Part 21 (1/2)

4. And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5. And there shall be no night there: and they need no candle, neither light of the sun: for the Lord G.o.d giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

Vs. 1-5.--These verses, being a continuance of the description of the ”holy city,” naturally belong to the preceding chapter.--The angel proceeds to show John the source and current from which emanate all heavenly blessings. The allusion is to Ezekiel, xlvii. 1-12; but both he and John call our attention to man's primeval state, when our first parents dwelt in Eden. This abode of the blessed is beautified and enriched with all the products, delights and attractions which are adapted to the refined senses of holy creatures,--”pleasant to the eyes, and good for food.” It is Paradise restored, by the ”doing and dying” of the second Adam. It is also Paradise _improved_, having not only the ”tree of life,” as the first had, but also, in addition, the ”water of life.” The ”tree of life” was to sinless Adam a symbol and pledge of immortality to himself and all his posterity whom he represented in the Covenant of Works. Now that heaven is procured for all believers by the second Adam, it is emblematically represented to our weak apprehension by directing our attention to the primitive and earthly Paradise. This is repeatedly done in Scripture. The Lord Jesus, before he expired upon the cross, said to the penitent thief,--”To day shall thou be with me in Paradise. (Luke xxiii. 43.) Paul was ”caught up” thither, (2 Cor. xii.

4;) and he calls the place ”heaven,” (v. 2;) and in this book, (ch. ii.

7,) the Lord promises,--”I will give to him that overcometh to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of G.o.d.” The ”tree” is an emblem of Christ, (Song ii. 3;) the ”river of the water of life” symbolizes the Holy Spirit, (John vii. 38, 39;) for as the Son and the Holy Ghost proceed from the Father, the former by generation, the latter by emanation from eternity,--so ”that eternal life which was with the Father” in the person of the Son, and purchased by the Son, is communicated by the Holy Ghost to all the redeemed by regeneration. (2 Cor. iii. 6; Rom. viii. 2.)--Thus, the eternal duration of life in glory ”proceeds out of the throne of G.o.d and the Lamb.” On each side of the river ”the tree of life” is accessible by the inhabitants; and the fruits of the tree, ripe in all months of the year, and adapted to every taste, each one may ”put forth his hand” as he pa.s.ses, ”and take ... and eat, and live for ever.” (Gen. iii. 22.) Or, ”the people that are therein” may ”sit down under its shadow, and its fruit will be sweet to their taste.”--”The leaves of the tree” are for medicine, being preventive of all disease, so that ”the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein are forgiven their iniquities.” (Is.

x.x.xiii. 24.) ”There shall be no more curse.” Satan gained entrance into the garden of Eden, and succeeded in entailing the ”curse” upon man, and upon beast, and upon the fruits of the ground; but he shall never be loosed again, or emerge from ”the lake of fire,” to disturb the repose of that blessed society in heaven, (ch. xxi. 27.)--As the ”throne of G.o.d and the Lamb” is _one,_ (ch. iii. 21;) so it is remarkable that the distinction of persons is omitted, as though the Father and the Son were but one person. True, Christ said, ”I and my Father are one,” (John x.

30;) but he referred to _unity_ of _nature_ and purpose, not of _personality;_ for, in consistency with this, he said also,--”My Father is greater than I;” an a.s.sertion which must consist with the former, and which plainly involves personal distinction, (ch. xiv. 28.)--”His name shall be in their foreheads.”--Which of them? We have found Christ's Father's name ”written in the foreheads” of a hundred and forty-four thousand saints _militant_, (ch. xiv. 1.) While in conflict, ”the world knew them not,” and the adherents of Antichrist ”cast out their names as evil,” branding them as _heretics_; but now they are known to the whole universe, as the _covenant property_ of both the Father and the Son, (ch. iii. 12.)--”Behold, I and the children which G.o.d hath given me;”

(Heb. ii. 13.) ”I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me cut of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. ... All mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” (John xvii. 6,10.)--There will be no intermission or interruption of service, ”no night there,”--no hidings of G.o.d's countenance, no desertions; for ”they shall see his face” in the ”express image of the Father's person,” be a.s.sured of his love;--”need no candle,” nor any earthly accommodation; ”for the Lord G.o.d giveth them light; and they shall reign for ever and ever,” in fulness of joy and unalloyed pleasures for evermore. (Ps. xvi. 11.) How different is this heaven from the Mahometan paradise, which, if real, could gratify only carnal and sensual sinners! yet the imaginations of many, and their aspirations too, with the Bible in their hands, are little better than those of Mahometans or pagans. All speculations of heathen philosophers about the ”chief good,” or the enjoyments of their imaginary G.o.ds, are so gross and brutish as to demonstrate the all-important truth, that ”except a man be born again, _he cannot_ see the kingdom of G.o.d.” (John iii. 3.) And it is too evident that some modern philosophers are as little acquainted as Nicodemus with the humbling doctrines of the gospel. The society of learned men, making perpetual advance in natural science, especially in astronomy,--would seem to be the highest conception of happiness which too many modern philosophers can reach. They know not some of the elementary teachings of the Holy Scriptures; such as,--”Without holiness no man shall see the Lord;” and that this indispensable preparation for heavenly felicity consists in ”the was.h.i.+ng of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

The hundreds of diverse and conflicting opinions of learned writers on the _summum bonum_, or chief good, proves to demonstration, that without supernatural revelation and regeneration, man cannot conceive in what happiness consists. Thus far is the description of the heavenly state; and how little can we know, or even conceive of the glory and felicity of the upper sanctuary! We must still say with the prophet Isaiah and the apostle Paul,--”Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which G.o.d hath prepared for them that love him.” (Isa. lxiv. 4; 1 Cor. ii. 9.)

6. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord G.o.d of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

7. Behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Vs. 6, 7.--The angel a.s.sures the apostle and all who read, that ”these sayings are faithful and true,” however sublime and incomprehensible; however, incredible to infidels; however contradicted and misinterpreted by antichristian apostates and enthusiasts. They are all from ”the Lord G.o.d of the holy prophets,”--from Jesus Christ and G.o.d the Father, (ch.

i. 1.)--All prophets who wrote _any part_ of the Bible, were ”holy men of G.o.d.” (2 Pet. i. 21.)--Of ”these things” some were ”shortly to be done;” and all in regular series would be accomplished in due time.--”Behold I come quickly.” Christ is the speaker here, and declares that each one is ”blessed who keepeth the sayings ... of this book.”

This benediction was p.r.o.nounced on such at the beginning of this Revelation, (ch. i. 3,) and it is repeated by its immediate divine Author, to encourage all to study it. This blessing is not to be expected by any who merely _read_ or _hear_, but by those only who _keep_ the ”sayings of this prophecy.” Its Author foreknew its enemies and corrupters.

8. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to wors.h.i.+p before the feet of the angel, which showed me these things.

9. Then 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: wors.h.i.+p G.o.d.

Vs. 8, 9.--A _second_ time, John attempts an act of idolatry! While we may wonder at this, let us not fail to admire the wonderful wisdom of G.o.d in permitting his servant to fall, as he did in the case of our first father Adam, that he might take occasion more fully to display his glory in ”bringing good out of evil.” The Apocalypse is directed chiefly against that primary feature of the great Antichrist, _idolatry_. This was part of ”the mystery of inquity ”which did already work” in the time of the apostles, (Col. ii. 18,) and was to be fully developed afterwards. (2 Thess. ii. 4.) This second rebuke of an apostle, by one of the most exalted of creatures, for ever answers all arguments of Papists or others, who plead for, or palliate the ”wors.h.i.+pping of angels” or souls of men. Idolaters wors.h.i.+p angels and souls _when absent_, as though they were omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; thus giving the glory to creatures of these divine perfections: whereas this heavenly messenger, _when present_, keenly resents this indignity to his and the apostle's adorable Creator and Lord. Once more the angel directs John and all men to join him and all the heavenly host in observing ”the first and great commandment,”--”Wors.h.i.+p G.o.d,” (ch. v.

11-14.) This angelic rebuke, leaves Papists for ever without excuse; and consequently all others who deny the _supreme deity_ of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and yet wors.h.i.+p him.

10. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand.

11. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

12. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Vs. 10-12.--Christ himself addresses John in person. He had done so at the beginning of these glorious scenes of the future, (ch. i. 8.) Now he appears again in glory, though not described as before, that he may thus authenticate and close the vision.--”Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Why is this? The reason is a.s.signed, because ”the time is at hand” when they shall begin to be verified in actual history. The case was different in Daniel's time, who was inspired by the same omniscient Spirit to predict the same events. ”O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the vision, even to the time of the end.” (Dan.

xii. 4.) If the vision of the empires of Persia and Greece was to be ”for many days,” (ch. viii. 26,) then the rise, reign and overthrow of the Roman empire, were still more remote. No wonder that Daniel, with becoming humility but intense interest inquired, ”O, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” Such was the subdued anxiety of other prophets. (1 Pet. i. 10.) And here we may once for all notice the _three distinct_ periods mentioned by Daniel, as measuring the duration of the Roman empire, the Romish apostacy, and as they bear upon the promised and desirable millennium. The two prophets, Daniel and John, agree in fixing and limiting the domination of the Antichrist to 1260 years. This agreement has been already pointed out. The Lord, however, to allay the laudable anxiety of his ”greatly beloved” servant Daniel, makes mention of two other periods of time, 1290 and 1335 days or years, (ch. xii. 11, 12.) Now, when we have manifold a.s.surances that the great apostacy shall terminate with the close of the 1260 years, we may venture humbly to suppose, that the next thirty years may be occupied in the conversion of the Jews, and the remaining forty-five in the effectual calling of the residue of the gentile nations; so as to bring the kingdoms of the earth and the church of Christ to perfect organization and visible harmony, and the whole population of the globe into voluntary and avowed subjection to the Lord and his Anointed,--to perfect millennial splendor, the nearest approximation to heaven. (Rom. xi. 25, 26; Ps.

cii. 15, 16.) But ”who shall live when G.o.d doeth this?” (Num. xxiv.

23.)--The divine Author of this book, having given to mankind a complete and sufficient revelation of his will, containing invitations and warnings, at this juncture gives intimation that obstinate sinners shall at length be left to the consequences of their own free and perverse choice, ”unjust and filthy still;” no further means to be employed for their conviction; but those who have embraced the offer of the gospel, shall be confirmed for ever in holiness and happiness,--”righteous and holy still.”--He also repeats the a.s.surances of his sudden appearance to reward ”every man according as his work shall be.” The recompense which he brings will be of debt or justice to the impenitent unbeliever; but wholly of free grace to the believer; for the works of each cla.s.s shall follow them, as decisive evidence of their respective characters, (ch.

xiv. 13.)

13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

V. 13.--The Lord Christ here declares and a.s.serts the eternity of his personal subsistence and official standing, as an all-sufficient guarantee of his ability and authority to deal with the righteous and the wicked, as also to bring to pa.s.s all events by his providence which are here predicted. The same guarantee he had given at the beginning of the Apocalypse, (ch. i. 8.)

14. 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.