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e Visions of
John on Patmos
Notes on the Apocalypse (Revelation)
By Edward B. Dennett
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e Visions of John on Patmos
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Contents
Introduction ..................................................................19
Prefatory Note ............................................................................19
Introduction ................................................................................20
e Special Place of the Church .................................................22
Revelation 1 ...................................................................25
e Vision of John ......................................................................25
Revelation 1:1-3 .........................................................................25
Revelation 1:4-6 .........................................................................26
Revelation 1:7-8 .........................................................................28
Revelation 1:9 ............................................................................. 29
Revelation 1:10-12......................................................................30
Revelation 1:13-16......................................................................32
Revelation 1:17-18......................................................................34
Revelation 1:19-20......................................................................35
e Church and the Candlestick ................................................35
e Angels ..................................................................................36
All Who Have Ears to Hear .......................................................37
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Revelation 2 ...................................................................39
Ephesus.......................................................................................39
Historical Period of Ephesus ......................................................40
Angel of the Church ...................................................................41
Revelation 2:1 ............................................................................. 43
Revelation 2:2-3 .........................................................................44
Revelation 2:4 ............................................................................. 45
Revelation 2:5 ............................................................................. 46
Revelation 2:6 ............................................................................. 48
Revelation 2:7 ............................................................................. 49
Smyrna........................................................................................51
Revelation 2:8-11........................................................................51
Revelation 2:9 ............................................................................. 53
Revelation 2:10 ........................................................................... 57
Revelation 2:11 ........................................................................... 59
Pergamos ....................................................................................61
Revelation 2:12 ........................................................................... 62
Revelation 2:13 ........................................................................... 63
Revelation 2:14-15......................................................................65
Revelation 2:16 ........................................................................... 67
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Revelation 2:17 ........................................................................... 69
yatira .......................................................................................72
Revelation 2:18 ........................................................................... 73
Revelation 2:19 ........................................................................... 74
Revelation 2:20 ........................................................................... 76
Revelation 2:21 ........................................................................... 77
Revelation 2:22-23......................................................................78
Revelation 2:24-25......................................................................79
Revelation 2:26-29......................................................................82
Revelation 3 ...................................................................85
Sardis .......................................................................................... 85
Revelation 3:1 ............................................................................. 87
Revelation 3:2-3 .........................................................................90
Revelation 3:4 ............................................................................. 93
Revelation 3:5 ............................................................................. 94
Revelation 3:6 ............................................................................. 97
Philadelphia ................................................................................97
Revelation 3:7 ............................................................................. 98
Revelation 3:8 ........................................................................... 100
Revelation 3:9 ........................................................................... 102
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Revelation 3:10 ......................................................................... 104
Revelation 3:11 ......................................................................... 106
Revelation 3:12 ......................................................................... 107
Revelation 3:13 ......................................................................... 108
Laodicea ...................................................................................109
Revelation 3:14 ......................................................................... 109
Revelation 3:15-16....................................................................112
Revelation 3:17-18....................................................................113
Revelation 3:19 ......................................................................... 116
Revelation 3:20 ......................................................................... 117
Revelation 3:21 ......................................................................... 119
Revelation 3:22 ......................................................................... 120
Revelation 4 .................................................................123
Introduction ..............................................................................123
Revelation 4:1 ........................................................................... 124
Revelation 4:2-3 .......................................................................125
Revelation 4:4 ........................................................................... 127
Revelation 4:5-6 .......................................................................129
Revelation 4:6-8 .......................................................................130
Revelation 4:9-11......................................................................132
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Revelation 5 .................................................................135
Introduction ..............................................................................135
Revelation 5:1 ........................................................................... 135
Revelation 5:2-6 .......................................................................136
Revelation 5:7 ........................................................................... 138
Revelation 5:8-10......................................................................139
Revelation 5:9-10......................................................................140
Revelation 5:11-12....................................................................141
Revelation 5:13-14....................................................................143
Revelation 6 .................................................................145
Introduction ..............................................................................145
Revelation 6:1-2 .......................................................................146
Revelation 6:3-7 .......................................................................148
Revelation 6:8 ........................................................................... 150
Revelation 6:9-10......................................................................151
Revelation 6:11 ......................................................................... 152
Revelation 6:12-14....................................................................153
Revelation 6:15-17....................................................................153
Revelation 7 .................................................................155
Revelation 7:1-3 .......................................................................155
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Revelation 7:4-8 .......................................................................157
Revelation 7:9-10......................................................................158
Revelation 7:11-12....................................................................160
Revelation 7:13-14....................................................................161
Revelation 7:15 ......................................................................... 162
Revelation 7:16-17....................................................................163
Revelation 8 .................................................................165
Introduction ..............................................................................165
Revelation 8:1-2 .......................................................................166
Revelation 8:3-5 .......................................................................167
Revelation 8:6-7 .......................................................................168
Revelation 8:8-10......................................................................170
Revelation 8:10-11....................................................................170
Revelation 8:12 ......................................................................... 171
Revelation 8:13 ......................................................................... 172
Revelation 9 .................................................................175
Introduction ..............................................................................175
Revelation 9:1 ........................................................................... 176
Revelation 9:2-3 .......................................................................177
Revelation 9:4 ........................................................................... 178
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Revelation 9:5-6 .......................................................................179
Revelation 9:7-10......................................................................179
Revelation 9:11-15....................................................................181
Revelation 9:16-19....................................................................182
Revelation 9:20-21....................................................................184
Revelation 10 ...............................................................185
Revelation 10-11: Introduction .................................................185
Revelation 10:1 ......................................................................... 186
Revelation 10:2 ......................................................................... 187
Revelation 10:3-4......................................................................187
Revelation 10:5-7......................................................................188
Revelation 10:8-11....................................................................189
Revelation 11 ...............................................................191
e Two Witnesses ...................................................................191
Revelation 11:1-2......................................................................191
Revelation 11:3-4......................................................................193
Revelation 11:5-10....................................................................195
Revelation 11:11-14 ..................................................................196
e ird Woe ..........................................................................196
Revelation 11:15 ....................................................................... 196
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Revelation 11:16-18 ..................................................................198
Revelation 11:18 ....................................................................... 200
Revelation 12 ...............................................................203
Introduction ..............................................................................203
Revelation 12:1-2......................................................................204
Revelation 12:3-4......................................................................206
Revelation 12:5 ......................................................................... 208
Revelation 12:6 ......................................................................... 209
Revelation 12:7-9......................................................................209
Revelation 12:10 ....................................................................... 211
Revelation 12:11 ....................................................................... 211
Revelation 12:12-17 ..................................................................212
Revelation 13 ...............................................................215
e Beast ..................................................................................215
Revelation 13:1-2......................................................................215
Revelation 13:3 ......................................................................... 218
Revelation 13:4 ......................................................................... 220
Revelation 13:5-6......................................................................221
Revelation 13:7-8......................................................................222
Revelation 13:9-10....................................................................223
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e Antichrist ...........................................................................224
Revelation 13:11 ....................................................................... 224
Revelation 13:12 ....................................................................... 227
Revelation 13:13-14 ..................................................................229
Revelation 13:15 ....................................................................... 229
Revelation 13:16-17 ..................................................................230
Revelation 13:18 ....................................................................... 230
Revelation 14 ...............................................................233
Introduction ..............................................................................233
Revelation 14:1 ......................................................................... 234
Revelation 14:2-3......................................................................237
Revelation 14:4 ......................................................................... 238
Revelation 14:5 ......................................................................... 239
ree Angelic Proclamations and Two Judgments ....................240
Revelation 14:6-7......................................................................241
Revelation 14:8 ......................................................................... 242
Revelation 14:9-11....................................................................242
Revelation 14:12 ....................................................................... 243
Revelation 14:13 ....................................................................... 244
Revelation 14:14-15 ..................................................................245
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Revelation 14:16 ....................................................................... 246
Revelation 14:17-19 ..................................................................247
Revelation 14:20 ....................................................................... 248
Revelation 15 ...............................................................251
Revelation 15-16: Introduction .................................................251
Revelation 15:1 ......................................................................... 252
Revelation 15:2-3......................................................................252
Revelation 15:4 ......................................................................... 254
Revelation 15:5-6......................................................................255
Revelation 15:7 ......................................................................... 256
Revelation 15:8 ......................................................................... 257
Revelation 16 ...............................................................259
Revelation 16:1 ......................................................................... 259
Revelation 16:2-4......................................................................260
Revelation 16:5-7......................................................................261
Revelation 16:8-9......................................................................262
Revelation 16:10-14 ..................................................................262
Revelation 16:15-21 ..................................................................264
Revelation 17 ...............................................................267
Introduction ..............................................................................267
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Revelation 17:1-2......................................................................268
Revelation 17:3 ......................................................................... 271
Revelation 17:4 ......................................................................... 273
Revelation 17:5 ......................................................................... 274
Revelation 17:6 ......................................................................... 275
Revelation 17:7-15....................................................................275
Revelation 17:16-18 ..................................................................276
Revelation 18 ...............................................................279
Revelation 18:1-3......................................................................279
Revelation 18:4-5......................................................................281
Revelation 18:6-7......................................................................282
Revelation 18:8 ......................................................................... 284
Revelation 18:9-19....................................................................284
Revelation 18:20 ....................................................................... 286
Revelation 18:21-24 ..................................................................286
Revelation 19 ...............................................................289
Revelation 19:1-4......................................................................289
e Marriage of the Lamb ........................................................291
Revelation 19:5 ......................................................................... 291
Revelation 19:6-7......................................................................292
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Revelation 19:8 ......................................................................... 293
Revelation 19:9 ......................................................................... 297
Revelation 19:10 ....................................................................... 298
Christ and His Saints Coming Out of Heaven ........................ 299
Revelation 19:11 ....................................................................... 299
Revelation 19:12-13 ..................................................................302
Revelation 19:14 ....................................................................... 304
Revelation 19:15-16 ..................................................................304
Revelation 19:17-19 ..................................................................305
Revelation 19:20-21 ..................................................................307
Revelation 20 ...............................................................309
Revelation 20:1-3......................................................................309
Revelation 20:4 ......................................................................... 311
Revelation 20:5 ......................................................................... 313
Revelation 20:6 ......................................................................... 313
Revelation 20:7-8......................................................................314
Revelation 20:9-10....................................................................316
e Great White rone ..........................................................317
Revelation 20:11-12 ..................................................................317
Revelation 20:13 ....................................................................... 320
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Revelation 20:14-15 ..................................................................321
Revelation 21 ...............................................................325
e Eternal State ......................................................................325
Revelation 21:1 ......................................................................... 325
Revelation 21:2 ......................................................................... 327
Revelation 21:3 ......................................................................... 328
Revelation 21:4 ......................................................................... 330
Revelation 21:5-6......................................................................331
Revelation 21:7-8......................................................................333
e Holy Jerusalem ..................................................................334
Revelation 21:9-11....................................................................334
Revelation 21:12-14 ..................................................................337
Revelation 21:15-17 ..................................................................339
Revelation 21:18-20 ..................................................................340
Revelation 21:21-22 ..................................................................341
Revelation 21:23 ....................................................................... 343
Revelation 21:24-26 ..................................................................344
Revelation 21:27 ....................................................................... 347
Revelation 22 ...............................................................351
e Pure River of the Water of Life .........................................351
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Revelation 22:1 ......................................................................... 351
Revelation 22:2 ......................................................................... 352
Revelation 22:3-5......................................................................354
Closing Warnings and Admonitions ........................................358
Revelation 22:6 ......................................................................... 359
Revelation 22:7 ......................................................................... 360
Revelation 22:8-9......................................................................361
Revelation 22:10-11 ..................................................................362
Revelation 22:12-13 ..................................................................363
Revelation 22:14-15 ..................................................................365
e Bright and Morning Star ...................................................366
Revelation 22:16 ....................................................................... 366
Revelation 22:17 ....................................................................... 369
Revelation 22:18-19 ..................................................................371
Revelation 22:20 ....................................................................... 372
Revelation 22:21 ....................................................................... 374
Summary and Conclusion ...........................................375
Revelation 1 .............................................................................. 375
Revelation 2-3 ..........................................................................376
Revelation 4-5 ..........................................................................376
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Revelation 6-11 ........................................................................377
Revelation 12-13.......................................................................378
Revelation 14-16.......................................................................379
Revelation 17:1-19:4 .................................................................380
Revelation 19:5-21:8 .................................................................380
Revelation 21:9-22:21 ...............................................................381
Introduction
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Introduction
Prefatory Note
e following chapters, rst issued in the Christian
Friend and Instructor, have been carefully revised; an
Introduction has been written, and a few notes added
where any additional light has been received through
subsequent consideration and study of the Scriptures.
ey are now commended to the Lord, from whom alone
came the ability to write them, for His blessing, and to
the careful attention of the reader. May He who closes
the canon of inspiration with the announcement, “Surely
I come quickly,” produce in the hearts of both reader and
writer the response, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
e Visions of John on Patmos
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Introduction
ere is a great dierence, carefully marked out in the
Scriptures, between the ministry of John and that of Paul
and Peter. at of Paul (as stated in Colossians 1), had a
twofold character corresponding with the two headships
of Christ; namely, that of the gospel which was preached
in the whole creation under heaven, owing from Christ’s
preeminence in creation; and that of the church, the
body of Christ, as connected with Him as its head. e
ministry of Peter, on the other hand, was conned to the
circumcision. While he touches on the church as a spiritual
house, which was being built up of believers as living
stones on Christ as the Living Stone, he yet, as guided by
the Holy Spirit, views believers in the character of pilgrims
on their way, with Christ risen as their living hope, to “an
inheritance incorruptible, and undeled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time” (1Peter 1:4-5). But John holds a dierent
place. He does not enter into dispensations; nor, though
once or twice stating the fact (as in John 13:1; John 14:1-
3; John 17:24; John 20:17), does he take the saint, nor
even the Lord Himself, up to heaven. Jesus, for him, is a
Divine Person, the Word made esh manifesting God and
His Father, eternal life come down to earth. In addition
to this, another kind of ministry was committed to him,
even if at the moment mysteriously, by the Lord after His
resurrection, in the words addressed to Peter concerning
John, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”
(John 21:22). For there can scarcely be a question that the
Introduction
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book of Revelation is the fulllment of the mission for
which he was thus designated.
It may be said, moreover, that a closer examination
reveals an intimate connection between the last two
chapters of his gospel and the Apocalypse. In John 20, in
addition to the setting forth of the assembly as gathered
with Christ Himself in the midst, there is the conversion of
the Jewish remnant of a later day, typied by omas who
believed when he saw. (See Zech. 12:10-13.) John 21 gives
the gathering in of the nations in the millennium, shown
in gure by the disciples letting down their net on the
right side of the ship, at the command of the risen Christ,
and not being able to draw it for the multitude of shes.
ere are therefore three epochs in these chapters: that of
the church, that of the conversion of the Jewish remnant
which will take place at the Lord’s appearing, and that of
the ingathering of the nations after the kingdom has been
established in power. e book of Revelation contains these
three epochs presented in a special way after the vision of
the Son of Man recorded in Revelation 1, together with
the events in heaven and the judgments upon earth, which
are connected with and precede the appearing of Christ
as the rightful Heir to take His power, to make good in
government all that God is, as revealed in relation to the
earth, and to reign until all enemies are put under His feet.
e eternal state, in all its beauty and perfection, closes the
subject of the book — that wondrous scene wherein God
is all in all.
e Visions of John on Patmos
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e Special Place of the Church
e reader will be the better prepared to study the
book intelligently, if the special aspect in which the church
is presented in it is considered. It was Paul’s mission to
unfold the truth of the church as the body of Christ and as
the habitation of God through the Spirit. (See for example
Ephesians 2 and 3, in addition to Colssians 1 already cited.)
“But John’s ministerial testimony, as to the assembly views it as
the outward assembly on earth in its state of decay — Christ
judging this — and the true assembly, the capital city and
seat of God’s government over the world, at the end, but in
glory and grace. It is an abode, and where God dwells and
the Lamb” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, J. N. Darby,
5:492-3). In a word, the church as seen by John (Rev. 1-3)
occupies a candlestick position, and is thus regarded as God’s
light-bearer, His responsible witness in the world. It is in
this character that the church is subject to judgment and
rejection, as recorded in Revelation 2 and 3.
is may be a little more fully explained. Before
Christianity, Judaism with Jerusalem as its expression in the
kingdom was God’s candlestick, and this was symbolized
by the seven-branched candlestick in the tabernacle and
the temple. e prophet could therefore say to Israel, “Ye
are my witnesses, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 43:10); for they, and
they only, were set as a testimony in the world to what
God was as revealed to Israel. As the candlestick which
God Himself had set up and lighted, Jerusalem was subject
to judgment, and nally was publicly rejected. And there
were four stages in this process of judgment and rejection.
At the end of Matthew 23 the Lord passed sentence upon
it, in the words, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Introduction
23
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall
say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matt.
23:38-39); and the following verse tells us that He “went
out, and departed from the temple.” e cross, in the next
place, demonstrated that the Jews had rejected their God.
e chief priests said, “We have no king but Caesar” (John
19:15). Still the long-suering of God lingered; and the
apostle Peter urged repentance on the nation, that their
sins might be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing
might come from the presence of the Lord, and that Jesus
Christ might be sent back to them (Acts 3). is new
dealing of God with His people continued until Stephen;
and then the nation rejected the testimony of the Holy
Spirit, even as they had that of Christ. It was now all over
with the Jewish nation; and yet it was more than thirty
years after this before God publicly, and in the face of the
whole world, removed His candlestick by the destruction
of Jerusalem, which was the “judicial end of Jewish history.”
And the point to be observed is this: that the responsibility
of Jerusalem, as God’s candlestick, remained until she
was judicially and publicly removed. As another has said:
“Jerusalem was the seat of God’s testimony. His candlestick had
been there. I need not insist amongst Christians that the light
and the presence of God were spiritually dwelling in the midst
of Christians. Nevertheless, Jerusalem’s responsibility and her
position before the world only ceased in her destruction by the
judgment of God. After this, God’s candlestick, in a terrestrial
sense, was in the professing church. Till then, Christians had
been, to the eye of the world, a sect of the Jews” (Collected
Writings of J. N. Darby, vol. 5).
e Visions of John on Patmos
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Revelation 1
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Revelation 1
e Vision of John
Revelation 1:1-3
Before entering upon a consideration of the epistles
to the seven churches, the vision in which John received
his commission must necessarily, if briey, occupy our
attention. First, however, it may be pointed out, as bearing
on the nature of the book, that God Himself is the source
of all the communications it contains. It is “e revelation
of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His
servants things which must shortly come to pass”; and then, “He
sent and signied it by His angel unto His servant John” (Rev.
e Visions of John on Patmos
26
1:1). e following words will explain the signicance of
these expressions: “e revelation is one belonging to Jesus
Christ, which God gave Him, and He signies it to John.
ough God over all blessed forever, He is here seen as Son
of Man, the rejected Messiah or Lamb, and so Head over all
things. e fact, that the revelation is one conded to Him, is
important, because it at once makes it the testimony of Jesus,
and the word of God, being communicated by Jesus and given to
Him by God. is testimony of Jesus and the Word of
God comes as a vision to John, who bare record of all he saw”
(Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, J. N. Darby, 5:494).
After this description of the nature of the book, the
Spirit of God in whose power John bears record pauses
before proceeding to pronounce a special blessing upon
him that reads and upon those that “hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for
the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3). ereby we are warned against
allowing this book to fall into neglect and encouraged by
the promised blessing to read and to treasure up its divine
words in our hearts, and all the more as the time is at hand
when all will be fullled. e pure light of this prophecy
shines out upon the darkness of this evil day to show the
path of God’s people, as well as to indicate the future both
of the church and the world while awaiting the Lord’s
return.
Revelation 1:4-6
John commences his address “to the seven churches which
are in Asia,” (vs. 4) by sending them the message of grace
and peace, yet not as in the Pauline epistles from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (and this will teach the
Revelation 1
27
reader the character of the ground John here occupies), but
from Him who is, and was, and is to come. is expresses
God in His absolute existence, the “I am,” and connected, or
rather identied, with the One who had revealed Himself
in previous ages, even to the patriarchs and to the saints of
old, and who as the coming One would make good on the
earth all that He was as so revealed.
It is also “from the seven Spirits which are before His
throne,” (vs.4) not now the Holy Spirit dwelling in the
church on earth, but the Spirit in the plenitude of His
power, and hence sevenfold, and before the throne, because
connected with the government of the earth. Lastly, it is
from “Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the rst-
begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth”
(vs. 5). is comprehensive presentation of Christ is all
in relation to the earth, for as the “faithful witness,” it is
what He was down here for God; as the “rst-begotten
of the dead” it is rather the character in which He will
take His power and kingdom; while “the prince of the kings
of the earth” exhibits His title about to be made good in
actual and universal sovereignty. But no sooner is Christ
thus brought before the soul of John than, speaking on
behalf of all the saints, his heart overows, as wrought
upon, inspired, and taught by the Holy Spirit, in strains
of adoration, “Unto Him that loved [it is now generally
accepted that “loves” is the correct reading] us, and washed
us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings
[a kingdom] and priests unto God and His Father; to Him
be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (vss. 5-6) In
this utterance of praise, John represents the rst redeemed
company (the saints of this period) found in this book, and
the saints as associated with Christ in the kingdom; and,
e Visions of John on Patmos
28
speaking as their mouthpiece, he celebrates the eternal love
of Christ — that love which led Him to give Himself for
us, to cleanse us from our guilt through the ecacy of His
precious blood, and to associate us with Himself in His
own royal priesthood. John concludes with an ascription
of glory and dominion which, raised on earth, will be sung
forever, and as ttingly when we are forever with the Lord
as now upon the earth. e song is eternal in its character.
Revelation 1:7-8
In the following verse (Rev. 1:7) the appearing of
Christ, His coming in the clouds of heaven with its eects
is announced, and it is closed with the response, “Even
so, Amen” (compare Rev. 22:20); and thereon we have the
solemn armation of what God is, “I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (vs. 8). “We then
nd, what is so remarkable in John, the mixing up in expression
God and Christ. Verse 8 cannot be said to be one or the
other. It is Christ; but it is Christ, Jehovah, Almighty, the
Lord; who is, and who was, and who is to come; the rst
and the last” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, J. N. Darby,
5:498). (Compare Rev. 22:12-13.) It is the innite One
who sums up and comprehends all existence whether past,
present, or future in His own being; the Almighty whose
power will be displayed in the future as it has been in the
past and the present; and He is Christ the Lord.
First, then, we have the saints of this dispensation;
afterward the appearing of Christ, and the One who
appears is none other than Jehovah, the Almighty. is is,
Revelation 1
29
as another has pointed out, “the complete circle of John’s
position, from John’s day to the end.”
Revelation 1:9
John now proceeds to give his own circumstances: “I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle
that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony
of Jesus Christ” (vs. 9). Apostle though he was, and also the
beloved disciple who had been permitted to recline his
head on Jesus’ breast, he yet, in the true spirit of humility,
only styles himself the “brother” of the saints, and their
“companion” in the tribulation which was the lot of all the
faithful. Moreover, with the character of his ministry he
takes up the position of being in the kingdom, and hence
also in the “patience of Jesus Christ”; for if Christ waits
patiently until His enemies are put under His feet, John, if
in fellowship with his Lord, must also wait. He is a prisoner,
an exile on account of his delity in preaching the word
of God, and in proclaiming the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Had Satan succeeded in stiing the voice of this courageous
witness? So it might have appeared to despondent saints.
Not so, however; for Satan, in stirring up this persecution,
was but blindly accomplishing the divine will. God now
had other work for John, work that required the servant to
be in solitude for a season; and He thus allowed him to be
banished to this lonely spot where undistracted by other
voices or by daily service among the saints, he could alone
with God become the channel of these divine messages to
the assemblies. Torn away by human authority from his
beloved service among the churches, he became, through
e Visions of John on Patmos
30
the Spirit, their instructor down to the end. In this sense he
tarries on earth until the Lord’s return (John 20:22).
Revelation 1:10-12
So far all is introductory. e vision in which he is
instructed follows. e day on which it took place was
the Lord’s day — the day which all Christians know by
that name. (It would not be for prot to enter upon the
discussions which have been raised on this point. e
conclusion given above will commend itself to every simple
soul.) We state the signicance of this fact in the language
of another: “In the day of resurrection — his own place — the
day on which Christians meet, the apostle, removed from the
society of Christians, still enjoyed the special elevating power
of the Holy Spirit, though alone” (Synopsis of the Books of the
Bible, J. N. Darby, 5:498). For, indeed, he became “in the
Spirit on the Lord’s day” (vs. 10); that is, he was so possessed
with the power of the Spirit, that the Spirit for the time
being so completely controlled him that John would be
unconscious of bodily existence. In this state he enjoyed
fully the opened ear and the anointed eye, and was thus
divinely qualied for the mission to which he was now to
be called. Accordingly he tells us: “I … heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, [I am Alpha and Omega,
the rst and the last:] and, What thou seest, write in a book,
and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
yatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea” (vss. 10-11). (e words enclosed in brackets are
omitted in the best manuscripts.) is is his commission
in its general character; and John instantly responds to the
Revelation 1
31
divine command thus received; for he says, “And I turned
to see the voice that spake with me.” (vs. 12) It is another
illustration of what is often seen in the prophetic books;
namely that He who commands His servants bestows the
power for the execution of His word. Having turned, the
vision is unfolded to his spiritual gaze; and the rst thing
that attracted his attention was “seven golden candlesticks”
(vs. 12). Some translate “lamps,” others “lampstands.” It is
the same word in Hebrews 9:2, used of the seven branched
golden candlestick in the tabernacle. e Lord Himself
afterward explains the meaning of this symbol, thus giving
the key to its interpretation, “e seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are the seven churches” (Rev. 1:20). is shows at
once that these seven churches are taken as representative
of the whole church, and of the church during its whole
history upon earth. e state of seven existing churches
is portrayed to exhibit the commencement of the decline
of the church as in Ephesus, and its increasing corruption
onward to its rejection as the vessel of testimony on the earth
as in Laodicea. is will be more fully developed when we
enter upon the consideration of the churches themselves.
It should be now observed that it is therefore plain that
the church is not here regarded as the body of Christ, nor
even as the house of God; but rather in its responsibility as
God’s witness-bearer upon the earth, and, as such is subject
to judgment and rejection in this character even as Israel
was of old. e following remarks may aid the reader to
seize more intelligently this aspect of the church: “ese
[churches] are seen as distinct light-bearers; that is, in their
place of service, or rather position of witness in the world. ey
are viewed in their own proper character as of God; as set by
Him in the world, they are of gold; He may take them away
e Visions of John on Patmos
32
because they give a dim, or no true light or witness for God; but
the thing taken away was founded in divine righteousness, and
founded originally by a divine hand” (Synopsis of the Books of
the Bible, J. N. Darby, 5:499-500).
Revelation 1:13-16
But it is with Him who is standing in the midst that
the Spirit of God is chiey occupied: “And in the midst of
the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of Man, clothed
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with
a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow; and His eyes were as a ame of re; and His
feet like unto ne brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His
voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right
hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-
edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in his
strength” (vss. 13-16).
ree things in this description have to be noted — the
character in which Christ is here seen; His attributes as
set forth by the various features of His appearance; and,
lastly, what has been aptly termed His “ocial supremacy,”
as betokened by His holding in His right hand the seven
stars.
First, then, He is seen, though in relationship to
the churches as here described as Son of Man. is is
undoubtedly because He has here assumed a judicial
aspect. (Compare John 5:27.) Hence He is seen “in the
wide character in which He is set over all the works of God’s
hand, and Heir of all the promises and purposes of God to man
according to divine righteousness” (Synopsis of the Books of the
Bible, J. N. Darby, 5:500). But as Son of Man He is not
Revelation 1
33
actively engaged in service, for His garment is ungirded,
though He has on the girdle of divine righteousness. At the
moment He is surveying, and judging, rather than serving.
Next come the dierent traits of His appearance. (As
a contrast ponder the description given in the Song of
Solomon 5:10-16.) First, “His head and His hairs were
white like wool.” (vs.14) is plainly identies Him with
the “Ancient of days” in Daniel 7:9; and this will enable the
reader at once to understand how dierent the character
He here takes from those relationships of grace to His
people as set forth in the epistles. us in this chapter,
as we have seen Jesus Christ is Himself Jehovah, and
the Son of Man is the “Ancient of days.” (Dan. 7:9) All
divine glory therefore is displayed in Him who was once
the humbled Christ. For the remaining features we again
transcribe the remarks of another: “But in this glory He has
the attributes of judgment — eyes of re — that which pierces
into everything, and re is ever the sign of judgment. is was
its piercing, searching character: His feet, the rmness with
which sin was met; for brass is righteousness, viewed, not as
intrinsically in God to be approached, but as dealing with man,
in his responsibility as man. e mercy-seat was gold, the altar
and laver brass; but there it was as an altar, that is, dealing
with sin for man, a sacrice though re was there, but here the
burning furnace of judgment. e voice was the sign of power
and majesty” (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, J. N. Darby,
5:500-1).
Lastly, His ocial supremacy is portrayed. “e seven
stars are the angels of the seven churches” (vs. 20). (We leave
further discussion as to the meaning of the term “angels”
until we come to the letter to Ephesus.) ese the Son of
Man holds in His right hand. Stars are commonly in the
e Visions of John on Patmos
34
Scriptures the emblem of those in subordinate authority,
and such were the angels of the churches; and we learn
therefore that in the church, as set up in divine order by
God Himself, the Lord upholds those in responsibility in
His right hand; that is, by His own divine power. e two-
edged sword represents the piercing, searching character
of the Word in judgment (see Heb. 4:12); and we are
thus recalled to the fact that Christ as Son of Man tests,
judges, everything in the midst of His people as to their
state and ways by His own infallible Word. en, last of all,
His countenance was “as the sun shineth in his strength” (vs.
16) — that is, He possesses the supreme authority — for
this is what the sun symbolizes. (Compare Matt. 24, Rev.
12).
Revelation 1:17-18
e eect on John of the unwonted appearance of Him
whom he had known in the days of His sojourn on earth,
whom he had seen as transgured on the mount, and
whom he had often beheld after His resurrection, was that
he “fell at His feet as dead.” (vs. 17) (Compare Isa. 6, Dan.
8:15-17.) It is therefore to reassure His servant, as well as
to sustain him, that, as John tells us, “He laid His right hand
upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the rst and the last:
I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for
evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (vs.
17-18). If therefore the One John saw in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks was Jehovah, the Almighty, the
Ancient of Days, He was also the One who had tabernacled
amongst men, the lowly Jesus; He who had been crucied,
but had risen out of death in the power of an endless life,
Revelation 1
35
and had, in virtue of the work wrought out on the cross,
become the possessor of the keys of hades and of death.
In a word, He was the risen Redeemer, who now wielded
sway over the whole realm of death and Satan’s power.
Revelation 1:19-20
Such was the glorious personage who presented Himself
to His servant John, and who commissioned him to record,
rst, “the things which thou hast seen” (vs. 19) — that is, the
vision which had been displayed before his eyes; secondly,
“the things which are” (vs.19) namely, the things relating to
the whole church period, as found in Revelation 2 and 3;
and, thirdly, “the things which shall be hereafter,” (vs. 19) or
the things that shall be after these; that is, after the church
period, as found recorded in the rest of the book. en,
last of all, an explanation is given (already considered) of
the symbols of the seven stars, or the seven candlesticks,
which John had seen in the vision. is is the close of the
introductory vision, which, when understood, gives the key
to the interpretation of the communications made to the
seven churches.
e Church and the Candlestick
e application of these principles to the church, as
God’s vessel of testimony in the world, is evident. In this
character, as is plainly seen from Revelation 1 where Christ
is viewed as Son of Man in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks, and from the threat to remove the candlestick
of Ephesus, unless there should be repentance, the church
is come into the place of Jerusalem as God’s light-bearer
in the world. And as occupying this position, she is judged,
e Visions of John on Patmos
36
and the nal sentence is recorded in Revelation 3, in the
letter to Laodicea, “I will spew thee out of My mouth.” (ch.
3:16) But, as in the case of Jerusalem, there may be several
stages in the execution of the sentence. When the saints
are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, He totally
rejects the outward professing thing as His witness; but its
responsibility will remain as long as it occupies the place
of profession before the world. ere may be therefore, as
with Jerusalem, some public visitation of judgment which
will be seen to be the setting aside forever, as His witness,
of that which had borne the name of Christ.
If the reader has at all comprehended the candlestick
aspect of the church, as now described, it will immensely
facilitate his understanding of the rst three chapters of
Revelation, and at the same time, save him from being
carried away by the many erroneous teachings abroad on
this portion of the Scriptures.
e Angels
A word or two may be added, though the subject is
dealt with also in the text, on the question of the angels. As
everywhere, in accordance with the symbolism, the stars
set forth subordinate authority; thus the sun is supreme,
the moon derived, and the stars subordinate authority. (See
Gen. 1:16; Psa. 136:9.) ey are also light-bearers, and as
such are set by God Himself in the rmament of heaven.
To bear these features in mind will aid in the interpretation
of the symbol as applied to the angels of the churches. First
they are then God’s representatives in the church, not the
church’s representatives before God; they are there to rule
for Him and while the church, as we have seen, is to be a
Revelation 1
37
light-bearer to the world, the stars (the angels) are to give
light in the church. It is as God’s (Christ’s) representatives
that He holds them, as seen in Revelation 2 and 3,
responsible for the state of the assembly.
e question whether an angel sets forth an individual
or a number is easily answered. ese seven churches
represent church states; for example, Ephesus describes
the state of the church after the death of the apostles; and
bearing this in mind, it would be idle to speak of an angel
in the whole church standing for a single person. at there
was the actual assembly at Ephesus is not forgotten; only
the fact of its being the representative of the condition of
the whole church shows the impossibility of interpreting
the symbol of one person. From the meaning of it, as given
above, an angel describes all, in any phase of the church
depicted under the seven churches, whether few or many,
who occupy the place of light-giving and authority in the
assembly.
All Who Have Ears to Hear
e bearing of this interpretation of the angels will
be readily apprehended. If they are God’s representatives,
it is their state that is dealt with, and with their state as
responsible before God for the assembly. It must, however,
be remembered that the state of the church is largely
determined by the state of the stars; for those that give
light, teach, and those that rule, possess the formative
power. Hence it is that the instruction in these letters is
for all who have ears to hear, and to hear what the Spirit
saith to the churches. e address to the angel of yatira,
for example, contains at least four classes. ere is, rst of
e Visions of John on Patmos
38
all, the angel to whom it is sent. Jezebel is next introduced;
and it should be distinctly noted that the angel is blamed
for the allowance of Jezebel, and for the introduction of
her teaching — the beginnings of the Romish systematized
error. ere is the faithful remnant; and, last of all, there is
the overcomer. What we desire to lay stress upon is that
Jezebel represents the Papal system, and that the Lord held
the angel responsible for its appearance and establishment.
In like manner as to Sardis, it is the angel that has fallen into
the state described, is held responsible, and is called upon
to repent. But on the very principle armed, that the angel
possesses formative power, he becomes the expression of
an almost general state of things. We say “almost general,”
because an exception is made in the words, “ou hast a few
names even in Sardis which have not deled their garments.”
(ch. 3:4)
e rest of the book is explained, according to the light
given, in the order of the chapters; and if the reader does
but weigh the statements made and compare them with
the teaching of Scripture, remembering, at the same time,
that the Holy Spirit alone can eectually convey the mind
of God and open our hearts to receive it, he will certainly be
led into the understanding, if in measure, of the important
contents of this portion of the inspired volume.
Revelation 2
39
56822
Revelation 2
Ephesus
is is the rst of the seven assemblies to which John was
directed to write through its angel. is assembly occupies
a very important place in the New Testament scriptures.
Both Paul and Apollos labored in this city (Acts 18:18-
28); and it was Paul who afterward baptized the disciples
here in the name of the Lord Jesus, when, moreover, by
the laying on of his hands upon them they received the
Holy Spirit. It was at Ephesus also that the apostle seems
rst to have separated “the disciples” (Acts 19:9) from the
unbelieving Jews, and where the preaching of the Word
was accompanied by special displays of divine power, which
awakened the bitter and violent opposition of the adversary.
e Visions of John on Patmos
40
(See Acts 19.) e free activity of Paul, as the apostle of
the Gentiles, was closed too by his remarkable address to
the elders of the church at Ephesus in which he warned
them of the perils that awaited them after his departure
by the entering in among them of “grievous wolves” (Acts
20:29) who would not spare the ock; and from men, who
would arise out of their own midst “speaking perverse things,
to draw away disciples after them,” (Acts 20:30) and in
which, at the same time, he cast them, and through them
believers of all ages, upon God and the word of His grace
as their unfailing resource in all their dangers and need
(Acts 20:17-38). Lastly, it was to the assembly at Ephesus
that Paul was commissioned to write that wondrous epistle
wherein he, as inspired by the Holy Spirit,
“gives the richest exposition of the blessings of the saints
individually, and of the assembly, setting forth at the same time
the counsels of God with regard to the glory of Christ.” It will
be instructive to remark that if the assembly at that time
had not been characterized by the power of the Holy Spirit
in life, service, and testimony, she could not have received
these exalted communications.
e reader will observe that John is enjoined to write,
not exactly to the church, but “unto the angel of the church of
Ephesus.” (ch. 2:1) Two things must therefore be considered
before the letter itself occupies our attention — the meaning
of the term “angel,” and the period of the church’s history
indicated.
Historical Period of Ephesus
e period indicated must also be considered. It seems
well established that John must have written the book of
Revelation 2
41
Revelation about the close of the rst century, the year 95
or 96 A.D. being generally determined. It was therefore
at the close of what may be termed “the apostolic period.”
But the nature of these communications must also be
remembered. is letter was sent to the angel of an actually
existent assembly — an assembly, moreover, typical of the
state of the whole church immediately following upon the
days of the apostles, and perhaps also prophetic of certain
phases of the life of the churches down to the end. It is
quite true that only the last four of these seven churches go
on to the close, and that the rst three are successional, and
represent successive states; still, it is never to be forgotten
that every one of these letters contain instruction for all
time — rst for the church, and then in principle for the
individual. “e Word of the Lord endureth forever” (1Peter
1:25); and we are justied therefore in insisting on this
threefold application; that is to the state of the assembly
at Ephesus; to the state of the whole church as set forth
by that local assembly; and lastly, to any assembly or
individual at any period whose state might correspond
with that which is here depicted. At the same time the
angel of Ephesus undoubtedly represents the condition
into which the church fell immediately after the departure
of the apostles.
Angel of the Church
e angel of the church. e signicance of this
appellation must be gathered from the use of the symbolism
of the star in Scripture. A star, or stars, as may be gathered
from Revelation 1-4 will mean subordinate authority; and
we read expressly in Psalm 136:9, “e moon and stars to
e Visions of John on Patmos
42
rule by night.” And comparing this passage with Genesis
1:16, it is evident, as pointed out in the introduction, that
the sun sets forth supreme, the moon derived, and the stars
subordinate authority. Now “the powers that be are ordained
of God” (Rom. 13:1), and this is true of the church, as of
the kingdoms of the world; and hence it is that Christ
had the seven stars in His right hand. e angels of the
churches, as symbolized by the stars, signify those whom
God has set in the church for light-giving and for rule, and
as such they are His representatives. It is on this account
that the Lord holds them responsible for the state of the
assembly, that He addresses them in these letters, and
gives to them rebuke or commendation according to their
condition. Sometimes a faithful remnant is distinguished
from the angel as in yatira, and sometimes, as in Smyrna,
where there was nothing to blame, the angel and the saints
can be addressed interchangeably. But it is the angel who
is held to be responsible, and this the reason it is those
who give light (teach), and those who rule, who form the
state of the assembly; and it is these who are represented
by the angel. It must not be, however, for one moment
forgotten that the assembly itself is likewise responsible;
that all who compose it are accountable for their and the
assembly’s spiritual state. ree considerations will explain
this. In verse 5, though the angel of Ephesus is addressed,
the term “thy candlestick” is used, when manifestly it is the
candlestick of the assembly; secondly, the proclamation
is made in verse 7, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches”; and thirdly, there is the
promise to the individual overcomer. On these grounds,
therefore, we have not hesitated in our remarks to speak of
the assembly’s condition and responsibility, as well as that
Revelation 2
43
of the angel. e same thing is found in the history of the
kingdom. God held the kings as responsible for the state
of the people; but, as the addresses of the prophets show,
He did not, on this account, absolve the people from guilt.
Still the kings, as the angels, were those who were set in
responsibility as God’s representatives.
Revelation 2:1
Following upon the address of the letter, we have the
character in which Christ presents Himself to the angel
of the assembly: “ese things saith He that holdeth the seven
stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven
golden candlesticks” (vs. 1). In some of the letters there is
a connection between the character of the presentation
of Christ and the state of the assembly addressed. Here
it is simply the general character in which He is seen in
relation to the whole church in the previous chapter. He is
the One that holds in His right hand of power the seven
stars, those who are in the place of responsibility before
Him for the assembly, and who now walks in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks to survey their condition, to
test their state by His Word, which is as a sharp two-edged
sword, and to judge their character as His responsible
light-bearers amid the moral darkness of this world. We
thus learn that to occupy the place of rule or responsibility
among the saints for Christ according to God, is to call in
all the sustaining power of Christ; and, secondly, that in
estimating the state of an assembly as a witness-bearer, the
Lord judges according to His own infallible standard of
holiness. An unfaithful witness ceases to give a testimony
e Visions of John on Patmos
44
that Christ can accept. What a solemn warning is hereby
conveyed to His people in every age!
Revelation 2:2-3
In the next two verses we have the general state of the
angel of the church at Ephesus. “I know thy works, and thy
labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them
which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are
apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne,
and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast labored, and
hast not fainted” (vss. 2-3). (e reading more generally
adopted is: “ou hast patience, and hast borne for My name’s
sake, and hast not wearied.”) e rst expression, found also
in the succeeding letters, conveys the fact that the Lord
ever beholds the condition of His people, that their state
and activities are ever before and examined by His eyes.
is follows from the position He here takes as walking
in the midst of the candlesticks. It is well to recall this, for
often there is a temptation to close up questions, or even to
cover up sin, in the assembly to prevent discussions, or for
the sake of peace, regarding the faces of men more than the
fact that Christ searches into everything with His eyes, as
a ame of re. “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes
of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).
en, after the statement of His general knowledge,
follow the details of the condition of this assembly. And
what a record it is! ere had been activity and suering
(“endurance”); there had been the faithful exercise of
discipline; moral and doctrinal evil had been alike refused
and abhorred; they had endured, and had borne, and for
the name of Christ they had been unwearying in labor.
Revelation 2
45
Suppose now the record had gone no further, would it not
be said, Here is the exhibition of a perfect assembly! What
assembly today could compare with this picture? Ah, it
is indeed protable to hold up the mirror of God’s word
before ourselves, so that wherever the twos and threes are
gathered out to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they
may discover their real condition, and challenge it by the
light of such a description as this.
Revelation 2:4
e question is that although they possessed all
these admirable characteristics, characteristics which
would abundantly satisfy man, was Christ satised? He
proceeds, “Nevertheless I have [e introduction of the
word “somewhat” is unnecessary, and unduly softens the
Lord’s complaint.] against thee, because [Better translated
“that.”] thou hast left thy rst love” (vs. 4). “Ephesus had gone
on well in maintaining consistency; but that forgetfulness of
self and thinking only of Christ, which are the rstfruits of
grace, were gone” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:506); and, as we
nd everywhere in the Scriptures, nothing can compensate
for want of heart for Christ. It is this indeed that He
ever looks for from His own, being, as He is, exceedingly
jealous of the aections of His Bride. e rst love is that
absorption of heart with Christ which is ever produced
by an overwhelming sense of His grace and love in
redemption. It is touchingly alluded to by Jehovah through
the prophet when pleading with His people on account
of their backslidden condition. He says, “I remember thee,
the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when
thou wentest after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was
e Visions of John on Patmos
46
not sown” (Jer. 2:2). So, in dealing with this assembly, the
Lord recalls her rst love — a love that displays itself in the
happiness begotten by the knowledge of His love, in that
holy ardor and devotedness of which His love is the only
motive (compare 2Cor. 5:14-15) — and, mourning over its
absence, warns her that He cannot pass it over. Let every
assembly, then, throughout the land take to heart these
pleading, solemn words. Let all be on their faces before
God with searching self-judgment, as they confess the
truth of this indictment and seek the needed grace for the
recovery of this priceless blessing, this “rst love,” which
alone can satisfy the heart of Christ.
Revelation 2:5
Exhortation and warning follow. “Remember therefore
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the rst works;
or else I will come unto thee quickly, [e word “quickly” is of
doubtful authority.] and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent” (vs. 5). Candlestick may again
be noticed, e Lord says to the angel, “y candlestick,”
and yet it is Ephesus that is the light-bearer. e church
must therefore be addressed through the angel, and for
the reason that the state of the one is generally the state
of the other. is must be borne in mind in reading these
comments. A most important principle constantly armed
in the Word is contained in the rst clause; namely that
to discover the character of our failure, or the extent of
our backsliding or departure from the truth, we must ever
go back to its beginning. For example, the state of the
church today can only be truly discerned when compared,
or rather contrasted, with what it was when rst founded
Revelation 2
47
at Pentecost. Ephesus in like manner must remember
whence she has fallen, as only then could she gauge the
extent of her failure. Together with this there must be, or,
we might more accurately say, there would be, repentance;
for once discovering by grace the depth of our fall, self-
judgment, viewing our condition as the Lord Himself
sees it, and contritely owning it would necessarily follow.
en, moreover, the “rst works” may be done, inasmuch
as when we have taken our true place before God in real
humiliation, He can again work mightily through His
people to bring them back to their “rst love,” from which
their “rst works” alone can proceed. Unless an assembly
regains heart for Christ, there cannot be a true testimony
for Him in the energy of the Spirit through her rst
works. ere may be faith, but though it were faith that
could remove mountains, and there were not also love, it
would be nothing; there might be also unceasing labors of
philanthropy, but these without love would not prot. (See
1Cor. 13.) Without rst love the church will utterly fail
to be a transcript in any measure of the heart of Christ, or
of the grace of God before the world. Hence the solemn
warning that the Lord was coming to Ephesus to remove
her candlestick out of its place, unless she repented. We say
unless she repented, but it must be borne in mind that, in
accordance with the true position of the angel, the work
of self-judgment and recovery must commence with those
whom God holds as His representatives.
is warning has no reference whatever to the question
of individual salvation. It concerns entirely the church as
God’s light-bearer in the world. us, if Ephesus did not
recover her rst love, the Lord would refuse her as His
responsible witness, because, in truth, she would in that case
e Visions of John on Patmos
48
have become a false witness. Whether the church of God on
earth — and it will be remembered that Ephesus represents
the state of the whole church during that period — has ever
recovered her rst love the reader can easily ascertain. If
she has not, she can be no longer be regarded as bearing a
true testimony for God; that is, as a corporate organization.
Nor let the application to separate assemblies be ignored.
What of the various gatherings with which we, beloved
fellow-believers, are connected? Are they in the condition
of Ephesus? Nay, could the Lord commend so many things
in them as He does in this assembly? What room is here
aorded for heart-searching? Oh that these words of our
blessed Lord might produce a mighty response throughout
the length and breadth of the land!
Revelation 2:6
In spite of the condition of this assembly, the Lord
cannot restrain expressing His love, and thus, after the
solemn warning of coming judgment unless she repented,
He returns to commendation. “But this thou hast, that thou
hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (vs. 6).
So far there was communion with His mind, and this it
is which elicits His approbation. e Nicolaitans, it would
seem from history, were a sect who turned the grace of God
into lasciviousness, combining a profession of faith with
loose and ungodly lives. Ephesus hated their impurities, as
also did Christ.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century other ideas
concerning this sect were promulgated, ideas derived from
the meaning of the name. us some have maintained
that Nicolas, or Nicolaus, is the Greek translation or
Revelation 2
49
form of Balaam and have in this way connected the two
sects. (See Rev. 2:14-15.) Others, conning themselves
to the signicance of the name, have maintained that the
Nicolaitans (“conquerors of the people”) represent the
growth and encroachments of the clergy. is latter idea
has been often reproduced. at, however, given above is
most generally received, even also as it is the best supported
by historical evidence.
Revelation 2:7
e epistle closes with a proclamation and a promise:
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (vs.
7). An immense principle, of far-reaching application,
is contained in the cry “to him that hath an ear.” e
individual saint is invited to listen to the messages of the
Spirit to the assemblies, so that, in communion with the
mind of Christ, he might also judge their state by the
light of the written Word. In other words, every believer
is here made responsible to understand the state of things
around him in the professing church. is at once sets
aside and is in entire opposition to modern (ancient as
well as modern) high church claims. According to these,
the “church” is the authorized interpreter of the Word,
and the authoritative expounder of all questions of faith
and morals. Consequently the demand is advanced that
individual consciences must be in absolute subjection to
the decisions of the “church.”
According to these words of our Lord, the individual
saint, if he has an ear to hear, is to listen to what the
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50
Spirit says. ere could not be a more complete denial
of the claims of Popery, and the principles of Romanism
whatsoever, than that exhibited in this proclamation.
In harmony with this principle of individual
responsibility, the promise likewise is made to the
overcomers — it is “to him that overcometh.” Overcoming
here is not the victory over the world of which John
elsewhere speaks (1John 5), though there should surely
be that also in the case of the believer; but it is overcoming
the evil specied in the assembly. at which the Lord here
deplores is the loss of their rst love. Whoever therefore, by
grace, regained this would be in the sense of this scripture
an overcomer and, as such, would be entitled to the special
promise here made. e promise itself is general. In Eden,
in man’s paradise, there was the tree of life; but this tree of
life is in the paradise of God and would therefore never be
forfeited. In this way the Lord seeks to encourage the saints
to overcome, giving them this promise to cheer their hearts
and to sustain them in their conict with the evil that was
already springing up within the sphere of the assembly.
e question is sometimes put, “Will not all saints,
whether overcomers or not, eat of the tree of life (and
also share in the other special promises) in the paradise of
God?” is is to miss the whole point of the instruction.
e Lord speaks only to the overcomer, and he only has
this promise for present comfort and encouragement while
in the sphere of responsibility and conict.
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51
Smyrna
Revelation 2:8-11
e assembly at Smyrna, like that at Philadelphia, is
free from blame. e word addressed to the angel is one
of comfort and encouragement as suited to the special
circumstances; and is thus a revelation of the heart of the
Lord for His own.
e rst thing to arrest our attention is the character in
which Christ presents Himself to the angel of the church.
In the case of Ephesus, as there pointed out, the general
position of Christ as walking in the midst of the seven
golden candlesticks and holding the seven stars in His
right hand is assumed. ere is a distinct relation between
the character of the presentation and the circumstances
and state of the assembly. It is thus: “ese things saith the
rst and the last, which was dead, and is alive” (vs. 8). He had
so named Himself when addressing John, who had fallen
at His feet as dead when he beheld Him in the vision as
the Son of Man, and yet the Ancient of days. He recalls
the same truths, truths connected with His person and
work, for the sustainment of this persecuted and suering
assembly. As “the rst and the last” (vs. 8) He reminds her
of the eternity of His being, that “He is before all things”
(Col. 1:17), that He is “beyond as before death God Himself;
but more than that, He has Himself met and gone through its
power.”
e aect of such a presentation on those who had death
daily in prospect can readily be apprehended. It would draw
away their eyes from the perils which surrounded them to
Him who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever;
e Visions of John on Patmos
52
and who, having gone down into death, had through death
“destroyed” him that had the power of death, and delivered
those who through fear of death had been all their lifetime
subject to bondage (Heb. 2:14-15). Now it was precisely
through fear of death that Satan, at this moment, was
seeking to terrify and turn aside this assembly. To meet
this eort of the enemy, this roaring lion, the Lord in His
innite grace calls the attention of His beloved people to
Himself as the One who had risen out of death, having
exhausted for His people all its power as the judgment of
God; so that they might, if death were in view, be forever
able to adopt the triumphant language of the apostle, “O
death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? e
sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ” (1Cor. 15:55-57).
It will aid for the clearer understanding of the
circumstances of this assembly, and the message addressed
to its angel, if its relation, as to time, with Ephesus is shown.
e reader will remember that Ephesus represents the
period immediately following upon the apostolic age; and
the state of the assembly was then characterized by the loss
of her rst love. But God, whatever the state of His people,
never abates His love for them; and hence it is, that in
Smyrna, which represents the period next after that of the
Ephesian state of things, we nd persecution. God allowed
it, permitted Satan to stir it up, that He might use it to
arrest the church’s growing decline. Satan’s object was to
extinguish God’s testimony upon the earth; God’s aim and
end through Satan’s activity was to purify, to restore His
people in order that His testimony through them might
shine out the more brightly upon the moral darkness of
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53
this world. He deals in the same way with individuals. In
Job’s case, as also in Peter’s, Satan sought to pervert and to
destroy their souls. “e end of the Lord” (James 5:11) was
their fuller blessing — an end that was abundantly realized.
Revelation 2:9
e condition of the angel of this assembly is rst given,
“I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou
art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they
are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” (vs. 9).
Nothing escapes the notice of Him whose eyes are as a
ame of re. Even as from the mountain-top, though it
was night, He beheld His disciples toiling in rowing, so He
beholds all the circumstances of the angel of the church at
Smyrna. So much is contained in the rst words, common
to these epistles, “I know thy works.” (vs. 9) (Some editors,
however, omit these words from this epistle; but the truth is
implied, if not stated.) Afterward we have two words which
unfold the special condition of the assembly — tribulation
and poverty. Tribulation will mean, as it often does in the
New Testament, the trials consequent on persecution. (See
for an example of this 2ess. 1:4.) e strong wind of
persecution had once again set in upon God’s poor of the
ock, raised by the god of this world in his enmity against
Christ. We who live in this day, when the profession of
Christ entails no cross, unless indeed it be accompanied with
devoted discipleship, cannot easily understand the perils by
which the saints in early centuries were surrounded. Often
regarded as the enemies of their neighbors, as well as of
the state, they were frequently surrounded by their foes,
who like a pack of hungry wolves sought to devour them
e Visions of John on Patmos
54
from o the face of the earth. To confess Christ under
these conditions was to hazard life, property (if any were
possessed), and friends; and thus it came to pass, as we read
in the Hebrews, that many “had trial of cruel mockings and
scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they
were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were
slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins
and goatskins; being destitiute, aicted, tormented”
(Heb. 11:36-37). And what supported them under these
unparalleled suerings? e knowledge that the Lord
loved them, and that He knew their tribulation. ey thus
willingly suered the loss of all things, knowing that they
had in heaven a better inheritance.
