The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 274

his life in the flesh-his earthly, human life. And, ere he could enter Into the holiest for 1l8t he mmt live that life, m111t pass through it as through the veiL .And this ia what he did. And now, relying on that blood of Jesua whieh atones for 111 with God, because it evermore makes our flesh, that is, makes our life, pure, trustful, conseera&ed, as was his life-so, by this "new and living way" we must draw near, keep drawing near, to our Father and our God. His way into the holiest is our way, only the way for him was far more severe than ours. For he had to be perfectly holy, "as a lamb without blemish and without spot," and to suffer as none other ever did or could. But our marred and imperfect holiness is accepted for the sake of his, which was all perfect, and ao, even through the coarse and tattered veil of our flesh, we &ball enter, by bis grace, into the presence of God. 2. TM vision of the ark of the CQt/fflant. We may take this as telling (1) of the unchangeableness of God. When St. John wrote, the very foundations of the earth seemed to be shaken and in course of being moved. That Judaism of which the temple was the centre was dying, dying bard. Jeruaalem and her people were in the last throes of their national existence, and the old order was changing every hour and, amid sore travail, giving plaoe to new.. To many ey~s it seemed as if all was lost, and the end of all things was at hand. Now, what a reassuring vision this would be I The ark of the covenant that enshrined God's holy Law; the ark that was covered with the mercy-seat, that told of the eternal grace.of God; that ark of the covenant, now seen in beatific vision, said to the beholder, "The Lord liveth, the Lord holy and full of compassion, just, yet delighting in mercy, he liveth." Moreoverit told (2) of the certainty of victory overall foes. It was the ark of God's strength, God's resting-place, where he dwelt between the cherubim. Under its shadow Israel had dwelt, as under the shadow of the Almighty. At its presence the rushing river rolled back its flowing flood, and piled up its awestruck waters, and held them bound until all the people of God had passed by. At its presence the walls of Jericho had fallen flat, and under its leadership Israel had gone on from victory unto victory. It had made them invincible a thousand times. And now the persecuted people of God beheld this ark of the covenant once again. "When the enemy came in like 11 ftood, the Spirit of the Lord lifted up the standard against him." It was an omen of victory, a prophecy of good, a lifter-up of all hearts that were cast down. It meant all that. IL WHAT 1s COMMON T.<:> BOTH-to the veil of the temple rent and this vision of the ark of the covenant. One chief meaning belongs to both-that meaning which our Lord declared when on the cross at the moment of his death he cried, "It ia finished/" The veil and the shrine wherein the ark was seen represent the whole of the Mosaic ceremonial, the system of types, the Levitical Law, the whole body of Jewish ordinances. And the rent veil, and the vision of the ark alike show that all that is done with and £or ever. Freedom of access is given to all, and we are bidden therefore to come boldly to the throne of grace. "The veil is not rolled up, but rent, so that it cannot be put up again;" and in this vision there is no sign of it at all. Now, this means that all that separates the soul of the believer from God is clean gone for ever, 1. All legal, ordirnmces. And yet how slow men are to believe this-to believe that the. worshippers whom God seeks are those who worship him in spirit and in truth I It is not papists alone, but so-called Protestants also, all too many of them, who have not. yet realized what the rent veil, and the ark of the covenant visible to all, mean. Hence the often hurried sending for ministers of religion to pray by the sick and dying. Hence, too, those many evidences which we meet with that men's minds are not yet emancipated from reliance on certain persons, ordinances, and the like; and that they yet know not that none can make them more acceptable to God, or as acceptable, as when they themselves come through the blood of Christ. 2. All guilt. This separates indeed, and would for ever do so, had not the veil been rent and the way opened. 3, .All depra'llity. The evil bias of our nature-that in us which makes us do the things we would not, and forbids our doing those we would. .A.od: 4. The fleah itulf; for this veil, too, will one day be rent, and then our soul, escaped as a bird out of the hand of the fowler, shall go into the presence of God for ever. Oonclusion. Then if all that separates, every veil, be done away,let me draw near, as I am bidden to do-in prayer, in praise, in communion; asking or giving thanks for blessings on my soul, in pardon, peace, purity, consolation, strength; blessings on others, those whom I love, those who love me, and for all for whom I am bound to pray. We may, we should, we must.