4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: _and there

were_ sealed [244]an hundred _and_ forty _and_ four thousand

of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

4. _And I heard the number of them which were sealed._ He does not

say _where_ he heard that, or _by whom_ it was communicated to him, or

_when_ it was done. The material point is, that he _heard_ it; he did

not _see_ it done. Either by the angel, or by some direct communication

from God, he was _told_ of the number that would be sealed, and of the

distribution of the whole number into twelve equal parts, represented

by the tribes of the children of Israel. ¶ _|And there were| sealed

an hundred |and| forty |and| four thousand of all the tribes of the

children of Israel._ In regard to this number, the first and the main

question is, whether it is meant that this was to be the _literal_

number, or whether it was _symbolical_; and, if the latter, of what

it is a symbol. I. As to the first of these inquiries, there does not

appear to be any good reason for doubt. The fair interpretation seems

to require that it should be understood as symbolical, or as designed

not to be literally taken; for (a) the whole scene is symbolical――the

winds, the angels, the sealing. (b) It cannot be supposed that this

number will include _all_ who will be sealed and saved. In whatever

way this is interpreted, and whatever we may suppose it to refer

to, we cannot but suppose that more than this number will be saved.

(c) The number is too exact and artificial to suppose that it is

literal. It is inconceivable that exactly the same number――precisely

twelve thousand――should be selected from each tribe of the children of

Israel. (d) If literal, it is necessary to suppose that this refers to

the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. But on every supposition

this is absurd. Ten of their tribes had been long before carried away,

and the distinction of the tribes was lost, no more to be recovered,

and the Hebrew people never have been, since the time of John, in

circumstances to which the description here could be applicable. These

considerations make it clear that the description here is symbolical.

But, II. Of _what_ is it symbolical? Is it of a large number, or of a

small number? Is it of those who would be saved from among the Jews, or

of all who would be saved in the Christian church――represented as the

“tribes of the children of Israel?” To these inquiries we may answer,

(1) that the representation seems to be rather that of a comparatively

_small_ number than a _large_ one, for these reasons: (a) The number

_of itself_ is not large. (b) The number is not large as _compared_

with those who must have constituted the tribes here referred to――the

number twelve thousand, for example, as compared with the whole number

of the tribe of Judah, of the tribe of Reuben, &c. (c) It would seem

from the language that there would be some _selection_ from a much

greater number. Thus, not _all_ in the tribes were sealed, but those

who were sealed were “of all the tribes”――ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς; that is,

_out of_ these tribes. So in the specification in each tribe――ἐκ φυλῆς

Ἰούδα, Ρουβὴν, &c. Some _out of_ the tribe, to wit, twelve thousand,

were sealed. It is not said of the {174} twelve thousand of the tribes

of Judah, Reuben, &c., that they _constituted_ the tribe, but that they

were sealed _out of_ the tribe, as a part of it preserved and saved.

“When the preposition ἐκ, or _out of_, stands after any such verb as

_sealed_, between a definite numeral and a noun of multitude in the

genitive, sound criticism requires, doubtless, that the numeral should

be thus construed as signifying, not the whole, but a part taken out”

(Elliott, i. 237). Comp. Ex. xxxii. 28; Nu. i. 21; 1 Sa. iv. 10. The

phrase, then, would properly denote those taken _out of_ some other and

greater number――as a portion of a tribe, and not the whole tribe. If

the reference here is to the church, it would seem to denote that a

portion only of that church would be sealed. (d) For the same reason

the idea would seem to be, that comparatively a _small_ portion is

referred to――as twelve thousand would be comparatively a small part

of one of the tribes of Israel; and if this refers to the church, we

should expect to find its fulfilment in a state of things in which the

largest proportion would _not_ be sealed; that is, in a corrupt state

of the church in which there would be many professors of religion, but

comparatively few who had real piety. (2) To the other inquiry――whether

this refers to those who would be sealed and saved among the Jews, or

to those in the Christian church――we may answer, (a) that there are

strong reasons for supposing the latter to be the correct opinion. Long

before the time of John all these distinctions of tribe were abolished.

The ten tribes had been carried away and scattered in distant lands,

never more to be restored; and it cannot be supposed that there was

any such _literal_ selection from the twelve tribes as is here spoken

of, or any such designation of twelve thousand from each. There was no

occasion――either when Jerusalem was destroyed, or at any other time――on

which there were such transactions as are here referred to occurring

in reference to the children of Israel. (b) The language is such as

a Christian, who had been by birth and education a Hebrew, would

naturally use if he wished to designate the church. Comp. Notes on Ja.

i. 1. Accustomed to speak of the people of God as “the twelve tribes

of Israel,” nothing was more natural than to transfer this language

to the church of the Redeemer, and to speak of it in that figurative

manner. Accordingly, from the necessity of the case, the language is

universally understood to have reference to the Christian church. Even

Professor Stuart, who supposes that the reference is to the siege and

destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, interprets it of the

preservation of Christians, and their flight to Pella, beyond Jordan.

Thus interpreted, moreover, it accords with the entire symbolical

character of the representation. (c) The reference to the particular

_tribes_ may be a designed allusion to the Christian church as it would

be divided into denominations, or known by different names; and the

fact that a certain portion would be sealed from every tribe would

not be an unfit representation of the fact that a portion of all the

various churches or denominations would be sealed and saved. That

is, salvation would be confined to no one church or denomination, but

among them all there would be found true servants of God. It would be

improper to suppose that the division into tribes among the children

of Israel was designed to be a _type_ of the sects and denominations

in the Christian church, and yet the fact of such a division may not

improperly be employed as an _illustration_ of that; for the whole

church is made up not of any one denomination alone, but of all

who hold the truth combined, as the people of God in ancient times

consisted not solely of any one tribe, however large and powerful,

but of all combined. Thus understood, the symbol would point to a

time when there would be various denominations in the church, and

yet with the idea that true friends of God would be found among them

all. (d) Perhaps nothing can be argued from the fact that exactly

twelve thousand were selected from each of the tribes. In language

so figurative and symbolical as this, it could not be maintained that

this proves that the same definite number would be taken from each

denomination of Christians. Perhaps all that _can be_ fairly inferred

is, that there would be no partiality or preference for one more than

another; that there would be no favouritism on account of the tribe

or denomination to which any one belonged; but that the seal would

be impressed on all, of any denomination, who had the true spirit of

religion. No one would receive the token of the divine favour _because_

he was of the tribe {175} of Judah or Reuben; no one _because_ he

belonged to any particular denomination of Christians. Large numbers

from every branch of the church would be sealed; none would be sealed

because he belonged to one form of external organization rather than to

another; none would be excluded because he belonged to any one tribe,

if he had the spirit and held the sentiments which made it proper to

recognize him as a servant of God. These views seem to me to express

the true sense of this passage. No one can seriously maintain that

the writer meant to refer literally to the Jewish people; and if he

referred to the Christian church, it seems to be to some selection

that would be made out of the whole church, in which there would

be no favouritism or partiality, and to the fact that, in regard to

them, there would be some something which, in the midst of abounding

corruption or impending danger, would designate them as the chosen

people of God, and would furnish evidence that they would be safe.

5 Of the tribe of Juda _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the

tribe of Reuben _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of

Gad _were_ sealed twelve thousand.

6 Of the tribe of Aser _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the

tribe of Nepthalim _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe

of Manasses _were_ sealed twelve thousand.

7 Of the tribe of Simeon _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the

tribe of Levi _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of

Issachar _were_ sealed twelve thousand.

8 Of the tribe of Zabulon _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of

the tribe of Joseph _were_ sealed twelve thousand. Of the

tribe of Benjamin _were_ sealed twelve thousand.

5‒8. _Of the tribe of Juda |were| sealed twelve thousand._ That is, a

selection was made, or a number sealed, _as if_ it had been made from

one of the tribes of the children of Israel――the tribe of Judah. If the

remarks above made are correct, this refers to the Christian church,

and means, in connection with what follows, that each portion of the

church would furnish a definite part of the whole number sealed and

saved. We are not required to understand this of the exact number of

twelve thousand, but that the designation would be made from all parts

and branches of the church _as if_ a selection of the true servants

of God were made from the whole number of the tribes of Israel.――There

seems to be no particular reason why the tribe of Judah was mentioned

first. Judah was not the oldest of the sons of Jacob, and there was

no settled order in which the tribes were usually mentioned. The order

of their birth, as mentioned in Ge. xxix. xxx., is as follows: Reuben,

Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun,

Joseph, Benjamin. In the blessing of Jacob, Ge. xlix., this order is

changed, and is as follows:――Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun,

Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin. In the blessing

of Moses, De. xxxiii., a different order still is observed: Reuben,

Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph, Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali,

Asher; and in this last, moreover, Simeon is omitted. So, again,

in Eze. xlviii., there are two enumerations of the twelve tribes,

differing from each other, and both differing from the arrangements

above referred to: viz., in ver. 31‒34, where Levi is reckoned as one,

and Joseph as only one; and in ver. 1‒27, referring to the division of

the country, where Levi, who had no heritage in land, is omitted, and

Ephraim and Manasseh are counted as two tribes (Professor Stuart, ii.

172, 173). From facts like these it is clear that there was no certain

and settled order in which the tribes were mentioned by the sacred

writers. The same thing seems to have occurred in the enumeration of

the tribes, which would occur, for example, in the enumeration of the

several States of the American Union. There is indeed an order which is

usually observed, beginning with Maine, &c., but almost no two writers

would observe throughout the same order; nor should we deem it strange

if the order should be materially varied by even the same writer in

enumerating them at different times. Thus, at one time it might be

convenient to enumerate them according to their geographical position;

at another, in the order of their settlement; at another, in the order

of their admission into the Union; at another, in the order of their

size and importance; {176} at another, in the order in which they are

arranged in reference to political parties, &c. Something of the same

kind may have occurred in the order in which the tribes were mentioned

among the Jews. _Perhaps_ this may have occurred also of design, in

order that no one tribe might claim the precedence or the pre-eminence

by being always placed at the head of the list. If, as is supposed

above, the allusion in this enumeration of the tribes was to the

various portions of the Christian church, then perhaps the idea

intended to be conveyed is, that no one division of that church is to

have any preference on account of its locality, or its occupying any

particular country, or because it has more wealth, learning, or numbers

than others; but that all are to be regarded, where there is the true

spirit of religion, as on a level.

There are, however, three peculiarities in this enumeration of the

tribes which demand a more particular explanation. The number indeed is

twelve, but that number is made up in a peculiar manner. (1) _Joseph_

is mentioned, and also _Manasseh_. The matter of fact was, that Joseph

had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Ge. xlviii. 1), and that these two

sons gave name to two of the tribes, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

There was, properly speaking, no tribe of the name of _Joseph_. In Nu.

xiii. the name Levi is omitted, as it usually is, because that tribe

had no inheritance in the division of the land; and in order that the

number twelve might be complete, Ephraim _and_ Joseph are mentioned

as two tribes, ver. 8, 11. In ver. 11 the writer states expressly

that by the tribe Joseph he meant Manasseh――“Of the tribe of Joseph,

_namely_, of the tribe of Manasseh,” &c. From this it would seem that,

as Manasseh was the oldest (Ge. xlviii. 14), the name _Joseph_ was

sometimes given to that tribe. As Ephraim, however, became the largest

tribe, and as Jacob in blessing the two sons of Joseph (Ge. xlviii. 14)

laid his right hand on Ephraim, and pronounced a special blessing

on him (ver. 19, 20), it would seem not improbable that, when not

particularly designated, the name _Joseph_ was given to that tribe,

as it is evidently in this place. Possibly the name _Joseph_ may have

been a general name which was occasionally applied to _either_ of these

tribes. In the long account of the original division of Canaan in Jos.

xiii.‒xix., Levi is omitted, because he had no heritage, and Ephraim

and Manasseh are mentioned as two tribes. The name Joseph in the

passage before us (ver. 8) is doubtless designed, as remarked above,

to refer to Ephraim. (2) In this list (ver. 7) the name of _Levi_

is inserted among the tribes. As already remarked, this name is not

commonly inserted among the tribes of the children of Israel, because

that tribe, being devoted to the sacerdotal office, had no inheritance

in the division of the country, but was scattered among the other

tribes. See Jos. xiv. 3, 4; xviii. 7. It may have been inserted here,

if this refers to the Christian church, to denote that the ministers of

the gospel, as well as other members of the church, would share in the

protection implied by the sealing; that is, to denote that no class in

the church would be excluded from the blessings of salvation. (3) The

name of one of the tribes――_Dan_――is omitted; so that by this omission,

and the insertion of the tribe of Levi, the original number of twelve

is preserved. There have been numerous conjectures as to the reason why

the tribe of _Dan_ is omitted here, but none of the solutions proposed

are without difficulty. All that can be known, or regarded as probable,

on the subject, seems to be this:――(a) As the tribe of Levi was usually

omitted in an enumeration of the tribes, because that tribe had no part

in the inheritance of the Hebrew people in the division of the land

of Canaan, so there appear to have been instances in which the names

of some of the other tribes were omitted, the reason for which is not

given. Thus, in De. xxxiii., in the blessing pronounced by Moses on

the tribes just before his death, the name Simeon is omitted. In 1 Ch.

iv.‒viii. the names of Zebulun and Dan are both omitted. It would seem,

therefore, that the name of a tribe might be sometimes omitted without

any particular reason being specified. (b) It has been supposed by some

that the name _Dan_ was omitted because that tribe was early devoted

to idolatry, and continued idolatrous to the time of the captivity.

