The Roaring Lion: Prophetic Decision on the Bohemian War

...pointing out the great things he will do for those who dwell upon the Earth in the end times. Now, as Esdras Referring to the prophet Ezra in the apocryphal book 2 Esdras (or 4 Ezra), specifically the "Eagle Vision" in chapters 11–12. saw the vision, he witnessed an Eagle flying up from the sea with three heads; this vision I shall explain elsewhere—namely, in the Treatise on the BEAST original: "Tractatu BESTIA"—along with its heads, feathers, and kings. For now, however, it is not without special cause that an Eagle is shown to Esdras ruling over the whole world; for the Roman Empire, and no other power, bears an Eagle in its coat of arms The Eagle was the primary heraldic symbol of the Holy Roman Empire.. No Papist A derogatory term for Roman Catholics loyal to the Pope. will deny this, and consequently original: "consequenter", it follows that this vision should be understood as the Roman Eagle. The fact that the Eagle has three heads—and thus the Turk The Ottoman Empire. and the Persian are also counted therein generally original: "in genere"—is not absurd. For just as Daniel describes the Roman Empire in the 7th chapter and then the Turk and Persian in the 8th chapter, who also rule over all the world, so too does Esdras describe here the dominion of the whole world with its heads collectively original: "collective". And although the Turk does not bear an eagle in his coat of arms, he nevertheless holds all the empire that the one head of the Eagle (namely, the Emperor in Greece Referring to the Byzantine Empire, which the Ottomans conquered in 1453.) previously held; thus, no contradiction will be found here.

It is, however, very important to note what is said of the Eagle and its heads: how they will finish the times of the world until the Most High comes and delivers the Earth from their power and injustice, as can be clearly understood from the words of the Lion In Esdras’s vision, a Lion appears to rebuke the Eagle, representing the Messiah judging the worldly empires.. The Roman Empire at the time of Christ had no eagle in its coat of arms; much less was it destroyed by Christ. On the contrary, it destroyed him and his followers and set an "Abomination of Desolation" A biblical reference to a sacrilegious object or figure placed in the Temple, used here to describe the corruption of the Church. in the Holy Place—indeed, it utterly rooted out Christ, as Daniel clearly testifies in the 9th chapter and as experience has proven. Thus, the angels also agree in their prophecies and interpretations regarding the time of the end; they also concur regarding the final fate of the Beast, which is to be ignited and burned with fire. If this has already happened—and if the Papists can prove it—then I am quite happy to be called a liar by the Scriptures.

Thirdly, there is one more thing to consider: namely, that we should examine with great diligence the Beast from the Revelation of Jesus Christ given to John. In that book, the Beast is described in the 13th chapter and explained by the angel in the 17th.