It is exceedingly signicant that the word poverty should
follow upon tribulation. e poverty of this assembly might
be the consequence of its persecutions, even as we read of
some who in the tribulation of their day, took joyfully the
spoiling of their goods because, like Moses, they esteemed
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt. It must also be borne in mind that, in days of
persecution, those who are rich, even if really converted,
are more liable to the temptation to withhold a confession
of Christ. e poverty mentioned, therefore, might easily
be accounted for, even if we did not recall the words that
“not many mighty, not many noble, are called … but God hath
chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things
which are despised … yea, and things which are not, to bring
to naught things that are: that no esh should glory in His
presence” (1Cor. 1:26-29). One thing we may be sure of
is that this assembly, characterized as it was by poverty,
was despised and contemned by the world. e leaders of
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55
this age will always be held in esteem; but to be identied
with a rejected Christ is always to secure the world’s scorn.
Hence the Lord Himself said to His disciples, “If they have
persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20)
But what is the Lord’s estimate of this poor assembly?
ere is ever utter contrariety between His thoughts and
those of the world; and He thus says, after naming Smyrna’s
poverty, “But thou art rich.” (vs. 9) So is it even with poor
believers; for “hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich
in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised
to them that love Him?” (James 2:5). e same writer also
says, “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,”
(James 1:9) exalted surely by grace alone, through the
innite and eternal blessings which he possesses in Christ,
which are the true riches. is truth needs to be insisted
upon in a day like the present, when the mammon of this
world has become the snare of the professing church, and
when those who claim to have more light, as well as to be
in the path of separation, are in danger of being attracted
by the world’s respectability, wealth, and position. It is
then of this poor assembly, that possessed none of these
things, that the Lord says, “ou art rich” (vs. 9) — rich, not
in the eyes of men, but towards God. How blessed such a
commendation! And what joy must it have begotten in the
midst of this suering assembly!
It was not only the persecuting, worldly power that
Satan had stirred up against Smyrna, but also the deadly
opposition and enmity of the Jews. By these the assembly
was blasphemed, that is, railed against, or slandered.
As we nd everywhere in the records of preaching the
gospel, the Jews were ever foremost among the enemies
of Christianity. (See, for example, 1ess. 2:14-16.) And
e Visions of John on Patmos
56
this is easily understood. ey had been God’s chosen
people; they possessed the sacred oracles; their rites and
ceremonies were divinely instituted; and they had been
invested with special and exclusive privileges and promises.
When, therefore, the middle wall of partition between
the Jews and the Gentiles was thrown down and grace
was proclaimed to all alike, consequent upon the Jews
rejection of the Messiah, Christianity’s deadliest enmity
was aroused. In Satan’s hand, who stirred up their hostile
jealousy, they became his most eective instruments to
oppose the church of God; for in this way he united in his
cause religion with the world. It is ever the case, as another
has written, that those who have the pretension of being
the legitimate, hereditary people of God are always the
persecutors, whether Jews or Christians.
us the Lord passes judgment upon them, and exposes
their true character. ey were not Jews, He says; that is,
they had forfeited their claim to be His people by their
rejection of Christ. e believing remnant now occupied
the place of the Israel of God. e Jews prided themselves
upon being Abraham’s children, but this gave them now no
title to God’s favor. e Lord expresses this in the strongest
possible way when He says they are “the synagogue of Satan,”
(vs. 9) for this is what they were morally, as led on, gathered
together, and energized, by him for his own evil purposes.
is is a solemn lesson for those who array themselves in
opposition to, or who slander and speak contemptuously of,
the feeble few who today seek to maintain, with whatever
failures, the honor of Christ and subjection to His Word.
Nothing but faithfulness to Him, begotten of His own
grace and sustained by His own power, could lead any to
take the outside place without the camp; but it is those
Revelation 2
57
that are there whom the Lord guards and blesses, so that
opposition to them is opposition to Him.
Revelation 2:10
Exhortation, comfort, and promise follow: “Fear none of
those things which thou shalt suer: behold, the devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have
tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life” (vs. 10). (e reader will remark
that the Lord here passes from the angel, in His address,
to the saints. is shows that in Smyrna the condition of
the assembly, corresponded with that of those represented
by the angel. is is not always the case.) e rst word,
despite being an exhortation, is full of encouragement.
Suerings lay in the path of the saints, but they were not to
be afraid. Why, shortsighted unbelief might inquire, did not
the Lord interpose to shield them from these ery trials? It
was because He loved them too well. God’s people — the
church — as before pointed out, were being drawn into the
vortex of the world; and it was to eect their deliverance
from this danger that persecution was permitted to arise.
is was the Lord’s chosen instrumentality to accomplish
His purposes of love; but if His saints must thus suer,
He will yet draw near to them with words of cheer and
consolation.
He reveals, moreover, the form of the coming trial.
rough the activity of the devil some of them should
be cast into prison where they should have the honor of
suering for the name of Christ, being counted worthy to
suer shame for His name. But why? at they might be
“tried.” In such ways the Lord puries His own from the
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58
contaminations of the world, tests their faith, and brings
out what is lying dormant in their hearts. Even the Lord
Himself trod the path of temptation. He was tempted in
all points as we, apart from sin; and He could thus say, “e
prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me.” (John
14:30) But we, alas! like Peter, often do not know ourselves
until we nd ourselves in the presence of the enemy; and
it is on this very account that we need to be tried, both to
learn what we are, and then what God is for us in the trial.
Another thing is revealed for their comfort. If Satan was
about to be let loose upon them, the trial should be limited.
e tribulation should only last for ten days. Whether this
is an actual or typical period, the truth remains the same;
namely, that Satan could not extend this tribulation beyond
the time divinely appointed. is reveals clearly to us that
Satan, in all his eorts against the people of God, can
only accomplish God’s will. Lastly, the Lord promises the
crown of life to those who should be faithful unto death.
It is essential to perceive that this delity unto death is not
faithfulness throughout our natural lives, but martyrdom
for the sake of Christ and His Word. It is an exhortation to
be faithful, even at the cost of life; as, for example, Stephen
and James, the brother of John, were, and as thousands
since their day have been, by the grace of God. It is this
character of delity the Lord urges upon this assembly in
the circumstances of tribulation, through which she soon
would have to pass; for there are many saints who would
nd the prospect of death, a death of martyrdom, a death,
in the eyes of men, “of shame and loss” — the most searching
test to which they could be subjected. He who knows our
frame, and remembers that we are dust — yea, more, who
is touched with a feeling of our inrmities — provides
Revelation 2
59
therefore the antidote; cheers His people, in view of the
impending trial, and incites them to constancy and courage,
with the promise of the crown of life. One perceives
instantly the blessed application of the promise to the
circumstances. What would constitute the temptation to
unfaithfulness? e fear of death, or a clinging to life in this
world. It is to meet this, and to raise the thoughts of any of
His own who might be feeble and despondent about the
present, that He speaks to them of the crown of life — life
in its full fruition, crowned, as it were, with His own special
approbation. at is life, eternal life, disencumbered from
all entanglements, feasting to the full on its own proper
objects, displayed in all its perfections in its own proper
sphere in the Lord’s own presence, where, conformed to
His own image, those who have been faithful unto death
here will enjoy the special place in glory which the Lord in
His grace may award. is is the crown of life. To speak of
the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, as so many
dierent crowns to be worn by the believer is to materialize
the blessed spiritual truths which are exhibited in the gure.
No doubt, however, they are special distinctions, which the
Lord is pleased to bestow as rewards for service.
Revelation 2:11
As in Ephesus, the epistle closes with a call for
attention, and the promise to the overcomer, “He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He
that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (vs. 11).
Again the individual is made responsible not to hear and
yield obedience to the church, but to hear what the Spirit
says to the churches. ese are very dierent things. We
e Visions of John on Patmos
60
are each hereby reminded of our responsibility to listen for
ourselves to the Word of God. Freedom of conscience is
much vaunted, but here we learn that the Word of God is
supreme. It has authoritative claims upon the conscience
and demands from every believer unhesitating and
unquestioning obedience. e only infallibility therefore to
be found is in the Scriptures. To transfer it to the church is
a direct contravention of these words of our blessed Lord.
Finally, we have the promise to the overcomer. To
overcome in Ephesus is to recover through repentance
that rst love which had been lost, and to do the rst
works. Here it is to be found faithful unto death, to be
courageous for the Lord and His testimony in the face
of all Satan’s terrors. It is therefore through perseverance
in delity, and victory — surely only in the power of the
Holy Spirit — over all timidity and cowardice that a saint
in Smyrna would be constituted an overcomer. And to all
such the promise is that they should not be hurt of the
second death. Satan may be permitted to kill the body, as
in the case of John the Baptist, but after that there is no
more that he can do. e moment the body dies the spirit
departs to be with Christ. e body is watched over and at
the coming of Christ will be raised in incorruption; death
will forever be swallowed up in victory. Death therefore
should have no terrors for the saint, whatever the form in
which it may come; and nothing will impart more courage
to him in the prospect of it than the assurance of the full
consequences of the death and resurrection of Christ;
namely, the complete deliverance of His people from sin
and all its results. When therefore they are threatened with
martyrdom, if they cleave to Him, He sustains their souls
by holding out before them this blessed promise, that on
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61
them the second death — the lake of re — has no claim.
It is the full result on the side of deliverance of His own
death on the cross.
Pergamos
e church at Pergamos represents the public state of
Christianity, not immediately following upon Smyrna, but
rather the state into which the church declined after the
blessing was realized through the persecution which arose
at that period. When the church had lost her rst love,
God in His care for His people permitted persecution to
arrest further backsliding. is end was accomplished for a
season, and then, when the revived energies of the church
again drooped, there was further decline, decline now into
a worldly state and condition.
e same thing precisely may be seen in the book of
Judges, where the history of God’s dealings with Israel
shadows forth His ways with the church. e book of Judges
is a history of revivals — the record of Israel’s failure in the
land and of God’s constant intervention in grace for their
succor, when they had been humbled before Him through
the power of the enemy. It is exceedingly instructive to
notice the remarkable fact that every fresh interposition
on behalf of His people, every new revival as it may be
termed, left them, when the sense of the grace they had
received had died out, in a worse state than before. So it
has been in the history of the church. Revival after revival
has been sent in mercy to restore the life of the saints, to
deepen God’s work in their souls, and to call them back to
the authority of God’s Word; but when each succeeding
wave of blessing has passed away, the outward state of
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62
Christianity has ever deteriorated. is is illustrated also
in the rst three churches; so that coming to Pergamos
we nd a sad decline in comparison with Ephesus,
notwithstanding God’s interference in Smyrna. Sorrowful
as this truth is, it is but the history of every dispensation.
Whatever God has set up in this world has failed from
the very commencement, and has constantly, in spite of all
His grace, pursued a downward path and ended even as
Laodicea teaches us in respect of the church, in total failure
and rejection. To understand this is to possess the key for
the interpretation of all the successive dispensations.
Revelation 2:12
e presentation of Christ to the angel of Pergamos
is again in reference to the state of the assembly: “And to
the angel of the church in Pergamos write; ese things saith
He which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (vs. 12). e
meaning of this symbol is constant; it is a gure of the
Word of God and of the eect of its judicial application.
We read, for example, in Hebrews: “e Word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of
the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not
manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto
the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12-13).
is striking scripture combines indeed the omniscient
eyes, which are as a ame of re, with the all-penetrating,
searching, and exposing eect of the application of the
divine Word. When the Lord therefore describes Himself
in this way to the angel of Pergamos, He is warning the
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63
assembly that He is about to search into and declare her
spiritual condition, that He is judging her state by the
application of the infallible Word. e following verses
contain the result of His judicial examination.
Revelation 2:13
First, however, He places what is possible to her credit. He
says, “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where
Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast My name, and hast not
denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was
my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan
dwelleth” (vs. 13). Once again, we may call attention to the
way in which the Lord passes from the angel to the saints.
It shows that, while He holds the angel responsible for
the state of the assembly, He has the assembly in view in
the instructions and warnings given. It is ever the Lord’s
way to commend, wherever there is anything that meets
with His approbation, before He declares the failures of
His people. It is so here, although the facts intermingled
with His approval constitute really the gravest grounds
for censure. For, after the reminder that He knows their
works, He adds, “And where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s
seat is.” (vs. 13) Where then is Satan’s seat? Satan is, as we
know, the god of the world, and the world therefore is the
place of his throne. (e word should be rendered “throne.”)
What an anomaly then for the church to be dwelling in the
world! Saints are not of the world, even as Christ, when
down here, said that He was not of the world; and we learn
from the Ephesians that they are seated in the heavenlies
in Christ. It is to heaven accordingly the church belongs,
and it is there, while earth is the scene of her testimony and
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service, that she should now in spirit dwell. But, alas! we
behold in Pergamos the fact that the church had forgotten
both her heavenly calling and her heavenly character and
had settled down in the world. Later in this book, we read
of the “dwellers upon earth;” this expression signies a moral
character, those whose minds were upon earthly things. In
like manner, dwelling where Satan’s throne is, is descriptive
of character and state, showing that the assembly had fallen
from her pristine condition under the inuences of the age,
had lost sight of her true place and her heavenly hopes, and
had accepted a home in the world.
Still there were things the Lord could commend.
Pergamos had held fast the name of Christ, and had
not denied His faith. e name of Christ is generally
the expression of the truth of who He is; but put here in
combination with His faith the meaning will be slightly
dierent. It will probably be holding fast the confession
of the name of Christ, confessing Christ boldly, though
dwelling where Satan’s throne was, and not denying the
faith; that is, the truth concerning Christ. (Compare 2Tim.
4:7; Jude 3.) e rst part of the commendation is stronger
than the second, inasmuch as “holding fast” is more positive
than “not denying.” Still it was no small thing, and as such it
was pleasing to the Lord’s heart, and hence His delight to
notice it, that, notwithstanding the worldly circumstances
of this assembly, His name was held fast and His truth not
denied. Would that so much could be said in this day! For
what do we behold? Alas! the confession of Christ given up
on every hand, and His truth rejected, and this in the midst
(and might it not be said as a consequence?) of the boasted
progress and enlightenment of the nineteenth century.
Revelation 2
65
A circumstance, moreover, is added which augments
the force of the Lord’s commendation. is degree of
faithfulness had been maintained even in the midst of violent
persecution, during which “My faithful martyr,” the Lord
says, “was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.” Nothing
is known of Antipas beyond what is here stated. (A theory
has been broached on the foundation of the meaning of
his name, “Against all;” but all such speculations are devoid
of authority.) His name is written in the everlasting Word,
and the Lord’s own verdict is appended. From this we
know that, in the presence of the power of Satan (“where
Satan dwelleth”), he bore faithful testimony, that he was one
who not be silenced, and that, like Stephen, he sealed his
testimony with his blood. Yea, even as his Lord, he resisted
unto blood striving against sin. And who shall tell whether
it was not his noble example which was used to sustain this
assembly, notwithstanding she had slipped into the world,
in her holding fast the name of Christ and not denying
His faith?
Revelation 2:14-15
After having praised all that He could praise, the Lord
proceeds to point out the things that deserved His censure.
“But,” He says, “I have a few things against thee, because thou
hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught
Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to
eat things sacriced unto idols, and to commit fornication. So
hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,
which thing I hate” (vss. 14-15). e rapid progress of the
church’s decline, as has often been noticed, is seen in the
fact that whereas in Smyrna Satan is outside as a roaring
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lion, a persecuting Satan, here in Pergamos he is inside as
a seducing Satan, perverting the saints by false seductive
teaching. e words used are very signicant. It is not that the
church has adopted the teaching, but there are those inside
that “hold” the doctrine, and they were allowed, it would
seem, to hold it unmolested and unrebuked. What then
was the doctrine that drew forth the Lord’s reprobation? It
was the doctrine of Balaam — a very gross doctrine, as he
taught it in order to seduce the children of Israel. But it is
the thing signied which has to be ascertained. Speaking
through Balaam, Jehovah had said that Israel should dwell
alone, and should not be reckoned among the nations. e
fact of the Lord’s presence with them separated them, as
Moses had said, from all the nations of the earth. Now it
was just this separation from “the world” that Baalam was
seeking to break down when he enticed Israel to unite with
the Midianites in their worship and sins. Association with
the world in its pleasures, sins, and pursuits is therefore the
doctrine of Balaam; and the consequence of its acceptance
is the loss of Nazariteship, the loss of separation from evil,
and of devotedness to the Lord.
And was this sect a mere passing phenomenon in the
church’s history? Is it unknown today? Is it not true, on the
other hand, that it has from that day gone on increasing
in numbers and inuence until the whole church has
become leavened with this pernicious doctrine? ere are
undoubtedly those, as in the latter days of the kingdom,
who sigh and cry for all the abominations that are done
in her midst (Ezek. 9:4); but it is not too much to say that
the whole church, as existing today, holds this doctrine
that the Lord here condemns. Is it not the case, moreover,
that the feeble few who at rst sought to purge themselves
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from it are in danger of falling again under its inuence?
Who will deny, indeed, that even these are exhibiting
increasing signs of worldliness; that, restive under what is
now thought to be the undue narrowness and exclusiveness
of those whom God in His mercy rst called out to be
the depositaries of His recovered truth. Are they beginning
to be more tolerant of those who hold Balaam’s doctrine?
May the Lord Himself produce searching of heart and
self-judgment in connection with this subject.
ere were also at Pergamos those who held the doctrine
of the Nicolaitans. We see again the evidence of advance
in evil. e Lord commended Ephesus because she hated
the deeds of the Nicolaitans; He now rebukes Pergamos
because there are within her borders those who hold their
doctrine. is wretched sect — a sect which covered up,
even as the Pharisees of old, godless lives under a pretended
sanctity and a punctilious regard to religious duties (see
Matt. 23) — had now found a recognized place among the
saints. It could not be otherwise, since the assembly had
abandoned her pilgrim and unworldly character and had,
in imitation of Lot, not only pitched her tent towards, but
had even taken up her abode in, Sodom. Separation cannot
be maintained in the world, dwelling where Satan’s throne
is. Once we adopt the world as our home, we must become
worldly in habits, thoughts, and practices. is explains the
existence of these sects in Pergamos, which had thus glided
into the acceptance of that which the Lord hated.
Revelation 2:16
But the church had been espoused as a chaste virgin
to Christ. It is impossible therefore for Him to allow her
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without warning to continue in unfaithfulness. Accordingly
He cries, “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
ght against them with the sword of My mouth” (vs. 16). e
warning to repent is addressed to the church, for the Lord
seeks to arouse her to self-judgment for having tolerated
this evil teaching within her borders. He will give her the
opportunity of having fellowship with His own mind about
the evil, that she may have the privilege of caring for the
honor of His name. It was so in Israel. Jehovah ever called
upon His people, when evil and corruption abounded, to
sanctify His great name, while warning them at the same
time that if they failed to do so He would Himself take
the matter in hand and sanctify His own name. (See, for
example, as an illustration of this principle, Ezek. 36:16-
24.) In like manner here the assembly is called to repent,
but failing this, she is warned that the Lord will come to her
quickly, and will ght against (not her, but) them — that is,
those who hold the evil doctrine — with the sword of His
mouth.
is gives a principle of the utmost importance,
as applicable to cases of discipline in the assembly, or
to the state of the whole church. If evil is permitted to
pass unjudged in the assembly owing to the indierence
or laxity of the saints or from unwillingness to face the
diculty, the Lord will rst wait in His long-suering
and seek through one and another, by whatever means
He may choose, to awaken the consciences of His people.
en, if they fail to respond to His exhortations, He will
come in Himself and deal with the evil which the assembly
had failed to judge, and in which all, by refusing to judge,
had become implicated. It should never be forgotten that
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69
holiness becomes the house of God, and that our God is a
consuming re.
e sword of His mouth is, as before explained, the
living and powerful Word of God. It is with this the Lord
ghts against evildoers. ereby He teaches us that its
authority is supreme over His saints, and that the state of
the assembly, as well as the doctrine and conduct of the
saints, must ever be judged by this infallible standard. Well
would it have been for the church at large if this had ever
been remembered.
As in the other epistles, we have, lastly, the proclamation
and the promise. e proclamation is to every one that has
an ear. So in the days of His esh the Lord often cried,
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 11:15); that
is, he that hath an inward ear, an ear opened by the Holy
Spirit to listen to and to receive the communications made.
Each of these is called upon to attend to “what the Spirit
saith unto the churches,” (vs. 11) and these divine messages
are to sink into our souls, excluding man’s thoughts, and
to govern our conduct. It is to us individually, to you and
to me, the Lord thus speaks, as He reminds us of our
individual responsibility.
Revelation 2:17
e promise is special and twofold: “To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will
give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written,
which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it” (vs. 17).
e overcomer diers again from the one in Smyrna. To
overcome here is not merely to resist, and successfully to
resist, the teaching of the sects named; but it is also to listen
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to the call to repentance. For though the proclamation is
to saints individually, and the responsibility is individual
to heed the communications made, it is not possible for
a saint to divest himself of responsibility for the state of
the assembly. e state of the assembly involves all, so that
all have to be exercised on account of it in self-judgment
before God. If, therefore, any would be overcomers in a
Pergamos state of things, they must judge the evil of the
doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans, and they must
humble themselves before God because these evils are, if
not accepted, yet tolerated, mourning on account of the
dishonor thus done to the Lord’s name.
To all such there is a twofold promise: rst, that they
shall “eat of the hidden manna.” (vs. 17) ere is a very distinct
relation between the promise and the evil in Pergamos.
e temptation was to eat of things sacriced to idols; the
Lord says, “I will feed you with that which alone can satisfy.”
In such a way He would encourage His own to resist the
seductions and gratications of the world. And what is the
“hidden manna” (vs. 17)? It is, as has been written, “Christ as
known in His walk down here, though now in glory — the corn
of that heavenly land. e ‘hidden manna’ was not the daily
manna, but the manna which had been laid up in the ark, and
kept as a witness in Canaan.” What answers to this gure is
clearly Christ in heaven. His being in heaven, at the right
hand of God, constantly reminds us of what He was down
here in the wilderness, of what He was as tempted and
humbled. Being ourselves in wilderness circumstances,
beset, as in Pergamos, by special temptations, we delight to
recall Him to our remembrance and to feed upon Him as
the One who was tempted in all points like as we are, apart
from sin; and we are sustained and strengthened. We thus
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eat of the “hidden manna” (vs. 17); for, as the manna, Christ
is no longer seen being hidden in heaven.
“ere on the hidden bread
Of Christ — once humbled here —
God’s treasured store — forever fed,
His love my soul shall cheer.”
ere is also the white stone with the new name written
thereon, known only to him who receives it. Two things are
thus implied: the Lord’s approbation, and, secondly, this
approbation conveyed in a special way, so that it becomes
a secret between the soul and the Lord. e following
remarks express this: “e ‘white stone’ seems to mark the
individual approbation of Christ; the ‘new name,’ peculiar
communion between Christ and the individual, dierent from
that which all share alike, dierent from the public joy … Besides
the public joy, there will be Christ’s peculiar private individual
recognition and approval — the ‘white stone,’ and the new
name ‘which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it’”
(Collected Writings of J. N. Darby 2:50910). One can readily
comprehend the sustainment and courage which such
a promise would minister to those who, by God’s grace,
were standing for Him against the corruptions that had
found their home in the assembly, and who, on this very
account, would surely incur the disfavor and opposition
of those who were tolerating, if not associated with, the
seducing doctrines. To seek alone the Lord’s approbation
is the ospring of the single eye, even as it is the source of
all strength in conict and service. e Lord give us all to
make this our daily object! (2Cor. 5:9.)
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yatira
A new state of things altogether is introduced with
yatira. Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos represent in
their prophetic aspect three successive phases or states of
the whole church. yatira represents also a church state,
only coming on the scene, as to the church condition it
portrays after, and superseding Pergamos. It continues
unlike the rst three assemblies, on to the close. Pergamos
passes over into yatira, and then yatira remains, as
one phase of the church, to the end. is is seen by the
introduction into this epistle of the Lord’s coming (Rev.
2:25). Another characteristic of this assembly is that a
remnant, a faithful remnant, is distinguished. is is more
plainly perceived, if verse 24 is read, as it should be, “But unto
you I say, and unto the rest in yatira.” “e rest” (being the
remnant) is directly addressed, whereas the whole church
is addressed through the angel. is borne in mind will
enable the reader to understand more readily some parts of
this communication. As pointed out in the Introduction,
four parties are distinguished: the angel to whom the letter
is sent and who is responsible for the state of the assembly;
Jezebel — the source of Popery, as well as the expression of
it — suered by the angel; the remnant; and the overcomer.
As a whole then, this assembly gives a picture of the
state of the church during the Middle Ages, down perhaps,
as has been often said, to the time of the Reformation.
e grounds of this conclusion are found in the previous
church states. Ephesus sets forth the period immediately
succeeding the apostles; Smyrna shadows out the age
of persecution which, as the church histories show, will
bring us down several centuries later; and then Pergamos
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73
indicates the period, as for example in Constantine’s days,
when the church became allied with the world. In this way,
if we remember the successional character of these several
states, we are brought as has been observed to the Middle
Ages; yet not so far as Luther’s time, inasmuch as Sardis
followed soon upon the mighty movement of which he
was the instrument.
Revelation 2:18
e character in which Christ addresses this assembly
through the angel is quite dierent from that in which
He speaks to the preceding churches. Here, rst of all,
it is as “Son of God” (vs.18); and it is as Son, as will be
remembered, that He wields authority over the house of
God. (e rendering in the English version of Hebrews 3:6,
“His own house,” would seem to make it Christ’s house. It
should be, however, “His house”; that is, God’s house.) e
eyes “like unto a ame of re, and His feet like ne brass,” (vs.
18) are in entire accord with His presentation as the One
who exercises this authority. e eyes like to a ame of re
symbolize His all-searching, penetrating judgment. His
feet of ne brass show the rmness with which He deals
with sin, and deals with it in divine righteousness; for brass
is an emblem of God meeting man in his responsibility
according to His righteousness. e brazen altar teaches
this truth; for it was there that God met those who
approached, and there His righteous claims were satised
by the oered sacrice.
e very character, therefore, in which Christ is here
seen demanded, and demands, solemn attention. He has
not abandoned one of His relationships of grace, nor
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abated one jot of His ineable love for His people; but
He comes here, let it be recalled, to deal with the public
state of the church, and with the church as His responsible
light-bearer, or witness, in the world. Coming for this
purpose, He reminds the angel of His absolute authority
over the house of God, of His all-penetrating, consuming
judgment, and of His constant purpose not to pass over
sin or failure. ese solemn characters never cease, as long
as the church holds the responsible place of testimony;
and however she may have failed and surrendered her
testimony, she is no less in the place of responsibility before
God. is holds true also in principle of single assemblies,
and even of individual believers.
May the Lord lay our responsibilities more deeply upon
our hearts.
Revelation 2:19
After the presentation of the characters the Lord here
assumes, we have, rst, His commendation: “I know thy
works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and
thy works; and the last to be more than the rst” (vs. 19). (e
order should be, even as it is the order morally, “Charity
and faith and service.”) is is very great praise, and it has
occasioned perplexity to some in that, if yatira represents
the Popery of the Middle Ages, how was such high praise
possible? (is statement needs modication in so far as
it is rather Jezebel, and the state of things produced by
her teaching, that represents Popery. is was tolerated by
the angel, and thus there was moral identication between
the two; but the angel is plainly held responsible for the
allowance of Jezebel.) It must be borne in mind that all
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75
through the Scriptures whenever there is corporate failure,
the faithful remnant become invested with the corporate
position before God. e Jewish remnant, for example,
upon the nation’s apostasy came into the place of the nation.
So in the church of God; and on this principle, the Lord is
able to impute to yatira all the state and activities of the
devoted saints in her midst.
Concerning this class of faithful witnesses at this
period, we cannot refrain from transcribing the following
words: “Nowhere, perhaps, is there a more deeply interesting
story; nowhere longer and more unwearied patience; nowhere
truer, or perhaps so true, hearts for Christ and for the truth,
and for faithfulness to Him against a corrupt church, as in
the saints of the Middle Ages. rough toil and labor, hunted
and punished; in spite of a system far more persevering, far
better organized, than heathen persecutions, violent as for a
time they surely were; with no fresh miraculous revelation, or
publicly sustaining body, or profession of the church at large,
clothed with universal acknowledgment as such, to give them
condence; with every name of ignominy that people or priest
could invent to hunt them with, they pursued their hemmed
but never abandoned way with divinely-given constancy, and
maintained the testimony of God, and the promised existence
of the church against the gates of hades, at the cost of rest and
home and life and all things earth could give or nature feel.
And Christ had foreseen and had not forgotten it. Weakness
may have been there, ignorance have marked many of their
thoughts; Satan may have sought to mix up mischief with their
good, and sometimes succeeded but their record is on high, and
their Savior’s approbation will shine forth when the books that
ease — loving questioners have written on them will be as dust
on the moth’s wing when it is dead … is the Lord owns in
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yatira. It made no part of the church for men then; it makes
none for many wise people now. It is the rst part for Christ.”
(Collected Writings of J. N. Darby, Vol. 2, Expository.)
is extract fully explains the ground of the Lord’s
commendation, and entirely sets aside the attempt made in
some quarters to nd support in this verse for the Popish
doctrine of works as constituting merit before God. e
very order of the words teaches otherwise. After the general
statement, expressive of the Lord’s perfect knowledge,
comes “charity” [love], which in its essence is the divine
nature and the root, therefore, of all spiritual activity; next,
faith, that faith which works by love; and then service,
patience [endurance], and works; and these more than the
rst. It is thus the increasing devotedness of the saints, and
this exhibited in the midst of the ery trials through which
they were passing, that was so precious to the Lord, that
drew forth His approbation.
Revelation 2:20
Having expressed this, He points out next the grievous
things that called forth His censure. “Notwithstanding
I have a few things against thee, because thou suerest that
woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and
to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things
sacriced unto idols” (vs. 20). (Some prefer the reading, “thy
wife” to “that woman.” If this is adopted, it will mean that
not only had the angel allowed Jezebel to teach, but that
also he had entered into an alliance with her; and that he
was therefore doubly responsible.) It is well known as a
principle in Scripture, that a woman when introduced as
a type is expressive of a state; whereas a man indicates
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77
the activity or conduct in that state. Hence it makes no
dierence to the interpretation whether we read “woman”
or “thy wife,” for in either case the angel is held responsible
for Jezebel; and the very name Jezebel points to the
meaning. She was the wife of Ahab, who was responsible
to God for the kingdom; but he “suered” Jezebel to
govern, to “teach,” and to produce in that way the apostate
state of Israel. In like manner the “angel” of yatira had,
unfaithful to his responsibility as God’s representative in
the assembly, permitted the teaching of “Jezebel,” the fruit
of which was seen in every kind of spiritual corruption and
worldliness, and that originated a system of doctrine which
begot many adherents (Rev. 2:22-23), and produced that
masterpiece of Satan, in his imitation of the truth of God,
which is known the wide world over as Popery.
Revelation 2:21
Into such a condition the church had now fallen; and so
far from Jezebel being sensible of the evil of which she had
been the wicked instrument, she refused to acknowledge it
and repent; for the Lord says, “I gave her space to repent … and
she repented not.” (vs. 21) (e preferable reading is, “And
she will [or “willeth”] not repent.” e Revised Version and
most others now adopt it.) If we adopt the reading referred
to, it is not only that Jezebel neglected to avail herself of
the opportunity of repentance, vouchsafed in the Lord’s
long-suering, but such was her hardened condition that it
was not her will to repent; and it may be that these words
also contain the assertion that Popery will continue, as we
know will be the case, unrepentant on to the end.
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Revelation 2:22-23
Judgment is now threatened. “Behold, I will cast her
into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill
her children with death; and all the churches shall know that
I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give
unto every one of you according to your works” (vss. 22-23).
It is very striking to notice that, although we have been
told that Jezebel “repented not,” (vs. 21) the Lord still says,
when giving these solemn warnings of coming and certain
judgment, “Except they repent of their deeds.” (vs. 22) It
reveals both His long-suering and His yearnings over His
professed people for their recovery and restoration. e
judgment, which is of the severest character, is denounced
upon Jezebel and them that had committed adultery with
her. (Compare Ezek. 16; Rev. 18:3-9.) “It would be forced
association with those whom she had once seduced to the ruin
of them all,” and “piercing judgment according to God’s own
nature and requirements” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:510).
e activity of Jezebel is seen from the fact that there are
“children” — those who had been begotten and formed by
her evil teaching, and who therefore presented themselves
as the expression and exponents of her views. Alas! how
large a number of such are seen on all sides in the present
day, not only within the connes of Romanism, but also
amongst those who, while Romanists at heart, still maintain
an external link with that which was once known by the
name of Protestantism. All such, wherever found, shall be
“killed with death” (vs. 23).
is judgment may have a twofold application — presently
in government, and in the future when everyone shall
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79
give an account of himself to God. is would seem to
be the case from what follows. First, the churches will
know — and this could only be from the visitation of these
judgments in time — that Christ searches the reins and the
heart; and secondly, everyone will receive according to their
works, which is the character of eternal judgment. (is
introduction of the words “every one of you” contains the
solemn warning that while the “angel” is held responsible
for the state of the assembly, and while “Jezebel” will be
punished for her evil course, every professed believer is
also accountable to God for his own works. See Revelation
20.) Such is the Lord’s estimate of and judgment upon
Jezebel — upon that is the public state of things which her
activity had produced; not only, it should be remembered,
upon the Jezebel state of things in John’s days, and upon
that existing in the Middle Ages, but also upon that which
is here prophetically shadowed out in every age until the
Lord’s return.
Revelation 2:24-25
In the next place, the Lord turns to those who,
notwithstanding they were in yatira, were separate from
its evil. “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in yatira, as
many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the
depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other
burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come” (vss.
24-25). (“the rest”; so it should be read, as before noticed,
not “and the rest.”) We have now, and for the rst time, in
the growing corruption of the church a faithful remnant
distinguished — and it is this remnant, not the public body,
not that which occupied the place of the church before the
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eyes of the world, which elicited the Lord’s approval. And
what characterized this residue? Refusal of the current
teaching of the day, and consequently standing apart from
the worldliness and corruption which had now obtained
a recognized place. e time had thus come when those
who departed from evil were accounted mad; (see marginal
rendering of Isaiah 59:15) for those with whom they
refused to walk charged them with knowing the “depths of
Satan”; that is, with being led by him, as having fallen into
one of his most subtle snares. And what was the occasion
of this fearful charge? Separation from evil, a manifested
purpose to walk in the path of truth and holiness. It was
this that led Jezebel, her associates and her children, to
hold this feeble few up to public odium, as they insinuated
that they were in secret commerce with Satan. History has
often repeated itself since that day; for whenever any of
God’s people have ventured in obedience to the Word of
God, to separate themselves from the corruptions of the
professing church, or to purge themselves from the vessels
of dishonor, they have in like manner incurred the severest
condemnation and often the most evil charges, even from
their fellow-Christians. But it was enough for this “rest,” as
it has been for the true remnant in every age of the church,
to have the Lord’s verdict. He says, You “have not known
the depths of Satan, as they speak.” (vs.24) Whoever seeks
to care for the honor of Christ must be satised with His
approval.
One thing only does the Lord enjoin upon the
remnant: they were to hold fast what they had until He
came. is might seem to be a small thing; but in the midst
of corruption, when delity to Christ is frowned upon on
every hand, and when the most powerful inuences are
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brought to bear upon, in order to seduce, those who are
maintaining the truth, it is no small thing, having done all,
to stand. e whole armor of God is requisite for it; and
hence the Lord would encourage the remnant to hold fast.
e encouragement lies in the words, “till I come.” (vs.25)
e prospect of His coming was a strong incentive to
courage, as it reminded them that His eye was upon them,
and that their conict would issue in being forever with
Him. Nothing cheers the soldier in the ght like the eye,
and the expected succor, of his leader; and nothing cheers
the believer, in the stress of his conict, like the expectation
of the return of his Lord.
ere is another signicance in the introduction here
of the Lord’s coming for the rst time in these epistles.
e rst three assemblies in their wider aspect represent,
as already seen, three successive phases of the church after
the apostolic era and onwards. yatira succeeds, but,
unlike the others, continues on the scene as a phase of the
church, even after the appearance of Sardis, Philadelphia
and Laodicea, and goes on concurrently with them until
the end. is explains the mention here of the coming
of the Lord. Another thing should, however, be added.
Until yatira the possibility of recovery, although all the
future was lying before the Lord’s eyes, was not publicly
abandoned; but now the church-state has become so
hopeless that the Lord directs the faithful remnant to His
own return as their encouragement, resource, and hope.
Happy are those saints who can apprehend this revelation
of the Lord’s mind.
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Revelation 2:26-29
e promise to the overcomer follows: “And he that
overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will
I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a
rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to
shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him
the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev. 2:26-29). e reader
will not fail to note a change, also indicative of the new
phase commenced by yatira. Until now the cry, “He
that hath ears to hear” (Matt. 11:15) precedes the promise
to the overcomer. Now, and in the remaining churches, it
follows. “In the rst three,” as has been written, “the hearing
ear is spoken of in connection with the general testimony to the
church, before singling out the faithful remnant who overcome.
In the four last the exhortation follows the overcoming … is
marks out the remnant as separate from the body in general.
e position of the remnant is specially marked out as being no
longer in connection with the general body of the church, but
with the place in which those stand to whom the promise is sent
as to him that overcometh” (Lectures on the Addresses to the
Seven Churches, J. N. Darby).
Two things constitute the overcomer in yatira. First,
holding fast what they had, in spite of the corruption of
Jezebel, maintaining their separation, walking in the path
of subjection to the Word of God; and secondly, keeping
Christ’s works unto the end; that is, the works commended
in verse 19; namely charity [love], faith, service, patience, and
works. Keeping in this blessed path until the end, cheered
by the prospect of the Lord’s return, and holding fast what
they possessed, they would be overcomers and entitled to
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feed upon these special promises. ese promises have a
twofold character: association with Christ in the kingdom,
governing the nations righteously, and consequently
executing judgment, “even,” He adds, “as I received of My
Father.” (vs. 27) e overcomer should receive from Him
even as He had received of the Father (compare Rev. 3:21);
and then also He will bestow the morning star.
e reference in the rst part of the promise is to the
second psalm (compare Psa. 110), where the nations are
given to Christ for His inheritance in response to His
own request (“even as I received of My Father”) (vs.27), and
where as a consequence we read, “ou shalt break them
with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s
vessel” (Psa. 2:9). e overcomer, therefore, should share
in the glory of the Messiah’s kingly rule. e promise of
the morning star speaks of far more intimate and heavenly
blessing. e morning star is Christ Himself, and Christ
Himself displayed in all His heavenly beauty before the
hearts of His people, as their proper portion and hope
while watching during the night, or rather while the night
is waning, for His return. As the Sun of Righteousness He
will burst forth upon the world at His appearing (Mal. 4)
as the Morning Star, the harbinger of the coming day, He
shines for the church and thus constitutes her characteristic
hope. Her aections are drawn forth and, having her
desires for His return awakened, she, as taught by and in
union with the Spirit cries, “Come.” (See Rev. 22:16-17.)
is promise, therefore, is one of exceeding preciousness:
“I will give him the morning star.” (vs. 28) e overcomer
should thus possess, and be associated with, Christ
Himself in His heavenly character in a peculiar way, as the
satisfying portion of his heart amid the darkness around, to
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encourage him to successful conict with the power of evil
within the church, and to animate his soul with the speedy
expectation of the coming of the Lord.
e signicance of the place occupied, for the rst time,
by the cry, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches,” (vs.29) has already been explained.
And if this is understood, the reader will the more readily
enter into the solemn responsibility attaching to all by
whom this cry is heard. Raised in the midst of an Ephesian
state of things, it is repeated with increased urgency again
and again all through the history of the church; and blessed
are those who listen and bow to the instruction thus given
by the Spirit of God.
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56622
Revelation 3
Sardis
e peculiarity of the last four assemblies is, it will
be remembered, that while they follow one another as to
their development, they all continue until the coming of
the Lord. ey do not displace one another (we speak of
their prophetic aspects) as Smyrna displaces Ephesus, and
Pergamos Smyrna; but, though coming successively on the
scene, they will all abide to the close of the dispensation.
Sardis thus came into existence after yatira and this
gives at once the clue to its identication. If the state in
yatira produced by Jezebel represents the Popery of the
Middle Ages, Sardis, in the state of its angel, sets forth
Protestantism. But we must still inquire, of what period?
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It should perhaps be pointed out that, as yatira reaches
the end, Sardis is a new start, as it were, produced by a
new action of the Spirit of God. is new and vigorous
movement was soon arrested, and it speedily lapsed into
the condition of its angel, having a name to live and yet
dead. e issue is, as will be seen in Laodicea, rationalism,
that is indelity, whereas the close in yatira is ritualism.
How signicant is this twofold issue!
e mighty movement called into being by the Holy
Spirit through Luther and his co-workers, whether in
their own or other lands, was the origin of Protestantism.
In his days the teaching of Jezebel had full play, and, with
the exception of those who sighed and mourned in secret
over the corruptions everywhere prevalent, was generally
accepted. e children of God were in full association with
the world and would have thought it a strange thing to
refrain from eating things oered to idols. Separation from
evil, save on the part of the persecuted remnant, was wholly
unknown.
It was in the midst of this state of things that Luther,
a vessel chosen and prepared of God for His service,
appeared and he had the privilege of recalling the people
of God to the all-suciency of the Scriptures, and to the
fundamental truth of justication by faith. It seemed, at
the outset, the dawn of a new day, and souls on every hand
drank in the blessed truths, which he and his assistants
proclaimed, as the weary earth drinks in the fertilizing
showers of heaven. Having their soul-thirst thus satised,
they were strengthened to break o from their necks the
yoke of Rome. ousands joined in the movement — some,
alas! from political motives — and Protestantism became a
power in the world.
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But the energy of the Spirit of God as thus displayed
(for that it was His work few can doubt) soon ceased; it was
speedily lost amid the worldly and human activities that
sought to avail themselves of His blessed work for their
own selsh ends. en the Reformation sank down into the
expression of antagonism to Rome, using its new light and
truth as the battle-ax of its conicts. “is was Sardis. Not
the Reformation in its pristine energy, but the Reformation as
it became after its life and power had evaporated. (e proof
of this is seen in verses 2 and 3, where the angel is exhorted
to strengthen the things that remain and are ready to die,
and so forth.)” And this is Sardis, developing ever sadder
and more corrupt elements until the end.
Revelation 3:1
In view of this explanation the character of the Lord’s
presentation to the angel is very signicant: “ese things
saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven
stars” (vs. 1). e church on earth is the habitation of God
through the Spirit, and is the sphere, therefore, of His
operations and power. But, as we have seen, Sardis presents
no sign of His activity; and it is just because of this that
the Lord presents Himself as possessing the plenary power
(seven is the perfect number) of the Holy Spirit in His
ministrations. We say Sardis; but the reader will remember
that it is really the angel, those set to teach and to rule
who are addressed. Still it is these that produce the public
state. Rationalism, for example, has ever come down from
the “teachers” to the people. e remnant in this assembly
are those who repelled the inuences of the angel, and
maintained holiness in life and walk. e church may
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thus fail; but Christ (and this is for the comfort of His
people amid decay, corruption, and death) never fails; and
hence, whatever the state of the church, He still has at His
disposal all the Spirit’s power. is is an immense principle
for the sustainment of the saints, constituting indeed their
resource in all times. At Pentecost, for example, the Spirit
wrought without let or hindrance and the consequence
was power in testimony, the energy of the “rst love” and
the perfect fellowship of the saints. Contemplating all
this, and contrasting it with what is now seen, we might
become utterly despondent unless we were reminded, as
here, that there is as much power available today for faith
as then — that Christ still has the “seven Spirits of God” at
His sovereign disposal. Blessed consolation!
He has also the “seven stars.” It is not now said, as it was
to Ephesus, that He holds them in His right hand; that is,
that He upholds them by power; but they still belong to
Him, and He would have them both owning His authority
and also counting upon Him for the supply of their need
in His service. e more broken the state of things the
more He would have those who might take the place of
leaders amongst the saints connect everything with, as
well as derive everything from, Himself. When there are
no visible sustainments for those in responsibility it is the
more important (though this be ever so) to lean wholly on
Christ.
e condition of the angel of the assembly is described
in one short, sad, and pregnant sentence: “I know thy works,
that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (vs. 1).
e works are general; and “knowing” these is merely the
statement that nothing escapes the Lord’s notice, that He
is cognizant of all the condition of His people; and then, as
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the result of His investigation (for He walks in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks), He gives His verdict — His
infallible verdict. And what is it? A name to live, but a
name that belies its actual condition; for He says, “ou
art dead.” Such was the state of the angel of Sardis — the
actual, existent Sardis — as it presented itself to the eyes
(and His eyes are as a ame of re) of Christ. And this
state of things represents also Protestantism as it was after
the days of Luther; and remember as it will be found until
the coming of the Lord.
What then are the present applications of these solemn
words? ree at least may be noted, and to these special
attention is invited. First, there is the obvious one to
the Protestantism of this and other lands. And when we
speak of Protestantism, we do not speak, let it be noted,
of individual congregations, but of Protestantism as a
whole, as it presents itself in the world. Is its condition
otherwise than here given? Even the most supercial
observer must admit its truth, and even that it is now
worse than here stated. All the evangelistic movements
of the day, all the meetings and conferences for the
promotion of the spiritual life are outside of the recognized
organizations of Protestantism and cannot therefore be
pleaded in mitigation of this verdict. In Protestantism itself
rationalism, political zeal and activity and worldlinesss in
its manifold forms are its vital forces; but where is there
the sign of the activity of the Holy Spirit? No; spiritual
stagnation — yea, death — everywhere characterizes it,
even while boasting of its glorious traditions and of having
a name to live. at there are here and there congregations
of another order, ministered to by devoted men, we gladly
admit; but this fact in no wise alters the general condition
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of Protestantism. (In evidence of this the “Downgrade”
movement may be cited. Its earnest opponent found but
few supporters in his own denomination; and some of
these nally accepted a compromise which involved the
toleration of the very doctrinal errors against which the
protest had been made.) A second application, as in the case
of Ephesus — and Sardis was a single assembly in John’s
day — may be made to individual churches or gatherings;
that is, if there is an assembly anywhere corresponding in
its spiritual condition with the description here given, then
this letter, with its searching statements and warnings,
should be seriously weighed in the presence of God. Lastly,
if there is an individual — a professor — who has a name to
live amongst Christians, and who yet is spiritually dead, he
also would do well to ponder this divine communication.
Revelation 3:2-3
We come now to exhortations and warnings: “Be watchful,
and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to
die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard,
and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know
what hour I will come upon thee” (vss. 2-3). e words
“be watchful” really mean become so, showing that at this
time they were not watchful; for, as has been seen, it was
a time of spiritual death. And the consequence of not
having been watchful was that the things which remained
were drooping and ready to die. ese had formerly
been channels of energy, instinct with life, but now were
languishing from lack of spiritual energy; forms of life still
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remaining, but only forms, now that the life which had
called them into existence had waned if not departed.
e ground of this exhortation is found in the succeeding
clause, “I have not found thy works perfect before God.” (vs. 2)
(e true rendering and reading are, “I have not found thy
works complete before My God.”) ere were, therefore,
activities still sustained in Sardis; and it is often the case that
activities, which have been really called forth by a genuine
work of the Holy Spirit, will be carried on, and sometimes
with increased zeal, long after the power that evoked them
has ceased. It was and is so in Sardis, as may be seen in
its various societies with their multiform organizations for
the accomplishment of religious and philanthropic ends.
But the Lord had examined the nature of these “works,”
and His sentence is that they are not “complete before My
God.” Before man they might appear as worthy of all
commendation; before God they were decient, lacking
in the essential element of good works; for inasmuch as
they were not produced by the energy of the Spirit, they
were not Christian but indeed dead works. It is the motive
that determines the character of all our activities, and the
motive is never Christ unless the Holy Spirit is their power.
Having exposed the real condition of Sardis, the method
of restoration is next indicated. ey were, in the rst place,
to remember how they had received and heard; that is, they
were to call to mind the source of all the blessings they had
“received,” that it was nothing but grace which had bestowed
upon them such unspeakable privileges (compare 1Cor.
4:7); and they were to measure themselves by the standard
of the truth they had “heard” at the outset. is exhortation
contains a most interesting principle. e responsibility
of this assembly is seen to be according to the light it
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had actually received. (Compare Matt. 11:21-24.) Sardis
therefore, and consequently the Sardis of today, is judged
by the light it received at the Reformation; namely, by the
truth of the all-suciency of the Scriptures, and by the
doctrine of justication by faith. Could it, can it, stand the
test? Why it is in the heart of Protestantism that the full
inspiration of the Scriptures is being everywhere denied
and that the dogma of justication by faith is treated as
a relic of an ignorant age? Sardis would indeed do well to
ponder upon these words of the Lord which point out the
measure of her responsibility. (It is interesting to notice that
the responsibility of the individual, at least of the servant,
is according to a dierent standard. If he does not do his
Master’s will, even though ignorant of it, he will be beaten
with few stripes; for since the Master’s will is revealed in
the Scriptures there is no excuse for ignorance. is is seen
in Luke 12:48.) e Lord thus calls upon her to hold fast,
not to let slip, and to repent, to humble herself before God,
as she contrasts her present with her former condition, that
there, in the true spirit of self-judgment, and owning her
sad declension and fall, she might seek grace for revival and
recovery.
As an illustration of the fact that the angel is God’s
representative in the assembly, it will be noticed that all
these exhortations and warnings are given to the angel.
While the assembly cannot but be responsible for her state
in the individual believers of which she is composed, it is to
those who form the teaching body, and to those that have
the lead, that the Lord looks to for recovery.
Space is thus given for repentance. Should she, however,
not avail herself of it, then the Lord would in His wisdom
deal with her according to her deserts? e reader will
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remember once again that it is not Christians the Lord will
judge in this way, but the church as His vessel of testimony,
as His responsible light-bearer amid the darkness of this
world. And what is the judgment denounced? It is that
the Lord will treat the church — Sardis — even as the
world, if she does not repent. is will be understood if
we turn for a moment to 1essalonians 5. Writing to the
saints, the apostle says, “For yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. … But ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief” (1ess. 5:2,4). In the previous chapter he
had explained to the saints that they would be caught up
in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, before the day
of the Lord, commencing with His appearing, would be
introduced. It is on the world, therefore, that the day of
the Lord will come as a thief; and now Sardis is warned
that unless she repents, the Lord will come upon her in
like manner. She will thus be treated as the world. It is,
indeed, on Christendom, whatever its ultimate form after
the church is caught away, that the day of the Lord will
burst with special judgments; and it will be too at the very
moment when those within its sphere are beginning to say,
“Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them,
as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”
(1ess. 5:3) Such will be the doom of that which, having
a name to live, was yet dead.
Revelation 3:4
As in yatira so also here a remnant is distinguished.
“ou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not deled
their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they
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are worthy” (vs. 4). “Names” in this place is used for persons,
but as showing the Lord’s intimate knowledge of them,
and perhaps at the same time, betokening the smallness
of their number. e word “even” should be omitted, for
the surprise is rather that there were not more separate
ones in the midst of that which had rebelled against the
corruptions of yatira. Not deling their garments will
mean that they had been kept untainted by the evils
around. James thus speaks of keeping oneself unspotted
from the world (James 1:27); here it would not only be
from the world, but also from the contaminations within
the sphere of God’s professing people. How precious this
faithful remnant were to the heart of the Lord is seen from
His promise concerning them: “ey shall walk with Me
in white: for they are worthy.” (vs. 4) Maintaining holiness
of walk and conduct while in the sphere of responsibility,
their distinguishing recompense should have a conspicuous
relationship to the moral separation then maintained. e
practical holiness of their walk here should have its fruition
in walking with Christ in white — the expressed reward for
their delity. And He is pleased to add, “for they are worthy”
(vs. 4) — made worthy indeed by His own preserving
power, but having this worthiness imputed to them by His
own grace and love. (Compare Luke 21:36.)
Revelation 3:5
ree distinct promises are made to the overcomer. To
overcome in Sardis would be to remember how they had
received and heard, and to hold fast and repent, and to
acquire the condition of those who had not deled their
garments. is is seen from the character of the promises.
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First, he should “be clothed in white raiment.” (vs. 5) e
correspondence between this promise and that to the faithful
remnant unmistakably shows that the overcomer would be
brought into that class. On four dierent occasions white
robes or raiment are mentioned in this book. e multitude,
that no man can number, who have come out of the great
tribulation are said to have washed their robes and made
them white in the blood of the Lamb. is is what may
be termed judicial cleansing (Rev. 7). (is interpretation
may perhaps be questioned on two grounds; rst, that the
blood is for the person, for his guilt; and secondly, that
we are never said in Scripture to apply it to ourselves.
Since therefore the force of the phrase is, “In the power
or the virtue of the blood,” it may mean that, being under
its ecacy, they washed their robes, maintained purity of
walk and life. e reader will weigh this suggestion.) To
the martyrs that were seen under the altar white robes are
given (Rev. 6:9-11), and here perhaps as a token of the
Lord’s approbation. In Revelation 4 and Revelation 19
the elders and the Lamb’s wife are seen clothed in white
raiment; and in the latter case we have the Holy Spirit’s
own interpretation in the words, “e ne linen [clean
and white] is the righteousness of saints,” (Ch. 19:8) or the
righteousnesses of saints. is gives the clue to the white
raiment of our passage, inasmuch as the promise refers to
a future heavenly condition. e Lord thus promises that
the fruit of overcoming should be manifested and enjoyed
in heaven; that every act of faithfulness to Him which led
to separation from unholiness here should have its future
appropriate recompense in an eternal display in His own
presence.
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e second promise, “I will not blot out his name out of
the book of life,” (vs. 5) bears also a very marked relation to
the condition of things in which the overcomer had been
found. at which had characterized Sardis was having a
name to live while it was dead. How many dead names,
names of dead professors, therefore must have been on its
registers; and every one of these would nally be erased.
In God’s book of life (see Phil. 4:3; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 17:8;
Rev. 20:15) there will be no erasures; but when profession
is included, enrolled, it is otherwise, and it is this which
the Lord signies by this promise. ere may be another
meaning. When godly believers, in their desire to be found
in obedience to their Lord, are compelled to stand apart
from the prevailing religious corruptions, they incur the
hostility of that which claims to be the church, and their
names are taken o from human registers. But the Lord
would sustain the hearts of His faithful ones in their trials
by the assurance that their names should not be blotted out
of the book of life.
ere is yet more; for He adds, “I will confess his name
before My Father, and before His angels.” (vs. 5) What
an honor! but one, too, publicly conferred upon the
overcomer. ere is nothing a soldier more ardently covets
than to have his name mentioned by his commander in
the dispatches which announce a victory to the Queen and
her government. But this does not compare with the mark
of distinction bestowed by the Lord upon those who have
fought the good ght, nished their course, and kept the
faith! He confesses the names of all such in the audience of
His Father and of His angels. is, if an unspeakable honor,
is none the less overwhelming grace. It may seem now a
small and even a despicable thing for a saint to maintain
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the place of separation from evil, and to successfully resist
all the seductions with which he is plied to fall in with
the habits and practices around in the sphere of profession;
but when the name of such an one is uttered by the Lord
before the Father, and before all the heavenly host, there
is not one in all that countless throng that will not esteem
this token of approbation as the highest honor that could
be possessed. May every believer who reads these words be
stirred up to seek grace to be accounted an overcomer.
