The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 52

tbr llb'erty. Ort t~ig deso}il,te 18l~nd, am1ds_t th;~ gr_eat_est_ v1llams of the age, this great character was banished; Strange tha.t the prondence· of·Heaven should have·allowed on.~. of ~i\e, DJ,~~t CJ)ristly f!len on .the earth at, t.ba~ ~ime ~ ljve fo~ an hqur in S!lch a scepe. ~t J:a~ryl?;~ :to, jTohn :~~d. Pat~.o~ to tbf ot11.e~, reszdents,was a.different plac~ · To John rt wwn1. tfieatre of sul:ihme11t revelations, the very gate of heaven.. He was not alone « thElre,; he Jett himselhu~rou?c,i,ed by-~. gi:e~t multitude which no man could numbe_T," witb c.ountless. thousaudii of: angels; aud there he· wrote a book to bless humamty through.,,~yert co:\njn~ ~ge;, 8. .A ~liaracter .of 1,istinguishetl ea:.cellence ban~ by bloocly_ :qe:rsecu;tors/or the :c1.ius,e ef (JhT14t. , ""For thEi Word of God, and for the·~tuno~y of .J e<sus- Christ.'' )le !Vas· ~~e.f!'~. not: _becau~e .he had perpetrated. a11y crune, but biicsuse he had rendei-Eld thll ~1~est.11ev1,cr to hUi ,age~ He bore" tes~1mony of Jes:ue," j\ild preached ther" WordM God.". "John.~ now," says Dr. Vaugh~n, "reached,a ~te point ii! .hi~ l9ng Bil,g~i~age. 'The ,storm ,of persecu~io11 h!'-'1 broken _upon_. him in his gel/,tle and ~fitst m1mstty at, F41hesus, 1md li~ driven him tq the httle 1s~nd of fatmos for the testimony df the truth.. ln that solitude, however, he w&B nor aforie, Bhut out as he was now from all tlhristisn .con-verse, he was. only the. more fi~ for c'on\'~rse with' Christ. Del.furred by nci f'ault of his own from' all Chrisii&,tl' ordinarii;es, expelled from that congregation in which for so long, day after day, he~ uttered'thr message of truth and the cal_l of _Jove, he was admitted ?!-ow _to w:ors_h~p 1ti the. Y~? sanctuary _above, and to teceive, tf he might no longer gm,, msti;u?t1~m.frohi -~-~ hps of the Divine MMter hilllllel£.."-D. T. ' · · Vers. 10-17•.:... Voi'ces a'nd vis{onsfrometernity. "I was in the Spirit ~lb& Lord's day," etc. ,Con:cemin,fthis vision, 'and, indeed, nearly all the visio~s nic?rdl:d in this Apocalypse, there are three facts to be predicated at the outset. 1. It J3 mm'tal. ' What is here reported ·as heard and seen by John was not seen by his bo\iily eye or h~ard by his }x)dlly ear, It was, I consider, a purelv mental viswn. It is one of d.ill 9tl!lf.owristio  a&trlb,utei arid distt,ictions of ~Iii). t~at he _can -s~e aM 'hear !)bjet!ti ibsT booi'e'_1net with,~ the !:'81i_ge of his sen~. _T~oug~ the e~le. uneported_ to h,v~ -a?lt~ aml"liif:' · reaching eye; a?d ~as _bom'e its plmons 1pto th~ region _of s1$_nY azu~e,!1t'll_il8-JJO g1~ of tlie spirit--d.Olilam;_ whereas a man who may be even· inghtl\lss· imd::deii,r htW 1tb;'e power of seeing wonderful things arid hearing wonderfurthings; 'Thli' s~h:tlel!B'tiijriF~t England lived in a bright world; hie genius bore liim aloft into' regions "wlier~•lfu8Hi no was clou4•. "Ttiiltie menta1 visions are of two 'classes-the w{untarg 'li.hd 1th,e involuntary. The foriner are the productions of creative gen~~s, the latter_ are, those dreams of the night when deep sleep falls on man. Mental vimons are not ~ y illmitmS. They are often more mJl than those of the physical; they come fu'rth~r'ihto the depths or our being, and convey to us impressions 'of tlliqgs of whjcb: matenhl pbenom.,ena are b!lttl).~ effects an~ expreseioI1i!, 2.. Rill credible.