The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 281

v,~ HOMILETICS. l,-'.17.-'.l'M foes of (}~ and of hi, Ohurch. "That old se,p,mt.":, preljoUB c!i,apters of .this book th,.ere have beeu hints of sundry evil forces which Jl'P.Uld a.t <ilv.efll t~~llll Jiarass the Church of God. Who they would. be, or what, or how they 'Jn .wouhi' work, hu. uot, yet been shown to us. 'l'his is dime, however, in c:'!i,apters wll,ich we li,~ve yet to consider. Of them th~re are se~eral. Of each. one we have_ -~ represeb.ta- tion, m the form of allegorx or para.bi~ . In this chapter the first .of theni 11 shown. qa. We.~ be in n9 doul?l; ~ to who it is that is intended; nor is there any very ~ t diffiqulty a.bo~t the m,a.in features of the sketch, 1:\owever opscure some of. the minor de~s. my be. The enemy is the devil.· The object of his. rage is the faithful Church, represen:ted under the symbol of" a w,oman, clothed with the sun," etc. When we~ too, tha~ this w.om,a.n brought forth a ma,n-child, who is sought to be de:ro',ll'ed ft8 aoon 1111 bom; wh9 is, in .spite of all, caught,up to God and to his throne, from which seat of po\ler he is to rule the nations u. with a rod of iron ;-we have v~ distinotin marks pointing unmistakably to our Lord. The enemy, ,faµip.,g to;· devour him, pe?IIOOutes the woman, and failing in his designs a.gai11st )ier, ~ goes on to war with th#i: remnant of her 11eed. But; as the chapter. shows, in every in.~noe the evil one -l'lHJhe& QU qnly to his own defeat, So that this c];iapter contains a. parable ofJlorioua meaning, /18 it set,! forth the working of Satan agaiw;t . the. Ch~rch of G • His present work is to make war against those who keep the coµimai;idments of God and the ftrlth of Je~us. )Vh.y should he l!(llect these as the obje.c,t11 Qt his at~k? 'Why,? Because others ~ doing pis work fQr him! He disturbs. h~roself only his 1µ$turbers. He .has little. n~ to look after others. Let 1:18, then, try, in the liidlt •~t :~t)Jii1 ,c~p~r, .to look our[Oll~t'Jµ\ u,. the face, and to find out what he is, ~b-~(h~ ~ ifo, and wna.t he cannot. Our 111bJ9Ct,. then, ii-our fot. . a, - • . ~ ~ a,. ~'I/JN '. ~ ' , . '·, . 318 THE REVELATION 01!' ST. JOHN 'l'IDl DIVINE. [cm. -m. 1-17.