In the previous article we identified that the Millerites could not see Rome as more than pagan and papal Rome, though they did address the distinctions between those two powers. For the Millerites the distinctions between pagan and papal Rome did not lead them to recognize that papal Rome was the fifth kingdom that followed the fourth kingdom of pagan Rome. After the disappointment in 1844, Sister White identified the three powers of Revelation twelve and thirteen as the dragon in chapter twelve, then the papacy, as the beast that came from the sea in chapter thirteen that was followed by the United States as the beast that came out of the earth. After the foundation was laid, the Lord opened the light upon the three-fold union of the dragon, the beast and false prophet that in chapter sixteen of Revelation leads the world to Armageddon.
在上一篇文章中，我们指出，米勒派只将罗马视为“异教罗马”和“教皇罗马”，尽管他们确实论及这两种权势之间的区别。对于米勒派来说，异教罗马与教皇罗马的区分并没有使他们认识到：教皇罗马是紧随异教罗马第四国之后的第五国。1844年的大失望之后，怀爱伦姐妹指出，启示录第十二、十三章中的三个权势分别是：第十二章里的龙；第十三章里从海里上来的兽——即教皇权；随后从地里上来的兽——美国。在这一基础奠定之后，主又开启了关于“龙、兽和假先知”的三重联盟之亮光；启示录第十六章表明，这一联盟要引领世界走向哈米吉多顿。
“The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found begins with Revelation 12, with the dragon that sought to destroy Christ at His birth. The dragon is said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9); he it was that moved upon Herod to put the Saviour to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome.
这些象征出现的预言是从《启示录》第12章开始的，以那条企图在基督诞生时毁灭祂的龙为开端。那龙被称为撒但（启示录12:9）；正是它唆使希律将救主置诸死地。然而，在基督教时代最初几个世纪里，撒但向基督及祂的子民发动战争的主要工具是罗马帝国，而在那个帝国中，异教是占主导地位的宗教。因此，龙在首要意义上代表撒但，但在次要意义上，它也是异教罗马的象征。
“In chapter 13 ( verses 1–10) is described another beast, ‘like unto a leopard,’ to which the dragon gave ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ This symbol, as most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy, which succeeded to the power and seat and authority once held by the ancient Roman empire. Of the leopardlike beast it is declared: ‘There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies…. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’ This prophecy, which is nearly identical with the description of the little horn of Daniel 7, unquestionably points to the papacy.
在第13章（1—10节）中，描述了另一个“像豹一样”的兽；龙将“自己的权力、座位和大权柄”赐给了它。这个象征，正如大多数新教徒所相信的那样，代表教皇制度；它承袭了古罗马帝国曾经拥有的权力、权位与权柄。论到这只像豹的兽，有这样的宣告：“又赐给它一张说夸大话和亵渎话的口……它开口亵渎神，亵渎他的名、他的帐幕，并那些住在天上的人。又准许它与圣徒争战，并且胜过他们；又把权柄赐给它，管辖各族、各方言、各国。”这预言与但以理书第七章中那只小角的描述几乎完全一致，毫无疑问地指向教皇制度。
“‘Power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ And, says the prophet, ‘I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.’ And again: ‘He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.’ The forty and two months are the same as the ‘time and times and the dividing of time,’ three years and a half, or 1260 days, of Daniel 7—the time during which the papal power was to oppress God’s people. This period, as stated in preceding chapters, began with the supremacy of the papacy, A.D. 538, and terminated in 1798. At that time the pope was made captive by the French army, the papal power received its deadly wound, and the prediction was fulfilled, ‘He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.’
“‘又赐给它权柄，可以延续四十二个月。’先知又说：‘我看见它的一个头仿佛受了致命的伤。’又说：‘掳人的必被掳去；用刀杀人的，必被刀杀。’这四十二个月与‘一载、二载、半载’相同，就是三年半，或一千二百六十天，都是但以理书第七章所说的——在这段时间内，教皇权势要压迫上帝的子民。这一时期，正如前几章所述，始于公元538年教皇制度取得至上权之时，终于1798年。那时教皇被法军掳去，教皇权势受了致命的创伤，这预言得以应验：‘掳人的必被掳去。’”
“At this point another symbol is introduced. Says the prophet: ‘I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb.’ Verse 11. Both the appearance of this beast and the manner of its rise indicate that the nation which it represents is unlike those presented under the preceding symbols. The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when ‘the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.’ Daniel 7:2. In Revelation 17 an angel explained that waters represent ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’ Revelation 17:15. Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.