Of that _fact_ there can be no doubt, for it is expressly affirmed in

Ju. xviii. 30; and that fact seems to be a sufficient reason for the

omission of the name. As being thus idolatrous, it was in a measure

separated {177} from the people of God, and deserved not to be reckoned

among them; and in enumerating those who were the servants of God,

there seemed to be a propriety that a tribe devoted to idolatry should

not be reckoned among the number. This will account for the omission,

without resorting to the supposition of Grotius, that the tribe of Dan

was extinct at the time when the Apocalypse was written――a fact which

also existed in regard to all the ten tribes; or to the supposition

of Andreas and others, that Dan is omitted because Antichrist was to

spring from that tribe――a supposition which is alike without proof and

without probability. The fact that Dan was omitted cannot be supposed

to have any special significancy in the case before us. Such an

omission is what, as we have seen, might have occurred at any time in

the enumeration of the tribes.

In reference to the application of this portion of the book (ver. 1‒8),

or of what is designed to be here represented, there has been, as might

be expected, a great variety of opinions. From the exposition of the

words and phrases which has been given, it is manifest that we are to

look for a series of events like the following:――(1) Some impending

danger, or something that threatened to sweep everything away――like

winds that were ready to blow on the earth. (2) That tempest restrained

or held back, as if the winds were held in check by an angel, and were

not suffered to sweep over the world. (3) Some new influence or power,

represented by an angel coming from the east――the great source of

light――that should designate the true church of God――the servants of

the Most High. (4) Some mark or note by which the true people of God

could be designated, or by which they could be known――_as if_ some name

were impressed on their foreheads. (5) A selection or election of the

number from a much greater number who were the professed, but were not

the true servants of God. (6) A definite, though comparatively a small

number thus designated out of the whole mass. (7) This number taken

from all the divisions of the professed people of God, in such numbers

and in such a manner, that it would be apparent that there would be no

partiality or favouritism; that is, that wherever the true servants of

God were found, they would be sealed and saved. These are things which

lie on the face of the passage, if the interpretation above given is

correct, and in its application it is necessary to find some facts that

will properly correspond with these things.

If the interpretation of the sixth seal proposed above is correct,

then we are to look for the fulfilment of this in events that soon

succeeded those which are there referred to, or at least which

had their commencement at about that time; and the inquiry now is,

whether there _were_ any events that would accord properly with the

interpretation here proposed: that is, any impending and spreading

danger; any restraining of that danger; any process of designating the

servants of God so as to preserve them; anything like a designation or

selection of them from among the masses of the professed people of God?

Now, in respect to this, the following facts accord so well with what

is demanded in the interpretation that it may be regarded as morally

certain that they were the things which were thus made to pass in

vision before the mind of John. They have at least this degree of

probability, that if it were admitted that he intended to describe

them, the symbols which are actually employed are those which it would

have been proper to select to represent them.

I. The impending danger, like winds restrained, that threatened

to sweep everything away, and to hasten on the end of the world.

In reference to this, there may have been two classes of impending

danger――that from the invasion of the northern hordes, referred to

in the sixth seal (ch. vi.), and that from the influx of error, that

threatened the ruin of the church. (a) As to the former, the language

used by John will accurately express the state of things as it existed

at the period supposed at the time of the sixth seal――the series of

events introduced, now suspended, like the opening of the seventh

seal. The idea is that of nations pressing on to conquest; heaving like

tempests on the borders of the empire; overturning everything in their

way; spreading desolation by fire and sword, _as if_ the world were

about to come to an end. The language used by Mr. Gibbon in describing

the times here referred to is so applicable, that it would seem almost

as if he had the symbols used by John in his eye. Speaking of the time

of Constantine, he says, “The _threatening {178} tempest_ of barbarians,

which so soon subverted the foundations of Roman greatness, was still

repelled, _or suspended on the frontiers_” (i. 362). This language

accurately expresses the condition of the Roman world at the period

succeeding the opening of the sixth seal; the period of suspended

judgments, in order that the servants of God might be sealed. See the

Notes on ch. vi. 12‒17. The nations which ultimately spread desolation

through the empire hovered around its borders, making occasional

incursions into its territory; even carrying their arms, as we have

seen in some instances, as far as Rome itself, but still restrained

from accomplishing the final purpose of overthrowing the city and the

empire. The church and the state alike were threatened with destruction,

and the impending wrath seemed only to be held back _as if_ to give

time to accomplish some other purpose. (b) At the same time there was

another class of evils which threatened to sweep like a tempest over

the church――the evils of error in doctrine that sprang up on the

establishment of Christianity by Constantine. That fact was followed

with a great increase of professors of religion, who, for various

purposes, crowded into a church patronized by the state――a condition of

things which tended to do more to destroy the church than all that had

been done by persecution had accomplished. This effect was natural;

and the church became filled with those who had yielded themselves to

the Christian faith from motives of policy, and who, having no true

spiritual piety, were ready to embrace the most lax views of religion,

and to yield themselves to any form of error. Of this period, and of

the effect of the conversion of Constantine in this respect, Mr. Gibbon

makes the following remarks, strikingly illustrative of the view now

taken of the meaning of this passage:――“The hopes of wealth and honours,

the example of an emperor, his exhortations, his irresistible smiles,

diffused conviction among the venal and obsequious crowds which usually

fill the apartments of a palace. The cities which signalized a forward

zeal, by the voluntary destruction of their temples, were distinguished

by municipal privileges, and rewarded with popular donatives; and

the new capital of the East gloried in the singular advantage, that

Constantinople was never profaned by the worship of idols. As the lower

ranks of society are governed by imitation, the conversion of those

who possessed any eminence of birth, of power, or of riches, was soon

followed by dependent multitudes. The salvation of the common people

was purchased at an easy rate, if it be true that, in one year, twelve

thousand men were baptized at Rome, besides a proportionable number

of women and children, and that a white garment, with twenty pieces

of gold, had been promised by the emperor to every convert” (i. 425).

At a time, therefore, when it might have been supposed that, under the

patronage of a Christian emperor, the truth would have spread around

the world, the church was exposed to one of its greatest dangers――that

arising from the fact that it had become united with the state. About

the same time, also, there sprang up many of those forms of error

which have spread farthest over the Christian world, and which then

threatened to become the universal form of belief in the church.

Of this class of doctrine were the views of Arius, and the views of

Pelagius――forms of opinion which, there were strong reasons to fear,

might become the prevailing belief of the church, and essentially

change its character. About this time, also, the church was passing

into the state in which the Papacy would arise――that dark and gloomy

period in which error would spread over the Christian world, and the

true servants of God would retire for a long period into obscurity.

“We are now but a little way off from the commencement of that

noted period――obscurely hinted at by Daniel, plainly announced by

John――the twelve hundred and sixty prophetic days or years, for which

preparations of a very unusual kind, but requisite, doubtless, are

made. This period was to form the gloomiest, without exception, in

the annals of the world――the period of Satan’s highest success, and of

the church’s greatest depression; and lest she should become during it

utterly extinct, her members, never so few as then, were all specially

sealed. The long night passes on, darkening as it advances; but the

sealed company are not visible; they disappear from the Apocalyptic

stage, just as they then disappeared from the observation of the

world; for they fled away to escape the fire and the dungeons of their

persecutors, to hide in the hoary caves of the earth, or to inhabit

the {179} untrodden regions of the wilderness, or to dwell beneath the

shadow of the Alps, or to enjoy fellowship with God, emancipated and

unknown, in the deep seclusion and gloom of some convent” (_The Seventh

Vial_, London, 1848, pp. 27, 28). These facts seem to me to show,

with a considerable degree of probability, what was designated by the

_suspense_ which occurred after the opening of the sixth seal――when

the affairs of the world _seemed_ to be hastening on to the great

catastrophe. At that period the prophetic eye sees the tendency of

things suddenly arrested; the winds held back, the church preserved,

and a series of events introduced, intended to designate and to save

from the great mass of those who professedly constituted the “tribes of

Israel,” a definite number who should be in fact the true church of God.

II. The facts, then, to which there is reference in checking the

tendency of things, and sealing the servants of God, may have been the

following:――(a) The preservation of the church from extinction during

those calamitous periods when ruin seemed about to sweep over the Roman

world. Not only as a matter of fact was there a suspension of those

impending judgments that seemed to threaten the very extinction of the

empire by the invasion of the northern hordes (see Notes on ch. vi.),

but there were _special_ acts in favour of the church, by which these

fierce barbarians appeared not only to be restrained from destroying

the church, but to be influenced by tenderness and sympathy for it, as

if they were raised up to preserve it when Rome had done all it could

to destroy it. It would seem _as if_ God restrained the rage of these

hordes for the sake of preserving his church; _as if_ he had touched

their hearts that they might give to Christians an opportunity to

escape in the impending storm. We may refer here particularly to the

conduct of Alaric, king of the Goths, in the attack on Rome already

referred to; and, as usual, we may quote from Mr. Gibbon, who will not

be suspected of a design to contribute anything to the illustration of

the Apocalypse. “At the hour of midnight,” says he (vol. ii. pp. 260,

261), “the Salarian Gate was silently opened, and the inhabitants were

awakened by the tremendous sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred

and sixty-three years after the foundation of Rome, the imperial city,

which had subdued and civilized so considerable a part of mankind,

was delivered to the licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and

Scythia. The proclamation of Alaric, when he forced his entrance into

the vanquished city, discovered, however, some regard for the laws

of humanity and religion. He encouraged his troops boldly to seize

the rewards of valour, and to enrich themselves with the spoils of a

wealthy and effeminate people; but he exhorted them at the same time

to spare the lives of the unresisting citizens, _and to respect the

churches of the apostles St. Peter and St. Paul as holy and inviolable

sanctuaries_. While the barbarians roamed through the city in quest of

prey, the humble dwelling of an aged virgin, who had devoted her life

to the service of the altar, was forced open by one of the powerful

Goths. He immediately demanded, though in civil language, all the

gold and silver in her possession; and was astonished at the readiness

with which she conducted him to a splendid hoard of massy plate, of

the richest materials and the most curious workmanship. The barbarian

viewed with wonder and delight this valuable acquisition, till he was

interrupted by a serious admonition, addressed to him in the following

words: ‘These,’ said she, ‘are the consecrated vessels belonging to St.