Revelation 3:6
e epistle closes, as in yatira, with the proclamation
to him that hath an ear, proof of the intense yearning of
the Lord over His people, and of His ardent desire that
His words may nd entrance into, and beget a full response
from, their hearts.
Philadelphia
After Sardis comes Philadelphia; but it must be again
borne in mind that, the last four assemblies successively
appear, they yet all go on concurrently to the close;
unlike the second, third, and fourth which displace their
predecessors, these four continue, after they have come
upon the scene, until the coming of the Lord. ere is,
moreover, a great contrast to be noted between Sardis
and Philadelphia. Sardis is Protestantism, of which there
can be little doubt; it is not Protestantism, as has been
previously pointed out, in its pristine energy when the
Spirit of God wrought mightily through chosen vessels
and produced what has been called the Reformation; but
it is rather what Protestantism became, sunk into, after the
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energy of the Holy Spirit had ceased, when its life and
power had crystallized into rites, forms and organizations.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, is presented to us in all
its freshness and beauty, and hence elicits from the Lord
nothing but commendation and promised blessing. e
Lord’s eye and heart are both refreshed and gratied
by this assembly. It should, however, be noted that the
assembly as such does not appear. e address is to the
angel all through, whether commendation, promise or
exhortation. It is, therefore, the state of those symbolized
by the angel; but we cannot doubt that the assembly is, as
it were, behind the angel; that, in other words the states of
the angel and of the assembly are identical. Another thing
should be observed. Both yatira and Sardis are intensely
ecclesiastical and present themselves in the world as public
church organizations; whereas Philadelphia and, in a
measure, Laodicea are more moral states and conditions.
is will be seen more fully afterward; only it will help the
interpretation if this is remembered.
Revelation 3:7
Coming to the letter to the angel of this assembly, we
have, rst of all, after the address, as in the others, the
characters in which the Lord is presented: “ese things saith
He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David,
He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no
man openeth” (vs. 7). e dierence in this presentation
from those already considered is at once perceived. Here
is what He is in Himself, His moral character, exhibiting
what is true, what the Lord is but also indicating what
this exhibition should produce in His people, if rather we
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may not say His requirements from those who would, in
an evil day, meet His mind and receive His approbation.
As another has written, “It is His personal character, what
He is intrinsically, holy and true, what the Word displays and
requires, and what the Word of God is in itself — moral character
and faithfulness. Indeed, this last word includes all: faithfulness
to God within and without, according to what is revealed,
and faithful to make good all He has declared” (Synopsis, J.
N. Darby, 5:512). And it should not be forgotten that this
presentation of Himself is abiding, and, as such; declaring
to the saints of today that nothing which does not answer to
Him as the holy and the true can command His approval.
“ere must be what suits His nature, and faithful consistency
with that Word which He will certainly make good.”
Together with this He possesses “the key of David” (vs.
7); that is, as is plain from the scripture whence this gure is
taken (Isa. 22:22), the power of administration. Outwardly
He does not interfere, and to unbelief He might appear
as utterly unconcerned as to the confusion and tumult
around, as He did to His disciples when sleeping in the
boat while the storm was raging. But He never surrenders
His prerogative; He possesses the key of government; and
it is He, therefore, and He alone, “that openeth, and no man
shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.” (vs. 7) What a
consolation! It might seem to be human instrumentalities
alone that often close the door; if so to sight, they are but
carrying out His will, though they themselves may be acting
in the esh. e servant should not, therefore, attempt to
open a closed door; while, on the other hand, if the Lord
has opened it, he may peacefully rest in the assurance that
none can shut it.
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Revelation 3:8
Having called attention to Himself and to His
administrative power, the Lord then addresses the angel
of the assembly: “I know thy works: behold, I have set before
thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little
strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My
name” (vs. 8). Inverting the order, we may rst dwell on
the characteristics of this assembly, as they form in fact the
ground of the announced open door.
e Lord’s interest in the state of His people is again
declared by the word, often considered in the previous
pages, “I know thy works.” (vs. 8) Nothing escapes His eye;
and here indeed, as in the Canticles, He has come into His
garden to eat His pleasant fruits. e features mentioned
may not seem, at rst sight, so greatly attractive; and yet it
is these feeble expressions of the power of the Spirit that
delight the heart of Christ.
(1) “ou hast a little strength.” (vs. 8) Notwithstanding
that the Lord has only commendation to give to the angel
of Philadelphia, there is no display of power and energy
as in Pentecostal days. e time for this, indeed, had long
since passed and now feebleness or little power marked
the condition of Philadelphian saints. It was of necessity
so (we speak of Philadelphia prophetic rather than the
historical assembly), for while it is complete and corporate,
it yet, considering its coexistence with yatira and Sardis,
must have a remnant character. e natural mind, and even
godly souls, when uninstructed in the Word, long for the
exhibition of power as in days of old; but let all such learn
from this divine communication that within the circle of
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that condition that meets the Lord’s mind there never can
be anything else other than “a little strength.”
(2) “ou hast kept My word.” (vs. 8) is is the feature
that ever delights the heart of our blessed Lord — and a
feature, above all others, that distinguishes moral state.
is may be seen from another scripture: “If a man love Me,
he will keep My words” (John 14:23). (It should be “word,”
and not, as in our translation, “words.”) Keeping His word
means treasuring it up in the heart so that it molds, governs
and produces obedience. e term “word,” moreover, is very
comprehensive: it includes the sum and substance of all
the Lord’s communications to His people. When therefore
He says to the angel of Philadelphia, “ou hast kept My
word,” (vs. 8) He signies that His people prized it as their
greatest treasure, and that they were individually governed
by, and in subjection to it; and that consequently He had
His rightful place of supremacy in their hearts and in their
service. Would that there were more collective purpose of
heart to win the same blessing and the same approval!
(3) “And hast not denied My name.” (vs. 8) “Name,” as is
usual in Scripture, is the expression of what Christ
is as revealed to His people and will include, therefore
the truth of His person and work, as well as His authority,
as set forth by His full title, “Lord Jesus Christ.” It is
somewhat remarkable that it should be put in a negative
form; but it was, and is, no small thing to nd, in the
midst of declension, and even surrender of the truths of
redemption, if not apostasy, those who were collectively
keeping the Lord’s word and not denying His name. e
remnant in the midst of apostate Israel in the days of Ahab
are described in a similar manner, as those who had not
bowed the knee to Baal. To borrow another’s language:
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“It seems little; but in universal decline, much pretension and
ecclesiastical claim, and many falling away to man’s reasonings,
keeping the word of Him that is holy and true, and not denying
His name is everything.”
It is to the angel of this assembly in this condition that
the Lord says, “I have set before thee an opened door, and no
man can shut it.” (vs. 8) So it should be given that it is not
a door standing open, but one that the Lord has opened. It
would have been closed had He not opened it. is implies,
as we gather, that wherever the condition here indicated is
found, the Lord opens for His servants a door — a door
for His testimony and service, and a door which He will
keep open, whatever the hostile eorts to close it. It was
so in the Lord’s own service in the midst of Israel. To the
outward eye, He had but little strength; He was crucied in
(ek) weakness, He lived by every word that proceeded out
of the mouth of God. He truly did not deny His Father’s
name, and there was ever before Him, in spite of the craft,
malice and enmity of man, an opened door. To Him the
porter opened; and so too now to all who, in any measure,
possess the moral characteristics here given. We never
therefore need to be anxious about open doors for service;
our only concern should be to be in the state to be used,
and then a door will always be opened, even though there
be many adversaries.
Revelation 3:9
Promises follow. e rst concerns their ecclesiastical
surroundings: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of
Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold,
I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to
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know that I have loved thee” (vs. 9). (Compare Isa. 60:14.)
Who, then, are these claiming to be Jews? ere can be little
doubt that they are “those who found religion on ordinances
and not on Christ,” those who are governed by traditions
and ecclesiastical usages, and not by the Word of God,
those who make an “ecclesiastical pretension to a successional
God-established religion.” Not that these say, in so many
words, that they are Jews, but they do in eect, for they
distinctly take Jewish ground in their sacerdotal orders,
robes, rites, ceremonies, and temples, or “sacred” buildings.
And these have always been, when the law permitted, the
active persecutors of those who, refusing the old traditions
and usages, have sought to be guided alone by the Word
of God; and, when restrained, they have treated them with
harsh language and scorn. ey claim, through apostolic
succession from Peter who was the Jewish apostle, the
apostle of the circumcision, to be the divinely established
church; but it is of these the Lord says, they are “of the
synagogue of Satan,” not exactly are it, but of it; they belong
to the synagogue which is morally under Satan’s power.
In this day all such as are prominently before the world
occupy in the world’s eye the place of the church, while
those who with a little strength seek to keep the word of
Christ, and not deny His name, are, if noticed, despised.
But the time is coming when these relative positions
will be reversed, and those who are now exalted by their
pretensions shall come and “worship” before the feet of
Philadelphia, and know that she has been the object of the
Lord’s love.
Such comfort does the Lord administer to His true-
hearted and aicted people! It was His own path, scorned
by the religious leaders of His people, yea, rejected and
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crucied. Now He is the exalted One, and they will one
day have to bow the knee at the name of Jesus, and with
their tongues confess that He is Lord to the glory of God
the Father.
Revelation 3:10
We have, in the next place, a promise of another sort:
“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (vs. 10). e
meaning of “the word of My patience” may be gathered from
Revelation 1:9. John describes himself as “your brother, and
companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of
Jesus Christ.” e whole of the present interval is the time
of Christ’s patience, for He waits at the right hand of God
until His enemies shall be made His footstool; and He has
taught His people this,“and given the word that in teaching
directs the path and spirit and conduct of him that waits. ey
wait with Christ according to the word of His patience.” is
is a most blessed state of soul, for, unless we remember
the character of the present moment, we are tempted to be
impatient in the presence of the activities and power of evil;
but once we call in the thought of Christ quietly waiting,
and the fact that the longer He waits the more extended
will be the day of grace, our souls being encouraged will
nd rest in communion with Him. It was for this reason
that Paul prayed for the essalonians that the Lord would
direct their “hearts into the love of God, and into the patience
waiting for Christ” (2ess. 3:5). (“Patient waiting” is a
paraphrase; the word is really “patience” or “endurance.”)
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Philadelphia had enjoyed communion with the Lord in
keeping the word of His patience; and, as an incentive to
perseverance in this path, He ministers the suited promise
that He would keep her “from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell
upon the earth.” (vs. 10) is “hour of trial,” of which the
Lord speaks, is not the unparalleled sorrows of which we
read in Matthew 24, concerning which He says, “Except
those days should be shortened, there should no esh be saved:
but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt.
24:22). is is the Jewish tribulation, connected with the
Antichrist, and conned to Jerusalem and Judea; but the
hour of temptation of our scripture (coincident as to time
possibly, and even springing from similar causes, inasmuch
as the head of the Western Empire and the Antichrist will
be associated) is to come “upon all the [whole habitable]
world.” (vs. 10) e object of this permitted trial is “to
try them that dwell upon the earth.” (vs. 10) is does not
mean the inhabitants of the earth. It is a moral expression
to denote those who, as in Philippians 3, mind earthly
things; those in fact who, having refused God’s testimony,
have their thoughts, aections and desires conned to and
bounded by this present world.
But it is asked, Will not all God’s people, the whole
church rather, be kept from this hour of trial? Undoubtedly
so, for indeed it will not arrive until after the church is
caught away to be forever with the Lord. But the point
is, as also in some respects in all the promises to the
overcomers, that the needed encouragement for the saints
in their special circumstances is thus ministered. e Lord
had spoken of the word of His patience which the angel
of Philadelphia had kept; and from this we gather that this
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assembly existed, or, if we speak of prophetic Philadelphia,
does exist, in the presence of a large display of the power
of evil; and this called for, and through grace they had
exhibited, much patience in intelligent fellowship with
their Lord. It was to the saints in these circumstances the
Lord gave this promise, wherein He reminded them that
the time was coming when there would be a universal
and almost unhindered display of evil; but they should be
kept out of it, because they were keeping the word of His
patience. ereby He ministered present sustainment and
consolation to their hearts, in reminding them that in this
future season of ery trial they would have found their
eternal joy in His own presence.
Revelation 3:11
Still further encouragement follows — “Behold, I come
quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown” (vs. 11). (e word “behold” should be omitted.)
is assembly is surrounded with evil of every kind. Jezebel
holds undisputed sway in yatira, Sardis has a name to
live and is dead, and so is corporately characterized by
lifeless profession; and hence Philadelphia needs no small
delity and energy to cleave to the Lord and His truth in
such circumstances. ere are many seasons, in such a time
as the present, when the subtle temptation to question
presents itself, Is it any longer possible to maintain the
honor of the Lord and His truth? With all that calls itself
Christian in opposition, might it not be better to pursue an
individual path? It is to meet this wile of the enemy that
the Lord utters these words. He knows and sees the stress
of the conict; and, as beholding it, He would cheer His
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faithful ones in the prospect of His coming to maintain the
struggle, even until their hands, like the hand of Eleazar
the son of Dodo, are weary, and cleave to their swords.
e force of the words is, “I am coming quickly; hold fast
what thou hast until I come, that no man take thy crown,” the
crown of My approbation and smile. It is as if one saw a
shipwrecked sailor clinging to a spar, and cried, “Hold on,
I am coming!”
Blessed Lord, ou seest the diculties of ine own
in keeping y word, and not denying y name! ou
knowest all their feebleness, and how they are nearly
overwhelmed by the rising waters around. Keep them
therefore ever in recollection of this word, that ou
art coming quickly, and thus strengthen their faith, and
encourage their hearts. Only thus will they be kept from
losing their crown.
Revelation 3:12
We have next the promise to the overcomer: “Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of My God;
and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the
name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which
is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My
God: and I will write upon him My new name” (vs. 12). e
character of the overcoming in this assembly is specially to
be observed. ere is no evil indicated to be withstood and
overcome; it is not even perseverance in delity that is urged
upon the saints, even at the cost of a martyr’s death, as in
Smyrna; but overcoming here is simply maintaining. “Hold
that fast which thou hast;” (vs. 11) “him that overcometh,” (vs.
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12) that is, in holding fast, “will I make a pillar,” (vs. 12)
and so forth.
It will also be noticed that the promise to the overcomer
has reference to Philadelphia’s present condition. Here, it
has little strength; the Lord would make the overcomer “a
pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out”
(vs. 12) — stability and permanence marking his condition
in contrast with feebleness here, and transitoriness. Here,
keeping the word of Christ constituted the overcomer’s
crown, above with Christ, he should have written upon
him “the name of My God,” (vs. 12) the expression of all that
God is as revealed in Christ, and unfolded in His word;
“and the name of the city of my God … new Jerusalem,” (vs.
12) the display of God’s glory in the church in her gloried
condition (see Rev. 21:10); “and my new name,” (vs. 12) for
here the overcomer had not denied the name of Christ.
My new name, “the name not known to prophets and Jews
according to the esh, but which He has taken as dead to this
world (where the false assembly settles down) and risen into
heavenly glory” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:515). It is intimate
association with Christ, as shown from the repetition of
the word “My,” in every variety of His heavenly glory — in
His own relationship to God, to the church in her public
display in glory as the dwelling-place of God, and in His
own personal gloried condition as Man at the right hand
of God.
Revelation 3:13
e proclamation “He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (vs. 13) closes the
epistle; and well might we, in the presence of this gracious
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communication, unite in fervent supplication both for the
hearing ear and the understanding heart.
Laodicea
Everything which God has entrusted to man in
responsibility has utterly failed. Adam in paradise, Noah in
the new earth, Israel under law, the priesthood, prophets,
and kings — all alike failed in their several positions. e
church, alas! is no exception to the general rule; for in
Laodicea we behold its nal condition as estimated by
Him whose eyes, as He walked in the midst of the seven
candlesticks, were as a ame of re. And again, it should
be remembered that the root of the state of this assembly
is found in Ephesus — in the loss of her “rst love.” It was
there the decline commenced, and, whatever the gracious
interventions of God to recover His people, this decline
continued, expressing itself, as we have seen in various
and widely dierent forms, until at length the limits of
divine forbearance are reached, and the Lord declares His
unalterable purpose of “spueing” the church, as the vessel
of testimony, out of His mouth. He nally rejects, as His
witness, that which bears His name on the earth.
Revelation 3:14
It is this hopeless, and now irremediable, condition of
Laodicea which accounts for the special characters the
Lord assumes in His presentation: “And unto the angel of the
church of the Laodiceans write; ese things saith the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation
of God” (vs. 14). (As a great deal has been made of the
use of Laodiceans, it may be mentioned that the correct
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reading is Laodicea, and not, as in our version, Laodiceans.)
All these characters express what the church should have
been for God in the world; but having falsied every one of
them, and thus become a false witness, the Lord presents
Himself as the One in whom they have all been veried
and secured. God will have His glory maintained. He will
permit His people to have the privilege of making it good;
but on their failure, He will Himself vindicate His own
name.
(1) First, then, Christ is the “Amen.” e key to the
meaning of this word may be found in 2Corinthians 1,
where we read, “For all the promises of God in Him [the
Son of God, Jesus Christ] are yea, and in Him Amen, unto
the glory of God by us” (2Cor 1:20). at is, in Him is the
armation, and in Him is the conrmation of the truth of
all that God has spoken. So here the Lord, as the Amen,
presents Himself as “the fulllment and the verier of all the
promises” of God. e church, we repeat, should have been
this but, having forgotten her heavenly calling and the
source of her power and blessing, she has found a home in
a scene where the Lord Himself was rejected. She has in
this way; become the denial of, instead of being the Amen
to, the promises of God.
(2) Connected with being the Amen, Christ is also
“the faithful and true witness” (vs. 14); and He was that
both concerning God and man. Here it is probably in
the former aspect He is seen, as God’s faithful and true
witness. is, as before noticed, from the very gure of the
golden candlestick found in the rst chapter, is what the
church was intended to be in this world. e Apostle Paul
therefore, writing to the Corinthian assembly, says, “ye are
manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ” (2Cor. 3:3).
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But how could an assembly that in its own estimation was
rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing, be
the faithful and true witness of Him who, when down here,
had not where to lay His head?
(3) He was, moreover, “the beginning of the creation of
God.” (vs. 14) Adam, the responsible man, was the beginning
of the rst creation; but in the cross of Christ the rst man
came to his end before God, he was forever judged and
set aside, and has been once and for all superseded by the
Second Man, the Lord from heaven. As soon as Christ
came into the world He was the second Man; but He did
not take that place until He was risen from the dead, the
Head now of a new race, as well as the Head of His body
the church. It is Christ, therefore, as risen and gloried,
who is the beginning of the creation of God, and it is
to Him in this condition that the church, which is His
body, is united by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven;
and hence it is that the church “ought to have displayed the
power of the new creation by the Holy Spirit; as if any man is
in Christ, it is a new creation, where all things are of God.”
Instead of that, as Laodicea testies, she has become
the expression of her own importance, covetousness and
earthly-mindedness. What an immense consolation then
it is, in such a state of things, to look upward and to nd
that, while everything has slipped from our grasp, to our
own shame and confusion of face, God nds the perfect
answer to all His own thoughts of grace, and has secured
all for His own beloved people in Christ.
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Revelation 3:15-16
e condition and judgment of Laodicea are now
given — “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor
hot … So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold
nor hot, I will spew thee out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16).
Laodicea bore the name of Christ and presented itself in
the world as the church. Such was its moral condition.
Its principal feature was indierence, springing from
the want of heart for Christ and expressing itself in that
spurious charity which regards all “religious” beliefs as alike
good, provided there be sincerity. ere is consequently
lukewarmness: no zeal for Christ and no hatred of sin, but a
mild self-complacent toleration of all and of all things. is
humanity was substituted for Christ, and, as a consequence,
philanthropy for religion. As has been written long ago,
“It would not renounce Christ, would keep up profession, but
would sacrice nothing for Him, it would keep the church’s place
and credit, yea, claim it largely on many grounds as a body; but
spiritual power, in individual association of heart with Christ
or trouble for Him, was gone.”
Such was the condition of Laodicea as discerned,
infallibly discerned, by Christ; and it was nauseous to Him;
He abhorred it and therefore declares irrevocably that He
will spew it out of His mouth. He does not say when He
will do so; but the decree has gone forth from His lips and
will never be recalled. Its meaning is that He will totally
and forever reject the assembly as His public witness, His
responsible light-bearer in the world. is is its primary
application; but surely every individual believer may learn,
both for instruction and warning, that nothing, no state or
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condition, is so displeasing to Christ as lukewarmness or
indierence.
Revelation 3:17-18
e Lord, in the next place, exposes the cause of the
condition He condemns and though He has pronounced
judgment, He indicates the remedy: “Because thou sayest, I
am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;
and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and
poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold
tried in the re, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see” (vss. 17-18). (is should read rather, “And eye-
salve to anoint thine eyes.” e eye-salve must be “bought”
of Christ, equally with the gold and the white raiment.)
As may be gathered from Deuteronomy 8, and other
scriptures, the danger in the wilderness for God’s people
is that of murmuring and unbelief, the danger in the land
when surrounded with blessings is that of self-suciency
and self-exaltation. It is into this latter danger that
Laodicea has fallen. Possessing all the light of the Word
of God and familiar with the spiritual blessings which are
the church’s acknowledged portion, she forgets the source
of her wealth, and ascribes all to herself. It is she who is
rich and increased with goods, and has need of nothing.
In other words, she makes everything of man, and nothing
of Christ — save to use His name for her own exaltation.
“In Laodicea, all that they professed to have, all that man could
estimate the value of, was false and human. I do not mean mere
outward riches, but all that could give a larger pretension to
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wisdom and knowledge and learning, perhaps a pretended
fuller view of Christianity itself.”
And what exists today as the counterpart of this
description? What is it that will nally form Laodicea?
It is, in one word, rationalism — that rationalism which is
currently under the name of broad church theology, and
which is daily on the increase, occupying a large place in
the Anglican establishment and has almost completely
ooded whole elds of dissent. For the teachers of this
school bend all their eorts to eradicate the distinctive
truths of Christianity; to rehabilitate the rst man,
notwithstanding he has forever been judicially set aside in
the cross of Christ; and they are never weary of proclaiming
that the light of reason of their own minds is all-sucient
to guide them both in deciding what is the Word of God
and also in their journey through the mazes of this world.
It is their perpetual boast that they are enriched with all
the accumulated treasures of the science, philosophy and
civilization of the nineteenth century. Yea, truly, according
to their own estimate they have need of nothing!
But what is the estimate of Christ? He says, “ou art
wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;”
(vs. 17) and more than this, He says that Laodicea does
not know that she is in this miserable plight. What a
dierence between the thoughts of Christ and those of
this assembly! She claims superior knowledge! He says she
is utterly ignorant! She revels in her fancied wealth and
possessions! He says that she does not possess one single
thing. Which estimate then are we to accept? Remember
in answering this question that the Lord had surveyed this
assembly with eyes that were as a ame of re, testing and
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penetrating into the real character of everything that met
His gaze.
Remember, too, that it is He into whose hands all
judgment has been committed. Can you doubt then
which is the true verdict? When will souls learn that man
as man is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked? And this assembly, by its vain self-suciency,
her self-importance fed with pretended light from human
sources, had gotten “o the ground of Christianity, and on
to that of the world or natural man;” and hence her sad and
lamentable condition.
Nothing could show out more fully the Lord’s tender
grace and long-suering than the counsel He gives to
Laodicea under these circumstances. She has turned wholly
away from Christ, except in profession; and yet He would
fain draw her attention to Himself as her only source of
recovery. Let us then look at what He so graciously proers.
ere are three things — “Gold tried in the re” (vs. 18) — a
well-known symbol of divine righteousness, which in
Christ, as has been remarked by another, is never separated
from life; “white raiment,” (vs. 18) which, as may be seen
from Revelation 19, sets forth the righteousnesses of saints,
the fruit of the power of the Spirit following upon the
possession of, and upon the becoming, God’s righteousness
in Christ; and the “eyesalve,” (vs. 18) or unction of the Holy
One (1John 2:20), which is the only source of spiritual
perception and intelligence. e exhortation “to buy” these
things of Christ will be readily understood in the light of
other scriptures. (See Isa. 55:1; Matt. 25:9-10.) It is simply
a gure of grace, buying “without money and without price.”
(Isa. 55:1)
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Concerning the signicance of this counsel of the Lord,
we transcribe the following words: “ey are the divine gifts
and power of Christianity in contrast with what man possesses
as man, with that of which he can say, ‘Gain to me’ — man’s
conscious possession of that which gives importance and value to
man in his own mind … What was wholly wanting was what
was divine and new in man … ey are specically divine
things connected with man’s rejection and acceptance in Christ
alone, to be had only in Christ and from Christ, and nowhere
else; not an improvement of man, but what was divine, found
in and obtained from Christ” (Collected Writings of J. N.
Darby, Vol. 2, “Expository”).
Revelation 3:19
Down to the end of verse 18, the Lord addresses the
angel of Laodicea. In Revelation 3:19, in view of the
possibility of individual believers being found in this
corrupt assembly, He announces a general principle of His
dealing with His people, and then, as standing outside,
appeals for admittance to anyone who should hear His
voice. e principle then is, “As many as I love, I rebuke and
chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent” (vs. 19). at this
principle is applicable to those in relationship with Christ
(compare Job 5:17-18; Proverbs 3:11-12; Amos 3:2; Heb.
12:5-11.) will scarcely be questioned. It lies indeed at the
foundation of God’s governmental ways with His people in
this world, and hence the exhortation, “Be zealous therefore,
and repent.” (vs. 19) e Lord thus warns any of His people,
as well as those who were only professors, that His rod was
already lifted up and that, unless there were repentance,
He must let it fall for chastening and rebuke. Precisely the
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same thing is seen in the discipline He exercises at His
table. “If,” says the apostle, “we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged;” and again, “when we are judged, we
are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned
with the world” (1Cor. 11:31-32). It is therefore out of
the tenderness, out of the love of His own heart that this
warning proceeds. He never aicts willingly; but if His
people continued deaf to His entreaties and appeals, He
loves them too well to allow them to pass on unrebuked
and without chastening.
Revelation 3:20
In the next verse we have rst the position which the
state of Laodicea has compelled Him to assume: “Behold,
I stand at the door, and knock.” (vs. 20) e church on earth
is God’s habitation through the Spirit, and yet we nd in
this scripture that Christ is constrained by the condition
into which it has fallen to be outside. Remembering
the candlestick character of the assembly here, this
interpretation may perhaps be questioned. But while it
is true that He is outside the hearts of those addressed,
seeking admittance, it is also to be remembered that Christ
is not within Laodicea, for in no sense could it now be said
to be God’s habitation through the Spirit. Judgment is not
yet executed; He has not yet spewed it out of His mouth;
but He has taken His place outside. So also we read in the
Gospel of Matthew, immediately on His passing judgment
upon the temple and Judaism in the words, “Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate,” that He “went out, and
departed from the temple” (Matt. 23:38; Matt. 24:1). It is
the same with Laodicea; it has become man’s house, not
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God’s — a testimony therefore, not to Christ but to man’s
own importance and self-suciency. In sorrow, and as we
know, from the analogous case of the departure of the glory
from the temple (Ezek. 10-11), reluctantly, the Lord unable
to bear longer, consistent with who He is, with the moral
corruption and perversion of the truth, which had become
associated on earth with His holy name, will go forth and
forever take His place outside the professing church. And
let it not be overlooked that, even though Laodicea may
not, so far, be fully developed, the Lord may act in this
manner, even now, in respect of individual assemblies. (In
fact, though that which will form Laodicea is plainly seen
on every hand, the actual time of its full presentation as
Laodicea is not stated, nor when it will be spewed out of
the Lord’s mouth. See Introduction.) If one of these falls
morally into correspondence with Laodicea the Lord could
not sanction it by His presence in the midst, for in such a
case the saints could no longer be said to be gathered unto
His name.
If, however, the Lord has denitely taken His place
outside of Laodicea, He has not abandoned any of His
own who failing to discern that the Lord has departed may
still be inside. Hence He says, “Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock.” (vs. 20) Full of long-suering and grace, He
waits upon any who may have been carried away by the
seductions around them, lulled to sleep by the atmosphere
in which they have been living, and with urgent appeals
seeks to arouse them out of their lethargy. He thus stands
at the door, the door closed upon Himself, and knocks if
perchance any true-hearted but slothful saint, like the bride
in the Song of Solomon (Song of Sol. 5), may respond,
should there be even one such who shall hear His voice
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and open the door, He says, “I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with me” (vs. 20). e order of the
possible response is to be observed. ere is rst hearing
His voice — His call to repentance — and then opening the
door. Now the bride heard His voice, but lacked the energy
to open the door until it was too late. It is not enough,
therefore, to hear His voice; many believers found, alas! in
evil associations do this but remain where they are; and so
it may be with saints in Laodicea, unless, indeed, in His
mercy the Lord lays hold of them as the angels did Lot in
Sodom and compels them to open the door.
e door being opened (“if any man … open the door”
(vs. 20)), how rich the blessing realized. First, “I will come
in to him” — not into Laodicea; its doom is sealed; but in
to him, to him who by grace had opened the door. And
coming in He will manifest all His grace. “I will sup with
him” (vs. 20); that is, “I will come down to where he is, and
have fellowship with him in his things.” How wondrous
His condescension! But if He rst will sup with him
who has opened the door, it is that He may lead him up
into the higher blessedness of supping with Himself, of
having fellowship with Him in His things, communion
with Himself, the most exalted privilege though intended
for every saint, and the most blissful enjoyment, that any
can possess whether in time or in eternity; for it is the
realization of our perfect association with Christ.
Revelation 3:21
e promise to the overcomer is of a very dierent
character from that in Philadelphia. It is, “To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I
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also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne”
(vs. 21). Overcoming here would be hearing the voice of
Christ, and opening the door to Him; for this involves a
judgment of the Laodicean condition, and separation from
it morally. Everyone then, thus overcoming, should sit with
Christ in His throne. He Himself had overcome (see John
12:31, John 16:33, though this is not all that He overcame)
and was set down with His Father in His throne; and in like
manner the overcomer in Laodicea should sit with Him in
His throne. It is promised association with Himself in the
public display of glory in the kingdom. Innite grace surely,
and yet a very dierent character of blessedness from the
intimate and heavenly association with Himself promised
to the Philadelphian overcomer. Both alike are the gifts
of His grace, but the gifts are manifestly in relation to the
path and testimony of each while upon the earth, in the
scene of the Lord’s rejection.
Revelation 3:22
Finally, as in the three previous communications, the
proclamation to him that “hath an ear” (vs. 22) closes the
letter. And this proclamation is still sounded out, with
increased energy, among the people of God. Oh! that
it might both nd and create many an opened ear, that
the hearers rousing themselves from their supineness
and indierence may listen to “what the Spirit saith unto
the churches,” (vs. 22) and that, through grace, they may
receive strength to judge all they are connected with by
the unerring standard of the living Word; so that, taking
their place apart from the evil, they may have the girded
loins and the burning lights while awaiting the Lord’s
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return. (It is to be particularly observed that there is no
allusion to the coming of Christ in this letter. e reason
may be that, as stated in the Introduction, while the Lord
may morally reject that which will constitute Laodicea at
the rapture of the saints, He may not execute His public
judgment upon it till after the saints are with Himself, just
as Jerusalem was not publicly judged for more than thirty
years after Pentecost. He will then let the world see that
He has removed His candlestick.)
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Revelation 4
123
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Revelation 4
Introduction
A distinct section of this book commences with this
chapter. When John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, he
was commanded to “write the things which thou hast seen, and
the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter,”
or more accurately, “the things which shall be after these”
(Ch. 1:19). e rst chapter contains the things he saw,
the second and third chapters comprise “the things which
are;” that is, the whole church period, and in Revelation
4 we enter upon the things “after these”; that is, after the
church period on earth. is interpretation is borne out
by the language employed in the rst verse of our chapter:
“Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be
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hereafter” (Ch. 4:1); literally, “after these,” the very words
found in Revelation 1:19. To miss this divine division of
the book is to lose the key to its understanding.
Two prefatory remarks must be made to enable the
reader to commence intelligently the study of this part
of the inspired Word. e rst is, that while we have no
account here of the rapture of the saints, of the church
being caught away to meet the Lord in the air (1ess.
4), the church is yet seen in heaven. It is quite true that the
twenty-four elders may include other saints than members
of the body of Christ (this will be explained afterward);
but the church, if with others, is represented by the elders,
and is therefore no longer on earth. It does not fall in
with the purpose of this book to state the period of, or to
describe, the rapture; it is nevertheless supposed. Laodicea
might be still on earth, whatever the name she may have
assumed, when the fourth chapter opens all true believers
(Christians), are above, with the Lord.
Revelation 4:1
e second thing to be observed is that John’s point of
view, standpoint, is changed. In Revelation 1 he is on earth
and he saw in a vision Christ, “like unto the Son of Man,”
(Ch. 1:13) on earth in the midst of the seven churches
examining, judicially examining their state, and setting
forth in the seven epistles His infallible judgment of their
condition, together with suited encouragements, warnings,
and promises. Here John beholds “a door was opened in
heaven: and the rst voice which I heard was as it were of a
trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither.” (vs.
1) It is from heaven, the only true place of vision, he is to
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view and describe the events which are to take place on the
earth.
It may further be remarked that both Revelation 4
and 5 form a kind of introduction to the various actions
and judgments afterward recorded, laying as it were the
foundation on which all proceeds, or giving the ground on
which God resumes His dealings with the earth, both with
Israel and the Gentiles, in judgment.
Revelation 4:2-3
e moral connection between verses 1 and 2 is
exceedingly beautiful. John had received the command,
“Come up hither” (vs. 1); and He who gave the command
bestowed, as ever, the requisite power for compliance with
it. He tells us, “And immediately I was in the Spirit.” (vs. 2)
is expression will indicate, as pointed out in Revelation
1, that John, similarly to Paul in 2Corinthians 12, was rapt
away in the power of the Spirit, from earth and earthly
scenes, and for that time he was so characterized by the
Spirit that he would be unconscious of bodily existence.
Whether in the body or out of the body he would not know,
and thus there would be nothing to impede his reception
of these divinely given visions. He was in this way qualied
to become the vessel of these revelations.
ereon he proceeds to describe what he saw: “And,
behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight
like unto an emerald” (vss. 4:2-3).
e rst thing that John saw, when in the Spirit, was a
throne. Our translation does not exactly express the sense of
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the original. It is not that a throne was “set” for the occasion,
as might be supposed, but rather that a throne “stood” in
heaven; and it was the throne as standing there that met
the gaze of John. e idea of government is necessarily
associated with a throne. e government of the earth,
from the day that judgment had been executed upon the
kingdom, the metropolis of which was Jerusalem, had been
committed to the Gentiles. (See Dan. 2.) But God never
abdicated His rights or ceased to govern by His providence
the nations of the earth (Dan. 4:24-35). He had retired
from His throne in the midst of Israel, but His throne was
xed in heaven, and from that throne He not only “ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will,”
(Dan. 4:32) but also as a consequence He held those to
whom He had committed the government responsible to
Himself. If Israel had failed, and if, with greater privileges,
greater light and more power, the church has failed as
God’s witness and light-bearer on the earth, so also have
the Gentile depositaries of power. In Revelation 2 and 3
we have seen Christ judging the church, and we have heard
His nal sentence — that He would utterly reject it as His
vessel of testimony. In this chapter the preparation for
the judgment of the world — the nations — comes before
us, and hence the rst thing noticed is God’s stable and
righteous throne.
ere is also one sitting on the throne, and His
appearance, the apostle tells us, was “like a jasper and a
sardine stone.” (vs. 3) In Revelation 21 we read that the New
Jerusalem, when she descends out of heaven from God, has
“the glory of God,” (vs. 11) and that her light — that is, the
light of this glory — is “like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone” (Rev. 21:10-11). It is interesting also to
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notice that in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest the
sardius (sardine) was the rst and the jasper the last of the
precious stones (Ex. 28), these two including, as it were, all
the rest. (Both are also found in the twelve foundations of
the heavenly city; but here the jasper comes rst [the glory
being at the beginning, so to speak, instead of at the end,
as in Judaism] and the sardius is the sixth.) More cannot
be said than that these two stones are divinely chosen as
emblems of the glory of God, as displayed in His righteous
government according to what He is; for it is this glory
John was permitted to behold.
e next feature is the “rainbow round about the throne,
in sight like unto an emerald.” (vs. 3) How gracious of God
to remind His servant, just as He is about to unfold the
long series of judgments wherewith He will smite the
earth, of His everlasting covenant with this creation! (Gen.
9.) In the midst of His wrath He will remember mercy.
is rainbow too is in appearance like unto an emerald;
this may signify the fact that the issue of all God’s dealings
with the world will be seen in the eternal freshness and
beauty of that new earth, together with the new heavens,
of which John speaks in Revelation 21.
Revelation 4:4
Another thing the apostle pauses to describe before
proceeding, “And round about the throne were four and twenty
seats: [e word is really thrones, and not “seats.”] and upon
the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white
raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold” (vs. 4).
Who then are the elders? Two things mark them — white
raiment and crowns of gold. e rst of these things speaks
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of their priestly character (Ex. 28:39-43), and the second
as plainly tells of their royal dignity. In one word, they are
those who through association with Christ (though not yet
in display) are kings and priests. John himself, when he
breaks forth in adoration in the name of the saints, uses
these two terms. (We do not here enter upon the question
of readings, whether “kings” or “kingdom” is to be preferred.
e truth remains the same [Rev. 1:5-6].) e reason for
the number twenty-four is found in 1Chronicles 24:1-4.
When David distributed the priests into courses he found
there were twenty-four heads of the priestly families, and
hence there were that number of courses; and these twenty-
four heads were consequently representative of the whole
priesthood. In like manner the twenty-four elders (the
principle being known in Scripture) are taken to represent
not only the saints of this period, but also the saints (all
who are Christ’s) who share in the rst resurrection. For
it should ever be borne in mind that, while only believers
since Pentecost are members of the body of Christ, He will
yet call out of their graves on His return all the saints of
every previous dispensation.
It should moreover be noted that the elders are “round
about” the throne. e word given here as “round about”
(vs. 3) is not the same as is translated in the same way in
verse 6. e following note will explain the dierence: “I
use ‘round’ (the word in verse 4) for what is connected with
anything — I do not say united to — as a center, as the tire of
a wheel; ‘around’ (the word in verse 6) for what is standing
as a circle outside, around anything.” It follows that more
than any the elders are more intimately connected with the
throne; and remembering that they themselves are seated
on thrones, we understand at once the wondrous position
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of favor and exaltation which they occupy in this scene.
is would be unintelligible to us did we not know that,
according to the counsels of our God, we have already been
brought, through the death and resurrection of Christ, into
the acceptance of Christ Himself before God.
Revelation 4:5-6
And it is this fact alone that explains to us the possibility
of the elders sitting in peace around what is really a throne
of judgment, and while there proceeded out of it “lightnings
and thunderings and voices,” (vs. 5) ever in this book the
heralds and accompaniments of the display of God’s
judicial power. (See Rev. 10:3; Rev. 11:19; Rev. 16:18; and
more.)
ere were also “seven lamps of re burning before the
throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the
throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal” (vss. 4:5-6).
e number seven characterizes the Holy Spirit in this
book (see Rev. 1:4; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 5:6), symbolic, that is,
of the fullness or plenitude of the Spirit’s power in the
connection indicated. In the next chapter, the Lamb is said
to have “seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth
into all the earth” (Ch. 5:6) — a gure expressive of perfect
intelligence in the government of the earth according to
God. But here it is seven lamps of re burning, not on the
earth, but before the throne. Fire expresses, consistently, the
holiness of God in judgment, and we learn therefore that
the judgments; which God is about to execute will be in
the perfection of the power of the Spirit, according to the
immutable standard of the holiness of the divine nature.
What a dierence from the present power and activity
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of the Holy Spirit in the church, or from His power in
testimony to the world through the gospel! is feature
alone should have preserved any from confounding “the
things which are” with the “things after these.”
With respect to the sea of glass like unto crystal, it
has been signicantly remarked, “No altar of sacrice is in
view, as if it were a time of approach; the brazen laver has
glass instead of water. It is a xed, accomplished holiness, not
a cleansing of feet.” e door indeed has been shut (Matt.
25), the Holy Spirit has departed with the church, and
consequently is above, and not below; and the interval
between the rapture of the saints and the appearing of
Christ in glory is therefore for the prophetic world marked,
not by grace, but by judgment.
Revelation 4:6-8
Another thing meets the eyes of the rapt apostle: “And
in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were
four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the rst beast
was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third
beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a ying
eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about
him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day
and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which
was, and is, and is to come” (vss. 6-8). (e four “beasts” is
entirely dierent from that translated “beast” in Revelation
13. In these cases it is properly “beast,” setting forth the
embodiment of the evil energies of man; but in our chapter
it is simply living things or creatures; and thus “living
creatures” [as in Ezekiel 1] will be used in speaking of these
cherubic forms of existence.)
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e reader will be interested to compare these living
creatures and those in Ezekiel 1 with the seraphim in
Isaiah 6, with the cherubim in the tabernacle and temple,
and also with the cherubim in Ezekiel 10, and in noting
their characteristic dierences. e following remarks will
aid in the examination: “ey [the living creatures] have
some of the characters of the cherubim, some of the seraphim,
but somewhat dierent from both. ey were full of eyes, before
and behind, to see all things according to God, and within;
having also six wings, perfect in inward perception, but given
perception, and in the rapidity of their motions. ey embraced
also the four species of creation in the ordered earth — man,
cattle, beast of the eld, fowl of the air — these symbolizing
the powers or attributes of God, themselves worshipped by the
heathen, here only the instruments of the throne. Him who sat
on it the heathen knew not. e intelligence, rmness, power,
rapidity of execution which belong to God were typied as
elsewhere by them. ey are symbols. Divers agents may be
the instruments of their activity. But though there was the
general analogy of the cherubim — judicial and governmental
power — these had a peculiar character … e symbols used
here become clearer through these cases [in the tabernacle,
Isaiah, and Ezekiel]. e living creatures are in and around
the throne; for it is a throne of executory judgment, with the
attributes of cherubim united to it. But it is not, as in Israel,
mere earthly providential judgment — a whirlwind out of the
north [Ezek. 1:4]. ere is before us the government of all the
earth, and executory judgment according to the holiness of God’s
nature” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:519-521).
Such are the living creatures; and their occupation,
as given here, is that of incessant praise — praising
God according to the revelation of Himself in the Old
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Testament — namely, as “Lord God Almighty, which was,
and is, and is to come;” (vs. 8) the eternal God, who ever
is — and embracing all the past, and all the future in His
ever-present and blessed existence. It is to Him the living
creatures unceasingly cry, Holy, holy, holy. ey celebrate
what He is in Himself.
Revelation 4:9-11
When, moreover, they “give glory and honor and thanks
to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever,
the four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on
the throne, and worship Him that liveth forever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ou art worthy,
O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were
created” (vss. 9-11). It has been remarked “that the living
creatures only celebrate and declare; the elders worship with
understanding.” All God’s works will praise Him; but it is
only the redeemed who have the mind of Christ and can,
through the Holy Spirit, enter into and have fellowship
with the things of God, whether in grace or in judgment.
When, therefore, God is praised by the living creatures, the
elders “are all activity, own all glory to be His, are prostrate
on their faces, and cast their crowns before Him, more blessed
in owning His glory than in having their own.” And the last
words of their adoration show clearly the ground taken in
this chapter. ey praise Him as the Creator, and express
their sense of His consequent sovereign claims over all His
creatures. It was His will alone that called them into being,
and it was by reason of His will alone they continued to
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exist. us, dependent on their Creator, they are surely
amenable to Him for judgment.
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Revelation 5
135
56650
Revelation 5
Introduction
If in Revelation 4 God is celebrated as the Lord God
Almighty, and as worthy to receive glory and honor and
power as the sovereign Creator, in this chapter it is the
Lamb who is worshipped, and who is proclaimed with
adoration to be the worthy One because of His suering
death, and the redemption He thereby has wrought. Every
word of the chapter is consequently replete with instruction.
Revelation 5:1
First, John records: “And I saw in the right hand of Him
that sat on the throne a book. written within and on the back
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side, sealed with seven seals” (vs. 1). It should be observed
that while God is seated on the throne and John speaks of
the character of His glory (Rev. 4), and even of His right
hand, there is yet not a word used inconsistent with the
fact that “God is a Spirit.” We are made to feel that He is
sitting on the throne, rather than being permitted to see
Him. e book, written within and on the back, would
be like the ordinary rolls of those days, written on both
sides; and its being sealed with seven seals imports that it
was perfectly sealed, its contents unknown because shut
up by divine power. It is undoubtedly the book of God’s
counsels respecting the earth, not His eternal counsels, but
His purposes, not yet unfolded or made good, concerning
the world.
Revelation 5:2-6
After the book was thus introduced, a strong angel
appears on the scene and cries with a loud voice, challenging,
as it were, the whole universe, “Who is worthy to open the
book, and to loose the seals thereof?” (vs. 2) ere was no
response to the challenge; for, in truth, there was not one
from Gabriel downwards, of all God’s creatures who had
the requisite qualication to undertake the task. John, on
this account, “wept much, because no man [no one] was found
worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon”
(vs. 4). en one of the elders — not the angel, notice, but
one of the elders — for it is these alone who possess the
intelligence of God and of His ways (compare Rev. 7:13-
14), said unto him, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof” (vs. 5). It is the Messiah
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of prophecy who is thus indicated, though as we shall see,
the Messiah who had been rejected and “slain,” and was
now, in consequence, exalted to the right hand of power.
Jacob had thus spoken: “Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the
prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a
lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” (Gen. 49:9)
And the very next verse speaks of the coming of Shiloh,
unto whom the gathering of the peoples should be (Gen.
49:9-10). “e Lion of the tribe of Judah,” (vs. 5) therefore,
tells of the irresistible, all-conquering power of Messiah in
conict with His enemies. (Compare Psa. 18:37-42.) e
“Root of David” sets Him forth as David’s Lord rather than
as David’s Son — the Root here, not the Ospring. In this
presentation we have, then, the Messiah in the truth of
His divine Person, combined with His victorious power
in conict. John “beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne
and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a
Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth”
(vs. 6). What a contrast between the thoughts of God and
the thoughts of man! “A Lion, the Root of David.” What
majesty, dignity, visible display of strength, energy, and all-
commanding power might we expect to behold! But no;
it was a Lamb, and “a Lamb as it had been slain” (vs. 6)!
Ah! here is the divine secret of His exaltation, and of His
having prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven
seals thereof. Let us examine this wonderful exhibition
more in detail.
e rst thing demanding attention is the position the
Lamb occupies. He is here shown as the prominent object
in heaven — God’s object, and the object of all those who
surround the throne. As we therefore contemplate Him as
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the all-absorbing object of heaven, so then in the measure
in which He is the object of our hearts, we are thus in
communion with the mind of God. is privilege is ours
of delighting in Him in whom God delights. But, more
exactly, the Lamb is seen to be the central object of the
throne. He is in the midst of the throne, and of the four
living creatures, and in the midst of the elders. As it has
been interpreted, “e rejected Messiah was in the midst of
the divine throne, and within all the displays of providence
and grace,” as exemplied respectively by the four living
creatures and the elders.
In the next place, His characteristics are to be considered.
He has seven horns. A horn is the emblem of power, and we
thus learn that He possesses (it is a question of earth now,
not heaven) all power, the perfection of power, over the
earth; and the seven eyes proclaim His perfect intelligence,
wielded in the power of the Spirit, for the government of
the earth according to God. And let it be repeated, that
the fact of His having been slain, whereby the cross and
the throne are connected, constitutes the ground of His
present supremacy and power, as well as His qualication
to make good upon the earth in government the purposes
of God. He is thus alike the ground and object of all God’s
ways and purposes.
Revelation 5:7
Having presented to us the Lamb, as it had been slain,
and exhibited His perfect qualications — qualications
acquired through shame, rejection and death, the action
of taking the book out of the right hand of Him that sat
upon the throne is described. What a moment for heaven
Revelation 5
139
was this! On earth all was confusion and corruption.
Man, energized by Satan (we speak of the future it will
be remembered), was dominant, rejecting God and
demanding divine honors for himself (2ess. 2). Who
could step into such a scene, curb the power of evil, re-
assert God’s authority, govern the nations righteously, and
cause the earth to be lled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea? e answer is here given. It is
the slain but now exalted Lamb; and He gives the pledge
of what He is about to do in taking the book out of the
right hand of God.
Revelation 5:8-10
e signicance of His action is understood by heaven;
for as soon as “He had taken the book, the four beasts and four
and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every
one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the
prayers of saints. And they sung [It should be rather “sing.”]
a new song, saying, ou art worthy to take the book, and to
open the seals thereof: for ou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us [e word “us” should probably be omitted. Still, if so, it
is the redeemed represented by the twenty-four elders who
are indicated, only they are in the background, because it
is the worthiness of the Lamb they celebrate, rather than
their own redemptive blessings.] to God by y blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast
made us [If we omit “us” in the preceding verse, “them”
should be read here instead of “us,” and “they” for “we” in
what follows.] unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on the earth” (vss. 8-10).
e Visions of John on Patmos
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In the rst place, the living creatures and the elders alike
upon the Lamb taking the book prostrate themselves before
Him; and we are told that they all had harps, and golden
“bowls” full of odors which are the prayers of the saints. It
is not quite clear whether “every one of them” includes the
living creatures. Strictly speaking, as has often been pointed
out, “having” applies only to the elders. If so, it would be
only the elders who had the harps, and golden vials full
of odors. As yet the harps are silent; for the moment the
elders are seen as priests. In what way the prayers of saints
are presented through them, or who are the saints spoken
of is not revealed. It is, however, certain that the gloried
saints do not need to pray, and it may therefore be well
concluded that it is the saints on earth, whose prayers are
symbolized by these odors. (Compare Rev. 6:9-11, and
Rev. 8:3-5.) May it not be that the direct intervention of
God, while in accordance with His own purposes, is yet
in answer to the cry of the suering remnant upon earth?
(See Luke 18:7-8.)
Revelation 5:9-10
Following upon this action, they celebrate His praise. A
new glory of the exalted Lamb being displayed, they sing
a new song the subject of which is His worthiness to open
the seals of the book, because of His having been slain, and
because of the redemption He had thereby wrought for
His people. Let the following striking words explain this:
“What seemed His dishonor and rejection on earth was
the ground of His worthiness to take the book. He, who at all
suering and cost to Himself had gloried all that God was,
was able and worthy to unfold what made it good in the way
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141
of government. It was not the government of Israel, but of all
the earth; not merely earthly chastisements according to God’s
revelation of Himself in Israel, but the display in power of all
God was in the whole earth. He who had gloried all He was,
and redeemed, by the gospel of what He was through His death,
out of all the earth, was the t One to bring it forth in power”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:523). He was therefore not only
worthy, but the only worthy One in the universe, to make
good on the earth the glory of God, on account of what He
had suered, the death of the cross.
But, blessed be His name, He had through His precious
blood which had been shed redeemed souls to God from
every quarter of the globe, and had associated them with
Himself as kings and priests to God, assuring them
thereby that when He should establish His kingdom, they
should reign with Him “over” the earth. It is no wonder
that the contemplation of the worthiness of the Lamb and
of these divine unfoldings of God’s glorious ways in grace
and power bowedthe hearts of the living creatures and the
elders before the Lamb, and called forth such strains of
melody, strains that will become the lips of the redeemed
throughout eternity. And it is more wonderful still that,
with such revelations, the redeemed on earth may, even
now, anticipate this eternal occupation and so nd relief
for their overcharged hearts in singing the worthiness of
the Lamb.
Revelation 5:11-12
Another class now appears upon the scene: “And I beheld,
and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne
and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was
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ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honor, and glory, and blessing” (vss. 11-12). In reading this
response of the angels to the celebration of the worthiness
of the Lamb by the elders, it is impossible not to recall the
well-known lines —
“Hark! ten thousand voices crying,
‘Lamb of God!’ with one accord;
ousand thousand saints replying,
Wake at once the echoing chord.
‘Praise the Lamb,’ the chorus waking,
All in heaven together throng;
Loud and far each tongue partaking
Rolls around the endless song.
Grateful incense this, ascending
Ever to the Father’s throne:
Every knee to Jesus bending,
All the mind in heaven is one.”
And it is so, for the praise of the angels, awakened by the
song of the elders, though on another ground, shows the
perfect concord of heaven in the adoration of the Lamb.
ere are several distinct points to be noticed for the
fuller understanding of the scene. It should, then, be
observed that this myriad of worshipping angels form, if
the words may be used, the outer circle of the heavenly
hosts; they are round about the throne, and the beasts, and
the elders. In the ineable grace of God, the redeemed,
as being in Christ, are brought into a nearer place than
the created intelligences that have never fallen from their
Revelation 5
143
creature perfectness! is is a well-known truth, but how
little do we apprehend it in power. Moreover, the angels, as
often remarked, say and do not sing their praises. It is only
those who are redeemed, as Scripture everywhere shows,
who can utter their praise in song. ere are also, it will be
seen, seven things they proclaim the Lamb as worthy to
receive; that is, He is worthy to receive all things. It is the
ascription to Him of all possible exaltation, dominion, and
blessing.
Besides this, it has been signicantly remarked, “I can
hardly doubt that a change in administrative order takes place
here. Until the Lamb took the book, they [the angels] were
the administrative power. [is may be seen everywhere in
the Old Testament, where angels continually appear upon
the earth as the executants of God’s will.] ey were the
instruments through which, what the four living creatures
symbolized was exercised on earth. ‘But unto the angels hath
He not put into subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.’
Hence, as soon as the Lamb appears and takes the book, as soon
as the idea of redemption is brought in, the living creatures and
the elders are brought together, and the angels take their own
place apart. Like the living creatures before, they give no reason
for their praise” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:523).
