The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 311

Luke n:i. 27, "They shall eee the Son of opposite fares in store for the f1.1ithful and man coming in a cloud "); (2) the expres- the wioked. The description thus cor• sion, "Son of man" (of. John v. 22, "For responds with the account of tho end of the the Father judgeth no man, but hath com- world given in eh. vii., with which chapter mitted all judgment unto the Son: " and this one has so much in common ( see _on the John v. 27, "And hath given him authority first verses of the present chapter). In eh. to execute judgment also, because he is the vii. the saints are first selected and sealed. Son of man : " and Acts xvii. 31, " He will before the wicked meet their doom. Thus. judge the world in righteousness by that also, the judgment is described by our Lord Man whom he bath ordained"); (3) the in his parables of the wheat and the tares, white colour (of. oh. vi. 2); (4) ihe golden and the sheep 1.1nd the go1.1ts. This accounts crown, which distinguishes him from the also for the first gathering being presided other appearances. He who, as Man, re- over by the Son of man, while the seoond is deemed the world, comes as Man to judge conducted by an angel. The punishment in the world. He 8its, because he comes in connection with the vintage seems to dis- judgment. Jlaving on his head a golden tinguish it from the first harvest. .This also erown. The m-own of victory, a..-lq,a.vas, corresponds to the a.nnounoements of the which he gained as Man (of. also eh. vi. 2, former angels, who first preach the ever- where the description is similar). And in lasting gospel, and afterwards denounce hill hand a sharp Biokle. With which the . those who serve the beast (vers. 6-11). " Lord of the harvest" (Matt. ix. 38) reaps Ver.17.-And another angel came out of the harvest of the world. The figure is the temple which is in hea.ven, he also having found in Joel iii. 12, 13, " Then will I sit a sharp sickle ; from tkB shrine, or sanotuary to judge all the heathen round about. Put (as before, see on ver. 15), the dwelling- ye in the.sickle, for the harvest ill ripe" (of. place of the undivided Trinity, from whence also John iv. 35-38). come God's judgme1,1ts (Alford; cf. eh. Ver. 15.-And another angel came out ot xi. 19). the temple, orylng with a loud voice to him Ver. 18,-And another angel came out tha.t sat on the cloud; another angel; in from the altar, whioh had power over fire. a.ddition to those already mentioned, not Both in oh. vi. 9 and viii. 3 the altar is con- implying that he who sat on the cloud was nected with judgment. The angel here an angel. Out of the temple, or shrine described is he who is referred to in those (va.&s); the inner sanctuary of God (of. oh. places, the fire being the fire of the altar, vii. 15). The angel acts as the messenger the fire of judgment (oh. viii. 3), or, leBS of the will of God to Christ in his capacity probably, the angel who has power over of Son of ma.n, because the command is oce fire generally ( as eh. vii. 1 : xvi. 5). And concerning the times and seasons which the cried with a lond ory to him the.t had the Fa.ther bath kept in his own power (Alford). sharp sickle, sa.ying. Again the " loud The characteristic "loud voice" (see on voice," characteristic of the heavenly utter,. vers. 7, 9, etc.). Thrust in thy sickle, and a.noes (cf. ver.15, etc.). Thrust in thy sharp reap: tor the time is come for thee to reap; siokle, and gather the olusters ot the vine of for the harvest of the ea.rth is ripe; send the earth; tor her gre.pes are fully ripe ; forth thy sickle and reap : for the hour to send forth thy sharp, etc. (see on ver. 16), reap i3 coma; for tke harv68t of the earth i3 The sickle is figurative of the instrument m,er-ripe (Revised Version). <h!er-ripe, or by which the career of those on earth is dried.; that is, as Alford explains, perfectly terminated. The " sickle " and the "wine- ripe, so that the stalk i11. dry, the moistu1·e press" are both aJluded to in the pa&sage having been loi!I;. quoted above (on ver. 14) from Joel iii, 13. Ver. 16.-And he that sat on the cloud (For the meaning of this gathering of the thrust in hill sickle on the earth ; and the vintage, as representing the punishment of earth we.a reaped. " Cast his sickle;" not the wicked, see on ver. 16.) the same verb as that in ver. 15, but which, Ver. 19.-And the angel thrust in hi■ nevertheless, has the same signification ( cf. lickle into the earth, and gathered the vine the use of this verb in John xx. 25,27). There of the earth, This angel is described in are two gatherings described in this place: quite a different manner from "him who (1) the harvest of the earth by the Sou of s1.1t on the cloud" (ver. 16). And oast it man; (2) the gathering of the vintage by into the great wine-press of the wrath of the angel. On the whole, it seems probable God ; into the wine-pr68B, the great [ wine- that the fixst refers to the selootion by Christ pressJ, etc. The feminine substantive has of the faithful at the end of the world, while ~greeing with it a masculine adjective. U the second describes the ingathering of the 18 doubtful whether we ought to see in ihis wicked for punishment immediately 1.1fter- anything more than a mere ,;lip of grammar. wards. This agrees with the general tenor Possibly the word is of either gendor. It of the whole chapter, viz. 1.1 portrayal of the is connected with the festival of Ba.ooh111, m. uv. 1-20,] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN TIIE DIVINE. 851