Peter; if you presume to touch them, the sacrilegious deed will remain

on your conscience: for my part, I dare not keep what I am unable to

defend.’ The Gothic captain, struck with reverential awe, despatched a

messenger to inform the king of the treasure which he had discovered;

and received a peremptory order from Alaric, that all the consecrated

plate and ornaments should be transported, without damage or delay, to

the church of the apostle. From the extremity, perhaps, of the Quirinal

hill, to the distant quarter of the Vatican, a numerous detachment of

the Goths, marching in order of battle through the principal streets,

protected, with glittering arms, the long train of their devout

companions, who bore aloft on their heads the sacred vessels of gold

and silver; and the martial shouts of the barbarians were mingled

with the sound of religious psalmody. From all the adjacent houses

a crowd of Christians hastened to join this edifying procession; and a

multitude of fugitives, without distinction of age or rank, or even of

sect, had {180} the good fortune to escape to the secure and hospitable

sanctuary of the Vatican.” In a note Mr. Gibbon adds: “According

to Isidore, Alaric himself was heard to say, that he waged war with

the Romans, and not with the apostles.” He adds also (p. 261), “The

learned work concerning the _City of God_ was professedly composed by

St. Augustine to justify the ways of Providence in the destruction

of the Roman greatness. He celebrates with peculiar satisfaction this

memorable triumph of Christ; and insults his adversaries by challenging

them to produce some similar example of a town taken by storm, in

which the fabulous gods of antiquity had been able to protect either

themselves or their deluded votaries.” We may refer here, also, to that

work of Augustine as illustrating the passage before us. In book i.

ch. 2, he defends this position, that “there never was war in which

the conquerors would spare them whom they conquered for the gods they

worshipped”――referring particularly to the sacking of Troy; in ch. 3

he appeals to the example of Troy; in ch. 4 he appeals to the sanctuary

of Juno, in Troy; in ch. 5 he shows that the Romans never spared the

temples of those cities which they destroyed; and in ch. 6 he maintains

that the fact that mercy was shown by the barbarians in the sacking

of Rome, was “through the power of the name of Jesus Christ.” In

illustration of this he says, “Therefore, all the spoil, murder,

violence, and affliction, that in this fresh calamity came upon Rome,

were nothing but the ordinary effects following the custom of war.

But that which was so unaccustomed, that the savage nature of the

barbarians should put on a new shape, and appear so merciful that it

would make choice of great and spacious churches to fill with such as

it meant to show pity on, from which none should be haled to slaughter

or slavery, in which none should be hurt, to which many by their

courteous foes should be conducted, and out of which none should be

led into bondage; this is due to the name of Christ, this is due to

the Christian profession; he that seeth not is blind; he that seeth

and praiseth it not is unthankful; he that hinders him that praiseth

it is mad” (_City of God_, p. 11; London, 1620). Such a preservation of

Christians; such a suspension of judgments, when all things seemed to

be on the verge of ruin, would not be _inappropriately_ represented by

winds that threatened to sweep over the world; by the staying of those

winds by some remarkable power, as by an angel; and by the special

interposition which spared the church in the tumults and terrors

of a siege, and of the sacking of a city. (b) There _may_ have been

a reference to another class of Divine interpositions at about the

same time, to designate the true servants of God. It has been already

remarked, that from the time when Constantine took the church under

his patronage, and it became connected with the state, there was a

large accession of nominal professors in the church, producing a great

corruption in regard to spiritual religion, and an extended prevalence

of error. Now the delay here referred to, between the opening of the

sixth and seventh seals, _may_ have referred to the fact, that during

this period the true doctrines of Christianity would be vindicated

and established in such a way that the servants of God would be

“sealed” and designated in contradistinction from the great mass

of the professed followers of Christ, and from the numerous advocates

of error. _From_ that mass a certain and definite number was to be

sealed――implying, as we have seen, that there would be a _selection_,

or that there would be something which would _discriminate_ them from

the multitudes as the true servants of God. This is represented by an

angel coming from the east: the angel representing the new heavenly

influence coming upon the church; and the coming from the east――as the

east is the quarter where the sun rises――denoting that it came from the

source and fountain of light――that is, God. The “sealing” would denote

anything in this new influence or manifestation which would mark the

true children of God, and would be appropriately employed to designate

any doctrines which would keep up true religion in the world; which

would preserve correct views about God, the way of salvation, and

the nature of true religion, and which would thus determine where the

church of God really was. If there should he a tendency in the church

to degenerate into formality; if the rules of discipline should be

relaxed; if error should prevail as to what constitutes spiritual

religion; and if there should be a new influence at that time which

would distinguish those who were the children {181} of God from those

who were not, _this_ would be appropriately represented by the angel

from the east, and by the sealing of the servants of God. Now it

requires but a slight knowledge of the history of the Roman empire,

and of the church at the period supposed here to be referred to, to

perceive that all this occurred. There was a large influx of professed

converts. There was a vast increase of worldliness. There was a wide

diffusion of error. Religion was fast becoming mere formalism. The true

church was apparently fast verging to ruin. At this period God raised

up distinguished men――as if they had been angels ascending from the

east――who came as with the “seal of the living God”――the doctrines of

grace, and just views of spiritual religion――to designate who were,

and who were not, the “true servants of God” among the multitudes who

professed to be his followers. Such were the doctrines of Athanasius

and Augustine――those great doctrines on which the very existence of the

true church has in all ages depended. The doctrines thus illustrated

and defended were fitted to make a broad line of distinction between

the true church and the world, and this would be well represented by

the symbol employed here――for it is by these doctrines that the true

people of God are sealed and confirmed. On this subject comp. Elliott,

i. 279‒292. The general sense here intended to be expressed is,

that there was at the period referred to, after the conversion of

Constantine, a decided tendency to a worldly, formal, lax kind of

religion in the church; a very prevalent denial of the doctrine of

the Trinity and of the doctrines of grace; a lax mode of admitting

members to the church, with little or no evidence of true conversion;

a disposition to attribute saving grace to the ordinances of religion,

and especially to baptism; a disposition to rely on the outward

ceremonies of religion, with little acquaintance with its spiritual

power; and a general breaking down of the barriers between the church

and the world, as there is usually in a time of outward prosperity,

and especially when the church is connected with the state. At

this time there arose another set of influences well represented

by the angel coming from the east, and sealing the true servants

of God, in illustration and confirmation of the true doctrines of

Christianity――doctrines on which the spirituality of the church has

always depended: the doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, the

depravity of man, regeneration by the agency of the Holy Spirit,

justification by faith, the sovereignty of God, and kindred doctrines.

Such doctrines have in all ages served to determine where the true

church is, and to designate and “seal” the servants of the Most High.

(c) This process of “sealing” may be regarded as continued during the

long night of Papal darkness that was coming upon the church, when

error would abound, and the religion of forms would be triumphant.

Even then, in places obscure and unknown, the work of sealing the true

servants of God might be going forward――for even in those times of

gloomy night there _were_ those, though comparatively few in number,

who loved the truth, and who were the real servants of God. The number

of the elect was filling up, for even in the darkest times there were

those who loved the cause of spiritual religion, and who bore upon them

the impress of the “seal of the living God.” Such appears to have been

the intent of this sealing vision: a staying of the desolation that,

in various forms, was sweeping over the world, in order that the true

church might be safe, and that a large number, from all parts of the

church, might be sealed and designated as the true servants of God. The

winds that blowed from all quarters were stayed as if by mighty angels.

A new influence, from the great source of light, came in to designate

those who were the true servants of the Most High, as if an angel had

come from the rising sun with the seal of the living God, to impress

it on their foreheads. A selection was made out of a church filling up

with formalists, and in which the true doctrines of spiritual religion

were fast fading away, of those who could be designated as the true

servants of God. By their creed, and their lives, and their spirit, and

their profession, they could be designated as the true servants of God,

as if a visible mark were impressed on their foreheads. This selection

was confined to no place, no class, no tribe, no denomination. It

was taken from the whole of Israel, in such numbers that it could be

seen that none of the tribes were excluded from the honour, but that,

wherever the true spirit of religion was, God was acknowledging these

tribes――or churches――as his, and there he was gathering a people {182}

to himself. This would be long continued, until new scenes would open,

and the eye would rest on other developments in the series of symbols,

revealing the glorious host of the redeemed emerging from darkness, and

in countless numbers triumphing before the throne.

9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no

man could number, [245]of all nations, and kindreds, and

people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the

Lamb, [246]clothed with white robes, and [247]palms in their

hands;

9. _After this._ Gr., “After these things”――Μετὰ ταῦτα: that is, after

I saw these things thus represented I had another vision. This would

undoubtedly imply, not only that he _saw_ these things after he had

seen the sealing of the hundred and forty-four thousand, but that they

would _occur_ subsequently to that. But he does not state whether they

would immediately occur, or whether other things might not intervene.

As a matter of fact, the vision seems to be transferred from earth to

heaven――for the multitudes which he saw appeared “before the throne”

(ver. 9); that is, before the throne of God in heaven. The design seems

to be to carry the mind forward quite beyond the storms and tempests

of earth――the scenes of woe and sorrow――the days of error, darkness,

declension, and persecution――to that period when the church should be

triumphant in heaven. Instead, therefore, of leaving the impression

that the hundred and forty-four thousand would be _all_ that would be

saved, the eye is directed to an innumerable host, gathered from all

ages, all climes, and all people, triumphant in glory. The multitude

that John thus saw was not, therefore, I apprehend, the same as the

hundred and forty-four thousand, but a far greater number――the whole

assembled host of the redeemed in heaven, gathered there as _victors_,

with palm-branches, the symbols of triumph, in their hands. The

_object_ of the vision is to cheer those who are desponding in times

of religious declension and in seasons of persecution, and when the

number of true Christians seems to be small, with the assurance that

an immense host shall be redeemed from our world, and be gathered

triumphant before the throne. ¶ _I beheld._ That is, he saw them

before the throne. The vision is transferred from earth to heaven; from

the contemplation of the scene when desolation seemed to impend over

the world, and when comparatively few in number were “sealed” as the

servants of God, to the time when the redeemed would be triumphant,

and when a host which no man can number would stand before God. ¶ _And,

lo._ Indicating surprise. A vast host burst upon the view. Instead

of the comparatively few who were sealed, an innumerable company were

presented to his vision, and surprise was the natural effect. ¶ _A

great multitude._ Instead of the comparatively small number on which

the attention had been fixed. ¶ _Which no man could number._ The number

was so great that no one could count them, and John, therefore, did

not attempt to do it. This is such a statement as one would make who

should have a view of all the redeemed in heaven. It would appear to

be a number beyond all power of computation. This representation is

in strong contrast with a very common opinion that only a few will be

saved. The representation in the Bible is, that immense hosts of the

human race will be saved; and though vast numbers will be lost, and

though at any particular period of the world hitherto it may seem that

few have been in the path to life, yet we have every reason to believe

that, taking the race at large, and estimating it as a whole, a vast

majority of the whole will be brought to heaven. For the true religion

is yet to spread all over the world, and perhaps for many, many

thousands of years, piety is to be as prevalent as sin has been; and

in that long and happy time of the world’s history we may hope that the

numbers of the saved may surpass all who have been lost in past periods,

beyond any power of computation. See Notes on ch. xx. 3‒6. ¶ _Of all

nations._ Not only of Jews; not only of the nations which, in the time

of the sealing vision, had embraced the gospel, but of all the nations

of the earth. This implies two things: (a) that the gospel would be

preached among all nations; and (b) that even when it was thus preached

to them they would keep up their national characteristics. There can

be no hope of blending all the nations of the earth under one visible

sovereignty. They may all be subjected to the spiritual reign of the

Redeemer, but still there is no reason to suppose that they will not

have their distinct organizations and laws. ¶ _And kindreds_――φυλῶν.

This word properly refers to those who are {183} descended from a

common ancestry, and hence denotes a race, lineage, kindred. It was

applied to the tribes of Israel, as derived from the same ancestor,

and for the same reason might be applied to a _clan_, and thence to

any division in a nation, or to a nation itself――properly retaining the

notion that it was descended from a common ancestor. Here it would seem

to refer to a smaller class than a nation――the different clans of which

a nation might be composed. ¶ _And people_――λαῶν. This word refers

properly to a people or community as a _mass_, without reference to

its origin or any of its divisions. The former word would be used by

one who should look upon a nation as made up of portions of distinct

languages, clans, or families; this word would be used by one who

should look on such an assembled people as a mere mass of human

beings, with no reference to their difference of clanship, origin, or

language. ¶ _And tongues._ Languages. This word would refer also to

the inhabitants of the earth, considered with respect to the fact that

they speak different languages. The use of particular languages does

not designate the precise boundaries of nations――for often many people

speaking different languages are united as one nation, and often those

who speak the same language constitute distinct nations. The view,

therefore, with which one would look upon the dwellers on the earth, in

the use of the word _tongues_ or _languages_, would be, not as divided

into nations; not with reference to their lineage or clanship; and not

as a mere mass without reference to any distinction, but as divided

by _speech_. The meaning of the whole is, that persons from all parts

of the earth, as contemplated in these points of view, would be among

the redeemed. Comp. Notes on Da. iii. 4; iv. 1. ¶ _Stood before the

throne._ The throne of God. See Notes on ch. iv. 2. The throne is there

represented as set up in heaven, and the vision here is a vision of

what will occur in heaven. It is designed to carry the thoughts beyond

_all_ the scenes of conflict, strife, and persecution on earth, to

the time when the church shall be triumphant in glory――when all storms

shall have passed by; when all persecutions shall have ceased; when

all revolutions shall have occurred; when all the elect――not only the

hundred and forty-four thousand of the sealed, but of all nations and

times――shall have been gathered in. There was a beautiful propriety

in this vision. John saw the tempests stayed, as by the might of

angels. He saw a new influence and power that would seal the true

servants of God. But those tempests were stayed only for a time,

and there were more awful visions in reserve than any which had been

exhibited――visions of woe and sorrow, of persecution and of death. It

was appropriate, therefore, just at this moment of calm suspense――of

delayed judgments――to suffer the mind to rest on the triumphant close

of the whole in heaven, when a countless host would be gathered there

with palms in their hands, uniting with angels in the worship of God.

