The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 278

of.-~~ • have been baplized into Ohcist. t~. old aerpent, ~-,e .devil, Satan. th~,. _de- J,iave p11tm1 Christ." . And the nioon uuder ce1.ver." Red; no. doubt to enhance· hia .11.e, feet,. T~ is interpreted as showing tAmb~e appearance; suggeliti ve of his mur- tb~ · ~nent natiµ-e of the Church: she derous, destructive· <>haraeter•. "DmgQU" trea.rui··wqmfoot the moon, .the s}'mbol of (llpd.,c•») in the New·Testament. occurs ooly -~lioging•timeia imd seasons. It :Is thought in this book. In the Old Testament the '·Cbat- a referelllle' is thUB intendt>d to the word is of freqll.en:t ooourrence. · In 'the fddlitr-of the e11deavours made to subvert LXX. Bpck"'" ia used seventeen· times to Mae: Oboreh (of. Oant. Ti 10). Others express ihe .Hebrew. tun,un,(a sea. or land ffrriollfl1 ,iliterpret J)le flll)On of (1) th!l monster, especially a o~Je or serpent); ){Ol!ll,io,.,Law.;. (2) ihe -irreligion, of the five times it stands. for ~•viathaa;. tw~ it world;,;(~ ~e :Mohammedan IJOWerr But . represents kepkir (young lion); twice ,~ the figtJ.N :~ probably iutend~a. sim~ly to cha,h (serpent); once •attwd.{he-goat) ~ arid ~ n f ~e ~uty of the v1111on, and to 9noe petlum (python). Tan~in (singular) 'rtra tlle exceeding glory of the Oh h. is always rendered by 7/p,l.,c,.,,, exoopt in Gen. ;e rii ~ atso imagine tlie symbol to dTote t 21, where we find ,dj'Tos; but twl.oeJHs stability of existenoo in the midst of change · corrupted into fannim (viz,'Ezek.c'xil.i~."8; of outward appearance, as the moon is ever• xxxii. 2). The latter word, tannim, is the existent and ever reappearing, though ob- plural of tan (a jackal), and is found only lClured for a time. And upon her head a in the plural; but once it is found corrupted crown of twelve ■tars, This ima~ irq- . h:1tp lpnnin (Lam. iv. 8). There iB no doubt mediately suggests a reference to the twelve as to the signification of the appearance. ,IIP98Hllll P,f th~ CJhristian Church, aud the The dragon is, .in the Old. Testament, in- twelve tnbe& cif the Jewish Church. Words- variably a symbol of what is harmful, worth observes, " Twefoe is the apost-Olic ,tyrannous, murderous. It is a ~us, number, and ,tan are emblems of Christian sanguinary monster, sometimes inhfbitjng teachers." In like manner the Jews were the. sea, sometimes the desolate places of aooustpmed to ~ k of the m~nor J?rophets the earth, always ... seeking _whoin it may as " ti~ twel:ve, The orown 1s cr..-«pa.~os- devour." In some passages it refer& io thecrown of victory-the id~ of which is ,Pharaoh (Ps. hxiv. 18; cf. Ezek. uiL 3; prominent throughout the vision. . .xxxii 2); in .others it is a ty.pe of ;what ill Ver. 2.-,And she being with child cried, .noxioUB or deso1tte (Job vii. l~.; Isa•• ~i. trava.ilblg w.. ))irth, and p!'ined to be de- 22: xu.iv. 13; Ps. ~iv. 19; Jer. ii. 11,.eto:). liveretl, The preaent, "orieth," ,cpd.(.., ln Isa. xxvii. 1 we have the combination, .is found in ~. A, P, Coptic,_ Andreas in "leviathan the piercing serpent, even llm.a- a et ba,,.i ew.; the imperfect, b,pd(,v, is than that crooked serpent; ••• the dragdB ;,read in C, Vulgate, 7, 8, 81, eto., Andreas that i11 in the sea." llaviag unn hae.4& ~« ..in c et p, -P1i01asius; the aorist, l,cpd.