The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 356

tmalean 1pirita eo frequently cast ont by n1ture of the inl'e888nt hostility betwt'eD our Lord. while OD earth. Burger very God and the devil, and the power of th<t aptly refen to the coniraet aff'orded by the latter will be manifested only to be visibl1 dove-like form of the Holy Spirit of God. ahattered and finally destroyed. Come out of the moDth of the dragon, and Ver. 15.-Beholrl, I eomeu a thief. The out of the mouth of the beut, and out of the nry words addreued to the Church at moiuh of the false prophet. Omit "come." Sardis ( eh. iii. S), and similar to th0118 con- The seer doea not behold the three spirits nected by onr bl81lBed Lord with the g,eat proceeding from the mouths of the evil day (see ver. 14:). The mention of that day, trinity, .bnt he 11ee11 those that a.re out of and perhape the knowledge that the battle their mouths; he aees them in their works is a daily one (see on ver. 14), naturally exhibited in the world.· The second beast leads to the solemn warning given here. Jt; is here called the "false prophet," since he is worth notice how St. John adopt.a thi1 deludes men, and persuades them against idea ; and this of itself should BUffiee to their better judgment to worship the first demonstrate the inoorrectneaof endeavour beaat (see on eh. xiii. ll). ing to compute the tim01 and l!i81180n&, 88 Ver. 14.-For they are the llpiritl of has been done by so many Apocalyptio devila, working miraolea. This e:xplaim writen (cf. also Malt. uiv. 48: Luke xii. the acoount given in ver. IS. In the plague 39; I Thesa. v. 2, 4; 2 Pet. ili. 10). of the froga, the Egyptian magician■ imi- Bleaaed is he that watoheth, and keepeth tated the plague of Mo881! ; the second beast his garments, lest he walk JLaked, and they (the false prophet) is represented as leading Bae his shame. 'l'he 11ame figure again as in men astray by his miracles (eh. xiii. 13). oh. iii 17, Isaac Williams correctly point. After the sixth trumpet came the digression, out that these words seem to indicate that in which an acooUI1t was given of the two the battle of vor. H: is a daily one, in whioh witnessea of God, who worked miracles Christians are themselves engaged (see on (oh. xii.); here, after the sixth vial, we have ver. 14). . The garment is the gannent -Of a short digreB11ion, in which an a.ooount is righteollSneBB, the fervent love of God (see given of the three witnesses of Satan, who on eh. iii. 17). endeavour to work on his behalf, by exhibiting Ver.16.--And he gathered them together miracles. (For the meaning of this working into a place oalled in the Hebrew tongue of miracles, see on oh. xiii 13.) Which go Armageddon; or, as in the Revised Verilion, forth 11nto the kings of the earth and of the they gathered; that is, the "spirits" of ver. whole world ; the king• of the whole world-- 14, of which this is a continuation, the 88lll8 omitting" of the earth" (Revised Vemon). verb u"".t'Y"" being repeated. By the em• The kitU.,B of the toorld are those whose aim ployment of the Hebrew term, att..ntiou is and delight is the posseBBion of the pleasurea called to the symbolical nature of the name. of this world; thooe who have their treasure Similar oases occur in oh. ix. 11 and else- in this world,.and whose hearts are therefore where in St. John's writings (see on oh. ix. also theret thOlle who exercise their in• 11 ). The correct reading, •ApJ,UrY•B•r, Har- fiuenoe.: and power in regard only to the Magedon, signifies " Mountain of Megiddo; • things of .this world ; in short, the worldly. \he Authorized Version, 'Apµ,,.-ydrfw, .Anna- To ga.ther them to the battle of that great geddon, ''City ofMegiddo." Mount Megiddo day of God Almighty; God, the Almighty. possibly refers to Carmel, at the foot of This battle is described in eh. xix. 11-21, which lay the Plain of Megiddo, which wu which see. The great day is the last great well known to every Jew u a gathering- judgment-day. The battle referred to here, place for hostile hosts and 88 the soene of and de&oribed in eh. :xi.x., and again in oh. rnany battles. Ii is referred to in Zech. xii x:x. 1-10, is apparently the battle which is 11 u a type of woe, on account of the over- being waged against God by the forces of throw and death of Josiah having taken evil all through the history of the world, place there (2 Kin~ xxiii 29). Ahaziah from the fall of Adam lliltil the last judg- also died there (2 Kings ix. 27) ; and there ment-day. This seema certain from the altlo the Ca.naanitish kings were overthrown description given in oh. nx. and :xx. How, (Judg. v. 19). The name is, therefore, in- then, can it be described as the "battle of the dicative of battle and slaughter, and inti- great day"? Probably because on that day mates the complete overthrow in store for will occur the• crisis, as it were, of the con- the dngon and the kinga of the earth, filot; on that. day will the iBBue be plainly which is described later on (oh. xbr.). determined, and the struggle terminated. Ver.17.-And the lffenth angel poured Though the battle is proceeding daily, there out his vial into the air. Omit" angel" as ia little to remind ua of it; the very existence before. Upon t1u air ; perhe.pa u the of, and n8C8Bl!ity for, auoh warfa.re is eome- typioa.1 abode of the spirits of evil (of. Eph. iimea forgotten in the daily round of life: ii 2," the prince of the power of the air''); at tile Jut day will be plainlJ exhibited the the seat al&o, IIO to speak, 1f the thunden cm. xVT. 1-21.J TIIE REVELATION OF ST. JORN THE DIVINE. 891