The mind, by the contemplation of this beautiful vision, would be

refreshed and strengthened for the disclosure of the awful scenes

which were to occur on the sounding of the trumpets under the seventh

seal. The simple idea is, that, amidst the storms and tempests of

life――scenes of existing or impending trouble and wrath――it is well to

let the eye rest on the scene of the final triumph, when innumerable

hosts of the redeemed shall stand before God, and when sorrow shall be

known no more. ¶ _And before the Lamb._ In the midst of the throne――in

heaven. See Notes on ch. v. 6. ¶ _Clothed with white robes._ The

emblems of innocence or righteousness, uniformly represented as the

raiment of the inhabitants of heaven. See Notes on ch. iii. 4; vi. 11.

¶ _And palms in their hands._ Emblems of victory. Branches of the

palm-tree were carried by the victors in the athletic contests of

Greece and Rome, and in triumphal processions. See Notes on Mat. xxi. 8.

The palm-tree――straight, elevated, majestic――was an appropriate emblem

of triumph. The portion of it which was borne in victory was the long

_leaf_ which shoots out from the top of the tree. Comp. Notes on Is.

iii. 26. See Eschenberg, _Manual of Class. Lit._ p. 243, and Le. xxiii.

40: “And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees,

_branches of palm-trees_,” &c. So in the Saviour’s triumphal entry into

Jerusalem (Jn. xii. 12, 13)――“On the next day much people took branches

of {184} palm-trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna.”

10 And [248]cried with a loud voice, saying, [249]Salvation to

our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

10. _And cried with a loud voice._ Comp. Zec. iv. 7. This is

expressive of the greatness of their joy; the ardour and earnestness

of their praise. ¶ _Salvation to our God._ The word rendered

_salvation_――σωτηρία――means properly safety, deliverance, preservation;

then welfare or prosperity; then victory; then, in a Christian sense,

deliverance from punishment and admission to eternal life. Here the

idea seems to be that their deliverance from sin, danger, persecution,

and death, was to be ascribed solely to God. It cannot be meant,

as the words would seem to imply, that they desired that God might

have salvation; but the sense is, that _their_ salvation was to be

attributed entirely to him. This will undoubtedly be the song of the

released for ever, and all who reach the heavenly world will feel that

they owe their deliverance from eternal death, and their admission

to glory, wholly to him. Professor Robinson (_Lex._) renders the word

here _victory_. The fair meaning is, that _whatever_ is included in the

word _salvation_ will be due to God alone――the deliverance from sin,

danger, and death; the triumph over every foe; the resurrection from

the grave; the rescue from eternal burnings; the admission to a holy

heaven――_victory_ in all that that word implies will be due to God.

¶ _Which sitteth upon the throne._ Notes on ch. iv. 2. ¶ _And unto the

Lamb._ Notes on ch. v. 6. God the Father, and He who is the Lamb of

God, alike claim the honour of salvation. It is observable here that

the redeemed ascribe their salvation to the Lamb as well as to Him who

is on the throne. Could they do this if he who is referred to as the

“Lamb” were a mere man? Could they if he were an angel? Could they if

he were not equal with the Father? Do those who are in heaven worship a

creature? Will they unite a created being with the Anointed One in acts

of solemn adoration and praise?

11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and

_about_ the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the

throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

11. _And all the angels stood round about the throne._ Notes on ch.

v. 11. ¶ _And |about| the elders._ Notes on ch. iv. 4. ¶ _And the four

beasts._ Notes on ch. iv. 6. The meaning is, that the angels stood

in the _outer_ circle, or _outside_ of the elders and the four living

creatures. The redeemed, it is manifest, occupied the inner circle, and

were near the throne, though their precise location is not mentioned.

The angels sympathize with the church redeemed and triumphant, as

they did with the church in its conflicts and trials, and they now

appropriately unite with that church in adoring and praising God. They

see in that redemption new displays of the character of God, and they

rejoice that that church is rescued from its troubles, and is now

brought triumphant to heaven. ¶ _And fell before the throne on their

faces._ The usual position of profound adoration, ch. iv. 10; v. 8.

¶ _And worshipped God._ Notes on ch. v. 11, 12.

12 Saying, [250]Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and

thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, _be_ unto our

God for ever and ever. Amen.

12. _Saying, Amen._ See Notes on ch. i. 7. The word _Amen_ here is

a word strongly affirming the truth of what is said, or expressing

hearty assent to it. It may be uttered, as expressing this, either

in the beginning or end of a sentence. Thus _wills_ are commonly

commenced, “In the name of God, _Amen_.” ¶ _Blessing, and glory_, &c.

Substantially the same ascription of praise occurs in ch. v. 12. See

Notes on that verse. The general idea is, that the highest kind of

praise is to be ascribed to God; everything excellent in character

is to be attributed to him; every blessing which is received is to be

traced to him. The _order_ of the words indeed is changed, but the

sense is substantially the same. In the former case (ch. v. 12) the

ascription of praise is to the Lamb――the Son of God; here it is to God.

In both instances the worship is described as rendered in heaven; and

the use of the language shows that God and the Lamb are regarded in

heaven as entitled to equal praise. The only words found here which do

not occur in {185} ch. v. 12 are _thanksgiving_ and _might_――words

which require no particular explanation.

13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are

these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

13. _And one of the elders._ See Notes on ch. iv. 4. That is, as

there understood, one of the representatives of the church before the

throne. ¶ _Answered._ The word _answer_, with us, means to reply to

something which has been said. In the Bible, however, the word is not

unfrequently used in the _beginning_ of a speech, where nothing has

been said――as if it were a reply to something that _might_ be said

on the subject; or to something that is passing through the mind of

another; or to something in the case under consideration which suggests

an inquiry. Comp. Is. lxv. 24; Da. ii. 26; Ac. v. 8. Thus it is used

here. John was looking on the host, and reflecting on the state of

things; and to the train of thought passing through his mind the angel

_answered_ by an inquiry as to a part of that host. Professor Stuart

renders it _accosted me_. ¶ _What are these which are arrayed in white

robes?_ _Who_ are these? The object evidently is to bring the case of

these persons more particularly into view. The vast host with branches

of palm had attracted the attention of John, but it was the object of

the speaker to turn his thoughts to a particular part of the host――the

martyrs who stood among them. He would seem, therefore, to have turned

to a particular portion of the immense multitude of the redeemed,

and by an emphasis on the word _these_――“Who are _these_”――to have

fixed the eye upon them. _All_ those who are before the throne are

represented as clothed in white robes (ver. 9), but the eye might

be directed to a particular part of them as grouped together, and

as having something peculiar in their position or appearance. There

was a _propriety_ in thus directing the mind of John to the martyrs

as triumphing in heaven in a time when the churches were suffering

persecution, and in view of the vision which he had had of times of

darkness and calamity coming upon the world at the opening of the sixth

seal. Beyond all the scenes of sorrow and grief, he was permitted to

see the martyrs triumphing in heaven. ¶ _Arrayed in white robes._ Notes

on ver. 9. ¶ _And whence came they?_ The object is to fix the attention

more distinctly on what is said of them, that they came up out of great

tribulation.

14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me.

These are they which [251]came out of great tribulation, and

have [252]washed their robes, and made them white [253]in the

blood of the Lamb.

14. _And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest._ The word _sir_ in this

place――κύριε, _lord_――is a form of respectful address, such as would

be used when speaking to a superior, Ge. xliii. 20; Mat. xiii. 27;

xxi. 30; xxvii. 63; Jn. iv. 11, 15, 19, 49; v. 7; xii. 21; xx. 15. The

simple meaning of the phrase “thou knowest” is, that he who had asked

the question must be better informed than he to whom he had proposed

it. It is, on the part of John, a modest confession that he did not

know, or could not be presumed to know, and at the same time the

respectful utterance of an opinion that he who addressed this question

to him must be in possession of this knowledge. ¶ _And he said unto

me._ Not offended with the reply, and ready, as he had evidently

intended to do, to give him the information which he needed. ¶ _These

are they which came out of great tribulation._ The word rendered

_tribulation_――θλίψις――is a word of general character, meaning

_affliction_, though perhaps there is here an allusion to persecution.

The sense, however, would be better expressed by the phrase _great

trials_. The object seems to have been to set before the mind of

the apostle a view of those who had suffered much, and who by their

sufferings had been sanctified and prepared for heaven, in order to

encourage those who might be yet called to suffer. ¶ _And have washed

their robes._ To wit, in the blood of the Lamb. ¶ _And made them white

in the blood of the Lamb._ There is some incongruity in saying that

they had made them _white_ in the _blood_ of the Lamb; and the meaning

therefore must be, that they had _cleansed_ or _purified_ them in that

blood. Under the ancient ritual, various things about the sanctuary

were _cleansed_ from ceremonial defilement by the sprinkling of blood

on them――the {186} blood of sacrifice. In accordance with that usage,

the blood of the Lamb――of the Lord Jesus――is said to cleanse and purify.

John sees a great company with white robes. The means by which it is

said they became white or pure is the blood of the Lamb. It is not said

that they were made white as the result of their sufferings or their

afflictions, but by the blood of the Lamb. The course of thought here

is such that it would be natural to suppose that, if at any time the

great deeds or the sufferings of the saints could contribute to the

fact that they will wear white robes in heaven, this is an occasion on

which there might be such a reference. But there is no allusion to that.

It is not by their own sufferings and trials, their persecutions and

sorrows, that they are made holy, but by the blood of the Lamb that had

been shed for sinners. This reference to the blood of the Lamb is one

of the incidental proofs that occur so frequently in the Scriptures

of the reality of the atonement. It could be only in allusion to that,

and with an implied belief in that, that the blood of the Lamb could be

referred to as cleansing the robes of the saints in heaven. If he shed

his blood merely as other men have done; if he died only as a martyr,

what propriety would there have been in referring to his blood more

than to the blood of any other martyr? And what influence could the

blood of _any_ martyr have in cleansing the robes of the saints in

heaven? The fact is, that if that were all, such language would be

unmeaning. It is never used except in connection with the blood of

Christ; and the language of the Bible everywhere is such as would be

employed on the supposition that he shed his blood to make expiation

for sin, and on no other supposition. On the general meaning of the

language used here, and the sentiment expressed, see Notes on He. ix.

14 and 1 Jn. i. 7.

15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him

day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne

[254]shall dwell among them.

15. _Therefore are they before the throne of God._ The reason why they

are there is to be traced to the fact that the Lamb shed his blood to

make expiation for sin. No other reason can be given why any one of

the human race is in heaven; and that is reason enough why any of that

race are there. ¶ _And serve him day and night in his temple._ That is,

continually or constantly. Day and night constitute the whole of time,

and this expression, therefore, denotes constant and uninterrupted

service. On earth, toil is suspended by the return of night, and the

service of God is intermitted by the necessity of rest; in heaven,

as there will be no weariness, there will be no need of intermission,

and the service of God, varied doubtless to meet the state of the

mind, will be continued for ever. The phrase, “to serve him in his

temple,” refers undoubtedly to heaven, regarded as the temple or

holy dwelling-place of God. See Notes on ch. i. 6. ¶ _And he that

sitteth on the throne._ God. Notes, ch. iv. 2. ¶ _Shall dwell among

them_――σκηνώσει. This word properly means, _to tent_, _to pitch a

tent_; and, in the New Testament, to dwell as in tents. The meaning

here is, that God would dwell among them as in a tent, or would have

his abode with them. Perhaps the allusion is to the tabernacle in the

wilderness. That was regarded as the peculiar dwelling-place of God,

and that always occupied a central place among the tribes of Israel. So

in heaven there will be the consciousness always that God dwells there

among his people, and that the redeemed are gathered around him in his

own house. Professor Stuart renders this, it seems to me, with less

beauty and propriety, “will spread his tent over them,” as meaning that

he would receive them into intimate connection and union with him, and

offer them his protection. Comp. ch. xxi. 3.