Revelation 5:13-14
e praise, commenced in heaven, descends, and spreads
abroad, over and under the earth as well as throughout
the sea, until every sentient thing unites in the adoration
ascending to “Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb forever and ever” (vs. 13). is is the song of redeemed
creation, in unison with the song of heaven, earth being
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now (here in anticipation) in perfect accord with heaven
in the worship of God and the Lamb. It is important to
distinguish between “under the earth” in Philippians 2:10
and the same words in verse 13 of our chapter. In truth the
phrases in the original are very dierent. In Philippians
infernal beings (demons) are indicated; whereas in
Revelation it is merely creatures under the surface of the
earth — “on the earth, and under the earth” (vs. 13) being
used to include everything that has life. is can be seen
in Psalm 150:6. Redeemed creation ascribes but four
things to the Lamb, perhaps because four is the symbol of
completeness on earth, even as seven, as seen in the angels’
celebration, is that of absolute perfection.
e four living creatures add their “Amen” to the song of
creation, and the elders fall down and worship. (e words
“Him that liveth forever and ever” (vs. 14) should be omitted.
e Lamb is the prominent object of the chapter.) ey
have already oered their vocal praises, and now they are
silently on their faces, their hearts lled and overowing
with unutterable adoration.
Revelation 6
145
56658
Revelation 6
Introduction
e direct action of this part of the book now commences,
in accordance with its character, with a series of judgments.
Revelation 4 and 5 are as we have seen preparatory and
introductory; they unfold to us the scene in heaven in
relation to the events which are about to take place on the
earth. Man may sever earth from heaven; but God, in spite
of the will and evil energies of man, still holds the reins of
government, whatever the instruments He may be pleased
to employ, in His own hands. To borrow language: “God’s
ways are behind the scenes; but He moves all the scenes which
He is behind. We have to learn this, and let Him work, and
not think much of man’s busy movements; they will accomplish
e Visions of John on Patmos
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God’s. e rest of them all perish and disappear. We have only
peacefully to do His will.”
Revelation 6:1-2
A striking illustration of this truth is found in the rst
verse of our chapter. John says: “And I saw when the Lamb
opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder,
one of the four beasts saying, Come [and see]. And I saw, and
behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a
crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and
to conquer” (vss. 1-2). (ere is considerable doubt as to the
authenticity of the words enclosed in brackets — “and see,”
as also in verses 3,5,7. If accepted, the address is manifestly
to John; if omitted, it would hardly be so, though it may
be generally to call attention to what follows. Various
interpretations have been oered, and some of them very
fanciful.) e important point to be observed is, that the
coming forth of the white horse on earth is the result of the
Lamb opening the seal in heaven. e rider might be acting
entirely from his own will, but here we are permitted to see
the source of his activity. He might be wholly ignorant of
it, but none the less he is the instrument of the divine will.
Lust of conquest might be his sole motive, just as it was in
the case of Nebuchadnezzar in days of old, only God in
His innite wisdom knows how to make the wrath of man
to praise Him in the accomplishment of His purposes.
Who then is this rider upon the white horse? Before this
question is answered, the reader must be reminded that,
in accordance with the interpretation given on Revaltion
4, the events here symbolized are wholly future. ere
are those who, missing the truth of the church and the
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147
church’s hope, regard this scripture as already fullled; and
having ransacked the records of the past, they will point to
certain events which, in their judgment, correspond with
these symbols. is is to turn prophecy into history, besides
ignoring, as already noticed, the threefold division of this
book made by the Lord Himself (Rev. 1:19). It is quite true
that there are often foreshadowings of the fulllment of a
prophecy, even as the rst Napoleon, itting across the stage
of the world, was by his energy and rapidity of conquest
an undoubted shadow of the nal head of the Roman
Empire, if not indeed the seventh head, of whom the angel
said, “When he cometh, he must continue a short space” (Rev.
17:10). But it is a mistake to suppose that, because striking
agreements with the thing predicted can be detected, you
have found its complete fulment. We need, therefore,
to be on our guard; and then, when we understand the
structure of the book, and that all after Revelation 3 relates
to the future, we shall be kept from vain surmisings, and be
able reverently to pursue our inquiry.
Returning then to our question, we must, in order to seek
the answer, attend to the details here given. e prominent
object is the white horse. To maintain, as some have done,
that because the Lord Himself comes out of heaven on a
white horse (Rev. 19:11), it is also Christ on the white horse
here is to overlook the plainest teachings of this vision.
A horse is often used in Scripture as a symbol of God’s
power in His providential government (see Zech. 1:8-11);
and the white horse, from the analogy of Revelation 19,
would seem to be connected with the exercise of victorious
judgments, all-conquering might in conquest. e rider
has a bow, setting forth his warrior character; and a crown
was given unto him. (We append the following note from
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the New Translation by J. N. Darby: “Or ‘had been given
to him’; that is, it is not expressive of a particular time. He
had one which was given to him. But it is the same tense as
‘went forth.’”) e import of this statement will be that this
mighty conqueror, used as others have been in past ages
for the execution of God’s judgments upon earth, is not a
monarch when he rst appears, but one who obtains a crown
by his energy, his strategy or his victories. e powers that
be are ordained of God, and hence, though this successful
warrior may even seize his crown, it is yet given to him.
is is saying too much; for while “the powers that be” are
ordained of God up to the rapture of the saints, it would
seem that God does not recognize any power as derived
from Himself in the interval between the rapture and the
appearing of Christ. e crown therefore will be given by
man. Lastly, he goes forth conquering and to conquer; no
one, and nothing, can withstand his seemingly irresistible
power, as he marches on through victory to victory.
Such is the divine portrayal of a mighty conqueror
who will arise hereafter as the blind instrument, like
Nebuchadnezzar, of God’s vengeance upon the nations of
the earth. Who he will be is impossible, in spite of the
pretensions of men, to forecast; but from indications given
in this book, it may be that the picture nds its counterpart
in the rst “beast” of Revelation 13; that is, the imperial
head of the western empire. (Rev. 6:1-8; see also Rev.
17:10-12.)
Revelation 6:3-7
e next three seals may be referred to in fewer words.
ere are two points in them common to the rst: the
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149
event on earth follows upon the opening of the seal in
heaven, and it is one of the living creatures in each case
that calls attention to the eect of opening the seal. is
latter point aids in the understanding of the character of
the event; for if the living creatures are emblems of the
attributes of God as displayed in creation and are seen in
heaven as connected with the throne, a “throne of executory
judgment,” it is evident that we are here upon the ground
“of the providential course of God’s dealings” — dealings in
judgment, it must be remembered, by which He is about
to make good His character in government on the earth.
But, as has been written, “ey have God’s voice in them,
the voice of the Almighty; which the ear of him who has the
Spirit hears. ese [the consequences on earth of opening
the seals in heaven] complete the providential plagues as
spoken of in Scripture. en direct judgments follow. ese
[the providential plagues] are what we may call preparatory
measures” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:525). e principles thus
laid down will enable us to grasp more intelligently the
following parts of the vision.
On the opening of the second, third, and fourth seals
other horses appear, red, black, and pale — all emblematical
of their mission. In each of these cases, as it would seem, the
rider is less prominent than in the case of the rst, being, as
it were, bound up with the horse so as to present a single
idea. us the second horse is red, a color connected with
blood-shedding; and, in agreement with this, it is given to
the rider to take away peace from the earth; and the period
would be characterized by internecine warfare, men should
kill one another; and of all this the great sword given to
the rider is but a symbol. Nor must it be overlooked that
this second horse may be intimately associated with the
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rst; so also the third and fourth with their predecessors.
It is what will mark the time of which John writes, and
of which the Lord Himself had forewarned His disciples.
(See Matt. 24:6-7.)
Famine is set forth by the black horse, an almost
invariable result, as history testies, of prolonged wars and
conicts. e quantity of wheat and barley needful for
the barest sustenance would be sold for a penny; that is, a
denarius. It has sometimes been noticed that a measure of
wheat was the daily allowance for a Roman soldier. But in
the midst of widespread desolation and want, God thinks
of the needs of His creatures and limits the eects of the
famine by sparing the oil and the wine.
Revelation 6:8
Pestilence plainly characterizes the fourth horse; for his
color is pale, and his name that sat on him was Death; and
Hades, the abode of the dead, followed, as if, in the striking
meaning of the gure, to gather up as its prey those whom
death or the pestilence might destroy.
ere was, moreover, “power was given unto them over the
fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger,
and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” (vs. 8). War,
famine, pestilence, and the plague of wild beasts are now
crowded together (as they have often been) as attendant
upon, or the results of, the “judicial scourges.” ese are
what Ezekiel calls God’s four sore plagues (Ezek. 14:21;
compare also Rev. 5-6); and these are the weapons with
which He will one day deal with the earth on account of
her iniquity. We have said “the earth”; it is really the fourth
part of the earth. e “third part” is a prophetic expression
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151
for the Roman Empire; and accordingly we gather that
these fearful judgments will be limited in their area; and
that the whole of the Roman earth will not be visited.
ey will constitute, as preparatory inictions, solemn
warnings, God’s call to those who can recognize His hand
to humiliation and repentance. (Compare Rev. 11:13.)
Revelation 6:9-10
With the opening of the fth seal an insight is
vouchsafed into the condition of the remnant testimony
during the procession of the events associated with the
previous seals: “And when He had opened the fth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of
God, and for the testimony which they held” (vs. 9). ere will
thus be persecution and that of the severest kind. As the
Lord Himself, speaking of this same period, forewarned
His disciples, “en shall they deliver you up to be aicted,
and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My
name’s sake” (Matt. 24:9; compare Rev. 12:17). e Holy
Spirit will have departed with the church; the will of man
and the power of evil will be unbridled; it will be man’s
hour and the power of darkness, and the consequence will
be relentless animosity against all who maintain the word
of God and the testimony of Jesus. ese witnesses for
God will undoubtedly be Jews, quickened Jews, who will
come into the place of testimony after the saints have been
caught up into the air to be forever with the Lord, and
who will form the persecuted remnant so often referred
to in the Psalms. at they are not Christians is shown
from their cry for vengeance, as well as indeed from the
name in which they address God. ey do not possess the
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Spirit of adoption; they cry, “O Sovereign Ruler, (such is the
rendering given in the New Translation) holy and true” (vs.
10).
Revelation 6:11
But their cry is heard; for “white robes were given
unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they
should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants
also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were,
should be fullled” (vs. 11). e following words explain
this scene: “eir being under the altar means simply that
they had oered their bodies, as sacrices for the truth, to God.
e white robes are the witness of their righteousness — God’s
declared approval of them … I do not think giving white robes
is resurrection” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:525). Indeed, the
fact that others were yet to be martyred proves that it is
not; for we afterward read, “And I saw the souls of them that
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years” (Ch. 20:4). Here we have the complete company of
God’s faithful witnesses, who, during the interval between
the coming of Christ for the church and His appearing,
did not count their lives dear unto them, but sealed their
testimony with their blood, and who are now seen to have
the blessed recompense of enjoying being part in the rst
resurrection. e witnesses of our chapter belong to this
company, and meanwhile white robes are bestowed upon
them in token of God’s approval and recognition of their
delity.
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153
Revelation 6:12-14
e Lamb now opens the sixth seal: “And, lo, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth
of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of
heaven fell unto the earth, even as a g tree casteth her
untimely gs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the
heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places” (vss. 12-
14). at this, in accordance with the nature of the book, is
symbolical language is evident (See Rev. 11; Rev. 12; Dan.
8-10.); and hence the meaning is that, consequent upon
opening the sixth seal, there will be “a violent convulsion of
the whole structure of society,” whereby all order and every
form of government, supreme, derivative, or subordinate
(sun, moon, stars), will be overturned and, for the time,
destroyed. e world has witnessed many such moral
earthquakes, among the most notable of which was the
French Revolution of 1789, that which France recently
celebrated. It was probably the most violent outburst
against God that has ever been seen since the cross; and
yet such is the spirit of the age, that Christians could be
found to assist at its centennial commemoration!
Revelation 6:15-17
e eect of this awful commotion is next described.
Every class of society, from the kings of the earth down
to the poor slaves, are lled with abject terror. ey had
been making themselves happy without God; but while,
like Belshazzar, they were feasting themselves to their
hearts’ content with their wicked enjoyments, the whole
framework of man’s order on which they had been
e Visions of John on Patmos
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reposing in fancied security is smitten and shattered into
ten thousand pieces. God does not appear in the judgment;
but man has a conscience, and thus it is, in the presence
of this dire visitation, that all alike are apprehensive of the
wrath of God and of the Lamb. Ah! where now is man’s
courage? His warriors even tremble in the felt presence of
a God whose very existence they had hitherto denied, and
with one accord they seek to hide themselves, as they cry
to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of
the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall
be able to stand?” (vss. 16-17). at day had not yet come;
but in the terror of the moment, inspired by the awful
events through which they are passing, they anticipate it,
and their consciences rightly tell them that they will not be
able to stand before the God whose fear they had utterly
cast o, and before the Lamb whom they had scorned and
rejected when once He rises up to execute His judgments
in the earth.
Revelation 7
155
56666
Revelation 7
Revelation 7:1-3
at the great day of the Lord’s wrath, though anticipated
in Revelation 6, had not yet come is plainly seen in this
chapter. Before that could arrive, God’s elect of Israel had
to be marked out for preservation, and an innumerable
multitude of Gentiles are to be brought through the great
tribulation. is chapter therefore constitutes a kind of
parenthesis between the sixth and seventh seals. e rst
six seals were opened in immediate succession; but now
there is a pause, and our attention is directed to an action
from heaven in relation to Israel, and to those about to be
redeemed from among the nations, before the last seal is
broken. We read, “And after these things I saw four angels
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standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds
of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor
on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending
from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried
with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to
hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God
in their foreheads” (vss. 1-3).
Angels, as ever, are the ministers of God’s providential
government. Here they are seen in the character of the
executors of His judgments. (Compare Matt. 13:41-
42,49-50; Isa. 37:36.) ey are presented here indeed as
the restrainers of the powers of evil, as well as the executors
through these, in God’s own time, of His vengeance. ey
stand upon the four corners of the earth, the whole earth
(the number four being the symbol of earthly completeness)
being under their delegated control. Note also that they hold
(“hold fast”) the four winds of the earth. e four winds are
symbols, as one has written, “of those disturbing elements,
existing in all quarters, which God can at His will let loose in
judgment.” Daniel thus said, “I saw in my vision by night,
and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great
sea” (Dan. 7:2). e sea in this scripture, as in our chapter,
represents the nations in a state of tumult or commotion
(compare Rev. 13:1), while the earth sets forth rather the
nations in the enjoyment of ordered government. Trees are
often used in Scripture as gures of the great ones of the
earth. (See Dan. 4:19-22; Ezekiel 17:31.)
We learn then that no judicial scourge or chastisement
can fall upon the nations in the enjoyment of ordered
government, upon the seething mass of the peoples when
characterized by insurrection or revolutionary violence, or
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157
upon the kings or princes of the earth until permitted of
God; nay, until He sends it, even as He formerly sent the
surrounding nations to punish His people Israel for their
sins and transgressions.
We learn, secondly, that God’s government of the world
is in view of His people. e command given to the four
angels by the angel ascending from the east was, that they
were not to hurt the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, “till
we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”
(vs. 3) In like manner, when judgment was about to fall
upon Jerusalem, the Lord caused a mark to be set upon the
foreheads of the men that sighed, and that cried for all the
abominations that were done in the midst thereof (Ezek.
9:4), and this faithful remnant was preserved in the midst
of the overowing scourge.
Revelation 7:4-8
e angel that ascended from the east had the seal of the
living God. It has been thought by many that this angel is
no less a personage than our blessed Lord. It is undoubted
that He does appear in this book (as we may be permitted
to see) under the guise of an angel; but here we prefer
leaving the answer undecided. e dierence between this
sealing and that of believers now with the Holy Spirit will
be at once perceived by the instructed reader. Believers of
this dispensation are sealed immediately upon receiving
the forgiveness of sins, and they are sealed unto the day
of redemption (Eph. 4:30). e 144,000 of this chapter
are sealed with the seal of the living God for preservation
through the judgments that will fall upon the world, and
which will constitute for Israel the day of Jacob’s trouble
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(Jer. 30:4-9; see also Matt. 24:21-22); and they are sealed
for blessing on the earth in the kingdom of their glorious
Messiah.
is 144,000 are composed of 12,000 from each
tribe. (It will be noticed that Dan is omitted, whereas
in Deuteronomy 33 Simeon is omitted. e reasons for
these omissions are not known, but many conjectures are
oered.) e number is symbolical. Twelve is the number
of administrative perfection of government in man; and
it thus appears in the foundations, gates, and dimensions
of the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21). It will mean, therefore, a
perfect number reserved for the kingdom, and through
whom Messiah will govern the nations upon the earth.
ey will not all be gathered in, though all are foreknown,
at the same time; for only two tribes will be in the land
when Messiah appears in His glory; and it will not be until
after He has established His throne, that He will fetch
the ten tribes out of their hiding-places, and after He has
purged out the rebels in the wilderness, bring them back to
the land (Ezek. 20:33-44; Jer. 30). But every one who has
the seal of the living God on his forehead will be preserved
and will, at the appointed time, be restored to blessing in
Immanuel’s land.
Revelation 7:9-10
Following upon this, we are introduced to another class
who will be brought in safety through the unparalleled
troubles which are yet to occur. “After this I beheld, and, lo,
a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
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159
their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to
our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb” (vss.
9-10). It should be remembered that this vast multitude
is seen in a vision, and that therefore at the time of the
vision they were not yet existent, much less delivered;
but before the great tribulation, God permits His servant
to see the issue of His ways of grace in the midst of His
governmental judgments (Rev. 7:14). is innumerable
throng of Gentiles (for they are composed of “all nations,
and kindreds, and people, and tongues”) are the elect of God’s
purpose for earthly blessing outside of the elect of Israel,
those, therefore, who will be preserved through the hour of
temptation (not kept out of it, as the church will be (Rev.
3:10), but saved through it) which shall come upon all the
world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. It may be
added that they are nowhere else spoken of in Scripture;
it is, in fact, a new revelation, and one that shows the
victorious energy of God’s grace in the face of the most
complete display of Satan’s power that the world will have
ever witnessed.
eir position is before the throne, and before the Lamb.
e heavenly saints, as typied by the four and twenty
elders, are seated on thrones round about the throne; these
stand before the throne, and before the Lamb. e dierence,
with its import, will at once be perceived; and, in fact, as will
be afterward seen, this multitude, while occupying a very
special place of blessing, are still on earth. ey are clothed
with white robes, fruit of the ecacy of the blood of the
Lamb (vs. 14). It may be rather that, while the blood of the
Lamb is the fundamental and ecacious cause of all their
blessing, the white robes may indicate moral suitability to
their position. ey had maintained practical holiness. ey
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have palms in their hands — the emblem of their victorious
deliverance. But if victors, they have overcome, as another
class in Revelation 12, “by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the
death.” (vs. 11) e ascription of praise which they render
is also very dierent from that of the heavenly saints in
Revelation 5. ese cry (they do not sing), “Salvation to
our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
(vs. 10) Redemption is not the ground of their praise; it
is rather their deliverance (salvation — salvation through
their unequaled sorrows) which they celebrate, although
they ascribe all to God, God in His government, and to the
Lamb “as having the title to the government and deliverance
of the earth as a present thing.”
Revelation 7:11-12
e angels enter now upon the scene, and worship God
prostrate on their faces before the throne, “Saying, Amen:
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor,
and power, and might, be unto our God forever and ever. Amen”
(vs. 12). “e four living creatures and the elders do not worship
here, because their own relationships were dierent, and these
are not what are spoken of here” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:527).
ey are interested spectators of the homage which the
white-robed multitude render to God and the Lamb, but,
“naturally, salvation to the Lamb was not their own part of
the song,” for they had ever stood in their own creature-
perfection; and hence they, having added their “Amen” to
the praise of the multitude, worship their God, ascribing to
Him their sevenfold theme of praise (Compare Rev. 5:12),
and sealing it with another “Amen.”
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161
Revelation 7:13-14
Having been permitted to see, through John, the
victorious and worshipping Gentile throng, their character
and blessing are now unfolded. “And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed
in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him,
Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, ese are they which
came out of [the] great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (vss.
13-14). Note rst how every family in heaven is interested
in the activities of God and the Lamb both in grace and
government, and also how closely the gloried in heaven
is bound up with the redeemed on earth. It is only in our
minds that heaven and earth are so widely sundered. e
angels, as we have seen, delight in beholding this Gentile
throng; and now one of the elders steps forth (otherwise
we would not have known that they were in the scene),
and as commissioned, explains to John who this multitude
is. First, then, they have come out of the great tribulation.
It is not only, as in our translation, great, but emphatically
the great tribulation, the time referred to, as already
indicated, in Revelation 3:10. It is not the same thing as
“Jacob’s trouble,” though undoubtedly connected with if not
springing out of it; and it will occur during the three years
and a half of the antichrist’s fearful sway, sustained as he
will be by the head of the western empire, the rst beast of
Revelation 13. It is to this same period our blessed Lord
refers when He says, “For then shall be great tribulation, such
as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24:21). He speaks of the Jewish
trouble, while “the great tribulation” has reference to the
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oppression and persecution through which the Gentiles
will have to pass. In the contemplation of this fearful event,
it is no small consolation to nd that God will use the
unexampled sorrows of that day, if on the one hand for the
chastisement of the haughty peoples of the earth, on the
other hand for the blessing of this vast throng of souls. ey
will come out of this terrible tribulation, and, moreover,
they will have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. It is most interesting to note that in
all dispensations every family of the saved will alike have to
trace all their blessing back to the ecacy of the blood of
the Lamb. It may again be remarked that in Scripture we
are never said to wash our own robes in the blood of Christ;
but garments were always washed, as in the case of the
leper, in water. e meaning may therefore be, that being
under the virtue of the blood of the Lamb, this multitude
had preserved themselves from the contaminations around
through the Word of God.
Revelation 7:15
e character of their blessing is next given: “erefore
are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night
in His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them” (vs. 15). We have before given the explanation
of their position “before the throne of God,” and the very next
sentence conrms the interpretation that they occupy this
blessed position on earth; for we are expressly told that
there is no temple in heaven (Rev. 21:22). “ey are not only
as Israel in the courts, or the nations in the world: they have a
priest’s place in the world’s temple. e millennial multitudes
are worshippers — these priests. As Anna, the daughter of
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163
Phanuel, ever in the temple itself [where they, like her, serve
day and night] they have always access to the throne” (Synopsis,
J. N. Darby, 5:528-9). Besides this, God will, as with Israel
of old in the wilderness, spread His tabernacle over them,
the source of all their blessing.
Revelation 7:16-17
His presence thus enjoyed, as well as His guardian care,
“ey shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes” (vss. 16-17). Now, under the
shepherd (e word “feed” is better rendered “shepherd.”)
care of the Lamb, and enjoying His immediate protection,
guidance, and ministry, they are blessed forever; for they
should never more know hunger or thirst, but should be
abundantly satised; nor should persecution or sorrow ever
more reach them; for the Lamb Himself shall lead them to
“fountains of waters of life” and God shall wipe away “every
tear” from their eyes. ere will surely be not one of all this
multitude who will not, with overowing heart, confess
that their past sorrows are not worthy to be compared with
the ineable blessings on which they have now entered.
For though they are on earth, the reader will not fail to
remark that their blessings are described, at least in their
highest character, in the same way as those enjoyed in the
eternal state. Of this multitude, equally with those of the
new earth, it is said that God wipes away their tears. (e
question of the bodily condition of this multitude, whether
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in a changed state or not, is left unrevealed. Certainly their
blessings are of a very high order and permanent.)
Revelation 8
165
56673
Revelation 8
Introduction
To follow with intelligence the course of events
connected with the trumpets, it will be necessary to recall
what has already been considered. After the Lamb had
taken the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon
the throne and had received the homage and adoration of
both heaven and earth, as the One who alone was worthy
to make good the character of God in government in virtue
of His redemptive work, He proceeded to open the seals.
Six of the seven seals are opened in Revelation 6, and the
various events connected with them follow in succession.
Before the seventh is broken, the 144,000 of the elect of
Israel are sealed — sealed for safety and preservation — in
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view of the approaching judgments which will precede and
usher in the establishment of the kingdom of Christ. (See
Rev. 11:13.) ere is, moreover, the presentation of the
great multitude of Gentiles, who will be brought, according
to the purpose of God, through the great tribulation which
is about to come upon the whole habitable world. Before
therefore God lifts up His rod to smite His ancient people,
and also the nations of the earth, He permits us to see that
in the midst of wrath He remembers mercy; that while
Israel will be sifted “among all nations, like as corn is sifted in
a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth” (Amos
9:9); and that the terrible scourge which will be wielded in
judgment over the nations will not be allowed to destroy
one of that countless number whom He has named and
reserved for blessing. ough therefore His path is in the
sea, and He rides upon the wings of the wind, He cheers
our heart by unveiling to us the issue of His dealings in
judgment in pure and perfect blessing.
Another thing must be observed. ere is evidently a
break between the rst six seals and the seventh with its
developments. e rst six bring in preliminary judgments
which constitute perhaps “the beginning of sorrows,”
whereas the last introduces that period of “great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time,
no, nor ever shall be.” (See Matthew 24:8,21-22.) Bearing
this distinction in mind, it will be easier to follow the
subsequent events.
Revelation 8:1-2
We have then, rst of all, the opening of the seventh seal:
“And when He had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in
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167
heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven
angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven
trumpets” (vss. 1-2). Immediately upon the opening of the
seventh seal there follows, not the attendant juudgment as
in the previous cases, but silence in heaven for the space of
half an hour. Surely this expresses the solemnity of the crisis
which has now arrived. It is, as it were, a divine pause before
the iniction of the last and most awful judgments upon
the habitable world. e seven angels which stood before
God then appear, and to them are given seven trumpets.
It will be remarked that the trumpets are developed out of
the seventh seal.
Revelation 8:3-5
Before, however, the angels sound their trumpets, there
is the introduction of a brief but most signicant scene.
“And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a
golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that
he should oer [Literally, the word is “give”; that is, as to its
meaning, that He should give ecacy to their prayers.] it
with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was
before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came
with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of
the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and lled it
with re of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were
voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake”
(vss. 3-5). is scene is clearly in heaven, as marked by
the golden altar and the throne. e angel therefore can
be no less a personage than the great High Priest, the
Mediator between God and His people. e prayers of all
saints — saints on earth, it need scarcely be said — are seen
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ascending up to God upon the golden altar; but it is the
action of the “Angel” in adding the incense that gives the
ecacy to their prayers, for the smoke of the incense, with
the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of
the angel’s hand. is is a blessed familiar truth to every
believer, and one embodied continually in our hymns of
praise. For example — “Boldly the heart and voice we raise,
His blood, His name, our plea; Assured our prayers and songs of
praise Ascend, by Christ, to ee.”
Yes, we all know that it is Christ — Christ in all the
value of what He is to God, as having gloried Him on
the cross — that gives ecacy to the prayers of His people;
and it is this truth that is embodied in this symbolic scene.
But there is more. It is as an answer to the prayers of
the saints that the angel took the censer, and lled it with
the re of the altar, and cast it into the earth. at is, God
is pleased to associate His saints with Himself even in His
ways of judgment; and thus the judgments, set forth by the
re of the altar, are seen going forth in response to the cries
of His people. is plainly indicates who the saints are.
ey are the earthly saints after the rapture of the church,
the remnant so often appearing in the Psalms and pleading
for vengeance upon their adversaries. (See also Luke 18:7-
8.) e voices, thunderings, etc., are but varied symbols
of the dierent forms of divine power in judgment with
which this poor world is about to be visited.
Revelation 8:6-7
e seven angels in the next place “prepared themselves
to sound. e rst angel sounded, and there followed hail and
re mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and
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169
the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was
burnt up” (vss. 6-7). (In the best manuscripts, before the
statement that “the third part of trees was burnt up,” there is
found this clause, “And the third part of the earth was burnt
up.”) e form of these judgments is reminiscent of those
that fell upon Egypt. (See Ex. 9:22-26.) e language, of
course, is symbolical. “Hail” is often found in Scripture as
the expression of violent and destructive judgment (see
Josh. 10:11; Isa. 28; 30; Ezek. 38:22); “re” signies the
holiness of God as applied in dealing judicially with men,
with the thought of an all-penetrating and consuming
character; while “blood” will be indicative of death, but
death under the judgment of God. e expression, “the
third part of the trees,” points to the area of the judgments.
From Revelation 12:4 there can be little doubt that “the
third part” refers to the extent of the Roman empire. If this
be so, the prophetic Roman earth will be the scene of the
terrible judgments here following upon the sounding of
the rst trumpet. e objects of the devastating judgment
will be “trees” and “green grass.” If we connect this with
Revelation 7:1, it will be seen that the judgment is one of
those restrained by the angels there, until the servants of
God should have been sealed in their foreheads. e “trees”
here, therefore, will as there, mean the great ones of the
earth; while the “green grass” being burnt up would signify,
as it appears to us, the destruction of all general prosperity.
God at length has stepped in, and dealt with “the man of
the earth” in his pomp and pride and dried up at the same
time the sources of his wealth and greatness; but it is only
as introductory to even severer judgments.
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Revelation 8:8-10
e next, as connected with the sounding of the second
trumpet, is described as “a great mountain burning with re,”
which was “cast into the sea.” (vs. 8) A mountain in Scripture
is gurative of established power, and hence sometimes of
the seat of government. is symbol will accordingly mean
that some such power, kindling with re as God’s judgment,
is cast into the midst of the seething masses of the people,
as represented by the sea. e consequence is that “the third
part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures
which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part
of the ships were destroyed” (vs. 8-9). e extent of these
judgments is the same as that of those which precede, as
shown by the term “the third part.” All through the peoples
(the sea) of the Roman earth, the “blood,” the “deathful
power of evil” prevails. A third part of the creatures in
the sea that had life died; that is, as another has written,
“I suppose dying here to be departure from the profession of
association with God, public separation from Him, or apostasy.”
Indelity and atheism indeed always ourish in times of
great disturbances, social earthquakes and revolutions. e
destruction of the third part of ships points plainly to the
ruin of commercial means of prosperity.
Revelation 8:10-11
Upon the sounding of the third trumpet “there fell a great
star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon
the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
and the name of the star is called Wormwood: … and many men
died of the waters, because they were made bitter” (vss. 10-
11). A star is the symbol of authority in government, not
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supreme (for this is represented by the sun), but subordinate,
and one therefore, from the very emblem employed, who
should have been the source of light and order to men. But
he falls “from heaven,” from the place in which he had been
set by God (for “the powers that be are ordained of God”);
that is, he is now by his fall dissevered from all connection
with God, though he still burns, not as a star, but as a lamp,
and thus attracts by his light and radiance. He falls upon
and corrupts all the sources, the moral sources, of life, as set
forth by the rivers and fountains of waters. Accordingly his
name indicates the eects of his action, for a third part of
the waters (the sphere and range of his inuence) become
wormwood, bitter and poisonous to those who drink of
them, and consequently many die. (Compare Deut. 29:18;
Prov. 5:4.) An illustration of such an eect may often be
seen when one who has been prominent in the church of
God becomes unfaithful or apostate, and morally destroys
his hearers by indel teachings. In manifold ways it is
possible for those who have fallen from high places, whether
amongst men or in the church, to poison the sources of life,
and it is just this that will take place on a grand scale, alas!
at the fall of the star Wormwood.
Revelation 8:12
It is the governments of the earth that are aected
by the sound of the fourth trumpet (Rev. 8:12), and no
form of it escapes; for, as before pointed out, the sun is
a symbol of supreme authority, the moon of that which
is derived from the supreme, even as the moon derives
her light from the sun and reects it, while the stars as
plainly speak of that which is subordinate. Sun, moon, and
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stars, therefore, are an expression of every order of human
authority in government. Again, the “third part” appears
in these judgments; that is, they are as yet conned to
the Roman earth, to its western empire; and the eect is
that confusion and darkness reign instead of peace and
security. Little do men apprehend how much they are
indebted to orderly and stable governments. It is only in
insurrectionary or revolutionary periods, when thrones are
overturned and lawless passions reign supreme, that they
learn the value of the priceless blessings, which, in a human
sense, are connected with the maintenance of sovereign and
righteous rule. Hence the striking language here employed
to designate the dire consequences of the overturning in
judgment of “the powers that be.” “e day shone not for a
third part of it, and the night likewise” (vs. 12) that is, as
another has said, “Not only the public course of things was cast
into confusion and darkness — the day in sunlight darkened,
but the more private and hidden life of man lost the light that
guided it.”
Revelation 8:13
A division occurs between the rst four trumpets
and the last three, and this is marked by the last verse of
this chapter. “And I beheld, and heard an angel [ere can
scarcely be a doubt that “eagle” should be here substituted
for “angel.”] ying through the midst of heaven, saying with
a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by
reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels,
which are yet to sound” (vs. 13). As this solemn proclamation
(if it be not denunciation) forms the introduction to the
last three trumpets, comment upon it is reserved for the
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173
next chapter. e judgments following upon the rst four
trumpets have covered the whole of symbolic creation.
e earth, trees, grass, the sea, rivers, fountains of waters,
and the celestial bodies, all have been smitten — proof of
the unparalleled character of the sorrows and trials which
will compose what is termed “the great tribulation,” “the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10). But when God
arises to judgment, if men repent not, He will vindicate
His name and authority with ever-increasing severity; and
hence we nd that, terrible as the rst four trumpets have
been, they are surpassed in their judicial terror by the three
“woe” trumpets yet to be sounded.
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Revelation 9
175
56681
Revelation 9
Introduction
e last verse of the preceding chapter, as before stated,
belongs and is introductory to this chapter. Four of the
seven trumpets have already been sounded; and now John
is permitted to see in a vision the herald of the remaining
three which are yet to sound. (It is a characteristic of the
sevens in this book, that they are divided into fours and
threes, or threes and fours. Compare the division of the
parables in Matthew 13.) He beheld an eagle — for this
is the true reading — ying through the midst of heaven,
proclaiming a threefold woe upon the inhabiters of the
earth, by reason of the coming voices of the trumpets.
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e “inhabiters of the earth” is a moral expression, as in
Revelation 3:10; the words are the same, though dierently
translated. ey indicate a class; those whose hearts and
hopes are set upon earth, those who, in the language of the
Apostle Paul, mind earthly things. e judgments following
upon the preceding trumpets, if the interpretation given of
“the third part of the earth” be correct, are conned to the
west, whereas these, at least the fth and sixth, fall upon
the east; and this fact sustains the moral signicance of
the term, dwellers upon earth. It will, moreover, be seen
at a glance that the judgments of the “woe” trumpets are
of a very dierent character from those already passed
under review. is will be more clearly apprehended as we
proceed.
Revelation 9:1
We read then, rst of all, that “the fth angel sounded,
and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him
was given the key of the bottomless pit” (vs. 1). e symbolism
of a star has been explained in connection with Revelation
8:10; it means generally some subordinate authority or
power, one that should be the means of light and order
for the earth. It is evident in this case that he becomes,
if he had not been directly so before, a Satanic agent for
the iniction, by God’s permission, of torment upon the
class delivered into his hands. e key of the bottomless
pit (“the pit of the abyss”) is given (by whom is not said) to
him. We learn from the gospel of Luke that this is the place
which demons shunned to enter (Luke 8:31), and this at
once gives the clue to its character. If the four previous
judgments were providential, though inicted judicially by
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177
God, this, while still under God’s control, is diabolical in
its origin and nature.
Revelation 9:2-3
us, upon the bottomless pit being opened,“there arose
a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the
sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and
unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have
power” (vss. 2-3). What the smoke exactly represents it may
be dicult to say, but its source and eect are manifest. It
comes from the abyss, from hell, it obscures the sun and
the air, and shuts man o from all that is needful for his
moral and spiritual welfare. It is thus Satan’s smoke today
that darkens the Word of God from the souls of men, who
breathing it instead of the pure inuences of the Scriptures,
become morally poisoned and tormented; and this enables
us to understand the eect of the smoke here in darkening
the sun and the air.
Note, moreover, that the locusts come out of the smoke
upon the earth; they originate with, or are produced by,
the smoke. e prophet Joel gives us guratively an insight
into the terrible nature of the judgment God can inict
with actual locusts. Today there is no scourge more feared
in the east and in some parts of Africa, and none before
which man is more entirely impotent. Every green thing is
often devoured, and so dense are the masses in which they
move when they y, that sun and sky (as with the smoke
in this chapter) are entirely obscured. is will explain the
use of the gure here, and allows us, at the same time, more
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readily to conceive the character of the visitation indicated
by these moral locusts that have come out of the abyss.
Revelation 9:4
eir power is limited; for we read, “It was commanded
them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither
any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which
have not the seal of God in their foreheads” (vs. 4). Two things
are determined by this command; rst that, as before
stated, they are moral and not real locusts, because it is
precisely the herbage and trees of the earth that the natural
locusts ravage; and secondly, that the object of this awful
visitation is apostate Jews. We learn from Revelation 7
that the servants of God who were to be sealed in their
foreheads are the elect of the twelve tribes, and accordingly
those not sealed would be Jews outside of this elect
number. And from the subsequent unfoldings of this book,
it is very evident that the location of these unsealed Jews
will be, for the most part, if not entirely, in Jerusalem and
Palestine. is fact, and it is of great signicance, indicates
both the sphere and the character of the judgment. It is, in
other words, Jewish in its sphere and is conned to Jews.
rough missing these points, those who have adopted
what is termed the historical method of interpretation
contend that the plague here spoken of was realized in the
invasion of Europe by the Saracens and Mohammedans;
while others of the same school would combine Popery
with the Saracenic visitation. at this moral plague had
some correspondence with the language of our chapter
few would deny; that it is its entire fulllment, none
who accept its application to apostate Jews in Palestine
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179
could for one moment admit. Besides the locusts of our
chapter had no power to kill, whereas slaughter and that of
immense numbers was especially that which characterized
the Mahommedan inroads and conquests.
Revelation 9:5-6
e next two verses (Rev. 9:5-6) give the nature,
duration, and eect of this judgment. e “locusts” were not
permitted to kill, only to torment, and this for the space of
ve months. (For those who favor the application of this
prophecy to the Saracens, it is necessary to adopt the “year-
day” theory in explaining the ve months; that is, taking a
day to represent a year, the ve months are extended to the
period of one hundred and fty years; and this it is armed,
corresponds with the period of the Saracenic domination.
Unfortunately for the upholders of this view, the year-day
theory nds no support whatever in this book.) e eect
of the torment is that the subjects of it become weary of
their lives, desire to die, but death ees from them. Death
would be a relief from their agony, but, suering by God’s
appointment, covet it as they may, they are not permitted
to nd it. is torment is caused by the “locusts,” for “their
torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh
a man.” (vs. 5) Of the nature of this, whether mental or
otherwise, we are not told; but if, as we conclude, these
“locusts” are diabolical agents, the seat of the torment would
be in the soul rather than in the body.
Revelation 9:7-10
e shapes, appearance, armor, and so forth of the
locusts are now given (Rev. 9:7-10). ey were like war-
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horses prepared unto battle, kingly in their dignity, for “on
their heads were as it were crowns like gold” (vs. 7); together
with the faces of men, they had the hair of women, and the
teeth of lions; they had breastplates as it were of iron, “and
the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many
horses running to battle.” (vs. 9) e historical interpreters,
to whom allusion has been made, love to see in all this
description a faithful photograph of the Saracenic armies;
and if the inroad of these hordes in the seventh and eighth
centuries were even a partial fulllment, which became a
shadow of the entire realization, of this prophetic vision,
there might be some foundation for this contention. But
those who have a truer insight into the nature of the
Apocalypse will rather see in this detailed description
the moral features which will characterize the work and
activities of this legion of Satan in their cruel and judicial
mission. e following words will explain this to the
reader: “ey had the semblance of military imperial power,
crowned, and with masculine energy, to those that met them;
but they were, if seen behind and the secret disclosed, subject
and weak: their faces were as the faces of men, their hair as the
hair of women. But they were armed with a steeled conscience”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:531). Rapidity in execution would
seem to be indicated by the sound of their wings.
en after calling attention to the fact that their sting
was in their tails and repeating that their commission to
hurt men was limited to ve months, John reveals that
their king and leader is the angel of the bottomless pit
(the abyss), and that his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, in
Greek Apollyon. In both languages the meaning is nearly
the same — the former being — Destruction, the latter
Destroyer. Satan’s chief angel, the angel of the abyss, governs
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this destructive army; and the vengeance wielded falls on
those who bear the name of the people of God (Jews), but
who now, alas! have become apostates. It is under Satan’s
wiles and temptations that they have fallen from their high
estate; and now he, whose servants they have become, is
their vindictive enemy and tormentor. So is it always when
by his diabolical ingenuity he succeeds in entrapping his
prey, even though he be but a blind instrument to execute
the just judgment of God.
Revelation 9:11-15
e declaration is now made that the rst woe is past
and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter [after
these things] (Rev. 9:12). ereupon “the sixth angel
sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden
altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had
the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great
river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were
prepared for an” (it should be the) “hour, and a day, and a
month, and a year, [Rendering the hour instead of an hour,
the indenite article before day, month, and year should be
omitted] for to slay the third part of men” (vss. 13-15). e
golden altar is that mentioned in Revelation 8:3, the altar
of incense; and the voice that proceeds from its four horns
is without doubt that of God Himself; and coming out as
it does from the four horns will signify that all the strength
of the altar (a horn is an emblem of power) is against the
objects of the succeeding woe, and this probably, as in
chapter 8, in answer to the prayers of saints. All that God
is, is in favor of His people who approach Him through
Christ; but all that God is, is against His adversaries, and is
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seen to be so when He causes His judgments to fall upon
the earth.
e mention of the river Euphrates shows that this
“woe” takes its rise from the east and, inasmuch as the
“third part” reappears here, falls upon the Roman empire
in the east. e rst four trumpets concerned the western
empire; the fth, apostate Jews in Palestine; and now the
sixth deals with the eastern Roman empire, showing that
there is order and method in the judgments. Four angels are
the instrumentality of this woe. e reader will remember
that angels are the administrators of God’s providential
government; and we thus gather that this “woe” will spring
up apparently from human causes, that God’s hand will
not be made bare in it, though, as this scripture teaches,
the source of all that leads to it is in heaven. Unbelief
will discover nothing in it apart from man; but faith will
connect all with God.
Observe, moreover, that the exact time of this “woe” has
been divinely xed. e angels are prepared for the hour,
day, month, and year. What a striking proof of the fact
that God ever holds the reins of governments in His own
hand, and that nothing can be done by man without His
permission! How quietly then the believer may rest at all
times!
Revelation 9:16-19
e angels are loosed, and an army appears. e angels
are God’s providential agents. e army is expressive of
man’s power — man acting, it may be, solely from the lust
of conquest, and yet, at the same time, the executor of God’s
judicial will. It is an immense host — 200,000,000; and the
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weapons of their warfare are re, smoke, and brimstone,
emblems of God’s direct judgment, which issue out of their
horses’ mouths — while their tails were like unto serpents,
and had heads — portraying Satanic vengeance. e
heads of the horses, moreover, were as the heads of lions.
e whole imagery sets forth God’s judgment executed,
however, through Satan’s craft and power, portending an
unparalleled woe. e eect is, that “the third part of men”
(vs. 15) are “killed, by the re, and by the smoke, and by the
brimstone” (vs. 18). And it would seem, from the general
statement in verse 19, that with their tails “they do hurt,” (vs.
19) that others, if not killed, fall under the direct inuence
of this terrible judgment.
What then does this vision of judgment shadow forth?
e interpreters of the historical school answer at once, “e
irruption of the Turks into the eastern Roman empire in the
fteenth century.” It is quite true that this event happened,
and that, coming from near the Euphrates as the Turks
did, it might have been, as in the case of the Saracens, a
shadow of the fulllment of this prophecy. With the view
taken of this book in these pages, with its divinely-given
threefold division, the Turkish subjugation of the Roman
eastern empire could be nothing more than a vague
foreshadowing of this “woe”; for its real fulllment can
only take place after the rapture of the church. Premising
this, it is quite possible that hordes from the East might in
the future, as in the past, be the instruments of this divine
vengeance — vengeance poured out upon a godless and a
God — denying atheistical empire. e saints of that day
will then discover whence the chastisement proceeds, and
understand its real object and character as depicted in the
written Word.
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Revelation 9:20-21
e chapter concludes with an account of the hardened
condition of those who “were not killed by these plagues.” (vs.
20) ey “repented not of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and
brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,
nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of
their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts”
(vss. 20-21). What a commentary upon the hardened heart
of man under the control of Satan! God’s judgments had
been before their eyes. ey had seen their fellows swept
away from the earth by “these plagues” (vs. 20); but their
conscience, seared as with a hot iron, was untouched. God
had spoken and warned but they were utterly deaf to His
solemn voice.
Note, too, the awful moral condition that will characterize
the people of this day. God is refused, idols are accepted
in His place; all ties between man and man are broken,
and the esh runs riot in every kind of abominable sin.
And this is the issue of modern progress and civilization,
of perfected methods of education, of enlightened laws for
the improved government and reformation of society! For
let it be remembered that this revived Roman empire, the
sphere of this “woe,” will be the expression of man’s highest
ideal, the issue in this world of all his strivings after the
“perfectibility of the race.” Behold then the result!
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185
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Revelation 10-11: Introduction
Six out of the seven trumpets have sounded; and now
there is an interval before the announcement of the third
woe which is heralded by the seventh and last trumpet. It
follows that Revelation 10 to 11:14 is parenthetical. ere is
a similar interval between the sixth and seventh seals with,
as often noticed, a slight dierence. e events depicted
between the sixth and seventh seals are preparatory to
the latter, whereas those contained in the parenthesis
between the last two trumpets are connected rather with,
and supplementary to, the sixth trumpet. is may be seen
from the fact that it is not until Revelation 11:14 that the
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proclamation is made: “e second woe is past; and, behold,
the third woe cometh quickly.”
ere are two subjects dealt with in the parenthetical
scripture now under consideration: rst, the action of the
“mighty angel” in Revelation 10, and the state of the temple
and of Jerusalem, together with the testimony of the two
witnesses, as given in Revelation 11:1-14.
Revelation 10:1
John says as to the former: “And I saw another mighty
angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a
rainbow was upon His head, and His face was as it were the
sun, and His feet as pillars of re” (vs. 1). Such is the personal
description of this mighty angel, a description which, in
several of its details, points us to the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself. He is clothed with a cloud. A cloud is often
connected with the divine presence, and hence with our
Lord. is may be seen in the New Testament as well as
constantly in the Old. On the mount of transguration a
cloud overshadowed both Him and His disciples (Matt.
17; Luke 9); and when He ascended up into heaven a cloud
received Him out of the sight of His own (Acts 1). When
also He returns to the earth, He will come in the clouds of
heaven (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7). In Revelation 4 the rainbow
is round about the divine throne; here it is upon the angel’s
head, and the rainbow is the symbol of God’s everlasting
covenant with the earth (Gen. 9:12-13). None, therefore,
but a divine person could wear the rainbow on His head.
e last two characteristics, “His face was as it were the sun,
and His feet as pillars of re,” (vs. 1) are almost exactly the
same as those given in Revelation 1:15-16. ere cannot
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be a doubt therefore as to the identication of this mighty
angel with Christ.
Revelation 10:2
In His hand there was “a little book open.” (vs. 2) It is
not a sealed book as in Revelation 5, the contents of which
could not be known until the seals were broken, but an
open book, the contents of which were already known,
referring doubtless, to the fact that the action of Christ
in taking possession of the earth and the sea (and all
represented by the earth and the sea), as symbolized by
His right foot on the sea and His left foot on the earth,
had already been made known through prophetic writings.
(See for example Psa. 72; Isa. 11; 25; 60; Zech. 14, and
numberless scriptures.)
Revelation 10:3-4
Having set one foot on the sea and the other upon the
earth, He “cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and
when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices” (vs.
3). e subject of this cry is concealed; for when John was
about to write what the seven thunders had uttered, he was
commanded to “seal up those things which the seven thunders
uttered, and write them not” (vss. 3-4). But from the imagery
employed it is not dicult to discern that the cry of Christ
and the voices of the seven thunders were expressive of
His wrath, indignation and righteous judgment; for, as we
know from various scriptures, it is in anger, righteous anger,
that He will come and deal with the man of the earth.
(Compare Isa. 2; Isa. 26:20-21; Isa. 42:13; Joel 3:16.)
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Revelation 10:5-7
e next three verses explain the signicance of the
action described in verse 2: “And the angel which I saw stand
upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up His hand to heaven,
and sware by Him that liveth forever and ever, who created
heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the
things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are
therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of
the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,
the mystery of God should be nished, as He hath declared to
His servants the prophets” (vss. 5-7). (e word rendered
“time” in this passage is chronos, which means time, but also
“a certain denite time, a while, period, season;” and hence,
taken in its connection in this passage, should be translated
as in the margin of the Revised Version, and as in the text of
the New Translation, “delay.” It should therefore read thus,
“at there should be no longer delay.”)
Whether taken symbolically or literally, the action of
the mighty angel (the Lord Himself) in setting one foot on
the sea and the other upon the earth, whether, that is, the
actual sea and earth are meant, or whether they are gures
of “the owing masses of the people,” and of the ordered
governments of the earth, the signicance is the same. It
is Christ come down, after His long season of patience at
the right hand of God, to take possession of His rightful
inheritance. (See Matt. 28:18; 1Cor. 15:24-28; Heb. 2.)
It is to be observed also that He takes possession, though
He has acquired the title through His redemption work,
in virtue of the sovereign rights of the Creator. Hence it
is that, lifting up His hand to heaven, He swears by the
eternal God, the universal Creator. It is creation’s Lord
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who has bestowed the title, and now He comes to make
it good. Accordingly He declares that there shall be no
longer any delay, but that all the judgments, “the mystery of
God” which concerns His dealing with the world between
the rst resurrection and the appearing of Christ in glory,
should now be completed in the days of the voice of the
seventh angel as preparatory to His coming in the clouds
of heaven, when every eye shall see Him, to establish His
sovereignty over the whole earth.
Revelation 10:8-11
John is now commanded to take the little book that
was open (or opened) in the hand of the angel that was
standing upon the sea and upon the earth. e contents
of the opened book are to become the subject of John’s
testimony as to (e word translated “before” in verse 11
should be “as to.” It is epi followed by the dative.) peoples,
and nations, and tongues, and kings. But if God sends
His servant to prophesy, He will rst qualify him for His
service; and thus John must rst “eat” the book (compare
Ezek. 3:1-3), he must appropriate and digest these divine
communications before he can rightly communicate them
to others. A lesson surely for God’s servants in all ages.
Notice, too, that while in the mouth the book should be
sweet as honey, it should make John’s belly bitter. So it ever
is. How sweet is it to our taste when God communicates
some new truth to us! We rejoice in it as those who have
discovered hidden treasure; but all truth is death to the
natural man, and accordingly when it is applied inwardly
in the power of the Holy Spirit, we nd it bitter in its
working and eects. It is only after the truth has thus
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been made our own by inward application, that we can be
taken up and used to testify of it to others. To attempt to
“prophesy” before we have “eaten” and “digested” will only
be to discover our nakedness in the presence of the enemy.
is is the history of many who have made shipwreck as
to the faith.
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Revelation 11
e Two Witnesses
Revelation 11:1-2
In the next place there was given to John “a reed like unto
a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple
of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the
court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it
not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they
tread under foot forty and two months” (vss. 1-2). Everything
betokens here that we are now transferred to Jerusalem;
for we read of the temple of God, the altar, the court, and
the holy city. e mention too of the Gentiles, the nations
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in contrast with the Jews, points to the same conclusion,
as well as the fact of their domination over the holy city.
(Compare Luke 21:24.) e object of it is to show the
state of that temple (where God’s heart and eyes were
perpetually to be) and of that city which He had chosen on
the eve of the nal judgment, and of the Lord’s return to it
in glory. (See Matt. 23:37-39.)
But John is commanded to measure, with the reed
given to him, the temple, the altar and them that worship
therein. Inasmuch as the events of this chapter concern
the period after the church is gone and before the Lord’s
appearing, the temple must be that which will be built by
the Jews while in unbelief after their return to their own
land. We nd, nevertheless, that there is a true remnant
in the midst of the corrupt nation; and measuring the
temple, the altar and the worshippers will signify that they
are owned of and, it may be, appropriated or claimed by
God. e word “temple” is that pertaining to the house
itself, including the holy place and the holiest; not the
word sometimes employed which indicates the whole of
the sacred buildings, together with the court, etc. As a
matter of fact, the worshippers had no access into the holy
place; but we are taught here that God regarded them as
belonging to it, even though they could not enter, and that
thus the remnant are really invested before Him with a
priestly character. How precious in the eyes of God are
this believing residue, who, resisting all the seductions and
temptations by which they are surrounded, and incurring
thereby the hostility and persecution of the Gentile power
which will be at this time supreme in Jerusalem, cleave in
all delity to the God of their fathers, and, though in the
deepest distress, wait only upon God for deliverance.
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e court without the temple was to be left out — rejected;
that is, the mass of the nation whatever their profession (for
they will have, in the last days, fallen again into idolatry)
are refused. Another will have come in his own name,
whom they will have received (John 5:43). ey will have
accepted the Antichrist in the place of their own Messiah,
who had been crucied by their fathers on Calvary. On
this account the court — a gure of the unbelieving nation,
for it will be the place of their worship — is given unto the
Gentiles; and they will also tread the holy city under foot
forty and two months. Later on we shall see the meaning
of this period — but the reader will do well to remember it,
as it forms the key to the concluding prophetic events of
Scripture.
Revelation 11:3-4
e following paragraph, from verse 3 to 13, concerns
the remarkable apparition of the two witnesses. We must
inquire, rst of all, what is exactly indicated by the two
witnesses. It must be remembered that we move in this book
in the midst of symbols; and it might be, on this account,
two companies of witnesses, if they are not two individuals.
e point however to be seized lies, doubtless, in the
number, two being ever the number of adequate testimony.
(is is strikingly seen in the Gospel of Matthew, where
we have two demoniacs (Matt. 8), two blind men (Matt.
9), because in this gospel it is a question of sucient or
adequate testimony to Israel.) ere will always be then,
during this time of Satan’s greatest display of power before
the eyes of God’s professing people (the Jews), an adequate
testimony for God and His claims.
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e next thing to be noted is the duration of their
prophetic testimony. It will be a thousand two hundred and
sixty days. In the previous verse we read of a period of forty-
two months during which the holy city will be trodden
under foot of the Gentiles. e two periods coincide, both
being exactly three years and a half. (As before pointed out,
and as may be easily proved from Scripture, there is no
foundation whatever for the year-day theory; that is, for
taking the 1260 days to mean so many years.) It will suce
here to say, as the subject must be more fully gone into when
Revelation 13 is reached, that this three years and a half are
the last half of Daniel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:25-27), the
period of the Antichrist’s frightful sway in Jerusalem with
the support and shelter of all the power of the last head of
the Roman empire; the period at the close of which Christ
will come in glory, and consume that wicked one with the
spirit of His mouth and destroy him with the brightness
of His coming (2ess. 2:8). roughout this period of
unequaled sorrow the two witnesses will courageously raise
their voices and be clothed in sackcloth, expressive of the
sorrowful nature of their work owing to the character of
the times in which they are found. Apart from all around,
mourning over the fearful apostasy of the beloved nation
and rejected by all, sackcloth is but a tting emblem of
their testimony.