此时又引入了一个象征。先知说：“我看见另有一只兽从地里上来；它有两角，好像羔羊。”第11节。这只兽的外貌以及它兴起的方式都表明，它所代表的国家与前面诸象征所描绘的那些国家不同。那些统治过世界的大帝国，在先知但以理眼中被呈现为猛兽；当“天的四风”在“大海”上相争时，它们就兴起。但以理书7:2。在启示录第17章中，一位天使解释说，水象征“众民、群众、邦国、方言”。启示录17:15。风是纷争的象征。天的四风在大海上相争，象征着各国通过征服和革命而取得权势的可怕场景。
“But the beast with lamblike horns was seen ‘coming up out of the earth.’ Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World—that turbulent sea of ‘peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.’ It must be sought in the Western Continent.
然而，那只两角如同羊羔的兽被看见“从地里上来”。这所代表的国家并不是通过推翻其他政权来建立自身，而是必须在先前无人占据的领土上兴起，并且逐步而和平地成长。因此，它不可能在旧世界那些拥挤而相互纷争的民族中兴起——那片由“众民、群众、列国、方言”构成的动荡之海。必须在西方大陆去寻找它。
“What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America. Again and again the thought, almost the exact words, of the sacred writer has been unconsciously employed by the orator and the historian in describing the rise and growth of this nation. The beast was seen ‘coming up out of the earth;’ and, according to the translators, the word here rendered ‘coming up’ literally signifies ‘to grow or spring up as a plant.’ And, as we have seen, the nation must arise in territory previously unoccupied. A prominent writer, describing the rise of the United States, speaks of ‘the mystery of her coming forth from vacancy,’ and says: ‘Like a silent seed we grew into empire.’—G. A. Townsend, The New World Compared With the Old, page 462. A European journal in 1850 spoke of the United States as a wonderful empire, which was ‘emerging,’ and ‘amid the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride.’—The Dublin Nation. Edward Everett, in an oration on the Pilgrim founders of this nation, said: ‘Did they look for a retired spot, inoffensive for its obscurity, and safe in its remoteness, where the little church of Leyden might enjoy the freedom of conscience? Behold the mighty regions over which, in peaceful conquest, … they have borne the banners of the cross!’—Speech delivered at Plymouth, Massachusetts, Dec. 22, 1824, page 11.
1798年，在新大陆，哪个国家正崛起成势，展现出力量与伟大的希望，并吸引着全世界的注意？这一象征的应用毋庸置疑。只有一个国家符合这项预言的特征；它明确无误地指向美利坚合众国。演说家与史家在描述这个国家的兴起和成长时，不止一次不自觉地使用了那位圣经作者的思想，甚至几乎是同样的措辞。那兽被看见“从地里上来”；而据译者所言，这里译作“上来”的词，字面意思是“像植物一样生长或萌芽”。并且，如前所见，这个国家必须在先前无人占据的领土上兴起。 一位著名作家在描述美国的兴起时，谈到“她从空无中出现的奥秘”，并说：“我们像一粒无声的种子，成长为帝国。”——G. A. 汤森德，《新世界与旧世界之比较》，第462页。1850年的一家欧洲期刊称美国为一个奇妙的帝国，正在“兴起”，并且“在大地的寂静中，每天都在增添它的权力与自豪”。——《都柏林民族报》。爱德华·埃弗里特在一篇关于本国清教徒开创者的演说中说：“他们是否在寻找一个偏僻之地，因其默默无闻而不致冒犯，因其遥远而得以安全，使莱顿的小教会可以享有良心的自由？看哪，在和平的征服之下，……他们把十字架的旗帜带到了何等广袤的地域！”——1824年12月22日于马萨诸塞州普利茅斯发表的演讲，第11页。
“‘And he had two horns like a lamb.’ The lamblike horns indicate youth, innocence, and gentleness, fitly representing the character of the United States when presented to the prophet as ‘coming up’ in 1798. Among the Christian exiles who first fled to America and sought an asylum from royal oppression and priestly intolerance were many who determined to establish a government upon the broad foundation of civil and religious liberty. Their views found place in the Declaration of Independence, which sets forth the great truth that ‘all men are created equal’ and endowed with the inalienable right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ And the Constitution guarantees to the people the right of self-government, providing that representatives elected by the popular vote shall enact and administer the laws. Freedom of religious faith was also granted, every man being permitted to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience. Republicanism and Protestantism became the fundamental principles of the nation. These principles are the secret of its power and prosperity. The oppressed and downtrodden throughout Christendom have turned to this land with interest and hope. Millions have sought its shores, and the United States has risen to a place among the most powerful nations of the earth.