16 They shall [255]hunger no more, neither thirst any more;

neither shall the sun light on them, [256]nor any heat.

16. _They shall hunger no more._ A considerable portion of the

redeemed who will be there, were, when on earth, subjected to the

evils of famine; many who perished with hunger. In heaven they will be

subjected to that evil no more, for there will be no want that will not

be supplied. The bodies which the redeemed will have――spiritual bodies

(1 Co. xv. 44)――will doubtless be such as will be nourished in some

other way than by food, if they require any nourishment; and whatever

that nourishment may be, it will be fully supplied. The passage here

is taken from Is. xlix. 10: {187} “They shall not hunger nor thirst;

neither shall the heat nor sun smite them.” See Notes on that passage.

¶ _Neither thirst any more._ As multitudes of the redeemed have

been subjected to the evils of hunger, so have multitudes also been

subjected to the pains of thirst. In prison; in pathless deserts; in

times of drought, when wells and fountains were dried up, they have

suffered from this cause――a cause producing as intense suffering

perhaps as any that man endures. Comp. Ex. xvii. 3; Ps. lxiii. 1;

La. iv. 4; 2 Co. xi. 27. It is easy to conceive of persons suffering so

intensely from thirst that the highest vision of felicity would be such

a promise as that in the words before us――“neither thirst any more.”

¶ _Neither shall the sun light on them._ It is hardly necessary,

perhaps, to say that the word _light_ here does not mean to enlighten,

to give light to, to shine on. The Greek is πέσῃ――_fall on_――and the

reference, probably, is to the intense and burning heat of the sun,

commonly called a _sunstroke_. Excessive heat of the sun, causing great

pain or sudden death, is not a very uncommon thing among us, and must

have been more common in the warm climates and burning sands of the

countries in the vicinity of Palestine. The meaning here is, that in

heaven they would be free from this calamity. ¶ _Nor any heat._ In

Is. xlix. 10, from which place this is quoted, the expression is שָׁרָב,

_sharab_, properly denoting heat or burning, and particularly the

_mirage_, the excessive heat of a sandy desert producing a vapour

which has a striking resemblance to water, and which often misleads the

unwary traveller by its deceptive appearance. See Notes on Is. xxxv. 7.

The expression here is equivalent to intense heat; and the meaning is,

that in heaven the redeemed will not be subjected to any such suffering

as the traveller often experiences in the burning sands of the desert.

The language would convey a most grateful idea to those who had been

subjected to these sufferings, and is one form of saying that, in

heaven, the redeemed will be delivered from the ills which they suffer

in this life. Perhaps the whole image here is that of travellers who

have been on a long journey, exposed to hunger and thirst, wandering in

the burning sands of the desert, and exposed to the fiery rays of the

sun, at length reaching their quiet and peaceful home, where they would

find safety and abundance. The believer’s journey from earth to heaven

is such a _pilgrimage_.

17 For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall

[257]feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of

waters: and God shall [258]wipe away all tears from their eyes.

17. _For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne._ Notes on

ch. v. 6. He is still the great agent in promoting the happiness of the

redeemed in heaven. ¶ _Shall feed them._ Rather, shall exercise over

them the office of a shepherd――ποιμανεῖ. This includes much more than

mere _feeding_. It embraces all the care which a shepherd takes of his

flock――watching them, providing for them, guarding them from danger.

Comp. Ps. xxiii. 1, 2, 5; xxxvi. 8. See this fully illustrated in the

Notes on Is. xl. 11. ¶ _And shall lead them unto living fountains of

waters._ _Living_ fountains refer to running streams, as contrasted

with standing water and stagnant pools. See Notes on Jn. iv. 10.

The allusion is undoubtedly to the happiness of heaven, represented

as fresh and everflowing, like streams in the desert. No image of

happiness, perhaps, is more vivid, or would be more striking to an

Oriental, than that of such fountains flowing in sandy and burning

wastes. The word _living_ here must refer to the fact that that

happiness will be perennial. These fountains will always bubble; these

streams will never dry up. The thirst for salvation will always be

gratified; the soul will always be made happy. ¶ _And God shall wipe

away all tears from their eyes._ This is a new image of happiness taken

from another place in Isaiah (ch. xxv. 8), “The Lord God will wipe

away tears from off all faces.” The expression is one of exquisite

tenderness and beauty. The poet Burns said that he could never

read this without being affected to weeping. Of all the _negative_

descriptions of heaven, there is no one perhaps that would be better

adapted to produce consolation than this. This is a world of weeping――a

{188} vale of tears. Philosophers have sought a brief definition of man,

and have sought in vain. Would there be any better description of him,

as representing the reality of his condition here, than to say that he

is _one who weeps_? Who is there of the human family that has not shed

a tear? Who that has not wept over the grave of a friend; over his own

losses and cares; over his disappointments; over the treatment he has

received from others; over his sins; over the follies, vices, and woes

of his fellow-men? And what a change would it make in our world if

it could be said that henceforward not another tear would be shed;

not a head would ever be bowed again in grief! Yet this is to be

the condition of heaven. In that world there is to be no pain, no

disappointment, no bereavement. No friend is to lie in dreadful agony

on a sick-bed; no grave is to be opened to receive a parent, a wife, a

child; no gloomy prospect of death is to draw tears of sorrow from the

eyes. To that blessed world, when our eyes run down with tears, are

we permitted to look forward; and the prospect of such a world should

contribute to wipe away our tears here――for all our sorrows will soon

be over. As already remarked, there was a beautiful propriety, at a

time when such calamities impended over the church and the world――when

there was such a certainty of persecution and sorrow――in permitting

the mind to rest on the contemplation of these happy scenes in heaven,

where all the redeemed, in white robes, and with palms of victory

in their hands, would be gathered before the throne. To us also

now, amidst the trials of the present life――when friends leave us;

when sickness comes; when our hopes are blasted; when calumnies and

reproaches come upon us; when, standing on the verge of the grave,

and looking down into the cold tomb, the eyes pour forth floods of

tears――it is a blessed privilege to be permitted to look forward to

that brighter scene in heaven, where not a pang shall ever be felt,

and not a tear shall ever be shed.

CHAPTER VIII.

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER.

One seal of the mysterious roll (ch. v. 1) remains to be broken――six

having already disclosed the contents of the volume relating to the

future. It was natural that the opening of the seventh, and the last,

should be attended with circumstances of peculiar solemnity, as being

all that remained in this volume to be unfolded, and as the events thus

far had been evidently preparatory to some great catastrophe. It would

have been natural to expect that, like the six former, this seal would

have been opened at once, and would have disclosed all that was to

happen at one view. But, instead of that, the opening of this seal is

followed by a series of events, seven also in number, which succeed

each other, represented by new symbols――the blowing of as many

successive trumpets. These circumstances retard the course of the

action, and fix the mind on a new order of events――events which could

be appropriately grouped together, and which, for some reason, might

be thus more appropriately represented than they could be in so many

successive seals. What was the reason of this arrangement will be more

readily seen on an examination of the particular events referred to in

the successive trumpet-blasts.

The points in the chapter are the following:――(1) The opening of

the seventh seal, ver. 1. This is attended, not with an immediate

exhibition of the events which are to occur, as in the case of the

former seals, but with a solemn silence in heaven for the space of

half an hour. The _reason_ of this silence, apparently, is found in the

solemn nature of the events which are anticipated. At the opening of

the sixth seal (ch. vi. 12, seq.) the grand catastrophe of the world’s

history seemed about to occur. This had been suspended for a time, as

if by the power of angels holding the winds and the storm (ch. vii.),

and now it was natural to expect that there would be a series of

overwhelming calamities. In view of these apprehended terrors, the

inhabitants of heaven are represented as standing in awful silence, as

if anticipating and apprehending what was to occur. This circumstance

adds much to the interest of the scene, and is a forcible illustration

of the position which the mind naturally assumes in the anticipation

of dreaded events. Silence――solemn and awful silence――is the natural

state of the mind under such circumstances. In accordance with this

expectation of what was to come, a series of new representations is

introduced, adapted to prepare the mind for the fearful disclosures

which are yet to be made. (2) Seven angels appear, on the opening

of {189} the seal, to whom are given seven trumpets, as if they were

appointed to perform an important part in introducing the series of

events which was to follow, ver. 2. (3) As a still farther preparation,

another angel is introduced, standing at the altar with a golden censer,

ver. 3‒5. He is represented as engaged in a solemn act of worship,

offering incense and the prayers of the saints before the throne.

This unusual representation seems to be designed to denote that some

extraordinary events were to occur, making it proper that incense

should ascend, and prayer be offered to deprecate the wrath of God.

After the offering of the incense, and the prayers, the angel takes

the censer and casts it to the earth; and the effect is, that there are

voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. All these

would seem to be symbolical of the fearful events which are to follow.

The silence; the incense-offering; the prayers; the fearful agitations

produced by the casting of the censer upon the earth, as if the prayer

was not heard, and as if the offering of the incense did not avail

to turn away the impending wrath,――all are appropriate symbols to

introduce the series of fearful calamities which were coming upon

the world on the sounding of the trumpets. (4) The first angel sounds,

ver. 7. Hail and fire follow, mingled with blood. The third part of

the trees and of the green grass――that is, of the vegetable world――is

consumed. (5) The second angel sounds, ver. 8, 9. A great burning

mountain is cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea becomes

blood, and a third part of all that is in the sea――fishes and ships――is

destroyed. (6) The third angel sounds, ver. 10, 11. A great star,

burning like a lamp, falls from heaven upon a third part of the rivers,

and upon the fountains of waters, and the waters become bitter, and

multitudes of people die from drinking the waters. (7) The fourth

angel sounds, ver. 12. The calamity falls on the sources of light――the

sun, the moon, and the stars――and the third part of the light is

extinguished, and for the third part of the day there is no light, and

for the third part of the night also there is no light. (8) At this

stage of things, after the sounding of the four trumpets, there is a

pause, and an angel flies through the midst of heaven, thrice crying

_woe_, by reason of the remaining trumpets which are to sound, ver. 13.

Here would seem to be some natural interval, or something which

would separate the events which had occurred from those which were

to follow. These four, from some cause, are grouped together, and

are distinguished from those which are to follow――as if the latter

appertained to a new class of events, though under the same general

_group_ introduced by the opening of the seventh seal.

A few _general_ remarks are naturally suggested by the analysis of the

chapter, which may aid us in its exposition and application. (a) These

events, in their order, undoubtedly _succeed_ those which are referred

to under the opening of the first six seals. They are a continuation of

the _series_ which is to occur in the history of the world. It has been

supposed by some that the events here symbolized are substantially the

same as those already referred to under the first six seals, or that,

at the opening of the sixth seal, there is a catastrophe; and, one

series being there concluded, the writer, by a new set of symbols, goes

back to the same point of time, and passes over the same period by a

new and parallel set of symbols. But this is manifestly contrary to the

whole design. At the first (ch. v. 1) a volume was exhibited, sealed

with seven seals, the unrolling of which would manifestly develop

_successive_ events, and the whole of which would embrace _all_ the

events which were to be disclosed. When _all_ these seven seals were

broken, and the contents of _that_ volume were disclosed, there might

indeed be _another_ set of symbols going over the same ground with

another design, or giving a representation of future events in some

other point of view; but clearly the series should not be broken

until the whole seven seals are opened, nor should it be supposed

that there is, in the opening of the same volume, an arresting of the

course of events, in order to go back again to the same beginning.

