The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 168

:gested by Isa. :n:xiv. f, taken in conjnnotion with the pnrable of Matt. xxiv. 32. plereness of the extent of the judgment ob. i. 4; v. 1, ete.). c- Vez. H.-And tha heaven departed u a Ver. 16.-And laid to the mountalnl IIIUl acroll when it ii rolle4 together;. !llld Ou, rockl, Fall on u, and hide u from die face .hea111m wa rem<lffli III o eoroli tm1m if·u (cf. Hos. x. 8, "They 1hnll ay to the ro1J.ed ~p. ne .roU--the parchment. bobk mountains, CoTer us; and to the hills, Fall or roU, which is spread out to read, and, on WI; " -also Luke xxiiL SO, " Then 11ti.U when read. rolled up and put away. The they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on paseage is apparently founded upon Isa. ua ; and to the hills, Cover us ") of him miT. f. "The host of heaven sha.11 be that litteth on the throne. The Tri.one dissolTed, and the heavens shall be rolled God (eee on ob. iv. 2). Ana from the together as a ecrolll' ete; And every moun- wrath of the Lamb. The · result of the tabl and island were moved out ot · their wrath of the Lamb is depicted in eh; ni. plaoel (cf. Isa. xl. f, " Every mountain 8. God's wrath with the wicked is ·the and hill slw.U be made low;" awao Jer. iii. assnranoe . of his mercy and love for the 211, "Truly in vain is salvation hoped for righteous. Thus in eh. xi. 18; we ha,ze, from the hills, and from the multitude of "The nations were anry, and thy wrath.is mountains"), The enumeration of ~ come, and the time o the dead that they objects in vers. 12-H seems to denote the should be judged, and that thou shouldest all-extending nature of God's jmlgment. give reward unto thy senants," et& Simi• Ver. 15.-And the kings ot the earth. larly, in eh. xiv. 10--:JS, the toralh of God The :llrst of t.he seven classes mentioned. upon the wicked. ie associated with the The ennmemtfon :fa again all-extensive, peace of the faithful embracing all 01811888, and men of every Ver. 17.-l'or the great day of bis wrath ·degree of eooial distinction. Bishop New- is come. OJ t"Aeir u,raCh, which is read in ton is probably not correct in seeing an allu- the Revised Venion, ia found in IC, C, SS, sion to part.icular. kings. And the great Vulgate, Syriac; but ,.b,-oi)., "his," is sup- men; priRcu (Revieed Version). M•1ur.-a.vu po:rted by A, B, P, Coptic, Andre88, Arethas, are the jrandees, the courtiers, as dis- l'iimasios. The article is repeated, maki11g tingnishe from those who are governors tlte term almost a proper name-Uui daf, and hold military command, and who are t1ui great f day]. Alford remarks that thie so~uently mentioned as the "chief cap- of it.self should be sufficient to keep com- tain& And the rich men, and the chief mentators right in confining their interpre- oaptainl. The Revised Version reverses tation of this seal to the last judgment (of. the order, and places "chief captains" first. Joel i. Iii; iL 1, 2; Aets iL 20; Jude 6). The chief ~tain8 (xu..fopxo•) ore those And who ■hall be able to stand l Who i, holding military rank (cf. IIJark vi. 21, able (Revised Version). Thus Mai. iii. 2, "He,od made a ■upper to his lords, high " Who ehall stand when he appeareth?" captains," etc.; John xviii., "The captain And Nah. L 6. Thus, then, the quC"Btion and_ officers took Jeans:" Acts xxL SI, et in Yer. 10, "How_ long?" is answered ; not ,eq., " The chief captain of the band"). _~ by limiting the lengih of time, .but by a the mighty men. Prol.¥ibly those pos-1:rig renewed assurance of an awful termit1at.ion grenf. bodily strength. · And every bondma.11, or the course of the world, at the appearance ana every tree man, hid themaelvea in the of the Judge. The dread attendillg that cl9DII and in the rookl of the mountainl. end is vividly portrayed, and the fear of "Every" is omitted before "free man " by the wicked, with their conscience-stricken A. B. 0, Volgate, Syrine, Andreas, and inquiry, "Who is able t.o 1tand?" an Aretha& The dent; in Revised Version answer to which is required for the ediflea- ea- (cf. Is&. ii. 19, "A.nd they ■hall go tion of the faithful. And, therefote, the into the holes of the rooks, and into the seer immediately describes the presenatioa eaves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and of the righteoW1 from amidst the destruotion for the glory of hill majei;ty, when he ariset.h of the wicked, and their raptured praises, to ■hake terribly the earth")._ Again, as in a joyo1JB contrast wit.h the despairing fate vera. 12-14, the enumeration i■ sevenfold: of those whOll8 doom has just been narrated. thu denoting the universality and eom-