The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 166

..,.Ja,.'St."John baa 'awn: that·n· is. with 'Ullder the altar, a11d ·cherish a .apirit of God'a 1:nowledge and con~t flif.t .afflidioDB patience until otbera aie admitted to fill up -a peneeutiona are allo1red to try.the faith their oommunion.. of glory;" and ,Jremeus, t>f hit: servantit on: eanh; while yet the ulti- "The..,aonls-oftbe depairted goto,the place mate triumph"of those who endme is certain. 11B&igned them byGoo,and there abide unnl 1n the ,lai,f; 1tlir.ee appearanel!B he goes a·&tep the reeurreotfon;,when they will be' reunilied '11J1her,..;..he ,gives :hi8 readers'& glimpae of ~ their bodies; and then the saint.e., botJt-m 1111"lilllts1rnore :immediately-oonnected-with fue •oiil and .bmy, will oome. into the .presence life in the world ·to ,oom11.,,·He'1h0Wli them of God." · .l':or the Word of Goel, and for the (IYthe ·faithful, teating from ~eir labours, teatim.ony. irbieh tkeJ held. B, J:lyri:u,, add, 1hougla longing, iu sympathy with those left "'arid of the Lamb," · 011 aceount of tAe u:ord, 1111 - ~ for the: eoinpJetion of Christ's eto. , Enoily the mme expression whieh Si. wiumph; (2) the oirolllllit.a11C88 attendant . John uses in -ch;.i. 9' in describing .the cause upqn,our ·L«d's ,final oonring,. whieh he d&- of hi1 own exile at Patlnoa.. The language IIOdiea in language which is almoat a.repeti- .ilt peonlinrly St. John's (of. oh. i 2, •John·: tion of Ghmt'& :worda on the same subject; who,bare l'ellord of the Word ofGod,·and of (8) ~e inexplicable life with God in heaven. the t&timony ·of JeBUB. Christ, and -of all whieh is denot.ed ·lty the silence· following .things that. he·aaw.;" al80' eh; xii 17, "The the op&ning of the ;fast 8ea.l. ··I •w ~ dragon ••• went to makie war with •• :. Qe &l&ar. ~his represent.ation is:doublle11& them which .have the testimony ·of Jesus auggeat.d by the il'rraugementaofthe temple. Christ ;s" also oh. EL 10; ~ I am thy fellow- Victmi. were aacrificed on the bJUen altar sen-ant; :and of thy: brethren that.have.the .ftioh ..tood 1 aMhe door of the tabernacle testimony .of J88ll8: vorship God: for the (l!l:r.od. u.xb:. 89 •nd xl. 29), and the blood teltimOJ1yof Je&UB·i• the spirit of prophecy.' was poured out at the-foot of this alt.ar (Lev. The " Wnrd of God'' is of COUl'Be the trutla iv. 7}; The ipartyn are therefore regarded t11hicll'llod kM declared, not. tha •Word aa in u having oft'cred jhemaeltea as eacrifices J'ohn i •. "The..testimony whieh they held" :upon the altar of God by yielding up their 1118Y dilfet- ilightly in signification in dift"er. Jiives for him. St. Paul uses a similar figure ent plaees. U-may meen.(l) the testimony oo~ng bi1DSelf. In 2 Tim. iv; 6 h& says, or truth which Ohrist haa imparted te qJ.u;.. "'i For I am now ready io be offered [' to pour tians; oi(2) the active ■bowing forth of1he out as a libation,' n-/,,5ao], 11nd tile time of Chrie:¼in faith by word er deed. The latter ay departure ia at hand;·" ,and i:o. Phil ii. u,evidently'the meaning here, since for this l7, "If I be .offered upon the sacrifice and active 1DBnifeatation of Christiariiiy they -eervioe of your faith." Bleek and De W ette wb.ose souls ·St. John· no,reeea in glory had understand the gglden alta.r of inOOD88 been .Blain, whioh would not lilm~ occurred (Fa.od. xn. 1), and eonsider that the figure had theymll181y received the Word of God ia npre881ltatwe of the h ~ g of the withonl showing ii outwardly {cf., eh. L 2). marlyra' prayers. llossuet says the altar is Ver.10.