The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 405

is evident, from the reproof of the angel, Ver. 12.-Hil ey&1 were u a flame of fire; that it wa& more than could be becomingly 11nd his 8rJBI [are] a flam8 of fire. Again u and safely paid to a created being. And he in eh. i. 13. " Fire " is the type of pnrity --111 1111to m.e, See thou do it not : I am thy and judgmeut (see Ps. xcvil. 3; Isa. :dvii fellow-servant, and of thy brethren tha.t 14; lxvi. 15; Amol! v. 6; 1 Oor. iii. 13, ]lave the testimony of 188118; 1aith .•• I et.o.; eh. ill. 18). And on his head were am a f ellow-BtJMUlflt tllith t'kee and with thy many crowns; and upon hi11 head [ar8J 1,rethren, elo. So the e.POstles styled them- many diadems. Ai<i31jµa-r., '' kingly orowna ,elves (Rom. i. 1: 2 Pet. i. 1, ete.). (On (ef. oh._ xii. 3; xiii. I), because he now "hold the testimony of Jesus," see oh. i. 2, comes as a King to judgment. The pl111'1Llity 9 • xii. 17.) Wonbip God. Such e.lso is the or" crowns•• pointd to his character as King oo'mman,J of our Lord (Matt. iv. 10). :ror or kings (see eh. xvii. 14; cf. eh. xiii. 1). the testimony of J'esua ia the spirit of And he had a name written, th&t no man prophecy. Like the words of ver. 8, these knew, but he himself; hath • nam8 • • • no words a.re probably an explanation added one kl'IO'Uleth. Evidently the" new name" by St. John. To prophesy is to underst.e.nd of eh. iii. 12, the signifioance of whioh St. and proclaim the truth concerning God, John is une.ble to comprehend (see on eh. ii especially in the faee of prevalent ignorance 7 ; iii. 12). From the connection with ihe or opposition : this ia also what is meant by preceding olause, we naturally infer that .holding "the testimony of Jesus." The thie name was written upon his forehead angel in rev ..a.ling these visions, the martyrs (of. eh. vii. 3) : xvi. I); bn t the writer does in openly professing Christ, St. John in not explicitly atiite this. In -B, twenty- receiving and handing on the Apocalypse, five oursives, and Syriao, the words, were prophesying. Thus it was that the "names written and,• are . inserted before angel annrmuoes himself to be the fellow- ''name."' servant of St. John, and a .fellow-servant Ver. 13.-And he was clothed with a with the prophets, and with those "who vesture dipped in blood; and he (is] af'f'ayed keep the sayings of this book" (oh. xxii. 9). in a garment, eto. The idoa here 11 evidently Ver. 11.-And I saw heaven opened, and derived from Isa. lxiii 3, " I have trodden behold a white horse. A new vision now the wine-pre.;s aloue; and of the people thme opens, which is, however, part of the pre- was none with me: for I will tread them in ceding series, commencing at eh. xiii. 1. mine anger, and trample them in my fury; The destruction of certain forms of evil- and their blood shall be sprinkled upon m1, typified by Babylon and the harlot-has garments, and I will stain all my rai~eni ' been declared : the fino.l overthrow of the (cf. ver. 15). Probably the similarity of dragon has yet to be rele.ted, though there thill pe.saage has caused the reading, may be no such separation in the actual "sprinkled with blood," which is found infliction of these punishments as there in a few manuscripts. In the origina.l pas- neoes88rily is in tbe relation of them. The sage in Isafah, the blood is ,Joubtless the warfare now to be de8Cl'ibed must be under- blood of his enemies; but it i11 pol<Bihle stood to be the.t which is taking place that there is here a reference to the blood bet.wean the hosts of Christ and Satan of Christ himself, which he shed in his throughout the period of the world's exist- warfare with Satan. And hie Name ia ence. TM heat1611 opened (ef. oh. iv. 1). A called The Word of God. Only in Sl John'1 similar figure has been already employed in writings· does thia title appear-a Bmlllg the first seal-vision ( ob. vi. 2). It has been argument in favour of his authorship of the pointed ont that the same image is employed Apocalypse (cf, Jobni. l; 1 John i. l). This at the beginning and at the end of the de- cannot be the "name" of ver. 12, which, u scription of the warfare between Christ and there explained, is unknown. This N-, the devil. He who is the First and the Last, the Word of God, is appropriately Ulllld the Alpha and Omega (eh. i 8), rides forth when he is going forth to judgment. conquering and to conquer (eh. vi. 2). And Ver, 14.-Aud the arm.ieB whioh were ill he that sat upon him was oal1ed Faithful heaven followed him upon white hones, and True, and in righ~oume111 he doth judge olothed in fine linen, white and olean; which and make war, Even the par:icipiRI con- are : • • white, pure. 'l'hese armie, are struction here employed connects this ao- not merely the angels, but the " called, connt with oh. vi. 2. " Faithfnl and True " chosen, and faithful" of eh. xvii. H, "the are the titles applied to our Lord in eh, iii. bride" of ver. 8, who are described as being 14, which BOO. In righteoumaa 118 doth arrayed in whiM¼ in eh. vi. 11, and ver. 8 of judge ; er. Isaiah's prophecy of Christ : this chapter. Those oommentators who " But with righteousness Bhall he judge consider that the angels only are intended, the poor" (Isa. xi. 4); of. ver, 2 of this and not the saints, forget the double nature chupter. The purposes of this expedition of the vision; it in1ot only a descriptio)\ of are" to judge and make war." iudgment meted out, but also of a war JUIVET.ATION. 2& 450 THE R~VELATION' OF ST. JOHN TRE DIVINE. [CB. XI%. 1-21.