“他有两角如同羊羔。”羊羔般的两角象征着年轻、纯真与温顺，恰当地代表了美国在1798年向先知显现为“兴起”之时的特征。最先为逃避王权压迫与教士的不宽容而逃往美洲、寻求庇护的基督徒流亡者当中，有许多人立志在公民自由与宗教自由的广阔基础上建立一个政府。他们的主张在《独立宣言》中得以体现，其中阐明了这样一个伟大的真理：“人人生而平等”，并被赋予“生命、自由与追求幸福”这一不可剥夺的权利。而《宪法》则保障人民的自我治理权，规定由普选产生的代表制定并施行法律。宗教信仰自由也得到保障，每个人都可以按照良心的指引敬拜上帝。共和主义与新教成为这个国家的基本原则。这些原则是其力量与繁荣的秘诀。整个基督教世界中，受压迫与被践踏的人们都怀着期盼与希望把目光投向这片土地。数以百万计的人奔赴其海岸，美国也因此跻身于世界上最强大的国家之列。
“But the beast with lamblike horns ‘spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed; … saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.’ Revelation 13:11–14.” The Great Controversy, 438–441.
“但那有如同羊羔两角的兽，‘说话像龙。它在头一个兽面前施行头一个兽一切的权柄，并且使全地和住在其上的人敬拜那头一个兽，那致命的伤已经医好；……又对住在地上的人说，要为那受过刀伤却仍活着的兽造一个像。’启示录13:11-14。” 《大争议》，438-441。
The passage identifies that chapters twelve and thirteen are identifying the dragon, the beast and the false prophet, the three powers in Revelation sixteen that lead the world to Armageddon. Those three powers each have their own special chapters that covers the identical prophetic history. The last six verses of Daniel eleven begin with the words, “And at the time of the end,” which was 1798. Then the six verses identify the final movements of the papacy until in verse one of Daniel twelve Michael stands up and human probation closes and ushers in the seven last plagues. In verse forty-four of chapter eleven the message of the hour that enrages the papacy and initiates the blood bath that takes place just before probation closes is represented as “tidings out of the east and out of the north.”
这段经文指出，第十二章和第十三章是在辨认那龙、那兽和那假先知——这三股势力在启示录第十六章中把世界引向哈米吉多顿。 这三个势力各自有其专章，涵盖同一段预言历史。 但以理书第十一章最后六节以“到了末了的时候”这句话开头，也就是1798年。 随后这六节经文界定教皇权的最后动向，直到但以理书第十二章第一节米迦勒站起来，人类的恩典期结束，并引入末后的七灾。 在第十一章第四十四节，使教皇权震怒并引发就在恩典期结束之前发生的血腥屠杀的当时信息，被表述为“从东方和从北方来的消息”。
The message east and north represents the final warning message, for it is proclaimed just before Michael stands up. It is the third angel’s message that is proclaimed during the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Daniel represented the message as two-fold. The message of the “north” that enrages the papacy is the message identifying the “king of the north” as the papal power, and the message of the “east” is the message of the children of the east, which is Islam. Of course, it has other important meanings as well, but east is a symbol of Islam and the antichrist is the counterfeit of the true King of the North. The message of the third angel that warns against receiving the mark of the king of the north (the mark of the beast) also warns that Islam will strike at the point that the cup of iniquity is full for the United States, and the United States fills its cup of iniquity at the Sunday law.
“东”与“北”的信息代表最后的警告信息，因为它是在米迦勒站起来之前宣告的。这是在圣灵浇灌期间所宣告的第三位天使的信息。但以理将这信息描绘为两重。使教皇权激怒的“北”的信息，是将“北方之王”认定为教皇权的信息；而“东”的信息，则是关于“东方的子民”的信息，也就是伊斯兰。当然，它也有其他重要的含义，但“东”是伊斯兰的象征，而敌基督是假冒真正“北方之王”的。第三位天使的信息在警告人不可接受北方之王的印记（兽的印记）的同时，也警告说，当美国的罪孽之杯满盈之时，伊斯兰将会出击；而美国是在星期日法令之时使其罪孽之杯满盈。
Revelation thirteen beginning with verse eleven and then onward identifies the very same prophetic history, and it also begins at the time of the end in 1798.
