_FIRST CONSOLATORY VISION._
REV. x.
At the point now reached by us the regular progress of the Trumpet
judgments is interrupted, in precisely the same manner as between the
sixth and seventh Seals, by two consolatory visions. The first is
contained in chap. x., the second in chap. xi. 1-13. At chap. xi. 14
the series of the Trumpets is resumed, reaching from that point to the
end of the chapter.
And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, arrayed
with a cloud: and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was
as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his
hand a little book-roll open: and he set his right foot upon the
sea, and his left upon the earth: and he cried with a great voice,
as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered
their voices. And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I
was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying, Seal
up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them
not. And the angel which I saw standing upon the sea and upon the
earth lifted up his right hand to heaven, and sware by Him that
liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven, and the things
that are therein, and the earth, and the things that are therein,
and the sea, and the things that are therein, that there shall be
time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,
when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God,
according to the good tidings which He declared to His servants
the prophets. And the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard it
again speaking with me, and saying, Go, take the book-roll which
is open in the hand of the angel that standeth upon the sea and
upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, saying unto him that
he should give me the little book-roll. And he saith unto me, Take
it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but in thy
mouth it shall be sweet as honey. And I took the little book-roll
out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth
sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter.
And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples,
and nations, and tongues, and kings (x. 1-11).
Many questions of deep interest, and upon which the most divergent
opinions have been entertained, meet us in connexion with this passage.
To attempt to discuss these various opinions would only confuse the
reader. It will be enough to allude to them when it seems necessary to
do so. In the meantime, before endeavouring to discover the meaning of
the vision, three observations may be made; one of a general kind, the
other two bearing upon the interpretation of particular clauses.
1. Like almost all else in the Revelation of St. John, the vision is
founded upon a passage of the Old Testament. "And when I looked," says
the prophet Ezekiel, "behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll
of a book was therein.... Moreover He said unto me, Son of man, eat what
thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I
opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that roll. And He said unto me,
Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll
that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness. And He said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house
of Israel, and speak with My words unto them."[231]
2. In one expression of ver. 6 it is doubtful whether the translation of
the Authorised and Revised Versions, or the marginal translation of the
latter, ought to be adopted, whether we ought to read, "There shall be
time" or "There shall be delay" no longer. But the former is not only
the natural meaning of the original; it would almost seem, from the use
of the same word in other passages of the Apocalypse,[232] that it is
employed by St. John to designate the whole Christian age. That age is
now at its very close. The last hour is about to strike. The drama of
the world's history is about to be wound up. "For the Lord will execute
His word upon the earth, finishing it and cutting it short."[233]
3. The last verse of the chapter deserves our attention for a moment:
_And they say unto me, Thou must prophesy again over many peoples, and
nations, and tongues, and kings._ Although prophecy itself is spoken of
in several passages of this book,[234] we read only once again of
prophesying: when it is said in chap. xi. 3 of the two witnesses that
they shall prophesy. A comparison of these passages will show that both
words are to be understood in the sense of proclaiming the righteous
acts and judgments of the Almighty. The prophet of the Apocalypse is not
the messenger of mercy only, but of the just government of God.
From these subordinate points we hasten to questions more immediately
concerning us in our effort to understand the chapter. Several such
questions have to be asked.
1. Who is the angel introduced to us in the first verse of the vision?
He is described as _another strong angel_; and, as the epithet "strong"
has been so used only once before--in chap. v. 2, in connexion with the
opening of the book-roll sealed with seven seals--we are entitled to
conclude that this angel is said to be "another" in comparison with the
angel there spoken of rather than with the many angels that surround the
throne of God. But the "strong angel" in chap. v. is distinguished both
from God Himself, and from the Lamb. In some sense, therefore, a similar
distinction must be drawn here. On the other hand, the particulars
mentioned of this angel lead directly to the conclusion not only that he
has Divine attributes, but that he represents no other than that Son of
man beheld by St. John in the first vision of his book. He is _arrayed
with a cloud_; and in every passage of the Apocalypse where mention is
made of such investiture, or in which a cloud or clouds are associated
with a person, it is with the Saviour of the world as He comes to
judgment.[235] Similar language marks also the other books of the New
Testament.[236] _The rainbow was upon his head_; and the definite
article employed takes us back, not to the rainbow spoken of in the book
of Genesis, or to the rainbow which from time to time appears, a
well-known object, in the sky, but to that of chap. iv. 3, where we have
been told, in the description of the Divine throne, that "there was a
rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon." The words
_his face was as the sun_ do not of themselves prove that the reference
is to chap. i. 16, where it is said of the One like unto a son of man
that "His countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength;" but the
propriety of this reference is made almost indubitable by the mention of
_his feet as pillars of fire_, for this last circumstance can only be an
allusion to the trait spoken of in chap. i. 15, "And His feet like unto
fine brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace." The combination of
these particulars shows how close is the connexion between the "strong
angel" of this vision and the Divine Redeemer; and the explanation of
both the difference and the correspondence between the two is to be
found in the remark previously made that in the Apocalypse the "angel"
of any person or thing expresses that person or thing in action.[237]
Here, therefore, we have the action of Him who is the Head, and King,
and Lord of His Church.