The representation in this series of symbols is like drawing out a

telescope. A telescope might be divided into seven parts, as well as

into the usual number, and the drawing out of the seventh part, for

example, might be regarded as a representation of the opening of the

seventh seal. But the seventh part, instead of being one unbroken piece

like the other six, might be so constructed as to be subdivided {190}

into seven minor parts, each representing a smaller portion of the

seventh part. In such a case, the drawing out of the seventh division

would _succeed_ that of the others, and would be designed to represent

a subsequent order of events. (b) There was some reason, manifestly,

why these seven last events, or the series represented by the seven

trumpets, should be grouped together, as coming under the same general

classification. They were sufficiently distinct to make it proper to

represent them by different symbols, and yet they had so much of the

same general character as to make it proper to group them together. If

this had not been so, it would have been proper to represent them by

a succession of _seals_ extending to thirteen in number, instead of

representing six seals in succession, and then, under the seventh, a

new series extending also to the number seven. In the fulfilment, it

will be proper to look for some events which have some such natural

connection and bearing that, for some reason, they can be classed

together, and yet so distinct that, under the same general symbol of

the _seal_, they can be represented under the particular symbol of the

_trumpets_. (c) For some reason there was a further distinction between

the events represented by the first four trumpets and those which were

to follow. There was some reason why _they_ should be more particularly

grouped together, and placed in close connection, and why there should

be an interval (ch. viii. 13) before the other trumpet should sound.

In the fulfilment of this we should naturally look for such an order

of events as would be designated by four successive symbols, and then

for such a change, in some respects, as to make an interval proper,

and a proclamation of _woe_, before the soundings of the other three,

ch. viii. 13. Then it would be natural to look for such events as

could properly be grouped under the three remaining symbols――the

three succeeding trumpets. (d) It is natural, as already intimated,

to suppose that the _entire_ group would extend, in some general

manner at least, to the consummation of all things; or that there

would be, _under_ the last one, a reference to the consummation of all

things――the end of the world. The _reason_ for this has already been

given, that the apostle saw a volume (ch. v. 1), which contained a

sealed account of the future, and it is natural to suppose that there

would be a reference to the great leading events which were to occur in

the history of the church and of the world. This _natural_ anticipation

is confirmed by the events disclosed under the sounding of the seventh

trumpet (ch. xi. 15, seq.): “And the seventh angel sounded; and there

were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are

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, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to

come; because thou hast taken thy great power, and hast reigned,” &c.

At all events, this would lead us on to the final triumph of

Christianity――to the introduction of the millennium of glory――to the

period when the Son of God should reign on the earth. After that (ch.

xi. 19, seq.) a new series of visions commences, disclosing, through

the same periods of history, a new view of the church to the time also

of its final triumph:――the church internally; the rise of Antichrist,

and the effect of the rise of this formidable power. See the Analysis

of the Book, part fifth.

CHAPTER VIII.

AND when he had opened the [259]seventh seal, there was

silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.

1. _And when he had opened the seventh seal._ See Notes on ch. v. 1.

¶ _There was silence in heaven._ The whole scene of the vision is laid

in heaven (ch. iv.), and John represents things as they seem to be

passing there. The meaning here is, that on the opening of this seal,

instead of voices, thunderings, tempests, as perhaps was expected from

the character of the sixth seal (ch. vi. 12, seq.), and which seemed

only to have been suspended for a time (ch. vii.), there was an awful

stillness, as if all heaven was reverently waiting for the development.

Of course this is a symbolical representation, and is designed not to

represent a pause in the events themselves, but only the impressive and

fearful nature of the events which are now to be disclosed. ¶ _About

the space of half an hour._ He did not profess to {191} designate

the time exactly. It was a brief period――yet a period which in such

circumstances would appear to be long――_about_ half an hour. The word

here used――ἡμιώριον――does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament.

It is correctly rendered _half an hour_; and as the day was divided

into twelve parts from the rising to the setting of the sun, the

time designated would not vary much from half an hour with us. Of

course, therefore, this denotes a brief period. In a state, however,

of anxious suspense, the moments would seem to move slowly; and

to see the exact force of this, we are to reflect on the scenes

represented――the successive opening of seals disclosing most important

events――increasing in interest as each new one was opened; the course

of events which seemed to be leading to the consummation of all things,

arrested after the opening of the sixth seal; and now the last in the

series to be opened, disclosing what the affairs of the world would

be at the consummation of all things. John looks on this; and in this

state of suspense the half hour may have seemed an age. We are not,

of course, to suppose that the silence in heaven is produced by the

_character_ of the events which are now to follow――for they are as

yet unknown. It is caused by what, from the nature of the previous

disclosures, was naturally apprehended, and by the fact that this is

the last of the series――the finishing of the mysterious volume. This

seems to me to be the obvious interpretation of this passage, though

there has been here, as in other parts of the book of Revelation, a

great variety of opinion as to the meaning. Those who suppose that

the whole book consists of a _triple series_ of visions designed to

prefigure future events, parallel with each other, and each leading

to the consummation of all things――the series embracing the seals,

the trumpets, and the vials, each seven in number――regard this as the

proper ending of the first of this series, and suppose that we have

on the opening of the seventh seal the beginning of a new symbolical

representation, going over the same ground, under the representations

of the trumpets, in a new aspect or point of view. Eichhorn and

Rosenmüller suppose that the silence introduced by the apostle is

merely for effect, and that, therefore, it is without any special

signification. Grotius applies the whole representation to the

destruction of Jerusalem, and supposes that the silence in heaven

refers to the restraining of the winds referred to in ch. vii. 1――the

wrath in respect to the city, which was now suspended for a short time.

Professor Stuart also refers it to the destruction of Jerusalem, and

supposes that the seven trumpets refer to seven gradations in the

series of judgments that were coming upon the persecutors of the church.

Mr. Daubuz regards the silence here referred to as a symbol of the

liberty granted to the church in the time of Constantine; Vitringa

interprets it of the peace of the millennium which is to succeed the

overthrow of the beast and the false prophet; Dean Woodhouse and

Mr. Cunninghame regard it as the termination of the series of events

which the former seals denote, and the commencement of a new train of

revelations; Mr. Elliott, as the suspension of the winds during the

sealing of the servants of God; Mr. Lord, as the period of repose

which intervened between the close of the persecution by Diocletian

and Galerius, in 311, and the commencement, near the close of that

year, of the civil wars by which Constantine the Great was elevated

to the imperial throne. It will be seen at once how arbitrary and

unsatisfactory most of those interpretations are, and how far from

harmony expositors have been as to the meaning of this symbol. The most

simple and obvious interpretation is likely to be the true one; and

that is, as above suggested, that it refers to silence in heaven as

expressive of the fearful anticipation felt on opening the last seal

that was to close the series, and to wind up the affairs of the church

and the world. Nothing would be more natural than such a state of

solemn awe on such an occasion; nothing would introduce the opening

of the seal in a more impressive manner; nothing would more naturally

express the anxiety of the church, the probable feelings of the pious

on the opening of these successive seals, than the representation that

incense, accompanied with their prayers, was continually offered in

heaven.

{192} 2 And I saw the seven angels which [260]stood before God;

and to them were given seven [261]trumpets.

2. _And I saw the seven angels which stood before God._ Professor

Stuart supposes that by these angels are meant the “presence-angels”

which he understands to be referred to, in ch. i. 4, by the “seven

spirits which are before the throne.” If, however, the interpretation

of that passage above proposed, that it refers to the Holy Spirit,

with reference to his multiplied agency and operations, be correct,

then we must seek for another application of the phrase here. The only

difficulty in applying it arises from the use of the article――“_the_

seven angels”――τοὺς――as if they were angels already referred to; and

as there has been no previous mention of “_seven_ angels,” unless

it be in the phrase “the seven spirits which are before the throne,”

in ch. i. 4, it is argued that this must have been such a reference.

But this interpretation is not absolutely necessary. John might use

this language either because the angels had been spoken of before;

or because it would be sufficiently understood, from the common use

of language, who would be referred to――as we now might speak of

“_the seven_ members of the cabinet of the United States,” or “_the_

thirty-one governors of the states of the Union,” though they had not

been particularly mentioned; or he might speak of them as just then

disclosed to his view, and because his meaning would be sufficiently

definite by the circumstances which were to follow――their agency in

blowing the trumpets. It would be entirely in accordance with the

usage of the article for one to say that he saw an army, and _the_

commander-in-chief, and _the_ four staff-officers, and _the_ five bands

of music, and _the_ six companies of sappers and miners, &c. It is not

absolutely necessary, therefore, to suppose that these angels had been

before referred to. There is, indeed, in the use of the phrase “which

stood before God,” the idea that they are to be regarded as permanently

standing there, or that that is their proper place――as if they were

angels who were particularly designated to this high service. Comp. Lu.

i. 19: “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God.” If this idea

is involved in the phrase, then there is a sufficient reason why the

article is used, though they had not before been mentioned. ¶ _And to

them were given seven trumpets._ One to each. By whom the trumpets were

given is not said. It may be supposed to have been done by Him who sat

on the throne. Trumpets were used then, as now, for various purposes;

to summon an assembly; to muster the hosts of battle; to inspirit and

animate troops in conflict. Here they are given to announce a series

of important events producing great changes in the world――as if God

summoned and led on his hosts to accomplish his designs.

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a

golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that

he should [262]offer _it_ with the [263]prayers of all saints

upon the [264]golden altar which was before the throne.

3. _And another angel came._ Who this angel was is not mentioned, nor

have we any means of determining. Of course a great variety of opinion

has been entertained on the subject (see Poole’s _Synopsis_)――some

referring it to angels in general; others to the ministry of the church;

others to Constantine; others to Michael; and many others to the Lord

Jesus. All that we know is, that it was an _angel_ who thus appeared,

and there is nothing inconsistent in the supposition that anyone of

the angels in heaven may have been appointed to perform what is here

represented. The design seems to be, to represent the prayers of the

saints as ascending in the anticipation of the approaching series

of wonders in the world――and there would be a beautiful propriety in

representing them as offered by an angel, feeling a deep interest in

the church, and ministering in behalf of the saints. ¶ _And stood at

the altar._ In heaven――represented as a temple, with an altar, and with

the usual array of things employed in the worship of God. The altar was

the appropriate place for him to stand when about to offer the prayers

of the saints――for that is the place where the worshipper stood under

the ancient dispensation. Comp. Notes on Mat. v. 23, 24; Lu. i. 11. In

the latter place an angel is represented as appearing to Zacharias “on

the right side of the altar of incense.” ¶ _Having a golden censer._

The _fire-pan_, made for the purpose of carrying fire, on which to

burn incense in time of worship. See it described and illustrated

in the Notes on He. ix. 4. There {193} seems reason to suppose that

the incense that was offered in the ancient worship was designed to

be emblematic of the prayers of saints, for it was the custom for

worshippers to be engaged in prayer at the time the incense was offered

by the priest. See Lu. i. 10. ¶ _And there was given unto him much

incense._ See Notes on Lu. i. 9. A large quantity was here given to him,

because the occasion was one on which many prayers might be expected

to be offered. ¶ _That he should offer |it| with the prayers._ Marg.,

“_add |it| to_.” Gr., “that he should _give_ it with”――δώσῃ. The idea

is plain, that, when the prayers of the saints ascended, he would

also burn the incense, that it might go up at the same moment, and be

emblematic of them. Comp. Notes on ch. v. 8. ¶ _Of all saints._ Of all

who are holy; of all who are the children of God. The idea seems to be,

that, at this time, all the saints would unite in calling on God, and

in deprecating his wrath. As the events which were about to occur were

a matter of common interest to the people of God, it was to be supposed

that they would unite in common supplication. ¶ _Upon the golden

altar._ The altar of incense. This in the tabernacle and in the

temple was overlaid with gold. ¶ _Which was before the throne._

This is represented as a temple-service, and the altar of incense is,

with propriety, placed before his seat or throne, as it was in the

tabernacle and temple. In the temple, God is represented as occupying

the mercy-seat in the holy of holies, and the altar of incense is in

the holy place before that. See the description of the temple in the

Notes on Mat. xxi. 12.

4 And the smoke of the [265]incense, _which came_ with the

prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the

angel’s hand.

4. _And the smoke of the incense_, &c. The smoke caused by the burning

incense. John, as he saw this, naturally interpreted it of the prayers

of the saints. The meaning of the whole symbol, thus explained, is

that, at the time referred to, the anxiety of the church in regard

to the events which were about to occur would naturally lead to much

prayer. It is not necessary to attempt to verify this by any distinct

historical facts, for no one can doubt that, in a time of such

impending calamities, the church would be earnestly engaged in devotion.

Such has always been the case in times of danger; and it may always be

assumed to be true, that when danger threatens, whether it be to the

church at large or to an individual Christian, there will be a resort

to the throne of grace.

5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire

of the altar, and cast _it_ [266]into the earth: and there

were [267]voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an

[268]earthquake.

