The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 454

Vers. 11-15.-~ Jfflal iudgment upon ~vi1 co,u.Zuct. The scenes or'the,:&ok of Revelation a.re now. approaching completion, and they present more definitely the characteristics of "t.he end." J udgment proceeds on human conduct daily, but there ia a final jlldgmentt "the judgnient of the great day,.. wh!ln "Wll sh11ll al-1 stand before 600 THE REVELATION . OF ST. JO,l:IN 'l'HE DIVIIS'E. ( '., [rn. x~. . 1-16. . the judgment-seat of God." That dread day is now pr!lsent to _the mind of the seer, and before that inner eye, by a spiritual illumination, the solemn scene is depicted. It is pfotorial,.and, like the Lord's own picture of the separating of the sheep from the goats, though it lacks the completeness of this teoohin!?, it has aspects of the most u.wfol grandeur. In the symboli9&1 presentation the following dreadful features are promi• nenta-·· . J. To AUTHORITY,.SANCTITY, AND· DREAD TERRIIILENESS 01' THE DIVINE JUDGMEll'l', rhe· symbol of the authoritative character of the judgnient is repre5ented in •• a grrnt throne ; " its· sanctity in the ever-present symbol of purity-it is a "white" throne, "we know that his judgment is according to truth;" while the terribleness of the hot.v judgment is indicated in the assertion that the very "earth and the heaven ·fled away " from " the face" of him that 11at on the throne. JI; 'l'IiE UNIVERSALlTY OI' THE JUIJGMENT. 'l'he symbol here approaches a tem'ble realism., The seer beheld •• the dead, the great a'nd the small, stand before the ~hrone," and " the sea" and "death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they. Wfre jndged." 'l'he judgment is upon ,the "dead," and it transplants our thoughts fo the final issues of human history. UL The judgment which is universal is also HINUTE AND INDIVIDUAL; "They were judged every man." None e.sca.pe or pass by. Every servant. to whom the Lord has entrusted goods must give account of the same. · • ' IV. The judgment proceeds UPON i'HE coNnucr OF THE EARTHLY Lil'E. " They were judged every man acriwdi'iig to their woiks." Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Every idle word that m1m shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of jndgment." • V. THE FINAL, TERRIBLE AWARD OF EVIL-DOING. "If any was not found written ill the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire." That this represents the termina- tion of the present order of things is indicated by the destruction of death and Hades; the present, the temporary,. is swallowed up in the finaL One side only of the judgmen~ is represented-that of the wicked. . '1':ruly these awful scenes are not for the eye, but for the heart.. No picture is per• missible of any part of these unspeakable things. Men must take the terrible intima- tions, and ponder them in fheir hearts; and" blessed" is the m!l.n that so "reaas" and so "understands the words of the prophecy of this book," that he turns in lowly meek- ness to him who is the one and only Saviour of men, and seeks by his grace to walk " in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."-R. G. Vera. 1, ~.-The first scene in the moral history of redeemed humanity: the scene of moral swuggk. "And I saw an angel come down frnm heaven," etc. No inspired book presents a greater scope for visionary and idle speculation than this Apocalypse. Here every imagination has the widest sweep for its wildest evolutions. Hence we have almost as many interpretations of its contents as we have expositors. One can scarcely pursue a more easy or cectain path to popularity than by propounding some ingenious exegesis of this book. I intend going through the whole of this chapter and the first four verses of the succeeding one, in five analyses of homilies ; because I think I difcover there what seems admirably adapted for deep and practical moral impression. 'l'he nineteen verses may be fairly taken as an illustration of the moral history o/ humanity. They disclose no less than five moral scenes through which the redeemed portion of our race is to pass; namely: (1) The scene of moral st1'ffggk; (2) the scene of morol, triumph; (3) the scene of moral reaction; (4) the scene of an awful retribution; and (5) the scene of the final destiny of the good. 'l'he :firsi-tkl scene of moral struggle -is the one unfolded in these verses. This scene shows us two things. · J. 'l'HAT REDEEMED HUMANITY HAS A FEARFUL ANTAGONIST TO' CONTEND WITH. 'l'his enemy is called "dragon," "serpent," "devil,"•" Satan." This highly symbolie language, applied to the great antagonist of the good, implies three things~ 1. The actual, ea:istence of such an enemy. The names "dragon," "·serpent,". etc., must stand for aomething. They are the names of real, beings, and cannot be supposed as used to designate the mere phantoms of the imagiuation. Most conolusi ve arguments.' for the existence of some mighty agent of evil, whose influence is world-wide, may be chwn from tlir® co:iisiqera.tions. (l) ThQ univef&al beiicf of ~umanity. (2) Tbv mr. "it. 1-lti.J Ttll!i m!VltLATlON OF ST. JOHN THE D1V!NE: Sol