We are now told what they are: “ese are the two olive
trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God [e
more generally accepted reading is “Lord.”] of the earth” (vs.
4). e connection between this description and that given
in Zechariah 4 is apparent and will aord the clue to the
interpretation. As another has said, “ey bear witness to the
order and blessing of the Jewish state when Messiah shall reign;
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but they are not in that state. Not a candlestick with two olive
trees (as in Zechariah), but two candlesticks and two olive trees.
But they are before the God of the earth” (Collected Writings of
J. N. Darby, Vol. 2, Expository). ey are anointed ones for
they are olive trees; and they thus testify in the power of the
Holy Spirit. ey are the two candlesticks; their testimony
therefore is the light from God amid the darkness of that
day. And standing before the Lord of the earth shows that
the subject of their testimony is the claims of the coming
Messiah as the rightful Lord of the earth. (Compare Josh.
3:11.) Moreover, they are two anointed ones; and this also
points, in addition to the power of their testimony, to the
fact that it is as King and Priest — a Priest upon His throne,
Melchisedec — that Christ will come and take possession.
(If any desire to enter more fully into this subject, they may
read “Zechariah the Prophet,” chapter 4.)
Revelation 11:5-10
What follows is easily apprehended. If anyone hurts
them, re will proceed out of their mouth and devour
him. (Compare 2Kings 1.) As Elijah of old, they will have
power to shut up heaven that it shall not rain. Like Moses,
they will have power to turn the waters into blood, and
to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will
(vss. 5-6). After their testimony is nished, not before, the
beast that ascendeth out of the abyss — the last head of
the Roman empire — will be permitted to kill them (vs. 7).
en their dead bodies will lie in the street of Jerusalem
(now, alas! spiritually Sodom and Egypt) “where also our
Lord was crucied,” (vs. 8) and where they will be a spectacle
to peoples, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations for three
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days and a half. ey also that dwell upon the earth (the
reader will remember the moral force of this expression)
will, in their folly and imaginary triumph, make every
demonstration of joy over the death of those who had
tormented them (vss. 7-10).
Revelation 11:11-14
God now steps into the scene and raises His dead
witnesses. “And they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell
upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from
heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended
up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Rev.
11:11-12). What a revolution! And how short-lived the
triumph of these foolish worldlings! Nor is this all; for
judgment descends “the same hour” upon that poor guilty
city, and “the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake
were slain of men seven thousand” (Rev. 11:13). e remnant
are arighted, and give glory, not to the Lord of the earth,
but to the God of heaven. ey still refuse the testimony of
the witnesses. e proclamation is now made, “e second
woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly” (Rev.
11:14).
e ird Woe
Revelation 11:15
We nd the signicance of the seventh trumpet in
Revelation 10, where we read, “In the days of the voice of
the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery
of God should be nished, as He hath declared to His servants
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the prophets.” (Ch. 10:2) Accordingly here, immediately on
the sounding of the seventh angel, “there were great voices
in heaven, saying, e kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign
forever and ever” (Ch. 11:15). (is has been more accurately
rendered, “e kingdom of the world of our Lord and His Christ
is come.” e Revised Version gives it, “e kingdom of the
world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ.”)
at is to say, the end is now in a general way reached, and
the announcement is made in heaven that Christ has at
length interposed and assumed His sovereignty over the
earth. ere are many details and fuller instruction yet to
be given, but the time of which prophets had prophesied
and saints of past ages had longed for and anticipated has
now come. e very appellations used — our Lord and His
Christ — mark the period indicated. It is that of the second
Psalm, wherein, in face of the rage of the heathen, and the
vain imagination of the people, when “the kings of the earth
set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the
Lord, and against His anointed [His Christ], saying, Let us
break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us,”
(Psa. 2: 2-3) the Lord, “laughing” at their vain impotence,
will “speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore
displeasure.” (Psa. 2:5) He will, at the same, announce, “Yet
have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion.” (Psa. 2:6)
Such is the event proclaimed in heaven on the sounding
of the seventh angel; for Zion will be the seat of the
government of the Lord’s Christ; from thence Jehovah will
send out the rod of His strength, and, ruling in the midst of
His enemies, He will reign forever and ever, until He hath
put all foes under His feet. (See Psa. 110; Luke 2:30-33.)
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But why, the question may be asked, should the setting
up of the kingdom of Christ in this world be termed a
“woe”? e class for whom it will be a “woe” is specied
in Revelation 8:13; it is for “the inhabiters of the earth,”
not exactly, as has been more than once explained, for the
inhabitants of the earth, but for those whose desires and
aections are bounded by this world, those who make their
home in it, who are therefore morally dwellers upon earth,
and who, as such, are enemies of God and His Christ.
Truly speaking, every unconverted soul belongs to this class
now, and so will it be when the Lord returns to earth and
takes His kingdom — all the unconverted will form the
inhabiters of the earth. And for them the reign of Christ
will bring unmitigated woe, for a scepter of righteousness
will be the scepter of His kingdom; and thus it is that His
arrows will be sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies, and
the peoples will fall under Him. Can anything be sadder
than the thought that the event which will inaugurate an
era of peace and blessing for this poor world will constitute
nothing but woe for the dwellers upon earth?
Revelation 11:16-18
is, however, will explain to us the contrariety between
heaven and earth that follows. e moment the declaration
is made that Christ has established His world-sovereignty,
“the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their
seats [thrones], fell upon their faces, and worshipped God,
saying, We give ee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which
art, and wast, and art to come; [is clause “art to come”
should be omitted.] because thou hast taken to ee y great
power, and hast reigned” (vss. 16-17). What a contrast! at
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which causes joy in heaven produces anger upon earth.
e nations are angry; for they have usurped the power
belonging to God, thrown o His yoke, and now will be
made to know that they are amenable to the authority of
Him who will smite through kings in the day of His wrath,
who will judge among the heathen, ll the places with the
dead bodies, and wound the heads over many countries. e
elders, on the other hand, have the mind of God; they have
had His patience in the presence of Satan’s power and of
the evils which have corrupted the earth; they had known
what it was to have fellowship with a rejected Christ and
now they rejoice with full hearts that God has stepped
in, asserted His rights and vested the sovereignty of the
earth in the hands of His Christ. e Lamb that was in the
midst of the throne is now the exalted One on the earth;
and all kings must fall down before Him, and all nations
must serve Him; and the hearts of the elders, charged to
overowing with heaven’s joy, express their gladness in
thanksgivings and worship before God.
A few points in connection with the elders may be
noticed. We are again reminded that they sat on their
thrones before God. It is not so much that they were
sitting there at this moment, although they were doing so,
as that their place in the presence of God is thus indicated.
It is characteristic; the elders occupied thrones before God.
What a view is in this way aorded of the exaltation of
the gloried saints! Grouped around the Eternal Presence,
and seated themselves on thrones — for they are kings as
well as priests — they are spectators, adoring spectators, of
God’s ways in the government of the earth. It will also be
observed that they worship God as revealed in the Old
Testament; namely as Lord God Almighty (Jehovah
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Elohim Shaddai), and for the reason that it is now the
question of God’s kingdom on earth “because thou hast
taken to ee y great power, and hast reigned.” (vs. 17) e
words “and art to come,” as already said, are to be omitted
and this is signicant. No doubt the eternity of God is
expressed in the threefold phrase “which art, and wast, and
art to come” — present, past, and future. But when used in
reference, as here, to the earth and the kingdom, the future
is, so to speak, merged in with the present, for He has come
and taken to Himself His great power. (Compare Rev. 1:8.)
Revelation 11:18
e eect of the assumption of the sovereignty of the world
by the Christ of God is then given by the elders: “And the nations
were angry, and y wrath is come, and the time of the dead,
that they should be judged, and that ou shouldest give reward
unto y servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them
that fear y name, small and great; and shouldest destroy
them which destroy the earth” (vs. 18). It is a general,
and only a general, statement of the consequences of the
establishment of the kingdom in power, and thus reaches
down even to its close, inasmuch as it is not until then
that the dead will be judged. (See Rev. 20.) ere are three
things specied. First, the anger of the nations, and this may
include the gathering together of the kings of the earth,
with their armies, under the leadership of the beast (Rev.
19:19) to make war against Christ as He comes from heaven
with His army, and the nations from the four quarters of
the earth, Gog and Magog, gathered together by Satan at
the close of the thousand years (Rev. 20:7-9). Secondly, the
wrath of God, as seen in judging the dead, and in destroying
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them which destroyed the earth. Lastly, blessing in giving
reward to His servants the prophets, and to the saints, and
to them that fear His name, both small and great. is is
not the heavenly blessing of the church, of the saints of this
dispensation. In this scene they are already on high, and
they, with all indeed who share in the rst resurrection, will
come forth with Christ when He takes His kingdom; but
the reward here spoken of is for the kingdom, for the saints
on earth in the kingdom. at there are special rewards
also for other saints in the kingdom is quite true, only the
specication here of prophets, saints, and those that fear
thy name would seem rather to mark out earthly and not
heavenly saints.
e third woe has now been inicted. e rst was
characterized by Satan’s power, and its subjects were
apostate Jews; the second was human in its instrumentality,
and this was visited upon the Roman empire; the last is
emphatically God’s woe, and it falls upon the nations in
general, inasmuch as it is connected with the setting up of
the Messiah’s kingdom.
It may aid the reader to point out that this last woe, the
end of the forty-two months, or the 1260 days (Rev. 11:2-
3), is the prophetic half week of this book; the conclusion
of the seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:25-27)
has been reached; and that thus, as to time, it coincides with
Revelation 19:11-16. e succeeding chapters must not
therefore be read as following consecutively in the history;
for, as pointed out, we have now arrived at the terminus,
the kingdom of Christ established. Details are afterward
given, fuller developments, specic instruction as to many
events, the iniction of still severer judgments, and above
all, the direct connection of heaven with what transpires
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on earth, together with the divine interest expressed and
manifested towards those who keep the commandments
of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, those who,
amid general apostasy, are found faithful, not loving their
lives unto the death.
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56703
Revelation 12
Introduction
is chapter really commences with the last verse of that
preceding. e temple of God was opened in heaven and in
it the ark of His covenant is seen. is indicates at once that
Israel is coming into view, and that God is about to renew
His dealings with His people on the basis of His everlasting
covenant. But signs of judgment — “lightnings, and voices,
and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail” (Ch.
11:19) are connected with this scene; for it is in judgment
that God will proceed to establish His covenant and restore
His people to His favor and blessing — judgment upon
His enemies, and also upon His people. (See Psa. 83; 94;
97; Isa. 66; Zech. 12-14.) ere are thus judgments here
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proceeding from above, and convulsions below, which will
precede the making of the new covenant with the house of
Israel of which Jeremiah speaks (Jer. 31:31). Unmingled
blessing will follow.
Coming to the chapter itself, we nd in it “a brief but
all-important summary of the whole course of events, viewed,
not in their instruments on earth or the judgment of these,
but the divine view of all the principles at work, the state of
things as revealed of God” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:535).
is important and comprehensive sentence, if rightly
understood, will unfold to the reader the means of solving
all the symbols of the chapter. It may further assist, if it is
pointed out that the sphere of these “wonders” and visions
is “in heaven.” (See Rev. 12:1,3,7,10.) First seen there, and
seen according to God, divine intelligence will be possessed
for the exposition of the events on earth which the visions
shadow forth.
Revelation 12:1-2
“ere appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman
clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon
her head a crown of twelve stars: and she being with child cried,
travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered” (vss. 1-2).
ere is no diculty whatever in identifying the woman
with Israel, but with Israel as she appears in the purpose of
God. It must be remembered also that Jerusalem is often
taken in Scripture as the expression of the people, and
hence it is that she is continually regarded as the earthly
bride. But when so viewed, she is always standing for the
whole nation. (See Gal. 4:25; Isa. 49:13-26.) ree things
mark her.
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First, she is clothed with the sun. e sun, as has been
seen before, is an emblem of the fount of supreme authority,
in accordance with the place assigned to it in creation. It is
the “greater light to rule the day” (Gen. 1:16). Israel therefore
is here seen as invested with supreme earthly authority.
Even in the days of the kingdom, God dwelt between
the cherubim; it was there in the temple that He had His
earthly throne; and in the days yet to come Messiah’s throne
will be in Jerusalem, and from thence He will govern the
nations upon earth (Isa. 60).
Secondly, the moon is under her feet. Two things
characterize the moon: she is the lesser light to rule the
night, and her light is derived and reected from the sun.
We are therefore plainly pointed back, by this symbol, to
the glory possessed by Israel under the rst covenant. All
the light she had in former days, and there was no light
elsewhere upon earth, was derived from the presence of
Jehovah in her midst and from the sacred oracles committed
to her care. e moon thus ttingly symbolizes this her
past glory and is now seen in the presence of the splendors
of the sun (compare Isa. 60:20) as under her feet.
Finally, she is crowned with twelve stars; that is, she has
also the glory of perfect administration in man, which is
the symbolic signicance of the number twelve. Our Lord
thus said to His disciples, “Verily I say unto you, at ye which
have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man
shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Isaiah” (Matt. 19:28). It
is needless to add that Israel has never yet corresponded
on earth to this divine portraiture; but “in heaven” God
has always seen her arrayed in this perfect beauty. So in
the wilderness of old, whatever the state of things in the
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camp, the seven lights of the golden candlestick were ever
burning in their perfection, and the twelve loaves of the
continual showbread, covered with their pure frankincense,
were at all times duly ordered in the holy place before the
Lord. It is an immense encouragement to turn away from
the actual state of things, whether in Israel or in the church,
to contemplate both the one and the other as they are seen
in all their perfection in the purposes of God. (Compare
Num. 23-24.)
Revelation 12:3-4
We have next the circumstances of the
woman — travailing in birth; but before the birth of the
man-child another wonder is seen in heaven: “Behold a
great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven
crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the
stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon
stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for
to devour her child as soon as it was born” (vss. 3-4). is
dragon, the enemy of God and His Christ, is declared to
be “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan” (vs. 9); but
he is viewed here as identied with the revived Roman
empire. is is seen in two ways: his color is red, not purple,
which is specially the imperial color, but red here because
presented under a persecuting, sanguinary aspect; and he
has seven heads and ten horns, the same as the beast in the
next chapter (Rev. 13:1). It is, moreover, distinctly declared
that “the dragon gave him [the beast] his power, and his seat,
and great authority” (Ch. 13:2). Here therefore the source
is unveiled, and Satan himself is presented as possessing
all that he afterward bestows upon man in government.
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(Compare Luke 4:5-7.) e seven crowned or diademed
heads are forms of power. Taking the number seven in its
usual signicance, it will portend that as to these there is
completeness. But he has only ten horns, administrative
instrumental powers, and, since twelve is the number of
perfect government in man, he is as to these, incomplete.
e next thing stated is that “his tail drew the third part
of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” (vs. 4)
at is to say, in his progress or march to supremacy on the
earth in the form of the Roman empire, his masterpiece of
craft and energy in the last half-week, he overthrows, casts
down, all the subordinate powers that had existed in the
area of the “third part,” in order to substitute the absolute
power and despotism of the imperial head, as seen in the
rst beast of the next chapter.
All this description is introductory to the position of
the dragon here exhibited: he “stood before the woman which
was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it
was born.” (vs. 4) We thus learn that Satan knew of the
promised seed, the seed of the woman which should bruise
the serpent’s head, of the expected advent of David’s Son and
David’s Lord, the One who would reign until all enemies
should be subdued; and that, in his enmity to God and man,
he lay in wait to destroy the true Heir as soon as He might
appear. In the gospels we have the record of the manner in
which he sought to compass his ends. rough Herod he
endeavored to destroy the child Jesus; in the wilderness he
attempted to allure Him from the path on which He had
entered; he stirred up and evoked the bitter hatred of the
scribes and Pharisees to accomplish his purpose; and nally
he succeeded in banding together Jew and Gentile, all the
factions of Judaism with their oppressors, high and low,
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rich and poor, every form of earthly power; and the Object
of his malice was condemned to die, and was crucied.
Apparently the dragon had devoured the Child; but as
every believer knows, what seemed to be Satan’s triumph
became the means of his everlasting disgrace and defeat. It
was God who had triumphed, having made the wrath of
man to praise Him, and having bound the “dragon” to the
chariot wheels of His eternal purposes of grace and mercy
in and through the redemption wrought out by means of
the death of His beloved Son.
Revelation 12:5
e frustration of Satan’s object is now related: “And she
brought forth a Man child, who was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to His
throne” (vs. 5). How entirely all here concerns the earth is
seen from the fact that no mention whatever is made of the
church period: the kingdom alone is specied. If Christ is
born, He is to rule all nations with a rod of iron according
to Psalm 2 and Psalm 110. e cross is not even mentioned,
although we know it preceded His being caught up unto
God and to His throne.
Christ then has now been born into the world, He has
been caught up (raised from the dead), and has been set
in the place of power at God’s right hand having proved
that Satan is powerless against the Lord’s Anointed. e
next verse goes on to a time after the church period — the
last half-week of prophecy, which immediately precedes
the introduction of the kingdom of Christ on the earth.
Not only therefore is Christ in this scene on high, but the
church also, if not mentioned, has been caught up; and this
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is proved, as will afterward be explained, by verse 10. In the
mind of God then the church is included in Christ, being
caught up, seen as it were, in Him; so that now, as pointed
out (and the reader should pay special attention to it),
Christ has the church with Himself above. e heavenly
saints are thus, even as Christ was, snatched away from
Satan’s rage; for in truth he was and is as powerless against
them as against Christ Himself. (See Matt. 16:18; Rom.
8:31-39.)
Revelation 12:6
e Child was caught away, but the woman was left
behind and is also exposed to Satan’s enmity. Hence she
“ed into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God,
that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days” (vs. 6). e woman it must be remembered
is Israel — Israel as seen in the purposes of God; and Satan,
having been disappointed in his rage against Christ, turns
only all the more ercely against God’s beloved people.
But God cares for Israel, even as He had cared for the
“Manchild”; and in His providence He watches over,
protects, provides for, and sustains her. Like Elijah of old,
she is screened from observation in a place prepared for
her in the desert, and she is as miraculously fed during
the whole period of Satan’s unchecked domination in and
through the Roman Empire — the 1260 days.
Revelation 12:7-9
Another scene in heaven is next recorded: “And there
was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed
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not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (vss.
7-8). at Satan has access into the “heavenly places” is
revealed in several scriptures (see especially Eph. 6:12);
and we also know that he ever acts there in opposition to
the people of God. (See Job 1-2; Zech. 3:1; Luke 22:31-
32.) It would seem that he takes up there what has been
aptly designated an anti-priestly position; that is, instead
of interceding for, he accuses the saints, in order to deprive
them of blessing and to secure their ruin. It is evident also
from this scripture that he has an army of evil angels at his
service. Michael and his angels ght against the dragon.
e reason that Michael appears on the scene is that Israel
is in question as the object of Satan’s hostility; for, as we
learn from Daniel, Michael is the angelic prince of God’s
ancient people (Dan. 10:21). He is “the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people” (Dan. 12:1). In Jude
he is termed the archangel, and there also he is “contending
with the devil,” (Jude 9) when disputing with him about
the body of Moses. As no other archangel is named it
would appear that he is the angelic chief; and, from what
has been gathered from the Book of Daniel, that his special
service is to frustrate the devices of Satan against Israel.
is will explain the “war” in heaven as described in our
scripture. ere could be but one issue to it; and thus “the
great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan,” (vs. 9) the evil spirit that deceiveth the whole
habitable world, of which he is the prince and the god. He
“was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with
him” (vs. 9). He loses now forever his place in the heavens;
and henceforth the scene of his activities is bounded by the
habitable world, where he is still permitted, in pursuance of
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211
the divine purposes, to be a test for man until the moment
decreed for his own eternal doom.
Revelation 12:10
His expulsion from heaven is celebrated by a loud voice,
which John heard, “saying in heaven, Now is come salvation,
and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night” (vs. 10). is loud
voice in heaven explains two things; rst, that the expulsion
of Satan and his angels from heaven was connected with,
and preliminary to, the establishment of Christ’s kingdom
on earth, such being the import, we apprehend, of the
words, “Now is come,” (vs. 10) etc.; and secondly, it gives
the justication of the interpretation that the church is
regarded as caught up together with the Manchild; for
the voice speaks of our brethren whom Satan had accused
night and day before God.
Revelation 12:11
e next verse reveals the secret and means of their
victory over Satan’s eorts. ey overcame him by reason of
the blood of the Lamb, that precious blood by which they
had been redeemed, which had answered all God’s claims,
and which had made them whiter than snow. Satan could
not therefore sustain his accusations, and God could not
righteously listen to them, for He beholds no iniquity in
those who are under the ecacy of the blood of Christ. e
weapon of their conict was the word of their testimony,
the irresistible sword of the Spirit; and their courage was
displayed in the fact that they loved not their lives unto
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the death. So Paul, with the prospect of martyrdom before
him, had a desire to depart to be with Christ, which he
esteemed to be very much better. What could Satan do
with one who had no more conscience of sins, who was
armed with the sword of the Spirit, and whose hopes were
all outside of this world?
is passage is interesting in another way. e church
has been caught up; the Jewish remnant who will come
into the place of testimony after the church period is
distinguished in the last verse of our chapter, so that these
victors, the “our brethren” of verse 10, mark a third class.
ey are the saints who suer martyrdom after the rapture
of the church and before the appearing of Christ, who in
addition to those who “had not worshipped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads,
or in their hands,” (Ch. 20:4) will be added to the rst
resurrection, and who, therefore, are regarded as heavenly
saints — saints of the heavenly places.
Revelation 12:12-17
e casting of Satan down to earth produces joy in
heaven; but it is woe to the earth and the sea; (e words
“inhabiters of” have no sucient authority.) for, expelled
from heaven, he rages all the more violently, and as knowing
“that he hath but a short time” (vs. 12). e rst object of his
wrath is the woman which brought forth the Manchild, on
the principle that whatever is God’s special object excites
his special malice. Verse 14, we judge, is but a restatement,
with additions, of verse 6; but we learn now that God gives
to the woman the means of escape. For the Christian it
is, “Resist the devil, and he will ee from you,” (James 4:7)
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213
but for the “woman,” having no power of resistance, ight,
and means for it, as symbolized by the “two wings of a
great eagle” (vs. 14) are divinely ordered. (Compare Matt.
24:15-21.) Hidden thus in the wilderness, she has “her
place,” (vs. 14) and is nourished, divinely sustained, “for a
time, and times, and half a time” (that is, three years and a
half, or 1260 days), “from the face of the serpent” (vs. 14). e
serpent, baed in his quest, “cast out of his mouth water as a
ood” to overwhelm the “woman”; but “the earth helped the
woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up
the ood which the dragon cast out of his mouth” (vs. 15-16).
is symbolism is simple. “Water as a ood,” or river, sets
forth a disturbed state of the nations, but owing onward
in some special course. e earth, on the other hand, is a
gure of organization or ordered government. ere was,
therefore, a movement of the nations, instigated by Satan,
towards the destruction of the “woman,” or Israel; but this
movement is arrested, under God’s providential hand, by
the ordered governments of the world, and Israel is secured.
Once more baed, the dragon, “wroth with the woman,”
goes “to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ”
(vs. 17). ese are the individual Jews who compose the
remnant, the remnant of the Psalms who will be found in
Jerusalem and Judea during the last half-week (see Matt.
24), and who are marked by keeping the commandments
of God, and having the testimony of Jesus; that is, the
spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). ey are, therefore, on
Old Testament ground, and are characterized by Jewish
feelings and Jewish hopes. Such will be the testimony of
the remnant of the last days before the return of Christ in
glory.
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Revelation 13
215
56712
Revelation 13
e Beast
Revelation 13:1-2
In the previous chapter the fact of Satan’s hostility to
the “woman” and her seed is stated: in this the means or the
instrumentalities by which he pursues his ends are detailed.
ey are the two “beasts” who, during Daniel’s last half-
week, or the 1260 days, will be allowed to exercise their
undisputed sway in opposition to God, to His Christ and
to His people. e scene of the visions in the last chapter
is in heaven. Here the stand-point of the prophet is the
sand of the sea. He writes, “And I stood [Some read, “And he
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216
stood,” etc. In that case it would refer to the dragon; but the
context is, as we judge, in favor of the accepted text.] upon
the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having
seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name [e more generally accepted
reading is “names.”] of blasphemy” (vs. 1). If we now turn to
the prophet Daniel it will aid us in the interpretation of
this vision. He says, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold,
the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four
great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.”
e rst, he tells us, “was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings;”
the second “like to a bear;” the third “like a leopard;” but
the fourth was “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces,
and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse
from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”
(Dan. 7:2-7) We learn, moreover, that this fourth beast will
continue until the Ancient of days shall sit; and that, upon
the beast having been slain, the dominion and glory and
kingdom are given to One like the Son of Man. (Dan. 7;
see also chapter 2.) From the same prophet we learn that
the rst three “beasts” represent the monarchies of Babylon,
Persia, and Greece; and we also know from Scripture that
the successor of Greece in sovereignty over the prophetic
earth is the Roman Empire. Observe, moreover, that this
last form of Gentile sovereignty continues until the end;
and this enables us at once to identify the rst beast of our
chapter with Daniel’s fourth beast. We also nd from verse
2, that this beast of the Apocalypse combines in himself
all the characteristics of his three predecessors, for he was
“like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear,
and his mouth as the mouth of a lion.” At the time of John’s
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217
vision the rst three beasts and their kingdoms had forever
passed away. e fourth had come into their place, and had
inherited all their characteristic features, as well as their
sovereignty.
We may now examine the vision a little more closely.
e beast rises up out of the sea looking back to the origin
of the Roman Empire, though seen here in its developed
character at the end. e sea is a gure for a disturbed state
of the nations, masses of the people in commotion, as for
example in times of insurrection or revolution. It was out
of such a state of things that the Roman dominion had
sprung into existence. ere has been in modern days a
remarkable exemplication of a similar phenomenon. e
rst Napoleon suddenly emerged into view out of the
confusion of a revolutionary period, and very soon asserted
his power and extended his sway over half of Europe. e
dierence is only in the fact that in his case it was the
sudden rise of a person more like the little horn of Daniel
7; whereas here it was rather the Roman power, although
seen at the end incarnated in an individual head.
is beast, the imperial head of the revived Roman
Empire, has seven heads, or forms of government, and, as
pointed out in Revelation 12, therein completeness; and
he has ten horns, on all of which are diadems, indicating
the fact repeated again and again (See Dan. 2:7; also Rev.
17:12), that the dominion of the beast is composed of ten
kingdoms, having their respective sovereigns, but allied
together in a common federation under his imperial sway.
e moral character of this last representative of Gentile
sovereignty is exhibited in one word — he has upon his
heads the names of blasphemy. He not only is indierent
to God and His claims, but he is in open and wicked
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opposition to Him, and avowedly so before the eyes of men.
Does anyone wonder that such a monster could be tolerated
on the earth? If so, let him remember that a neighboring
country has recently had indel and atheistic governments;
and that, in response to the invitation of such, thousands
could rush over from “Christian” England to assist at the
commemoration of a revolution which sought to dethrone
God and to deify man and the reason of man. Ah no, men
were not shocked; for indeed the course of modern thought
and of politics is fast paving the way for the apostasy, and
the appearance of these names of blasphemy, adorned as
they will be, with all that which excites the admiration of
man as man. e rule of this last Gentile monarch will be
the expression of all the preceding monarchies. He will be
distinguished by the strength and majesty of the rst, the
voracity of the second, and the swiftness of the third, added
to his own irresistible and relentless power. (See Dan. 7:4-7
with verse 2.)
We have next the source of his dominion unveiled.
“And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great
authority” (vs. 2). He is therefore characterized by Satan’s
inspiration and energy. Such is the picture presented to us,
delineated by an infallible hand, of the last governmental
power on the earth before the coming of Christ to establish
His kingdom.
Revelation 13:3
In the following verses we have a brief and gurative
description of the resuscitation of the Roman empire, and
an account of the place and supremacy of its head during
his brief career. “And I saw,” says John, “one of his heads as
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219
it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed:
and all the world [the whole earth] wondered after the beast”
(vs. 3). In Revelation 17 we read, “e seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven
kings: ve are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come;
and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the
beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the
seven, and goeth into perdition” (Ch. 17:9-11). Combining
these two scriptures, and recalling the fact that the heads
are symbols of forms of government, or governing powers
(“kings”), the interpretation is not dicult. At the time of
the vision ve of these governing powers, in the various
vicissitudes of the Roman dominion, had passed away; but
“one is” said the angel, and that one was the imperial, for
Rome then had its emperors. ere was, however, another
to arise before the advent of the beast, one who, like perhaps
Napoleon I, was to “continue a short space,” (Ch. 17:10) and
then, with what interval we are not told, the beast would
appear, an eighth; for Satan ever imitates, and thus even
here would dazzle the minds of men by the semblance of a
resurrection (of which “eight” is the symbolic number). But
while the beast is the eighth, he is yet of the seven, and only,
therefore, possesses seven heads. e conclusion from these
scriptures is evidently that the “head,” wounded as it were
to death, was the imperial one, seen too in the fact of the
destruction and disappearance of the old Roman empire,
which today, and for centuries past, save in the attempt of
Napoleon to revive it, has clean gone from human view.
When, therefore, we are told that the “deadly wound was
healed,” (vs. 5) it will mean that this imperial form of
government will be restored in connection with the beast
of our chapter. ese eight heads are often, and probably
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truly, reckoned thus: (1) Kings, (2) Consuls, (3) Dictators,
(4) Decemvirs, (5) Military Tribunes, (6) Caesars, (7)
Napoleon I, (8) e Beast out of the abyss. ese will
include all the governmental heads of the Roman Empire
until the appearing of Christ. It is this unexpected revival
that will astonish, and excite the admiration of the whole
earth.
Revelation 13:4
Two eects follow, eects awful to contemplate, but
none the less certain. First, “they worshipped the dragon
which gave power unto the beast” (vs. 4). And who are the
“they”? e eighth verse, though speaking there of the beast,
answers the question. ey are all those who are outside of
God’s elect saints, elect saints on earth after the rapture of
the church. It will include, therefore, the inhabitants of the
prophetic earth, where Christianity was once professed,
but who now, “because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved,” are under a “strong delusion, that
they should believe a lie” (2ess. 2:10-11). Such is to be
the nal issue of modern civilization, progress in thought,
art, and science, yet men will pay homage to Satan. It is
not only that they will have cast o all fear of God from
before their eyes, but they will also enthrone Satan in His
place. Secondly, they will likewise worship the beast. ey
will “worship” him because of his wisdom and power; for
so blinded will they be, that they will not be able to discern
between what is of Satan and what is of God. Vague
foreshadowings of this satanic delusion are constantly
seen when men prostrate themselves before statesmen or
warriors on account of their genius, foresight, and skill in
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the conduct of aairs. e private lives of the objects of
their homage may be ever so corrupt, but all is condoned
under the inuence of their intellectual brilliance.
Revelation 13:5-6
e character, duration and exploits of the beast are next
given. e reader will note the repetition of the phrase, there
was “given unto him” (vss. 5,7), a phrase explained by verses
2 and 4, reminding us that not only is the beast’s power
derived, but also that it was derived from Satan. e time,
it must be remembered, is after the church has been caught
away and before the appearing of Christ, an interval during
which God will own no power on the earth until He takes
His own in the person of the true King. First of all the beast
has a mouth “speaking great things and blasphemies” (vs. 5).
He will be a boaster, pued up, like his god Satan, with the
sense of his own merits and excellencies; and in his daring
impiety he will open “his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell
in heaven” (vs. 6). He cannot rid himself of God, of heaven,
or of the heavenly saints, but in the impotence of his rage,
exulting in his earthly supremacy, he vents his wicked heart
in insolent blasphemies. “He that sitteth in the heavens shall
laugh: the Lord shall have him in derision” (Psa. 2:4). In the
next place, we nd again that the duration of his career will
be forty and two months — the 1260 days, the last half-
week of Daniel’s prophecy, completing his seventy weeks.
(See Rev. 11:2, Rev. 12:6-14.)
As this period of time has often been mentioned,
it may be stated, for the information of the reader, that
Daniel’s seventy weeks, weeks of years, and therefore 490
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in all, date “from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:25); that is, from the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes. (See Neh. 2.) is is believed
to correspond with 454 or 455 B.C. e seventy weeks are
divided by Gabriel into three periods — seven, sixty-two,
and one. “Unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks” (Dan. 9:25); and hence after
Christ came, the last week only remained. But He was
rejected, and the predicted era of blessing has consequently
been postponed; and we thus read of that last week, the
seventieth, appearing in connection with a covenant to
be made with the mass of the Jewish people by the future
head of the Roman empire, the rst beast of Revelation 13.
(See Dan. 9:27.) is covenant is broken in the middle of
the week, and it is the last half of it that forms the 1260
days or the 42 months of Revelation. For faith the ministry
of Christ occupied the rst half of the last week; and hence
it is that, whether in Matthew 24 or in Revelation, we have
only the record of the last half, the 1260 days.
Revelation 13:7-8
Two other particulars are added: “It was given unto him to
make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names
are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world” (vss. 7-8). e saints against
whom he will wage war are those specied in the previous
chapter (Ch. 12:17); he being in this, as indeed in all else,
but Satan’s instrument. God allows them to be overcome
(compare Matt. 24:9-10), not all of them as we learn after,
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223
but many, to test their faith and to purify His people in the
furnace of aiction. Moreover, the beast will be irresistible
in his might, for “all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (vs.
7) will acknowledge his sway. Save the elect, all men also
will worship the beast — all that dwell upon the earth, and
this expression now, losing its special moral signicance,
will include every one, within this sphere, except God’s
people. It will only be the revival of the old Roman custom
of paying homage, and oering incense, to images of the
emperor. is relic of heathenism is shocking enough
to the Christian mind, but in the deication of intellect
and human power already proceeding with such rapid
steps, the way will be easily prepared for its restoration.
All these who will worship the beast are said not to have
their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Compare
Rev. 20:15.) ose whose names were written in it did
not therefore join in this idolatrous worship. One point
of dierence between the earthly saints thus negatively
indicated and the heavenly saints may be noted. e latter
are said to be chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world, whereas the former’s election only dates from the
world’s foundation. It is but another proof of how carefully
the saints that form the church, as united to Christ, are
distinguished from all others, whatever their blessedness.
Revelation 13:9-10
is part of the chapter closes with a special
proclamation. Solemn attention is called to it by the cry,
“If any man have an ear, let him hear”; and then it is added,
“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that
killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the
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patience and the faith of the saints” (vss. 9-10). Two things are
here contained. First, the assurance that divine judgment
should surely fall upon the beast, the persecutor of the
saints, and that he should be dealt with in the manner in
which he had dealt with them (see Psa. 137:8) and second,
the attitude of the saints in the midst of this unparalleled
tribulation must be one of “unresisting patience,” the
attitude of our Lord Himself, who when the hour of man
and the power of darkness had come, suered Himself to
be “brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” (Isa. 53:7)
e faith and patience of the saints would be displayed
in their condence in God, and in their meek endurance
of the ery trial through which they would have to pass.
(Compare Jer. 15:2.)
e Antichrist
Revelation 13:11
In this section of our book we have no less a personage
than the antichrist introduced. Again and again his
appearance on the scene is predicted, both by prophets of
the Old Testament and by apostles of the New; and now at
last, we are permitted to see him emerge into view, and to
read the character of his power and kingdom as delineated
by the Spirit of God through His servant John. In a few
brief words this diabolical instrument is described: “And I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (vs. 11).
Unlike the rst beast of this chapter, who rose up out of
the sea, out of the masses of the people in a state of lawless
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confusion, the antichrist comes up out of the earth. e
earth is a symbol of organized and ordered government;
and we learn, therefore, that he gets his place in a regular
governmental or political manner — obtains his sway after
a legal form; and consequently his position will be in accord
with the civil and political arrangements of the period.
Before proceeding to consider the account here given, it
may be well to answer two or three questions to enable the
reader to pursue the subject more intelligently. First, then,
it may be inquired, Have we any information as to who the
antichrist will be? From a passage in Daniel it appears that
he will be a Jew, an apostate Jew. Speaking of “the king,”
who undoubtedly is the antichrist (Compare Dan. 11:36
with 2ess. 2:4), he says, “Neither shall he regard the God
of his fathers” (Dan. 11:37), that is, Jehovah as revealed to
Israel. Our Lord’s words point to the same conclusion. He
said, speaking to the Jews, “I am come in my Father’s name,
and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive” (John 5:43). e very contrast drawn
with Himself shows that our Lord had the antichrist in
view; and it is thus suciently plain, without oering as
examples other scriptures bearing on the point, that this
false usurper will spring out of the Jewish nation.
is conclusion, together with many indications in the
Apocalypse, enables us with certainty to determine the
next point as to the place and seat of his power. It will be
Jerusalem; for at that time the Jews will have returned in
unbelief, and will have built their temple (see Rev. 11), and,
as a consequence, will be morally ready to receive a false
Christ. (See Matt. 24.) e apostle Paul declares plainly
that this “man of sin,” “the son of perdition,” will sit “in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is god” (2ess. 2:3-
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4); and we know the temple will be at Jerusalem. Lastly, we
may again answer the question as to the period indicated.
It has been already explained, more than once, that these
events take place after the rapture of the church, and before
the appearing of Christ.
is is entirely corroborated by the apostle’s statement
in 2essalonians 2. He says, “And now ye know what
withholdeth that he [‘the man of sin’] might be revealed in
his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only
he who now letteth [restraineth], will let [restrain], until he
be taken out of the way.” (vss. 6-7) (It has sometimes been
contended that this clause ought to be translated, “until he
be developed out of the midst,” and many quotations from the
classics are given in support; the object being to prove that
the church will be here at the same time as the antichrist,
and thus will have to pass through the great tribulation.
Having through some pains to examine the alleged use
of the phrase, we found that in no single instance did the
citation sustain the contention.) “And then shall that Wicked
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His
mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming”
(2ess. 2:8). e Spirit of God in the church, though
the mystery of iniquity already works, restrains and will
restrain the manifestation of the evil in the person of the
“son of perdition” (e careful reader will recall the fact that
the Lord applies this term to Judas.) until He departs with
the church. en room is made for the revelation of this
incarnation of evil, and he will continue until destroyed by
the Lord Himself at His appearing. It is clear, therefore,
beyond all question, that the interval between the Lord’s
coming for His saints and His appearing in glory is the
period of the antichrist’s rise and power.
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227
Returning now to our chapter, two things are specially
noted. First, this beast had two horns like a lamb. Claiming
to be the expected Messiah, he imitates, assumes the
appearance of, the true Christ. He was like a lamb in the
vision; and, moreover, he had two horns; he had, that is,
two of the forms of power which Christ as the Messiah will
exercise. ese are here the forms of prophetic and kingly
power. Satan could not now give the third form, that of the
priest; for he had lost his anti-priestly place when he was
cast down out of heaven. (See Rev. 12:9-10.) e other two
he bestows upon his blind tool that he might lure therewith
the Jewish nation to destruction. As ever, he will resort to
imitation in order to deceive the unwary and to accomplish
their eternal ruin. (Compare 2Cor. 11:13-15; 2Tim. 3:8.)
Assume, however, whatever appearance he may, he cannot
morally change his nature; for he spake as a dragon. e
dragon is Satan (Rev. 12; also verses 23), and hence, if
lamb-like in form, his speech betrays him. ose taught of
God, therefore, in spite of his pretensions, will discern his
true character; for the sheep know the voice of the good
Shepherd, and they know not the voice of strangers (John
10). So too, as we read in John’s epistle, the babes in the
family of God, warned against the many antichrists already
in the world, shadows and forerunners of the antichrist, are
reminded that they have an unction from the Holy One
and know all things. No saint of God, therefore, need be
led astray, however specious the deception presented.
Revelation 13:12
We have next the twofold form of his power — what
may be termed civil, or governmental, and religious
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power. “And he exerciseth all the power of the rst beast before
him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship the rst beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (vs.
12). We gather from the rst part of this description that
the antichrist will be a kind of vicegerent of the imperial
head of the Roman Empire; and consequently that he will
be sustained in his position by all that monarch’s forces.
ere may be a special reason for this. It is evident from
other scriptures that the antichrist, during his sway, will
be exposed to attacks from the “king of the north,” or the
Assyrian (see Dan. 11:40-45); and it would seem from
another prophecy, that the antichrist will enter into a league
with the Roman power to make common cause against his
adversary. (See Isa. 28:14-22.) is may account for the fact
here stated that he exercises all the power of the rst beast
before it. In return for the Roman support, he assumes the
oce of prophet to the imperial head and compels men to
worship the rst beast. It was a common thing for Roman
emperors in the past to demand divine honors; and once
more, as we here learn, the same thing will be witnessed in
the world’s history. e almost miraculous resuscitation of
the imperial governmental form of power, when the “deadly
wound” is healed (vs. 3), will make the world wonder after
the beast, and will, at the same time, prepare the way for
its deication. e poor world, with all its vaunted wisdom
and enlightenment, will be unable to distinguish between
divine and satanic power. And the culmination of its
progress and civilization will be seen in the worship of the
image of a man. Men will readily fall into the snare under
the blinding inuences of the strong delusion which God,
in judgment, will send upon them, “that they should believe
a lie: that they all might be damned [judged] who believed
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229
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2ess.
2:11-12).
Revelation 13:13-14
Moreover, he will sustain his claims by miraculous
displays of power. Like Elijah, he will cause re to “come
down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men” (vs. 13);
and even as the Lord Himself, he will work miracles to
accredit his mission (compare 2ess. 2:9), and to prove
the rst beast’s title to divine homage. ereby he will
deceive “them that dwell on the earth,” and induce them to
“make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword,
and did live” (vs. 14).
Revelation 13:15
He is permitted to go still further under the inspiration
of Satan; for he will have “power to give life [not life, but
breath] unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (vs. 15).
Nebuchadnezzar went far, when he erected his image of
gold in the plain of Dura, and issued a decree that all men
should worship it, with the penalty of the burning ery
furnace if they refused. e antichrist will go still further;
for his image, instinct with its diabolical breath and the
mouthpiece of Satan in its utterances, will ll the minds of
its worshippers with fear and dread, so that all, excepting
the elect of God (Rev. 13:8), will be constrained to obey
the behest of the antichrist, and to oer their homage to
this creature of hell. ey would not have God, and now
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they must worship Satan. Alas for man when he falls under
the unhindered power of the devil!
Revelation 13:16-17
e antichrist proceeds to regulate even commerce. He
will cause “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or
the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (vss. 16-17).
He will thus form a vast organization, composed of all save
those whose names were written from the foundation of
the world in the slain Lamb’s book of life, outside of which
it will not be lawful to buy or sell. Every member of it must
bear the mark of allegiance to the beast in order to possess
the liberty to trade. Under the mask of the welfare of the
empire, all will be subjected to this awful tyranny under the
pains and penalties of the deprivation of the commonest
liberty of the individual. Foreshadowings of this frightful
abuse of authority are frequently seen even in this tolerant
age, aording a sucient warning to those whose eyes are
opened, that the most absolute despotism may often be
cloaked under a profession of the most liberal ideas, and
giving also an indication of the ultimate goal of modern
politics under the concealed guidance and inspiration of
Satan.
Revelation 13:18
e chapter concludes with the number of the beast,
which is six hundred and sixty-six. And “here is wisdom. Let
him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:
for it is the number of a man” (vs. 18). Many have been the
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231
attempts to unravel this mystery; but all have been in vain.
And we conclude, from the analogy of Scripture, that it
will be impossible to discover the secret before the beast’s
appearance. When at length he shall come upon the scene,
those who have the wisdom of God will be able to identify
him by the number given; and they will thus be divinely
forewarned. e indication here aorded is consequently
for those who will be in the circumstances described.
It may be helpful to some if we add that in order to obtain
a complete view of the antichrist the various scriptures on
the subject must be combined. Here, as before said, we have
his actings in Jerusalem and his relation to the imperial
head of the Roman empire; in Daniel we see him menaced
by the king of the north, or the Assyrian; in 2essalonians
2 he is presented in relation to Judaism which he seeks
to set aside and supersede by claiming divine homage for
himself; whereas in John’s epistle he is seen as the denier
of the Father and the Son that is, of Christianity as so
revealed. (1John 2:22; see also 2John 7.) What a contrast
between the Christ of God and the antichrist of Satan!
And let it not be forgotten that the mystery of lawlessness
is already working, that many antichrists are abroad at this
moment in the world, who by their specious and subtle
reasonings upon the Word of God, are fast preparing the
minds of men for the total rejection of all revealed truth,
and thus to accept the guidance of Satan in the place of
that of the Holy Spirit of God.
e attempt has often been made to unravel the
mystery of the number 666 by “calculations according to
the Greek value of the constituent letters” of the supposed
name of the antichrist. is has opened the door, as will
readily be perceived, to endless speculations. One of the
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earliest solutions oered was “Lateinos”; and a current
one is “Napoleon,” the letters in both cases, when taken
according to their Greek numerical values, making up the
required 666. But, as observed, the solution of the number
will never be reached until the actual appearance of the
antichrist. en, and not till then, his correspondence with
the prediction will be easily detected by God’s people on
the earth.
Revelation 14
233
56724
Revelation 14
Introduction
In the two previous chapters we have the record of Satan’s
activity, through his chosen instruments, in his attempt to
place his yoke upon all the inhabitants of the earth. All his
malice and hatred are directed against God, against His
Christ, and against His people. For the moment, as also
when our Lord was crucied, he seems to be victorious; he
has asserted his power, and his sway is almost undisputed.
Evil, and evil in its own native blackness and corruption, is
triumphant.
e Visions of John on Patmos
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Revelation 14:1
In contrast with this, chapter 14 opens like a magnicent
sunrise after a stormy night. It is a burst of light which
contains the promise that all the clouds that had obscured
the scene will be swept away. “And I looked, and, lo, a”
[rather, the] “Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with Him
a hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name
[e preferred reading is, “His name and the name of His
Father.”] written in their foreheads” (vs. 1). is, as is often
the case in this book, is an anticipative vision, revealing the
end for the comfort of the saints before the judgments are
detailed which lead up to this point. In Revelation 13 the
frightful oppression and persecution of the saints is seen;
and in this vision they are displayed as having been tried
and come forth as gold, and as the result, enjoying a special
place of association with the Lamb.
Several points in the vision must be observed. As
above indicated, it is the Lamb, the Lamb already known
as presented in this book. But here He is seen in a new
place. In Revelation 5 He is revealed as standing in the
midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in
the midst of the elders. Here He stands on mount Zion.
John saw Him rst “as it had been slain” (Ch. 5:6); and we
have thus three successive stages marked: rst, the cross;
next, His exaltation to the throne of God; and, lastly, His
being set as God’s King upon His holy hill of Zion (Psa. 2).
For Zion is the seat of royal grace from David’s time and
onwards (see 1Chron. 21; Psa. 48; compare Heb. 12:22);
and consequently Christ is here displayed in the glory
of His kingdom. e vision overleaps all the intervening
sorrows and judgments and, as in the scene on the mount
Revelation 14
235
of transguration, permits us to behold His majesty and
glory in the seat of His earthly rule and dominion.
ere are with Him a hundred and forty-four thousand.
Who are these? ey are not, though the same symbolical
number, (Twelve is the number representing the perfection
of administrative government in man (in Christ). Twelve
times twelve will exhibit this in intensied perfection.)
those sealed from the twelve tribes in Revelation 7; for the
elect remnant out of the ten tribes will not be restored to
the land of Israel until after Messiah shall sit upon the
throne of His glory; whereas these are the preserved of the
two tribes already in the land, those who will have passed
through the sorrows of the period before the appearing
of Christ, and hence termed “the rstfruits unto God and
to the Lamb” (vs. 4). e ten tribes will not pass through
the unparalleled troubles spoken of in Matthew 24:15-28,
all of which will have their center in Jerusalem and will
be, as to the Jews, conned to the land. In the restoration
from Babylon, of which we read in Ezra, only two tribes
were involved, saving individuals from other tribes, Judah
and Benjamin. It was to these two tribes in the land that
Christ was presented; but when He came to His own
His own received Him not, and on them therefore lay
the guilt of His rejection and crucixion. By these same
two tribes, that is, by the mass and their leaders, the
antichrist will be received; and thus it will be upon them
that the chastisements of that day will descend, when the
tribulation will be so great that no esh would be saved, if
for the elect’s sake the days were not shortened. e true
remnant who in the midst of the apostasy of their brethren,
as well as of the seduction and oppression of the antichrist,
cleave to God and His truth and are saved out of this time
e Visions of John on Patmos
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of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7), these 144,000 are the elect.
eir weeping had endured for the night, but joy had come
in the morning with the interposition of their glorious and
looked-for Messiah. (See Isa. 25:9.) In this scene we see
the full issue of God’s grace through their suerings, in
their being made the companions of the Lamb amid the
glories of His kingdom.
ey are distinguished, moreover, by having His name
and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
e name, or the mark, of the beast had been written on
the foreheads (or on the hands) of his followers — a sign
of their apostasy, and of the degrading yoke which they
had accepted; but these, the 144,000, have the name of the
Lamb, the expression of their allegiance and of their moral
likeness to the One they follow, and the name of His (not
their, because they, whatever their place, have not the Spirit
of adoption) Father written on their foreheads. ey had
openly confessed the name of God and the Lamb, and had
suered, short of death, (is expression, “short of death,”
should be well weighed and examined. As pointed out
afterward, they are said to be “without fault,” (vs. 5) a word
used of Christ (Heb. 9:14), of the church (Eph. 5:27), and
of Christians in their nal presentation before God (Col.
1:22). It is a question, therefore, whether this company may
not have passed either through death, or by being changed,
into a resurrection — not a heavenly, but a resurrection-
condition.) as Christ had suered through the confession
of the name of His Father. (See John 5:1718.) ey had
therefore come into His former place on earth, in regard
to His testimony, however feebly they had occupied it; and
now in the abounding grace of God their foreheads are
adorned with the name of the Lamb and of His Father,
Revelation 14
237
a proclamation to all of their past delity and of the rich
recompense which had been awarded to them by Him for
whom they had suered.
Revelation 14:2-3
It is in connection with the appearance of this elect
remnant with the Lamb on mount Zion that John “heard a
voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of a great thunder: and [he says] I heard the voice of harpers
harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song
before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and
no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and
four thousand, which were redeemed [is should really be
rendered “bought.” It is remarkable and very signicant
that the word redemption is not found in this book. It is
always agorazein, and never lutroun.] from the earth” (vss.
2-3). Who these heavenly choristers are we are not told. e
voice is “from heaven” (vs. 2) and the song is sung before the
throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders.
But whoever may be these celebrants of praise, the subject
would seem from the connection to be that of the victorious
issue of the suerings of this chosen remnant traced back,
doubtless, to God’s grace and the blood of the Lamb.
(Compare Rev. 5:9-10.) is is the more evident from the
fact that no one could learn that song but the 144,000;
for none but they had passed through the sorrows or had
experienced the grace connected with their deliverance.
e song suited to them in their circumstances was raised
in heaven; and they, as in communion with the mind of
God, caught up and repeated the strains. Happy are the
saints of any period when they are enabled to apprehend
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in any measure the mind of God concerning His beloved
Son, and when, with adoring hearts, they can utter, in the
power of the Spirit, His worthiness and praise.
Revelation 14:4
eir characteristics follow. First, they had not deled
themselves with women; “for they are virgins” (vs. 4). In a
scene where all had corrupted themselves they had been
kept pure, pure from all the contamination by which they
had been surrounded, guarding themselves from all the
seductions of the antichrist, and keeping themselves alone
for Him for whom they waited. ey were, it might be said,
espoused to Christ, and they walked as chaste virgins amid
surrounding delements. (Compare 2Cor. 11:2-3.) en
they “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth.” (vs. 4) at
is, they are His companions in His earthly kingdom. In
the Epistle to the Hebrews we read of the companions of
Christ (Heb. 1:9; Heb. 3:14 (is may be rendered, “for we
are made companions of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
condence steadfast unto the end.”); but these “companions”
embrace all Christians; whereas in our scripture they are
conned to this suering, but now victorious, remnant.
Surely they will also confess that the suerings of the past
are not worthy to be compared with the glorious position
on which they will have then entered. To have the privilege
of being the constant and intimate attendants upon the
King in His glory will be the sum and perfection of earthly
bliss.
Moreover, they “were redeemed” (vs. 4) (bought from)
among men, being the rstfruits unto God and the
Lamb. As with every class of the redeemed in all ages and
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239
dispensations, so with these, the blood of Christ alone
constitutes their ransom price. Sold through their sins (Isa.
50:1) into the hand of the enemy, nothing but the precious
blood of Christ can redeem any from his power; and hence
it is that the fact of the redemption of this elect remnant
is here emphasized. As thus “bought,” they are the rst-
fruits unto God and the Lamb, not rstfruits in the sense
in which Christ is (1Cor. 15), or in which His people
are (James 1:18), but the rstfruits of the new scene into
which they have been introduced by Messiah’s appearing
and kingdom. (It may be also that the term “rstfruits” is
used in relation to the harvest in verses 15-16.) In this way
they become, as it were, the nucleus of the chosen people
when God sets His King upon His holy hill of Zion.
Revelation 14:5
Once more we are told that “in their mouth was found
no guile:” [e better reading is “falsehood”] “for they are
without fault” (vss. 5). (e words, “Before the throne of God,”
should be omitted, as also, we judge, the word “for” at the
commencement of the clause.) e question is put in Psalm
15, “Lord, who shall abide in y tabernacle? who shall dwell in
y holy hill?” (vs. 1) e answer (among others) is, “He that
walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the
truth in his heart.” (vs. 2) It is with this last characteristic
that the 144,000 correspond, and they are upon God’s holy
hill of Zion with the Lamb. Having truth in the inward
parts, no lie was found in their mouth. Lastly it is added,
“they are without fault.” e word rendered “without fault”
is the same as is applied to our Lord in Hebrews 9:14, and
1Peter 1:19, and given as “without spot.” ey are therefore
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meet for the presence of Him whose companions, through
His grace, they are. If spotless, and hence qualied to stand
in His immediate presence, it could only be, let it be forever
repeated, through the applied ecacy of His own most
precious blood. at, and that alone, cleanses from all sin.
What encouragement, it may be added, does this blessed
scene aord. In Revelation 13, as has been remarked, Satan
and Satan’s power are to the outward eye triumphant; but
here we behold the issue in the exaltation of the Lamb in
the very place where the antichrist had ruled; and in the
safety, blessing, and triumph of His redeemed from among
men. His sheep never perish, for none can pluck them out
of His hand.
ree Angelic Proclamations and Two
Judgments
e whole of this chapter forms a kind of parenthesis.