-And they ariachrith a 101111. voice, (}tmst. · The BOtllll of them that were '.11.ain; saying;· i.e. tha 1»ul1 crilKl. Ebmrd, DLter- ,a- •that had be6'I- slain. ·An "1BSthetical dieck,Hengaten berg,make"the slain'' nomi- aUllcnlty" (see on eh. iv. 6). How could native, .in c·onJmtiistinctioil to the "aouls," -St:-John - :the soals? Of COlll'lle. he tlid whicll ill both· unnecessary and unnatural. ,nol; 888 them w,ih ' his bodily viaion, nOJ' -Ziillig oomparea Gen. iv. 10,,"The.voice of indeed did tie •th11S 1188 onj' part:of the re- 1hy brother's blood crieth unto me from thp , ~ , He "aees'' them while "in· tl1e grouncV' How- long t (comp. Zech. i. 12; 18, ,Spirit,'! •i.e. he is• somehow· mllde eonscious " How Jong wili \lion not have mercy on .of the e:t.iatenoe of the 1101118. Slain ; a-t/Jcl-r,..,.,, Jerusalem? And the LGrd answered with ~.-crifioed;" the same worJ used of·the Lamb good, woq and comfoita.ble word4 "). ·No ,fn·•h. v; 6. Tlie word ia-in harmony with -doubt the: lll1Dls 'waiting ill Paradise. are ibe llll8 of the wbrd" altar,P with ·whirh it is answered by.i•comfortable words," yet, n6t aatura.lly ~nnected. It ~ lllD signµl.ea- .having. 108t .. ,their -interest in .-eimhl7 ·tiou of ·the altar, wltioh, therefore. canoot struggles, nor their longing .for·the mum- :bear.tfae mea,ning..-ibed byBleek and.De phant vi»diootioru er God'■ glory, they oq, iW--, ... m.llllti~ above. tilt. Jolin - "Row long P,'' noi u neeiliog ~-time t.o lie 1bortll1led foT ·thetr own sakes, ror they red, explained by-DeWelte an'd-othera.··,•h• though not yet entered into the fulness of little time ,xpdvo1); that is, till the 8800ml God.'11 glory. O Lord, holy and true; 0 coming of Christ, for the time wbioh, is t. M~ter, the lwlr and t.-.e (Revised Venion). intervene before that event ii f'rftllfflllt.l,J •.Master" (3,o:,rh~) ill the correlative.of epoken of as a litUe time, {ace ® elt. i. h ,.,&er'IM!i" (lavA,u). This ia the only m• ~ 3 ; xii. 12: comp. Hag. ii. 6, 7," "Yid ataoee of its ooourrenoo in the Apoeal:n-- once • little · tune. and I will ahake . the (On "tme." · see prllviou passages.) Dost heaven.a, and the earth, the sea and the dsy tlu>u not judge ud avenge our blood. The land, and all 1111.tions, and the Dee~ of a.II cry ii not a petition fOI' personal revenge, nations shall come"). The time of the warJil but a :reque,t for the termination of those is UtUe m comparison with etQrnity~ . Thu Ills which for a time, afflict man, and the UU!" time ia depicted and aet for:th lUllier termiuatiQn of which must, by virtue of the six IIE'ale; it comes to an endat.cb. 1'ii,. God's eterna..l juetiee, be e.ooompanied by 17, and merges into etemit_y in • viji, J. visible .retribution on the wioked. (Cf. Some expoaitom (of the historical eohool) Bede, " Those so11.ls wl1ich <Bl'eied. them- understand a ]ip6,,o~ to be a definite, 6rbi- telves .a Jiving sa.crlJiee to God pra.y eter- trary number ; e.g. Bengel considera U to nally for his coming to judgment, not from he llllt yeari · (see • Speaker's Commea- any vindidive feeling against their enemies, tary,• p. 485). · Until their fallow-NnUta but in .a -spirit of zeal and love for God's also and their brethren. t21al ahollld be glory and justice, and for the oomillg of that killed u they· were, allollld be falfilled. day when sin, which ii rebellion against l1ini:, N, B, P, read ttA'J/p,f,q-."'• "ahall ha\18. ful- will be !lestroyed, and their own bodies will filled " ( i.e. their cout116] ; A, C, read .->-,J- be raised. And 110 in that prayer wherein P"'IJittrir, "should be ·completed." . " Their Cbtist wachea m to forgive our enemies, we fellow..sen11.11ta also and tb.eir, · bretluen " arealeo tin;ght to say, 'Th7kmgdom come.'''