834. [verse 20] 'And the beast was arrested and with him the false prophet who did signs before him, with which he led astray those accepting the mark of the beast and those adoring his image' signifies all those who made profession of faith alone and were interiorly evil, the laity and common people as well as the clergy and the learned, who by means of reasonings and entreaties [to the effect] that faith alone is the sole means of salvation led others to receiving that faith and living in accordance therewith. By 'the beast' here is understood 'the beast out of the sea' treated of in Rev. xiii 1-10; and by 'the false prophet' is understood 'the beast out of the land' treated of in the same chapter (vers. 11-17). That by 'the beast out of the sea' are understood the laity and common people who are in the form of religion of faith alone, and that by 'the beast out of the land' are understood the clergy and the learned who are in that form of religion, can be seen from the expositions of that chapter. That 'the false prophet' here is 'the beast out of the land' of which it treats in that chapter (vers. 11-18) is quite plain because it is said here of the false prophet that it is he 'who did signs before' the other beast 'with which he led astray those accepting the mark of the beast and those adoring his image'. For similar things are said of 'the beast of the land' (chap. xiii) namely, that:-