The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 296

9'11ffoll. _·At,,4,,• "people.., 18 inserted fn eTeJT spoken of u having taken plaoe. This. manUIOript u.oept a.few elll'llivea. The four- latter &eJIBe' must be the meaning if we fold . ealOllention, applied to the earth, adopt the alternative reading.• . . · denote. .the uni'fen&l character, of the Ver. 9.-If any man have an ear, let Jaim. description (of. the four living beings, oh. hear, This vane draws attentfon to 'the iv.6. Aleo eh. v.9; vii 9; xi.9; xiv.6). solemn declaration which follows in the The eam.e ollll!lliftcation. is. adopted in the suooeedlng verse (of. oh. -ii 7; iii 6; . ~ 10ng of the redeemed (oh. v. 9). which may Matt. xi. 15, etc.). . • be oonnuted with thJs ~ga. Although Ver. 10.-Xt that leadeth mio oaptl.vity fue power of Satan extends to every section aball go mio aaptivity : he that killet.h with of the nations of the earth. yet men are the Rord must be killed wWl the 111ford. not irrevocably delivered into hia ·hand. Here ii the patience and ill• faith of .he From every pan .of mankind men are alao aaiD.tl. There is a twofold diftloulty in red-.ied. this verse: flrst, 11 to the oorreet kIJ; Vu. S.-Anaall that.dwell uJIOD the earth ll800Ddly, u to the meaning. There are &ball ,ronhQ him.. whoM nam• are not two chief readings. Codex a has Er rn ~is writieD. h.- tile book of life of the Lamb; al')(JJ,llA-lt»' els alxµ.a>.,,,0'"111 ii-r&,y~,; lite- [--, PM] ti!Ao..MflM lath not b6era f.M'itten, rally, if 1111p Dnll int,o captitJit11, it&to oaptiflly as in tbe Revised Version. " IDm," iwTov, 1Mt goet/1; whieh probably me&DII, "lf any masculine, although referri;ug to ihe neuter, one ia ordained untocaptiviiy,into captivity B11pfov,. bec&use.,ihe personality of Satan he goeth." The reading of the Textus under the figure of the beast is borne in Beceptua looks like an aUempt to emplify mind. "Whoee name," aingu)ar, referring and make alear the above reading: Et .,.,s to the incjividuals of whom the ..-d,,.,.,s, a.lx,uaAaitrUIII O'UMl"fEI EU alXJUIAWO'W, 6rd-,E1. "all," are. composed. Thia. verse states in ~ B, 0, haTe the reading of A. -Omitting another form what· h118 been related in the the repetition of Els al l(IUlAt,O'ta,,. This latter. part of the preoedi11g verse. Those , omiaeion ie easily explained by hommote- over , ,whom the ooast has authority are leutou, and aooordingly the majority of th088 who worship him, and whoee names critioal editors follow Codex A. There are have not "been written in the book of life." two passages in J.eremiah which are sug- The expression, "book of life," is found gested by these word11. Jer. u. 2 reads, oDly in tbia book and Phil iv. 8. In all "Suoh 88 are for death, to death; and such the plaoea where it ooe1111 it ll8E!ID8 to refer as are for the sword. tQ the sword; and eueh primarily to Christiana (of. Phil. iv. 3: oh. as are for the famine. to the famine: and iii. 5; xx. 12, 15; xxi. 27: xxii. 19). At such as are for the captivity, to the oapti. baptism the Christian's name is written in vity: " J er. xliii 11, " A.nd deliver 8UOh 88 the "book of life," from which theN is are for death, to death; and such as are for always a posaibility of it being blotted.out captivity, :to captivity; and such 418:are for (oh. iii, 5). Those who are not Christiana the sword, tp the sword." Matt. xxYi. 52 have not their .name in the "book of life," may also be referred to: "All they that take but 'IJIOTahip the beast, that is, pay 11llegiance the sword shall perish with the• sword." to him. It is "the book ot' life of the The verse in the text appe&111 to CODWR Lamb," because it is through "the Lamb " both the meanings of the paaaagea referred that there exists a "book of life" for men. to. The ii.rat half seems to point out that &lain from th& foundatiou of the world; or, there are woes foreordained for Christians that ha,tJ.. be6n slt.ii11. It is natlll'al to connect. which they must undergo: "He for whom the words, "from the foundation of the captivity is appointed nmst .be content to world,''. with "slain," and not with" written." suffer captivity." The next par; exteuda The latter course hu been followed by the meaning, adding a warning : " Yo•, Bengel,·. Diisterdieok,. Dl!