The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 118

not. "Ye Jews sa-y ye are JewB, but in any 1;eal sense ye are- not; ye do lie; but this my despised, yet faithful Church, I.have Joyed her, and I, the Holy, the True, th& King:of Israel. do now confeas her as she bas oonfesaed me.•• And often and often has the Lord done the. like of this. " When wrong has been done to any .of his servants here on earth, he ,will redreSB it in heaven, disallowing and revel'l!ing there the unrigbt,;. eoua 'decrees ·of earth. Ii wu in faith of this that HuSB, when t-he. greatest. COUDCil ~oh ObriBtendom bad MA for. OD~ ~d·;r•• dolivem Ji~ toul M> Satan,·~4 at 1' t,--22.] TBB REVEL.A TION ov ST. JOHN TUB DIVINE. tat 1:ihnself confident\T co~mend It to 'the Lord .Jesus C!'riat; and many a faithful conf88IIOI' Uiat at Rome or Jtladiid has walked to the stake, his yellow 11an benitoall painted·over with devils,'in ·token of tl).pae with whom his portion should be, has never doubted tha1; bis lot should be with him wllo retains in his own hands the key of David, who tbtta could openJ·or him, though all wh9 visibly represented here the Churoh'had shut him out, with extreme malediction,.at once from the Church militant here and the. Church triumphant i'n heave11." And the grim cells of N~te, and the bare bleak hedgerows of our own land, hav.e often been the scenes of similar revelations to God's persecuted ones. Goo has taken their side, and pronounced for them aa he.did forth~ Church at Philadelphia. 2. 27ieir Lord maku them abundantly u8"/td. "Behold; I have 11et before thee an open d(?Or, and no man can shut it." ·?is Name declared bis power to dp this, and here be- affirms that he has exercised that power on their behalf'. Dy the • open door," 11sefulnese, opportunity of service .and of doi~ mu.eh good, is meant (of, lCor. xvi; 9; 2 Cor. iL 12; Acts xiv. 27; Col. iv. 8). · Now, this. Christ declared he had don~ for them. · Perhapsit was by giving tli,endavour ~n the sight of the people, ·or by 1:ii-eakitig the hold of heathenism, arottSihg a, spirit of inq:uiry, raising up able te:icher2, giving _them entranoe into fresh ciroll'll.,' Fidelity :to Ch~iat. has given· to it a ktiy that will t11ni the most difficult look, and open. the most ·clol!ely shut door.' 8. ~ r tMmie,uhould 1Ubm1't tliemsellJtlS. As Sauithe petse(lllti?r became Paul tlte apostle'. And again imd again out cii' the ranks of the Church's fiercest ~ h•v~oome those wh_o have first surrendered their hearts to her cause arid then their' Uvee to her service (cf. the conversion of Constantine and of Rome getterillly). Jn that thi.s word 'n,11 )iterally fulfilled., 4. They shotild be deU11~ from tne hour of tmnptation'..-t1rat dread. hour which was 4-i-a,wing near so ~wiftly ( of. Ps. xoi.). Perhaps they would be taken home Driit, delivered so" from the evil to come;0 And if not tha:t, rai"8d. in heart~aa the tn.at'tyrt petpetually .wete, above all fear; or some wondrous deliveranoe should be fo,md (9t them. Tliey knew that· .li01ir was oon1i.ng, and no. d011 bt they:. had often ahudder!l(l at.the.vrospeot. ·.But oh, what joy to be told' bf their_ Lord ~ha..t he would d~er them l. 5. 7'/ie eterfl<il ~peme-the crown; Their Lord was; quickly coming; let'them hoJd Qn qut II: little loll!Wr; and then this crown should be tljeirs. I~ ver. 12 ~hfs; cro.WJ.l of reoo'mptJ\?-,118 is ~o~ fully desoribed : (1) As being m~e •: a pillar in ~he ;emiilli.. oor 11!-Y. qod.•.".. ;1,e•,.