《启示录》第十三章自第十一节起及其后，指出的正是同样的预言历史，而且它也始于1798年的末时。
“What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world? The application of the symbol admits of no question. One nation, and only one, meets the specifications of this prophecy; it points unmistakably to the United States of America.” The Great Controversy, 440.
1798年，在新大陆，哪个国家正在崛起为强国，展现出力量与伟大的前景，并吸引了全世界的注意？这个象征的应用毋庸置疑。只有一个国家，而且仅此一个，符合这项预言的特征；它明确无误地指向美利坚合众国。《善恶之争》，第440页。
The same prophetic history is covered in Revelation thirteen verses eleven through eighteen as is covered in Daniel eleven verse forty through forty-five. As with the verses in Daniel the story of the role of the United States ends with the close of probation as the United States forces the world to accept the mark of the beast. Then as in Daniel eleven the message of the hour is presented in chapter fourteen. It is the identical structure in both passages, with the exception that Daniel’s verses are describing the papal activities and Revelation thirteen is identifying the role of the United States. With those two lines we find that chapter seventeen of Revelation covers the same history, but emphasizes the role of the dragon, represented as ten kings, who are the United Nations. The three chapters considered line upon line identify the role of the dragon, the beast and false prophet which in chapter sixteen lead the world to Armageddon, so it is of significance that John informs us that when chapter seventeen begins it is one of the angels that had poured out the seven last plagues that comes to tell John of the judgment of the whore of Rome.
同样的预言性历史，在启示录第十三章十一至十八节中被叙述，正如但以理书第十一章四十至四十五节所叙述的一样。正如但以理书中的那些经文一样，关于美国角色的叙述以恩典期的结束为结尾，因为美国迫使全世界接受兽的印记。然后，正如在但以理书第十一章中那样，当下的信息在第十四章中被呈现。两处经文的结构完全相同，唯一的不同是：但以理书的经文描述的是教皇势力的活动，而启示录第十三章则界定的是美国的角色。藉着这两条线索，我们发现启示录第十七章也涵盖同样的历史，但强调的是用十王所代表的龙的角色，也就是联合国。我们按着“一行又一行”的方式所比较的这三章，表明了龙、兽和假先知的角色；正是它们在第十六章中把世界带到哈米吉多顿。因此，约翰告诉我们：当第十七章开始时，来告诉他罗马淫妇受审判之事的，正是那些曾倾倒七个末后之灾的天使中的一位。
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. Revelation 17:1, 2.
拿着七个碗的七位天使中有一位前来，与我说话，对我说：你到这里来；我要把那坐在众水上的大淫妇所受的审判指示你。地上的众王与她行淫，地上的居民也因她淫乱之酒而醉了。启示录 17:1、2。
With the Millerites it was about pagan Rome and papal Rome, but at the end it is about the three-fold union. As with her identification of those three powers in chapters twelve and thirteen, she clearly identifies the woman of chapter seventeen as the papacy.
对米勒派而言，焦点在于异教罗马与教皇罗马，但到最后则关乎三重联盟。正如她在第十二章和第十三章中对那三种势力的界定一样，她清楚地把第十七章中的妇人认定为教皇制度。
“The woman [Babylon] of Revelation 17 is described as ‘arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness:…and upon her forehead was a name written, ‘Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots.’ Says the prophet: ‘I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.’ Babylon is further declared to be ‘that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.’ Revelation 17:4–6, 18. The power that for so many centuries maintained despotic sway over the monarchs of Christendom is Rome.” The Great Controversy, 382.
“启示录17章中的女人[Babylon]被描述为：‘身穿紫色和朱红色，佩戴金子、宝石和珍珠，手拿金杯，杯中满了可憎之物与污秽：……在她额上写着一个名字，‘奥秘，大巴比伦，淫妇之母’。’先知说：‘我看见那女人喝醉了圣徒的血，又喝醉了耶稣殉道者的血。’又说巴比伦就是‘那管辖地上众王的大城’。启示录17:4-6, 18。历经许多世纪对基督教世界诸王保持专制统治的那股权势，就是罗马。”《大争论》，382。
So, when does the prophetic history represented in chapter seventeen begin?
