The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 404

EXPOSITION. for the worship of ver. 1. Oom,pt t1M -0.; OH.APTER XIL. uin eh. xi. 18, where a form of the 118.1118 Ver. 1.-Alul after thete thl.ng1 I heard a verb is used ( of. also Jer. li. 25). HBf' for- sr-,t voioe of mueh people in )leaven, say- ing; a.fur tJi.e,e tl,inga I MMd, a, it -e. a mcatum; her unfaithfulne1111 and deoeU; on oh. xiv. 4, 8). The prayer of eh. vi. 18 <- greal IHlice of a great multitude, etc. The has now been heard (cf. also ah. xriii. 20). usual introduction to a new phase of a vision Ver. S.-And again they llid, Alleluia. (see oh. iv. I, etc.). The "great voice;'' &1 And her amoke 1011 up for ever and ner; 111usl, characteristic of. the heavenly utter- goeth up. The "mnoke" ia that of the ances (see eh. v. 2, etc.). A.gain, we are not burning of Babylon, mentioned in oh. xvlli. told whOB<l the utterance is. It may well be 9, 18. The final nature of this jndgmant ia that of all the heavenly inhabitants and indicated by the closing words. aaints in glory (of. oh. 'fii. 9). As usual in Ver. 4.~And the four and twenty elders the Apocalypse, a.t the termination of a ud the four beasts fell down and worahipped. desoriptio11 of the last judgment comes the God that nt on the throne, aying, Amo; triumph,mt song of the heavenly host (of. Alleluia. (On "the twenty-four eldera" • eh. vii. 11-17; xi. 17). Thus the account representing the Church of God, and "the of the oouflict between God and the devil, four living beings" as typical of creation, whieh was begun at eh. :r.ii,. is here con- see on eh. iv. 4, 6.) God Ow.t litteth (pre- cluded at ver. 8: after which the narrative sent tense, 11S in ver. S) ot1 the thf'OM; 88 hB tskea a fresh departure. once more retum- ill dellCl'ibed in eh. iv. 2 and v. 18. A-; ing, 88 it were, to the beginning, and tre.cing Hallelujah (see Ps. cvi. 48). anew this warfare. The remaining portion Ver. 5.-And a voice eame nt at the of the book is analogous to the latter part throne, nying. l:11:, "out of," ii found in of Ezekiel Alleluia; Salvation, and glor;y, ~. P, 1, 84, eta.; A,r,l, "forth from," iii ■up­ and honour, and power, unto the Lord our ported by A. B, C, ete. ; while B read■ God; HaUeluj«h; the salvation and the glory ovpa;voii, "heaven," instead of 6phou, and tM power belong w our God. 'H -np:/r, "throne." Alford auggests that the direc- " the honour," found in several cursi vee, is tion rather than the source of the voice ia omitted in tt, A. B, C. P, etc. So also with intended. It is impossible to ,ay to whom the word " Lord." Hallelujah-" Praise the voice should be attributed (cf. eh. :r.. ye Jehovah "-is found in Ps. cuxv. 1 and 4, 8, etc.). Aa an invitation t.o the OblUOh elsewhere. It is translated in ver. 5 of this to praise God, we migl1t expect the vlliee to chapter, as is St. John's custom (see on eh. be that of one of the elders. Praise ov ~ i:x.11). It has been remarked that the word all ye bis se?Vants, and ye that fear him, " Hallelujah " is chieB.y used in connection both small and great. N, C, P, omit the firat with the punishment of the wicked; in " and," thus reading : "ye hill aerv1111ts, ye which manner it is all!() used here. (For that fear him," etc. The fint words are a a aimilar ascription of praii:ie, see eh. iv. 11, repetition of the " Hallelujah" of ver. 1. etc.) The following phrsee11 are found in PL 'Ver. 2.-l'or true and rigbteou are hil cxxxiv. 1; cxv. 13. jndgmenta. This reason for the worship Ver. 6.-And I heard u it were the ftfee of ver. 1 is similar to that in oh. xvi 7 at a great multitude. This is the reaponH and xv. S. l'or be h&th judged the great t;> the invitation jmt uttered in ,-er. 5. whore, which did oorrupt the earth with her Again "the wice of a multiinde," u in fornieation, and bath avenged the blood of ve:r. 1. And u the voioe of ma.ny waters. 1m Mrv&ntl at her han4. A aeooud reaaon That ii, in iu suggeativeneu of g1&11,t power k8 ~ n:tvELA.TlON or 81'. JOHN TtiE DtviNE. to:e. ~ 1-11. and n;mgnitude (of. eh. i. llJ.; xiv; 2; P& her," the po~r eotnes from God (et. dh. xoiii. 8; Jer. li. 16). And aa the voice of xiii. 5, et.c.); and yet "she arrays h~nelf; ,. mighty t;lu1nderillga 1 tayi.ag. A repetiti0n the action is etill voluntary. (On " whim of. the idea ooniained in · th~ p,eoeding linen," see on eh. iv, 4; vii. 9 ; xv. 6.;) olaWJe. l'he Cll88 ol ~ participle is dQubt- The following words are. a ~uflioient ooin-- ful ; .A. P, and othefil have "-e"fOll'T"'": Ibentary. This verse appears to eontaia many cursives A.eyr$11Tics; N he.s "-•-r.ovrr-; the words of the writer, the heavenly song the nom'inativa A.eyoirrn · is f'oiind in B and having ceased at the end of ver. 7. J'or the othen. Alleluia l for. the LortI God l:Mlni• llnl! linen is the tlghteollllneaa of iiwi.ti; polen\ 1'8i.gneth. (On "Hallelujah," aee the 'l'ighreow aau of tmi sa'inu. . That ill, ver. I,) These wordil connect_ the present their former righteoU!hess, exl:i ibited i11 passase with oh. ~vii. 14. They exhibit, :fidelity to G9d and ··hostility to ,ha \lrotld, aa it were, the culminating reRson for this obtained a.ud retained by the grace of God, adoration of God. He has exhibited his now forms their chief glory. So "their almighty power in .the overthrow of Baby- works do follow them" (eh. xiv. 13), lon, who ea.id, "I sit e. queen;" and in the Ver, 9.