The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 492

ae well as.those immediately preceding, are &nd makoth a lie; wiOwm (omit." for") m connected with the ju<lgment. tluJ dog&, and tJui &oroe1'61'&, and tJui fomi- . Ver. 12.-And, behold, I eoma quickly. oaton, etc. The attiolo renders 81!,0h term Omit "and" (cl'. vers. 7; 10, etc.: see also general in its aignifleation (see oil oh. ·tv. on ver. 11~- Note also that once !)lore the 11). "The dogs" are thOlle who a.re de- words are spoken as by Christ himself (ef. scribed in Vlll', 11 as "the filthy:" the terQJ Ter. 7). And my. reward is with me, to giYe is proverbial amongst Eastern nations 88 an every man according a1 hit! work shall be; expression for what is most degraded. · The as his u,ork is, e.coording to the beet authori- epithc~ in this vel'llll OC?ur (with others) in ij.is. This is. one of the fuml;,m,•ntal truths . oh. xn. 8. A contrast 1s forcibly presenteil en(orced · throughout the book : of.. the · between these wick,ed onee here indteated, epistles to the a,c,ven Churches (oh. ii. 1i. 10, and those who have (in tb.e preceding vel'lle) 16, 17, 22, 26, etc.). Similar language is the right ta enter the city, owing to their found in Isa. xl. 10: 'liii. 11. The infinitive purity obta.ined by washing their robes. · pl1rsao seems io be cxplunato:ry of the idea Ver. 16,..,....11.esua have sent mine angel. oontained in the word µ:11801, "reward:" llere our Lord himself asserts wliat wa1H.;t; ~e. double nature of the relllGf'd .being thus the very beginuing set forlh (oh. i. 1). The md1ea.ted. . .. . revelation proper being now ended, ther Ver, 13.--I am. Alpha .aud .Omega, the lle- epistollU'y form in which tbe book open• 111 ginluq a.n.d ~• lmd,;the l'irtt and the Last; now resumed. . Eithlll' our I.ord him~lf is ~ .Alpha, eto. Reverse fue poaition of th& here the speaker, or the angel speaks in bi11 two .hist p h ~ Thll8e worde, w\Jch appto- Il8lll6 (of. 'l'Olll. 9.,..10, 12,. eto.)..0 To testify priat!lly open and close the book (cl. eh. i. 8),. uw you these things in tha • Chll?Ohu cioour (ii)i;e .thQBe in Vil?, 11 800Ye) continU• (4irl nit l1ev.'IO'i111,). The Revised Vemon 1!,lly in Isl1i.ah.(!18e Isa.xli.-4: xliii.10; xliv. translatea,/or [margin.orm,•JJM Chwrohu· 6; xlviii, lj.), All three titJeii a.re · here (et $e e;r;:prt'llsion iu Hatt.. uiv. s:t). p.ro,. l!()ml.iined, a& if to finally gather np into one bably this proposition is used as expressing too il;Qpr!ffl8ive 111188riion the .ijtlea hiiheri,o ll8ed .idea of .motion towards, eapeoially from aeparately (et oh, i.. 8, 17; ii. 8; ui 6). abt,;ve, whieh is contained in the fa.of. that '"The first title ja s~boli.ca.l; the Stl<IOnd is t;he me1111gd1 from hea~ 'tot.he Churohlie., borrowed t'mm ,he ()Id T~tQl.ent,: the third DJlilt.,rdleck, Hengstenberg, and otbeu H phi]pal),Phi(!ll,l "(' S ~ , Q»nmento.ry'). would transl•te, "eoneemingth&Chnrolu,11.'f' Ver. H.-llluted are theJ tha,t 4o hill 'E•, " iu,". is found in A ,and some other commandments. The Revised Version manuscript&. Some ounives omit the pre- adopts the reading, ol trA.fwe,,.,.u .,.,ls O''l'aA,is position entirely. This gives another pos- alrriiiir, "they that wash their robes," which sible reading: "to testify these things unto ia found in N, A. 1, 33, Vulga.te, 1Et!iio- yo~ ,t.he Churohes." I am the Root and the pie, Armenia.n, Primaeius, and which is Offeprlng of David, a.nd the Bright and proba.bly correct. The reading of the Mo,:nµig Star. Omit the second "and." Textua Rooeptus, wo1oiil"l'Ef .,.,s lvraA?ts (On' "Root," see on eh. v. IJ; for "Morning ail.,.oii, "they that do his commandments,'' Star," of. oh. ii. 2$.), .A,t tl,e word "Da.vid," i1 found in B, Syriae, Coptic, etc. The · -the · ma.nusoript f, from which Erasmus Vulgate.adds, "in the blood of the Lnmb," !)Olllpilcd the Tcxtus Roocpt1,1&, ends, In as in eh. Yii. H, which is, of course, · the order· to, 111pply .the .reina.inder, which ·ui full meaning. The free-will of man is im- deficient, Erasmns Yetrauslated the Vulg11,te plied in the active form of the participle, Yersion into Greek. The Greek, therefote, That they mayhava right to the tree of life; of the Toxtus Receptus from this point in cwdtt that Uiey may hatJe authority over onwnrds is the Greek of Erasmus. ,,c t1i.e tru of life; i.e. the right to partake of it. Ver. 17.-And the Spirit and the bride Ebmrd 1D11kes this clause dependent (n.s a n:r, Coma. These wordsa.rebe8t nndorsWl!d consequence) upon " do: " " They do them as uttered by the writer. The Holy Spirit in order that they may havet" etc. Others working in th.e Church, through whom she a.ttach this clause to " blesse<l : " "'!'hey are is bound to Christ as his bride, and the b1811118d .lieoouse they may have th,=, right,'' Ohurch heraelf,. eagerly welcome. the fulfil. ate. Both significations may well be implied. ment or Christ's promise made m ver. U.. "The troo of life" ia that del!Cl'ibed in ver. (On II come," of. eh. vi. l.) And le\ him 2, and promised " to him that overcometh " • that heareth aay, Coma. The Church in fn oh. ii. 7. And may enter in. through. h{lr corporate C'apaeity welcomes her Lord; the gates. into the oity; by the purtal•; that so, alllll, let each 1Ucm:ber in his individuol is, in the uatura.1 way of people who ~ve. 11, capacity, who heara this " testilllOny" (ver, right to enter. 16), be desirous of the advent of his Matter. Ver. 15.-For without are dogs, &nd And let him that is athirst come; q.(hir,t for 10?0erer1, and whoremongef!!, and mu~- the water.of life (et eh. xxi: 6). A1l,d 'l\'IIOo uren, and idollltel'tl, and whosoever lov..th soever will, let him take the wa~ of lilt H8 THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [on. nu. 1~21.