那么，第十七章所呈现的预言性历史是从何时开始的？
So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. Revelation 17:3–6.
于是他在灵里带我到旷野；我看见有一个女人坐在一只朱红色的兽上，那兽满了亵渎的名号，有七头十角。那女人穿着紫色和朱红色的衣服，佩戴金子、宝石和珍珠，手拿金杯，杯中盛满了可憎之物和她淫乱的污秽；她的额上写着一个名字：奥秘，大巴比伦，地上淫妇与可憎之物之母。我又看见那女人喝醉了圣徒的血，又喝醉了为耶稣殉道者的血；我看见她，就大为惊奇。启示录 17:3-6。
In order for John to see the woman he is prophetically carried into the wilderness which John himself has already identified with two witnesses as the twelve hundred and sixty years of papal rule in chapter twelve.
为使约翰得以看见那妇人，他在预言性的异象中被带到旷野；而约翰自己已经在第十二章中，连同两位见证人，将这旷野认定为教皇统治的一千二百六十年。
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. . . . And 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. Revelation 12:6, 14.
那妇人就逃到旷野；在那里有神为她所预备的地方，使人在那里养活她一千二百六十天。……又有大鹰的两个翅膀赐给那妇人，叫她得以飞到旷野，到自己的地方，在那里她被养活一载、二载、半载，脱离那蛇的面前。启示录12:6、14。
John was prophetically transported into the wilderness time period, but verse three and onward specifies exactly where in the twelve hundred and sixty years John was taken to, for the woman had already become drunk with the blood of persecution, and she was already the “mother of harlots.” John was taken to the end of the wilderness period for the woman had already drunk of the blood of persecution and the Protestant churches were already returning to her fold and becoming her daughters, for she was identified in that period of time as the “mother of harlots.” She already had daughters. John’s testimony in chapter seventeen begins in 1798 as did the same prophetic history which represented the beast in Daniel eleven and the false prophet in Revelation thirteen.
约翰在预言的异象中被带到旷野时期，但第三节及其后明确指出在这一千二百六十年中的哪个时段他被带去，因为那妇人已经因迫害所流的血而醉，而且她已经是“淫妇之母”。约翰被带到旷野时期的末尾，因为那妇人已经喝醉了迫害所流的血，而新教诸教会已经回到她的阵营，成为她的女儿，因为在那段时间她被称为“淫妇之母”。她已经有了女儿。第十七章中约翰的见证起始于1798年；在但以理书第十一章中所代表的那兽，以及在启示录第十三章中所代表的那假先知，所对应的同一段预言历史也同样起始于1798年。
Just as with the other two lines, when chapter seventeen concludes, chapter eighteen then identifies the message of the hour. Three prophetic lines, one for each of the three-fold union. They are all illustrated upon the same historical structure beginning in 1798 and continuing until the close of probation, and all three emphasize the final warning message.
正如另外两条线一样，第十七章一结束，第十八章便指出此时的信息。三条预言线，分别对应三重联合中的每一方。它们都建立在同一历史结构之上，自1798年开始，延续至恩典期结束；三者都强调末后的警告信息。
Habakkuk’s Tables addresses the subject of Revelation seventeen in much greater detail, so I will now jump to the riddle that is represented in the chapter that sets forth eight kingdoms of Bible prophecy.
《哈巴谷的表》对《启示录》第十七章的主题有更为详尽的论述，因此我现在将转到那则谜语——它出现在阐述圣经预言中八个王国的那一章中。
And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. Revelation 17:9–11.
在此，需要有智慧的心。那七个头就是七座山，女人坐在其上。又有七位王：五位已经倾倒了，一个还在，另一个还没有来到；他来的时候，必须暂时存留。那曾经有、现在没有的兽，他就是第八位，却属那七位，并且要归于沉沦。启示录 17:9-11。
Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “Thou art this head of gold.”
但以理对尼布甲尼撒说：“你就是这金头。”
And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. Daniel 2:38.
无论世人居住何处，田野的兽、空中的飞鸟，他都交在你手里，又使你统管他们；你就是那金头。但以理书 2:38。
Daniel also told Nebuchadnezzar, “Thou, O king, art a king of kings.”
但以理又对尼布甲尼撒说：“王啊，你是诸王之王。”
Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. Daniel 2:37.
