dom mider the whole heaven, will be given to the
people of the saints of the Most High.' And this
state of things will continue, generation after gener-
ation, for a thousand years.

But as this period draws to a close. Satan will
be let loose, and his seductions will begin to pre-
vail. At the same time. Divine influences will be
comparatively withdrawn. God permits this state
of things that he may show, in one more example,
what sin and Satan are, and (if left to themselves)
what they will do. A generation will soon come
up, haters of God, despisers of His truth, and the
enemies of His people. They will be restive under
the restraints of the gospel, and will resolve to
thi'ow them oif. * We have been curbed and ham-
pered by this religion long enough. The world
must have more liberty. Let us break His bands
asunder, and cast away His cords from us.'

Knowing what human nature is, when exposed
to new temptations and free from spiritual re-
straints, we can easily conceive how this thing will
work. A great party will soon be formed in oppo-
sition to Christ and His people, and every means
will be resorted to, to enlist the world against the
gospel. If other methods fail, a resort at length



REVELATION, CHAPTER XX. 199

may be had to arms. A vast army may be gathered,
Gog and Magog, and all the wicked of every name.
Thev will be in number as the sand of the sea, and
will compass the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city.

But their end is come. They shall proceed
no farther. The saints will not be required to
lift a weapon or to strike a blow in this fearful
conflict. Suddenly, ' fire comes down from God out
of heaven,' — perhaps the fires of the last conflagra-
tion, — and consumes them all. And the devil
that deceived them is cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet
are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever
and ever.

The Last Judgment and Final Destruction of
the Wicked.

* And I saw a great white throne, and Him that
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven
fled away ; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God ; 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.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it ;
and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them : and they were judged every man



200 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

according to their works. And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book
of life was cast into the lake of fire' (Rev. xx.
11-15).

The account here given of the last judgment is
very like to that in other parts of the New Testa-
ment, — more especially to our Saviour's account of it
in Mat. xxv. 31—46. It comes in, in the right place,
and is one of the incontrovertible proof-texts going
to establish the fact of such a scene. The fleeing
away of earth and heaven before the face of the
Judge refers to the general conflagration of the last
day, when * the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up ' (2 Pet. iii. 10).

The general resuiTection is noted in the follow-
ing passage : ' The sea gave up the dead which
were in it, and death and hell gave up the dead
which were in them.' Death and hell are here
personified, denoting the whole realm of death and
the grave. The original word, a3»?Cj here translated
hell, is used to signify the grave, as it often does
in other parts of the Bible. The meaning is, that
all the dead, whether on the earth, or under it, or
in the sea, are raised and brought together to the
judgment. And as there will be no more temporal



REVELATION, CHAPTER XX. 201

dissolution, death and the grave are represented as
destroyed. They are cast into the lake of fire.

Among the books here spoken of is the book of
God's remembrance, in which is recorded every act
of every individual of the human race, and out of
which every one is to be judged according to his
works. ' Who will bring every work into judgment,
with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil ' (Ecc. xii. 14).

In the book of life are securely recorded the
names of all God's people. 'And whosoever was
not found written in the book of life was cast into
the lake of fire' (Rev. xx. 15). Such is to be the
end of all the wicked of the earth. ' Who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His
power (2 Thess. i. 9).



3



202 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:



CHAPTER XIX.

GLORIOUS DESTDn'ATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS — SYM-
BOLICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CHURCH IN
HEAVEN CONCLUSION.

REVELATION, CHAPS. XXI., XXII.

THE multitude of the wicked being thus dis-
posed of, our attention is next called to the
final destination of the righteous : ' I saw a new
heaven and a new earth ; for the first heaven and
the first earth were passed away; and there was
no more sea (Rev. xxi. 1).

The heaven here spoken of was the visible
heaven — the firmament. The first heaven and
earth have passed away, being consumed in the
fires of the general conflagration. In place of them,
John saw a new heaven and a new earth. So
Peter concludes his account of the destruction of
the world by saying, ' We look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness '
(2 Pet. iii. 13). Whether this new earth is to be
reconstructed from the materials of the former
earth, I pretend not to say. The phrase may be



REVELATION, CHAPTERS XXL, XXIL 20B

used as a symbol to denote the final, glorious abode
of God's people.