2. In what character does the Lord appear? As to the answer to this
question there can be no dubiety. He appears in judgment. The rainbow
upon His head is indeed the symbol of mercy, but it is sufficiently
accounted for by the fact that He is Saviour as well as Judge. So far
is the Apocalypse from representing the ideas of judgment and mercy as
incompatible with each other that throughout the whole book the most
terrible characteristic of the former is its proceeding from One
distinguished by the latter. If even in itself the Divine wrath is to
be dreaded by the sinner, the dread which it ought to inspire reaches
its highest point when we think of it as "the wrath of the Lamb." The
other features of the description speak directly of judgment: the
"cloud," the "sun," the "pillars of fire."
3. What notion are we to form of the contents of the _little
book-roll_? They are certainly not the same as those of the book-roll
of chap. v., although the word here used for the roll, a diminutive
from the other, may suggest the idea that there is an intimate
connexion between the two books, and that the second, like the first,
is full of judgment. Other circumstances mentioned lead to the same
conclusion. Thus the _great voice, as a lion roareth_, cannot fail to
remind us of the voice of "the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah" in
chap. v. The thought of _the seven thunders_ which _uttered their
voices_ deepens the impression, for in that number we have the general
conception of thunder in all the varied terrors that belong to it;
and, whatever the particulars uttered by the thunders were--a point
into which it is vain to inquire, as the writing of them was
forbidden--their general tone must have been that of judgment. But
these thunders are a response to the strong angel as he was about to
take action with the little book,--"_when he cried_, the seven
thunders uttered their voices,"--and the response must have been
related to the action. It is clear, therefore, that the contents of
the little book cannot have been tidings of mercy to a sinful world;
and that that book cannot have been intended to tell the Seer that,
notwithstanding the opposition of the powers of darkness, the Church
of Christ was to make her way among the nations, growing up from the
small seed into the stately tree, and at last covering the earth with
the shadow of her branches. Even on the supposition that a conception
of this kind could be traced in other parts of the Apocalypse, it
would be out of keeping with the particulars accompanying it here. We
may without hesitation conclude that the little book-roll has thus the
general character of judgment, although, like the larger roll of chap.
v., it may also include in it the preservation of the saints.
We are thus in a position to inquire what the special contents of the
little book-roll were. Before doing so one consideration may be kept
in view.
Calling to mind the symmetrical structure of the Apocalypse, it seems
natural to expect that the relation to one another of the two
consolatory visions falling between the Trumpets and the Bowls will
correspond to that of the two between the Seals and the Trumpets. The
two companies, however, spoken of in these two latter visions, are the
same, the hundred and forty and four thousand "out of every tribe of the
children of Israel" being identical with the great multitude "out of
every nation;" while the contents of the second vision are substantially
the same as those of the first, though repeated on a fuller and more
perfect scale. Now we shall shortly see that the second of our present
consolatory visions--that in chap. xi.--brings out the victory and
triumph of _a faithful remnant_ of believers within a degenerate, though
professing, Church. How probable does it become that the first
consolatory vision--that in chap. x.--will relate to the same remnant,
though on a lower plane alike of battle and of conquest!
Thus looked at, we have good ground for the supposition that the
little book-roll contained indications of judgment about to descend on
a Church which had fallen from her high position and practically
disowned her Divine Master; while at the same time it assured the
faithful remnant within her that they would be preserved, and in due
season glorified. The little book thus spoke of the hardest of all the
struggles through which believers have to pass: that with foes of
their own household; but, so speaking, it told also of judgment upon
these foes, and of a glorious issue for the true members of Christ's
Body out of toil and suffering.
With this view of the contents of the little book-roll everything that
is said of it appears to be in harmony.
1. We thus at once understand why it is named by a diminutive form of
the word used for the book-roll in chap. v. The latter contained the
whole counsel of God for the execution of His plans both in the world
and in the Church. The former has reference to the Church alone. A
smaller roll therefore would naturally be sufficient for its tidings.