· ·Had i£_1>eeh :t:~J>?l'f~d that John saW'Wltli _tlie- outward eye, and heard with the oufu!atd ear, the i~l','her~ reported, ~he repori'could riot have been)elhwed. The objects are so u~~qu~. ~(/ ihco1:1-:- gruoQS -~th all ~ha~ is n,atu~I,. so. grotesque, and_, we may· Bay, so. mdnm"?i!s1 ;~d unresthetio, that we could not believe a; man who said he saw them with hls1 outill.r4 eye or heard them· with his_ outward ear. A Being "clothed with~ tarment dow/r'-fp the foot, and girt' a\!out .the paps with a gold@ girdle. H'.is'herul and his h!iini'i~lii white like wool, a11 white as snow; and bis eyes .were as a flame of fire ; and hill' fulit like unto :line brass;' as if th'ey burned in a furnace; and his voice as'the io,\infof many waters. .A:nd_ he had fo his riglit hand_ s~ven stf¥8: and out bf bis niohth W!!nt a shatp two-edged'sword: and hie countenance waa-as t'lie sun sbineth in his 'strength." Who co111d -Mieve a man who said he beheld tlt~~e 'with hie· boditf e)'II ?' 'B-ci.t as· a. nieiitaZ msid-n :it 'is credible enou[Jh. What grotJsque ilha~s ap'peat·to us !ni'dr~tH wl:iat l;itran~ ,n:lqpstr(\sities rltre to ottr '7!!ental, ey~1 The_ deities that arose otlt of; .~».e imagination of Nlpeveh, 'Greeo(l, and Jndfa, and throughout the_ whole dooia.il:i {:If he.atb~fn~ef#i:,.~ete, as untiat11r.al and incoberenfm their forms as t'he aspeets dqhe)~qri, of man blifore us. The reports bf mental visions, however extraordinary; are 'orllfil\lle; m?n ~lJe~~·t~ ~~ep~, 3. Jt'is·symbolic. _ It hi\11 ~deepspiritua1 Dleintli~,'it:, ~~r4lfra~~ mighty_ lessons, it is a_ p1ctu_re of ete;nal reitlit1es•. What are the great t_ruths. ltete symbollzed? 'l'hat a wonderf\il _voice from eternity_ comes to man; a ~ol),der(ul p~:onage from etermN··ttj appelj,i-s Jo_·man ;· and won~~~ftil impressl~s- from ~t·r,mJtr ,re m..ue upon man, o -1~- : . _ ._ L TJ;IA:r r\ 'wQ:tl'D~ VOICE FROM ETERNITY 00~~8 TO MAN. ,, I was 'in the Spi:rlt on t.he Loro'11 ~y, an~ heard, l:>t1hind mea great yoice, as_ of a ttuD1pet." We a_re tol!l alBQ tl\e,t tlie v01ce t~at ea.me to John was "as ·tli!l sound of many watera." ,Th~ sJjinty,a}_ _conditipn of John when the voice' cariie is worthy of no_te. He was -., itt the Spirit.." 'rhis m11ans, Hrow1 sometlfng more 'tha.n being in the spirit in a moral sense-::- in the. spirit. of hel\:venly loyalty and devotion. 1n this condition_ all true men ar:e.; t¥y ~reJ?~ :by~~. ~~~:it;·t~ey_ 'Yalk_ bJ:_ t~e Spirit,; It i_s 1/eing_ in an_ elev~ted state of mm~ 11, 'kincl o! ecstasy_ m which a ril11,n ~s lifted out of.himself, m which, like Paul,1',e in. i~ ~akeii' up _to _liei\fen,,!na si.!lS and _years''tliings unutterable. He W~B such a .C0:1;1--; dit1on as _this at a cer~m period here. called .i the Lord's day." All men wbq a'\'e m the Spirl.(in the m#al sense:--in thli serise 9t vital godlinesS..:.-feel and regard all 4ia:ys &4 "tb~_Lqrd'.il dayt. Imt ~lie' days ?f .spi~it~al .~cllt~ies ~-d transporfa are ever ~~i~~; 1'.~rha.pjl ~lie fil'\l,t rui.,: pf .tbe week. 1s he~~ r~ferred to-the day of our Sa.viour's .~s.urr~~;: t1on from. the dead. . _;t'robably i}ie assoc1,at1on of that wonderful da.y s,irved to .ra.186 hie BOlll into this ecsiatfo,,tate. , Concerning the v'oicetlui.t C!.l'.me 't<>'hini when fo this sta~ it was marked liJ' tw9 ·thingii, _ i. 'P/ie voice was mat-~d. by clearnes~. 1' A great voii~ .. of a trumpet. The l'Oice was clear, loud, strpng. as a trumpet. ' lt was a. vo~ca. @. which he· could not c!'.osi) .hill ears if be wished to; it/I clarion-notes rang 'into him.. i~ The~ ioas ,iruirk.ef, 'IJY,Ju'lness. "As the BOund c# m~ny waters." "Dimield81!Cr~ ~he vqice of. th!l A11~1;n,t r:,f ~ays as .the voi~ pf_a multitude (Dan. x. ~) 1 QUt th~ ".YIGI of the_ mult1tu!1,e was: 1n _earlier ~ebrew wrjtiµgs. compared. to the !1,QUn<l ~tthr> ?.f the ~. which ~e vo11l8 of ~)le L,ord _coul,1 ltl?ne siibdu~ (Ps.. lxv, 7 ; X.CW:· 4~ __ , . 1:inage, the-. evange!wt. adopts _to desei:ibe the, yG1ce Q'. Op.mt, stro?g an~ maJes~1Q ~ "I· ~~ &,l>el-.,0J19<a of e11-r~~ That voice whose ~ord stilled th~ sea_sounds,!"s the wl),~ ofJh!l ,e~~ ,w;:ji1cp. S~.J.ohn !leard l:\~ni: rebuke!'.·. Is ther~ any voice in _nature e(ua1';f.o )}, voice of the old ocean-majest1c1 full, continuous1 drc;,wnin; all other souudi! 'f -riw 5.S THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE· 1;n VINE, [cu. I. 1-20.