John is next shown the glories of the heavenly
Church, under the symbol of a holy and beautiful
city, coming down from God out of heaven, and
destined to rest, apparently, on the new earth.

*And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven,' — probably the voice of
an angel, — ' saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them,' — in His
tabernacle — 'and they shall be His people, and God
himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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. ' And He
that sat upon the throne,' — the Messiah, —
' said, Behold, I make all things new,' — a new
heaven and a new earth, and a new order of things
to correspond with that creation. ' And He said
unto me. Write,' — record what you see and hear, —
' for these words are true and faithful. And He said
unto me. It is done.' The great work of redemption
is accomplished ; the drama of this world's history
is closed ; the redeemed are all gathered in ; the
wicked are cut off; truth and holiness are trium-



204 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

pliant ; and all tilings are prepared for the eternal
state. ' 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. He that over-
cometli shall inherit all things ; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers,
and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone : which is the second
death ' (Rev. xxi. 6-8).

As yet, John had got but a glimpse of the holy
city — the new Jerusalem — the representative of the
glorified Church ; but now he is to be favoured with
a particular view of it ; accordingly ; ' There came
unto me one of the seven angels which had the
seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
w^ith me, saying. Come hither, I will shew thee the
bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in
the spirit' — not bodily — ' to a great and high moun-
tain,' — where the best view possible could be had, —
* and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusa-
lem, 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 ; and had a wall gi'eat and high, and had
twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and
names written thereon, which are the names of the



REVELATION, CHAPTERS XXL, XXIL 205

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 '
— foundation-stones — 'and in them the names of
the twelves apostles of the Lamb' (Rev. xxi. 9-14).

There can be no stronger proof of the unity, the
identity, of God's Church, under both dispensations,
than is here furnished. We have here a most
splendid city — the bride, the Lamb's wife — the
emblem and representative of the glorified Church.
On the twelve gates of the city are inscribed the
names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, and
on the twelve foundation-stones the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb, ' Built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief corner stone ' (Eph.
ii. 20).

' And he ' — the angel — ' that talked with me had
a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth
four square, and the length is as large as the breadth.
And he measured the city ^vith the reed, twelve
thousand furlongs,' — 1500 miles in circumference —
375 miles on each side. * The length, and the
breadth, and the height of it are equal.' What a
city ! The Church of the first born, whose names
are written in heaven! (Rev. xxi. 15, 16),



206 rilE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

' And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred
and forty and four cubits, according to the measure
of a man ; that is, of the angel.' The wall was of a
moderate height, compared with the extent of the
city. * And the building of the wall of it was of
jasper ; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear
glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city
were garnished with all manner of precious stones.'
(We omit the names of the gems which went into the
foundations.) * And the twelve gates were twelve
pearls ; every several gate was of one pearl : and the
street of the city was pure gold, as it were trans-
parent glass. And I saw no temple therein : for the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it.' Every place in the city is a temple, — a place
of worship. * 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
thereof. And the nations of them which are saved
shall walk in the light of it : and the kings of the
earth ' — that are saved — ' do bring their glory and
honour into it,' — everything which they regard as
constituting to their glory, laying it all down at the
feet of the Saviour, and consecrating and devoting
it all to His service. ' And the gates of it shall not
be shut at all by day ; for there shall be no night
there. And they shall biing the glory and honour
of the nations into it. And there shall in no



REVELATION, CHAPTERS XXL, XXIL 207

wise enter into it anything that defiletli, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie ;
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of
life'(Rev.xxi. 17-27).

' And he shewed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the
street of it,' — the city — ' and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve
manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month :
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing
of the nations ' (Rev. xxii. 1, 2).

The imagery here is borrowed from the garden
of Eden, and, more closely, from the mystical city
described by Ezekiel, in some of the last chapters
of his prophecy.^ In each of them is a river,
and in each is the tree of life, ' the fruit where-
of,' says Ezekiel, 'shall be for meat, and th6
leaf thereof for medicine,' — or as John has it, —
' for the healing of the nations.' — {See Ezek. xlvii.
12.)

' And there shall be no more curse : but the
throne of God and 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

^ See Appendix.