5. _And the angel took the censer._ Ver. 3. This is a new symbol,

designed to furnish a new representation of future events. By the

former it had been shown that there would be much prayer offered; by

this it is designed to show that, notwithstanding the prayer that would

be offered, great and fearful calamities would come upon the earth.

This is symbolized by casting the censer upon the earth, _as if_ the

prayers were not heard any longer, or as if prayer were now in vain.

¶ _And filled it with fire of the altar._ An image similar to this

occurs in Eze. x. 2, where the man clothed in linen is commanded to go

between the wheels under the cherub, and fill his hands with coals of

fire from between the cherubims, and to scatter them over the city as

a symbol of its destruction. Here the coals are taken, evidently, from

the altar of sacrifice. Comp. Notes on Is. vi. 1. On these coals no

incense was placed, but they were thrown at once to the earth. The new

emblem, therefore, is the taking of coals, and scattering them abroad

as a symbol of the destruction that was about to ensue. ¶ _And cast

it into the earth._ Marg., _upon_. The margin expresses undoubtedly

the meaning. The symbol, therefore, properly denoted that fearful

calamities were about to come upon the earth. Even the prayers of

saints did not prevail to turn them away, and now the symbol of the

scattered coals indicated that terrible judgments were about to come

upon the world. ¶ _And there were voices._ Sounds, noises. See Notes on

ch. iv. 5. The _order_ is not the same here as there, but lightnings,

thunderings, and voices are mentioned in both. {194} ¶ _And an

earthquake._ Ch. vi. 12. This is a symbol of commotion. It is not

necessary to look for a literal fulfilment of it, any more than it is

for literal “voices,” “lightnings,” or “thunderings.”

6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared

themselves to sound.

6. _And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared

themselves to sound._ Ver. 7. Evidently in succession, perhaps by

arranging themselves in the order in which they were to sound. The way

is now prepared for the sounding of the trumpets, and for the fearful

commotions and changes which would be indicated by that. The last seal

is opened; heaven stands in suspense to know what is to be disclosed;

the saints, filled with solicitude, have offered their prayers; the

censer of coals has been cast to the earth, as if these judgments could

be no longer stayed by prayer; and the angels prepare to sound the

trumpets indicative of what is to occur.

7 The first angel sounded, and [269]there followed hail and

fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth:

and the third part of [270]trees was burnt up, and all green

grass was burnt up.

7. _The first angel sounded._ The first in order, and indicating

the first in the series of events that were to follow. ¶ _And there

followed hail._ Hail is usually a symbol of the divine vengeance,

as it has often been employed to accomplish the divine purposes of

punishment. Thus in Ex. ix. 23, “And the Lord sent thunder and hail,

and the fire ran along the ground; and the Lord rained hail upon the

land of Egypt.” So in Ps. cv. 32, referring to the plagues upon Egypt,

it is said, “He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their

land.” So again, Ps. lxxviii. 48, “He gave up their cattle also to the

hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.” As early as the time of

Job hail was understood to be an emblem of the divine displeasure, and

an instrument in inflicting punishment:

“Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow,

Or hast thou seen the treasure of the hail?

Which I have reserved against _the time of trouble_,

Against _the day of battle and war_?”

Job xxxviii. 22, 23.

So also, the same image is used in Ps. xviii. 13;

“The Lord also thundered in the heaven,

And the Most High gave forth his voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.”

Comp. Hag., ch. ii. 17. The destruction of the Assyrian army, it

is said, would be accomplished in the same way, Is. xxx. 30. Comp.

Eze. xiii. 11; xxxviii. 22. ¶ _And fire._ Lightning. This also is an

instrument and an emblem of destruction. ¶ _Mingled with blood._ By

_blood_ “we must naturally understand,” says Professor Stuart, “in this

case, a shower of coloured rain; that is, rain of a rubidinous aspect,

an occurrence which is known sometimes to take place, and which, like

falling stars; eclipses, &c., was viewed with terror by the ancients,

because it was supposed to be indicative of blood that was to be shed.”

The appearance, doubtless, was that of a red shower, apparently of

_hail_, or snow――for _rain_ is not mentioned. It is not a _rain_-storm,

it is a _hail_-storm that is the image here; and the image is that of a

driving hail-storm, where the lightnings flashed, and where there was

the intermingling of a reddish substance that resembled blood, and that

was an undoubted symbol of blood that was to be shed. I do not know

that there is red _rain_, or red _hail_, but red _snow_ is not very

uncommon; and the image here would be complete if we suppose that there

was an intermingling of red snow in the driving tempest. This species

of snow was found by Captain Ross at Baffin’s Bay on the 17th of August,

1819. The mountains that were dyed with the snow were about eight miles

long, and six hundred feet high. The red colour reached to the ground

in many places ten or twelve feet deep, and continued for a great

length of time. Although red snow had not until this attracted much

notice, yet it had been long before observed in Alpine countries.

Saussure discovered it on Mount St. Bernard in 1778. Ramond found it

on the Pyrenees; and Summerfield discovered it in Norway. “In 1818

red snow fell on the Italian Alps and Apennines. In March, 1808, the

whole country about Cadore, Belluno, and Feltri was covered with a

red-coloured snow to the depth of six and a half feet; but a white snow

had fallen both before and after it, the red formed a stratum in the

middle of the white. At the same time a similar fall took place in

the mountains of the Valteline, Brescia, Carinthia, and Tyrol” (_Edin.

Encyclo._ art. “Snow”). These facts show that {195} what is referred

to here in the symbol might possibly occur. Such a symbol would be

properly expressive of blood and carnage. ¶ _And they were cast upon

the earth._ The hail, the fire, and the blood――denoting that the

fulfilment of this was to be _on the earth_. ¶ _And the third part of

trees was burnt up._ By the fire that came down with the hail and the

blood. ¶ _And all green grass was burnt up._ Wherever this lighted on

the earth. The meaning would seem to be, that wherever this tempest

beat the effect was to destroy a third part――that is, a large portion

of the _trees_, and to consume _all_ the grass. A portion of the

trees――strong and mighty――would stand against it; but that which was

so tender as grass is, would be consumed. The sense does not seem to

be that the tempest would be confined to a third part of the world,

and destroy _all_ the trees and the grass _there_; but that it would

be a sweeping and general tempest, and that wherever it spread it would

prostrate a third part of the trees and consume all the grass. Thus

understood, it would seem to mean, that in reference to those things

in the world which were firm and established like _trees_, it would not

sweep them _wholly_ away, though it would make great desolation; but

in reference to those which were delicate and feeble――like grass――it

would sweep them wholly away.――This would not be an inapt description

of the ordinary effects of invasion in time of war. A few of those

things which seem most firm and established in society――like trees in

a forest――weather out the storm; while the gentle virtues, the domestic

enjoyments, the arts of peace, like tender grass, are wholly destroyed.

The fulfilment of this we are undoubtedly to expect to find in the

terrors of invasion; the evils of war; the effusion of blood; the

march of armies. So far as the language is concerned, the symbol would

apply to _any_ hostile invasion; but in pursuing the exposition on the

principles on which we have thus far conducted it, we are to look for

the fulfilment in one or more of those invasions of the northern hordes

that preceded the downfall of the Roman empire and that contributed

to it.――In the “Analysis” of the chapter, some reasons were given why

these four trumpet signals were placed together, as pertaining to a

series of events of the same general character, and as distinguished

from those which were to follow. The natural place which they occupy,

or the events which we should suppose, from the views taken above of

the first six seals, would be represented, would be the successive

invasions of the northern hordes which ultimately accomplished the

overthrow of the Roman empire. There are _four_ of these “trumpets,”

and it would be a matter of inquiry whether there were _four_ events of

sufficient distinctness that would mark these invasions, or that would

constitute _periods_ or _epochs_ in the destruction of the Roman power.

At this point in writing, I looked on a chart of history, composed

with no reference to this prophecy, and found a singular and unexpected

prominence given to _four_ such events extending from the first

invasion of the Goths and Vandals at the beginning of the fifth century,

to the fall of the Western empire, A.D. 476. The first was the invasion

of Alaric, king of the Goths, A.D. 410; the second was the invasion

of Attila, king of the Huns, “scourge of God,” A.D. 447; a third was

the sack of Rome by Genseric, king of the Vandals, A.D. 455; and the

fourth, resulting in the final conquest of Rome, was that of Odoacer,

king of the Heruli, who assumed the title of King of Italy, A.D. 476.

We shall see, however, on a closer examination, that although two

of these――Attila and Genseric――were, during a part of their career,

contemporary, yet the most prominent place is due to Genseric in the

events that attended the downfall of the empire, and that the second

trumpet probably related to him; the third to Attila. These were,

beyond doubt, four great periods or events attending the fall of

the Roman empire, which synchronize with the period before us. If,

therefore, we regard the opening of the sixth seal as denoting the

threatening aspect of these invading powers――the gathering of the

dark cloud that hovered over the borders of the empire, and the

consternation produced by that approaching storm; and if we regard the

transactions in the seventh chapter――the holding of the winds in check,

and the sealing of the chosen of God――as denoting the _suspension_ of

the impending {196} judgments in order that a work might be done to

save the church, and as referring to the divine interposition in behalf

of the church; then the appropriate place of these four trumpets, under

the seventh seal, will be when that delayed and restrained storm burst

in successive blasts upon different parts of the empire――the successive

invasions which were so prominent in the overthrow of that vast power.

History marks four of these events――four heavy blows――four sweepings of

the tempest and the storm――under Alaric, Genseric, Attila, and Odoacer,

whose movements could not be better symbolized than by these successive

blasts of the trumpet.

The first of these is the invasion of Alaric; and the inquiry now is,

whether his invasion is such as would be properly symbolized by the

first trumpet. In illustrating this, it will be proper to notice some

of the movements of Alaric, and the alarm consequent on his invasion

of the empire; and then to inquire how far this corresponds with the

images employed in the description of the first trumpet. For these

illustrations I shall be indebted mainly to Mr. Gibbon. Alaric, the

Goth, was at first employed in the service of the emperor Theodosius,

in his attempt to oppose the usurper Arbogastes, after the murder

of Valentinian, emperor of the West. Theodosius, in order to oppose

the usurper, employed, among others, numerous barbarians――Iberians,

Arabs, and Goths. One of them was Alaric, who, to use the language

of Mr. Gibbon (ii. 179), “acquired in the school of Theodosius the

knowledge of the art of war, which he afterwards so fatally exerted for

the destruction of Rome,” A.D. 392‒394. After the death of Theodosius

(A.D. 395) the Goths revolted from the Roman power, and Alaric, who had

been disappointed in his expectations of being raised to the command

of the Roman armies, became their leader (_Decline and Fall_, ii. 213).

“That renowned leader was descended from the noble race of the Balti;

which yielded only to the royal dignity of the Amali; he had solicited

the command of the Roman armies; and the imperial court provoked him

to demonstrate the folly of their refusal, and the importance of their

loss. In the midst of a divided court and a discontented people the

emperor Arcadius was terrified by the aspect of the Gothic arms,” &c.

Alaric then invaded and conquered Greece, laying it waste in his

progress, until he reached Athens, ii. 214, 215. “The fertile fields of

Phocis and Bœotia were instantly covered by a deluge of barbarians, who

massacred the males of age to bear arms, and drove away the beautiful

females, with the spoil and cattle of the flaming villages.” Alaric

then concluded a treaty with Theodosius, the emperor of the East

(ii. 216); was made master-general of Eastern Illyricum, and created

a magistrate (ii. 217); soon united under his command the barbarous

nations that had made the invasion, and was solemnly declared to be the

king of the Visigoths, ii. 217. “Armed with this double power, seated

on the verge of two empires, he alternately sold his deceitful promises

to the courts of Arcadius and Honorius, till he declared and executed

his purpose of invading the dominions of the West. The provinces of

Europe which belonged to the Eastern empire were already exhausted;

those of Asia were inaccessible; and the strength of Constantinople had

resisted his attack. But he was tempted by the beauty, the wealth, and

the fame of Italy, which he had twice visited; and he secretly aspired

to plant the Gothic standard on the walls of Rome; and to enrich his

army with the accumulated spoils of three hundred triumphs,” ii. 217,

218. In describing his march to the Danube, and his progress towards

Italy, having increased his army with a large number of barbarians,

Mr. Gibbon uses the remarkable language expressive of the general

consternation, already quoted in the description of the sixth seal.

