It is not found in the Vatican Manuscript, which is one of the oldest in existence; and the Syriac Version, which has come down to us from early days through an entirely separate channel, does not contain it.  However, it is evident that the phase of the church symbolized by the woman actually reigns triumphantly on earth after the thousand years is finished; for verses 7-9 of this chapter show that the dragon, combined with Gog and Magog, goes forth on the breadth of the earth to compass the camp of the saints just before the end of time.

The fact that the reign of God’s people on earth is divided into two distinct periods is shown also by other prophecies.  In the seventh chapter of Daniel is recorded a vision of four great beasts, symbolizing the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires.  Verse 18, connected with Dan. 2:31-44, shows that the saints were to possess the kingdom of God before the overthrow of all these four kingdoms, which was actually fulfilled by Jesus Christ appearing during the reign of the Roman empire and planting the kingdom of God in the earth.  See Mark 1:15; Luke 12:32; 16:16; Col. 1:13.  Then follows a description of the rise of the Papacy, which was to “wear out the saints of the most High” for a time, times, and the dividing of times—­three and one-half times, or forty-two months, or, prophetically, twelve hundred and sixty years.  This, as before explained, reaches to the year A.D. 1530.  During this period the public reign of the saints on earth ceased.  Then immediately following it is said, “The judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.”  This does not refer to the final judgment; it is a spiritual judgment that commences before that time and continues “unto the end.”  For example of a similar judgment see Acts 7:7.

God had a people during the Protestant era who walked in all the light they possessed and who were filled with judgment against the beast-power that had worn out the saints for ages.  And though in places some were put to death for refusing to worship the image of the beast that lifeless professors had set up, yet there were from time to time reformations that resurrected many people to life in Christ.  A little later, however, the real spiritual reign of the saints is perfectly restored in the pure gospel light of the evening time, and now the next verse is fulfilled, which says, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”  It is only reasonable to suppose that the public reign on earth would commence gradually and would finally reach its perfect fulfilment, just the same as it ceased gradually in the beginning.  Therefore we can not point to a definite date exactly marking the end of the thousand years, any more than we can locate exactly the time of its commencement; but we must be satisfied just to consider this symbolic expression as covering a long period of time during which these important phases of deep truth are considered merely from a general standpoint.