· Wette, Ewald, Christians must suffer these things; ,not :Jlengstenberg, and others, and in the oDly not relinquishing your .faith, but also margin of the Revised Veiaion, and is in not meeting foroe with force: rememberi11g 11CCOrdance with oh. xvii. 8, "Whose names always your Master's saying, • They that were not written in the book of life from the take the sword shall perish with the awprd.' " foundatiop.. of the world" (see also Matt. Then the verse oonoludes, " Here is. (the xii;v, 34; Eph. i 4) ... The Lamb bath been proof of] the patience 11nd the faith of the slain from the foundation of the world," be- saint&" St John has just described to his cause from "the foundation of the world" hearers the extensive nature of the power (of. Heb. ix. 26) his death has been effica- of the world (vera. 3, 7, 8): the obviou, cious for the sal vAijon of men : and because oonoluaion wu that oaptivity, etc., was the his death "was foreordained before the lot appointed for aome o( them.. He has foundatio11 of the world," although ma.nifeat also told them of the war waged bJ, the only in the last times (1 Peli 20). What world against Ohriatians, and now he adlll, . . . J~~OWll to r,nd ~ e d by God ia the. nt1Ce1113ary caution against any attempt '4> defendthemselve•.-by the'Ulle .of the aword. perseeutidn.. · (On tlre .fomr e£ the -,rord And tht111 not ·only their patienoe bot their " la.mb," &p.,i,,.., see on oh. v; 6.), ,. faith wBS to be teated. They were not only . Ver'. 12..;_Aad he ~ all th• power t.o bear, patiently evils whiotr -the)' could not ot th~lrat.,beut before him; all thecaut/io- aTOi:d, bat ihe;y m118i 'ha.ve sufficient faith· rity ••• in ku sigkt (Revised Vareion). to enable ,them voluntarily to forego any Tlia.t is, his influence ovennen, though Jell& opportunities whi.oh might oocmr to prevent directly flllllerted, ia equal to ihat of the their enlferinga by force of arms. first beast. - And he exercises thill"influence :Ver: .H,..;...A.ncl ,I be!l.&ld &nether beast. "in his •sight,'' th"t -Jii~ by hiil 1)8tlnitl8ion Oompare ·the -wording of this introduction and contemporaneously with', the: e:t1irci11e wiih'that ofiver. 1•. :W& sh.a.11 find. reason of power by the· first .beest: So· .OhriBtian& to' interpret this lu&t- -lill tlelf-deooit:---:tbat both of St. John's and of our"own time seek fonn of plausibility by 'illtiioh men persu'adM to escape direct p0l'll00Ution t»y: jnlllli'yitig themselves int.o a belief that: they •might to themselves. their unworthy ootnpliance witbout-'harm worship /Che former·: bea.si. with the· uttrig'htllcius teq\iirl!tr:dlntw<of the (11ee on following 'vetses}; -It- lii>.li been world. · And call.Nth .tu,•r(i;fll'd thelli' reruarked that mention is often made·of the whioh dw.ell thei'eiii' to -wonAl.pllfllll'~fkst mat beast without the second ( ofnili.. xi; 7 ; beast, whose · deadly WOlllld ·'was-'-t,.ealed. m, l; ltvii,•S, etc:);-but nernr:of1tbe second Here we havtr an explanation of tlill two \\'.ithoin the first. Tliis facf 8UfP<>rts the preceding clanseac. ·Though like a lamb in interpretation given above. 'Coming up out appearance, his Words denote. his' deadly otthe earth. Perhaps in oontrasit 'W'iththe nuttue, which is shown by l!S.uiiing' men to former beast, which Ql'Ose- from 1he i!ea. (vor. wffl!hip-thtl mst beast; and thm he exercises l). In -the vision of Dan.