In Revelation 12 and 13 the hand of God is not apparent in
the events related, although He reveals His own thoughts
concerning His people, and concerning the embodiment
of Satan’s power in the revived Roman empire together
with its head, and the antichrist. At the commencement
of Revelation 14, as already seen, we have an anticipative
exhibition of the blessed remnant who will be preserved
through the ery trial of that day, and who, associated
with the Lamb on mount Zion, will have the privilege
of following Him whithersoever He goeth. ereupon,
coming now to our scripture, there is a solemn call to
repentance, and the announcement of coming judgment
upon the dierent forms of evil which have corrupted the
earth. It is not that the judgments are yet actually executed;
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241
they are rather warnings of what is at hand, visions of what
is impending — vouchsafed to John, and here recorded for
the comfort and guidance of believers in all ages.
Revelation 14:6-7
A “day of grace” always precedes judgment. is is shown
in the following words: “And I saw another angel y in the
midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, [In the correct reading the word
“dwell” is not the same as that hitherto noticed as having a
moral force. e reason for the change lies probably in the
fact that the proclamation has an universal importance.]
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for
the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made
heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters”
(vss. 6-7). On the very surface it is clear that this is not the
gospel of the grace of God. It contains, indeed, but two
things; rst, a command to fear God and to give glory to
Him in the prospect of coming judgment; and, secondly,
an appeal to men, on the ground of creation relationship, to
worship the Creator. Doubtless it is termed the everlasting
gospel, because, apart from all special revelations of God,
as to Israel and to Christians, and hence beyond all
dispensations, God has ever borne to men the relationship
of a Creator to His creatures, and as such is entitled to
their reverence and adoration. (Compare Rom. 1:18-23.)
But man has utterly failed in his responsiblity as a creature
and consequently is, on that ground alone, exposed to
judgment. (Another has said, “e everlasting gospel is the
Seed of the woman that shall bruise the serpent’s head; that is,
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the declaration that the Lord shall destroy with power when
He comes in judgment. It is the announcement that the hour
of His judgment is come, the unchanging good news from the
beginning and onward.”)
Revelation 14:8
en, “there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is
fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations
drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” (vs. 8). e
moral character of Babylon and the details of her judgment
are found in Revelation 17-18. Any remarks therefore will
be reserved till these portions of the book are reached,
contenting ourselves now with calling attention to the fact
that Babylon represents the religious corruptress of the
earthand is in fact what Rome has ever been, and what
Babylon will yet more manifestly be after Laodicea is
rejected as God’s responsible witness on the earth. en
she will be “the mother of harlots and abominations of the
earth,” (Ch. 17:5) and it is on her as such that her righteous
doom is here proclaimed.
Revelation 14:9-11
e civil power comes next under the eye of God, and
hence there follows the third angel, “saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture
into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented
with re and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and
in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment
ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor
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243
night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever
receiveth the mark of his name” (vss. 9-11). What a contrast
between God’s thoughts and those of man! On earth men
may agree to cast o all fear of God, to profess to ignore
His very existence and to accept the rule of Satan; but the
time is coming when God will intervene, and this solemn
warning is written for all who will heed it, that judgment,
if delayed, will surely fall upon all who accept the yoke
and servitude of the beast. It is instructive, moreover, to
note in a day when universalism is so popular, even among
professing Christians, the character of the judgment. True
that it falls upon a class; but if there were only some who
will have to endure their punishment for “ages of ages” and
who will “have no rest day nor night,” (vs. 11) the contention
that there is no such thing as “eternal punishment” is utterly
disproved. Note also that wherever man takes God’s place
in the soul, wherever men concede to man what belongs to
God alone, there is morally the same guilt as that on which
these terrible judgments are here pronounced.
Revelation 14:12
It is easy to understand that the faith of the saints in
this terrible time of the display of Satan’s power will be
subjected to no ordinary test. It is in view of this that the
Spirit of God adds, “Here is the patience [endurance] of the
saints: they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith
of Jesus” (vs. 12). (e words “here are” before “they that,” as
in the English version, should be omitted. e last clause
of the verse is simply descriptive of the character of the
saints.) ese saints are, in fact, the Jewish remnant, those
who cleave to the commandments of God as given in the
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old dispensation and who believe in Jesus as the coming
Messiah in spite of the pretensions of the antichrist. Tried
to the utmost, their constancy will be seen in their holding
fast to the Word of God, and to their faith in Jesus all
through this period of darkness and of the frightful energy
of evil.
Revelation 14:13
Coupled with this, another class, or a class from among
these, comes into view. To keep the commandments of
God and the faith of Jesus, and consequently to refuse
to render homage to the beast or to his image, will be to
incur the penalty of death, and as a consequence many will
suer martyrdom. (See Rev. 20:4.) Now death to Jewish
saints would be the loss of their special blessings connected
with the hope of the coming of their glorious Messiah,
of the establishment of His kingdom in power, and of
His dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the
ends of the earth. (Compare Psa. 88.) It is concerning this
class, and the frustration of their earthly hopes, that John
receives a special commandment from heaven to write,
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and
their works do follow them” (vs. 13). Man may be permitted
to curse, and to put them to death; but God declares that
they are blessed. All who have ever died in the Lord are
blessed; absent from the body, they are present with the
Lord; but the blessedness of this scripture applies to those
whose hopes are not heavenly but earthly, to those who
look for blessings on earth under Emmanuel rather than
to be with Him in heaven. Cut o from the earth, they
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245
are blessed of God, and the Spirit declares it so that they
may have rest from their labors; and while not permitted
to see the fruit of their activities on earth, their works shall
follow them in heaven. ere they will, by God’s special
grace, reap the reward of their toils. Further, it is revealed
(Rev. 20), that they will have the special privilege of being
included in the rst resurrection, and thus, to be sharers
with the heavenly saints in reigning with Christ as seen
in verses 4-6. ere is another possible interpretation of
these words. Immediately following, we have the coming
of the Lord in discriminating judgment; and it may be that
the blessing pronounced upon those who have died in the
Lord [so they are divinely estimated] during the sway of the
antichrist, refers to their public owning and recompense as
seen in Revelation 20. e reader must examine and weigh
these interpretations.
Revelation 14:14-15
e close is once more reached in the next vision.
(See Rev. 11:15-18.) e Man-child, caught up to God’s
throne, now returns in judgment; and the judgment He
will execute is of a two-fold character, here described under
the gures of a “harvest” and a “vintage.” First, we have
the description of the Reaper: “And I looked, and behold a
white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of
Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a
sharp sickle” (vs. 14). Both the manner of His advent — on
the cloud — and the title — the Son of Man — proclaim
unmistakably the person of the Reaper. It is the rejected
Jesus who, refused by the Jews when presented to them
as the Messiah, took up the wider title of the Son of Man
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(See Psa. 8, Matt. 16:20,27), under which all things are put
under His feet. e “golden crown” (vs. 14) not only speaks
of His royal dignity, but also of the glory of that divine
righteousness according to which everything will be both
tested and judged, while the “sickle” (vs. 14) announces the
immediate object of His return. He took the servant’s place
when down here for the accomplishment of the will of
God, so when He comes to execute the judgment written
He will still occupy the same position. It is on this account
that an angel is introduced, as coming out of the temple,
and “crying with a loud voice to Him that sat on the cloud,
rust in y sickle, and reap: for the time is come for ee to
reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe” (vs. 15).
Revelation 14:16
ere is something sublime in the simple statement of
obedience to this command: “And He that sat on the cloud
thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped” (vs.
16). As to the character of the judgment here indicated,
it may aid the reader to consult Joel 3:9-17 and Matthew
13:36-43. Two or three points may be noticed. It is the
earth that is reaped, and hence it is men as men, not the
Jewish nation especially, that are in question. Secondly, the
angel who cried to Him that sat on the cloud, “rust in
y sickle … and reap,” (vs. 16) came out of the temple.
e judgment therefore was to proceed according to
the revealed character of Him whose habitation it was.
Bearing these points in mind, it is easily understood that
the judgment is of a discriminating character, gathering
the wheat into His garner, and burning up the cha with
unquenchable re. e Scriptures deal constantly with this
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aspect of the appearing of our Lord and Savior. In some of
the similitudes of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13 it
is found; so also in chapter 25, where the Lord, as the King,
will gather all nations before the throne of His glory, and
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats (Matt. 25:31-46).
Revelation 14:17-19
e scene that follows, while related to the preceding
one, has a dierent character. “And another angel came out
of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp
sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which
had power over re; and cried with a loud cry to Him that
had the sharp sickle, saying, rust in y sharp sickle, and
gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes
are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in His sickle into the
earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into
the great winepress of the wrath of God” (vss. 17-19).
e rst question to be answered is as to the angel that
appears here as the executor of judgment. ere cannot
be a doubt that, although He is not named, it is also the
Son of Man; for, as we read elsewhere, the Father hath
committed all judgment unto the Son, hath given Him
authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son
of Man (John 5:22-27). But He is here seen only as an
angel, not merely in accordance with the symbology of the
book, but because He comes as the divine instrument of
God’s will in judgment upon the vine of the earth, and
hence, in this case, comes out for this purpose from the
temple, from God’s immediate presence. He is seen as the
Son of Man when the judgment relates to the Gentiles,
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but here as an angel when the Jews are prominent before
the mind. For what, we may now inquire, is set forth by the
vine of the earth? e gure is familiar. Israel was a vine,
brought out of Egypt, and planted in Canaan (Psa. 80),
but when God looked for it to bring forth good grapes,
nothing was found, notwithstanding all the culture it had
received, but wild grapes (Isa. 5:1-7). It was on this account
that Christ Himself replaced Israel, before God, as the
vine: He became the true vine, of which His own were the
branches (John 15). e vine of the earth therefore will be
that which should have borne fruit for God; and is in the
scene before us, inasmuch as it is the object of judgment,
apostate Judaism with which the Gentiles, as we know, will
be allied.
e character of the judgment is shown by the words,
“the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (vs. 19) It is thus
unsparing judgment (see Isa. 63:1-4) upon Messiah’s
adversaries in connection with the establishment of His
kingdom. (See, for example, Zech. 14; Rev. 19.)
Revelation 14:20
One thing more is to be gleaned from the last verse: “And
the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out
of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a
thousand and six hundred furlongs” (vs. 20). e term “without
the city” indicates undoubtedly that the neighborhood of
Jerusalem is the locality of this unmitigated vengeance.
e prophet Joel agrees (as well as Isaiah and Zechariah)
when he combines in one verse both the harvest and the
vintage judgments (Joel 3:2-13). He species the valley of
Jehoshaphat as the place where the nations, as well as the
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apostate Jews, with whom they will be associated, will be
judged. e terrible character of the vengeance of that day
is seen in the awful, if symbolic, statement concerning the
blood that came out of the winepress, reaching unto the
horse bridles, and extending to 1,600 furlongs; that is, as
some have observed, to the whole length of the Holy Land.
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Revelation 15
251
56739
Revelation 15
Revelation 15-16: Introduction
ese chapters connect with the thirteenth rather than
with that which precedes. e latter, as before observed,
is parenthetical. is will be at once seen by the character
of the present vision. In chapter 13 the rst and second
beasts, the head of the revived Roman empire and the
antichrist, are introduced; and the consequent display of
Satan’s power in spiritual deception and despotic tyranny
is exhibited.
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Revelation 15:1
Here we have the “seven last plagues” in which “is lled
up the wrath of God” (vs. 1) brought forth as about to be
visited upon the apostate earth, upon that portion of it
especially which had accepted Satan’s yoke under the
deceptive inuences of the antichrist. e foundations may
be destroyed and the righteous may be almost in despair,
but God’s throne is still in the heaven; and “His eyes behold,
His eyelids try, the children of men” (Psa. 11:4). After the
introduction of the seven angels who have the seven last
plagues, there is a signicant break and, as is often the case
in Scripture, the end is revealed before the commencement.
Or rather, before the storm of God’s wrath bursts in all its
desolating fury upon the earth, He vouchsafes to us a vision
of the end of the trial for His saints. We are permitted to
see them preserved through all the unutterable sorrows of
that day, with their hearts overowing in praise to Him
who had protected them from Satan’s power and had
snatched them as brands from the burning.
Revelation 15:2-3
John says: “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with
re: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and
over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his
name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God” (vs. 2).
e “sea of glass” is evidently that referred to in Revelation 4,
where we read, “And before the throne there was a sea of glass
like unto crystal.” (vs. 6) It is moreover clear from Solomon’s
“molten sea” (2Chron. 4:2) that the allusion is to the laver
in the holy place. is contained water as the means of
purication; the “sea” before the throne is of glass, or “like
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unto crystal,” (vs. 6) the gure of xed and accomplished
holiness, without which these saints could not have been
in heaven. But it was “mingled with re,” (vs. 2) indicative of
the ery tribulation out of which they had come, and which
God had used for the trial and purication of their faith.
(See 1Peter 1:6-7.) eir characteristic description is also
to be noted: they are those “that had gotten the victory over
the beast.” (vs. 2) To man’s eyes they were surely vanquished
by his power; but before God they were conquerors
through Him that had loved them. So too, in outward
appearance, it was with our blessed Lord: “He was crucied
through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God.” (2Cor.
13:4) Man’s victories are demonstrative and showy; moral
triumphs are silent and unseen, and often accompanied, as
with these saints, with the loss of everything in this world.
eir occupation is praise: they have harps — symbols
of triumphant gladness — and they sing. e character
of their song is two-fold, “ey sing the song of Moses the
servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (vs. 3). “e song
of Moses is triumph over the power of evil by God’s judgments.
e song of the Lamb is the exaltation of the rejected Messiah,
of the suering One, and like whom they had suered; for it is
the slain remnant amidst unfaithful and apostate Israel whom
we nd here” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, Vol. 5:545). e allusion
will be therefore to Exodus 15, and perhaps, for the song of
the Lamb, to Revelation 5.
It is interesting to notice that these redeemed ones
celebrate God as they had known Him on earth; that is, as
revealed in the Old Testament. It is “Lord God Almighty,”
(vs. 3) Jehovah, Elohim, Shaddai; showing the immense
dierence between the place of the Jewish saints and those
of the present dispensation. e ground of their praise is
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God’s marvelous works; that is, we apprehend, as seen in
the judgments which had fallen upon the oppressors of
God’s people; and they add, “just and true are y ways, ou
King of saints” (vs. 3). (It should be “nations,” not “saints.”)
e interposition of God in judgment had dispelled
all the clouds that had obscured (to sight) His ways in
government; but, now that the end is reached, they confess
that they were both righteous and true; and righteous and
true in relation to the world at large, for He is here owned
as King of nations. Faith is assured of this when God’s way
is in the sea, and His footsteps are not known; still this
suering, but now victorious remnant, sustained by divine
power, had gotten the victory over the whole power of evil;
and, as they review the past, they gladly confess that all
God’s ways had been according to Himself, and had ended
in the furtherance of His own glory.
Revelation 15:4
In the next place they contemplate the eect of God’s
judgments. It is but the amplication of the prophet’s
words, “When y judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants
of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). ey cry,
“Who shall not fear ee, O Lord, and glorify y name? for
ou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship
before ee; for y judgments are made manifest” (vs. 4).
ese saints, it will be remembered, are in heaven; and it is
there they anticipate the full millennial blessedness of the
earth in the subjection of all nations to Christ as King; and
this as the result of God’s judgments having been made
manifest. (See Psa. 72:8-11; Zeph. 3:8-9; Zech. 14:16.)
Revelation 15
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Revelation 15:5-6
All is thus prepared; and we read: “And after that I looked,
and, behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in
heaven was opened: And the seven angels came out of the
temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white
linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles” (vss.
5-6). As in Revelation 11:19, so here the temple of the
tabernacle is opened in heaven; only it is the temple of
the tabernacle of the testimony, rather than the ark of the
covenant, that is seen. In both alike the signicance is that
God is about to act in view of Israel and according to His
unchanging purposes of grace towards them; but in the
case before us, as “the testimony” (vs. 5) is prominent (the
testimony, that is, embodied in the two tables of the law),
it will indicate that this is the standard according to which
God will proceed to judgment through the angels as the
providential instruments of His government; and that He
is thus about to make good His character as so revealed,
according to this testimony.
ere are seven angels — this number as usual setting
forth the completeness or perfection of that in which
they are to be engaged; and their array is distinguished by
two things — their pure and white linen dress and their
golden girdles. e white linen is a symbol of spotless
purity, absolute cleanness in God’s sight, that which should
have been seen, as has been suggested, in Babylon, but
was superseded there by corruption and “abominations.”
e golden girdles set forth the fact that these angelic
instruments were girded by divine righteousness for their
service. e white raiment and the gold (crowns of gold)
characterize the twenty-four elders (Rev. 5), and “the ne
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linen,” clean and white, distinguishes the Lamb’s wife (Rev.
19); and both of these traits mark these angels when sent
forth on their judicial mission, because “it was really the
avenging of what God was, as fully revealed to the assembly”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:547).
Revelation 15:7
It is one of the four living creatures who gives “unto the
seven angels seven golden vials [or bowls] full of the wrath of
God, who liveth forever and ever” (vs. 7). It is thus the eternal
God who is about to deal with the world through these
providential scourges. When we say “providential” we mean
that His arm will not be made bare, except to the eye of
faith; that to the eyes of the natural man the things which
will happen will seem to be the result of the operation of
natural laws. Science for example, might be able to pacify
the fears of men by indicating causes, or by alleging an
explanation of the events. e reader will remark that one
of the four living creatures hands the bowls to the angels,
and that the bowls, even as the girdles of the angels, are
golden. e living creatures, symbols of the attributes of
God as displayed in creation, are always connected with
God’s throne, and with His throne in its judicial aspect, in
its relation to God’s government of the earth. It is therefore
in harmony with the action proceeding, judicial wrath in
government, that one of these living creatures should be
the intermediary between God and the angels. e golden
bowls or vials tell again of God’s righteousness, what is
suited to His own nature which He is about to vindicate in
judgment. (Compare Rom. 1:16-18.)
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257
Revelation 15:8
e vials being given to the angel, another thing is
recorded. “And the temple was lled with smoke from the glory
of God, and from His power; and no man [no one] was able to
enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels
were fullled” (vs. 8). e glory of God is the display of
what He is. Any putting forth therefore of what God is,
whether in grace, in power, or in holiness, is a display of
His glory. Here accordingly, as power in judgment is in
question, it is the display of what He is judicially according
to the requirements of His own nature. (Compare Isa. 6:1-
4, also 2Chron. 7:1-2.) is at once explains why, until
these judgments were completed, no one could enter
the temple; for who indeed could stand before a God of
judgment?
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Revelation 16
259
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Revelation 16
Revelation 16:1
While one of the living creatures is employed to give the
vials to the angels, the command for action proceeds out of
the temple itself: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple
saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials
of the wrath of God upon the earth” (vs. 1). e attitude of
the seven angels is to be remarked as a pattern of all true
service. It is an attitude of perfect obedience. ey come
out from the presence of God, they receive the instruments
of their service from one of the living creatures, and nally
they do not move a step until they have a divine command;
they “do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His
word” (Psa. 103:20).
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Upon the vials themselves but few remarks will be
necessary, because of their remarkable similarity to the seven
trumpets. We shall therefore content ourselves with calling
attention to the points of agreement and dierence, and to
their general signicance. First of all it should be noted,
that, inasmuch as the seventh trumpet reaches down to the
close of God’s dealings with the earth and the establishment
of Christ’s kingdom, the seven vials must, if comprised
within a shorter period, be in part contemporaneous with
the seven trumpets. If they begin after the commencement
of the trumpets, they must still terminate at the same time.
Secondly, there is no mention in the vial-judgments, as in
the case of the trumpets, of a “third part” being specially
aected. at is to say, the eects of God’s judicial dealing
are not conned, as in the trumpets, to the Roman earth,
but are more general in their character. irdly, the rst
four vial-plagues “have the same objects as the judgments of
the rst four trumpets — the whole circle of symbolic nature,
but here directly as regards men — earth, sea, rivers, and sun”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:547). e fth and sixth vials
correspond with the fth and sixth trumpets: both alike
aect the kingdom of the beast and the Euphrates, while
the last two in each series bring us to the close of God’s
dealings with the earth preparatory to the introduction of
the kingdom of Christ.
Revelation 16:2-4
Attention to the above comparison and contrast will aid
in seizing the general meaning of these last seven plagues.
e rst vial is poured out upon “the earth,” (vs. 2) the
scene of ordered government: “And there fell a noisome and
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grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast,
and upon them which worshipped his image” (vs. 2). Satan
may delude men and seduce them into apostasy and into
the acceptance of the beast and the antichrist, but God
will once more make it known, by causing His hand to
fall upon His enemies as in Egypt in days of old, that He
will not suer His glory to be given to another. e next
vial is poured out “upon the sea,” (vs. 3) the sea representing
the masses of the peoples, viewed as unorganized; “and
it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul
died in the sea” (vs. 3). It may be dicult to state precisely
what is intended here; but plainly some deadly inuence
goes forth in this plague among the peoples of the earth,
resulting in general moral death. e third is somewhat
similar, only the plague falls upon“the rivers and fountains of
waters; and they became blood” (vs. 4). If rivers and fountains
represent moral principles, which in their course should
be the sources of life and refreshment to men, this will
portend the corruption of these, the surrender of all such,
so that what is oered in their stead becomes the means of
death rather than life. It is so in this day, for example, when
rationalism and indelity ow out through the nation in
the place of the Word of God.
Revelation 16:5-7
is plague evokes from “the angel of the waters” the
cry, “ou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and
shalt be, [Another reading gives, omitting “O Lord,” “ou
art righteous, who art and wast, the Holy One.”] because ou
hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and
prophets, and ou hast given them blood to drink; for they
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are worthy” (vss. 5-6). On the ground of righteousness this
principle is evident. Men had put to death God’s witnesses,
rejected His Word, and now they have judicially to “drink”
that which causes death. So, for example, the Jews shed
the blood of Stephen and others, and they, in this case of
their own will, “drank,” in their blind hate against God and
His truth, that which brought in spiritual death upon their
souls. To the cry of the angel of the waters, “another out of
the altar” is heard to respond, “Even so, Lord God Almighty,
true and righteous are y judgments” (vs. 7).
Revelation 16:8-9
e fourth and fth vials are easily comprehended. e
fourth “poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given
unto him [it] to scorch men with re” (vs. 8). e sun it will
be recollected is the emblem of supreme authority; and
this plague therefore points to some tyrannical exercise
of it, some fearful despotism which causes immense trial
and suering to those trodden down under its heel. But so
far from humbling themselves before God, while groaning
under suerings, men blaspheme His name, for in spite of
their wickedness they will be made to recognize that He
“hath power over these plagues.” Yet, such is the hardness of
man’s heart, “they repented not to give Him glory” (vs. 9).
Revelation 16:10-14
“e fth angel poured out his vial upon the seat [throne] of
the beast”; and again like Egypt of old, “his kingdom was full
of darkness,” only this, we apprehend, would be moral in its
character rather than actual. e consequence was what is
really a foretaste of hell; for in the intensity of their distress
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and misery they “gnawed their tongues … and blasphemed the
God of heaven,” to whom they also attribute “their pains and
their sores.” But they “repented not of their deeds” (vss. 10-
11). e reader cannot fail to be struck with the solemn
repetition of the impenitence of those who are suering
under the judicial hand of God. ey had despised and
killed His witnesses, and now, though they cannot any
longer conceal from themselves that there is a God who
judges the earth, they refuse to acknowledge their sin. ey
“repented not” (vs. 11); their evil hearts still clung to the
very deeds which had brought upon them their terrible
suerings. What a proof of the incurable evil of human
nature, that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s
heart is only evil continually!
“e sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of
the kings of the east might be prepared” (vs. 12). e Euphrates,
a river well known in Scripture, was and, as is plain from
this scripture, will be the eastern boundary of the Roman
empire. What is here symbolically described therefore as
the drying up of its water will mean that this boundary is
broken through and can no longer be maintained. (Whether
these kings of the East come at rst in antagonism to the
beast cannot be known. In the end, it is certain they are
his confederates.) Whatever the human instrumentality by
which the removal of this boundary is eected, it is the
consequence of the pouring out of the angelic vial. It is a
“plague” from the hand of God through His providential
agents. In connection with this, “three unclean spirits like
frogs” proceed from the trinity of evil, “out of the mouth of
the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the
mouth of the false prophet,” and act upon “the kings of the
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whole habitable world” (vss. 13-14). (So it should read, and
not, as in the English Version, “the kings of the earth and of
the whole world.”) Just as Ahab was persuaded by “a lying
spirit” (1Kings 22:23; 2Chron. 18:22) in the mouth of his
prophets to go up to Ramoth-Gilead to battle to his own
destruction, so these “spirits of devils, working miracles” (vs.
14) will inuence these kings to combine with one consent
with their allies for their objects, all ignorant of the fact
that they are being gathered for the battle of that great
day of God Almighty. Jerusalem, as we may learn from the
prophets, will be the point to which they will converge (see
Isa. 66; Zech. 12-14; with Rev. 19:11-21); and Jerusalem
will be the object of their attack. At rst victory will seem
to be theirs; but just as their prey is about to be devoured,
the Lord Himself will appear, and rescue His people;
He will “destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem”
(Zech. 12:9).
Revelation 16:15-21
at this is the event indicated is seen from verse 15.
After the description of the action of the three spirits of
demons there is a solemn pause, and the Lord Himself
speaks: “Behold, I come as a thief.” (vs. 15) is is the known
way in Scripture of His coming to the world; that is, of
His appearing. (See 1ess. 5:1-4; 2Peter 3:10; Rev. 3:3)
is makes it very clear that the battle of that great day of
Almighty God is consequent upon the sudden appearing
of Christ in His glory as described in the scriptures above
given. It is because He will come thus as a thief that He
adds, “Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,
lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (vs. 15; compare
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Matt. 24:36-37.) is instruction, as well as warning,
applies above all to the elect remnant of that day.
One more particular is now added — the name of the
place to which the kings and their armies will be gathered.
It is called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Some
read Harmagedon.) is name has a symbolical import,
and means in fact, the hill of Megiddo. Megiddo was the
great battleeld of Barak (Judg. 5:19), and had therefore,
combined with other events in connection with the same
place, (See for example, 2 Chron. 35:20-27, where one
of the saddest events, as aecting the Jewish people is
recorded.) a peculiar signicance in Jewish history. is
will account for its application to that awful place where
“the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies [will
gather] together to make war against Him that sat on the horse
[the Lord in His glory] and against His army” (Ch. 19:19).
e consummation is now reached. Together with the
pouring out of the seventh vial “into the air; and there came a
great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying,
It is done” (vs. 17). God’s preliminary judgments are now
completed; and the next thing to follow, not described
here, will be the event announced in verse 15, the coming
of the Lord as a thief. e eects of this last plague are
briey given. e great city, Rome (Ch. 17:18), “the unied
association of European civilization,” for it is the expression
of all that the Roman Empire is in its wealth, art, literature,
and commerce (see Ch. 18) is “divided into three parts” (vs.
19). Babylon is judged, the details of which are found in
chapter 18; “and every island ed away, and the mountains
were not found” (vs. 20); all the world’s stability and order
are utterly subverted, and reduced to chaotic confusion;
and nally God’s violent judgments (see Isa. 32:19) will
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once again descend on men, who still untouched by His
repeated scourges, will in their madness respond with
blasphemy “because of the plague of the hail; for the plague
thereof was exceeding great” (vs. 21).
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56752
Revelation 17
Introduction
At the close of the previous chapter, in connection
with the last vial, we are told that “great Babylon came in
remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine
of the erceness of His wrath.” (Ch. 17:19) And now before
the specic details of her judgment are described (Rev.
18), her moral character and her connection with the civil
power are portrayed, and portrayed with such distinctness
that her identication is easy, beyond even the possibility
of mistake, for those who are not blinded by prejudice and
preconceived ideas, and who are subject to the Word of
God.
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Revelation 17:1-2
“And there came,” says John, “one of the seven angels which
had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come
hither; I will show unto thee the judgment of the great whore
that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the
earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication”
(vss. 1-2). en, from verse 3 to verse 6 we have in detail
what John saw when he was carried away by the angel “in
the spirit into the wilderness” (vs. 3). Next from verse 6 to
the end of the chapter the angel’s own interpretation of the
vision is recorded, as given to John.
First of all, we may occupy ourselves with the two-
fold description of Babylon as the “great whore,” (vs. 1) or
harlot, and as the “woman.” (vs. 3) In Revelation 21:9 it is
also one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, etc.,
who says to John, “Come hither, I will show thee the bride,
the Lamb’s wife.” e designed contrast is too evident to
escape notice, and at once reveals the signicance of the
expression, “the great whore.” (vs. 1) We learn thus, beyond
all doubt, that what claimed to be the bride of Christ was
morally, according to the unerring estimate of God, a great
harlot. e second verse of our chapter explains this — the
manner of her “fornication” with the kings of the earth, and
further adds that she had intoxicated the inhabitants of the
earth with the wine of her special sin. e church of God,
the bride, the Lamb’s wife, is heavenly in origin, character,
and hopes; but that which usurped this title became wholly
earthly, became a power amidst the powers of the world,
made alliances with them, or reduced them to subjection,
and thereby she corrupted herself and those with whom
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she entered into unholy association. ereby, too, she
blinded and deceived the inhabitants of the earth with her
intoxicating wine, allowing them, under the sanction of
her assumed authority, the gratication of every lust of the
esh. Corrupted herself, she corrupted the Word of God,
and became the corruptress of all with whom she came
into contact.
She is, moreover, presented as a “woman”; and the angel
expressly says that the “woman” is “that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth” (vs. 18). e church, as
we have seen, is the bride, the Lamb’s wife; but what John
saw, when the angel thus described her, was “that great
city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God”
(Ch. 21:10). is aords another contrast. e church is a
heavenly, and the “woman” is an earthly city. In both of these
characters therefore Babylon counterfeits the heavenly
Jerusalem. is will help us to understand the signicance
of the “woman.” She is a system, the expression of a system,
a center that gathers up and presents all her principles in
an organized form. We are acquainted with this symbolism
even in our ordinary speech. We say, for example, that a
person has “gone over to Rome,” meaning that he has
joined the papal “church.”
Before proceeding further, it will clear our way if we
seek to answer denitely the question as to what system
is indicated under the gure of the woman. In addition to
what has been said, which in itself is sucient to supply
the answer, three things named in the chapter may be
considered. In verse 9 we read, “Here is the mind which
hath wisdom. e seven heads [alluding to the beast] are
seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.” It would be a
waste of time to show, what has been indisputably proved
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a thousand times, that Rome was ever known as the seven-
hilled city. ere could not, in fact, have been a more direct
explanation given that Rome is the city intended. (If it be
objected that the mountains represent the symbolic force of
the seven heads of the beast, seven forms of governmental
power, the answer is, that the two things coincide, inasmuch
as Rome was and will be the seat of government.) Again
in verse 15 it is said, “e waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues.” e signicant change should be noted from the
term “woman” in verse 9 to the “whore” here used. When it
is a question of locality, identied with the system, “woman”
is employed; but seen in connection with the various races
and divisions of people that own her debasing sway, we have
“harlot,” to give prominence to her corrupting character. If
then the city of Rome is plainly intended in Revelation
17:9, here it is the fact of her almost universal dominion to
which our attention is called. Lastly, in Revelation 17:18, it
is said that the “woman” is none other than that great city,
which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Every student
of history is acquainted with the fact that this is exactly
what Rome did in the middle ages. Claiming to be Christ’s
vicegerents on earth, the popes always avowed their title
to sovereignty over the kingdoms of the world; and even
now, though to a large extent the nations have revolted
against their arrogant demands, the claim is still asserted.
Combining therefore these several features, so strikingly
set forth in this chapter, only one conclusion is possible,
namely, that we have here a vision of papal Rome. But
the reader will remember that the time is yet future when
she will entirely correspond with the portraiture of this
chapter; not forgetting, at the same time, that the moral
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character of Rome has been the same in all ages. It may
assist the reader if the above contrast is presented in a still
more distinct form. e church is seen, in the last chapters
of this book, as the bride of Christ, and as a city, the holy
city, new Jerusalem. Babylon, as Satan’s master counterfeit,
or imitation, is also a city, and claims to be a bride. As the
latter, she is the expression of a religious system, and is here
termed a harlot, “the mother of harlots and abominations of
the earth.” (vs. 5) Such is her moral character in the sight
of God. As a city, Babylon is the seat of administration in
government, as we read in Revelation 17:9: “e seven heads”
(of the beast, verse 3) “are seven mountains” (a description
as explained in the text which plainly points to Rome), “on
which the woman sitteth.” Satan’s last eort to deceive the
eyes and hearts of men, before the appearing of Christ,
will thus be in the formation of Babylon, as an imitation
of God’s city, new Jerusalem. But here in this chapter his
devices are exposed for all who have eyes to see, and ears
to hear.
Revelation 17:3
We may now pursue, with more intelligence, the
consideration of details. It should be rst remarked that
the “wilderness” is the scene of the vision, a moral desert
where, to borrow language, no springs of God are found;
and this wilderness is to be regarded as the result of the
inuence of the “woman” and of the beast. It is in such a
place that John “saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast,
full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns”
(vs. 3). e beast we already know from Revelation 13:1, and
the reader can refer back to our remarks there; but we may
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once again call attention to the plain description here given
by the angel: “e beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and
shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and
they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,
when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is”
(vs. 8). e Roman empire was in full vigor in the apostle’s
day, the empire that was shadowed out by Daniel’s fourth
beast (Dan. 7:7), and which is to be found in existence at
the coming of the Ancient of Days (Rev. 17:22). At the
present moment this empire “is not”; and we learn from
our chapter that it will, and must to fulll the prediction
of Daniel, reappear. But it will reappear as devilish in its
origin, it will ascend out of the bottomless pit, and it will be
blasphemous in its character (Rev. 17:3). Still more precise
information is given. e beast has seven heads — forms
of power, represented in verse 10 as kings, of whom ve
had fallen in the apostles’ days. One was then existing,“the
other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a
short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (vss. 10-
11). If Napoleon I is, as has often been suggested, the one
who was to make the seventh, there remains now only the
appearance of the “beast” to fulll the angelic prophecy.
e ve forms of governmental power that had passed
away would seem to have been: kings, consuls, dictators,
deceivers, and military tribunes. e Caesars were then
existing. is would leave, as pointed out above, Napoleon,
and the beast of Revelation 13.
Such then is the last awful form of governmental power,
embodied in the revived Roman empire, which will ll
the minds of all, outside of the elect saints of God, with
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amazement and admiration. What greater proof could
be given of what man is than the fact that his ideal of
government will be satanic?
Revelation 17:4
Before pursuing other features of the “beast,” we return
now to the “woman” and her relation to it. In verse 3 she is
here seen “sitting upon” the beast; that is, what the “woman”
represents, Popery in its full-blown development after the
rapture of the saints, is allied with and upheld by the world-
power. She is borne up and carried along by all the power of
the resuscitated Roman empire. is is the principle of all
State “churches,” only here it is exemplied in its grossest
form because of the character of the “woman.” First, her
dress is specied:
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color,
and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a
golden cup in her hand full of abominations and lthiness of her
fornication” (vs. 4). What a contrast to the bride, the Lamb’s
wife! “To her was granted that she should be arrayed in ne
linen, clean and white” (vs. 8); but this usurper is clad in all
the gorgeous beauty of earthly splendor, in the two colors
that betoken worldly and imperial glory, and adorned
with gold and precious stones and pearls, all of which had
their symbolic place in Judaism, in that which since the
cross is divinely described as the elements of the world,
or “beggarly elements,” and which therefore in themselves
contain the absolute denial of the church’s heavenly origin
and character. She has, moreover, a golden cup in her
hand, full of the abominations wherewith she seduces and
corrupts the nations of the earth.
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Revelation 17:5
en we read: “And upon her forehead was a name
written, Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots
and abominations of the earth” (vs. 5). By “mystery” we
understand that this had not been revealed before, and that
it was something which could not have been understood
but for this divine explanation. “Babylon the great” sets
forth her corrupting character. In the Old Testament the
symbolical signicance of Babylon is “corruption in the
activity of power,” and that activity of power which brought
the people of God into bondage, as the consequence of
their sins. What we learn here, therefore, is that the
professing church on earth, rejected as Laodicea, refused as
Christ’s light-bearer in the world, will nally concentrate
within herself, and in a more intense form, all the evils that
marked Babylon of old; and hence it is that she is termed
Babylon the great. is wicked “woman” is also a mother,
a mother of other systems, as false to Christ as herself. It
is thus not only Popery, but all other systems that derive
their parentage from her and partake of her character.
Are there not such already in existence? “Abominations”
also are produced by her. Now, “abominations” is a well-
known scriptural word for “idols”; and consequently Rome
is a parent of idolatry. Who does not know the fact? And
yet people are so willingly blinded as to listen to her
protestations of innocence of the charge, and to accept her
embrace. It should be remembered that the name written
on the forehead of the “woman” will be only spiritually
discerned. Externally she will present everything that is
attractive to man as man.
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275
Revelation 17:6
Lastly, the most heinous charge of all is preferred: “And
I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and
with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (vs. 6). What Jerusalem
became in a past age (See Matt. 23:34-35), Rome is in
the present dispensation. She has ever been and will ever
maintain the character of the great persecutress of the saints
of God. ere is not a land, where she has gained a footing,
which she has not deled with the blood of God’s elect.
Like Manasseh of old, who “shed innocent blood very much,
till he had lled Jerusalem from one end to another” (2Kings
21:16). She has hunted, persecuted, burnt or killed the
witnesses of Christ in every quarter of the globe. Black
Bartholomews, murdered Albigenses and Waldenses, mark
her progress at every step, and will continue to do so, for
“she will not repent” until the consummation of our chapter
is reached.
Revelation 17:7-15
It is in answer to the astonishment of the apostle that
the angel proceeds to expound “the mystery of the woman,
and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads
and ten horns” (vs. 7). Of the “woman” we have spoken,
as also of the “beast” in its main characteristics. We now
proceed to the further development in connection with the
ten horns: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,
which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as
kings one hour with the beast” (vs. 12). ose who have read
with any intelligence Daniel’s interpretation of the image
Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream (Dan. 2:36-45),
and his own vision of the fourth beast, together with the
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angelic explanation given to him (Dan. 7), will be prepared
to understand the meaning of the ten horns or kings of
this chapter. It is very plain, from the combination of
these several scriptures, that the nal form of the restored
western Roman Empire will be ten kingdoms, all of which
will be confederate under an imperial head — the beast.
e angel, speaking of the sovereigns of these kingdoms,
says they receive power as kings one hour with the beast;
and he then adds, “these have one mind, and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast” (vs. 13). For the moment
these ten kingdoms will be unanimous, holding out to
deluded man the prospect of halcyon days of peace and
prosperity in accepting the leadership of the beast, who
will thus seem to be resistless and invincible. Hence the
introduction here — leaping over the interval, however
brief, of other events — of the statement that he with his
allies in their mad self-condence and daring impiety will
“make war with the Lamb,” (vs. 14) only, as we know it must
be, to meet with complete and utter destruction. e full
account of this is in chapter 19, and we reserve any further
remarks therefore till this portion is reached.
Revelation 17:16-18
Coming now to verse 16, we nd a change: “And the
ten horns which thou sawest upon [e word and should be
substituted for “upon,” as being the correct reading.] the
beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and
naked, and shall eat her esh, and burn her with re. For God
hath put in their hearts to fulll His will, and to agree, and give
their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be
fullled” (Rvss. 16-17). It would seem from this statement
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277
as if the change in the attitude of the imperial power
towards the harlot is simultaneous with or consequent
upon the federation of the ten kingdoms under the Roman
head. Whether so or not, the ten kings and the beast turn
round from being the supporters of Rome to become her
enemies; they conscate her possessions, strip her of her
gorgeous raiment, and utterly destroy her very existence. If
we recall Revelation 13, the motive for this action may be
gathered. Together with the advent of the antichrist, the
“beast” is elevated into the supreme object of worship, and
thus the “woman,” false as she has been to Christ since she
will still trac with His name, will no longer be tolerated.
But in taking vengeance upon her, these potentates all
unknown to themselves are the blind executors of God’s
will. Satan united the powers of the world against Christ,
and Satan gives the beast his power, his throne, and great
authority, and now we behold Satan himself, in his rage
against God and His Christ, accomplishing God’s purpose
in the extinction of the “harlot.”
e Revelation 17 concludes, as before pointed out,
with an identication of the “woman,” which admits of no
mistake; for there has never been a religious system on the
earth, save Rome, which could be said to reign over the
kings of the earth.
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Revelation 18
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Revelation 18:1-3
Another vision opens out now before the mind of the
apostle. In the preceding chapter the judgment of the
great harlot was announced, and the instruments of its
execution are revealed; whereas now we are permitted to
see the disappearance of wicked Babylon, and the eects
upon the various classes of the empire who had been in
relation with her. But, as has been more than once pointed
out in these Apocalyptic visions, the result is anticipatively
proclaimed. John thus writes: “And after these things I saw
another angel come down from heaven, having great power;
and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried
mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is
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fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the
hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful
bird” (vss. 1-2). Twice before the judgment of Babylon
had been mentioned (Rev. 14:8; Rev. 16:19), and now the
providential governmental instrument, the angel, descends
to earth for its accomplishment, working however, as we
have learned from the previous chapter, through human
agents, the beast and his vassal kings. But it is rather the
accomplishment announced by the angel, revealing at the
same time what Babylon, that which once bore the name
of Christ, has become — the dwelling-place of demons,
and the prison of unclean spirits, and of every form of
Satan’s power. (e reader may compare Isa. 21:9; Jer.
50:39; Jer. 51:8,37, as to the destruction of the historical
Babylon.) e grounds, or one ground (See Rev. 19:2), of
her judgment is stated. Balaam had taught Balak how to
seduce the children of Israel to eat things oered to idols,
and to commit fornication (Rev. 2:14). Jezebel in yatira
followed in his steps (Rev. 2:20); but Babylon seduced the
nations and the kings of the earth with the golden cup
of her abominations and her fornication (Rev. 17:4). (e
reader may instructively compare Ezek. 16:15-34.) She,
moreover, who had professed to belong to Him, who when
here had not where to lay His head, made the merchants of
the earth “rich through the abundance of her delicacies” (Rev.
18:3). Not only therefore had she become false to Christ,
but she was the practical denial of all that He was and is,
and in fact utterly apostate, completely ruled as she was by
the god of this world.
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Revelation 18:4-5
Another voice is now heard “from heaven, saying, Come
out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached
unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (vss.
4-5). is appeal to the people of God has occasioned
considerable diculty, inasmuch as on the surface it leads
to the supposition that saints might still be found in
Babylon. It must be remembered then, in the rst place,
that Babylon represents a spiritual system, and that this
system, in its main moral features, has been in existence
ever since the days of John. yatira and Laodicea, in fact,
contained the root of all the evils which are afterward seen
fully developed in Babylon. e instruction therefore is for
all ages, calling upon God’s people to come out, and to be
separate from that which can be spiritually discerned as
Babylon, in which, as in Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s days, so
many saints are enslaved. (Compare Jer. 50:8; Jer. 51:6-9.)
And they are also reminded that, if they continue to be
mixed up with such a system, they will become partakers of
her sins, and be governmentally subject to her plagues. Was
there ever a day since these words were written when this
solemn, urgent call needed to be more persistently sounded
out through the length and breadth of Christendom than
now? For what do we behold? Babylon plainly manifesting
herself, and boldly rearing her head with her arrogant
claims, as well as insinuating herself into popular favor
and acceptance by her subtleties and atteries. Let God’s
people therefore everywhere be obedient to this heavenly
voice, and come out of her; for her sins are fast reaching up
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unto heaven, and the cup of her iniquities is already nearly
full.
e question still returns, Is there no application to
the eve of Babylon’s destruction? at there can be no
Christians in Babylon, at this period, is seen from the fact
that the church is already in heaven. ere will be Jewish
saints on the earth, and, as Revelation 7 teaches, also
Gentile believers who will have washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. However we
have no information as to whether any of these, wearied
out with their persecutions, may be tempted to seek shelter
within the precincts of Babylon. If so, the call would be
also addressed to such; yet the main signicance of the
cry is to all who may have become at any time mixed up
with the principles that will nally concentrate and express
themselves in Babylon.
Revelation 18:6-7
e following verses need careful attention. e voice
continues: “Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double
unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she
hath lled ll to her double. How much she hath gloried
herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow
give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow” (vss. 6-7). e question is,
To whom are these words addressed? It would seem to be
a continuation of the address to God’s people commenced
in verse 4; but this is scarcely possible on two grounds; rst,
because the saints are not the executors of judgment upon
Babylon; and secondly, because we know that the beast and
the kings, the ten horns, are the appointed instruments
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283
for this purpose. is has led some to suppose that the
address is to the latter. is, however, would scarcely be in
accord with what is found in this book. Consequently we
regard these verses more in the light of an annunciation
of the judgment and the principle upon which it will be
executed, than as a summons to those chosen to be the
vessels of God’s vengeance. e principle of the judgment
is a known one in Scripture. God dealt in the same way
even with Jerusalem (Isa. 40:2); and in Babylon being
“rewarded” as she had “rewarded” God’s people, we have a
direct reminiscence of the manner of the judgment upon
Babylon of old. (See Psa. 137:8-9; Jer. 50:15-29.)
en, after the principle of the judgment is explained,
we have a striking presentation of the moral character of
Babylon. She had “gloried herself, and lived deliciously.” (vs.
7) What a revelation! And what an unfolding of her utter
apostasy! Self-exaltation, the perfect antithesis to the life of
our blessed Lord, had been her sole object! And, moreover,
her “life” expended itself in her own gratication. Morally
she was in the desert, and yet she deceived herself into the
belief that it was a paradise, and lived deliciously. Even
more than this; “for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and
am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (vs. 7) is language
corresponds, almost exactly, with that used by Isaiah, when
denouncing judgment upon the “daughter of Babylon”
(Isa. 47:1); and it teaches us therefore that the mystic
Babylon of the future is the moral descendant of the city
of Nebuchadnezzar, embodying the same moral features,
and drawing down from heaven the same vengeance. A
still more striking thing to be observed is that Laodicea’s
boast, “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing,” (Ch. 3:17) is the moral root of all the evil here
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portrayed as existing in Babylon. While, however, man
in his vain self-condence may shut God out, seek his
happiness in his own resources, and vaunt himself upon his
own acquisitions and their stability, the time will come, as
in the case before us, when God will interpose and exact a
strict account according to the standard of His own holy
requirements.
Revelation 18:8
Hence it is, as following upon the statement of
Babylon’s pride, self-glorication, and self-suciency, that
it is said, “erefore shall her plagues come in one day, death,
and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned
with re: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her” (vs.
8). It is the beast and his horns (Ch. 17:16) who are the
seen executors of the judgment, but they are but the blind
servants of the will of God.
Revelation 18:9-19
In the next place, down to verse 18, a description is
given of the eect upon various classes of the destruction
of Babylon. It will suce to specify one or two features of
the picture. It will be noted, rst of all, that the kings of
the earth, those who had committed fornication and lived
deliciously with her, are loud in their lamentations over
the destruction of “that great city Babylon.” (vs. 10) is is
by no means inconsistent with the fact that they, or some
of them, had united with the beast to despoil her of her
possessions. Many a gigantic abuse has often been judged
in great popular movements, or even by peaceful legislation,
and yet the framework of society has been shattered by
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285
its removal. Babylon, with its wide-spreading roots, will
have interlaced itself with almost every social ber of
the life of the nations; and her fall, therefore, will spread
universal dismay and confusion as well as render human
governments unstable and powerless. is will account for
the wail of these kings, as they stand “afar o for the fear of
her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that
mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come” (vs. 10).
e other mourners over Babylon’s fall are commercial, “the
merchants of the earth” (vs. 11), those who had been “made
rich by her” (vs. 15) in their trac in all the various articles,
for which the demand had been created or stimulated by
Babylon’s needs and inuence; and “every ship master, and
all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by
sea” (vs. 17); for all that had ships in the sea had also been
made rich “by reason of her costliness” (vs. 19).
All this description, it will be at once understood, is
symbolical, the import of which is that the whole commercial
system of the empire is utterly deranged, if not destroyed,
by the judgment upon Babylon. e blow that falls upon
her destroys with her the prosperity of the habitable world;
and hence the universal sorrow; for men are ever ready
to bewail the loss of the means of their comforts, wealth,
and auence. A striking example of this is seen in the fact
that, after the healing of the demoniac, and the consequent
destruction of the swine, the Gadarenes prayed the Lord
Jesus to depart out of their coasts. ey preferred to have
the demoniac and their swine, to the presence of Jesus,
because He had interfered with their earthly possessions.
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Revelation 18:20
ere is ever an utter contrariety between God’s
thoughts and man’s. All classes of the people sorrow over
Babylon’s fall; and now we are permitted, in contrast with
this, to hear the estimate in heaven of this event. “Rejoice
over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for
God hath avenged you on her” (vs. 20). (Literally it is, “For
God hath judged your judgment upon her.”) What thus causes
universal sorrow and widespread dismay on earth is the
occasion of joy to heaven, and to those who had been
witnesses for Christ, and some of these martyrs for His
name’s sake (vs. 24) on earth.
Revelation 18:21-24
We have thereon a symbolic action to describe
Babylon’s destruction. “And a mighty angel took up a stone
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, us
with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down,
and shall be found no more at all” (vs. 21). So was it with
ancient Babylon. Jeremiah “wrote in a book all the evil that
should come upon Babylon,” (Jer. 51:60) and he directed
Seraiah, who accompanied Zedekiah to Babylon in the
fourth year of the latter’s reign, after he should have read
the book in the very presence of Babylon’s prosperity and
magnicence, to bind a stone to it, and to cast it into the
midst of Euphrates; and as he did so, he was to say, “us
shall Babylon sink, and shalt not rise from the evil that I will
bring upon her” (Jer. 51:60-64). e meaning of the action
is the same therefore in both cases; it betokened violent,
complete, nal and irreversible destruction. Never more
was either to rise again; and thus we have in our chapter
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the solemn declaration that henceforth all strains of
music, all mechanical activities, the sound of millstones,
should be forever silenced, that nevermore should shine
within her the light of a candle, or be heard the voice of
the bridegroom and of the bride. e desolation was to be
complete; “for thy merchants were the great men of the earth;
for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. And in her was
found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were
slain upon the earth” (vss. 23-24). Combining the several
grounds of Babylon’s judgment it will be seen that they are
four — “idolatry, corruption, worldliness, and persecution.”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:552). God had borne long with this
wicked system which had profaned His name, and falsied
His truth; but now His mighty hand has descended upon
it, taking vengeance for all the iniquities which had lled
the earth with delement and corruption.
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Revelation 19
289
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Revelation 19:1-4
e rst four verses of Revelation 19 give the celebration
in heaven of the destruction of Babylon. John “heard a great
voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation,
and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: for
true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the
great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication,
and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And
again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and
ever” (vvs. 1-3). It is an interesting question as to who
are these that with “a great voice” (vs. 1) raise this song of
praise. ey are a class, evidently, outside of the twenty-
four elders, and they are as clearly not angels. e inference
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is therefore, that they are those who had been martyred on
earth after the church had been removed, called up on high.
e ground of their celebration of Jehovah-Elohim, their
God, is the character of His judgments — which are “true
and righteous,” (vs. 2) as displayed in the destruction of the
great corruptress of the earth, and in avenging the blood of
His servants at her hand. ey repeat, in the intensity of
their joy, their Alleluia. (is means in its Hebrew form,
Hallelujah, Praise ye Jehovah, or Jah. e last ve Psalms
commence and end with this word, this note of praise.)
en the solemn statement, in contrast with this burst
of joy in heaven, is given as signicant of the everlasting
judgment that has fallen upon the harlot: “And her smoke
rose up forever and ever.” (vs. 3) (Compare Jude 7.)
Following upon this, the four-and-twenty-elders (seen
as the twenty-four elders here for the last time) and the
four living creatures who had been the spectators of the
joy of the “much people,” (vs. 1) themselves “fell down and
worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia”
(vs. 4). e mind of heaven is one both in praising God
and in rejoicing over the vengeance that has overtaken
Babylon; and that mind, while in full communion with,
indeed the expression of the mind of God, is, let it be
repeated, in direct opposition to the mind of man. God
and all heaven rejoice over that which man esteems as his
greatest calamity. What an exposition of the alienation
of men “from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart!”
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291
e Marriage of the Lamb
In this section the marriage of the Lamb, the event for
which He had so long waited, now takes place. To possess
the pearl of great price, He “went and sold all that He had,
and bought it” (Matt. 13:46); but although He loved the
church, and gave Himself for it, and even though He had
the church in heaven with Himself, He waits in patience for
the presentation of His bride, until Babylon, the harlot, the
false bride, should have been judged and utterly destroyed.
e marriage of the Lamb does not then take place for
some little time after the church has been caught up to be
with the Lord (1ess. 4).
Revelation 19:5
It would seem that verse 5, while following upon and, it
may be, connected with the worship of the elders and the
four living creatures, is really introductory to the universal
joy of heaven consequent upon the marriage of the Lamb.
e “voice came out of the throne” (vs. 5) shows us that the
event about to be celebrated is associated with God’s ways
in government, that is, as presented in this book. It must
be remembered, indeed, that both the judgment visited
upon Babylon and the marriage of the Lamb in heaven are
preparatory to the appearing of Christ with His saints, to
make good His title on earth, both as against evil and in
taking possession of His kingdom. Having made good all
that God is, borne the whole weight of His glory on the
cross, He is in this scene about to vindicate also His name
in government on the earth. e command that issues from
the throne is,
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“Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him,
both small and great” (vs. 5). It is a “voice” that gives the
command; whose voice is not said; but it is charged with
the authority of the throne, and the speaker, inasmuch as
he uses the words “our God,” associates himself with those
addressed. (Compare verse 10.) e character, moreover, in
which those called to worship are viewed, is noteworthy.
ey are simply “His servants, and ye that fear Him,” (vs. 5)
terms therefore which would include all the saints of all
dispensations, as well as perhaps all the angelic host. ere
will not be one among all the multitudes of heaven that
is not embraced under these appellations. (Compare Psa.
103:20-22; Psa. 118:1-4.)