(,v, ten,horu. The description of the bl'!Ssts in in' B/ 'twelve cursives (of. the words eh, xii. -xvii. is. ev:idently derived from the : of qilr Lord in John xvi. 21, 22). A •~ision of Daniel (vii.), although the details ,similar image occurs iu Isa. xxvi. 17 ; lltvi. ditrer. It seems reasonable to conclude, 7, 8; Micah iv. 10. The trouble which therefore, that the interpretation generally afflieted the Jewish Churoh,and the longing should follow the same lines as that applied : of the .patriarchs for the advent of the to the.Old Tesillment symbols, wi.th whicb. Saviour, are here depicted. So also St. Paul, the writer was sp familiar. The app81!,ra,n.J;lell 8Iloonragini the Romans to bear patiently described iu Daniel are universally con- , the~r iiµft'enngs, says, "The whole creation sidered'. to typify varioUB worldly powers groonl'jtli, aµ«l tra.vaileth in pain together which 1>ppressed the Church arid' nation 6f .until nQw" (ltom. viii. 22). the Jews. Similarly here the symbolism Ver. 13.:.._j,nd there appeared another seems intend~ to portray the oppositiOQ of 'IVOD.der ·in heaven; and there was seen the devil to the Chun;h of God, wci:drlng Clf!Olher, • in MtJflffl (Revised Vereion). through the pgwer oC the world. The heads (See on ·ver. 1.) .The appearance seen is and horuli are 'both· declared in eh. xvii.10, ~of a representafu>n of the devil as he U! to· typify •kingdoms-in what way 'we JotwillI, is, but . the s!gn:._the dra~n-iB shall· presently see (eh. xvii. 10), The 1'gurative and desoriptive of th!l partmular numbers Belll!I'· and ten are both symbolical ~ i c a now about to.be. exhibited. of, oompletenll/l' (see oh. i. ~; v. 1; xiii l; In ~~most likely merely in the space .xvii. S)., We bave, t~erefore, in this P.icture almle, w)i.ere Jieoould be easily seen. Words- of the dragoli, the 1doo of the full and YfOrtl4Jl!JWev:~r, says,.'.' BeOBUB!l the power complete powir of the world array&d on llere iepf!lll8nl.ed assails the Church, the earth against God and his Churoh. ' This kingdtlia of heapen." And b'ehold II great power, connected with and deri'lecl from ~- dragon..- ·His identity is established by the devil, the prince of this world (J~ ~- 9~ :w~ he .13 called "Uie great dragon, xii. 81), is ot'IQ ~uded t.o br Si. Jolif• being oppolllld .te, or ,\11 eontra&t, with, the ii. 6), Thill ?eferenM and P1;. ij. Ilt,l8'Tt aod).y,(tlll8.John,vii. 7: xiv. 17: xv.: xvi.; no doubt as to the. idea,Wloatiop of~ . - xvii. ;,,l. John. ii. 15: iii. 13; v. 4, etc.). cll.ild. It is Christ who is intended.< ADbe ADd nven cro'WJII upon his heads; tetlen· same expression is used·.of hi$.~ oh,:~ diadetn, (.Revieed Version). That is, the where he is definitely called ijie" Wo,d.111 king~- crown, the symbol of sovereignty, God." .And her ohilcl was caupt,~p11Dif worn by the dragon to denote bis power as God, and to his throne, The se~ten!l6-~ "pr~ofthisworld." The word 3m3~uwr" plainly to refer to the c&SCensio.1' of ,ChtW iii fouwl in the New Testament only here &nd his subsequent abiding in· •ea.u11o ant! oh..xiii. . l and xix. 12. It is. not the from whenee he rules t1ll natio~ ... Tilt n-i,pa;l,qs, the crown of victory worn by the seer, perhaps, wishes ,to indioa.teat QD,Ce $he saiid11 (.&ee eh. ii. 10 : iii. 11 ; vi. 2, etc.). abaolut.e immunity of Christ from any bum No account ia given of the disposition and proceeding from the powof of the•. i»ril. lll'l'81lg8ment of the heads, horns, and whose elforts are henceforth dil'ectl;y aim,ed diadem~; nor i1 it neceBSary. The seven only at the Church of Christ. 81U&DJ .W orowned heads llignifyuniversal sovereignty; hopes to injure Christ thtough his ~eJ!lbe?ll. the t.en horns, absolute power. Probably As remarked above (see on ver. 4), w'111$da toose to whom St. lohn wrote understood true of the personal hilltory, of Chris$ i, the symbol as referring speoia.lly to the often true of his Church and of his true power of heathen Rome, which was at that members. · And thus some haTe 881lll in thia time oppressing the Church: but the moon- passage a picture of the woman, the Qhureb, ing e:r.tend& to the power of the world in all bringing forth members, to devour :whor:n Ii ages (aeeon oh. :r.iii. 1). . Satan's constant purpose, but whl'!: in Geld'• Ver. 4.