The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 247

may be mad818d: (1) Time (a lnite termin- with his blowing (oL,oh. xi. 18), .., that ii abl& ]IEriod, 111 opposed to eternity) ah&ll is properly said that the fnlfllment. oomM no longer exist, but et.el'llity shall be entered , in the days when he is about to blO'lfl! upon., (2) There shall be no more time, in The mystery of God should be 8nishedi''.al8o the 1811118 of "there shall be no longer any (or theta, as Revised Venion) the myater1r•df delap' in the imli.ctioD of thelast judgment, God u,aa /ulJUW. "The· prophetic pmr• set forth under the seventh trumpet. The (Wordsworth). "The mysimy of God 'Ha solution seems to be that both meanings-are all that man• does not now undeniand m implied. There seem■ to be a referenee to connection with God's dealings with man, the wo:rds of oh. vi. 11, to the l•n·,x,,&voP but of the existence of which he· :is oog• ,-pd,,, during which the saints; were to rest nizant, e.g; the ·existence of evil in, the and await the infliotion of God's wrath upon world, and God's modes of dealing with the ungodly. The visions of the flnt six that and all mankind, which we only·koow h'llmpete have shown how, in the period of in part._ God'a plans are being .. steadily · th♦ world's existence, the ungodly do not and surely worked -out, though· _, me not escape judicial retribution. But that is not able to oomprehend ·them. .A.I · ht huh ; all:· the foroe of the six judgments not deolared to his 1enants the propheil ; having B8rV8d fo rednoo the worldly to re- literally, a, he B!llJfl!IBliud hit, ..,,._,.. tAB pent&noo, there can be no more delay, the prophet, ; or, as in the Revised' Venion, last final judgment follows. But the last aacording to the good tiding,. · t.tilidi' ls jadgment, which follows quickly upon the dBclared t.o his aen,ant, the f"'O'llllela:., , ll'hus other six (eh. :s:i. H), is for eternity (eh. :s:i. Amos iii. 7, " Surely the Lord God· cwill do 18).· The advent of this woe is, therefote, nothing, but he revea.leth hia·•aecret 11I1to simi:lltaneons ·with the end of x,p&,,,,s, or his servants the prophets.'' The ·promise "time," by-which we signify that definite of the oomplete fulfilment of the myBMry period, out·out ofetemity;·as it were, which of God is good news indeed for the fainting iii co&Val with the e:s:i.ltenc,e •of the world, Christian, for it tells' of the end of his , and C8ll8ell with· its destruction. The ex- trials and the overthrow of hi8 enemies. presnon, therefora, implies, ·"~he measure Ver. 8.-.A.nd the voioe which I heard from of God's .pnnishi:nenbt, · viewed I as -0ppor- heaven spake unto me ~ ; and Mid; Ohd tunltiea for repentance, is exhauetell ; -there the tlOicB whieh I heard out oj 'Ma'INin, {ii is· a limit to his· endmemoe: the"allotted heard] again t.alking '1Jith me-'li;ut fllgifff',, time having been mn, and his mercy to • The construction is irregular, •i~The\'Oiae,~ • large:eJ:tent having been ·spumed, there is viz. that mentioned in ver, 4,, •hieh is: pro- no more delay;" then ·falls the last -:final bably:that of Obrist himi!elf (see on 'lleli. 4)'. · blow, whioh 'is at the end of" time," and Go and take the little 'book wbllh'ia ope11·in at the beginning (for inali.y) of eternity. the haud of the angel 'lthich llta1ldedl upen. Ebram lenders," A spaoe or time in'which the - and upon the earth ; · <Jo, ·lab tAB to :tepent"-'-a meaning compatible wit.h the 0001', etc., aooording to A,. O, whielr is explanation given abo'l'e, · Others · render, adopted in the Revised Version;. ·<Litt"' " The time of the fulfiltnenhhall not be yet, book, /3ifJ7,.11.pl8io11, aa in ver. 2; iii found in but it Bhall be when· the seventh trumpet tot, P, Andreas; and fJ,87,.,lic,pfoP in B, An- aounds ; " but this interpretation maf.es dreas, Arethas. (On the siguifteation of the x,,&~.w ecJ.ual 1<«1pos.. Others, again,. have "little book.," see on var. 2·; ati<l also for made xpdlios, a clw01MU, equal ·a definite the meaning of the laat olauae,•see.the eame · number of years, find have e:tideavoured •to plaoe.) · . . •:c , compute the exact equivalent of the period Ver. 9.-And I went unto the atipl. ll1Ul (see Bengel, i• lac.). said unto him, Give me the little book; and Ver. 7.-Bnt in the days of the voiee of I WBr.t away t.o the Ofl!IBl, telling him lo gi1'B the Nventh angel. The meaning na~ly ffl4!I ths little batik. Alford understands that -ms to be, "There Bhell be no longer time; the seer goes from his position in heaven bn; on the oontrary, in the. days of the to the angel ou earth. But he i,s probe.bb', seventh trumpet, the last judgment shA.11 in his vision, already on l,he earth .{8811 on fall, the end will come, and all thinge will ver. 1). And he laid unto me, Take it, and be made manifest ; the mystery of God will eat it up; he ,aith. This part of the Tiaion be finished/' Wordsworth renders, "No is founded on Ezek. ii. 9-iii. 3. The act ia delay, save only in the days,''" etc., and no doubt intended to convey the idea that believes that the pallllllge points to a brief the seer is to llSl'efully receive; to digest reapite. during which men may yet repent. thoroughly, as it were, his me888g8:inorder When he lhall begin to sound; whet. he is to deliver it faithfully. Th1111 in Euk. iii. abarJt to IOUd [hia trumpet]. Alford points 10 the prophet 'is told, " A:11 mr WOM8 that out th(! propriety of the ell'.pre8ilion. '! When I Bhall speak unto thee receive in, thµie • the ..aeventh angel does sound, the oem- heart, and: hear with thine .ean. 4,u.d g.>.· -pleted time of the fnUilment ia &i.mul$aneoua get thee to th8'D of the cap~vity; uilfo'.'116 271 THE REVELATION OF ST. JORN THE DIVINE. [0H. x. 1-11;