The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 377

give tlletr power and ltreqth unto the beut ; whole, serves the beasl.(cf. eh. xiii. 3, 8, U. thq gi116 {I>retkm t tense) their p<Ylller and a• 16). and out of which are selected the re- .thqnCy. eto, Th.at iB, though apparently split deemed (eh. v. 9; ix. 9). up tnto 1118Dy sections, they form practically Ver. 16.-And the ten horn• wbiah thou. one, aoting bf and for the beast on whose sawest upon the beast; and t1ia ten OOffll J¥Jil! ~y nn_ge themselves (Bee on ver. 12). which thou eataut, attd t1ia b«ut. There .. "V-.;. ~--Jheae shall make war with the ia no authority for the hi .,1, lh,plo• of )Mu.Ii, -m4 UH Lamb eh&ll O'Vercome them; Erasmus except the Vnlgate. in butia. and, .c1ipll tlllJ.r •(lf/aimt. This connects the de- of oonrse, the deecription given of the beast . - ~ with eh. xvi, 14 and with eh. xix. (eh. xiii. 1. eto,). The two are .spoken of l l ~ . ~is war between the Lamb and separately. on acoouot of the &eP!lrate jnris ;t1ae - ~ of evil is that which extends diction wielded aooording to vers. 12, 13. ' i l l ~ the history of the world ('oide These ehall hate the 'whore, and ehall make a;/ral; it occupies the "one hour" of ver. her desolate au.d naked, and eh&ll eat h,u- 'lt;whieh is equivalent to the period of the 1leah, and b'lll'D her with :!I.re ; and shall burn ~ • ·exiBtence. But the seer in this w uturl11 'IJ!ith fire (Revised Yem.on). "Velie looks forward also to the termination These words describe the fate in store for, 't)f the oonllict, the result of which, here the faithless portion of the Church. That bri4J indicated, is soon to be narrated more world, to which she trusts, shall tum and ~ . For he is Lord of lords, and King rend her'-& fi:tti_ng sequel to her want of ·ot ·kingl. This is the reason g:iven to the faith in the power of Christ'. This is 'hraeliiell (Dent. x. 17} for obedience tu God exactly the deacriptjon given of the harlot (of. alao Dao. ii. 47; I Tim. vi. 15; and eh. in Ezek. xvi. -87 (cf. also Ezek. x:z:ili. 22). ~x. 16). Though the beast may exercise "Eat her flesh" and "bum with fire" both ·in thia w.orld dominion and power as describe similar resnlt.s ; possibly the mie is ",r1ooe of this world," yet the Lamb is thought of in oonneetion .. with the symbol 'King lltill greater, to whom the beast must of "barlot,'' the other with the symbol of :finally 1U001Jmb. He is thus King above "city:• with which the harlot is identieal -the kings of eh. xvii. 2, 10. And they that (see on ver. 5; but see Gen. xxxviii. 24: ·are with him are called, and chosen, and Le-v. xxi. 9; cf. also the jodgment nptm faithfal. The Revised Vel'Bion is more the wicked rich in Je.s. v, 8, " ■hall eat your oorreot. Attd they that are with him, called llesh 118 it, were fire"), · Olltd o1wMn and faithful [,hall alBo 011ercome] Ver.17.--l!'orGodha1h put in their heart• Another evidence of the lifelong nature of to fal:fil his will, and to a,gree, and give their this war. Not only Christ wars and over- kingdom unto the beut, lllltil the word■ ot co,mea, i>nt those associated with him are God shall be falfilled; God did put • • . to ·permitted to she.re in the battle and the do hie mind, and to come to one mind (Re- victory. Ohriat's saints are oalled here to vised Vel'llion). " His mind•• is thought by ·battle; in eh. xix. 9 they are called to Bengel, De Wette. and Dilliterdieok to sig- ·the marriage-supper of the Lamb (cf. also nify the beast's mind. Others understand the exhortation to faithjulfletlll in eh. ii. 10). God's mind. In either oase the general The three epithets deecribe the progressive sense is plain. While the world-power is life of thoee who share Christ's victory. apparently performing the will of the beut. They are ~ all men are-to serve God is working above &11; only by his per- him;. having heard the call, they dedicate mi88ion can anything be done (cf. the "it their live11 to his service, and become his was given" of eh. xiii). The "worda of . - aerrants; fi:nallr, having remained God" are hie denunciations ·against those /aielftll to him, they share in his victory. who trnst t.o the world (cf. Ezell:. xvi. 87, Ver. Ili.-And he saith unto me, As in quoted on ver. 16). · ver. 7. these worde form the preface to a Ver. 18.-And the woman which thou partioular description. Having explained aawest ls that great ~tJ, which reigneth .the mystery of the beast. to :whom the oYer the kings of the earth. A repetition woman looks for 1Dpport, the angel now of the 118B8rijon made in var. 5, viz. that the J)l'OOljll(D to unfold the mystery of the harlot harlot and Babylon m identical (lll!II on hereelf. Tb waten whfoh thou aawest, ver. 5). Many writers haive been led by where the whore li.tteth; viz. those men- this verse to believe that Bome, . either tioned in ver. 1. In ver. 7 wo are told that pagan or P!lpal, is thus pointed out as the the heaPt carriee the woman. Both state- antitype of the harlot, That thiB is one u,enta lll'U oorrect. The beast is the world- fulfilment of the vision need hardly be pow..r.. which is found among the "peoples, doubted. Rome was in St. John•s time the multitmlee, nations, and tongues.,. Are foremOBt embodiment of the hoatile forces JNIOPles, aud multitudes. and .na~ona, and of the world. But this is not the wholu &1>1111111. The fourfold descnption of the hDJ11&11 ·,_ (of. eh. v. 9. eto.). which, u a fulfilment, which is in all time <- espeoially on ver. I of thu cha}lter). abo-ve, cm: iv11. 1-ts.: THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 4:19