208 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

God giveth them liglit : and tliey shall reign for
ever and ever'^ (Rev. xxii. 3—5).

What follows may be regarded as the epilogue
or conclusion of this wonderful book. 'And he' —
the angel — ' said unto me, These sayings are faith-
ful and true : and the Lord God of the holy pro-
phets sent His angel to shew unto His servants
the things which must shortly be done.' And then,
speaking in the name of Christ, or quoting a decla-
ration of Christ, the angel goes on to say : ' Behold,
I come quickly : blessed is he that keepeth the say-
ings of the prophecy of this book' (Rev. xxii. 6, 7).

Regarding these as the words of Christ, and the
speaker as none other than Christ himself, John is
about to worship him : ' 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 shewed me these things. Then saith
he unto me, See thou do it not ; for I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren tlie prophets, and of
them which keep the sayings of this book : worship
God ' (Rev. xxii. 8, 9).

The language here does not imply that the

1 We are not to regard the city here described as the residence of
God's glorified Churcli, but rather as a symbol of the Church itself.
The Church is often represented in Scripture as a city, a building.
We believe there is such a place as heaven. ' I go to prepare a place
for you.' But where this locality is, and what its structure, form, or
extent, we have no knowledge.



REVELATION, CHAPTERS XXL, XXIL 209

speaker was the spirit of some old prophet. He
was an angel — one of the seven angels who in-
flicted the seven last plagues. Still, he was a
prophet like John, and a fellow servant with him
of the same God and Saviour.

' Then saith he ' — the angel — ' unto me, Seal
not the sayings of the prophecy of this book ; for
the time is at hand.' Seal them not up, as words
not lawful to be uttered, but publish them abroad
for a comfort to thy brethren, and a warning to the
wdcked. ' 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.' As much as
to say, There will be no more changes. Probation
is ended. The work of redemption is closed. The
wicked have gone away into the lake of fire. The
righteous have been received to everlasting habita-
tions. ' He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ;
and he that is holy, let him be holy still' (Rev.
xxii. 10, 11).

Personating Christ, as he was instructed to do,
the angel continues : ' Behold I come quickly, and
my reward is with me, to give to every man accord-
ing as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that

they may have a right to the tree of life, and may

2 D



210 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

enter in througli the gates into the city. For with-
out' — without the heavenly city, in the regions of
darkness and woe — ^are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and mui'derers, and idolaters, and
whosoever loveth and maketh a lie' (Rev. xxii.
12-15).

All that are without are not only sufferers, but
sinners. And they will sin and suffer for ever.
They repent not of their evil deeds.

The Lord Jesus, who had spoken by His angel,
now speaks in His own person : ' I Jesus have sent
mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
Churches. I am the root and the offspring of David,
and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and
the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And who-
soever will, let him take the water of life freely '
(Rev. xxii. 16-17).

The closing words of the book seem to be those
of John himself. *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 of life, and out of the holy city,
and from the things which are written in this book.
He which testifieth these things' — i.e., Clnist —



REVELATION, CHAPTERS XXL, XXI L 211

* saith, Surely I come quickly : Ameu.' And to this
the writer responds, ' Even so, come. Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
Amen' (Rev. xxii. 18-21).

Thus sweetly and delightfully does this blessed
book close, bearing as it were the music of heaven
upon the listening ear. thou Root and Offspring
of David ; thou Bright and Morning Star : conde-
scend to guide us through the remaining darkness
of our pilgrimage, till we are ushered into the sun-
light of eternal day !



212 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:



CHAPTER XX. •

THE SONGS OP THE APOCALYPSE.

"\0 inconsiderable part of the book of Revelation
-L 1 consists of songs — songs of praise to God
and the Lamb. And it is to be remembered that
these are all of them heavenly songs, — full of
earnestness, and glowing with the spirit of heaven, —
sung on different occasions by the rapt choirs above.

We have a few specimens of heavenly songs —
and but a few — in other parts of the Bible. There
is the Song of the Seraphim, in the sixth chapter of
Isaiah : * Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the
whole earth is full of His glory.' There is the Song
of the Angels at the birth of Christ ; * Glory to God
in the highest ; peace on earth and good will
towards men.' But in the Revelation we have
many such songs ; and it seems important that
they should receive a more particular consideration
than we have been able to give them in the fore-
going chapters.