Alaric approached rapidly towards the imperial city, resolved to

“conquer or die before the gates of Rome.” But he was checked by

Stilicho, and compelled to make peace, and retired (_Decline and Fall_,

ii. 222), and the threatening storm was for a time suspended. See Notes

on ch. vii. 1, seq. So great was the consternation, however, that the

Roman court, which then had its seat at Milan, thought it necessary

to remove to a safer place, and became fixed at Ravenna, ii. 224.

This calm, secured by the retreat of Alaric, was, however, of short

continuance. In A.D. 408 he again invaded Italy in a more successful

manner, attacked the capital, and more than once pillaged Rome. The

following facts, for which I am indebted to Mr. Gibbon, will illustrate

the progress {197} of the events, and the effects of this blast of the

“first trumpet” in the series that announced the destruction of the

Western empire:――

(a) The effect, on the destiny of the empire, of removing the Roman

court to Ravenna from the dread of the Goths. As early as A.D. 303 the

court of the emperor of the West was, for the most part, established

at Milan. For some time before, the “sovereignty of the capital was

gradually annihilated by the extent of conquest,” and the emperors

were required to be long absent from Rome on the frontiers, until in

the time of Diocletian and Maximian the seat of government was fixed

at Milan, “whose situation at the foot of the Alps appeared far more

convenient than that of Rome for the important purpose of watching

the motions of the barbarians of Germany” (Gibbon, i. 213). “The life

of Diocletian and Maximian was a life of action, and a considerable

portion of it was spent in camps, or in their long and frequent marches;

but whenever the public business allowed them any relaxation, they

seem to have retired with pleasure to their favourite residences of

Nicomedia and Milan. Till Diocletian, in the twentieth year of his

reign, celebrated his Roman triumph, it is extremely doubtful whether

he ever visited the ancient capital of the empire” (Gibbon, i. 214).

From this place the court was driven away, by the dread of the northern

barbarians, to Ravenna, a safer place, which thenceforward became the

seat of government, while Italy was ravaged by the northern hordes,

and while Rome was besieged and pillaged. Mr. Gibbon, under date of

A.D. 404, says, “The recent danger to which the person of the emperor

had been exposed in the defenceless palace of Milan [from Alaric and

the Goths] urged him to seek a retreat in some inaccessible fortress

in Italy, where he might securely remain, while the open country was

covered by a deluge of barbarians” (vol. ii. p. 224). He then proceeds

to describe the situation of Ravenna, and the removal of the court

thither, and then adds (p. 225), “The fears of Honorius were not

without foundation, nor were his precautions without effect. While

Italy rejoiced in her deliverance from the Goths, a furious tempest was

excited among the nations of Germany, who yielded to the irresistible

impulse that appears to have been gradually communicated from the

eastern extremity of the continent of Asia.” That mighty movement of

the Huns is then described, as the storm was preparing to burst upon

the Roman empire, ii. 225. The agitation and the removal of the Roman

government were events not inappropriate to be described by symbols

relating to the fall of that mighty power.

(b) The particulars of that invasion, the consternation, the siege of

Rome, and the capture and pillage of the imperial city, would confirm

the propriety of this application to the symbol of the first trumpet.

It would be too long to copy the account――for it extends through many

pages of the _History of the Decline and Fall of the Empire_; but a few

selected sentences may show the general character of the events, and

the propriety of the symbols, on the supposition that they referred to

these things. Thus Mr. Gibbon (ii. 226, 227) says, “The correspondence

of nations was, in that age, so imperfect and precarious, that the

revolutions of the North might escape the knowledge of the court of

Ravenna, till the dark cloud which was collected along the coast of the

Baltic burst in thunder upon the banks of the Upper Danube. The king

of the confederate Germans passed, without resistance, the Alps, the

Po, and the Apennines; leaving on the one hand the inaccessible palace

of Honorius securely buried among the marshes of Ravenna; and on the

other the camp of Stilicho, who had fixed his head-quarters at Ticinum,

or Pavia, but who seems to have avoided a decisive battle till he had

assembled his distant forces. Many cities of Italy were pillaged or

destroyed. The senate and people trembled at their approach within a

hundred and eighty miles of Rome; and anxiously compared the danger

which they had escaped with the new perils to which they were exposed,”

&c. Rome was besieged for the first time by the Goths A.D. 408. Of this

siege Mr. Gibbon (ii. 252‒254) has given a graphic description. Among

other things, he says, “That unfortunate city gradually experienced the

distress of scarcity, and at length the horrid calamities of famine.”

“A dark suspicion was entertained, that some desperate wretches fed on

the bodies of their fellow-creatures whom they had secretly murdered;

and even mothers――such were the horrid conflicts of the {198} two

most powerful instincts implanted by nature in the human breast――even

mothers are said to have tasted the flesh of their slaughtered infants.

Many thousands of the inhabitants of Rome expired in their houses, or

in the streets, for want of sustenance; and as the public sepulchres

without the walls were in the power of the enemy, the stench which

arose from so many putrid and unburied carcasses infected the air; and

the miseries of famine were succeeded and aggravated by a pestilential

disease.” The first siege was raised by the payment of an enormous

ransom (Gibbon, ii. 254). The second siege of Rome by the Goths

occurred A.D. 409. _This_ siege was carried on by preventing the supply

of provisions, Alaric having seized upon _Ostia_, the Roman port,

where the provisions for the capital were deposited. The Romans finally

consented to receive a new emperor at the hand of Alaric, and Attalus

was appointed in the place of the feeble Honorius, who was then at

Ravenna, and who had abandoned the capital. Attalus, an inefficient

prince, was soon publicly stripped of the robes of office, and Alaric,

enraged at the conduct of the court at Ravenna towards him, turned his

wrath a third time on Rome, and laid siege to the city. This occurred

A.D. 410. “The king of the Goths, who no longer dissembled his appetite

for plunder and revenge, appeared in arms under the walls of the

capital; and the trembling senate, without any hope of relief, prepared,

by a desperate effort, to delay the ruin of their country. But they

were unable to guard against the conspiracy of their slaves and

domestics, who, either from birth or interest, were attached to the

cause of the enemy. At the hour of midnight the Salarian Gate was

silently opened, and the inhabitants were awakened by the tremendous

sound of the Gothic trumpet. Eleven hundred and sixty-three years

after the foundation of Rome, the imperial city, which had subdued

and civilized so considerable a part of mankind, was delivered to the

licentious fury of the tribes of Germany and Scythia” (Gibbon, ii. 260).

(c) It is, perhaps, only necessary to add that the invasion of Alaric

was in fact but _one_ of the great events that led to the fall of the

empire, and that, in announcing that fall, where a succession of events

was to occur, it would properly be represented by the blast of one of

the trumpets. The expressions employed in the symbol are, indeed, such

as might be applied to _any_ invasion of hostile armies, but they are

such as _would_ be used if the design were admitted to be to describe

the invasion of the Gothic conqueror. For (1) that invasion, as we

have seen, would be well represented by the storm of hail and lightning

that was seen in vision; (2) by the _red_ colour mingled in that

storm――indicative of blood; (3) by the fact that it consumed the trees

and the grass. This, as we saw in the exposition, would properly denote

the desolation produced by war――applicable, indeed, to _all_ war,

but _as_ applicable to the invasion of Alaric as _any_ war that

has occurred, and it is such an emblem as would be used if it were

admitted that it was the design to represent his invasion. The sweeping

storm, prostrating the trees of the forest, is an apt emblem of the

evils of war, and, as was remarked in the exposition, no more striking

illustration of the consequences of a hostile invasion could be

employed than the destruction of the “green grass.” What is here

represented in the symbol cannot, perhaps, be better expressed than in

the language of Mr. Gibbon, when describing the invasion of the Roman

empire under Alaric. Speaking of that invasion, he says――“While the

peace of Germany was secured by the attachment of the Franks and the

neutrality of the Alemanni, the subjects of Rome, unconscious of their

approaching calamities, enjoyed the state of quiet and prosperity which

had seldom blessed the frontiers of Gaul. Their flocks and herds were

permitted to graze in the pastures of the barbarians; their huntsmen

penetrated, without fear or danger, into the darkest recesses of the

Hercynian wood. The banks of the Rhine were crowned, like those of

the Tiber, with elegant houses and well-cultivated farms; and if a

poet descended the river, he might express his doubt on which side

was situated the territory of the Romans. This scene of peace and

plenty was suddenly changed into a desert; and the prospect of the

smoking ruins could alone distinguish the solitude of nature from the

desolation of man. The flourishing city of Mentz was surprised and

destroyed; and many thousand Christians were inhumanly massacred in

the church. Worms perished after a long and obstinate siege; Strasburg,

Spires, Rheims, {199} Tournay, Arras, Amiens, experienced the cruel

oppression of the German yoke; and the consuming flames of war spread

from the banks of the Rhine over the greatest part of the seventeen

provinces of Gaul. That rich and extensive country, as far as the ocean,

the Alps, and the Pyrenees, was delivered to the barbarians, who drove

before them, in a promiscuous crowd, the bishop, the senator, and the

virgin, laden with the spoils of their houses and altars,” ii. 230. In

reference, also, to the invasion of Alaric, and the particular nature

of the desolation depicted under the first trumpet, a remarkable

passage which Mr. Gibbon has quoted from Claudian, as describing the

effects of the invasion of Alaric, may be here introduced. “The _old_

man,” says he, speaking of Claudian, “who had passed his simple and

innocent life in the neighbourhood of Verona, was a stranger to the

quarrels both of kings and of bishops; _his_ pleasures, his desires,

his knowledge, were confined within the little circle of his paternal

farm; and a staff supported his aged steps on the same ground where

he had sported in infancy. Yet even this humble and rustic felicity

(which Claudian describes with so much truth and feeling) was still

exposed to the undistinguishing rage of war. His trees, his old

_contemporary_[271] trees, must blaze in the conflagration of the whole

country; a detachment of Gothic cavalry must sweep away his cottage and

his family; and the power of Alaric could destroy this happiness which

he was not able either to taste or to bestow. ‘Fame,’ says the poet,

‘encircling with terror or gloomy wings, proclaimed the march of the

barbarian army, and filled Italy with consternation,’” ii. 218. And

(4) as to the _extent_ of the calamity, there is also a striking

propriety in the language of the symbol as applicable to the invasion

of Alaric. I do not suppose, indeed, that it is necessary, in order to

find a proper fulfilment of the symbol, to be able to show that exactly

one-third part of the empire was made desolate in this way; but it is a

sufficient fulfilment if desolation spread over a considerable portion

of the Roman world――_as if_ a third part had been destroyed. No one who

reads the account of the invasion of Alaric can doubt that it would be

an apt description of the ravages of his arms to say that a third part

was laid waste. That the desolations produced by Alaric were such as

would be _properly_ represented by this symbol may be fully seen by

consulting the whole account of that invasion in Gibbon, ii. 213‒266.

8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great

[272]mountain burning with fire was [273]cast into the sea:

and the third part of the sea [274]became blood;

8. _And the second angel sounded._ Comp. Notes on ver. 2‒7. This,

according to the interpretation proposed above, refers to the second

of the four great events which contributed to the downfall of the Roman

empire. It will be proper in this case, as in the former, to inquire

into the literal meaning of the symbol, and then whether there was any

event that corresponded with it. ¶ _And as it were a great mountain._ A

_mountain_ is a natural symbol of strength, and hence becomes a symbol

of a strong and powerful kingdom; for mountains are not only places

of strength in themselves, but they anciently answered the purposes of

fortified places, and were the seats of power. Hence they are properly

symbols of strong nations. “The stone that smote the image became _a

great mountain_, and filled the whole earth,” Da. ii. 35. Comp. Zec.

iv. 7; Je. li. 25. We naturally, then, apply this part of the symbol to

some strong and mighty nation――not a nation, necessarily, that issued

_from_ a mountainous region, but a nation that in strength _resembled_

a mountain. ¶ _Burning with fire._ A mountain in a blaze; that is, with

all its woods on fire, or, more probably, a _volcanic_ mountain. There

would perhaps be no more sublime image than such a mountain lifted

suddenly from its base and thrown into the sea. One of the sublimest

parts of the _Paradise Lost_ is that where the poet represents the

angels in the great battle in heaven as lifting the mountains――tearing

them from their base――and hurling them on the foe:――