The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 410

day of God .Almighty." Not that we are to look for the literal ful:6.lment of such words in a material contest beaded by the Messiah in person leadiag an army I No, no I nothing so sensuous. God's battle is a silent one. Its weapons .are not carnal. Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. 'J'he forces which have to be subdued are spiritual. Hence the war must be spiritual too. 'l'he forces which have to be subdued are: (1) Worldly power and policy in every unrighteous form. (2) False religious systems of every kind. (3) Varied false and corrupt forms of Christianity itself. (4) Sin and crime, whether open or secret. These are the adverse furcea which are sketched in this book. These are the evils which are manifest in the worlid. And it is against them that the mighty conflict is going on. But by whom 1$ ia to be headed, and to be so conducted that the victory is sure-what human intellect can solve the problem? what human foresight peer iota the futnre? what human strength grapple with the foes? Woe be to us if the whole were left in human hands I But it is not BO. The apostle sees heaven opened, and lol he see~ abnve, the Lord and Leader in this mighty conflict. Concerning him and it the paragraph gives us replies to five questions. I. WHO IS THE LEADER, A.ND WHAT 18 ms NAME? This question receives here a threefold answer. Surely no student of Scripture can fail to see that here is a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ-, although neither the personal nor the official name is given. But we are told : 1. He has a name which no one knoweth but ke himself. There are upects of his nature which are known to us, or it would be impossible to reverence and love him. But there are other aspects which to us are unknown. 'l'here are fa.thomless depths in his own infinite nature. "No one knoweth the Son but the Father." 2. He has a name which ill known. A name which expre!lses at once his relation to God and to man. '' His name is called The Word of God." This is the name in which the beloved apostle so much delights (John i. 1-5). The" Word;•• the ex- pression of thought. The Lord Jesus as" the Word" is the revealed expression of the mind of the invisible Father. 3. He hath also a title expressive of kingly authority, of supremacy over all earthly names--" King of kiilgs, and Lord of lords." "All kings shall fall down before him." His monarchy shall put all else into the shade. "The might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword. Bath melted like .snow in the glance of the Lord I" II. WHAT ARE THE ATTRmUTEB OF THIS LEADER? They are such aa absolutely to qualify him for the work here assigned to him. 1. Hia eyes are a. a flame ef fire. Here his omniscience is set forth as that which no sin, no sinner, can escape. 2. He is called Faithful. The Faithful One, in whom fidelity ia embodied as its arch,·type, its source. 3. He is True. The Truth. The Substance. These attributes beRpeak the almightiness and essential Godhead of the Son. Creatures have them partially and derivatively; he, infinitely and independently. 4. Equity, too, la hi,. "In righteous- ness he doth judge and make war." In the integrity of his sway there is no flaw. In the rectitude of his decisions there is no defect. These are the names and titles; these are the attributes by which he is distinguished. "Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, 0 most miirhty. and in thy majesty ride prosperously, beca111e of truth, and meekness, and righteousness." Ill. liuw DOTH HE APPEAR IN GOING FORTH TO WAB? The characteristics here 1pecified are three. 1. He is 861ln on "a white horse.• So at the opening of the first seal. The white horse being the emblem of dignity, and of the peaceful triumphs he was about to win. There, however, he went forth at the begim;1.ing of his triumphs. Htre he is seen going forth to a decisive and final conflict. 2. He is "arrayed in a garment 11prinkled with blood." The question bas been asked-Is the blood his own, or that of hi11 fues? We reply-The symbolism is drawn from the responsive song in Isa. !xiii., and we cannot question that here the blood intended is that of his foes. Not, of course, to be taken as otherwise than symbolic of the completeness of the victory he has achieved, having put all enemies beneath his feet. 3. On his head are many diadems. In allusion, perhaps, to the ancient custom of a conqueror wearing the diadems of the vanquished kings. If so, the figure is one of immenRe sngg%tiveness and power. The beast, or the ungodly world-power, had seven heads-seven kings or kingdow~ Of these, at the titne of the writing of the Apocalypse, five had fall8Il- fB, xrx. 1-21.] THE REVELATION 011' ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 455