• vii. the fo01 the authority 'bf tha · first bewii;' and · !Ml" bea.sta, which rise.1ftom the seB,(ver. 3),,are com.plislres his work. ThOll8 :wbo·•dwell in decl&red ,in ver. 17 to typify four kings the eurth · are ,the worldly,' not faitl'tfnl which &Piiie from the eatth. It is doubtful," Christians, but those "whose na.mel! are'nilt tbereroie;-whether wear& justined in attach- written in· tire book of life ·of the 'Lamb" ing special significance.: to this , phrase;, · (see on ver. 8), This beast oauses'men to Some wriiers ·undetstarul· thereby, "rising· wonihip the first beast by pe!Sllll.dirig · them up from am~ngst settl_ed;,ordered l!OCiety of , into a. oo~pliauoe w;ith his will~~d.muking 1110n.'' Hori likely,, the- 'writer wishes to them pay homage to him. For this•reason show the uni..-enid chahMlter !Qf the· tempta- he is eMletHn eh,::r.vi 13 the •• false pro- tions with which Christi&ns are -assailed ; phet," _(For· "'!'hol!('j"deadly wolllid was e.nd thus one beaet aeems-to•pertainto the ' healed," see on var. 3:) . -,and the other to theearllr,-thus divilling . "•Ver.13,-:-'-And he doll'th grea:t wonders. the whole world between them. -., ·And he Men·- are apt to, deceive themse-lves by had iwo•horna like a la.nib, ad he epal!:e as . attr~butlng- to· oth~r agencies the power to a dragon. · The.t is, while simulating au work wontlers which belongs· only to God appearance of Gt•rist, his words betrayed hirilself.· In- St. 'John's time' the arts of his d11Vilish nature. The•aun of this bee.at magic were nsed ; in modem timee the throughout is to assume a ~l-ausible exterior, n:mrvels of scierioe, 'often lc&d ·inen to a that men may "be beguiled by him (of. disbelief in ·God,· :Arohdeooon. Lee, -~n his vers; 13---17). Such: ia the nature ·of the.t commentary, SRY8, " We eannot; dou:b_l that self.deceit which we believe · this beast to there iii also' a refereirne to 'the wontlerful typify. Many· men. who Wl!r'e not to be power over nature which> the spirit' lihilan' tiemptell· int.o a renunciation :of Christ by has attained· W; and 'whieh. has too 'Often' the bitte:I' persecution, of the first beast, ooen abustid t,o the• deificaW,n ofsN'a.fu~ tfu,:{ beeame: coming in- such a form they re- ht>r laws, ond to the disparagemeni'1)f tM oognised 'fflliily-it&true nature, wel'e never- Dime action whieh is ·Elie? j>resent ' iii: thEiless beguUed· into · such a<,is by specious ereation." So that, he_ maketh fite•~dme re&SM1ing- and the deceit of t'bei-r own hearts; ddwn frdm. h~VII!- Oll the eeth in· th&, sight Christians at aU times· are only t.oo reaq.y of meti; thaj. he •,ihoulti, even mail,(fti'6;'ete;, to be-deceived by·those·who ••by good woros as in the Revisea Veriifon'. We &1e"n(4 1 and ftrir speeehes deoeive• the beflfts of the to understand this ntenJiy:•_ It- i:i(giveu· as si°'Jlle" (~1,m. xvi. 18}. · Whetrier as in a k_i~d of ealliple of the power poseessed by' llfl<lient'nmes-·it be tnerely t.o tllrbw a few thl! _be,,st, be1ng, a fOl'm of miialile · whfoh gmi:D!I of inoenae upon· the· a.J.tar · of some would be well known to St. ·Joliil's readets lunthen deity, 'or ea ilr :lllOderti tiUleB to (ef. Elijah· on Carmel, T Kings xvi.ii.; llbllform to some·_ <,-ommoa · but unworthy Korah's toin~ny, _Numl>; :s:vi. 3.'l,ete.; also reqnirement 'of'Society,·men·are apt io ~ ~hli request of.~- Js:mes a'tiiiJohri, 1,uke led, aitray by arguments whfuh• -look _~it, ix;•~)." The'de~nt,of~iB,also ~nentiy lmi••hiob 88 sorely accomp'&li"the ·defil'e a: sign of -~•s ·i,pproval''(cf. Gen. xv. I'T; l)\ijecl; u if it had been iitt.ained by dlrect Lev. ix. 2" ;'~- xiii 10, ao;2 UhtoD. nr. 011. xm. 1-18.] THE REVELATION· OF ST. JORN THE::.' DIVINE. 88ti