A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

Bengel, Johann Albrecht, 1687-1752 • SECTION 326

Apocalypse Xiii. 10, 11.

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it never adds, from the foundation of the world; nor indeed was He slain from the foundation of the world : Heb. ix. 26. They who allege that He was thus slain in the Divine decree, in a like sense will say that He was born, raised from the dead, and ascended into heaven, from the foundation of the world.

10. A/y/xaXuff/av evvdysi) The LXX. have (fuyxXfieiv a/yjuctXuofuvy

s/ffdysiv a/yjxaXuff/av, ayeiv aiy/j^ccXufflccv, respecting the vanquished who are led away into captivity : but in 1 Maccab. xiv. 7, it is said, (tvvrr yay&v a/y/iuXug/av that is, Simon freed and brought together

many , ivho had been captives. Also 1 Maccab. iii. 9, 13, Gwijyaysv dnoWu/Aevovg, tfOpoicsv udpoieficc. And this notion agrees with this pas- sage, in this sense : if any one supplies and equips captives , he will be taken captive. — un dye/, goes away ) being easily led away. — drro- xrsvsi) The present, as <rwdysi. Ktsvu^ xt&ww, and %re /Vw, are the same.

11. K «/, and) The description of the two beasts most strictly co- heres, as does the description of more joyful circumstances in the following chapter. — dXKo Oriplov, another beast) This is afterwards more frequently called the false prophet: and here his very action is described, as that of the false prophet. That bewitched power and wisdom , which independent of the Word of God, without a Redeemer and a Comforter , is reverenced by many individually and collectively , having no dread of Deism , Socinianism , and Pelagianism , abusing the dogma respecting the internal Word , ivhicli would without scruple re- concile Christianity with Mahometanism itself and moreover the per- verse interpretation of the Apocalypse itself and of the ichole of the Sacred Scripture , will be favourable to the beast. D. Lange, in Epicr. p. 391, etc., entertains a different opinion from me respecting this beast also. I will here also notice some points cursorily. Now I nowhere say, that from the times of Hildebrand the second beast was subservient to the former one (on account of the common ad- vantage of both, but rather on account of his own, as is the practice of the wicked). Nor do I say, that the 42 months of the former beast are common to the two; but I imitate the expression of the text, which is explained in its proper place. The former beast has an origin much more ancient than the other ; but when this also has arisen, it exists together with the former one. Gregory VII. has long ceased to live ; but that his cause has not yet expired, his Legenda testify. I never thought, that his image flourished at the same time with the former beast. I had treated incidentally of the destruction of the beast and the false prophet at p. 733, but more plainly, in its place, p. 935. If the venerable man had perceived

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

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