王啊，你是诸王之王，因为天上的神已将国度、权柄、能力和荣耀赐给你。 但以理书 2:37。
Nebuchadnezzar was the “head” and he was a king, and he was a king of kings for he represented the first of the kingdoms represented in the image. Nebuchadnezzar was the king represented by gold, and other kingdoms and kings would be represented by the other metals in the image, but Nebuchadnezzar was first and therefore the king of the kings. Another level which we will not address right now is that the kingdom of Babylon represents the kingdom that seeks to counterfeit Christ, who is the true King of kings.
尼布甲尼撒是“头”，他是一位王；而且他是王中之王，因为在那像中所代表的诸国里，他代表第一个国度。尼布甲尼撒是由金子所代表的王，其他的国度和君王则由像中其他的金属所代表；但尼布甲尼撒居首，因此是王中之王。还有一层我们此刻不展开的含义是，巴比伦的国度象征那试图冒充基督的国度，而基督才是真正的万王之王。
In the beginning of Isaiah’s testimony of the twenty-five hundred and twenty year prophecies (Leviticus twenty-six’s seven times) Isaiah identifies kings as heads.
在以赛亚见证二千五百二十年预言（利未记第二十六章的“七倍”）之初，以赛亚把列王称为头。
For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. Isaiah 7:7, 8.
因为亚兰的首都是大马士革，大马士革的首领是利汛；在六十五年之内，以法莲必被打碎，不再为民。以法莲的首都是撒马利亚，撒马利亚的首领是利玛利的儿子。你们若是不信，必不能站立得住。以赛亚书 7:7、8。
Isaiah is just setting forth the starting point for the two twenty-five hundred and twenty year time periods against the northern kingdom of Samaria and the southern kingdom of Judah and as he does so he includes two witnesses that the capitol city of a nation is its head, and that the king is the head of the capitol city. A “head” is a king and a kingdom. In the Revelation the same line of prophecy is taken up as in Daniel.
以赛亚只是提出了针对撒马利亚北国和犹大南国的两个二千五百二十年时期的起点；在这样做时，他还提出了两个见证：一个国家的首都是它的头，而君王是首都的头。“头”就是君王与国度。在《启示录》中，同样的预言脉络如同在《但以理书》中那样被接续。
Therefore, when John is taken to 1798 and presented with the riddle that identifies that there are seven “heads,” he is identifying that there are seven kingdoms. He is then told that five of the heads or kingdoms have fallen. In 1798 the fifth kingdom of Bible prophecy had just fallen as it received a deadly wound that would eventually be healed.
因此，当约翰被带到1798年，并被出示一个指出有七个“头”的谜题时，他就认出那指的是七个王国。随后他被告知，这些“头”或王国中已有五个倒下。在1798年，圣经预言中的第五个王国刚刚倒下，因为它受了一个致命的伤口，这伤口最终会被医治。
John who is standing in the history of the time of the end in 1798, is also told that one of the heads “is.” The sixth kingdom of Bible prophecy began in 1798, so when John was prophetically conveyed to 1798, the kingdom that then was, is the United States, and he was further informed that the seventh kingdom was still future to 1798, for it had not yet come. The seventh kingdom that was still future to 1798, is the United Nations who are represented by ten kings, and are the subject of Revelation seventeen. But there is also an eighth, who is of the seven. Rome always comes up eighth and is of the seven.
约翰站在1798年“末时”的历史中，也被告知，其中一个头“是”。圣经预言中的第六个王国始于1798年，所以当约翰在预言中被带到1798年时，那时存在的王国就是美国；他还被进一步告知，第七个王国对于1798年来说仍在将来，因为它尚未来到。那个对于1798年来说仍在将来的第七个王国，就是由十王所代表、并且是《启示录》十七章主题的联合国。但还有第八个，它本是那七个中的一个。罗马总是以第八个的身份出现，并且本是那七个中的一个。
There is much to say about the contents of chapter seventeen, but we are simply identifying the eight kingdoms of Bible prophecy represented in chapter seventeen in order to see how the Millerite understanding of four kingdoms squares up with the eight kingdoms of Revelation seventeen.
关于第十七章的内容有许多可说，但我们只是要辨识第十七章中所代表的圣经预言的八个王国，以便看看米勒派对四个王国的理解如何与《启示录》第十七章的八个王国相符合。
We will address this in the next article.
我们将在下一篇文章中讨论这个问题。