The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 35

· Vera. 9-'.-:20•..:.::.TJie 11'8wn of tke Lord. ·That St. John ilhould hal'e 1ieen tafoured wlth this. dorious vision. is hU:t. in keeping with what was often graoteii t.o the prophets of' the Lp~~ro }w.)ees, at' th.e burning bush;, to 11!8,iali,' in the temple; to Jeremiah,. lit his consec'iiation · to his prdphetfo office, arid likewise to· Ezekiel; -and to tllifthree cliief awst!es.~ SS. ;Petet, ~111n~., a.nd Johri, at the Ttaniilig11ratio~ ;' $t. John~ at. P~tmos; 11.nd St.. Paul, at Da.µ:i~Ji.~ and when ell.ugh; up to ~ven. All these visions were_ ~esi~ed ~h;~ better to fit ~,11~ quallfyth~b1 to· speak ~t Chpst to his ,111mple, and_tbey; teacJi'u~ .tM~ t~e who ary s~ccessfuJ~.r, to. speak for Chn~t must hav1r exaltE;d ideas . c_onoer1<1mg b1tn. In some ~orm or other they must see hIS glory, dr they Wlll _have bi,iflittle to· say, and. that ,little th.ey wilf' not. say ~ they should. "I beseeclt' thee show i;ne 'thy· glory" may well be the prayer of all those who. are to speak in the Lord'& rui.me. Such. was-:- , . . · ,· . · · 1: . 'fHI!i l'URPOQ OP Till8 VISION as regarded St. Jobn: himself'. · Butit had a' far mote general o.n~to bless tk Church. of 0o4; '!'hey were dark. days for the Church, d~;rs of fie.roe ~rsec1;1tioh, whether by com,q1and of Nero~,6r Th?,mi~ian, wno followed hi.m twent,: 7five years after, we cannot say. but in thof18 diiys, whichever they were, Chri11tia1,i1,y had ~ot becol/le a, religio lUfi~ and, therefore; w~ ,?fot as othe_r religio~, under Qie protection of the laws. H wail lqoked UJ>l:Ui as a hranch .,of J L1da1sm,, which of 11lt~lig~ons,'f!LS t~e m~st hateful to the ~anilJpi of the 1~Y•. And Christianity,_in tl!,e PPP.~,est~matu:ip, \'j';$!J the m_9st hatefulfol1n of Juda1sD1. 'It would ~?ertam, tlierefpre,_ tp~ if. the cb1e1 authonties at Rome set the example of persecuting the Chtj'stillus, the pagai,is of the .pro:vinces would. 'not be· long in copying it. Hence we cap :well understand what a fiery t1;ial waii now afflicting the 'Church. of Obrist.. They were .still"ering, aria J:1eedeil c()nsplation; fearful and fainting, and ne,eded courage; in soJile cast1S, sad ~t_l.shameful lieresies had sprung up,.and they needed to be rooted out; and in'othe~ ~alled,. t'.lhrist~tIS wete leading care!,~ impute, and ·uhgadfy lires, a11d' th'!'Y n.eeded solelllll warning of Christ's. displeasgre', Now, this vision~ the letters: that ti),t_Iow, and thie·entire boo'.!i:, ·w:ere iiU designed-~ meet_ their ~ t ueoessi~ . tJ\'8,. '. ~ a t . ~ ha. ~J.h.e_peop_·~ of God ei.er'kb.oW?l bu.t 'l\'.~&t..~e h/iis inade provision tQ meet 1t, ,and bas met 1t a.lSµhdanily_? And thIS,. ll!t us ho well assured, he ever wiltd·· . . . · ' ..,,, .,,. ., . .. . . . . ·•· ..-:..._.· '· ,.,., .. .'IL r~ ~juvr~'or''ni TISION'. We are tQ~:J; 'Oj lhe beholder: Jo)n. '!'here ii;lay 1>e.'d91.dit 811 fu w~a.t John, and it does not much, lµatter, for we kno~ tJiat f ':~.· Jlll:ve '.~iii-I! tJ,ie .'W;ord .of Goo.' ~a. that _it wail. writ~i:r ~y pne .'!f _th11 .mof h~~oµred &el'V&Jlts of god,,: See how: humble hIS tone. Ele does nqt "lord 1t byed¼od's hentage," but s~ke~of ~ I f as." yollf b!other and com~i~ri in ~ bule,t.!o:n," . He WI\$ ,o· at tp.at vr,ry Jiour.: ~nd "m .tbe kmgdo!ll of Jesus·c~t-~ J!'o,r tba~ he apd they were ~ ,lo.o\ f:orw-.r4'. with eager hope and !)Ollfident expectatipn. J:h<l "in ;patience." This W&ij -~ J\O!i~ of the belieyel' at· sui:;h a time, the mind he neajed to pos~ We cim be&r tribulati,on if, as St.' John ~:IS• w'e are cheered ~Y· the hope of t)le kmg<j.ol!l of' our Lqtd, and are enabled to be })&t1ent unto the coming of the Lim!, 2. · Where M wq.. bl. Patinos; a disil).iil ~k, lonely, barren, almost .ilninliabited. safe b,r the · mi,ser,a~: exiles that "'ere· dooio,M to wear .out their .lives there; Bnt there John had tfwi iionou(vi~fon~. and it ~-h~ µs,; ~i ~eary pl~,~a:r, beeo111,i as }i.eaveu .to us_. if w.e~are given. to !188 the gl,ory of Ohnst. 3•. Wnm. lie aaw tin... · "On _the 'Lord's day." · There 'can be little doubt but tha'.t "'~e firs~· day of the week;' the Qhriatian Sunday, is meant, and what we are told of here as having taken place oo . this . Sunday is but an early instance of what in ,aubswi.ce and reality has iaken place for many faithful worshippers in all parts of Christ's Church on. every Sunday since. What wonder ihat the Sunday is precious to Christian hearts, and that all attempts to secularize it or in any ways lessen its sanctity are both resented and resisted by those who know wb/1~ it ,Dticele!ls .bwn for h~t, f?r ho~e, for health, for h~ve11, th~ ,LJ4's .~y i1 ?' 4. lfe tells 11S the frame q/ mirtd in which he waa. ~• I was ui the '3pmt; JI111 ~wt was niuch uplifted towards God; there had been a rush of holy feeling amoiJntin& to' s. 1. 1-20.] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 83