The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 294

1 ,,,II ~\¼tt~~ V~1~ fQ~ws the !eadiijg . ,ll.fl, v~ 1, '!'he,re wi; '¥~Y tind the 11:eY ~ tht1 il£171r• .t,11tood, w'.lucli 11. foui:id 1n B, P, , 1ntEj[_P~~pon.. "Fir~t, tlitt heQ,df, 11~1 dipii~'kndreBS. Al-ethas. Fortunately, the · dom101on~ , .The ,head iii ·naturaUy). lqo)j:f)d point is not iwrortant.1 Whether St. John upon u'thB"chief; the cantroUingana flf,dl.n!r or tll.e·di'agdn 'l!'t&ltl on the edge ot the sea •part of the b8ay; th~t ·pa11; to 'Whi~h ah the is liot materiel, sino& "'8'ille dil!tinetly told merilberii of the body 'are subject.· ,This is ihat'tbe ten.homed, belM ro■e from· -the sea. • the idea .co~\re~ in J?an. vii. i>. The ~h!rd. Wordiiworth &P,ilf. contmast.s · this station· 01,l beast tiler& 18 disti.ngrushed br, the J>Ol!lllllilOll tileiansiable., l!&b!i in l.'ratimity to '-the sea, of four heads, and (we are immediately told) ~·mill~, '<I cepromo~n,_rwitli the ¥iii.on "dominion waa given ~ it."; .:8e,,en. 811 we of,!M,~~.on:)fount,ZJon (clj, :d,y. 1--5)., have !8~ly: ~ is the number C!Jlieal, T~~ }"hich follows, is l"ou1J.dei,l upon of.umveraality (of. eh. i. 4; v. 1, et;o.). ').;b,e Ui~:-~o~ of _D_an. vii. T~. ~hlase elio?ld ,even luiads, therefore,. are 13,ymboli~l o:t'.um, \l p.~~-11;,.b,;pl ,;he ..• Jomed on. t.o jllfl, pr~.mg. versal do.minion•. In · .the secpnd., plac.e1 ~ ; as 111 the ReVIsed V'ermon. The horns a.re the type of power. Thus, in Dan. tieW' vliiioli then opens in the oustomary v1i. 7, tb beast wbioh is distinguillhed"hy liia1lnffhvith d8w, "·l saw," 811 in eh. iv.; the 'possession' of the hont8' is des<iribed' as v., vi., vii, eto. And saw a beast rile up being "diverse from all the beuts thatweie oa'f of~ se&:· Supply "'I," and malte this berott, it;~ n waa "dreadful and-terrible, ~-beginning of.the fresh pani.graph:.(see, and~trong exOfledingly; e.nd it had peat aho,-e) ,,Tb(e,one bflJlet here takes the place iron t.eeth; it devool'ffl and brakti in pieeee, of.Uiit.'9~ beastd ~f QI'"• Yii., and is die. and ~j;pmped the, reindue. with the Jeet of wg1'.s~ ,by 11he CQQf&0t.eristics of _the;first it:" {of, jDeu.t,, µnii. 17; Ps. 0,1'.,X;tji. 17 ; ~ (a~ on v~.• 2). , Thie bee.et an~from J~,.il'fiA1 ~5, etc.). The.niµnbclr ~- is the ~e.·~',die ii(;c6i\d ~ t 'from the tJar/.h (see 'llgn !'f l!<JJDpleteness; not of w,.iversality or VQr,1 , They ii.rll the. in&tfllment& of the tot11,hty, but of aufµciency .·ana abundancy ~ w 'eh. ia'df%1\onnced against the ear,th for the pnrpose .in ,viii:.- (of. Gen. .tl"iij, and· tlie - in: '«'h. xii.12. The ,ea, again, · 32, the. !en righteons· wanting· at'Sodom:; is the :type of insta.hility; confusion, and E:tod. uvii. 12, the ten pilJare of the 'taber• eo~mofion, frequently signifying the un- naele: the ten oommaudmenta ·; the 'tithe; go1'etCb1e nation&~f the earth i~_oppoi!itio!1 Pa. xxxiii. 2, etc.). The ten koma,:therefore, 1o:theChurch ·of.God (cf. eh. :r;vn. 15; :n1. denote .plenitude of power. The worda ..of 1). -,~bably. ibis is the beallt -ref~. to thiai p8118age th11s signify that ,the beut iu,h. :u. ~ aµd (IIIQl'e:fnlly) in eh. .ltVll, , , lt liliould · poi8e&e . world-wide dpm:inion aud is the power of the world which is directed amp!e power. These ,are tbe qua.J#f!ll ~ c the. ~cutien. of Clhristiana. ~bed. tl>. .fue. power, w,hich Satan: in.ow ~'ring'.-,-~ h ~ and t,4)n ho~. , lfll&rly.. d~~ \IS&l!l!U, t!:Je "seed: of t}\13 WQman.." ~ ~niacript ,baa. . rdhae·r'fl.WL~~ed ... · a~: A~ th!l: tirqe ~'the w_ritingof P1!l 4pooaly~ ,... MadL Th8 0 'ii tevenled in uu. 'btJ:i'fa ~,rer ~ eVIdently,lleatli~ Rome; tit s ~"itii. ~fpouibly·ilie hbn'is are ut the meaning may be 8.lttettcled t.o •~'ffm- mentioi11id first in thi.8 pusage, because they embrace all the forms which thla world- as the beast rise, from the-. 05'poaitioa hM aaeumed whether ·Boman, &32 TB1!l REVBLATtON '01:1' BT. JOHN' Tim D:rviNE. [Clll. XlIL 1,:;__18.