·th.ey.sh·ohl·.,d. :eerpet~ally ab1d.e there1. ~welhng in th~, h~ of !he Lord (Qr evflr.. ·Now· :we .come· and go, in fact and in sp1r1t. Not so thete. " He: shall go no more'.olit," · I.t· is _a curious coincidence that ambngat the ruins at Phi[&.; ~~J>~ia there •~dirw-thi~ day a solitary tall pillar; it strikes the eye of the traveller~ ii.nd suggestsirl'£\llistibly this glorious promise made to the believers who lived the~ long ag_o. An ancient geographer says. of th~ place~ "It is full· of earthq~es, and la daily. ~ken, now one part, ancl_ now another suff"eririg, so that_ one wonders any mould ~VI! been found to ·build or inhabit it." Now, to the _ehristians, who saw d,µly .in their city the image of their own· precarious position, Christ says, "I wi,ll make hJlll who OV!!rcomes a pillar in the temple of my God," and he shall go no more out:•~u not totter and fall as these stone pillars do, but shall abide stable and BUre f<it ever~ (2) As being identified with: (a) God. "The Name of my God" Christ 'will write upon him. It shall be evident that he belongs to God. "Surely this was the Son of God "--:-41<> apake ~ney who had crucified the Lord: they could not help seeing the Name of~ w~tten upoµ him. (b) "The city of my God." Jews bad cast *em out, but the G:od of the true •• holy city " had declared it theirs, and that their true home was bis Cl~ city. There ate many of wl1om we say, ·ic \Ve hor,i they are going. to heaven;" there are some of whom we say~" We are sure they are,• for their :identification with heaven ia itG complete. ·(c) Christ's own N!lmc--::-th~t aspect of ~rist's love by which the believer r~lites that he is Christ's and Christ is his.· · "Bo, graciou11 Saviour; on my breaet, )lay thy dear Name be woru, A 11&cred ornAinent and g,iard · To endle1111 ages home." 8.C; ' Vers. 14-21.-The ~stle to the Ohurdt at Laodice11. It was a wealthy city in  '1Fhieb, t~is Chnrc'1 had her home, and.it was large &11d beautifiJl also. lt etoqd on one .or~ great Roman r ~ which led away to Damascus and Arabia. Hence thilte 1f8' a ~ 1tresm of trafllc continually flowing through it, 'an<l it.II inhabitant-a became very .rich. .At the tune when this Jett.er was sent them .they wef8 btiilding for themselves one of. those. bnge amphitheatres which the Greeks and Romans of the day were wont to bµild in all th~ir chief cities, and where those too often barbaroµs and degrading , ~ in whieh th.ey ao much delighte<l, might be carried on. As ,; fµrther evidence · ~ thiiir wealth, it is recorded how, w}l.en .their city was aimost destroyt!d by one of thoae earthq~es bj which the whole region _waa 19 often disfu,rfied. they rebuilt it entii:eJy a\ their -0wn cost. A O]:iurcb was early formed there, and was one of consider- ,able µnportance. H was probably founded by one or other of those. eamest-miilde:ci .bret)u:en, who, like. Epapbras. w)ioin Paul names in his letter to the neighbouring Church at Col~ and wbp ~ commissioned by St. ·Paul for. such w~rk, probably during hia lk'journ at Jilphesua. · We. knew· that Epa~ was a near neighbour, ColOSSle lleiog .only BOme •~. or eighl milli&.distant from taodicea.; and b'ene& it ia li~~ly that h1t--c"faithf'ul ministei:ofChrist, ana beloved fellow-servant," ai Si. Paul.calla him (Col L 7; · h'. 12}-had 19metbing .to do witli. the planting of the Chµrch there. :And .we can have :ilo doubt bnt tbat the Church was once in a very flourishing con- d.itioi;i., ,The EJ)istle of St.. Paul t.o the Ephesians was intended, it is all but certain, ~ mucl fQr the Laod~ns ~ the Ephesians, if not inoni iQ. . 'l'he high pll!,ise which ,..e find.Jn. ~t letter is th"srefore to be regarded as given to l'.,aodicea, which now, whi,li St,. John \\'rltee to it,is.sosadly Callen. And in CoL ii. 1;51 ,S~.'Paul spciAka of them ancl Qf t h e · " ~ " of their "faith. in Qhrist." (cf. also 'OoL iv. 13-16).. But-~ aad,ch~ge had come over them, ud the result is this:_Jotter before us riow. No~. · L Tujm CIU.BAO'l"D .um oom>!i'Iox. 'l'hey ate charged with being ".neither coJd nor hot," but hike~ That 1a to. say~ that.whilst. th~e ·wii.s not absolu~ d_enjal .