The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 491

eueh. It ia the reward plt\OOd before those had heard and 1een, I fell IIOW'll to womip who strive, in order to induce them to" over- before the feet of the angel which showed - "(1100 on ver. 5 above, u.nd eh. iii. 12). me these thmgs; and uhen I fuard and V 01', 6.-A,n'd he aaid unto me. Pl'Obably ,au,, etc. The tense here becomes aorist the angel who has exhibite,l the 'Vision of (11ideeupra). Si.John h11.11once before fallen the holy city (oh. x.xi. 9): pcrhapa the into the same error, viz. that of Jllilying angel of eh. L 1. The oonoluding portion nndue homage to the angel (see on oh. xix. of the book ill now entered upon: it contains 10). The beatitl<, mon o\'erwhelms him a brief sum1113ry of (or rather referenoe to) with awe, aud he ia bowed down w.ith his the chief nents which have been narrated, own humility. and enforeet the hi!aon which i• intended to Ver. 9,-ThllJl aalth he unto me, Bee thou be taught, TIZ. that Ol1rietianuhould pars~ do n not: for. I am thy fellow-senant, and Tei'e In well-dt1ing amid all per.seeutions, for of thy brethren the prophets,· and of them t.beir rewuJ'll is certain, 1.nd that the punish- whioh keep the ea.yings of this book: worship Dl8Dt due to the wicked will surely overtake God ; and he with, etc. ( cf. the words of eh. them at last. The angel al!ljerta the Tel'&Oity :xix. 10). Here we have "the prophets;'' of wbut i1 contained in the book (Yer, 6; cf. in the former passage we ha.ve the "sp,lrit oh. i. 1, 2: iii. H); the fune in which to of prophecy," in much the mme .sense; here, prepare ill brief (ver11. 6, 7, 12; of. ah. i. 3, again, we have "them which keep the say- 7); the propheoy ill to be oommuni('ated t.o ings of thill book," in place of " thot ba,ve others (ver, JO; of. oh. L 1-8); God is fhe testimony of Jesus," in eh. xis. 10. In etemRl (var. t,r; ef. oh. i. 8); the j1lllt a.a , the latter c,ase, alBQ, there is little difi'erenco rewarded (vers. H, 17; of. eh. L S): the of meaning, since th~ "sayings of thia book" wicked. are punished (ver. 15; of. eh. i. 7); are exhortations to a fnithful bearing of '' tha the .propheoy is to··be &ithfully bimded on testimony of JeBBS;" those, th81'efore, "who (velB, 18, 19 ; of, eh. i. 2). Th- aayinga keep" (that is, aa.ny out) "the sayings" are are faithful and true. 'l'hat ia. all that lias th018 wha " hold the testimony of Jesus." been conveyed to the soor (cf. the following "'I'he. prophets " need not be re11trieted ill vene11). 'I'hia is a r,·petition of eh. xxi. 5; meaning to either Old or New ~tat&ment xii. 9; iii. H; so aL!o D-,m. TiiL 26. And prophetll, but may include both. The direct the Lord God of the holy prop~ts aent Ilia insviration of the ·m888age which St. .John angel to show unto hia servants the things has to deliV&r is here asserted. ID unison whillh m111t shortly, be <lone; 4nd tlid Lord, with the teaching of the llos!\M oovenant, the God of the rpirits of the propheu. ..• t1ie the angel oomma11ds to 'lllONhip God alone Uiinv.s wT.ii!A must skortly "6me to pa,,. That (of. Exod. n:xiv. 14, etc.). spiritnol part of the nature of the prophets, VEll'.-1@.-And he aaith unto me, Beal not by :which they are made to di■cem and to the aa.yings of the prophecy of this book: for oommunicate God's will The expresaiou is tu time is at hand, The v•iona being now used here in connection with the " pro- compltte, St. John ill oomma.ndod to cum• phL,ey" mentioned in the following verse. municate them to the world (of. eh. x. ,, Tho great.er part of this verse is worded where a contrary direction is ,given), The eimctly as oh. i. 1. Hi, aen,ant,; cf. the last sentence i11 again a repetition , of the Olldress to the seven Churches (eh. i,-iii., Bl!Sertion of the shortnet!8 of this our .time of especially eh. i. 11). . preparation (cf. on ver. 7). The revela.tion "ver. 7.-llehold, I come quickly (of. vers. deal• not with events ffil' distant in the 12, 20; eh. iii. 11). The narration passes fut~e, but with tho.ee immL'liiately present; into the words of Christ himself, just as in for this reaaon the messa,,ue is to be com• vet. 12 and oh. xi. 3. Blessed ill he that municuted (ef. Dan. viii. 26, where the keepeth the 1111,yinga of the propheo:, of thill reason given for "shutting np the 'Vision" boo)L . Because they are " faiibful and tme" is that the visions "belong to many days t.o (ver. 6). The eommand given in eh. i. 11, come,'! Revised Vereion). · Die now supposed to have been carried out Ver. 11.-lle that ii unjuet, let him be (of..the:lllUll(/words in eh. i. 8). · unjust still : and he which ii filthy, let him Yet. 8.-And I Zohn aaw these things, and be filth:, still: and he that ill righteou1, let heard them; literally, aRd I John [am] tM him be righteou liill: and he that is holy, [OM] hearing and feeing the8e lkinge. 'fhe let him be hol7 atil1; he that ie unrir,Jit.ous, absence of the verb (the present participle let him do unrighll!OIWleU ,till, etc. (Revised being used alone} indicatee the pl!:rson to Ver11ion). These words seem t.o. be used ,.hOJII the. revelation i■ made, without ironioally; aa was sometimes the case with wigning any specific period es the par• the prophets (of. Esek. iii. 'J:1; xx. 39). 'rhe Uoular time when the revelation took intention _ . to bo to stir men up to a ,,lace. The 1ame statement ill made in eh. realization or the nature of their oon,luct in i. l (which -). " These thinge" are all that continuing t.o reject the warnings of God.. bitve been related in fue book. .lnd when I Note-that the words immediately sucooed.ing. err. xi:n.1-21.: TUE REVELATION OF ST, JOHN THE DIVINE. IWI