The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 373

had,-there the spirit of Babylon has been article (see Alford, in we.). Some oom• manifested. In short, we have in the great mentators ·have thought that the " wilder- harlot-city neither the Christie.n Ohuroh as ness" signifies the desolation whieh is the a whole, nor the Bomish Church in par- lot of the harlot ( see ver. 16 ; oh. xviii. 2, tioular, but all who anywhere within the 19.; also Jer. Ii. 26). Bnt we oan hardly 0h11l'Ch profe&I! t.o be Christ's • little flack' avoid the conclusion that the "wilderness." and are not, denying in their live_s -the here is. that spoken of in eh. xii. 6, 14, which main chamcterisiio by which they ought to is sym.bolioo.1. of this world, particularly be distinguished-that they' follow' Christ." when we remember that the " wilderness" (For the distinction between the harlot and in both Cl!Scs is the abode of a woman, who :Babylon, see above.) That dtteth upon moreover is representative of the Church; many waters. " The " is inserted in B and though in eh. xii. she represents the Churoh other manuseripts, probably on aocount of of God 88 11 wl1ole, pel'lleOuted by Satan, and the reference in ver. 15, but is omitted in in this place the woman is representative of N, A, P, ancl others. This is the description the faithless part of the Church (see also of Babylon in Jer. Ii. 13, whence, doubtless, below on " beast"). Vitringa, referring to the expression is derived. In the place Isa. xx:i: 1, and oh. xvii. l, Hi, and Ezek. xx, quoted, the sentence refers to the many 85, arrives at a similar conclusion; it is a eanals of Babylon; but the interpretation "wilderness of the people." And I saw a of this passage is given in ver. 15, where woman. There is no article, but this vision, the water, are stated to be "peoples." ooouning immediately after the words of ver. This fact sufficiently demonstrates that, 1, "I will show thee .•• the great hnrlot," though the imagery of the Apocalypse be identifies this lllO'IMn with the h1nlot of taken from the Old Testament, it Is not ver. 1. This woman represents the faithless always safe to insist on an exadly similar portion of the Church (see on ver. I): that interpretation; the symbols employed may part which, following after worldly things, be applied in an independ,,nt manner. ha:e thereby :rendered to the beast the love That the harlot sits on many waters there- and honour due to God alone. This troma,n -fore shows us that the faithless portion is not identical with the woman of eh. xii. or the Church is to be found distributed The latter represents the faithful, the former amongst " peoples, and multitudea, and the faithless, part of the Ohurch. Sit upon nations, and tongues." a scarlet ooloured beast, fall of names · of Ver, 2.-With whom the kinga of the blasphemy, havinB seven heads and ten earth have eommitted fornieation, and the horns. Here again, as in " wilderness " inhabitants of the earth have been made (vide ..,pr4), we have B,iplo11, "beast," with- llrunk with the wine of her forniaation. out the lli'ticle ; but the identity of this " Of the earth" is used here (as it fre- "beast" with that of eh. xiii. I ia estab- quently is) for the worldly as distinguished lished by (1) the same outward oharao- from the ri1a:hteoUB; and the two ohlases teristics of names of blasphemy, seven heada mentioned indicate the universality of this and ten horns; (2) its connection with faithlessness-it is not confined t.o any one "kings," etc. (vers. 12-H and oh. xix. 19, gnde of society. As we have seen (see on 20): (8) its connection with the "false ver. 1 and oh. xiv. 8), the figure of /omi- prophet " (eh. xiii. and xix. 20) : (4) its aation is repeakdly used to describe faith- oonneotion with the harlot-the one :repre- lt,ssness towards God. The verse, therefore, senting the. world-power, the other the declares that this farthless portion of the faithless, worldly portion of the Church. Church ha.e chosen rather to render t.o the That the woman Bite upon the bea,t denotes, world that love which is due to God, and not that she ex8l'Oises control arid guidance to be conneoted rather with the powers over it (88 Alford), for oomp. ver. -16, bnt of this world than to have its treasure in rather that the woman relies upon the heaven. The expression, "wine of her for- beust for support and l!afety: thus present- nioation," is a repetition of that in eh. xiv. ing an acourate description of thoee who 8, and is derived from J~. li. 7 (of. also eh. prefer t.o trust to the power and inlluenoe J:vi. 19 and xvili. S). of the world rather than to God. Scor"ld Ver. S.-So he oarried me away in the (whether the colour of the bea.et itself or of 1J1irit; and ha earried, eto. (of. oh. i. 10 its trappings ls immat.erial} may siguify and ni. 10). In the latter reference the either (1) the worldly pre-eminence and analogy is sufficiently close t.o lead us to power of whioh it is the sign, and for believe that it is intended. Into the wilder- .which the woman allies herself with the aeu; a ~ according to the Revised beast : or (2) the blood-stained persecution V81'8ion, which is the rendering of Words- of which the beast is the author, The first ,rorth and others; but Alford strongly sup- interpretation ooincides best with the wortla port.a the Authorized Vemon renderlug, which immediately follow: the 1t1COnd ooe u.qtwithstandin_g the abeenre of the Greek agreea with the description in VtJr. 6 and cm: xvn.1-18.J THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 415