-And he aaith unto me, Write, ov~hrow (which has yet to be narrated Blessed are they which are ea.lled unio the IDOf8 fully} of the ktnp of the earth. . marriage supper Qf the Lamb ; which are bitl- Vez. 7,-=-tet III be glad and rejeioe, il.D.d. deu (Revised Version).. df. tihlf command in gin ho_n1>\ll' to him; let m r~oiQll .and be eh. i. 11 and ni. 5, and the p:tohillition in ~ n g glad, And W tu giH thd glory u11to x. 4; of. also the expression in eh. :riv, IS, kim. .A.lfard reads U,rroµ.,v, "we will give," " Blessed N'e the dead," etc. It e.l~t with M1'\ · A. P, Sil : but the T .R. 5Tii,1<ev, seems as if the writer· has in his inind ihe "let ua_giv~" which b found in~•, B, 1, 7, connection of ideas indioe.ted by the word1 38, Vnli::e.t.e, Cyprian, Prime.sins, ia to be quoted aha-re on ver. 8, " Their works do preferred, Fo:r the marriAge of the Lmb ia follow them." Tl10 figure of the "ma.rrie.ge come, a:ad hia wife bal;h mflde hetaelf teady. supper" is rathel" a new symbol than the 'fhia ia ·aomewha.i anticipatory: the full continuation oi t)ie symbol of the . bride; vision of the bride of the Lamb is reserved though very Jjrobably suggested by it. For until eh. xii. But the ,ajoicing over Baby- thOl!e who partalte of the" marriage supper" lon Mld the harlot naturally sugge.its the a.re thoae who conslitnte the bride, -riz. the 611Ullion to Christ'a faithful Church, jullt ai faithful Churoh of God. Of. oh. iii. 20. ihe vi.ion of eh. vii. is suggested by the the wordti whieh are spoken by the ~pelnding worda of cil. \ti, "The marriage "Amen, the faithful and true Witness,. qf ~e . Lamb" is the 11.gure under whioh (oh. iii. 14): "If any man heat my voice; is. 4ep1cted that oomplete union between and open the door, I will come in to liim, Christ and his faithful Church, which will and will sup with him, and he with me." be ooosummated a~ theJaatday, when &tan U is impossible to say who the speaker i8 has been overcome anti sin deatroyed. It that ilius addresses 8t. John, except in !!It 1timc!s it) c~11ire.,st with the. fornication of fat as ma.y be gathered from ver. IO. And tJte; hie.riot-the union. of the spiritually he aaith llilto ma, These are the ttue i1117'ing1 unfllUl,fnl portion of Chrisfs Church with of God. Cf. the words of oh. iii. 14, quoted the powera of the wodd (see on eh. xvii. above, and ch. xxi. 5 ; also the " Yea, saith 1, 2). Alford remarks, " This :figure, of a the Spirit" of eh. xiv. 13. (On the word me.niage between the Lord and his f!eople, "true," see eh. iii. 7.) These words lie.ve is too frequent and familiar to need exple.na- been restricted to d iffereni portions of ihe ii,m (cf, in. the Old Test1troent, Isa. liv. 1- A p0<!e.l7pse by different oommeutators; bui ~; Eaiek..xvi. 7, ato.; Has, ii. 19, etc.; and it seems beat, on the whole, to understand in the New Testament, Matt. ix. 15 ; xxv. them as referring to the whole series of l, ekl.; John iii. 29; Eph. v. 25, et.c.)," viaions connected with the harlot and This symbol of the _wife or britk indi, Babylon and the faithful bride of Christ. c.t.es the redeemed, who have already in Ver, I 0.-.&.nd I fell at hia feet to worihip 1eyeral ple.oes been alluded to in this book him, The BBme thing happens a.gain in eh. (oh. vii, 9 ~ xii. 1; xiv. 1: xvii 14, "they :u. 7, 8, and this makes it improbable that $ha& Ne with hiin "). The saints have St. John imagined the angel to be Christ uade thsmselvea reddf, by enduing them- himself, as some think; More probably (aa 8'1.v011 with the robe of righteousness (veL Alford, Bengel, Vitriuga, Wordsworth, aud 8). others) St. John was so overwhelmed wfth Ver. &-And toll- ,vu granted that lhe the tremendous ohe.re.cter of the revelation lllolllcl IJe arrayed in line linen, clean and just made to him, ihe.t in his httmility- he whi'8 ; and it llla8 gi11en tmio 1- that ahti paya undue re-rerenoe to the angel who had ,JiotlZ4 an-ar 1-ael/ in .fine llnim, bright eommunioated it to him. This reveren~ (and) puf"II, The double nature of the- may not have been e,_e.otly of the nature of ~ v .hen IMlt forth. "Ii waa given that which he would render to God; but it as nx. 1-21.] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOUN THE DIVINE. 449