-And hia. tail drew the third good time a.re taken to his throne to be ne,.i part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them himself. , ... to the eariji; drmJJBtli (Revised Vemon). Ver. 6.-.And the WOlllllD :!led. ·illl.w ~ Not the ,tar, with. which the woman is wilderness, As with Christ., 110 wWl hte orowned (see ver. 1), but other .tars. In Church. His great trial took ~ in 1dllt describing the vast power of the devil, St. wilderness; so the trial of the Chllrdl ~ John seems t.o allude to the tremendous in the wilderness, by whioh-flgure. the,vcri.4 result of his rebellious conduct in heaven, is typified. It is generally pointiid out th$.J; in effecting the fa.ll of other. angels with this ve:i:J!e is here inserted in anticiJIIP,ti®, of himself (Jude 6). The seer does not here yer. 14. We prefer rather toJook: .~~1 il interrupt his narrative to explain the point, BB ooourring in its nat'1ml pi.oe, ,ijie ,n&rll'- but returns to it after Ter. 6, and there tive being intem1pted by vers. 7-18 a desaribes briefly the origin and cause of order to account for the implacabl!! hollmit, the enmity of the devil towards God. ·The of the devil. Where she h&th a plua,pr8!' third part ( as in eh. viii. 7, et ,eq.) signifies pared of God. !IC, A, B, P, and ot.1i0fl! imen a considerable number, but not the larger 11<••88 well as ln<ov, "where she there bath,'.' part. And the dragon stood before the eto.-a redundancy which is an ;ordinalw woman which was ready to be delivered, for Hebraism. Though the Chureb is 'tin.~ to devour her child at soon as it was born; world," she is not "of the world"· (,Toha wkuih t.oa8 about to be delivered, that when xvii. 14, 15); though the woman is in .the eke wa, delivered, he migltt devour her child " wildemess," her plaoe is "prepared;, 9f (Revised Version). A graphic picture of God." The harlot's abode (eh. .:r.vq..) ill ia what is true of Christ himself, oftho Church, the wilderness, &nd it is also of the ~ildw, both Jewish and Christian, and of every ness; it is not in a place specially prepa.l'QC! individnal member. of the Church. This is of God. That they should fee4. h,r the" another example of the personal history of a tho118and two hundred and UirM IDOlW Christ being repeated in the history of his daya. The sense ia the same ae iJ!.: ~•- ,H," ChllJ'llh. The devil, in the person of Herod, " that she should be austained the!e;" .. . ~ att.empts to prevent the salvation of the interpretation of the 1260 days, or Bl, Jeua, world; through Pharaoh be endeavours to eoincides here with that adopted in eh. xi._ crush the chosen people of God, through 2. It describes the ~iod of this world'4 whom the Messi&h was to bless all the existence, during the whole of whjeli,W, earth; by means of·the power of Rome he devil persecutes the Church of God;· Al. labours to exterminate the infant Church Auberlen points out, ibis is, in oh. ::r.iu:·a, of Christ. declared to be "the period of the power of Ver. 5.-And ahe brought forth II man- the beast, that ie, the worl.d-power.• ~~. cbild, who was to rule all nations with a a diaoussion of the whole anbjeot of.~ rod of iron j a ,on, a male-the Greek uldv, period, see on oh. xi 2.) · · • ·:; /fpri•, rendenl it emphatie-u,ho u to rule, Ven. 7, 8.-And then ,ruwutllh6afwt· aa in the Revised Version: to f'Ule, or to The paE&ge 1'81'11. 7-lS i, an i n ~ ' ~ qa a ahepherd (of. the v01b in Matt. of the narrative of the . ' por~ontioii s : .· ,of•fiie ' . ··•, • ~ 8:U THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THB DIVINE. [CB. :m. 1-11.