} may not denate·two eepa?'llte bodiee, not- 1:he passage has given rise to varying ia- withstanding •that ICIZ£ OCOll?8 twiee, but., a.a t,erpreta.tions, which are thought to be more Alford remarks, it msy p0int out the iiame oo,nsonant with the apirit of. ·the gDSpel poJ'S(}DB viewed in two. aepecj:s-firal. the Tb11S· I, WillialDS -would undQr..fund the Christia.DB neetled tn proeeed with and- fini&h 119111s to repreaent only the Old Testament Ohri11t's work .as his ~ve.nta; eeeond, the eainta, especially aa H ii not explicitly said 11ame oneil needed to omnplete t.he· number thai lhey died..ror the witneBB (If Jes~ 1111 of-bis family, But it seeine more lik11ly ihat ua -oh. .u. ¾. :Oa them that dwell on, the a referenoe is -intended, to two eiauee of earth.. That ill, on the worldly, thOSQ who Christians-.firat,. fMir: ~#l'11fJfltl. iliat b.ave taken the. side of tlM! wodd in it.II con- ia, all Chriltians, who may. however,. npt tUct :wil,h Ohriatiaaity. ·· · , · ,ntretmany,rdon1; a.nd.eeoond, t/JeirbreUwen, . : V.cir.: 11.--;-Aad :white rubet1 we:rt- rtvea the ·n:wtyrs, wlto, like th.8111, Biwuld yet he ~ ' evtrJ oe oUhem ; 11nd t1ieN waa .g(Vlffl killed. ,; .. .·• ·.. lo.cl!OM OM • JGk.#6 rooe. :ZTo>,\ Aw«/t,•f',a ·. Ver. 12.-4llll I. 11ehlld 1rhen he W w~ robe;'' ill eupported by A. C, (P], K. B. opeae4 the •i.xth. aeal, amlc I latf - , . . lf elio'.: The white robe of righW!>usMss, the 0:,-ed. '.lllie event,. deacri.bed ..a,c~y weddil!:g-garmeat· of Matt. uil. ll,.:12,.ia die opening,a, iii the case of the preeeding tJie sign nf the blessednees of the saints. wif>ua. (see· on v,ers. i. S, 5, etc.). . 'l'h#I White is the eolour of heavenly victory io sixth aeal:deacribestho end of.the. wood,.,... t}ie Apoea.lypae (BOO on ver.c2); The vision ~he uaDBition · of the B&inta from ea,t'th to h!UI recalled the past sufferings of , •the heaven; !With tb& •accompanying ~ martyrs :and ,their present expectatioD of etances. It ia uaportant t.o reme~ ~u the final: oo~Wlllllatio:n of .. theil' hope11, the who1e ii • vWon. and we :inultJheiefore which is Jo be Dot yeli. . The other •Bide. is guard against expecting a li\em in$etpre- now to be tihown: though t;hey. have .not yet tation of tile laugu!Lg8 UBed,. Followillg the ~eel their .final blisa, they have reeeived manner of the p.nipnets. and the deacriplioa the tllAUts .robe, they are free from .poNi\lility given by-our Lord b.iruaelf of ihe judg:iaent- &f defilement. .the victory ill won, &11d ,they day, St. John portrays the wonder ,and have rut. ~fort and encouragement ar.e awe and consternation wbioh will then. be U,.01 afi"Qrded to tho110 ltillatruggling in. the prevalent under the .figure of ,falling stare. world, who have not as yet attained t.o the eto. &w muoh,if,any, mAy, ill tile lh!sb-oo- white l'Obe of perfect righteouane&B. And iC, tion of tile ·world, liteDlly eome to pa.81, ii wu .laid unto them, that they llhould nit is impoasibla to say ::bnt we mnst be eo11tent 79t; for II Jit;tle ■ea.son. Ch. xiv. l88Jlle. to &o :receive the geJ1eral impremon which ia de1ianDine the .ixect si,,<rnifteation of A,a,...6,- undoubtedly intended t.o be conveyed to 1111. _..,"a,, vis. "tee1; in peace," " rest fiom without pressing the individual particular• their Jaboon," rather than 1p0CUioolly too far. The ayrnboliam, as .usual, bearll •-oeue froUt uttering this cq "(Tel. 10), as evidence of it, Old. Teatllm~ll• origi».; .ua no THE B1tVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE omNE. [cn.TLl-17.