• , of the fai~ and diaregard 9lall Chrjit,'s.cla4ns, there yet was neither the fervenheal~ the de"°ut spirit, DQr the a!J-sacrificing .love, springing from a vigorpµa Jaith 1 which would itiake a.' ,Church glow with holyJervour and l&Cted :~ee.t. .. .And this half-and-~f. ileitner oqe thiog nor the other1, condition .ia sll too ~ . ~oi!,gs~ not a few·~~ pr.ofBIJI ,and call themselves Chruti!lnL Ho,w many Churcheii,. and how. IP!Ul:r cliun:h- going peo,ple, may, and probably have, seen their poi'tmituresJ~ Uihl ~ letter to die Qhurcli at Laodicea l 'J.'hey cannot ~. said .to be. cold and so utterlydian,gardful. of ~ligion,,or of Chriatian faith and cusicm; but u.certainlythet~ ,not '"""hot," u~ iitled w,itli, love and . i and desire towards Christ, willing tcf c;lo .iI, "bear.all, be all or iti1i~°if.J or nothing, 10 only as the honour. o( his N~e ~Y lie ino~ and ~~ \!9un,dariea of hia. ~ngdom enlarged. .· Chr:i,atians are to be kn:Own by th~. ardour, and iJo toigoea of fire cam, _and retited upon tlieir heads on fihe great Penteoc>stal da1. ·. But Lao<Ui:ea and the like of her ehow ,· nothing of thi1. kind, IU>r .will nor can they" wbiln thet J,"eDWn u tlwy: are. , And, the common rqn 'of men '61" to !i,aw if _lhu.. ,Cold malt~ them ihiV!lf i heat 1011rehes t,he~-t hey li}!:e n~itberi. b11t_ to be moderately warm,' tepid,'or bu& little ·more; that is. plt'll88nt, is ~e, is best every wa1, iio men thiajt. Tne ~ c statesman's parting charge to one of his agenta, "'Siu:tout, point de i.eJe: ie, In fac.liJthat the ordiJWy Christian vastly prefers for himself and for others:·· Tl:iey confouni\_i~l with eccentricity, fervour with wild.and ill-:Ocineidered S<Jhemes, earnest- ~- y.:itli rant, enthusiasm with mere delirium and extravagance; and, under pretence of 4i/iQQuntenancing these undesirable things, they desil'Q neither for themQell'e11 nor for (,lthera tliat glow of Divine love in their soiila which is desirabl~ above all thing& else. T1ie, congratulatie themselvu upon being modera~ ao~minded people. and they pity the poor 4eludeq enthusiasts, to '!'hom it is ~ ·dree,dful thing that sin and sorrow aho1,ll.d prevail as they do, and who, therefore; ate in the very forefront of the battl.e against them. Laodiceans think well and speak well of themselves, and other people ciedlt them with what they say, and hence they are self-compl$Cent and well satisfied, and wonder why anybody should doubt or differ from ~ They do not hear the world's •¥fllr or aee its mocking look when theipi.ame,,are mentioned; still less do they hear ~ sighing of the sorrowful heart which yearna to aee the Church of Chriat me up to her,Lord's ideal and intent. But they go on saying and thinking that they ve well to do, and have need of nothing. But their condition i, Gbhl»'1'ffll to '1M Lord ; he ciannot abide· it. nauseate& it, would rather far that they were either cold or hot; eith•  extreme would b&. Wter- than, the llicbming. lukewannnet111 which now oh&racterizes: ~ To such it was that the ~ said, ".The publicans_ and harlots go :i~to the kingdom of God befere 'SOU.n Whilst of the irr'eligioua multitudee he ~nly .aaitl, 81 bee ro.oked on them with compusi.on, "They are u sheep ha-ring no shephert\.,. Elijah, aid, "'If Baal be God, serve him; " '' better be hearty in law ;sBrvice than. ,aervln& neither God. nor· Ba.a.l, as you now are.'' And experience confirms this seemingly stra.np preference which the ·Loni 1ieclares. We could understand that be would men. were "hot" rather than "lukew&rm;" but that he would rather that they weni "cold•- without religion altogether-than as they are, that seems a strange preference. Bin. · as St. Paul aaya, "lf a man think himself to be wise, let him become a fool that he may be wiae;• by which he meant ~ t a man who think• himself wise when he ia> not,· there ill more hope of a fool becoming wise than he, fur his self-conceit sta11ds in his way. .And ao in the matter of a man's real conversion to God, he who knows ~ hu no religion is mon, likely t.o he won than