The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 295

c111t.th and 1e11111u:t1111 Df am.. n a1mo1t llbll to eoatln111 fortJ and two moatil; Gfi eeemed ai dnC • thc!agh the power of the fo uori /rwft isftt1, CWo.''IIICftlM. ., ~n nollli w4irld llllld ·nocumb to the iDBuenee of the the power is 'given to him; thet ia, he holda life ~d death of our Lord, all.d for a time it only aubjeot to the will of God. Thil ~t·progresnraa made in the inlll'ease of "forty and two months," o r ~ )'ears and t h e ' ~ of believera (et. Acts ii. 41; 47). ,. half, mgnify the period ot the world's Du& the power of the world was nm yet existen~ (For a full disousidou of the ~ ' t ft eontinlted to es;illt in Bpik of subjeof, • OD oh. :r.i. 2.) It is the ,".little thw 181!11iingl)' fal;&I 'WOlllld. Some aee in tiqie" of oh: vi. 10, U, during which will tlita aeabunh refellnoe to the deatraotion of be fuI11lleil the number of the saint& It ia the 1lama1i pagan empire, and the eetablish- the "little' season" of' oh. :a. S, dnrin.g merat of the Ohi'isti&n empire.· Others believe whioh Satan i8 "loosed," that ill, during the blow· to ·be that administered by Miehael, which he hill this power to work given to when &tan WIii ejected from heaven:,· others him (of. oh, xi. 2, S; xii, U). The diff"erent refer the· wounded head to diff'ereni indi- reading& in this passage, though teeting on 'riduals r~ Nerli. That one headia wounded insnflloient authority, serve to amplify 'the out of the seven ·probabl)' denotes the meaning. DC reada n,ija-<U II 90.Ei,. • to do partial na~ of the wound u Til!ible to an what he willeth." no,i).rlll with 'rb.ipa11," to obiener. And all tlto world wondered after wage war,.. ill found in B and'otlteiil, and is the b¥lt; tAe wlwu earlAtilond6nrcl ajur tA6 the marginal .reading of the· Authorized "81.tff. · The F,egnant COlllliruetion.' That . Version, buUa'rightl)' omitted in'the Revised earth, for wh1oh the 1Mlvent. of the dragon Version. ' mea.nt.·uoe (oh. :ill. 12), ~ at, and Ver•. 6,:-A!td 18 opened' '111 mouth in foll~· aft,r the beaet The senBB of lllaephem,y ~ .·God,· to. blasphJme ·. J:iia • ~ m11Bt hette be restricted to the followers Jfa:me, and hil tabenlaole, &na them that of, the world, u opp01!8d to the follow81'1 of God.' .•. dwell m:. heaven; }oi'' bla,pluip&ie., ag,iimt God. The balance of mithority ~ui fa'tom ' Ver. 4.-An4 Uiey worlllaipped the·dragon of 01Bitting "and " (before " them-..);, th~ whiaJI faTe power ~to the bust; beoaUH making (u in the Re~ Version) the llllit IN gim,· lw autltonty (Rerised Version) ia olaue in apPosition ~th the p~.·. · ·.,. ":• found ill all the best manuscripts.· The ku Ni&JM and lds tabernacle, tAote ~ dml had sought to' be,ruile Obrist by in Aecwen. The punishment tor iliµi sin off'erittg to him all the kingdom& of the aQlong the Jews was death by stoning'(see wor'hL Bia effi>rts with men are more 1uo- Lev. xxiv. 16). God's eervants fear hia oessful. They worship him on account of Name {eh. xi; 18). God's tabmiacle, (>.r the worldly wealth and influence which he temple, is the Church, in, the m.idst of which bestewa.,. And they wonhipped the .'blut, he dwella (of. eh. xi. 2);:and whioh e:r.iit.a 1a,tng, Who ii like unto the bean ! . who in the wilderness of the torld 'for the fortj • able ~ make ,nr · with hi1ll 1 Ineert and two months, and"'Wltich yet"e"xists ·also "and" with Revised Version: GIid. tDio ii in heaven, honoured of God (cf.' Phil. iit abb,, e&o. P The beast U8Ul'p8 the homage due 2Q, w For ottr' citizenship ·is in Iiea.ven," flo, God, alone ( of. the song of· th0!8e who Revised Version). . . . .' · ·. had tri11111phed in eh. :r.v. 4; "Who l!lhall not Ver. 7.-And it wai given tt11to' him to f41ar4hee, 0 Lord, and glorify 1hy Name?" make war with the aaints; and ,to overcome et til8o E:r.od. :ir.v; 11: Mj.eah vii. 18, etc.). th~ This olaus& ill omitted: in A. C, P, The adheienta of the beast thus Intimate and aome·Gthers. So in Dan. vii; 1'1, "The their belief in hiB 'Bllperior prowes& and his same horn made \far with thlf'iiafota, and abilitJ. to succeed in his war against th068 prevailed again et iheln; tinl;il the Ancient ft«J"keep the commandments of God, and of days oame;·'and jiidgmen't wa1 given io hold the teBtimony of J01us." ·· the saints of the MOBt High." And in eh. Ver. 6.-Atul then W&B given 11nto him xi. 7, "The beast that ascendeth ont of the a mouth apeaking great thing1 and blasphe- bottoml8SII pit shall make mieil. Bo the horn which sprang from the [.tlthe "two witne81eS), and w:ii:rinil~ them overcome fourth b4last of Dan. vii: 8 had given to it them, and kill them." OM'001118 • tlrat ts, "a mouth spea.king great thing11." The spparentlr, 110 far &B is seen by theworld. JIIIWllf·ofthe beast is, after all, only held by In the same way the world overcame ChriBt; the eollll8nt of God, who for hia own good but: by his death came Tiotorjr. So in eh. J>V1'IIOllil permitll bhn to exercise it for a ii: 10 th.e Ohurch at Smyrna ia encouraged iime." · Tile • great thinga" are the promi&eB by )he words, "Fear none of those' things at euperior power and good, 'with whieh thi, whieh thou ■halhuffer • . . be' thou fsith- divil aeeJrs to allure men, u .he did 'Adam fuhint6 death., imd I will give thEie'~ orown and:ETe at the firet. All attempts to decry o! life." And power wu given hip!. over aQ, <fud!• omnipot,enoe and the power of Christ ldndredll; and tongues,' and l!Btiont; ~ _,. ~ .&ml po1"1' WU giYID 1111.to ner, tribe; and peopk, atld to,1fue, iltld m; xm.. 1-18.] TIIB llKVELATIOX. OF ST. JOHN· THE DIVINE; 833