prophets, and of saints, and of all who were slain upon the earth." CH. XIX. i After these things, I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah: now is the salvation, and the glory, and the power of our God: 2 for true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and hath demanded from her hands the blood of his | servants." 3 (And again they said, "Hallelujah :') and her smoke goeth up to the ages of ages." 4 And the twenty-four elders, and the four living creatures, fell down and worshipped God who sat on the throne, saying, "Amen, Hallelujah." 5 And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all ye his servants; and ye who fear him, both small and great." 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as it were the sound of many waters, and as it were the sound of mighty thunders, saying, "Hallelujah : for our Lord God Almighty reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to him for the marriage of the lamb is come, and his bride hath made herself ready." 8 And it was given her, that she should be clothed in fine linen, pure and white: (for fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then one said to me, "Write; Happy are those who are invited to the marriagesupper of the lamb." He said to me also, "These are the true words of God." 10 Then I fell before his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See thou do it not: I am a fellowservant with thee, and with thy brethren who bear the testimony of Jesus: worship God: (for the spirit of this prophecy is the testimony of Jesus.") 11 AND I saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse: and he who sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and with righteousness he judgeth and maketh war. 12 And his eyes were [as] a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns: and he had a name written which no one knoweth but he himself: 13 and he was clothed with a mantle dipt in blood: and his name is called, THE WORD OF GOD. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. 15 And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, that with it he might smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: he shall tread the wine-press of the fierce anger of Almighty God. 16 And he had on his mantle, and on his thigh, a name written, King of KINGS AND Lord of Lords. 17 And I saw [one] angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls which fly in mid-heaven, "Come and gather yourselves together to the great banquet of God; 18 that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free-men and slaves, both small and great." 19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together, to make war against him who sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and the false prophet who was with him, who wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived those who had taken the mark of the beast, and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were slain with the sword of him who sat on the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Cн. XX. 1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, who had the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is an impostor and an adversary, and bound him a thousand years; 3 and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, that he might deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be finished: [and] after that he must be loosed a little time. 4 AND I saw thrones, and those who sat upon them, and judgment was given to them : and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded on account of the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands: and they lived, and reigned with Christ [the] thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not, until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Happy and holy are they who have part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are finished, the adversary will be loosed out of his prison; 8 and will go forth to deceive the nations, which are in the four parts of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for battle: whose number will be as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and fire came down [from God] out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the impostor who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the beast and the false prophet were: and they will be tormented day and night, to the ages of ages.* This text has also been alledged, but with little reason, in favour of what has justly been called the heart-withering doctrine of eternal torments. See chap. xiv. 11, and the note there. The persons who are here said to be tormented to the ages of ages, are not real, but figurative, and symbolic persons, the impostor, the beast, and the false prophet. The place therefore, the kind,. 11 AND I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and and great, standing before the throne: and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged from the things written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hades gave up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every one according to his works. 14 And death and hades* were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. CH. XXI. 1 AND I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away: and there was no more sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, [and be their God]: 4 and he will wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death will be no more; and sorrow, and lamentation, and pain will be no more: for the former things are passed away." 5 And he who sat upon the throne, said, "Behold, I make all things new." And he said [to me,]" Write: for these words are true and worthy of belief." 6 And he said to me, "It is accomplished. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty I will give drink without cost from the fountain of the water of life. 7 He who overcometh shall inherit these things: and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and sinners, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." 9 And one of [the] seven messengers, who had the seven phials full of the seven last ( scourges, came and talked to me, saying, "Come hither; I will show thee the bride, the wife of the lamb." 10 And he carried me away in spirit to a great and high mountain,t and and the duration of their torment, must also be figurative. The meaning seems to be, that all the corruptions of the Christian religion, as well as all heathen idolatry and the spirit of perse eution, shall be totally and for ever exterminated. And pure and undefiled Christianity, in its spirit and in its power, shall every where prevail, and produce universal peace and harmony and happiness. This is the true advent of Christ. And to the promise of his speedy appear ance for these glorious purposes, what benevolent heart can refuse to adopt the response of the prophet, 'Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!' chap. xxii. 20. 1 See note, ch. i. 18. † See ch. i. 10. Here is similar language to that which is applied to Christ, Mat. iv. 1, (which see,) and as this is acknowledged to be a vision, why should that be supposed to be any thing more than a vision? showed me the holy city Je- | the sixth, sardius; the seventh, rusalem, coming down out of chrysolithe; the eighth, beryl; heaven from God, 11 having the ninth, topaz; the tenth, the glory of God: and its light chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jawas like a most precious stone, cinth; the twelfth, amythest. as a jasper-stone, clear as 21 And the twelve gates were crystal: 12 having a great twelve pearls: every gate was and high wall; and having of one pearl: and the street of twelve gates, and at the gates the city was pure gold, like twelve angels, and names writ-transparent glass. 22 And I saw ten on the gates, which are the in it no temple: for the Lord God names of the twelve tribes of Almighty, and the lamb, are the sons of Israel: 13 on the its temple. 23 And the city had east, three gates; and on the no need of the sun, or of the north, three gates; and on the moon, to shine in it: for the south, three gates; and on the glory of God enlightened it, west, three gates. and the lamb was its lamp. 24 And the nations shall walk in its light: and the kings of the earth shall bring into it their glory [and honour]. 25 And its gates shall not be shut by day : for there shall be no night there. 26 And men shall bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. 27 And nothing shall enter into it which defileth, or which worketh abomination, or uttereth a lie: but those only who are written in the lamb's book of life. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve apostles of the lamb. 15 And he who talked to me had for a measure a golden reed, to measure the city, and its gates, and its wall. 16 Now the city lay square, and its length was as much [as] the breadth. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length, and the breadth, and the height of it, were equal. 17 And he measured its CH. XXII. 1 Then he showwall, a hundred and forty-foured me a river of the water of life, cubits, according to the mea- clear as chrystal, proceeding sure of a man, which is the from the throne of God, and of messenger's measure. 18 And the lamb. 2 In the midst, bethe building of its wall was of tween the breadth of the city jasper and the city was pure and the river which ran on each gold, like clear glass. side, was the tree of life, which bare twelve kinds of fruits, and yielded its fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse of any kind: but the throne of God and of the lamb shall 19 [And] the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; 20 the fifth, sardonyx; be in it; and his servants shall | worship him, 4 and shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads. 5 And night shall be no longer: nor need of a lamp, nor of the light of the sun; for the Lord God will enlighten them; and they shall reign to the ages of ages. 6 THEN he said to me, "These words are worthy of belief and true: and, the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets hath sent his messenger to show to his servants the things which must shortly come to pass." 7 For, behold, I will come quickly happy is he who keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.' 6 8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the messenger who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, "See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee, and with thy brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book: worship God." 10 Then he said to me, "Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book: the time is near. 11 He who is unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still; and he who is polluted, let him be polluted still: and he who is righteous, let him do righteousness still: and he who is holy, let him be holy still." 12 "Behold, I will come quickly and my reward will be with me, to give to every one according as his work [shall be.] 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Happy are they who do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 15 Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent my messenger to testify to you these things [in] the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morningstar. 17 And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him who is athirst, come: whosoever will, let him take the water of life without cost. 18" I TESTIFY to every one who heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any one shall add to the things, God will add to him the scourges which are written in this book: 19 and if any one shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part of the tree of life, and of the holy city, which are written of in this book. 20 He who testifieth these things, saith, Surely, I will come quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” 21 THE favour of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all those who are holy. |