he who thinks. he it religious Qd. h• "n~ of nothing." There is more· hope, therefore, for the cold than for the " lnke-. wlinn,"· and hen~onr Lord's preference. .And this condition is one· whidt tlriwa lhe µml a.1M1J, chues him forth from his Church. Christ is represented,'.n,ot as in ~t\ Ohnroh, but as outside, standing at the door, and knocking for admission. He has . ~ driven out. He cennot stay either in that Church or in that heart which loves hiD,1, with bat half or less than half a love. We do not care to stay where we are .llot; really welcome: we get away as soon as we can. And onr Lord will not stay where ~e love which should welcome and cherith bis presence is no longer there. . II. 'How CIIBI8T 'DEA.LB WITH THEIL 1. He NVeOl, lo them thwr ~ conditioa. And to make them more readily receive his revelation, he declares himself by I\ nam4 which ensured that his testimony waa and muat be infallibly true, He tells or himaelf as "the Amen, the faithful and true Witness." Therefore they may be _sure that he ~ not err and would not misstate what he, as the Son of God, " the Beginning of the creation of God," saw and knew, and now declared t.o them to be true. And. JO he wlla them how it is with them, though they knew it not and kept saying the very reverae. • Hence he tells the Chureb, "Thou art the wretched one and the pitiable one. and beggarly and blind and naked.• Ah I wl,at a revelation this I how it would star~ and shock them I No donbt the Lord intended that it should. Their oondit,on, justified these words. They tbonghi that they ware certain of their Loni'■ approval. He tells them that no shivering criminal waiting in terror the judge's sentenoe was ever more really wretched than they. And that they thought· u they did proved them '"'blind.., And as those whom it was designed t.o degrade were et.ripped "naked," so as •~·shameful" were they in the sight of the Lord and of his angels. a. And by thus revealing their true state, ~ rebuke, and chasfeni them. What humiliation and distl'88S and alarm must this revelation have,causedl But next: 3. He coimaell them wha.t 14 do. . He will not leave them thus, but points out the way of amendment. He bids .them "buy of me." But if they were so poor, how could t.hey buy ? " The sacrifices Qf God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, 0 God, ibou wilt not despise." This is the money wherewith they must buy. And when they have laid out this money; and have become possessors of what it will S11rely purchase, they will tell you. if you ask them, that even this money he gave them from whom they went to buy• .And what is it they will get in exchan/:(e? (1) "Gold tried in," etc. '!'his is faith (cf. 1 Pet. i. 7). "The trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold and .ailver." Oh, to be "rich in faith" 1 They are rich.who have it. (2) " White raimeD1' that." etc. Tme righteousness of character, the holiness which becometh saint.a (3) "Eyesalve that," etc. The illuminating grace of. the Holy Spirit. Such is the way of amendment: coming thus .poor t.o the Lord, gaining faith, holiness, wisdom.,- IO shall we rise up from the condition which the Lord cannot abide to that which he loves and will ever bless. Shall we not follow this counsel? He does not compel, bui counsels. Let us also thus buy of him. 4. He wait,for their repentance.. "Behold, ] stand.at, the door," etc. How true it is he desireth not the death of a aii;ner, bm rather that he turn from his wickedness and live I What a picture this well-kno~ and ever-to-be-loved verse presents! Our Lord, who died for us, standing there outside, teeking to enter in. 6. He encourage, them to repent. See his pl'.Omises. . (l) "I will 111p with him, and he with me.• Communion with himaelf. A. piece of elay g&1',o tat THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN 'l'HE t)IVIlffl. [o:a:-m.1-22.