pope be torn to pieces and devoured. The three creeds will not occupy the office of the Pope as they hoped to do ; one, however, will. The bears doing away with the Pope are like dogs attack- ing a man ; they do not become angels, but remain bears. These, and not angels, make the attack. Magic tells us that the bears stand for men who live on, spoils ; they de- vour out of envy, hatred and avarice. From their nature we are led" to believe that devils, and not angels, will cause the ruin of the Pope. His own followers will attack him so terribly that he will not find any comfort in his book ; all that will be left him, is to" own himself to be a liar and a cheat. The bears will perish as bears do perish. After 78 the Pope and the bears shall have perished, the Millennium will begin and the true understanding of faith, love and hope.* •That will be the New Church, the New Jerusalem. — [Remaek of the Editoe. ] 79 Fig. XIV. 81 €§t fmdtwfy fywxt Tlie Pope is seen with a banner in his hand. A (love and it serpent, speaking to each other, arc seen at his side. This picture indicates the arrogance of the Pope^ Although the punishment mentioned in the pre- ceding figure — the bears eating his flesh — shall take place, the Pope nevertheless will continue to be arrogant. The serpent signifies the devil Le- viathan, and the dove the Holy Ghost or the voice of God. They are having an altercation ; the Pope, bearing a banner, is looking on to see the Holy Ghost fighting against the devil. He bids the devil to quit the eartli ; against which the latter is combatting. The Pope then turns away from both, and says in his wicked heart : the ban- ner is mine, that is Pome, and all the followers of the Pomish Church. Mine also is power and the world. I have no ne^d of you ; I have already reaped my harvest ; I have fattened my sow ; do as you please ; I have my share. And he turns away from them in the belief that he no longer needs them. We see herein his arrogance and proud haughtiness, which he does not relinquish. Neither the devil nor the Lord, so he thinks, have anything to do with him, he is his own mas- ter. He also imagines that no one can de- prive him of what he holds from Peter and Paul ; that he needs neither of them any 82 longer. Having the power in his own hand, he believes. himself to be able to rule. The devil, if he should need him, would be at his command too, and would obey Mm. He continues to be sin- ful and arrogant, and grows in wickedness. He does not heed the punishments that are inflicted on him, one after another, and those which are to come yet ; but he boasts of the freedom of his banner, and of his book. The Word being eternal, he believes that he will hold the keys too forever. No one can take them from him ; but, like Jndas, who was an Apostle chosen by Christ, and was still a traitor, so will the apostolic power be taken from the Pope and another be placed in his stead. 83 Fig. XV. 85 $> jie fiftnnty figure. Tlic Pope wearing his tiara, which is pushed down by a unicorn. A man, confessing His sins, kneels before him, and he absolves him. Tiieke is no end to the plagues yet ; many more will come up, for the Pope relies too much on his own power. This figure indicates that the Pope will be deprived of his power of absolving sins, of binding on earth and in heaven, and all this on account of his whoredom. The nnicorn being a very clean animal ; has such a sharp scent that it discerns a virgin ; this animal stands for God, who knows all. The unicorn, which is seen push- ing down the tiara of the Pope, is a sign of his degradation. His office and all his appurtenances will be taken away from him. This is the follow- ing plague, and almost the last, which God has decreed . God takes away all his freedom and all his comfort ; he is like a dishonest captain, who is de- prived of his office and becomes an executioner. The P&pe will he dethroned, his tiara taken from him, and his power will never return to - his followers and name. All the fruit of the tree, that is to say the priesthood, will also be deprived of its power, and the tree will wither. Like the weed which is torn up and cast into the fire, will this evil he -uprooted and also he cast into the fire. That will be their last judgment-day — their downfall and condemnation. I?nt it will not be the judgment- 86 day of toe blessed ; for after this day another will eome, and all the inhabitants of the earth will re- joice and live in peace. The fruits of the tree will no longer pollute the earth ; the devil, in the shape of the serpent, will be cast into the fire of the lowest hell. The Man on earth will be guilty of no heresies ; no false apostles will appear to him, and no false Christians shall there be. 87 Fig. XVI. 89 There stands a Monk ; in one Hand lie holds a rose, in the other a sickle. On one side a fire-pokcr, and on the other a naked thigh. Tins figure has the following meaning. Like the rose which smells sweet in May and rejoices every one, whilst it withers in the fall and nothing remains but the barren bush, so will this Monk be sweet to the people. The multitude will run to hear him ; but a time of drought will follow, nothing will remain but the barren bush ; that is, empty words without flavor and taste. The sickle means that as every thing is hewn down with it, plants and weeds, so will good and evil be cut down and cast into the fire. This is indicated by the poker. The naked thigh shows that there will be a great uncovering of whoring, so great that all hearts will be laid bare, and whores and whore- mongers will be known. All evil deeds will be uncovered : the naked thigh is the wickedest and the most far-spread whoredom ever known. The Monk shows that there will arise a man who will be listened to with great admiration by the multi- tude ; but his autumn will come too, and he will wither. He will cut down all that is good and evil. lie will spare nothing, and inflict much trouble. His autumn will be like a fire, in which he will be consumed like wood. The instruments 90 at his feet indicate that he cannot escape, for they - surround him on all sides. After his mission shall be fulfilled with the upper signs, he passes on to the lower — the reign of whoredom and the con- suming by fire. In this manner will be consumed all the good he has done. 91 Fig. XVII. ij'., _IA ILL &$ksm&mh mm 93 lie §«itattj /igmt. Tlic Emperor anil Empress behind a curtain ; before it llic Pope, at whose feet lies an ox. The Pope will receive help from the ox in his undertakings, and protection in need ; but the work will be