Revelation 19:6-7
e response is as instant as it is overpowering in
its grandeur: “And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor
to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife
hath made herself ready” (vss. 6-7). ere are two grounds
given for the praise rendered. e rst is, that the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth, showing that the kingdom
is regarded as already established. In fact, God has only
waited for the vindication of His name, and for making
good His power in government, until He had set aside
forever in judgment the great harlot who had corrupted
the earth. ereon, after the marriage of the Lamb, the
heavens would open for the issuing forth of Christ to put
down all the rule and authority wherewith the beast and
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the false prophet had deceived the habitable world, and to
establish His own sovereignty over the nations of the earth.
e names under which God is here celebrated are
remarkable. ey comprise the several characters in which
He was revealed to the saints of old, namely, Jehovah the
self-existent One, the One who is, and was, and is to come,
the name in which He was pleased to reveal Himself in
relationship with Israel; God, the expression of all that
He is in His own being, viewed absolutely, the One with
whom man has to do as a responsible creature; and nally,
Almighty, or Omnipotent, answering to Shaddai in the Old
Testament. (See Gen. 17:1; Ex. 6:3; and compare 2Cor.
6:18.) e reason for the introduction of these names, the
names of the One whom Christians know as their God
and Father, is found in the fact that He is here brought
before us in relation to the kingdom and to the earth.
e “reigning,” which is here celebrated, is connected
with His kingdom in display on earth, not in heaven, and
hence with the overthrow of all and everything that had
exalted themselves against Him and His Christ. It is in
fact, the substitution in this world of God’s power for that
of man’s, and consequently the introduction of the era of
righteousness, peace, and blessing.
Revelation 19:8
e second ground of heaven’s joy is the arrival of
the time for the marriage of the Lamb, His wife having
made herself ready. As before noted, this event does not
take place until after the false bride has been judged; and
now we also learn, that in heaven there was a necessary
preparation for the marriage: the wife must “make herself”
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(vs. 7) ready. e character of this “readiness” is seen in the
following verse, where we read, “And to her was granted that
she should be arrayed in ne linen, clean and white: for the ne
linen is the righteousness [or, righteousnesses] of saints” (vs.
8). is will help us to determine the meaning of “making
herself ready” (vs. 7) as well as to x precisely the time of
the marriage. It must be observed, rst of all, that the
righteousnesses are those of the saints, and not what we
know as God’s righteousness according to the teaching
of the Epistle to the Romans. (See also 2Cor. 5:21.) We
read in 2Corinthians 5 of the judgment seat of Christ,
before which we must be all manifested, when every one
will “receive the things done in his body, according to that he
hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10)
Whatever good any of His people have done, although
it was by the Spirit and through His grace that it had
been accomplished, will then, in the same grace, be
imputed to the vessel which He had deigned to employ
for the purpose, while every work of the esh, whatever its
outward appearance, will be traced back to its root, and its
real nature exposed. And we shall thus learn of the grace
that had borne with us in our failures as much as in using
us in His service, and in reckoning to us what He had given
us to do. But we are now concerned only with the latter;
and we see then from this scripture that all the good put to
our account, when we are manifested before the tribunal of
Christ, will constitute, not God’s righteousness which in
Christ we have already become, but our righteousness; and
it is these righteousnesses which are here symbolized by
ne linen, clean and white. Not only therefore will the bride
be beautied with God’s own beauty, His righteousness,
but she will also be robed in what He is pleased to call her
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295
own righteousnesses, and it is as so arrayed that she is here
seen as ready for the marriage, “prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband”; made meet, but only through unspeakable
grace, to be the companion of Christ throughout eternity.
Moreover this, as has been said, xes the time of the
marriage. When the Lord descends from heaven with a
shout, it is to receive His people unto Himself. e dead
saints raised, and the living changed, all will be caught
up together to meet Him in the air, and we shall then be
forever with the Lord. His rst act will be to introduce
us into the Father’s house (John 14). Beyond this we
have no revelation until we come to the judgment seat of
Christ, which would seem from what takes place in heaven
in this scripture, to immediately precede the marriage.
Consequently the Lord, who had long since espoused His
bride, does not take her in marriage until upon the eve of
the appearing.
e question still remains as to the signicance of the
marriage. To understand this we must borrow the light
of another scripture. In Ephesians 5 we read, “Husbands,
love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave
Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word, that He might present it to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph.
5:25-27). is scripture travels far beyond our immediate
subject, showing us, how Christ, in His surpassing
love and grace and at what a cost, possessed Himself of
His bride; how that in the same love, He cared for and
prepared her for her destination, making her worthy of the
place into which His love was calling her and bestowing
upon her the moral tness to enjoy His companionship
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and aection. e marriage itself is contained in her
presentation to Himself, and it is this presentation which
is signalized in heaven in our chapter. e presentation of
the church to Christ is preparatory to the celebration of
the marriage; the latter is the public announcement of the
private presentation. Two things in connection with this
should be noted; rst, that it is the heavenly bride, and
not the earthly bride, of which our scripture speaks. e
earthly bride is Jerusalem, but Jerusalem as the expression
of Israel; and this is the bride of the Song of Solomon.
Secondly, the heavenly bride is composed, and composed
entirely, of the saints of this dispensation; that is, of all the
saints from Pentecost onward until the return of the Lord
to receive His people unto Himself. e saints of other
dispensations, both before Pentecost and after the Lord’s
coming the second time, will have their own special place
of perfect blessedness, but they are not included in those
who form the bride, the Lamb’s wife. is fact explains
another thing; that the twenty-four elders are seen here for
the last time. e elders as before stated comprise all who
share in the rst resurrection (excepting those afterward
added as found in Revelation 20:4-5): all the saints of Old
Testament times as well as the church. Inasmuch, then, as
it is only the church that has been sovereignly chosen to be
the bride of Christ, the elders disappear since they could
no longer be representative of all the saved. e church
from this moment is taken apart to enter into her special
relationship with Him who had purchased, redeemed and
tted her to be the sharer of His exaltation, His aections
and His joys throughout eternity.
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Revelation 19:9
In the next verse, the two classes of the redeemed, all
those who had hitherto in this book been represented by
the twenty-four elders, are clearly distinguished: “And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the
marriage supper of the Lamb” (vs. 9). Here then we have the
Lamb, the Lamb’s wife already specied, and those who
are invited to the wedding feast. e last class being all
those outside of the church, who had been represented by
symbol of the elders. Even in regard to the earthly bride,
the same distinction is made. When the disciples of John
were somewhat jealous for the reputation of their master,
he said, “Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not
the Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the
bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because
of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fullled”
(John 3:28-29). All these therefore who are invited to the
marriage supper of the Lamb are, like John, friends of the
Bridegroom, and, while not in the intimacy of the bride,
will have their own special portion and will rejoice greatly
because of the Bridegroom’s voice.
It is to be observed that, while the fact of the marriage
is stated, and the wife is seen as made ready, also the
guests as invited, the joys of the feast are not exhibited.
e reason is that no one could be permitted to enter into
that which must forever remain a blessed secret between
the Bridegroom and the Bride. e Bride later on shall be
shown out in all her magnicent beauty, “having the glory
of God,” (Ch. 21:11) but no stranger could “intermeddle”
with the joy of the Lamb’s union with His wife. But its
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signicance and importance in the counsels of God may
be gathered from the universal joy it occasions in heaven
and from the place it occupies in His ways in relation to
the earth.
And what a relief, and indeed encouragement, it is to
turn our eyes away from all the confusion and discord
presented in the spectacle of a broken and divided church
on earth, to the perfection of that day when the church,
now fully answering to the mind of Him who had loved
her and given Himself for her, enters upon her long-looked
and waited for union with her Lord. We speak not of union
with Christ as members of His body, for that is true of the
believer as soon as he is sealed with the Holy Spirit, but
of the union of the bride with the Bridegroom. It is for
this moment He also had been waiting for ages, and now
His joy is displayed at the marriage feast, in His resting in
His love, in His joying over her with singing, and in the
consummation of her hopes, as well as in the fruition of
her joy.
Revelation 19:10
John is overwhelmed by the character of the revelations
vouchsafed to him, and after the solemn armation of their
truth in the words, “ese are the true sayings of God,” he
says, “and I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me,
See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (vss. 9-10). However exalted
the personage, the angel, who had been commissioned to
give John these communications, he was yet but a fellow
servant with John and all who had the testimony of Jesus;
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and that testimony, now that the church was on high, was
the spirit of prophecy. (Compare Rev. 1:2; Rev. 12:17.)
e angel’s place, therefore, equaled that of John and all
other servants, was obedience to the will and Word of God.
Worship was due to God alone.
Christ and His Saints Coming Out of
Heaven
Until this point, from Revelation 4 and onwards, we
have been occupied with actings and events, whether in
heaven or on earth, which take place between the rapture
of the saints at the coming of the Lord, as described in
1essalonians 4, and His public appearing in glory. e
time of His patience has now ended; and heaven opens
for Him to come forth in judgment, when “every eye shall
see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of Him” (Ch. 1:7). It may also be
remarked as helping to understand this section of the book,
that from Revelation 19:11 to Revelation 21:8 we have a
consecutive history beginning with the appearing of Christ
and closing with the eternal scene in the new heaven and
the new earth. ereafter the Spirit of God returns and
exhibits the displayed glories of the heavenly Jerusalem
during the thousand years, together with her relation to
the earth during this season of millennial blessedness.
Revelation 19:11
e particular aspect of the appearing of Christ is thus
described: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and
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in righteousness He doth judge and make war” (vs. 11). Here,
once again, the opened heavens are mentioned in the New
Testament. When the Lord had been baptized “the heavens
were opened unto Him,” and together with the descent of
the Holy Spirit upon Him, there was “a voice from heaven,
saying, is is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”
(Matt. 3:16-17). Here the heavens opened upon Him as
the object on earth of God’s own heart. All heaven’s delight
centered in the One, the lowly Man, who had identied
Himself with the remnant who responded to the preaching
of the Baptist, and of whom He had said in the Psalms,
“In whom is all My delight.” (Ps. 16:3) God’s delight was
in Him, and His delight was in “the saints that are in the
earth, and to the excellent” (Psa. 16:3). In John 1 He Himself
speaks of the opened heavens and of angels ascending and
descending upon the Son of Man, the complete fulllment
of which will be in the thousand years, wherein also He
is heaven’s object on earth. Passing to Acts 7 we read that
Stephen saw the heavens opened and Jesus, as Son of Man,
standing on the right hand of God. In this scene, He, who
had been God’s object on earth, is now the believer’s object
in heaven. Coming to our scripture, the heavens open for
Christ to come out, surely the object of all heaven as well
as the object of all His gloried saints, as He issues forth to
have His enemies made His footstool.
e rst thing noted is the white horse on which He
sits. e symbology of the white horse has been explained
in Revelation 6. It signies triumphant power, and here
as there, in conict. When Christ, therefore, issues from
heaven seated on the white horse, it is the precursor of His
victorious conict with His foes when, to use the language
of the Psalmist, His arrows will be sharp in the heart of the
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king’s enemies; whereby the people (peoples, it should be)
fall under Him.
Next follows a description of the glorious Rider. He
is called “Faithful and True.” (vs. 11) ese characteristic
names are familiar to the readers of this book in other
connections. John terms Him “the faithful witness” (Ch.
1:5); in the letter to Philadelphia He is called, “He that
is holy, He that is true” (Ch. 3:7); and in that to Laodicea
both terms are conjoined: “ese things saith the Amen, the
faithful and true witness” (Ch. 3:14). In Isaiah moreover, we
read that “faithfulness [shall be] the girdle of His reins” (Isa.
11:5). e combination of these scriptures introduces us at
once into the meaning of the words. Faithfulness to God,
both inward and outward, marked Him in all His earthly
pathway. When He comes forth to establish His kingdom,
to make God’s character good in government as against
the power of evil, and the rebellion and usurpation of man,
He will be governed in all that He does by a single eye
to the requirements of the glory of God, as He was also
in His death on the cross. Faithfulness to God, as already
seen, will be the girdle of His loins. Truth in the inward
parts, which God sought for but never found in man until
Christ came, will also distinguish Him, so that He will
be the perfect expression, and thus a true witness, of all
that God is as revealed in His righteous government of
the earth. “Faithful and true” (vs. 11) reveal therefore, what
He is both to God and for man when He comes forth to
assume His rights in this world.
And now mark the contrast with the object of His
rst coming. en “God sent not His Son into the world
to condemn [judge] the world; but that the world through
Him might be saved” (John 3:17); now “in righteousness
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He doth judge and make war.” (vs. 11) Grace characterized
His rst appearing in this world; and righteousness, and
consequently judgment, will mark the second, the period
of which our scripture speaks. Everyone will then be tested
by the unerring standard of God’s righteous requirements
for man, for the day of grace will have closed and the era of
righteous government will have commenced. Christ must,
therefore, then “make war” (vs. 11) upon everything that
opposes itself to, lifts itself up in rebellion against, a holy
God.
Revelation 19:12-13
We read farther: “His eyes were as [e word “as” is
omitted by many editors, but whether adopted or rejected,
the sense remains the same.] a ame of re, and on His head
were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man
knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood: and His name is called e Word of God” (vss.
12-13). It is striking to observe that His eyes are represented
by the same symbol as when seen by John in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks. Fire is always the emblem
of judgment, and hence His eyes being as a ame of re
sets forth its all-searching penetrating character. e “many
crowns” speak of His all-various and universal dominion, of
His absolute supremacy in every circle of His headship and
authority. Satan had proered for His acceptance of the
power and glory of the kingdoms of the world; and on His
refusal, Satan afterward bestowed them on his vassals and
slaves, the beast and the antichrist. e true Heir waited
till the time determined by His Father, and now, after His
long session at the right hand of God, He comes forth,
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crowned with the many crowns, to take His inheritance
and to reign until His enemies be made the footstool of
His feet. Concerning “a name written,” (vs. 12) concealed
from all but Himself, it is the expression of the glory of His
person. Whatever His dignity (and He is ever the eternal
Son, whatever the relationships He may assume) He comes
forth from heaven as Man; but, while this is the aspect
here presented, the impenetrable character of His person
abides. “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father.” (Matt.
11:27) “Name” in Scripture is the expression of what the
person is as revealed — and as revealed in what He is for
God. It will consequently express the secret relationship of
this glorious Personage to His God and Father, into which
none can penetrate, and which none can understand but
Himself. e next feature, “clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood,” (vs. 13) is explained for us by the prophet: “Who
is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from
Bozrah? … Wherefore art ou red in thine apparel, and y
garments like him that treadeth in the winevat? I have trodden
the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me:
for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My
fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and
I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in
Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come” (Isa. 63:1-
4). e “vesture dipped in blood” (vs. 13) betokens, therefore,
the avenging character of the judgment He is about to
execute. His name is also called the Word of God. It is
the Word of God that reveals God; and hence this name
teaches that Christ, as thus coming forth, is the revelation
of God in His righteousness in judging, and in making
good His character as such in the government of the earth.
(Compare Psa. 96-98.)
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Revelation 19:14
A pause is now made in the description of Christ to
introduce His followers: “And the armies which were in
heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in ne linen,
white and clean” (vs. 14). Who are these? Two considerations
will give the answer. As noticed in the earlier part of
the chapter, the twenty-four elders are never seen after
verse 4; and the reason is that the marriage of the Lamb
immediately follows; and the elders on this account could
no longer represent the church. (We do not mean that Old
Testament saints are not included in the representation;
only if the saints of this period [the church] are separated,
the rest could no longer be exhibited in the twenty-four
elders.)
We are told, moreover, that it was granted to the Lamb’s
wife to “be arrayed in ne linen, clean and white; for the ne
linen is the righteousness of saints.” (vs. 8) Now the armies that
follow Christ on white horses, showing the signicance of
their association with Christ in His victorious judgment,
are also clothed in ne linen; and this at once reveals that
the saints who had participated in the rst resurrection,
and who as with Christ in glory had been represented
by the elders, are those who compose His armies. When
Christ appears, they follow Him and are spectators of the
glories of that day.
Revelation 19:15-16
Returning now to Christ, John says: “And out of His
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the
nations; and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He
treadeth the winepress of the erceness and wrath of Almighty
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God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name
written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS”
(vss. 15-16). In these few brief sentences the coming of
Christ in judgment, the execution of God’s vengeance, the
establishment of His throne, the subjection of all kings and
all nations to His sway, and His supreme exaltation in the
earth, are all comprised. It is the complete fulllment of the
second Psalm. e sharp sword, as the reader already knows,
is the Word of God, according to which the nations will be
judged and with which they will be judicially smitten. “e
rod of iron” (vs. 15) expresses the absolute and inexible
character of His government, while the winepress, as the
connection shows, as well as the vintage judgment of
Revelation 14, speaks of the unsparing and unmitigated
vengeance which will be poured out upon that awful day. It
is through judgment, because of what man is, that the Lord
will establish His kingdom and sovereignty over the whole
earth, when He will be publicly and universally owned as
“King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (vs. 16)
Revelation 19:17-19
e next two verses are preliminary to the awful conict
which closes the chapter. An angel stands “in the sun,” (vs.
17) the place and seat, according to the symbology of the
book, of supreme authority, and, crying with a loud voice,
summons all the fowls that y in heaven to “the supper of
the great God.” (vs. 17) e esh of kings, captains, mighty
men, and the esh of horses, as well as of their riders is to
form the horrible repast of these ravenous birds of prey.
e ower of Europe in men and arms will be gathered
together, and in anticipation of their dreadful fate this
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angelic summons resounds in the heavens. ereupon
John proceeds: “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth,
and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him
that sat on the horse, and against His army” (VS. 19). e
beast, it must be remembered, is the head of the revived
Roman empire, as has been seen in Revelation 13 and
17. e kings of the earth will include, if there are other
sovereigns also, the monarchs of the ten kingdoms, who
will be confederated under the leadership of the beast. (See
Rev. 17:11-18.) We can therefore at once understand what
a huge host will be brought together by the beast and his
vassal kings, a host seemingly invincible; and the object of
the assembling of which must be connected with the Holy
Land, as it is there they are found when Christ comes forth
from heaven. It is possible, as hinted, that there may be
other nations represented in the armies of the beast; for
we read in Revelation 16 that the unclean spirits which
proceed out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the
mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false
prophet, the spirits of devils working miracles, go forth
unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole habitable world,
to gather them to the battle of that great day of Almighty
God; and, further, that they will be gathered into a place
called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Rev. 19:13-
14,16; see also Rev. 17:14.)
Before going further it should be pointed out that this
gathering of the nations is entirely distinct from that found
in the siege against Jerusalem at the time of the Lord’s
appearing, as described by Zechariah (Zech. 12-14), and
in other prophetic scriptures. If the latter are under the
leadership of the Assyrian, of whom we nd frequent
mention, especially in Isaiah, the former are marshalled,
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307
as we have seen, by the head of the Roman empire. If
moreover, Armageddon is derived from Megiddo, a place
so well known in Jewish history, connected as it is with
some of their brightest victories, and also with two of their
saddest disasters, and means the Hill of Megiddo, these
two armies might well be in Palestine at the same time,
that of the Assyrian besieging Jerusalem, and that of the
beast on its way to attack the Assyrian; but, as is possible,
on hearing of the destruction of the Assyrian and his
confederates, he proceeds to make war against Him that sat
on the horse and against His army. Human thoughts under
the inspiration of Satan were governing the objects of the
assemblage of this vast army; but God, working behind the
scenes, had His thoughts; and hence it is that the beast
and the kings of the earth with their armies are described
as being gathered together to make war against the King
of kings, and Lord of lords, and His “called, and chosen,
and faithful” followers. What daring audacity! And what a
display of the corrupt depths of man’s heart, rivaled only by
what was seen in the crucixion of Christ! en, however,
it was in outward guise a lowly Man whom they hated and
rejected; now it is Christ appearing in glory, together with
His heavenly army, against whom man would dash himself
in the inveterate enmity of his heart. What other end could
there be other than his overwhelming destruction?
Revelation 19:20-21
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. ese both were cast alive into a
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lake of re burning with brimstone. And the remnant were
slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which
sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were
lled with their esh” (vss. 20-21). It will be observed that
there is no conict with almighty power. Christ “takes”
these two impious instruments of Satan, and at once
executes judgment, casting them alive into hell. (See Psa.
55:15.) Two men in the Old Testament, as frequently
noticed, pass alive into heaven, and these two arch-enemies
of God and His Christ are cast alive into the lake of re.
(In 2esselonians 2 we read only of judgment upon the
antichrist, the false prophet. e Lord is said to consume
him with the spirit (breath) of His mouth, and to destroy
him with the brightness of His coming. is description
will include all the consequences of the antichrist being cast
alive into hell.) e remnant, the armies of the beast and
the false prophet, are all slain with the judicial sword; and
all the fowls are lled with their esh. e pious remnant of
that day, when they hear of the mighty deliverance which
their expected Messiah has wrought for them, may well
exclaim, in the language of Deborah and Barak, “So let all
ine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love Him be as
the sun when he goeth forth in his might” (Judg. 5:31).
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309
56781
Revelation 20
Revelation 20:1-3
It may be well to recall that the events of this chapter
form part of a continuous narrative, which commences
with Revelation 19:11, and closes with Revelation 21:8.
e binding of Satan therefore follows immediately upon
the judgment visited upon the beast and the false prophet
together with their armies as described at the close of
Revelation 20 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven,
having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and
cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
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thousand years should be fullled: and after that he must be
loosed a little season” (vss. 1-3).
It should be carefully noted that this is not the nal
judgment upon Satan — that is found in verse 10; but it is
the eectual curbing of his power by his removal from the
scene as introductory to the establishment of the kingdom.
When the Lord was about to cast out the demons from
the poor Gadarene “they besought Him that He would not
command them to go out into the deep” (Luke 8:31). e word
“deep” in this scripture is that which is given in our chapter
as the “bottomless pit,” literally, in both places, the “abyss.”
ere Satan will be bound and entombed that during the
reign of the glorious Messiah, so that man may not be
exposed to his deceitful inuences and power. Cast down
from heaven to earth, as seen in Revelation 12, he will be
expelled from the earth and thrown into the abyss, where
he is bound as a slave by the mighty hand of the angelic
executant of the divine will. Two things in the description
may arrest our attention. e dragon of this book is the old
serpent of Genesis, as well as the devil and Satan of the
other books of Scripture. It is the enemy of God and of
man, and especially of God’s people, as expressed by Satan
(the adversary) and the devil (the slanderer). He is both a
murderer and a liar, and has ever been so from the beginning
(John 8). What a mercy it will be for this poor world to be
delivered for a season from such a foe! And how vast the
moral change thus introduced in connection with the last
trial of man under the righteous reign of Christ!
It is also to be remarked that not only is he bound and
shut up, but a seal is set upon him; that is, as we understand
it, a seal is set upon the mouth of the abyss. If God seals
there is no power on earth or in hell that can break it. After
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311
that the body of our blessed Lord had been deposited by
the pious hands of Joseph and Nicodemus in the sepulcher,
Satan instigated his servants to make the sepulcher sure
by “sealing the stone, and setting a watch” (Matt. 27:66).
Impotent attempt! for he had to do with the Son of the
living God. But he himself is now in the omnipotent hands
of the One whom he had thus sought to detain in the
grave, and must there remain until he shall be loosed again
for a brief time, to prove anew what man is even in the
presence of divine goodness, administered under a perfect
government, expressed in every kind of favor and earthly
blessing.
Revelation 20:4
e era of the thousand years is now presented: “And I
saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and [those]
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (vs.
4). e rst thing that attracted the attention of John was
the thrones and they that sat upon them. In Daniel the
thrones are introduced, but only the Ancient of days is
seen as seated; (is scripture is obscured in our translation
by the rendering, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down”
(Dan. 7:9). It should be given, as in the Revised Version,
“Till thrones were placed.” It is so rendered also in a well-
known French version.) whereas here, although we know
from Revelation 19 that Christ is the supreme and central
gure in the scene, those who sat on the thrones are chiey
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indicated. But even these are represented by the word
“they,” and the question therefore at once arises, Of whom
does John speak? Following the narrative back, it will be
perceived that the “they” can only refer to the “armies”
which followed Christ out of heaven (Ch. 19:14), which, as
already seen, are composed of the saints represented by the
twenty-four elders of this book, the saints of all ages up to
the coming of Christ, albeit the church is most prominently
displayed (Ch. 19:7-9). On earth they had in their various
degrees suered with Christ, and now the recompense of
grace is vouchsafed to them of reigning with Him. ey are
therefore beheld upon thrones, and as Christ’s rst act in
connection with the establishment of His kingdom will be
judgment, they share in its exercise. (See 1Cor. 6:2; Jude
14-15.)
But there are two other classes joined with those who
had been symbolized by the twenty-four elders: those who
had been martyred during the rule of the antichrist; and
those who had refused his behest to worship the beast or
his image, or to receive his mark upon their foreheads, or
in their hands. ese would be mainly the faithful remnant
described in the Psalms, who, under the frightful terrors
and persecutions during the iron despotism of this man of
sin, maintained their faith and hope in God, and waited for
the coming of the Messiah. ey lost everything on earth
through their delity to God, “for the witness of Jesus, and for
the Word of God,” (vs. 4) and now they obtain the glorious
recompense of the rst resurrection and of association
with Christ in the glories of His kingdom. ey “lived
and reigned” (vs. 4) with Christ a thousand years, and if
our interpretation of these two classes who are added to
those who had been caught up in the clouds to meet the
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Lord in the air, be correct, the rst would be raised and the
second changed after the pattern of the two similar classes
in 1essalonians 4.
Revelation 20:5
eir special place and reward are emphasized by the
following statement: “But the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were nished. is is the rst
resurrection” (vs. 5). In what plainer language could the pre-
millennial return of Christ with His people, to take His
kingdom, to reign over the earth during the thousand years,
be stated? Or how could the truth of the rst resurrection,
as distinguished from the nal resurrection of unbelievers,
be more distinctly unfolded? It is only an inconceivable
perversity that can seek to contend for a “resurrection of
spiritual principles.” If, indeed, this simple and unambiguous
language be thus explained away, it would be impossible to
maintain the truth of the great white throne and the nal
judgment at the end of this chapter. Take the scripture as it
stands, and all is plain, as well as in complete harmony with
the dispensational teaching of the whole book.
Revelation 20:6
Before proceeding with the description, the Spirit of
God turns aside to pronounce, as it were, a eulogy upon
these favored saints: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the rst resurrection: on such the second death hath no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with Him a thousand years” (vs. 6). All such are blessed
indeed (See Ch. 14:13), and they are holy, conformed
now to the image of Christ, and thus answering to the
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claims and nature of God Himself. As risen out of death,
or changed, with mortality swallowed up of life, they are
forever beyond the region of sin, death and judgment. It is
therefore added, that on them the second death, God’s just
penalty upon the unbelieving and impenitent, will have
no power, no title or right; for the last enemy, death, has
for them been forever destroyed. Moreover, they will be
associated with Christ in His royal priesthood, and thus as
priests they will enjoy access into the immediate presence
of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him a
thousand years. Having, through grace, overcome the
power of Satan through the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony — and they loved not their lives
unto the death — they are now exalted into the enjoyment
of this glorious recompense. Well might the apostle say,
when speaking of the glorious prospect of the believer, “For
I reckon that the suerings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in [or “in
respect of”] us” (Rom. 8:18).
Revelation 20:7-8
In Revelation 20:7-10 we have the account of the loosing
of Satan, his last permitted activity, and the judgment
inicted upon him and his deluded followers. e character
of the reign of Christ throughout the thousand years is not
found in this scripture; for that the reader must search the
Old Testament, especially the Psalms and the Prophets.
Here the millennium is introduced upon the completion of
the rst resurrection, and immediately after the statement
that those who have part in it reign with Christ a thousand
years, it is added, “and when the thousand years are expired,
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315
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive
the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea” (vss. 7-8).
During the whole period, therefore, of the reign of
Christ over the earth, Satan is conned and men will be
free from his temptations. e nations will have the same
evil nature as ever, but man’s adversary will not be present
to entice, to waylay and to entrap him into sin. What an
immense change! Now, all the inuences of the scene are
against, then, all will be in favor of, the Lord’s people. Now
the temptation is to depart from God, then it will be to
profess allegiance to His Christ. At the close of this happy
period, during which all kings will fall down before THE
KING, and all nations will serve Him, God will once more
demonstrate the incurable evil of man’s heart by permitting,
through the loosing of Satan, one last and nal trial. Nations
in every quarter of the globe will be deceived, in spite of
the manifested glory of earth’s rightful Sovereign. As man
had rejected Him in His humiliation, he now rebels against
Him in His glory. Several traces of these rebellious nations
are found in the Old Testament. We read in Psalm 18,
“As soon as they hear of Me, they shall obey Me: the strangers
shall yield feigned obedience.” (Margin, Psa. 18:44; see also
Psa. 66:3; Psa. 81:15.) As when some mighty conqueror
subdues a country the people submit to his rule through
fear of his power for vengeance, so will it be when Messiah
establishes His kingdom. Striking through kings in the
day of His wrath (Psa. 110), His enemies, through the
greatness of His power, will proer their submission (Psa.
66:3), lest they also should be destroyed. When therefore
Satan is loosed, with rebellion in their hearts they fall an
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easy prey to his devices and listening to his voice they allow
themselves to be gathered together as the sand of the sea
for number under his leadership to earth’s last battle. (e
reader must not confound the Gog and Magog of verse
8 with “Gog, the land of Magog,” of Ezekiel 38. e latter
refers, as can easily be demonstrated, to Russia, the Russia
of the future; while Gog and Magog in the former indicate,
as stated, the nations in the four quarters of the earth.
ere is another dierence. e invasion of the land by
Gog in Ezekiel is immediately after the establishment of
Messiah’s kingdom; whereas the apostasy of the nations in
our scripture takes place at the end of the thousand years.)
Revelation 20:9-10
Drawn together as so often in the history of the earth,
Jerusalem is the point to which they converge and the
object of their attack. “And they went up on the breadth of
the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city” (vs. 9).
A remarkable fact is, that Christ Himself is not seen in
this conict. e kings of the earth and their armies gather
together, as seen in the previous chapter, to make war against
Him; but now the object of their hostility would seem to be
the saints and the beloved city. It is God in heaven who is
here displayed as the Defender and Avenger of His people;
for “re came down from God out of heaven, and devoured
them” (vs. 9). So perished the enemies of God’s Christ and
His people; God arose and they were utterly and forever
destroyed. Last of all, Satan who deceived them receives his
nal doom; he “was cast into the lake of re and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented
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day and night forever and ever” (vs. 10). (As bearing on the
question of the duration of future punishment, we cannot
forbear calling attention to the words here employed. ey
are eis tous aionas ton aionon — “unto the ages of the age.”)
It was the dragon — that is, Satan — who had given the
beast “his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Ch. 13:2)
on the earth, who had inspired the false prophet (and the
three together had formed a mock trinity of diabolical evil),
and now we are permitted to behold them submerged in
one common woeful doom. us God in His righteousness
vindicates His throne, and the throne of His Christ, and
reveals at the same time the sure and certain retribution
that must overtake all who persist in their enmity to Him
and to His beloved Son.
e Great White rone
Revelation 20:11-12
e judgment described in this scripture forms the
conclusion of all God’s ways with man. e kingdom of
Christ on earth has been brought to a close; all enemies
have been put under His feet; the devil himself has received
his nal doom; and there remain only the wicked and
unrepentant dead to be dealt with, before the introduction
of the new heaven and the new earth. It is this last session
of judgment that John here portrays: “And I saw a great
white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven ed away; and there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God” (vss. 11-12). (e word “throne” must, it is generally
acknowledged, be substituted in the text for “God.”)
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e character of the throne itself is the rst thing to
attract our attention. It is said to be “great” — great, either
as betting the dignity of the Judge, or as suited to the
magnitude of the judgment; and it is also given as “white.”
It is not here, probably, the color known as white — as
for example, white linen — but rather, as the word really
signies, clear or bright; that is, the “whiteness of light.”
A comparison of Matthew 17:2 with Mark 9:3 shows that
this too was the whiteness of our blessed Lord’s garments
in the transguration. is is the expression of the dazzling
purity of holiness, whether of the Judge Himself, or of
the standard on which His judgment would proceed; for
everything connected with Him, the throne on which He
sits, or the sentence He pronounces, must be in accordance
with what He is in His own essential nature. Who the
Judge is, is not here stated, although John saw Him that sat
upon the throne; but we know from other scriptures that
it is Christ; that the once rejected Jesus, the Son of God,
is He into whose hands all judgment has been committed.
(See John 5:22-29; 2Tim. 4:1) As everywhere, indeed, in
this book, it is He who ever makes good God’s character
in government as against evil; and here, as this scene
shows, against those who have died in impenitence, as well
as against the living rejecters of His authority. e awful
nature of this judicial session is revealed by the statement
that “the earth and the heaven ed away” from the face of the
Judge. In what manner they disappear we learn elsewhere
(See 2Peter 3:10-12); the fact only is here stated; and it is
given to teach the nal character of the judgment. What a
close to the history of this poor earth! And what a contrast
to the record in Genesis 1, when God looked upon His
new work day after day, as it sprang forth from His creative
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hand and pronounced it very good! And to enhance the
solemnity of the scene, it may be recalled that He who sat
on the throne, in John’s vision, is the One by whom all
things were created; and now this poor deled earth, and
the heaven that belongs to it, the witness of, and the sharer
in, its delement are seen eeing from His face!
Before the judgment commences, therefore, time is no
more. e times and seasons have forever passed (Gen.
1:14), and the great white throne is raised in eternity; and it
is connected, as will be hereafter seen, with the destruction
of the last enemy, death, as introductory to the blessedness
of that eternal state in which God is all in all.
e dead only, it is plainly stated, appear before the great
white throne. Already, in many acts, the living have been
judged; and hence, for instance, the judgment of Matthew
25:31-46 belongs to another period. e living are judged
at the appearing of Christ and during His kingdom, and
consequently only the dead remain. And yet, it may be
necessary to arm, not all the dead. As we have pointed
out in Revelation 19, an immense army follows Christ out
of heaven, and this is composed, as there explained, of all
the saints who in every age and dispensation had died, and
who had participated in the rst resurrection, and of those
who, living on the earth at the time of the Lord’s return,
had been changed and caught up with the risen saints
to meet the Lord in the air. During the thousand years
(vss. 3-4), there are no deaths, except of rebels against the
authority of Christ. e conclusion then, as also from the
scriptures before us, is irresistible, that only the wicked,
the unconverted dead, are seen in this judgment. ere
is therefore no foundation in Scripture for the popular
conception of a general judgment — for the teaching, so
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prevalent in religious books, that all alike, the saved and the
unsaved, are reserved to be judged at the same time. Such
a thought could only spring from ignorance both of the
Word of God and of the nature of redemption.
Revelation 20:13
All the vast multitude of the unregenerate dead, from
the earliest ages down to the termination of the kingdom
of Christ on earth, will be raised by the mighty power
of God and be brought before the great white throne to
receive the award of their eternal doom. And to show that
not one sinner who has ever passed away, wherever he may
have died, shall escape, it is added in verse 13, “And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [hades]
delivered up the dead which were in them.” At the mighty
voice of the Son of God, just as the sh came at His
bidding into the nets of His disciples and Lazarus came
out of his tomb, so will all this countless throng “come forth”
out of their graves, or from their last resting-places, unto
the resurrection of judgment (John 5:28-29).
We have, in the next place, the principles of the
judgment: “And the books were opened: and another book was
opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out
of those things which were written in the books, according to
their works” (vs. 12). Again we read, “and they were judged
every man according to their works.” (vs. 13.) e rst ground
of judgment then is the actual works, the deeds of every
soul while living on the earth. And, let it be remarked, that
positive evidence as to these is adduced from the “things
which were written in the books.” (vs. 12) All the “works” of
men are therefore recorded, and recorded by Him before
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whose omniscient eye the nature of every action is revealed.
Deeds long since forgotten, sins which, apparently trivial
in human estimation, have faded away from the memory,
all will be produced as the ground of condemnation. Not
only so; but the book of life will also be opened, and if
the names of those arraigned before this solemn tribunal
are not found in it (vs. 15), the sentence is passed and
the judgment executed. ere are thus two kinds of
evidence — positive and negative, both condemnatory, and
both alike precluding all ground of appeal.
In connection with this, it is worthy of notice, as
illustrative of God’s ways in judgment, that He, while
answerable to none, is ever careful to vindicate, even in the
eyes of men, the rectitude of all His judicial acts. When
thus He was about to destroy Jerusalem, through the
instrumentality of Nebuchadnezzar, and to send His people
into captivity because of their persistent transgressions, He
was careful rst to present the bill of indictment to prove
their guilt. (See 2Chronicles 36:11-21.) So here before
the great white throne, unmistakable proofs of the guilt
of those on trial are shown from the “books” of works;
and then, as a conclusive demonstration of their having
no title to be spared, it is added that their names were not
found written in the book of life. us every mouth will
be stopped, and will have to confess that He who sits on
the throne is justied when He speaks, and clear when He
judges.
Revelation 20:14-15
e doom of this countless throng is next revealed: “And
death and hades were cast into the lake of re. is is the second
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death. [Most editors add here the words, “Even the lake
of re.”] And whosoever was not found written in the book
of life was cast into the lake of re.” (vss. 14-15) Taking it in
the order given, we have, rst of all, in gurative language,
the destruction of death and hades. (Compare Hos. 13:14.)
e meaning is that the power of both will be forever
abrogated under the judgment of God. Death had held
its sway over all these souls. eir bodies had been until
now in corruption, but called out of their graves for this
resurrection of judgment, death could claim them no more.
When the saints are raised, death for them is swallowed up
in victory (1Cor. 15); but here there is no victory, for the
hitherto prisoners of death receive the same sentence as
death itself, both being condemned to the same nal doom.
e last enemy, death, is thus destroyed. Hades, the prison
of the spirits of the dead, shares the same fate, for it has
no further use in God’s economy. Deled by the character
of those it had detained as captives, it passes away to the
punishment of the deled, the judgment of the eternal re.
e nature of this judicial doom is explained to be the
second death. e rst death, pronounced as the penalty
on Adam’s transgression, meant far more than the death of
the body. e moral use of the word in the phrase “dead in
sins” proves beyond a doubt that it signies, in its essence,
the separation of the soul from God, together with the
state of the soul as being without a single movement of
life towards God. is interpretation is conrmed by the
statement in Romans, that “by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin” (Rom. 5:12) for it is clearly the state
of man which is thus indicated. (See also 2Cor. 5:14.) is,
rightly understood, throws great light upon the term here
employed — “the second death.” “Death,” then, will keep its
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meaning — the absolute separation of the soul from God,
its total exclusion from the source of all light and life,
and its connement forever in the region of darkness; for
as light and life, so darkness and death are in their very
nature indissolubly connected. en we have the additional
element, “the lake of re.” (vs. 14) “Fire” in Scripture is the
symbol of the holiness of God as applied in judgment. is
may be easily traced through the various books of the Bible,
as for example, in the re that consumed the sacrices,
and as again, in the statement that “our God is a consuming
re” (Heb. 12:29). e second death therefore is the moral
exclusion of the soul forever from God, or rather, it should
be said, the separation of the whole man (body, soul, and
spirit) from God, under the iniction of His judicial wrath.
is is the lake of re, God’s eternal judgment, according
to the standard of His own immutable holiness, as visited
upon those who refused His grace, rebelled against His
authority and chose death rather than life. It is into this
“lake of re” that every unconverted one, as this scripture
plainly teaches, will be, if dying impenitent, nally cast; for
it is there that all this multitude nd their doom.
Nothing is said here as to the duration of the lake of
re; but, as has been seen in verse 10 of this chapter and as
many other scriptures indubitably teach, there is no ground
whatever for supposing that it is less than eternal. Prophets
prophesy smoother things, and dreamers dream according
to the imagination of their own hearts; but the Word of
God abides, and it teaches that the punishment of the
wicked, as the blessedness of the saved, is forever and ever.
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Revelation 21
e Eternal State
Revelation 21:1
After the solemn scene of eternal judgment, unfolded
at the close of the preceding chapter, a vision of the
unclouded beauty of the eternal state of blessedness is
displayed before our eyes. e contrast is as abrupt as
magnicent. No sooner had John recorded the doom of
those who appeared before the great white throne than he
proceeds: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the
rst heaven and the rst earth were passed away; and there
was no more sea” (vs. 1). Isaiah is the rst to make mention
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both of new heavens and a new earth. He says, speaking
in the name of Jehovah, “Behold, I create new heavens and a
new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come
into mind” (Isa. 65:17). And again, “As the new heavens
and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before
me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain”
(Isa. 66:22). However, while the words “new heavens” and
“new earth,” appear in the prophecy, it is yet evident from
the context of the passages cited that they do not contain
the same signicance as in our chapter. In Isaiah, indeed,
scarcely more is meant than that the heavens and the earth
shall be morally new during the millennium, that, as the
heavens will be cleared from Satan and Satan’s power (see
Eph. 6:12; Rev. 12:10), and the earth will be freed in large
measure from the eects of the curse (see Psa. 67 and 72),
they will be in this sense new. e Apostle Peter supplies
the link between Isaiah and Revelation. Taking up, as led
of the Holy Spirit, Isaiah’s prophecy, and giving to it a
deeper meaning, he says, after describing the dissolution of
all things, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”
(2Peter 3:13). is, as will be at once perceived, goes much
further than the kingdom during the thousand years, the
characteristic of which is that righteousness will reign (See
Psa. 96-99; Isa. 32); inasmuch as Peter speaks of a scene
wherein righteousness shall dwell. is could be no other
than the eternal state, telling of a scene without and a scene
within which answer to all that God is, a scene which is in
fact the consummation of the new creation.
e rst heaven and the rst earth are thus forever
displaced. (In fact, as we learn from 2Peter 3:10-12, they
will be destroyed by re.) It is specially noted that there was
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no more sea. is fact may have a twofold signicance. e
rst and most prominent thought is, since the sea interposes
a barrier to being together, that there will be then no more
separation. en, as we remember the symbolic meaning of
earth and sea in this book, that the earth speaks of ordered
government, and the sea of insubject and unorganized
masses of people or nations, it teaches that every part of
the new earth will be in ordered subjection to and under
the governmental control of God. All will be the perfect
expression of His own will; and then will be fullled that
far-reaching petition in the prayer the Lord taught His
disciples, “y will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt.
6:10) It was so done by our Lord Himself; but in these
“new and blessed scenes,” it will be also so done by every
one among all the countless throng of the redeemed.
Revelation 21:2
Another event is now introduced: “And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (vs. 2). It
may be necessary to point out at once, for the sake of those
who have not hitherto considered the subject, that the
scene in verse 10 of this chapter is prior, by the thousand
years, to this in verse 2. is will be more fully explained
when verses 9 and 10 are reached; but it may be said now
that in verse 10 John sees the “holy city, Jerusalem” (as it
should be read) in her millennial glory and in relation to
the millennial earth; whereas in verse 2, the millennial
kingdom has forever passed away, and the “holy city” is
seen descending from the position it occupied during the
kingdom to take up her appointed place on the new earth,
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of which verse 1 speaks. It is the “holy city,” holy according
to the nature of God (compare Eph. 1:4); and it is “new
Jerusalem,” not the old described in the Old Testament
scriptures. Paul speaks of it in Galatians as “Jerusalem which
is above,” and as “our mother.” (Gal. 4:26) (So it should be
read, and not “the mother of us all.”) It cannot be doubted,
moreover, that the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews
refers to the same city, when he describes Abraham as
looking “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder
and maker is God” (Heb. 11:10; see also vs. 16). It is thus
a gure of the church, the church as seen from the next
verse, as the tabernacle of God, God’s habitation through
the Spirit as known even now (Eph. 2:22). ree things
are predicated of her: her origin is “from God”; she comes
“out of heaven,” she is heavenly in her character; (Compare
2Cor. 5:1-2, as to the resurrection body, the body believers
will receive in the resurrection.) and she is “prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband.” (vs. 2) e marriage of the
Lamb has long since taken place, then His wife had made
herself ready; but, notwithstanding the centuries that have
elapsed, she is still seen arrayed in all her bridal beauty, as
much without blemish or wrinkle, and as holy, as on the
day of her presentation to her glorious Spouse.
Revelation 21:3
Together with her descent to the new earth, John hears
“a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be
His people, and God Himself shall be with them, [and be] their
God” (vs. 3). ere are then three things: the tabernacle, the
men, and the relationship which God sustains towards the
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one and the other. e tabernacle is the holy city; and the
holy city, as already explained, is the church; and, inasmuch
as it is God’s tabernacle, it is presented to us as His dwelling-
place. e reason for the use of the term tabernacle will be
afterward seen. en there are men, and these are all the
saved from Adam down to the rst coming of the Lord,
and all the saved from the rapture of the saints, as described
in 1essalonians 4, until the close of the thousand years;
and these have the blessed position of being God’s people,
of having God with them, and having God as their God.
ey are not, as the church, the dwelling-place of God, but
their place and blessing are as perfect in their relationship
as are the church’s in hers. ere are dierences which God
in His sovereignty has been pleased to make, but all these
are but illustrative of His own perfections and grace; and
all the redeemed, whatever their special relationships, will
be eternally blessed, according to God’s thought, in the
several positions in which by His grace they are found.
ere is a special reason for the use of the word tabernacle
in this place. e tabernacle was God’s rst dwelling-place
on earth amongst His people Israel, after their redemption
out of Egypt. “Let them make me a sanctuary,” He said to
Moses, “that I may dwell among them” (Ex. 25:8). (We do
not cite Ex. 15:2, as there is considerable doubt as to the
exact reading. e rst thought of the sanctuary came
from Jehovah Himself.) e tabernacle was erected, and,
as we nd in the rst chapters of Numbers, the tribes
were arranged round about it, Jehovah’s dwelling-place
forming the center of the encampment. While still in the
wilderness, giving instructions concerning their conduct
when His people should be in the land, Jehovah gave this
promise, a promise conditional upon their obedience, “And
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I will set My tabernacle among you: and My soul shall not
abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God,
and ye shall be My people” (Lev. 26:11-12). is promise,
owing to Israel’s transgressions, was never entirely fullled;
and hence it is repeated (for God never allows His purpose
to be frustrated) through Ezekiel, and applied to the
time of Messiah’s kingdom during the millennium: “My
tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God,
and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know that
I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in
the midst of them for evermore” (Ezek. 37:27-28). Coming
to our scripture, we have the reproduction of almost the
same words, only now not in the form of promise, but
as a statement of fact and accomplishment. Connecting
the three scriptures we learn, therefore, that it was ever
God’s thought to surround Himself with His redeemed
people; also, that His tabernacle was a gure of the church
as His habitation through the Spirit; and, nally, that the
encampment in the wilderness, and the sanctuary during
Messiah’s glorious reign — which He Himself will build
(Zech. 6:12-13), even as He is now building the church
(Matt. 16) — are but foreshadowings of the eternal state, as
portrayed in this scripture.
Revelation 21:4
In the next place John describes the eternal consolations
of the redeemed: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away” (vs. 4). Speaking exactly, this language applies
to the “men” of verse 3. e church forming the tabernacle
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331
is not in view save as the dwelling-place of God, but as
such in the enjoyment of her own special blessedness. Two
things may be noted in this description. It is God who wipes
away all tears from the eyes of His people. e tears recall
the sorrows of the pilgrim life; and now God Himself, in
His innite grace and tenderness, wipes them away from
their eyes — a gure of the eternal consolation ministered
to them by God Himself. en, secondly, death, and all
the trials, pains and griefs associated with human life in
this world are gone, forever abolished. Sin has now been
taken away (John 1:29, Heb. 9:26) — the nal result of the
death of Christ on the cross; and hence death, together
with all the other bitter fruits of sin, is removed from the
scene, swallowed up in the victorious scene of life. It is not
the positive side of eternal blessedness, but the negative.
But where is the heart which is not relieved at the glorious
prospect of freedom forever, in the immediate enjoyment
of the presence of God, from all the burdens that often bow
us to the dust while treading the sands of the wilderness?
Revelation 21:5-6
e last clause of verse 4 may be considered in connection
with what follows: “And He that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new” (vs. 5). In 2Corinthians 5:17
we read, “If any man be in Christ, [there is] a new creation:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new.” (Some prefer the reading, “New things have come.”
e authorities are divided.) e correspondence between
these scriptures cannot be unobserved. e dierence is
that in 2Corinthians 5 the old things have passed away,
and all things have become new for faith; whereas in
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our scripture the change is actually wrought, the former
things having disappeared forever. In 2Corinthians 5 all
who are in Christ belong to the new creation; they are
by faith introduced into this sphere — the sphere where
Christ as its head, center, and glory. In Revelation the old
creation has forever passed out of existence, and only the
new remains. We wait for the latter; but it must not be
forgotten that it is the privilege of the believer to anticipate
this glorious scene — yea, even now to dwell in it — as well
as to expatiate amidst its blessedness, inasmuch as in Christ
he belongs to, and is himself a part of, it.
ereon we read, “And He said unto me, Write: for these
words are true and faithful” (vs. 5). is command must, we
judge, be regarded as accomplished before the record of the
following words: “And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him
that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely” (vs. 6).
“It is done” may refer to the conclusion of the revelation, the
natural close after the exhibition of the eternal state. It is the
completion of the scene, followed by the solemn armation
of the eternity of God. He is the commencement of all
existence, and He is the end; and all duration is embraced
in the two terms, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
end. Grace still ows out; but the question is sometimes
raised, Can there still be thirsty souls in eternity? is is to
miss the signicance of the announcement. If the words, “It
is done,” (vs. 6) are preparatory to the eternal scene opened
to our view, we have in addition a solemn setting forth of
God’s ways in grace and in judgment while this eternal
state is in prospect. ere are, in fact, three principles of
His actings in regard to man. e rst is before us: “I will
give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life
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freely.” (vs. 6) God is a giver (compare John 4:10-14), and
He will give to every thirsty soul; and He will give him not
only of the water of life, but of the fountain itself; for the
announcement is made in view of the full end of receiving
it, namely, eternal satisfaction and blessedness. And lastly,
He will give it freely, gratuitously — without money, and
without price. Truly our God is the God of grace!
Revelation 21:7-8
We have next, “He that overcometh shall inherit all [rather,
these] things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son”
(vs. 7). All God’s people must be overcomers, for they are
passing through a hostile world and are exposed to all the
arts and malice of a powerful adversary. We have a glimpse
of a faithful remnant in conict in a former chapter, and
of them it is said, “ey overcame him [Satan] by the blood
of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they
loved not their lives unto the death” (Ch. 12:11). As to the
world, John writes, “is is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith” (1John 5:4). In these two scriptures
are given the means of victory; and in the passage before
us we have encouragement ministered to us while we are
engaged in the conict. First, the overcomer shall inherit
these things, all these forms of eternal blessing unrolled
before our eyes; and, moreover, God will condescend to
enter into relationship with him. “I will be his God, and he
shall be My son,” (vs. 7) and this, as it is again the nal
end of the wilderness path, in its full apprehension and
enjoyment. Such will be the eternal tie existing, according
to the good pleasure of His will, between God and him that
overcometh. Finally, the various classes are enumerated, in
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their moral aspects, who will not only be forever excluded
from this blessed and eternal portion, but also whose part
will be “in the lake which burneth with re and brimstone:
which is the second death” (vs. 8). e devil, the beast, and the
false prophet have already found their doom in this place,
where they “shall be tormented day and night forever” (Ch.
20:10); and now we learn that all such as are depicted here
will have their eternal home in the same prison of hopeless
woe. How awful the contrast to the state portrayed in
verses 3-4!
e Holy Jerusalem
Great mistakes have been made by many expositors on
this portion of Scripture, from failing to perceive that the
rst part of the chapter presents the eternal state, and that
here the Spirit of God takes us back to a description of
the heavenly city in relation to the thousand years. From
Revelation 19:11 to Revelation 21:8, as before shown, we
have a consecutive narrative of events, from the appearing
of Christ to the introduction of the state of eternal
blessedness, wherein God is all in all. en, commencing
with Revelation 21:9, a new section begins, the object of
which is to set forth the glories of the bride, the Lamb’s
wife, the holy city, as the metropolis, the heavenly seat of
administration of the earth during the millennial period.
is will become clear to the reader as we pursue the details
here given.
Revelation 21:9-11
John thus introduces the last section of the book: “And
there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven
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vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying,
Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (vs.
9). It was one of these seven angels who had shown John
the judgment of Babylon the great, the mother of harlots
and abominations of the earth. e parallel, or rather
contrast, is designed. Babylon had claimed, but falsely, to
be the bride of Christ. e angel had exhibited her in her
true character, and the judgment from God with which
she should be nally overwhelmed (Ch. 17). Consequent
upon her destruction, the marriage of the Lamb took place
in heaven (Ch. 19:1-8), and now the true bride, the Lamb’s
wife, is shown in all her beauty — the expression of the
thoughts of God, as Babylon had been the expression of the
thoughts of man. To view Babylon, John was transported
in the spirit into the wilderness — a scene of moral drought
and desolation; to behold the holy city Jerusalem (e
correct reading is probably, “e holy city, Jerusalem,” and
not, as in our version, “at great city, the holy Jerusalem.”) he
was carried away in the spirit to a great and high mountain.
As Moses surveyed the promised inheritance from Pisgah;
so John is permitted to behold the fulllment of promise
and prophecy in this glorious city, from the lofty eminence
on which he was placed by the angel. ence he saw her
“descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God:
and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal” (vss. 10-11).
ree features are marked; it was divine in its origin, and
heavenly in its character; it had also the glory of God. As
another has written: “It might be of God and earthly. It might
be heavenly and angelic. It was neither: it was divine in origin
and heavenly in nature and character. It was clothed with
divine glory: it must be as founded on Christ’s work” (Synopsis,
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J. N. Darby, 5:561). We learn from 2Corinthians 5 that
all these features are true also of the individual believer,
in respect of his resurrection body. It could not indeed be
otherwise, inasmuch as the result for the whole church is
but the collective expression of what is the result for the
saint of the work of redemption. Let it also be remembered
that while the glory, the actual glory, is yet future, the church
is now as divine in origin, and as heavenly in nature, as she
will ever be. To understand this is indispensable for the
faithful occupation of her place on earth as God’s witness,
and for her preservation from the contaminations of the
world around. It is owing, alas! to the forgetfulness of this
blessed truth, that she has sought and found (we speak of
the whole church), like Pergamos of old, a home in the
place where Satan dwells.
Her light, or her shining, was moreover like a jasper
stone; and hence proceeds, as may be gathered from the
signicance of the jasper in Revelation 4:3, from the glory
of God. (Compare Isa. 60:1.) e word translated light,
or shining, is that found in Philippians 2:15, as applied
to believers, — “among whom [a crooked and perverse
generation] ye shine [or rather, appear] as lights in the
world.” It is the word used of the heavenly luminaries;
and we therefore learn that what believers should be now
morally, the holy Jerusalem will be actually in the coming
age; and that all the light in testimony that proceeds now,
whether from the saints or the whole church, comes from
the same divine source as the “shining” of the holy city in
the future day of glory. (Compare 2Cor. 4:6.) And the
“shining” of the holy city will be like a jasper stone, clear as
crystal, transparent and unclouded, and it will illumine the
earth with its bright, blessed, and perfect rays. But while
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the natural eye will be able to perceive it, the heart, even as
now, will need to be divinely opened to receive and bow to
its blessed testimony.
