The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 297

I). The two witnesses ~ the pbwer b e ~ equally guilty wiUi l;boae who of -111nding forth file (eee oh. xi. 5), In openly proelaim themaelvee folloW8nl of -the tbia ~ therefor&--in ihe very nature of world. (On the last part of the 'r8i8e, the llia Bign&-the beui still - . - io counter• nature of the sword-atroke, Mia on ver~ I.) feit the power of God. ' Ver.15,-Andhe hat power to·gttreD Ver. 14.--,And deceiveth. them that dwell unto the image of the beut,: that the imag• 4m th.e earth. by the means of those mira.elea of th.e beast llhonld both 5Poa.k, and oau.fie which he had power to do in the Bight of that_ as man:, as would not worship the the bean. He deceives by employing false image of the beast shoult be tilled; •and signs, and he deceivee by inducing men to it 1.DM gi- to him to !}ifJd ~ •etc. N believe that the worship of the first beast and a number of oursivea read theirldicativi, ia allowable. Those "that dwell on the future, ttod,a-E<,tha.t is,~ be [tbe beAllt) &ball earth!f are the worldly minded, u in ver. cause," etc. The aymbolism is .moat prob- 12., "Which he had power to do" should ably- derived from the heathen..: orac,es. rather be "which it was given him to do," Thll! beast is permitted to gi'llB -life, · to as in the Revised Version.· The power impart spirit to the imaga; that is, he gives posaessed by the beast does not originate it an appee.rance of reality which a mere with himself; he _possesses it only aubjeot to image could not possess. ·This is the the will of God tcf. vers. 5- i.nd 7). Thus dangeroua power ·of self-deceit. If men the aeoo11d bout-self-deceit-beguiles men. would face the naked truth, stripped of They accept exhibitions of po-vrer external pla;usible argumlmtii and spe0io11B 181111Jb~ to God aa evidences of an independence and blances, they would see that there wae ctfo self-auffloienoy which do not . exist apart reality in the ideal whfoh they place before from · God, forgetful of the fa.et that this their minds, and their· worship of whieh u, power ia derived from God : it i, given by prompted by love of the World; and the him. (For " in the sight of the beast," see denia.J.-t>f God's power. · 'l'ogethlll' with the on vet. 12.) Saying to them that dwell on atwmpt to deceive men into' worshipping the earth. Ae-ro,11, "se.ying," masculine, the image, is offered the e.1terriative . of agrees with the neuter 611plov. -The writer death, or; should we not say, appe.rent US8il the masculine, as in 'Ver. ·8, because of death? It is only aelf-deooit w;hioh mak~ the penonified nature of the beast It is men imagine that the alternative. lo' an, not fa-ir to pre88 the word (as some writers acceptance -of the l:lbvereignty of Satim·'and do) into, the signification that a m:IUl must the world is death: No doubt· many be intended. "Them that dwell on the Christians in St. John'•' time · wete thn(i ee.rth "-the worldly minded (vide fllllpra). beguiled. '£hey deceived themaelvea · by That they should make an image -to •the imagining that they must either conform tcr beast, which had the wound by a nord, the heathen practice& required of th~, oi and did live; toho hath the stroke of a s'U/Of'd; suffer death : · tho,m with clee.rer mental and lifl<id, as in the Revised Version. · The vision eaw that the threu.tened dett.th."wu'hr masculille as before (-uide supra). ·· This reality life. · beast suggested that· roen should set up an Ver. 16.-And he oa1118th all, both slli&JJ image of the first' bea.st, not in order to pay and great,· rich and poor, free and bolid, to" greater honour to the £rat beast, but that reoeive & mark in their right liand, or iii an: apparent alternative might be offered to their foreheads ; that there be g-£'11M'6 ~ 'iJ men, so· that those- who·<hesita.ted to pay mark on their right hand, qr, upon their dueet •allegiance t.o· the first beut might /o-rUIBOO, A~a-p;'" he niii.y give," Jourid'. in overcome their sl:lruples 'and worship some:. the Textua Reoeptus, is unsuppoite«Hiy'a.ny thing which reeembied him, while allowing uncial; ~11111, "they may give,• iii''Mad~in: them t.o, as it were, chee.t their· own oon- N, A, B, 0, ,p; '&nd most &irsivea h11ve ll0ienee11 by persuading themselves that they either3&111v or _3~lfi,xrw.' Wora"1'onh ~ were not worshipping the, beast himself. !ates, " give to theiriaelves," and adds, '" a These two classes of men are, of course, remarkable sentf,nce, intimating ~ essentially one; they are, in roolity, wl under the seml1lat1ce of t:/l,uic6." ·but" it followers of the beast; but still there is does not seem fair to presa the mea.uing so a difference i?, the manner in which they far. The 'third plural is often wied''ui become worsh1ppers of the beast; The dis- a perfectly genera-1 way in· the Apocalyplie tinction ·of the two olaslies seema· to be kept (cf. eh. xii ti, and Moulton's Willer, p. 655); in mind in eh. xix. 20 and :a. 4, where, how- e.nd the Revised Version is prob!l-bly cort8ct ever, all are included in the 1!8me condemna- in translating by the passive, ("ide •a). tion. Thus the apostle · t.iiaohes us that Certainly the other paesa.$tiB hi, ~ AJ>9CII:~ those who, by specious and plausible reason- lypse, where the mar7da mentionl'ict B&llttl ing, who, in short, by aelf-deceit, allow to show th&t men he.ve absolute treedoni ni themaelves -io cast in their lot with the choice (see espeoie.lly bh. xiv.' 9 and · xX: worldl1-the avowed followers of the first 4) Again the beast seelai to imitate God 388 'l'HE REVELATION OF ST, JOHN THE DIVINE. [CH. xm. 1-18.