so difficult that the ox will grow tired to exhaustion, and lie down at the Pope's feet, and will be killed. Magic shows that the ox means the Swiss, the Pope's guard, who will fight for him ; but they exhaust themselves in their ef- forts, and they will be of no avail to him ; that is to say, that the Pope will loose his power, and great distress will come unto him. The Emperor and his wife behind the curtain shows that Popery will be raised again, for the peacock (Austria) means well with the Pope, and will continue to do so. Know, then, that although the destruction of the Popish realm has been predicted, the Em- peror will continue in his belief in the power of the Pope to open heaven. This will mislead the Emperor, and thereby the Pope will rise again with the hope that his power, his honor, authority and riches will still remain. The Pope and the ox will succumb ; another will take the power, but the Emperor will restore him. This, however, will not bo of any duration, for the tiara has been taken from him by God, angels have deprived him of his keys, the warrior has attacked him with 94: the sword, etc. Nothing will be of avail ; naj', the empire will find its ruin in it ; and there will be no increase, but rather decrease and loss. With the growing idolatry the empire will decay. The higher the power of the Pope rises, the deeper xoill the empire sink. The Pope will arise, but not the ox, which will be too much exhausted. 95 Fie. XVIII. 97 €l)t € igltatlj /rgittt. We svc tlic Pope standing upright, and a slic-bcar leans upon him, surrounded by young cubs siecking Her. After the downfall of the Pope and the ox, there will come a time when the Pope will grow hungry, like the young cubs. This visitation will be one of the last. The poverty and hunger will be the sign that the end of his dominion ap- proaches. God having withdrawn his hand, who is the Emperor that would protect and sup- port the Pope? None. He is fallen from the grace of God ; ho has been doomed to misery, and he will suck his claws like a bear. Poverty will open his eyes. His last hour will come. He will grow wild like a she-bear deprived of milk for her cubs. She tears down every thing in her rage. This will be the fate of the Pope and his priests. Eut they will struggle to the last ; for riches and power being given up, the evil survives in the heart, and brings forth rage and excommunications; therefore he is like a wild she-bear, which is more furious than the male. Empires deprived of the grace of God fall to atoms, not by any righteous man, but they destroy one another. Like a city where there is no unity nor security, one devours the other. Cities falling through their own in- 98 iquity, not through the power of tyrants, hut by combatting against each other. Wo pious man will have a hand in the Pope's destruction, for he will perish through his own priesthood. 99 Fisr. XIX. 101 €\)t MnkmW) figure. The Pope, before Him a fox holding the Pope's banner and keys in his mouth* This figure shows the approaching end of Po- pery. The fox is one of the Pope's own household and trihe, for all that the Pope does he is doing with the cunning of a fox. The heretics are the fox, who will carry away the Pope's hanner, and this will be the end of him. He retains neither keys nor hanner, neither cities nor land, neither empire nor dukedom ; he is an outcast. His own foxes have driven him away with cunning. Through the heretics Popery will see its end, and this is the last of his number and tribe. Although many heretics have risen previously, nothing has been done to him ; but there have been many of them, and such a constellation has never before appeared; but the rabble grows furious and is great, and the executioners are ready. 103 Fig. XX. 105 CJic 'tentittjj /pre. There is a linked Priest sitting, and a peasant near him, and i* box with money. Who could possess less than nakedness and be deprived of all ? But the priesthood will be na- ked and deprived of all. None of them will know where to direct their steps, and the poorest peasant will be richer than they. This is the destruction of the Pope and Ms final deposition. He/ the Pope, will be destroyed, and with him all his cardinals, patriarchs, bishops, orders, priests, and all — all will be consumed, and finally also the heretics. They must all come to an end who live after the manner of the Priests, who have heen anointed / they all will go down, one alone will remain, the others will disappear like snow. Many wonder- ful events will come to pass before the Pope will sit naked on a hard stone. 107 Fig. XXI. 109 € lie Craty-ftM figure. There stands the Pope witli his tiara off, giving it to sliecp lying at His feet. There will again be a Pope, but he will be pure and glorious, after the manner of Peter and Paul. His arrogance will be laid aside. His pride, too, his avarice and his overbearing power. He will be meek after the fashion of the Apostles, and the sheep lying at his feet will not be mer- chants, jior usurers, nor lawyers. Nor will they be adulterers, nor thieves, nor blasphemers, nor whoremongers, nor murderers, nor heretics. But the lives of the people will be unspotted and pure as the life of a lamb. And the Pope will radiate forth harmony and heavenly peace : these also will pervade his whole flock. And thus also the following figures signify : purity of heart of Hie Pope and hisflocJc. Ill Fig. XXII. 113 €§t tonftj-Bernttfr figure. Therein kneels a Priest, on whom an Angel puts a hat. Know then, that not by man, but by the angels of God, shall the Pope be crowned. For all those who have been crowned by man shall perish like a tree that has been condemned by God. Man- kind shall have a Pope not after the fashion, of his ownlaws,nor afterthat ofthepeasantsandheretics, but after the will of God. The Pope (shepherd) shall again possess power by the grace of God, and he shall rule in the spirit of mercy and love of God. No one shall be allowed to say, make the Pope after my fashion, nor shall the choice of him be in the power of mortals ; and none will be elected by the judgments of men, which are all false and worthless ; and thus every thing effected by such elections is likewise false and idolatrous. But God will choose him, for he has chosen the first, and so shall he do the last, for His is the privilege and power, not man's. For if men could choose the Pope, it would be as it was before, the devil would be among them ; for he is friendly to all such elections by self-directed men. lit Fig. XXIII. .^i^Bgaiiiiiii^iMiMMiiti IKiffi^MiiiHiilil 117 €\)t