A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 • SECTION 220

Apocalypse I. 10.

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the destruction of Jerusalem, but the Apocalypse after it. But in fact the whole style of John, and especially in the prophetical parts, takes its form, not from accustomed habit, but from Divine dictation , the resources of which are boundless.

10. ’Eysvo/urjv) A sentence consisting of three members : syevofiriv eysvc/Jt/jr xa/' rjxovff a : ver. 9, 10. — sv tv) xvpia/ir) rj/jj'spcc, on the Lord's day) That there is a Lord's day , and that it is so called, is plain even from this passage : moreover, that the Lord’s day is that day which was called by the Gentiles the day of the Sun, which is the first day of every week, and which is opposed to the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, is clear from the universal stimony of Christian antiquity. We may also learn the reason of this title from the Scripture itself of the New Testament. Many seek the origin of the title in the fact of the Lord’s Resurrection on that day. This indeed is true, but it cannot have been the principal or the only reason. The days of the Lord’s Nativity, of His Baptism, Transfi- guration, Cross, Resurrection, Ascension, and Coming in glory, are all remarkable. Which of these is in the highest sense the Lord’s day? The Lord’s Supper is the supper of the Lord : the Lord’s day is the day of our Lord Jesus Christ ; under which name the style of the apostle denotes the one day of His coming, which also is spoken of ab- solutely as the day , or that day. The opinion of the ancient Christians is not at variance with this view ; respecting which opinion these things are read in Jerome on that passage, at midnight , Matt, xxv : Let us say something , which perhaps may he useful to the reader. There is a tradi- tion of the Jews , that Christ will come at midnight , in consonance with the time in Egypt , when the passover was celebrated , and the destroying angel came , and the Lord passed over the tents [of Israel] : the door- posts of our foreheads , too , have been consecrated with the blood of a Lamb. Whence I suppose also that the apostolical tradition has con- tinued, that on the eve of the passover it is not permitted to dismiss the people before midnight , expecting the coming of Christ : and when that time shall have passed , security being now presumed upony all keep the festival. The Lord was expected on every Lord’s day, although the solemn expectation of His Coming was especially celebrated before the Paschal Lord’s day. The seventh day is a me- morial of the creation : the first day is a memorial of the final consum- mation. The former is the day of Jehovah : the latter, the day of the Lord. Undoubtedly, whoever perceives beforehand in his mind, that the first day of the week is called the Lord’s day, because that is the day of the Lord’s coming, he then, and not till then, perceives

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Public domain historical edition (1859); scan/OCR from Internet Archive.

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