Although the ellbrt to force emperor-worship npon Jews goes back to Caligula (A.D. 39-40), the total impression is that of a late, not an early time.
To the actual destruction of Jerusalem there is nc reference. The condition of the churclies (forgetful- ness, indifl'erence, worldliness) points to a relatively late time. It seems necessary to supjiose that St. Paul's position as founder and unquestioned leader of the church in Ephesus is a thing entirely past. That church has had a new founding (Weizsacker). If 17' expresses the belief in the return of Nero from hell, this is a late form of the belief in his return, after the possibility of his being aUve had passed.
V. Teachings of the Book.— 1. Prediction^.— The question what the author of Rev. intended to say about the future (and it was to reveal future things that he wrote, 1' 4' etc.) is complicated by the difficulty of distin<'uisliing between the meaning of his sources and his meaning in the use of them, and the related difficulty of distinguishing between figure and reality in his use of language. That all is literal our discussion thus far makes it impossible to admit. Are we prepared, with the spiritual interpreters of all ages, to say that all is figure (as now Milligan, Benson, etc.)? Or sliall we say, ' Rev. is not a poem, an allegory, but the figurative alternates with that which is to be taken very earnestly and literally ; the latter much predominates' (Jiilieher, Eitil. 172)? Our review of the writer's use of OT and other materials must rather incline ns to put the predominance on the other side.
(a) General. — The undoubtedly real elements in our writer's prediction are the speedy coming of God (1* 14' 21°) in judgment, with or in the coming of Christ as judf;e and ruler of the world (1' 22''-"). This coming Christ will divide true from false Christians, and reward each according to his deeds (OM 22"). Through Him also God will judge and destroy the tempting and oppressive power of evU dominant in the world, the Roman empire (19"*), and Satan himself, whose authority Rome pos- sesses, who.se spirit Rome embodies (ch. 20). All who belong to her shall perish with her. Those who hold fast the faith during the present tribula- tions and the ^eater ones soon to come, and who endure in patience and faith even to death itself, shall be rewarded with special glory and power, and especially close association with Christ and His royalty (6" U'-' 20*-i'). But the destination to be with Christ and God in blessed and eternal near- ness and fellowship is at last for all tlie faitlifiil alike (2'- "• "• ^'^ :^- ^- '' (•='• »)) 510 7'"v- 14" 21-22»- ").
(6) Details. — Tumin" to details, we have to attempt to draw the line between figure and reality, especially in reference to the fall of the power of evil, and the events that lead up to it, the saving of the faithful and the heavenly or angelic background of the action.
(1) The fall 0/ Romt.—\a the first half of the book six seals and six IruiiipeU bring forth the preliminary powers and acts of the Divine Ja(l;,'nient over evil. But neither in their special character nor in their sequence do they make the impression of describinff Uteral events.
The first four seals introduce horsemen who are derived, one can hardly doubt, (mm Zee l*-" 61", and so ultimately from the four winds, well fitted to serve as destructive niessenperB of Ood, They are summoned forth bv the four livinjf creatures,* who wore originally tlie four winds driving the storm-cloud, Uod'e chariot (Ezk \* t-tc.). In 71 the four winds are destructive forces, and since in 91<- 10 (our angels are loojicd which then appear as hosts of cavalry (cf. 20*^), we may infer that the four winds sym. boli7.ed the nations that are to execute the Divine Judgment in some final war (cf. the use of the winds as symbols of Israel's dispersion, Ezk 6i» 12H ir". Zee 2« Vi).
Of the four seals, however, two introduce warriors (Romans and Parlhians?), and two famine and pestilence. A fourfold enumeration of the plagues which Ood will send upon His peopla in the last days is found in the Prophets (Jer 1&^*, Ezk 14^, of. 6H >'), and quoted In Kev 0»i'. t
* It is less natural to suppose that John is addressed, for he ia already there, and needs only to look,
t It is templing to suppose tliat this originally ended the description of the four horsemen, and explained that to each qf them was given a fourth of the earth to destroy (of. Eok f>^
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REVELATION, BOOK OF
REVELATION, BOOK OF
The flith seal discloses the prayers o( the martyrs for vengeance, which are a real agent of judi^ent in the Hebrew view (see below). The sixth is an earthquake. . ^ . ■ .
Earthqualco and voloauio plienomena furnish the imagery or the first four trumpets, and, in part, of the fifth and sixth.
J T Bent (' What St. John saw on Patmos,' iViHcfMJiMi C«n- turv. 1888, pp. 81S-821) argues that 6'2-l? 8'12 IB". n-J descrihe
actual phenomena seen at the eruptions of the island volcano, Sanlorin, «-ithin sii;hl of Patmos ; and that a'"; '-'f are poetic ampliflcatioQS of the same theme. lUioh in Bents article is