The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 446

i&a interpretation would be impossible. And even with the aid of the -Plainer words, the theme before us is, so vast.. so dread, so fraught with terror, that for our pan we scarcely know how to write upon it or even to approach it. Nor even now can we pretend to do more within the space at our command than to lay down some aeven distinotly' revealed lines of Divine· teaching concerning the future state of the ungodly. When •th~ eeven lines are put togethet they will be found to include all the main teachings of the Word containing so dread a theme. We regard it as needless to de more· at this stage -of the exposition than to remind the reader of the point· we have reached in the grand unfoldings of this book. The resurrection is past, &he judgmen& has been set, men have been adjudged each one according -to his works. And it ill from thi& revealed point of time that we now start. May the writer's pen be guided, and his heart inspired in a holy and a trembli1' awe, as he now e&s&Jll to _paint out the reeults of the Judge's solell!n word, "Depart I - · 1.- -AT THUi POU!'l' THE BEVEALEI> PERIOD -011' PROBATION J'OB THJI BAOB IJLOSU, lt is t'ery olear, from the apostolic explanation in 2 Cor. vi. 2 of the phrase, "a daf of fl&lv&tion,~ that the present gospel day is thereby iuteuded. This is the day of aalva- ~n, in which: mercy;tnay be obtained. To this day there is 11. limit. "After that thou ■halt out it down!' ·'l'he vine-dresser could not aak-for any -further postponement of the aot wheri fruitlessness' was decisive-and final. We &re not in a position·to look at the meaning of the great decisive day in relation "to the government of Gild ll'lltil we under- 1tand the Scripture doctrine of hunian proba1ion. We know that nations, empires, an(hlities hne a 11Qy of pt<lbation. So have Churches. So have individuals. '!'heir Jkob&tion may cl~.e even before their nll.tura.l life e~ds. . It was so with Judas. The linfl, ,however, which: marks·•the dose of probation 1s aot a temporal 0119, but a moral one,;' The -<X,l()M of probati01a " NaCl,,ed wMn tlie ,tau of ftud'IIUB in •• w-Naelietl ( of. llarl!riii. 29, 80, Revised Version). Hence we have but to expand the conception of that of indlvidna.lity to that of nniversalit,- to 888 how completely thill accords with the-frequent reference,in Sori~IU'!l of" the harvest-day." Whoever Uves in the.habit of re,isting God a hardening himselfInto a state ~f fixed :unfraiifulnesli, And the last day ,nllbe-1ihe decisive dllf of treatment', because it is the 4()llsuni'!lat_!on-day of c~a.oter• .- II; "TBB lJAY 01!' BAtiVA.TION" WILL BE iVLL<)',t'BD. -:BY •• '1'lll; DAY Ol.P 'J1l1JGKll!N'l'," 'l'he latter may be a period as prolonged as ·too former.· During "the day of sal'l'ation • grace mgn1; Iri ~the dsy-of judgmen'~;" absolute and 1U11JWervingequitywiU mark the Divine pro-oedure, m every caae, (Rom. rn .6-18).. -•Andras 1W8 undlir~&d _tlhe me&lJing of that, in its bearing on our present theme, we would e1press it thus: WAoaoe!I$' a flljfl,fJf!I], grGCt, when it waa /redly offend Alim tie day -ii/ DVIJ'litm, 1llill be d•:alt 'lliith according to ~mty when. that day is over. 'l'bere 1rill be·11othing of ,vindietiwaeSA; harshneas,.-or excess. Nothing in degree or duration which will not be, knowa ·bf the indtv<idual cormcienoe;to be absolutely right. · · IIJ. AT ''lllll! D·AY· 01" JtTOOll:lN'l' 'l'Illl RIGHTKOUS Wlt.L :NO llOBB BB JONGLIID W1Tlt Tllll WlCX1W, 'fhl! two solemn words,," Come!"·" Depll'tl" will-mark a dilferenee rn lot correspo:iiaing to difference of uharac~l', and also a separation - of the oile from the other, And it may well. be made a theme of prolonged stud,- to inquire into the meanmg of the several words whio'h express the cha,raeter of those "withoo.t/' There an ill~ fewer than thirteen terms _by which they are inliicated, "Dogs,'', "·IJOllCerers," .. wl:aoremoi:igers,". " liars," " the ftiarful," " unbelieving,-" " idolaters, a "· mtlrciei'ers," "·fornic&torB;"· .. abominable/' lC t~e who worship,.the b~," '' these' who worlliipped &he-dragotrt "those who a.re not m the.Lamb's book of life." Such Is the terrible list. On .-rth th4ly met with the righteous, but were never- confounded wiib ,them;. in tbt next they shall neither mit" nor meet (cf. Matt. vii. t3; Heb, xii. 14). We know t"bat 111ch characters may be met with on e&rth now; what they will be la but the eontinua., tion of what they are (see oh. xxii.11): : · ; . · IV. FoR BUOR THB JUDGlllBtl"T•DAY WILL DIVOLVB A lll>T- WSIOH lB THII '1'B1fll'GL:D iNTITHESIB OF LIFE, Let the student reverently compare the seTeral terms 'whicA are ,et over against th~ word "life": L Life and punishment (Matt. xxv. 46). 2. Life and judgmerit (John v: 29). 3. Life tmd wmth (John iii. 36). '- Life and the l800nd dea,th (oh. XL 14, 15). 5. Life and destruotion(Ma.tt. vii. 13, H). 6. Life and the lake of fire (oh. xx. 15). 7. Life and hell-fire (Matt. xviii., 9 ). 8. Life and eve.• luting fire (Matt. xxv. 41). 9. Life a.nd the unquenchable fire{ldark ix. 48). 10. Life  cm. n. 1-15.] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 400