2. The action which the Seer is commanded to take with the roll
receives adequate explanation. He was to _take it_ out of the hand of
the strong angel and to _eat it up_. The meaning is obvious, and is
admitted by all interpreters. The Seer is in his own actual experience
to assimilate the contents of the roll in order that he may know their
value. The injunction is in beautiful accord with what we otherwise
know of the character and feelings of St. John. The power of Christian
experience to throw light upon Christian truth and upon the fortunes
of Christ's people is one of the most remarkable characteristics of
the fourth Gospel. It penetrates and pervades the whole. We listen to
the expression of the Evangelist's own feelings as he is about to
present to the world the image of his beloved Master, and he cries,
"_We_ beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the
Father;" "Of His fulness _we_ all received, and grace for grace."[238]
We notice his comment upon words of Jesus dark to his fellow-Apostles
and himself at the time when they were spoken, and he says, "When
therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that
He spake this; and they believed the word which Jesus had said."[239]
Finally, we hear him as he remembers the promise of the Spirit of
truth, who was to instruct the disciples, not by new revelations of
the Divine will, but by unfolding more largely the fulness that was to
be found in Christ: "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He
shall guide you into all the truth: for He shall not speak from
Himself; but what things soever He shall hear, these shall He speak:
and He shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall
glorify Me: for He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto
you."[240] Everywhere and always Christian experience is the key that
unlocks what would otherwise be closed, and sheds light upon what
would otherwise be dark. To such experience, accordingly, the contents
of the little roll, if they were such as we have understood them to
be, must have appealed with peculiar power. In beholding judgment
executed on the world, the believer might need only to stand by and
wonder, as Moses and Israel stood upon the shore of the Red Sea when
the sea, returning to its bed, overwhelmed their enemies. They were
safe. They had neither part nor lot with those who were sinking as
lead in the mighty waters. It would be otherwise when judgment came
upon the Church. Of that Church believers were a part. How could they
explain the change that had come over her, the purification that she
needed, the separation that must take place within what had hitherto
been to all appearance the one Zion which God loved? In the former
case all was outward; in the latter all is inward, personal,
experimental, leading to inquiry and earnest searchings of heart and
prayer. A book containing these things was thus an appeal to
Christian experience, and St. John might well be told to "eat it up."
3. The effect produced upon the Seer by eating the little roll is also
in accord with what has been said. _It shall make thy belly bitter_,
it was said to him, _but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as honey_; and
the effect followed. _It was in my mouth_, he says, _sweet as honey:
and when I had eaten it, my belly was made bitter_. Such an effect
could hardly follow the mere proclamation of judgment on the world.
When we look at that judgment in the light in which it ought to be
regarded, and in which we have hitherto regarded it--as the
vindication of righteousness and of a Divine and righteous order--the
thought of it can impart nothing but joy. But to think that the Church
of the living God, the bride of Christ, shall be visited with
judgment, and to be compelled to acknowledge that the judgment is
deserved; to think that those to whom so much has been given should
have given so little in return; to think of the selfishness which has
prevailed where love ought to have reigned, of worldliness where there
ought to have been heavenliness of mind, and of discord where there
ought to have been unity--these are the things that make the
Christian's reflections "bitter;" they, and they most of all, are his
perplexity, his burden, his sorrow, and his cross. The world may
disappoint him, but from it he expected little. When the Church
disappoints him, the "foundations are overturned," and the honey of
life is changed into gall and wormwood.
Combining the particulars which have now been noticed, we seem
entitled to conclude that the little book-roll of this chapter is a
roll of judgment, but of judgment relating less to the world than to
the Church. It tells us that that sad experience of hers which is to
meet us in the following chapters ought neither to perplex nor
overwhelm us. The experience may be strange, very different from what
we might have expected and hoped for; but the thread by which the
Church is guided has not passed out of the hands of Him who leads His
people by ways that they know not into the hands of an unsympathizing
and hostile power. As His counsels in reference to the world, and to
the Church in her general relation to it, contained in the great
book-roll of chap. v., shall stand, so the internal relations of the
two parts of His Church to each other, together with the issues
depending upon them, are equally under His control. If judgment falls
upon the Church, it is not because God has forgotten to be gracious,
or has in anger shut up His tender mercies, but because the Church has
sinned, because she is in need of chastisement, and because she must
be taught that only in direct dependence upon the voice of the Good
Shepherd, and not in the closest "fold" that can be built for her, is
she safe. Let her "know" Him, and she shall be known of Him even as He
is known of the Father.[241]
FOOTNOTES:
[231] Ezek. ii. 9; iii. 4.
[232] Comp. chaps. vi. 11; xx. 3.
[233] Rom. ix. 28.
[234] Comp. chaps. i. 3; xxii. 7, 10, 18, 19.
[235] Chaps. i. 7; xiv. 14-16. In chap. xi. 12 "the cloud" is the
well-known cloud in which Christ ascended, and in which He comes to
judgment.
[236] Matt. xxiv. 30; Mark xiii. 26; Luke xxi. 27; 1 Thess. iv. 17.
[237] Comp. p. 25.
[238] John i. 14, 16.
[239] John ii. 22.
[240] John xvi. 13, 14.
[241] Comp. John x. 1-15.