before us in this book.

bear down upon the

Appeals of unwonted power impenitent from its sacred

pages, in threatenings of judgment that have no parallel in any other portion of the book of God. Consolation which no language can describe is here given to the humble followers of Christ in this lower world, in glorious views of Him upon whom help for them has been laid,—Him who has the key of David, who holds his ministers in his own right hand, who, though he was once dead, is now alive forevermore, and assures us that he is the triumphant possessor of the keys of death and the grave, and who has given to every overcomer the multiplied promise of walking with him in white, having a crown of life, partaking of the fruit of the tree of life which grows in the midst of the Paradise of God, and being raised up to sit with him upon his own glorious throne. No other book takes us at once, and so irresistibly, into another sphere. Long vistas are here opened before us, which are bounded by no terrestrial objects, but carry us forward into other worlds. And if ever themes of thrilling and impressive interest, and grand and lofty imagery, and sublime and magnificent description, can invite the attention of mankind, then the Revelation invites us to a careful study of its pages, which urge upon our notice the realities of a momentous future, and an unseen world.

Chapter I.

THE INTRODUCTORY VISION.

THE book opens with the announcement of its title and a benediction:

VERSES 1-3. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John, who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand.

The Title. The translators of our common version of the Bible have given this book the title of "The Revelation of St. John the Divine." In this they contradict the very first words of the book itself, which declare it to be "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the Revelator, not John. John is but the penman employed by Christ to write out this Revelation for the benefit of his church. There is no doubt that the John here mentioned is the person of that name who was the beloved and highly favored one among the twelve apostles. He was evangelist and apostle, and the writer of the gospel and epistles which bear his

name.

See Clarke, Barnes, Kitto, Pond, and others. To his previous titles he now adds that of prophet; for the Revelation is a prophecy. But the matter of this book is traced back to a still higher source. It is not only the Revelation of Jesus Christ, but it is the Revelation which God gave unto him. It comes, then, first, from the great fountain of all wisdom and truth, God the Father; by him it was communicated to Jesus Christ, the Son; and Christ sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John.

The Character of the Book. This is expressed in one word, "Revelation." A revelation is something revealed, something clearly made known, not something hidden and concealed. Moses, in Deut. 29: 29, tells us that "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever." The very title of the book, then, is a sufficient refutation of the popular opinion of to-day, that this book is among the hidden mysteries of God, and cannot be understood. Were this the case, it should bear some such title as "The Mystery," or "The Hidden Book;" certainly not that of "The Revelation."

Its Object. "To show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass." His servantswho are they? Is there any limit? For whose benefit was the Revelation given? For any specified persons? For any particular churches? For any special period of time? No: it is for all the church in all time, so long as any of the events

therein predicted remain to be accomplished. It is for all those who can claim the appellation of "his servants," wherever or whenever they may live. But this language brings up again the popular view that the Revelation is not to be understood. God says it was given to show something to his servants; and yet many of the expounders of his word tell us that it does not show anything, because no man can understand it! As though God would undertake to make known to mankind some important truths, and yet fall into the worse than earthly folly of clothing them in language or in figures which human minds could not comprehend! As though he would command a person to behold some distant object, and then erect an impenetrable barrier between him and the object specified! Or as though he would give his servants a light to guide them through the gloom of night, and yet throw over that light a pall so thick and heavy that not a ray of its brightness could penetrate the obscuring folds! How do they dishonor God who thus trifle with his word! No: the Revelation will accomplish the object for which it was given, and "his servants" will learn therefrom "the things which must shortly come to pass," and which concern their eternal salvation.

His Angel. Christ sent and made known the Revelation to John by "his angel." A particular angel seems here to be brought to view. What angel could appropriately be called Christ's angel? May we not find an answer to this question in a

significant passage in the prophecy of Daniel? In Dan. 10: 21, an angel, which was doubtless Gabriel (see Dan. chaps. 9, 10, and 11: 1), in making known some important truths to Daniel, said, "There is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." Who Michael is we easily learn. Jude, verse 9, calls him the "archangel." And Paul tell us that when the Lord descends from Heaven, and the dead in Christ are raised, the voice of the archangel shall be heard. 1 Thess. 4:16. And whose voice will be heard at that amazing hour when the dead are called to life? The Lord himself replies, "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice," John 5: 28; and the previous verse shows that the one here referred to, whose voice shall be heard, is the Son of man, or Christ. It is the voice of Christ, then, that calls the dead from their graves. That voice Paul declares is the voice of the archangel; and Jude says that the archangel is called Michael, the very personage mentioned in Daniel; and all referring to Christ. The statement in Daniel, then, is, that the truths to be revealed to Daniel were committed to Christ, and confined exclusively to him, and to an angel whose name was Gabriel. Similar to the work of communicating important truth to the "beloved prophet," is the work of Christ in the Revelation of communicating important truth to the "beloved disciple;" and who, in this work, can be his angel, but he who was engaged with him in