-S. 0. BIVBLATION. X  ,,uV-. ·0-13.:...~ conUntwus vnh'ttBs. The Lord calls forth hia faithful '\\itttaeg, snd ,mab,s promire that their• voic@ · ahd ·testimony shall not be· silen~' l!veii' though ,ft!.~ holy•city ·btl trodden 'Utlderfoot:' · Mark- · · · · ·· · · .. · · · ' ,h~ 'hm· lll!l!'AILDrG 'l'MTnrol!lr.· ··.Throughout the ·entire period during'•which _the 'Dltlrping worldly f)OWet· shall o{lPi·ess and ·tread down· the adherent.s to the truth, ·the nic,e,of testimony is heard:· It cannot•be silenced. Forty and two mciittbs is the holy eity, trodden undertoot: a thoug&nd two hundred and three score days do the witnesstill prop_hesy. · Not an:r,pa.r.tioular two; but the confinriatory t.'tro. The•number·may be IDitiished; but flhe •TOioo is olear. One herald ia sufficient to makifa proelarruttion. ,,,ir;JJ. '!'Ira PAI.l!fnJLffl!.SII OJ' W1TNRSING AGAINST EVIL AND 'l'BREATl!lNIKO JtlDffllEl!I'! l8•'.BU'l''TOO' OBVIOU!f. · The witnllt!ses prophesy;" clothed irf sackcloth.'' So :g:iust' all .who stand in opposition to evil find the painful bit_terness of their sad dnty. · "'.c: ''.: Ill. 'l'RE DnINE' DEll'ENOE 011' THE WJTNJ!SSES. " If any man desireth to hurt them, ire proceedeth out of their mouth." The Lord defends his witnesses; his anointed must 'llot be 1ouohed. •The word of their mouth ii! it.self a penetrating sword· of flame ; nor can theamrersaries.of the truth ei!eape those external judgments which fire'li.lways representg, and-which the God of truth mes for the punishment of evil-doers. This idurther seen in--"- ,.::.1IV, :THEIR PUNITIVE l'O'WER. But it is of a nature correspondent to the·;entire eharacter of,the gospel. "They shut 11p heaven:" Sad indeed is it for them who stay the, holy work of the heavenly witnesses. For if their work be hindered, it is air the slt,ntting; up of .the heavenB-Il.o spiritual rilin, no teaching,, ·The world.is the sufferer. ll'he•ross. is unspeakable. By the-removal of the earth-preservjng'salt-the Worii.---s plague is brought upon the eartli. ,.:A,]as I though the testimony is continuoi.1s through alUhetime ofthe worldly oppression~ yet the witnesses a.re finally slain I Here the vision IJla-y.be for the comfort of the witneasss to the truth themselves. .And we reflect- ,.v. Upon TBEm TEMPORARY DEBTRUOTION A.ND i'INA.L TlUUHPH. They are .slain. and, ~'far the•world· triumphs. .So it did with the one faithful and true Witness. Or !we. ni.e.y see here a temporary triumph of the evil worldly spirit, and the final suprei:nAcy or '.the truth; Probably the former. But in either case the faithful witnesses to .the 'truth are &ssure11'in thi~;'as in many other ways, of theiine.l reward to their fidelit;tand the final triumph over them who i:n~e them their foes.-R. G. · ·· ,, · Vera. 15-19.-Pk.,flnal tJictory. .Again, as frequently in the course of the writing, tlie assurance of the final triumph' of the truth over all opposers is clearly,' definitely, and unequi+ooally given-given to the co.mfort and joy of the toiling, patient, enduring followers of the Lamb. Great voice& i.n heaven are heard, and they proclaim one a1l- aufficient•.and, grand trutk ''·The kingdom, of the world i11 become the kingdom of our biml, and of his (Jhrist." ''!'his word runs through the ages. ·It is the word of -,ropheey. It has ever and ever·will', comfort the hearts and stimulate the faith of the Uristian warrior; -It is the sotlg of.assurance with which the hosts of'the coi1tending 'lorees of ~•'him' that·!ritteth on'the -white horse" are cheet~d .ai:td urged to' unflagging zeal. Always fiefore the eye of 'faith this 1 assurance of ·victory :floats. It is the summing up of all the prophetic words in one. It need8 no'exr1<?sition. 'l'he figure is too plain. It borders on the realistic. · '' "Jeall8 ahall reign where'81' the sun Doth his successive journeys run, · Bir; kingdom stretch from shore to shOftl, Till suns shall rise and set no more." Unive~; complete, and final, shall that conquest of ·the nations be. It is a com- plete,rout. 'l'he long-continued struggle is at an en'1.. The truth has triumphed over error; righteousness· over ,sin,"' The King I-Ong "set" upon the~• holy hill of Ziorr,. is ROW acknowledged, as ,the,lawful Heir, the rightful Sovereign. The holy Oracles them.;. IICllves define.this complete reign over the individual, national, and universal life. , ,,: :{. THE .AUPREHA.OY OF '1'Hl! · DrVJNE, RULE BIU,LI) BE UNIVEllSALLY· ESTA.BLJBHED ui>.. AcntNOWLEDGED, ," The kingdom of this world is become· the kingdom of our M>rd. a.ad of ~ <J¥st..Y, · · ' , :u. 'l'm: Jlli')!'Ullloi.· op DIVINB TBDTE SHALL Bll VNITh&AL. "The knowledge of lhe Lord shall cover the,ea.rth as the waters oover the sea." '~  <lit. xt. 1 -19.] mE/DVELATION~ -OP ST~ JOHN THE DIVINB. 807