Revelation 21:12-14
We pass now to another feature: “And had a wall great
and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels,
and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the
north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three
gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in
them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Vss. 12-
14). Before dwelling on the signicance of the wall, it may
be well to call attention to the recurrence of the number
twelve in this description. It has the xed meaning in
Scripture of the perfection of governmental administration
in man, that is, in Christ, and this in connection with Israel.
Hence there were twelve tribes and twelve apostles, both
mentioned here, and both connected in the words of our
Lord to His disciples: “Verily I say unto you, at ye which
have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man
shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28). is
at once explains the force of the number twelve and, at the
same time, the character of the holy city as here presented;
that the church, the Lamb’s wife, is displayed, not in her
intimate relationship to Christ as seen in Paul’s epistles,
but rather in connection with the government of the earth
in the hands of Christ during the thousand years. Blessed
and perfect as all is, as thus exhibited, it yet does not present
to us the more intimate joys and aections of the Father’s
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house, nor our highest associations with Christ in heavenly
blessedness, as, for example, set forth in the promise to the
overcomer in Philadelphia. And yet, whoever is acquainted
in any measure with Christian literature and hymnology
can doubt that the “golden city” occupies a larger place in
the minds of saints than the Father’s house?
e symbolic meaning of the wall will be security; and
this is assured, as may be seen in verse 18, by the fact that
“the building of the wall of it was of jasper” that is, the glory
of God. Clothed with, she is also protected by, the divine
glory, even as Isaiah speaks, “e glory of the Lord shall be thy
rereward.” All that God is, and all that God is in display, is
the wall round about the New Jerusalem. But, as we may
see further on, the wall not only encloses and secures the
holy city, but it also excludes all evil; for “there shall in no
wise enter into it anything that deleth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (Ch. 21:27; compare
Ch. 22:15).
In the wall there are twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels, and written thereon the names of the twelve tribes
of the children of Israel. e gate of a city in Scripture was
always the place of judgment, and inasmuch as there are
twelve here, three on each side, it will denote the perfectness
of the administration of justice in the government of
that day. e kingdom character of this administration is
denoted by the names of the twelve tribes on the gates, and
indicating also, perhaps, at the same time, that it is through
Israel as a center that the administration in government
will be conducted. Twelve angels are stationed at the gates:
in the dispensations previous to Christianity they were
God’s providential agents in His governmental order; but
they are now “the willing door keepers of the great city” which
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will be the heavenly metropolis of Messiah’s glorious
kingdom. ey are therefore subordinate, in the purposes
of God, to the gloried saints of which the heavenly city
is formed. ere were, moreover, twelve foundations to the
wall, the character of which is declared by the fact that they
contained the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb;
for as we read in Ephesians, those who are the fellow-
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, “are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the
building tly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in
the Lord” (Eph. 2:19-21). But the mention of the twelve
apostles of the Lamb shows again that the church is not
here “presented as the bride, though it be the bride, the Lamb’s
wife. It is not in the Pauline character of nearness of blessing
to Christ. It is the assembly as founded at Jerusalem under the
twelve — the organized seat of heavenly power, the new and
now heavenly capital of God’s government” (Synopsis, J. N.
Darby, 5:561).
Revelation 21:15-17
In the next place the city and the gates and the wall are
measured. e meaning of this symbolic act has already
been explained in Revelation 11. ere is a dierence,
however, to be noted in the measuring rods. ere it was
“a reed like unto a rod” (Ch. 11:1); here it is “a golden reed.”
(vs. 15) In both cases the measuring betokens owning on
the part of God, with the added idea of appropriation. e
thing measured is according to His mind, and He thereby
owns it to be so, and claims it as His; while the measuring
rod being golden will testify that it is in righteousness He
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thus stamps the city, its wall and gates, with His approval.
e result of the measurement is given. “e city lieth
foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he
measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs.
e length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (vs.
16). Like the holiest in the tabernacle and the temple, it
is a cube, twelve thousand furlongs on every side — the
symbol of nite perfection. at it is a given perfection
needs scarcely be said, inasmuch as it had its origin in the
counsels of God, and owes its existence to the death and
resurrection of Christ. In all its perfection and beauty, the
heavenly city is the expression of the grace of God.
e measurement of the wall is an hundred and forty-
four cubits, twelve times twelve; so that in every detail the
governmental character of the city is exhibited, and seen as
divinely perfect.
Revelation 21:18-20
Following upon the measurement, the composition of
the various parts of the city is given. at of the wall has
been anticipated; it was of jasper, the symbol of the glory of
God. Happy city to be surrounded with, and guarded by, the
divine glory! And such will be the lot of the holy Jerusalem.
“e foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all
manner of precious stones” (vs. 19). e names of the stones
are then given, beginning with the jasper and ending with
the amethyst. e list may be compared with the twelve
precious stones on the breastplate of the high priest (Ex.
28); and it will be observed that the jasper which comes rst
in our scripture, is the last on the high-priest’s breastplate.
e signicance in this may be that whereas the church
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begins with the glory in the person of the Head, it lies at
the end for Israel. To speak generally, “the precious stones,” as
has been well said, “or varied displays of God’s nature, who is
light, in connection with the creature (seen in creation, Ezekiel
28; and in grace in the high priest’s breastplate), now shone
in permanent glory, and adorned the foundations of the city”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:562). Morally they exhibit therefore
the history of souls — as creatures, then as subjects of grace
taken up and put upon the heart of Christ, and nally as
seen displayed in all His various beauties in the glory.
“e twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was
of one pearl” (vs. 21). e symbolic force of the pearl may
be gleaned from the parable in Matthew 13 — where the
church is seen under the emblem of a “pearl of great price,”
(Matt. 13:46) the preciousness and beauty of which led the
merchantman (Christ) to sell all that he had to purchase
it. e pearl speaks, therefore, of what is attractive to the
heart of Christ — a beauty which, as seen in the counsels of
God, ravished Him, so that He loved the church and gave
Himself for it. (See Eph. 5:25-27.) And every gate of the
holy city shone with this resplendent beauty, the fruit and
end of Christ’s love and His redemption work.
Revelation 21:21-22
Moreover, “e street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass.” (vs. 21) e street represents the
place wherein men walk; and it was of pure gold, divine
righteousness, righteousness as suited to God’s nature,
as betted the place where He dwells, even as in the
tabernacle and the temple all inside the holy place and the
holiest was overlaid with gold. But the gold here is pure,
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and as “transparent glass,” (vs. 21) speaking of xed and
accomplished holiness — a purity answering to the nature
of God Himself, and, blessed be His name, a purity that
could never more be deled.
Up to verse 21, we have had the nature, character, and
composition of the holy city, but so far there has been no
reference to its inhabitants. e reason for this is that the
saints themselves form this heavenly structure, though, as
will be seen in the next chapter, they are briey introduced
to set forth the nature of their eternal blessedness. But even
here their existence is implied, as, for instance, in the next
verse of this scripture: “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord
God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it” (vs. 22). For
as soon as the absence of any temple is stated, the thought
is necessarily brought in of saints enjoying the presence
of God without let or hindrance. A temple, whatever the
privileges of access and worship connected with it, speaks
of distance between God and the worshipper, as was the
case in the temple of the kingdom. Jehovah indeed dwelt
in it between the cherubim over the mercy-seat; but the
worshippers remained outside while the priest was burning
incense in the holy place. (See Luke 1:10.) When therefore
we read that there is no temple in the heavenly Jerusalem,
but that the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it, we at once understand that all distance is
abolished, and that the presence of God and of the Lamb,
lling the whole city, is enjoyed by all in the full measure
of its display. It could not be otherwise, seeing that all the
saints forming the city are there according to the purpose
of God in divine righteousness, conformed to the image
of His Son. e fact of there being no temple is thus the
expression of the perfect blessedness of the redeemed, all
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of whom are now holy and without blame before God in
love (Eph. 1:4).
It will, however, be observed that the highest blessedness
of the saint is not indicated; for the names of God here
given are those found in the Old Testament — Jehovah-
Elohim, Shaddai; all that God is, as so revealed, now made
good in government in relation to the earth. is at once
explains why these names are employed, inasmuch as the
holy city is here connected with the government of the
earth in and through the Lamb during the millennium.
at the redeemed enjoy another relationship, into which
they have been brought by the revelation of the Father in
the Son, is known from other scriptures; but this character
of blessedness is conned to the saints who compose the
church, and consequently will not be known in the age to
come. On this account it is that the Lord God Almighty is
found in this scripture; but the Lamb is also introduced as
the One in whom this state of blessedness has been secured,
and in whom God has been revealed, and His character
made good, rst in the cross, and now in the kingdom,
the epoch before us in His righteous government. A
comparison of this statement that there is no temple in the
heavenly city with Revelation 7:15 abundantly conrms the
interpretation that the blessing of the Gentile multitude,
however excellent, is earthly — and not heavenly.
Revelation 21:23
e presence of God and the Lamb lls the scene, and
thus it is that John adds, “And the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God
did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light [the lamp] thereof”
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(vs. 23). Created light, as we learn from Genesis 1, is for
earth; but after Adam’s fall the only light morally, even for
the earth, was what came from the revelation of God. e
Psalmist thus wrote, “With ee is the fountain of life: in y
light shall we see light” (Psa. 36:9); and when the Lord was
down here on the earth He said, “As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). Where God is
fully revealed, therefore, there could be no need of created
light; and “the glory of God” (vs. 23) is but the expression
for the display of all that God is as revealed in redemption
before His redeemed.
e statement in connection with this, “And the Lamb is
the light thereof,” (vs. 23) is most signicant. Does it mean
that while the glory of God illumines the whole city, the
Lamb is the medium of its display? Stephen saw through
the opened heavens “the glory of God, and Jesus standing on
the right hand of God;” (Acts 7:55) and here the glory of
God and the Lamb are the beatic source of all the light
that forms the blessedness of the holy city.
Revelation 21:24-26
e next three verses are important as aording a
distinct clue to the interpretation of the whole vision.
Many expositors see nothing here but a description
of the blessedness of the eternal state, and this view is
generally adopted by popular preachers. But these verses
show beyond contradiction, that the heavenly city is
here presented in connection with the millennial earth;
for there are no “nations” in eternity, and no “kings of
the earth” to bring their glory and honor into (unto) it.
If this had been observed the mistake would have been
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avoided, and a valuable key would have been acquired to
the understanding of the dispensations. We may therefore
call attention to the force of these verses: “And the nations of
them which are saved [e words, “Of them which are saved,”
have been inserted without sucient authority.] shall walk
in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory
and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by
day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the
glory and honor of the nations into it” (vss. 24-26). Although
the words, “of them that are saved,” must be omitted, the
meaning will be unaltered, seeing that the nations existing
during the millennial kingdom will be those that have been
spared in the judgments connected with the day of the
Lord, introduced at the appearing of Christ. ese nations
recognize that the glory of God, which streams down from
the holy city, is for their blessing and guidance, and they
accordingly walk by it. Morally the light which proceeds,
however imperfectly, from the church in this age, is the
only light the world possesses; and this fact will help the
reader to understand the statement before us. To borrow
another’s language, “e city enjoys the direct light within;
the world [that is, the nations], the transmitted light of glory”
(Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:563). (Compare John 17:22-23.)
e kings of the earth, moreover, bring their glory and
honor into (unto) it. (As to the earthly city in the day of
its glory, Isaiah 60 may be read with advantage, as similar
expressions are there found. e periods will coincide.) If
we translate eis as unto, instead of into, the meaning will
be that the kings of the earth will recognize “the heavens
and the heavenly kingdom” to be the source of the authority
under which they are placed, and of the benecent blessings
they enjoy under the sway of the King of kings, and Lord
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of lords; and they will bring of their wealth, like the Queen
of Sheba when she came to Jerusalem, as oerings in token
of their submissive homage. In what way these oerings
will be presented is not revealed; but it is clear from many
scriptures that a connection will be maintained between
the heavenly capital and the earthly kingdom.
Following upon this, we are told that the gates of the city
will be perpetually open, and that there will be no night.
e signicance of this may be best explained by a contrast.
After Nehemiah had built the walls of Jerusalem, we read,
“Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up
the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were
appointed, that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the
ruler of the palace, charge over Jerusalem … And I said unto
them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be
hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar
them” (Neh. 7:1-3). During the night, and even while there
was the least trace of darkness on the scene, the gates were
to be kept closed, lest evil with evil men, who ever love
darkness rather than light, should steal in and corrupt the
city. With the same object later on, Nehemiah, when the
gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath,
“commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that
they should not be opened till after the sabbath” (Neh. 13:19);
for there were servants of the enemy always on the alert to
enter unawares to seduce the Jews to violate the sabbath
day. In light of this contrast we learn then, when we are told
that there will be no night in the heavenly city, that there
will be the absence of all evil, and hence that the gates will
never be shut. As typically in the days of Solomon, there
will be “neither adversary nor evil occurrent” (1Kings 5:4);
and thus it is not only that evil is forever excluded, but
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there is also the impossibility of its ever nding entrance
into that holy and blessed place.
In Revelation 21:26, it would seem to be the repetition
of the statement in verse 24, which has already been
considered. ere is however a dierence. In Revelation
21:24 it is the kings of the earth who bring their glory and
honor, whereas, in verse 26, it is the glory and honor of the
nations that are brought. e same distinction is observed
in the millennial kingdom, when it says, speaking of the
honor to be rendered to the Messiah, “All kings shall fall
down before Him: all nations shall serve Him” (Psa. 72:11).
Both the monarchs and their peoples will be of one mind,
and will respectively own that the “heavens do rule” (Dan.
4:26), and will oer their willing homage to the King of
kings in His glorious heavenly capital. Now kings and
nations serve and exalt themselves; but then, as we read in
Zechariah, “every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship
the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles”
(Zech. 14:16); and it may well be on these occasions
that sovereigns and their subjects will present their glory
and honor to the heavenly Jerusalem, thus owning their
allegiance, and rendering their tribute to the exalted King
of kings, and Lord of lords!
Revelation 21:27
Next, we are told, “And there shall in no wise enter
into it anything that deleth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in
the Lamb’s book of life” (vs. 27). No doubt must be left about
the character or qualications of those who shall enter
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into this city of pure gold; and hence it is put in two ways,
negatively and positively, the disqualication being given
in the rst place, and then the absolute and unable-to-be-
voided title. No one with the guilt of sin still on him, for
it is sin in its manifold forms and expressions that deles;
no one who possesses an evil nature, for it is sin in the
esh which, breaking out, works abomination; and no
one who is morally of the seed of Satan, who is a liar, and
the father of it (John 8:44), will ever pass through those
gates of pearl. As the apostle has written, “Be not deceived:
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers nor eeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortion, shall
inherit the kingdom of God” (1Cor. 6:9-10). So too, in the
next chapter of our book, it is said, “Without are dogs, and
sorcerers, and whore-mongers, and murderers, and idolaters,
and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Ch. 22:15). ose
only who are written in the Lamb’s book of life will have
the privilege of entry, even as all those whose names will
not be found written in the book of life will, at the session
of the great white throne, be cast into the lake of re (Ch.
20:15). is, it will be at once observed, is only the title; but
there will be a moral qualication answering to the title, as
stated in the next chapter: “Blessed are they that have washed
their robes, [is is the right reading, and is accepted by
the Revised Version.] that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Ch.
22:14). (Having washed their robes, according to the usage
of this gure in Scripture, indicates that their practical
state corresponds with their title.) It must necessarily be
so, for the inhabitants of the holy city must themselves
be holy, according to the nature of its Builder and Maker;
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349
but the title only is here given to remind us that it is due
alone to grace, God’s blessed and sovereign grace, that any
will nd themselves within these gates. It is moreover the
Lamb’s book of life; and this teaches us that if believers
were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world,
these purposes of grace could only be accomplished in and
through the death and resurrection of Christ — of Him
who, as the Lamb of God, is the taker away of the sin of
the world.
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Revelation 22
351
56805
Revelation 22
e Pure River of the Water of Life
e subject of the heavenly city is continued in this
chapter; but as the reader will notice, there is a distinct
feature here introduced, and this is shown by the words
with which it commences, “And he showed me.” (Ch. 22:1)
We pass on now more especially to what characterizes the
interior of the city, both in relation to its inhabitants and to
the nations on the millennial earth.
Revelation 22:1
John thus proceeds, “And he showed me a pure [is word
should probably be omitted, as it is not found in the best
e Visions of John on Patmos
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MSS.] river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
the throne of God and of the Lamb” (vs. 1). e tabernacle
in the wilderness was made, as we are distinctly told, after
the pattern of heavenly things; and it would seem that the
earthly Jerusalem also, in the coming day of her glory, will
in some respects be the counterpart of the heavenly city.
We thus read, “ere is a river, the streams whereof shall
make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of
the Most High” (Psa. 46:4). And so too Ezekiel speaks of
the waters that will issue “out from under the threshold of
the house eastward,” and of the fact that the waters become
a river; and he further says, “And it shall come to pass, that
everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers
shall come, shall live … and everything shall live whither the
river cometh” (Ezek. 47:1,9). In both cases therefore, it is “a
river of water of life;” only it must be remembered that in
the heavenly Jerusalem it is vivifying and refreshing rather
than life-giving, inasmuch as all there are in the possession
and enjoyment of eternal life. It proceeds “out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb,” (vs. 1) and it will thus represent
the blessed streams of grace, of life, which will forever ow
out from God and the Lamb, in the “heavenly kingdom,”
to gladden the hearts of the redeemed in glory. is river is
secured for them through the eternal government of God
on the ground of accomplished redemption; for this would
seem to be the purport of the words, “proceeding out of the
throne of God and of the Lamb.” (vs. 1)
Revelation 22:2
In connection with this river of the water of life it is
added, “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
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353
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve fruits, [e
words “manner of” are omitted because they misrepresent
the fact stated. It is not twelve manner of fruits, but, as the
succeeding clause shows, twelve fruits, one crop gathered
every month, a gure of perpetual fruitfulness.] and yielded
her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for
the healing of the nations” (vs. 2). A similar feature is also
described by Ezekiel as marking the earthly city, “And by the
river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall
grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall
the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit
according to his months, because their waters they issued out of
the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the
leaf thereof for medicine”
(Ezek. 47:12).
e tree of life in the holy city is, of course, a symbol,
a symbol which immediately carries us back to Eden, and
which as plainly speaks of Christ. Both the trees in Paradise
indeed, that of the knowledge of good and evil, the tree of
responsibility as it is sometimes termed, and the tree of life,
nd their answer and conciliation in Christ. For it was He
who took up and settled forever, according to the claims
of God’s glory, the question of man’s responsibility on the
cross, and then, as risen out of death, became the tree of
life for all His people; of life, it may be added, in a new
condition, as shown out in Christ’s own risen state in glory.
e tree of life then, in the heavenly Jerusalem, is Christ
in glory, and Christ in glory as the life of the redeemed;
and we are thus reminded that in the gloried state, even
as here, the saints do not possess life independently of
Christ. “is is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in His Son,” (1John 5:11), and this will be
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eternally true. e character of the heavenly life, the proper
portion of the saints of God, will thus remain the same;
only it must be added that in our perfected condition, as
entirely conformed to Christ, it will be enjoyed to the full,
without let or hindrance of any kind. We shall then know
what it is, in full measure, (to borrow the language of the
bride) to sit down under His shadow with great delight,
and nd that His fruit is sweet to our taste.
“e leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
(vs. 2) is statement very plainly teaches that the heavenly
city sustains, during the millennial period, a relationship to
the earth, and that the nations will receive of the healing
virtues of the tree of life. As has been written by another,
“Only the gloried ever ate the fruit of constant growth; but
what was manifested and displayed without, as the leaves of
a tree, was blessing to those on earth” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby.
5:564). In some way, therefore — in what way is not
revealed — grace, either mediately or immediately, will ow
out from the assembly in glory. What an insight is thus
aorded into the heart of God! And what an expansion is
given to the understanding of “the riches of His grace” even
outside of the assembly!
Revelation 22:3-5
e next three verses go together: “And there shall be no
more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in
it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His
face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall
be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the
sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign
forever and ever” (vss. 3-5). Everything being constituted
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in the holy city according to God’s righteousness, there
could be no more curse; for God will repose in the whole
scene with innite delight, for all His people, through the
riches of His grace, will be there according to His own
mind. Curse belongs to a state of sin and transgression, and
that now has forever passed away. e reason however, here
given is in the fact of the throne of God and of the Lamb
being in it, in its absolute supremacy and recognition, and
thus securing in its perfect government a state according to
God. God’s holiness as expressed in His throne will be the
eternal guarantee of the happiness of the redeemed, even
as His love, and that of the Lamb, will be their eternal and
satisfying portion.
It is for this reason that we pass at once in our scripture
to the positive character of the blessedness of the redeemed,
the inhabitants of the heavenly city. When considering the
eternal state, as described in Revelation 21:1-7, we pointed
out that there it was the negative side of this blessedness
which was prominent, that is, it was rather the absence
of the evils that aict us here, that was indicated; [We
refer to verse 4; in the fact that the new Jerusalem becomes
the tabernacle of God is a very positive aspect of the
blessedness of the redeemed.] but here it is the positive
side, what we shall do, enjoy, and be. e rst thing noted
is, “His servants shall serve Him.” (vs. 3) As often in John’s
writings the Father and the Son — here God and the
Lamb — are so completely one in his mind that he does
not pause to distinguish. Hence here it is “His” servants,
although he had just spoken of God and the Lamb. Here
then at last His servants shall serve Him. ey had by His
grace done it here, though very imperfectly, even according
to their own standard. Unprotable servants they had
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been, even when they had labored to the utmost; for mixed
motives had often contended within their hearts. But now
at length, when Christ will completely possess and control
their hearts, when no other object but Himself will ever be
before their souls, when His will shall nd in them a full
and complete response, and when they themselves will not
have a thought, desire, or interest outside of His own, then
they will serve Him perfectly according to His standard, for
in all their obedience and activity they will be the perfect
expression of His own most blessed mind.
“ey shall [moreover] see His face.” (vs. 4) We read of
Moses that the Lord spake unto him face to face, as a man
speaketh unto his friend; and, on the other hand, David
commanded respecting Absalom, “Let him turn to his own
house, and let him not see my face.” (2Sam. 14:24) To see
the Lamb’s face in glory therefore betokens intimacy of
approach and the enjoyment of His presence, a place of
nearness as well as of honor and blessing. is of itself tells
of the saints’ perfected condition, even as John writes, “We
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for
we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2) is character of
blessedness has been well expressed in the following lines:
“Forever to behold Him shine!
For evermore to call Him mine
And see Him still before me
Forever on His face to gaze,
And meet the full assembled rays,
While all His beauty He displays
To all His saints in glory.”
Also, “His name shall be in their foreheads.” (vs. 4) e
primary thought in this characteristic feature is that of
ownership; as it is likewise in the case of the followers of
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antichrist in Revelation 13. But there is also another thing
indicated. Name, consistently in Scripture, is the expression
of what a person is; and so interpreted here it will signify
that full likeness to Christ will be told out on every brow,
that all His redeemed will be the reection of Himself, in
accordance with the purpose of God that they should be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the
rstborn among many brethren.
It is repeated in the following verse (5th) that “there
shall be no night there,” (vs. 5) for all evil has been forever
done away, and together with it the darkness which is its
moral symbol. Nor will the gloried need either light of
the lamp or of the sun, either articial or created light,
“for the Lord God [Jehovah Elohim] giveth them light.” (vs.
5) In this state and condition there could not be a single
want which the presence of their God does not meet. ey
will then know, what we so feebly apprehend while in the
wilderness, His all-suciency, that He alone is the source
of all their blessedness, that with Him is the fountain of
life, and in His light they see light.
Lastly, it is said, “they shall reign forever and ever.” (vs.
5) During the thousand years they will reign with Christ;
but, as we know from 1Corinthians 15, at the close of that
period Christ will deliver up His mediatorial kingdom “to
God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule,
and all authority and power. For He must reign, till He hath
put all enemies under His feet … And when all things shall be
subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be subject
unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in
all” (1Cor. 15:24-28). It is evident therefore that the words
“reign forever and ever” (vs. 5) cannot refer to the association
of the saints with Christ in the glories of His millennial
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sway; but that they point rather to the eternal kingdom of
God, and to the exaltation of saints as belonging to Christ,
as being the Lamb’s wife, in its administration throughout
“the ages of the ages.”
is forms the conclusion of the description of the new
Jerusalem, and in fact, of the whole book. ere are warnings
added, and special intimations of the relationship of Christ
to the assembly, and of the church’s suited attitude, and
of what produces it, while awaiting the Lord’s return; and
these form the suited close to these solemn communications
which the Lord has made for the guidance and instruction
of His people whose lot is cast in dark and dicult days.
Closing Warnings and Admonitions
e prophetic character of these communications
is shown in every possible way. In Revelation 19, as we
have seen, John is told, “e testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy” (Ch. 19:10); and here again the angel, who was
sent to show John the things that must shortly come to
pass (Rev. 1:1), says, “I am … of thy brethren the prophets, and
of them which keep the sayings of this book” (Ch. 22:9). It is
needful to bear this in mind, in order to understand the
nature of the book, and the application of the revelations
made. It is because this has been forgotten, together with
the fact that the church is not the subject of prophecy, that
so many mistakes have been made in the interpretation
of the apocalyptic visions. ese closing warnings and
admonitions are therefore of great importance, as aording
abundant conrmation of the view taken in this exposition,
that the whole of the book after chapter 3 is yet future;
and as demonstrating the untenability of what is termed
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the “historical view,” namely, of regarding all the visions up
to chapter 19 as already fullled in past historical events,
and of the consequent contention, that we have now
only to wait for the appearing of our Lord as described
in Revelation 19:11. is theory could not be accepted by
those who understand the true character of the church as
the body of Christ, and of the church’s hope as given by
the apostle Paul in 1essalonians 4:15-18. ese know
that the church’s immediate prospect is the coming of
the Lord to receive His people, and that the judgments
and woes revealed in this book (whatever premonitions of
these there may have been in past ages) cannot be visited
upon this poor world, until the church has been rapt away
from the scene, and is on high with the Lord. To miss this
distinction is to lose the true nature of the dispensations,
and especially of the church period, which embraces the
time from Pentecost until the coming of the Lord.
Revelation 22:6
We may now with greater intelligence pass to the
consideration of this portion. e exhibition of the holy
city, and the blessedness of its inhabitants, having been
concluded, the angel solemnly arms the truth of his
communications: “ese sayings are faithful and true: and the
Lord God of the holy prophets [A preferable reading would
seem to be “of the spirits of the prophets.”] sent His angel to
show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done”
(vs. 6). ree things in this short statement conrm the
view already given. e names “Lord God,” Jehovah Elohim,
carry us necessarily back to the Old Testament ground of
prophecy; and the reason is that the faithful remnant of this
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book, after the church is gone, will be Jewish, under law,
and sustained by Jewish hopes. It is indeed the remnant,
so often found in the Psalms, looking for the advent of
their glorious Messiah, and the restoration and blessing of
Zion. e same conclusion is indicated by the term “the
holy prophets,” (vs. 6) and still more strikingly, if we adopt
the reading mentioned, “the spirits of the prophets” (vs. 6);
and lastly, it is expressly stated that things made known are
those “which must shortly be done.”
Revelation 22:7
e following verse presents a point of great interest:
“Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings
of the prophecy of this book” (vs. 7). e angel speaks in verse
6; and now the Lord Himself, it being His own testimony,
speaks through the lips of the angel. is transition
from the prophet to Him, whose angel (messenger) the
prophet was, is often found in the Old Testament. A
striking illustration of this is found in Zechariah 11, where
Jehovah takes up the word His servant was uttering, and
so distinctly, that He says, “If ye think good, give me my
price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty
pieces of silver” (Zech. 11:12). So here the Lord Himself,
His communications now drawing to a close, announces
His speedy return; not, if our interpretation is correct, His
return for the church, but His return to the earth. For this
annunciation, as we understand it, is made for the cheer
and the encouragement of the suering remnant in the
period between the rapture of the saints and the Lord’s
appearing, during the period therefore of Jacob’s trouble,
and of “the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the
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world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Ch. 3:10). And
it is evidently made in view of the fearful temptations and
seductions which will then beset the saints to surrender
their testimony; for it is added, “Blessed is he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (vs. 7) It is this that will
delight the heart of the Lord, not achieving great things
or rendering splendid service, but simply keeping His
word, His word for that time. “Keeping” here is observing,
carrying out, and this involves another sense of the word,
namely, “treasuring up,” and even another, “holding fast”;
for it is not until the Word has been treasured up in the
heart, and retained there, that it molds the life, and is thus
observed. And it may easily be perceived what an immense
encouragement this message will prove to those who will
be hemmed in on every side by the powers of darkness. To
be assured that the Lord’s eye is upon them, and that He
is speedily coming for their relief and deliverance, and that
what He desires and approves, beyond all, is their delity
to His word, will be an unceasing source of sustainment
and consolation to their souls. In principle, it is scarcely
necessary to say, this is applicable to saints now, although
the special announcement for them is lower down in the
chapter. e fact of His coming quickly is true for both
the one and the other, and of His approbation, during His
absence, for those who keep His sayings.
Revelation 22:8-9
In the next place, the eect on John’s mind of these
divine revelations is given. “And I John saw these things,
and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down
to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these
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things. en saith he unto me, See [thou do it] not: for I am thy
fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them
which keep the sayings of this book: worship God” (vss. 8-9).
Once before John had been so overwhelmed by the visions
opened out before his soul that he fell down to worship
the angel (Rev. 19:10). It might occasion surprise that he
should do again what was then prohibited; but it must
be remembered, as has been pointed out, that the Lord
Himself had spoken in person through the angel, and the
apostle might have been so absorbed with this one voice,
“Behold, I come quickly,” (vs. 7) as to forget for the moment
the medium, the angel, through whom He had spoken. But
even if so, it could not be permitted; and the angel seizes
the opportunity to declare his own true character, and to
enforce the truth that worship is due alone to God. It is only
the more wonderful, with this on record, that the worship
of angels crept so early into the church, long indeed before
the writing of this book. (See Col. 2.) It is possible therefore
that the mistake of John, twice made, is recorded for the
purpose of condemning a prevalent practice, as also with
the view of aording the plain instruction that no beings,
however exalted, must ever be allowed to intrude between
God and the souls of His people. Well would it have been
for the church if this lesson had been remembered.
Revelation 22:10-11
e angel now gives the closing words of his message:
“And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy
of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still: and he which is lthy, let him be lthy
still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous: and he
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that is holy, let him be holy still” (vss. 10-11). Some of the
communications made to John were not to be divulged.
When, for example, the seven thunders uttered their voices,
and he was about to write, a voice came to him from heaven,
saying, “Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered,
and write them not” (Ch. 10:4). Here, on the other hand, all
that he saw and heard was to be recorded for the instruction
of the saints down to the end; and for the reason that the
time was not exactly “at hand,” but “near.” (e word is
eggus, as in Philippians 4:5, translated there also, in our
version, “at hand,” but it really means “near,” or “nigh.”) In
the prophetic view everything was closing up, and the end
was fast approaching. It was for this reason that all should
be warned; and hence the solemn cry of verse 11. When the
end arrived, and the prophetic eye already discerned it, the
state of souls would be forever xed and unalterable. e
unjust and the lthy must remain so; for nevermore would
they have the opportunity of passing out of their sinful
condition; and so in like manner, the righteous and the
holy would forever retain the blessed characters they had
through grace received. Would that this divine warning,
still proceeding from this page of the written Word, might
rouse the careless and the indierent on every hand, and
constrain them before the nal close of the day of grace to
humble themselves before God, with true repentance, and
with faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 22:12-13
e Lord Himself interposes, and speaks again in His
own person in the next two verses — “And, [e word “and”
should be omitted.] behold, I come quickly; and My reward
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is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the rst
and the last” (vss. 12-13). As the warning in verse 11, so
this second proclamation of the Lord’s speedy coming is in
view of the end. And it is made with a twofold object — to
encourage His servants, and to warn the wicked of the rapid
approach of judgment. e former, however, we apprehend,
is the predominant thought in the announcement from
the mention of His reward being with Him. Even this is,
however, capable of a twofold construction, and the idea of
recompense to the wicked, in the judgment of the living
at the appearing of the Lord, must not be excluded. In the
rst annunciation of His coming quickly (vs. 7), the Lord
points out wherein the blessedness of His people would be
found while waiting; here He encourages them with the
prospect of recompense, reminding them that the day was
swiftly coming when every work done for Him, every act
done, and every testimony borne, should be abundantly
rewarded. What unspeakable grace! First, He Himself
produces in the hearts of His people what is according
to His mind; then He enables them to bear witness for
Him amid the moral darkness of this world; and nally He
imputes to them, and recompenses, what His own grace
has wrought. Blessed forever be His name!
Who it is that announces that He is coming quickly is
now declared, and declared as its solemn armation and
certainty. He is the One who was before anything had its
existence, who will be after all created things in this scene
shall have passed away, and who exists through all time
and all eternity, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end of all existence, the eternally self-existent One,
who comprehends all being in Himself, for it is in Him
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that all live and move and have their being. e last two
titles are found in Isaiah: “us saith the Lord the King of
Israel, and His Redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the rst, and
I am the last; and besides me there is no God” (Isa. 44:6). No
terms therefore could more distinctly convey the truth of
the Person of our blessed Lord, or more clearly assert His
true and proper deity. And the signicance of this, coming
immediately after the promise of His coming, will, when
their eyes have been opened, be at once understood by the
tried and persecuted remnant of the last days. ey will
learn from it that the Messiah, for whose advent they long,
is Jehovah Elohim, their Lord and their God.
Revelation 22:14-15
It may be doubted whether verses 14-15 are spoken
by the Lord Himself; they would seem rather to be a
parenthesis, in which the Spirit of God calls our attention
to the essential qualication for admission to the holy
city, and to the moral character of those who are forever
excluded from its portals; and He does this in prospect of
the speedy coming of the Alpha and Omega, which has
just been proclaimed. He says, “Blessed are they that do His
commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without
are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (vss. 14-15).
Accepting the reading, “wash their robes,” in the place of
“do His commandments,” (Few now question that we should
rather read, “Blessed are they that wash their robes.”) our
attention is once more, and for the last time, directed to
the importance of being in moral correspondence with the
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title possessed through the precious blood of Christ. e
fact then is here emphasized, that none but those who have
washed their robes, will be entitled to the fruit of the tree
of life, and to entrance within the holy city. All who enter
must thus be blood-bought, and have their robes washed.
ere is danger in this day of this truth being ignored or
denied; and it is well, therefore, to observe the prominence
given to it in these closing words of inspiration.
And what a contrast is presented in the succeeding verse.
Doubtless many a reader, even if unconverted, would object
to be included in any of the classes specied. Let such an
one, however, reect that the very rst word used (“dogs”)
comprehends all that are unclean, and that, according to
the teaching of Scripture, all who are not under the value
of the blood of Christ before God are unclean. Whatever,
therefore, any one may claim to be, on the ground of moral
character, he has no qualication for entrance through the
gates into the city, unless his robes have been washed.
e Bright and Morning Star
Revelation 22:16
After the parenthesis of verses 14-15, the Lord
Himself resumes His address to John, if it be not rather
a new commencement, forming a solemn appendix and
conclusion to the whole book. He says: “I Jesus have sent
Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am
the root and the ospring of David, [and] the bright and [is
word “and” is not found in some important MSS., and, if
omitted, the passage will read, “e bright morning star.”]
morning star” (vs. 16).
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e One who had just spoken of Himself as the Alpha
and Omega now introduces Himself as, “I Jesus”; and the full
force of this is only apprehended when it is observed that
the “I” is emphatic. It is “I Jesus”; that is, “I,” the One known
on earth as Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, I am He who has “sent
mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches; it is I
who am the beginning and the end, the rst and the last.” It is
the assertion therefore, as will also be seen in what follows,
of the deity of Him who, as down here, and as gloried
on high, was, and is, known as Jesus. (See Phil. 2:10.) is
emphatic “I” is carried on in the succeeding clause: “I”, that
is, I Jesus, “am the root and ospring of David.”
is twofold character of presentation must now be
considered: (1) As the root and the ospring of David. is is
the character in which He will be the source of blessing to
the earth, through making good all that God is, as revealed
in righteousness, in government. For it is as the Son of
David that He will reign; but He who, as born into this
world, was of the seed of David, was also He from whom
David sprang, for He was also David’s Lord. He, who comes
to establish His kingdom, is thus also Jehovah; and hence
we read, “Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth”; and
again, “Let the eld be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall
all the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord: for He cometh,
for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with
righteousness, and the people with His truth” (Psa. 96:10-13).
(2) As the bright [and] morning star. It is as such that Christ
presents Himself to the church as her special portion, while
waiting for His return. It is the third time that He is so
named; and it will aid the reader if we briey consider the
previous passages in which this title is found. We read: “We
have also a more sure word of prophecy” (the word of prophecy
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made more sure, or conrmed), “whereunto ye do well that
ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts” (2Peter
1:19). e day star in this scripture is really the morning
star, as Peter uses the word which always designates
it — its proper appellation, whereas in Revelation the term
employed points rather to the time of its appearance. It was
no part of Peter’s commission to unfold the truth of the
church, nor, consequently, that of the coming of Christ for
His people. For him it was ever the appearing of our Lord
in glory as introductory to the kingdom; and it is of this
he speaks when he describes the glory, the majesty, of our
Lord on the mount of transguration. Still he was aware
of another glory, as the herald of the kingdom, which our
Lord possessed as the morning star, and which would
cheer the hearts of the saints while awaiting the Lord’s
glorious appearing. e morning star shone, if but on the
edge of the night and as the presage of the day. Passing
on to Revelation 2, we nd that the Lord, in encouraging
the overcomer, says, “And I will give him the morning star.”
(Ch. 2:28) e morning star shines in the heavens while
the world is buried in slumbers; but the lonely watcher is
cheered with its bright and silvery rays, for it tells him that
the night will soon wane, and the sun will speedily arise
and introduce the day. But the believer knows something
more when he is occupied with Christ as the morning star,
even that before Christ ascends the heavens, and rises upon
the world as the Sun of Righteousness, he and all the saints
will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him in the air to
be with Him before His return in glory. When the Lord
thus says to the overcomer in yatira, “I will give him the
morning star,” (Ch. 2:28) it means that he shall possess
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Christ in this character, with the promise of association
with Him in heavenly glory, as his sustainment and cheer
amid the night of corruption that had set in among the
professing people of God.
So, in our scripture, Jesus discloses Himself to the
church in this aspect of His heavenly beauty, to attract her
heart to Himself, to remind her that her period of waiting
will soon be over, and to assure her that He is waiting, as
she also is waiting, for the moment when He will present
her forever to Himself. To know Christ then, as the
bright (e addition of the word “bright” will probably
mean that, for the waiting soul, His shining will be all the
brighter as the darkness deepens around.) morning Star,
the church and individual believers must be watchers; and
just in proportion as this position of being a watcher is
maintained, will be the joy of occupation with Him in this
character.
Revelation 22:17
In the next verse the eect of this presentation of Christ
is given: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” (vs. 17) e
connection with the previous verse is of the most intimate
kind. It is in fact the disclosure of Christ to the assembly
as the bright morning Star that awakens her aections,
and produces in the power of the Spirit her longing desire
for His return. is would not be possible, unless her
relationship with a heavenly Christ had been previously
known and enjoyed; but assured of her union with Him,
and of her own eternal portion in His love, even while still
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in the wilderness, the moment she perceives Him, as so
presented, the holy ardor of her aection breaks forth in
the cry, “Come.” Nothing could more distinctly show that
the church is not of earth, but of heaven — heavenly in
origin and heavenly in character; and nothing more could
more plainly reveal that the secret of waiting, waiting with
desire for the coming of the Lord, is entirely a question of
the heart. Where the treasure is, the heart will be also; and
that Christ is the treasure of the bride is seen here in the
intensity of her utterance of the word “Come.”
It is however the Spirit and the bride who say, Come;
that is, the cry is produced by the Spirit in the church. She
raises it, but it is He who has called it forth; and we are thus
permitted to see, in this place, the church as the vessel, the
willing vessel of the Holy Spirit; for it is He who directs
her gaze upward to the bright morning Star, and constrains
the expression of the desire for His coming. It follows that
this is the normal attitude of the assembly. Moreover,
everyone that hears is invited to join in the entreating
appeal. is should include every believer; for the attitude
of the church should be that of the saints individually.
Wherever therefore this cry is raised, every child of God,
however defective his knowledge of the truth, is urged to
turn his face upward to Christ as the morning Star, and to
say, Come. Would that it might be so; for it would be the
sign of a blessed revival, making ready a people prepared for
the Lord. e Spirit in the assembly directs her attention,
in the next place, to every thirsty soul, to all who are in
spiritual anxiety, and who are longing for satisfaction; and,
as she herself possesses the living water, and possessing it
as the representative of Christ on earth, she invites every
poor thirsty one to come, to come, drink, and be satised,
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371
even as the Lord cried in days of old, “If any man thirst, let
him come unto me, and drink” (John 7:37). Still more widely
must her invitations go forth, or she would not be the true
exponent of grace, of the heart of God; not a single soul
on the face of the earth must be omitted; and hence she
cries, lastly, “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely.” (vs. 17)
We have thus here, as is often observed, the whole circle
of the church’s aections, and it may be added, of these
aections in their divine order. Christ himself occupies
the rst and supreme place; believers individually come
next; then thirsty souls are cared for; and nally sinners are
invited. To borrow words: “e church can look up and say to
the bridegroom, Come; she can look down or around her, and
say to the thirsty soul, Come, yea, to whosoever will, Come and
drink of the water of life freely. It is a most lovely picture of her
whole position.”
Revelation 22:18-19
e integrity of these divine communications is now
solemnly guarded and armed: “For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man
shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out of the book [ere is scarcely a doubt that “tree”
should be here substituted for “book.”] of life, and out of the
holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book”
(vss. 18-19). If the word “and” be omitted in the last clause,
as also the inserted word “from,” the true reading will be,
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“the things which are written in this book” (vs. 19) — the
reference being to the tree of life, and the holy city.
e importance of these revelations could not have
been more jealously protected. In Revelation 1 it is said,
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of
this prophecy” (Ch. 1:3); and now in conclusion the Lord
Himself testies to every one that heareth the book read,
that the most fearful judgments shall fall upon the man
that shall add, and so corrupt by adding, to what has been
communicated; and in like manner, if any man shall take
away from it, he shall suer the penalty of exclusion both
from the tree of life and from the holy city. (Compare Deut.
4:2 and Deut. 12:32.) e Word of God is perfect and to
attempt to amend it, whether by addition or diminution, is
not only to betray the folly of the human mind, but also to
expose the one who attempts to do so to the just judgment
of God. Rationalism in its many forms is thus at once and
forever condemned. And, while fully admitting that these
warning words apply to the book of Revelation, it is yet not
a little signicant that they occur at the close of the canon
of inspiration. As God placed at the east of the garden of
Eden cherubim, and a aming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life, so He who is the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the
rst and the last, sets His aming two-edged sword, which
also turns every way, to guard against any assault upon the
perfection of His sure and holy Word.
Revelation 22:20
One word more, and His testimony is completed: “He
which testieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.” (vs.
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373
20) Such is the last announcement of our blessed Lord;
and it is a solemn armation of His speedy return. True
that nearly twenty centuries have elapsed since these words
were uttered; but this fact increases rather than diminishes
their importance. ey warn the church for all time that
her proper attitude is that of hope and expectation, and
encourage her by the assurance that the consummation of
her blessedness is at hand. at she has forgotten her bright
and blessed hope is only too obvious; but the Lord is now
seeking in many ways, and with increased urgency, to recall
her to her true portion. e cry, “Behold the Bridegroom,”
raised many years ago, and then, alas! for a time, almost
silenced, is again being sounded forth from many revived
hearts. Let His people therefore both watch and pray,
pray while they watch, that many who are now buried
in sleep may be awakened to the enjoyment of the same
blessed hope, so that it may be apparent to all that they are
waiting for God’s Son from heaven. And let those who are
especially connected with the testimony in these last days,
be themselves so under the power of the expectation of
Christ, that they may proclaim continually, as the Lord’s
messengers, these blessed words of consolation and hope,
“Surely I come quickly.” (vs. 20)
John, used of the Spirit to express what should be
the response of every true saint, replies to this closing
declaration, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (vs. 20). (In
some Bibles, it would seem, from the punctuation, as if the
“Amen” were spoken by the Lord. It is, we judge, uttered
by John.) When the Lord’s coming in the clouds, at His
public appearing for judgment, is proclaimed in Revelation
1, John also says, “Even so, Amen.” It betokens not only a
heart in subjection to Christ, but one also in communion
e Visions of John on Patmos
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with His mind and object. What Christ announces, John
accepts as the expression of His perfect will. But there is
more than this in our scripture; it is the delighted answer
of his own heart to the prospect of soon seeing the Lord
face to face, and of being forever with Him. In the attitude
therefore of John, as here given, is seen what should be
the attitude of every believer, and what will be the attitude
when Christ Himself possesses the heart’s aections. We
may well therefore challenge ourselves when we read these
words of the apostle as to whether they express our own
feelings and desires. It is surpassingly beautiful to behold,
at the very end of the Scriptures, the attitude of Christ
in relation to the church, and the attitude of the saint in
relation to Christ, as so produced.
Revelation 22:21
e apostle himself, as led by the Holy Spirit, concludes
his work and mission with the message, “e grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you all. [Or rather as many authorities
prove, “be with all the saints.”] Amen.” (vs. 21) (e “Amen”
is omitted by some as an ecclesiastical addition.) Adopting
the emendation, “with all the saints,” what an insight is thus
aorded, as the book of inspiration closes, into the heart
of Christ, indeed into the heart of God. All His saints are
remembered, and it is His desire that the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ may be with them. May the hearts of God’s
beloved people be increasingly enlarged to apprehend and
enjoy it! And may the hearts of the readers, and of the
writer of these lines, never move in a narrower circle than
that of God’s own aection!
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375
56829
Summary and Conclusion
Revelation 1
Before closing our study of this book, it may be helpful
to the general reader, in his further examination, to present
a brief outline of its contents. After the introduction and
salutation (Rev. 1:1-6), the announcement of what is really
the subject of the book, the appearing of our Lord in glory
as Judge of all the earth, together with the armation of
its certainty as bound up in the revelation of all that He
is as the eternally self-existent One, we have the vision,
vouchsafed to John, of Jesus Christ as Son of Man walking
in the midst of the golden candlesticks, surveying, judging,
and pronouncing upon their condition as estimated by
Him whose eyes “were as a ame of re” (Rev. 1:14).
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376
In this connection is found the key to the book, in the
threefold division, which the Lord Himself communicated
to John, when He commanded him to “write the things
which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things
which shall be hereafter [after these]” (Rev. 1:19). e things
which John had seen comprise the vision of the rst
chapter; “the things which are” relate to the church period, as
set forth prophetically in the letters to the seven churches
(Rev. 2-3); and “the things which shall be hereafter” refer to
the events which will take place after the church has been
rapt away from this scene, preparatory to and including,
the return of the Lord with His saints, the destruction of
hostile powers, the millennial kingdom, the great white
throne, and the eternal state; in fact, all that is recorded in
Revelation 4-22.
Revelation 2-3
In Revelation 2-3 we nd a prophetic outline of the
church period, the public course of Christianity as seen
in this world, mingled with instructions, warnings and
encouragements for the saints of God in every age.
Revelation 4-5
Revelation 4 and 5 have a special character as
introductory to what follows. In chapter 1, John was in
the isle of Patmos; in chapter 4, he not only sees a door
opened in heaven, but he is called up thither, that from
thence, the place of the church now, the only true place
of vision, he might view the things which must be after
these. God as Creator, in covenant with creation, with the
twenty-four elders on thrones, surrounding His throne,
Summary and Conclusion
377
the seven Spirits of God, tokens of judgment proceeding
out of the throne, the sea of glass before, and the living
creatures around the throne oering their perpetual praise,
accompanied by the worship of the elders — such are the
subjects of the chapter. But it is Jehovah as Creator that
is celebrated (Ch. 4:11). In Revelation 5 the song is that
of redemption, in which, according to their respective
positions, all created things unite and are called forth by
the introduction of the Lamb “as it had been slain,” (Ch.
5:6) who alone, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root
of David, had prevailed to open the book of God’s counsels
as to the earth, and to loose the seals thereof, unfold those
counsels, and in their accomplishment make good all that
God is in government on the earth.
Revelation 6-11
e opening of the seals is then detailed in Revelation
6. After the rst six there is a pause, and in Revelation
7 a remnant from the twelve tribes of Israel is sealed for
preservation through the judgments which are about to
follow. A multitude of Gentiles are seen as destined to
be brought through the great tribulation, and to occupy
a special place of blessing before the throne of God, and
to serve Him day and night in His temple. While He that
sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them, and they
themselves will be under the special shepherd care of the
Lamb, and in the enjoyment of divine consolations. After
this interval the seventh seal is opened, and is followed
by the seven trumpets (Rev. 8:2-11:18). But between the
sixth and seventh trumpets the episode is introduced of
the “mighty angel,” with a little book in His hand, taking
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possession of the sea and the earth, as He utters the solemn
oath, that there should be no further delay (Rev. 10); and
also of the measurement of the temple of God, and the altar
and them that worship therein, together with the testimony
and the death and resurrection of the two witnesses (Rev.
11). e seventh trumpet ushers in the end, and the world
sovereignty “of our Lord, and of His Christ.” (vs. 15)
ere are, it will be remarked, seven seals and seven
trumpets. e distinction between them would seem to be
that made by our blessed Lord, in Matthew 24, between
the “beginning of sorrows,” (vs. 8) and the “tribulation, such
as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor
ever shall be.” (vs. 21) e rst six seals introduce, therefore,
preliminary judgments. ese ended and there is a pause
in heaven before the severer judgments, heralded by the
trumpets, which end in the establishment of the world-
kingdom of Christ.
Revelation 12-13
Before the “seven angels having the seven last plagues,”
(Ch. 15:1) appear, several distinct though related subjects
are interposed, in order to unfold the causes and the object
of God in thus dealing in judgment with the earth and
its oppressors. In Revelation 12 there is “a brief but all-
important summary of the whole course of events, viewed, not
in their instruments on earth or the judgment of these, but the
divine view of all the principles at work, the state of things as
revealed of God” (Synopsis, J. N. Darby, 5:535). Hence we
have the vision of the “woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars”
(Ch. 12:1) — Israel, as seen in the purpose of God, and of
Summary and Conclusion
379
the birth of the “Man child,” (Ch. 12:5) whom the dragon
seeks to devour, but who is caught up to God and His
throne. War in heaven follows, and Satan and his angels
are cast out into the earth, to the joy of heaven, and to the
sorrow of the earth (Rev. 12:12). is event is celebrated
in heaven as the earnest of the end and the establishment
of the “kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ”
(Ch. 12:10). Satan, cast out of heaven, turns all his enmity
against the woman and her seed, but they are preserved by
God’s providential care. In Revelation 13Satan’s two great
instruments for the execution of his designs appear upon
the scene — the rst beast, the head of the revived Roman
empire, who receives from the dragon “his power, and his
seat, and great authority” (Ch. 15:2); and the second beast
(Rev. 13:11), the antichrist, who acts as prophet to the rst
beast, and “causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship the rst beast, whose deadly wound was healed” (Ch.
13:12).
Revelation 14-16
Coming to Revelation 14 the curtain is lifted, and the
Jewish remnant, the 144,000, are seen with the Lamb on
mount Zion. e end of their suering path is exhibited
before they have passed through the time of Jacob’s trouble.
is scene of light and blessedness is succeeded by three
angels with their several proclamations: the rst preaching
the everlasting gospel; the second announcing the fall of
Babylon; and the third proclaiming the penalty for those
who should worship the beast and his image, or receive the
mark of his name (Rev. 14:11). en, after the revelation
from heaven concerning the blessedness of those who
e Visions of John on Patmos
380
should die in the Lord “from henceforth,” (Ch. 14:13) we
have the harvest and vintage judgments. Revelation 15
opens with another sign in heaven, “seven angels having the
seven last plagues; for in them is lled up the wrath of God”
(Rev. 15:1). But before these angels empty their golden
vials, the blessed dead, referred to in Revelation 14:13,
are seen in heaven standing on the sea of glass having the
harps of God, and singing the song of Moses, and the
song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:2-4). e vials are then poured
out. e reader must refer to the exposition to learn their
character; but attention may again be called to two things:
rst, the similarity of the judgments, if intensied, to those
connected with the trumpets; and to the fact that they
must be to a large extent, inasmuch as the trumpets equally
with the vials reach to the end, contemporaneous with the
trumpets.
Revelation 17:1-19:4
From Revelation 17:1 to 19:4, we have the description
and the judgment of Babylon, together with its
consequences on earth. e contrariety between the mind
of man and the mind of God is forcibly depicted in the
universal lamentation on earth, and in the burst of joy in
heaven, over the destruction of the “great city Babylon” (vs.
10) (see Ch. 18:9-20).
Revelation 19:5-21:8
e rest of the book is easily deciphered. e events
recorded in Revelation 19:5-21:8 are in direct sequence.
First, the marriage of the Lamb takes place in heaven;
then He comes forth on a white horse, followed by the
Summary and Conclusion
381
armies which were in heaven on white horses, to victorious
judgment. It is Revelation 1:7 in fulllment. His enemies,
led by the beast and the false prophet, are taken and
destroyed, and the two leaders are cast alive into the lake
burning with re and brimstone (Ch. 19:20-21); Satan is
thrown, bound for a thousand years, into the bottomless pit;
those who had been martyred, and those who had resisted
the seductions and the power of the beast and the false
prophet, are added to the rst resurrection, “and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Ch. 19:4-5). At
the close of this period Satan is loosed, and man is put to his
nal test. e nations are deceived, and gather themselves
together once more against the Christ of God, only to be
consumed with divine re, while Satan is consigned to his
eternal doom in “the lake of re and brimstone, where the
beast and false prophet are” (Ch. 20:10; see vss. 9-10). e
great white throne follows, with the judgment of all the
wicked dead, and forms the close of all God’s ways with
man. Next we have the new heavens and the new earth,
and the tabernacle of God with men — in one word, the
eternal state (Ch. 21:1-8).
Revelation 21:9-22:21
Following upon this, we are led back to view the glories
of the heavenly city in relation to the millennial earth (Rev.
21:9-22:1-5); and then the book closes with warnings,
encouragements, and exhortations, and is sealed by the
announcement, “Surely I come quickly.” (Ch. 22:20) May
the reader and writer be able to respond with John, “Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Ch. 22:20)