There is, in the first place, the Song of the
living creatures, or cherubim, on our first introduc-
tion to them. ' They rest not day and night



SONGS OF THE APOCALYPSE. 213

saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
which was, and is, and is to come.' This is very
like the song of the seraphim in Isaiah, — one
continual ascription of holiness to the Lord. In
connection with this, the fonr and tw^enty elders
present themselves before God, in a posture of the
utmost humility and reverence, falling down in His
presence, casting their crowns at His feet, and say-
ing, 'Thou art worthy, Lord, to receive glory,
and honour, and power ; for Thou hast created all
things, and for Thy pleasure they are and weve
created' (Rev. iv. 8—11).

This is equivalent to the saying of Solomon,
' The Lord hath made all things for Himself (Pro v.
xvi. 4) — i.e. to promote His glory, and contribute
to His praise. This song of the elders and the
cherubim was sung on no particular occasion, and
may be regarded as a specimen of their daily, con-
tinual worship.

Next, we have the new Song, sung by the
elders and the cherubim, when the Lamb came for-
ward and took the book out of the hand of Him
that sat upon the throne. ' And when he had
taken the book, the four living creatures and the
four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps and golden vials
full of odours ' — -incense — ' which are,' or which
symbolize, ' the prayers of saints. And they sung



214 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof : for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation ; and hast made us unto our God kings and
priests : and we shall reign on the earth.'

From the very purport of this song, it could be
sung only by the redeemed in heaven. Angels could
not sing, ' Who hath loved us and washed us from
our sins in His own blood.' Accordingly, the great
choir of angels stand back in silence, while this part
of the heavenly service is performed. But then a
chorus was added, — one of the grandest that was
ever sung on earth or in heaven, in which all the celes-
tials can unite. ' I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne, and the living
creatures, and the elders : and the number of them
was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands
of thousands, sa^ang with a loud voice. Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing. And every creature which is
in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, heard I saying. Blessing, and honour, and
glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and
ever' (Rev. v. 11-13).



SONGS OF THE APOCALYPSE. 215

There is not a passage in the Bible which
gives us a nobler, grander, conception of heaven
than this. The vast multitude in heaven, cherubim
and seraphim, angels and glorified saints, ten thou-
sand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou-
sands, all uniting in one sublime chorus : ' Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him
that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, for
ever and ever !'

We have a similar Song of praise upon the
sealing of the servants of God in their fore-
heads. Here, as in the last instance, the ran-
somed ones commence the strain, and are followed,
in grand chorus, by the angels, ' 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 their
hands ; and they cried with a loud voice, saying,
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood
round about the throne, and about the elders and
the four living creatures, and fell before the throne
on their faces, and worshipped God, saying. Amen :
Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving,
and honour, and power, and might, be unto our
God for ever. Amen' (Rev. vii. 9-12).

The next Song in heaven is sung by the elders



216 THE APOCALYPSE EXPLAINED:

alone, on the sounding of the seventh trumpet,
when the inspiring annunciation was made : ' The
kingdoms of this workl have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign
for ever and ever. And the four and twenty
elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell
upon their faces and worshipped God, saying.
We give thee thanks, Lord God Almighty, which
art, and wast, and art to come ; because thou
hast taken to thee thy gi*eat power, and hast
reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy
wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they
should be judged, and that thou shouldst give
reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the
saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and
gi*eat ; and shouldst destroy them which destroy
the earth' (Rev. xi. 15, 16).

This is, in the first place, a song of thanks-
giving to God for His righteous government over
the world, and care of His people. It also cele-
brates God's glorious justice, in giving reward unto
His servants, and destroying them that had de-
stroyed the earth.

We have next a triumphal Song, sung, appar-
ently, by the entire host of heaven, on the victoiy
of Michael over the dragon. ' Now is come salva-
tion, and strength, and the kingdom of our God,
and the power of his Christ ; for the accuser of our



SONGS OF THE APOCALYPSE. 217

brethren is cast down, which accused them before
GUI' God day and night. And they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony ; and they loved not their lives unto the
death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that
dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14